Who’s in control of your life?

God gives you the option. He doesn’t force Himself on anybody’s life. You have two options — either you can be in control of your life or you can let God be in control of your life. If you are in control of your life you’re playing God. Playing God is the root of worry. Every time you start playing God, you’re going to worry. When you start trying to control things and make them work… and force yourself to try to control many things that are out of your control then inside there’s a little voice that says “Who are you kidding? You know you’re not God and you and God know that you don’t have it all together.” It’s an issue of control.

If you’re running your own life without God’s direction, you ought to be worried. Most of the things in your life you can’t control. Then you have every reason to worry. But if God is running your life and He’s your Lord and your Shepherd you know He can control anything so you don’t sweat it. I make Jesus the Lord of my life.

One of the things believers need to grasp, is that we should pray about all the stuff we worry about. Just talk to God. He wants your friendship, your relationship. You don’t have time to pray? Do you have time to worry? If we prayed about all the things we worry about we would have an awfully lot less to worry about. Worry doesn’t change anything; prayer does. Prayer gets in touch with God who can change it. Whenever I’m worried I have two options — I can panic or I can pray.

Philippians 4:6 NLT says, Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Everything. Don’t just pray about religious things. Most people, when they pray, pray prayers they think God wants to hear. Pray about everything. If it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about. God’s ability is greater than your anxiety. “Cast all of your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” I Peter 5:7 NIV

Cast means to unload, let it go. The Greek word literally means drop. Unload it. Prayer is an incredible stress reliever. All — whatever you’re stressed out about, upset about, irritated about. Cast it all on Him. Dump it on Him. Unload. The problem is, most of us do the casting like we do in fishing. We cast our worries out and then we reel them back in.