Do you think worrying is just a normal part of life? You can defeat worry for good and live a life most people only dream of!
Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m. in the middle of pouring monsoon rains, 91,000 people crowd into Faith Tabernacle Church in Canaan Land, Nigeria. It’s an awesome sight—and that is just the first service.
What opened the door for all this to happen out in the middle of a Nigerian jungle?
One man made a decision to put worry behind him for good, and to simply trust God to do what He said He would do.
That man is Bishop David Oyedepo. Not only did his decision to stop worry for good build one of the largest churches in the world, but it also paved the way for God to build more than $500 million worth of facilities, including a church and a major university, right in the middle of one of the poorest places on earth.
Kenneth E. Hagin made the same decision and experienced supernatural healing, miracle after miracle in his life and ministry, and a life filled with unspeakable peace. Of this decision, he said, “Oh, I’ve had some marvelous opportunities since then to worry. Worry was the most difficult sin for me to give up. And worry is the greatest temptation you, too, will ever face. But you can resist it—and you must.”
Kenneth E. Hagin and Bishop Oyedepo discovered the same secret to success—the ticket to a life well-lived and prospering in all things. They both discovered that worry had been stealing the abundant life that belonged to them in Christ Jesus, and made the decision to never worry again. More importantly, they never turned back on the decision—no matter how tempted they were.
The results speak for themselves.
You can have the same whole-life prosperity, peace and joy these men of God walked in by following their example (and the Bible’s command!). With this simple strategy, you can learn how to defeat worry forever and put the devil under your feet where he belongs.
1. Pray in the Spirit to Defeat Worry
“A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally.” –1 Corinthians 14:4 NLT
Like a sneak attack, worried thoughts can drop into your head out of nowhere. You started the day fine, but after an email, phone call or random thought, suddenly you’re worried, upset, stressed and just not sure how your life is going to turn out.
Acceptable? Nope. Coincidence? Hardly.
Worry is just another form of fear (the opposite of faith), and it’s a handy-dandy way the devil likes to keep you from obtaining—well—anything. You may be in the habit of biting the bait, allowing the hook to drag you into doubt and torment. If you don’t bite right away, he’ll appeal to your “sensible” side and convince you that worrying is the responsible thing to do.
If you were raised in an atmosphere of constant fear—fear of financial trouble, fear of disease, fear of losing relationships—this may be so ingrained in you, you’ll need to bulldoze the habit of worry right out of your life! As much as you think you’re helping your life by worrying, you’re actually blocking the blessings of God from flowing to you.
If you’re a bit of a “worrywart,” it’s time to break the habit, become obedient to God’s Word, and defeat worry forever. Here’s how.
When worried thoughts come knocking on your door, don’t stop and have a conversation; don’t invite them in for tea. This is no time to play nice. You need to do one thing—Shut. Them. Down.
One way to do this? Pray in the spirit.
Praying in the spirit packs a powerful punch in any situation, and it’s a powerful way to “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV). When the magnitude of a situation feels very real—and very troubling—it can be difficult to know how to shift gears.
That’s where praying in the spirit comes in. Every time you feel yourself starting to worry, switch over into tongues immediately. It’s your safeguard from worry, and the devil can’t compete with the power of the Holy Ghost.
You’ll find it very difficult to continue worrying when you’re praying in the spirit, and you’ll be encouraged, too!
As you continue to do this, you’ll douse the fuel for the fire before it even has a chance to start. As you continue practicing this spiritual strategy, you’ll find yourself worrying less and less until it just disappears for good!
2. Lose Your Pride to Defeat Worry
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God…. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” –1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT
While praying in the spirit will shut down worry—and fast—there’s a heart issue behind worry you must deal with, as well. (Warning: Conviction coming.)
Did you know when you worry you are being prideful? That might be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s a sin the Bible warns us to avoid.
When you worry, you’re meditating on the devil’s lies instead of the Word of God. As a result, every time you turn around, you’ll find you’re thinking of new problems to worry about.
