Financial Testimonies Stories of God's Favor, Grace and Provision

06/20/2019

Worry

Phil 4:6 (KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Phil 4:6 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

I’ve been in LA now for five days. The trip was a faith step because I really didn’t have the money to come. One of the things I was most concerned about was having enough gas money to drive back and forth to Thousand Oaks for rehearsal every day. It’s 39 miles. In LA that’s easily a 1.5 hour trip possibly more in peak traffic.

Today the Holy Spirit gave me a new word for what I was calling “concern.” The word was “worry.” I was so worried that I wouldn’t have enough. Worry is the opposite of faith. It is an indication that you’re walking by sight. It’s also an indication that you are trusting in yourself, your resources and abilities vs. trusting in God. If you let it, worry can wear you out mentally, emotionally, and physically. It can lead to health problems, breakdowns, trigger negative behaviors.

I didn’t even realize that the persistent negative thoughts I was having could all be labeled as worry. Once I did, I kinda slapped myself on the wrist. I know better than to worry. More than anything else, giving in to worry means I’ve begun to forget how much God loves me. God always has my back. He never lets me down. Yes, sometimes He stretches my faith. I like that. I need that. The things I’m believing for are so big that little, scrawny, faith won’t get it done.

It’s funny how we can be like the children of Israel and be so quick to forget how God came through for us the last time and the time before that and the time before that.

Now the testimony. I was scheduled for rehearsal 5 out of 6 days this week. In worry math, that’s 390 miles and probably $60-$80 in gas at LA prices. In Advanced or “AP” Worry math, it’s the same as a trip from Phoenix to LA. But God’s math works differently. He supplies all of our needs, according to His riches in Christ Jesus. He knows what we need and has it covered. Yes, we have to ask in faith and step out in obedience, that’s our part. Then He does His part. He takes all of our big numbers and erases them and makes them zero. He stamps the needs “covered.”

Turns out after all my worry that I have only been needed at rehearsal one day. I haven’t put any gas in my car since I filled up in Palm Springs on Sunday! I write these testimonies in a way that I can share and encourage others but make no mistake, I write them as a reminder to myself. In this case, I was reminding myself that I don’t need to worry when I step out in faith and do what God tells me to do. It’s almost embarrassing. I know better. I hope this helps someone. It helped me!