Heartprints

The Worry Syndrome

Matthew 10 Do Not Worry!

We hear the word syndrome, but do we know what it means? Here is one definition: A distinctive or characteristic pattern of behavior. Worry falls into that category and our children often exhibit this due to varying circumstances. Another word for worry is anxiety or being anxious. One of the greatest challenges in our children’s lives is that they tend to worry. They worry about many things. Worry is one of those nagging sins that we and they carry like a trophy and it disturbs not just ourselves but spills over into our relationships with others. We worry about what tomorrow will bring or we worry about what we shall wear or we worry about life in general. In other words, we worry about many things. 

In Matthew 10, Jesus is teaching the disciples about what will happen after he has departed back to heaven. He reminds them, the world will hate us and seek to undermine our message of the love of Jesus and His offer of salvation by having us listen to the words of our arch enemy, Satan. Listen to what Jesus said, “do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.”  [Matt 10:19-20]  This is a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit who lives in us will bring words and thoughts to our mind.

Why do children worry and why do we worry? We worry because we are not trusting God and His Holy Spirit. The Philippians were just like us, and so Paul wrote to them. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Phil 4:6-7] So when the enemy comes calling for us to worry, we need to take the first step of prayer. Let our prayers be filled with thanksgiving. Tell God all about the problem. And then He will guard our hearts with this: I am with you and will never leave you or forsake you. I will send My Holy Spirit to teach you what to do and say. It is like this; he, the enemy is playing a game of chess but if we trust God, He will show us the next move!

Coordinator of the Heartprints Blog Page: Gaye-Ellen Austin or SonShine has a passion to train people to be successful Bible students, following the words of Paul to his protégé Timothy: “ entrust to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.” (2 Tim 2:2). She taught 15 years in public schools and 12 years in a Christian school where she was coordinator of the NILD program for learning disabled students. She has taught Precept upon Precept classes and was a discussion group leader for 10+ yrs. in BSF in Daytona Beach. Fl. and Atlanta, GA. Also, Gaye-Ellen is the writer for the https://www.facebook.com/bible.org/ She also has her own personal blog page: https://sonshinesjournal.com/ David is a full time director for Bible.org as well as his secular job. He and Gaye-Ellen along with their son, Dr. Mark Austin, daughter-in-law, Dr. Blanca Austin and granddaughter Christina (https://christinaaustinlopez.com.) live in the Dallas area. Gaye-Ellen's goal is to present Christ and live Christ glorifying God. One of her favorite verses about the role as parents, teachers, and adults for the next generation comes from Psalm 78:4, "but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord."

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