Day 19

What are you worried about today? What has captured your attention? What did you go to bed thinking about, and what filled your mind when you woke up?

Remember, your first thoughts in the morning set the course for the rest of your day. If you let negativity and anxiety occupy your attention, it will set the tone for how you interact with people and how you process the ups and downs that come your way. But if you replace negative thoughts with trust in God by casting your cares on Him, you change the direction of your heart, mind, and will, which inevitably transforms the course of your day.

I love the reasoning behind the Bible’s command to “Give all your worries and cares to God.” The verse says, “for he cares about you.” He loves you. He sees you. He knows you. God cares about you, so He cares about what you care about. That is why you don’t have to spiral into fear or worry.

Before anxiety turns into a cascade of negative thoughts and feelings, learn to stop it at the first concern. Before fear turns into an avalanche of negative thinking, throw the concern onto the Lord. Each morning, turn those negative thoughts into prayer, which is a weapon in your spiritual armor. Instead of letting worry be used as a weapon by the enemy against you, let it be a signal to pray. When the paralysis of fear rises up, turn it into a laser-focused prayer of faith.

It’s that simple. Practically speaking, if you wake up with a negative or toxic thought, pray, “Jesus, I know you care about the things that concern me, so I give them to You. I throw it onto You. I give You my anxious thoughts and feelings. I give You the situations and circumstances.”

Let the God who cares for the Universe carry the things that are weighing you down. He wants to do that for you, and He’s a lot better at it than you are!

Questions for Reflection

1. Why do you think God wants you to give your worries to Him?
2. In what ways can your heart and mind be transformed by converting anxieties into prayers each morning?
3. How does knowing that God cares for you help you trust Him more?