A Wonderful Lesson About Worry

Last evening I went to my first ladies fellowship at my new church. I will admit that I was a little nervous. I've always had another friend with me to try out new things like this but this time I was all by myself. But in reality I wasn't by myself...God was with me and He gave me the "courage" to be myself and not so shy in front of all these ladies. I loved the time I had with these ladies! We had some yummy food, played a game, learned about some cute crafts to make, poured our hearts out in prayer, read God's word and had some overall great fellowship! I cannot wait for next month when there is another one! The lesson (taught by Pastor's wife) was a great encouragement and I felt compelled to share some key points with all of you out there in blogging land!
We read from Matthew 6:25-34, focusing on verse 26, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do the reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"
Susan, Pastor's wife, said, "Seeing His creation should remind us that HE is in control!" and that really resonated with me. If God can create the world and all of the things in it, from the big to the small, then why could He not handle my worries? She then went into details about how worry can physically and emotionally cause you damage. Worry may cause high blood pressure, heart attacks, nervous breakdowns, etc. What worry does not  do is strengthen your body. Worry has no pro's or cons. It's all con's. Nothing about worry can benefit you. Worry can even reduce your ability to trust in God! When we are trusting in God, the way that we should, worry will be removed. There is a difference between worry and genuine concern-worry immobilizes but concern moves you to action. Then she gave some cool insight into the verses we read:
Seven Reasons NOT to Worry:
1. (based on vs. 25) The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life.
2 .(based on vs. 26) Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today.
3. (based on vs. 27) Worrying is more harmful than helpful.
4. (based on vs. 28-30) God doe not ignore those who depend on Him.
5. (based on vs.31-32) Worry shows a lack of fath and understanding of God. ----This point hit home!! Think about what it says.
6. (based on vs. 33) There are real challenges God wants us to pursue and worrying keeps us from them.
7. (based on vs, 34) Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry about tomorrow.

It's always goo to be reminded that God is in control and that He takes care of His own. Hope you found this to be encouraging! :-)