It’s a cruel and dangerous cycle. But praise God, the Bible tells us how to break out of it. It says, “Humble yourselves…. casting all your care upon him” (1 Peter 5:6-7, KJV).
Why do we have to humble ourselves to get free of worry? Because in God’s eyes, continuing to worry and carry care is pride! Worrying is ignoring the Word. Worry ignores the fact that God laid every care, sin, sickness, money problem and anything else that’s under the curse on Jesus, and worry tries to carry those things and fix them with natural human strength.
Whatever you’re worrying about, if you had the ability, you would have already fixed it. So, stop running around in mental circles fretting about it, and just humble yourself before God. Acknowledge that without Him, you don’t have the spiritual power to overcome the things that are troubling you. Then cast on Him “the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all]” (verse 7, AMPC).
Don’t just give Him half of your cares and try to carry the rest yourself. Don’t give them to Him one minute and then take them back the next. That’s not what that scripture says. It says we’re to cast the whole of our care on Him “once and for all” to defeat worry forever.
That means we should never have a care. Ever! The benefit? When you aren’t worrying, you’re in position for promotion, increase and blessing because you’re staying out of sin and making room for God to work at the same time.
Pray A Prayer to Stop Worry for Good HERE.
3. Take God at His Word to Defeat Worry
“The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any doubled-edged sword….” –Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
Part of losing pride is taking God at His Word. If you believe God, you won’t believe the devil’s evil report. That means you can make a decision to believe God’s promises to you and never worry again.
Maybe you’re thinking, But you don’t understand; they’re going to repossess my car!
What does that have to do with anything?
Well, I need a car to get to work.
Don’t you think Jesus knows that?
Yeah, but…
There’s the problem, right there! It’s not your need of a car. It’s your compromising, “yeah, but” attitude toward God’s Word and His covenant promise of provision.
When Brother Kenneth E. Hagin was a young boy, lying paralyzed in his bed and dying of an incurable blood disease, he got a revelation of the fact that worry is a sin. God revealed it to him while he was searching the Word, hoping to find out how to get healed.
He realized that by worrying he was disobeying God’s command. Determined not to give place to that sin anymore, he prayed and said, “God, if You’ll forgive me for this worry fit and pity party, if You’ll forgive me for crying all day long about my sorry lot in life, I commit to You I will never worry again the longest day I live on this earth.”
That was in 1933, and from then on he testified, “I haven’t worried a day since!”
Later in his life, after he started Rhema Bible School, he told about a time when some ministers came to tour the campus. As he was showing them around, they were looking at all the construction that was going on. Thinking about the cost involved, one of them said, “Brother Hagin, I just can’t imagine the load you’re carrying with this ministry.”
“I’m not carrying any load!” he laughed. “I turned all this over to Jesus. This Bible School was His idea, not mine. I figure if He can’t make it go it will just have to flop, because I’m not taking the care.”
It’s no wonder Brother Hagin enjoyed such outstanding success in his life and ministry! He obeyed 1 Peter 5:5-11. He humbled himself under God’s mighty hand and cast all his cares once and for all on God. So, God did for Him just what He said He’d do. God exalted him over all the cares of this world. He lifted him up over the curse and into THE BLESSING.
Find 5 Practical Ways to Cast Your Cares on Jesus HERE.
You can have the same spiritual, physical and financial success that Brother Hagin did. Get into God’s Word—that’s where you’ll find the power to defeat worry forever!
Find scriptures that cover the cares you’ve been carrying. Make a list of them. Keep them in front of your eyes and in your mouth until they’re rooted in your heart. The Word is the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17). If you grab hold of it and hang on to it, the Word will fight its own fight.
Watch Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach you why worry is sin.
4. Praise the Lord to Defeat Worry
“You will keep in perfect peace…all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” –Isaiah 26:3 NLT
This really should come as no surprise: Worship is the antidote to worry.
Think about it—if you’re worshipping the Lord, you’re giving Him glory, you’re focusing on His goodness, His power, His mercy and His provision. You’re focusing on the solution, not the problem.
Just like praying in the spirit, praising the Lord will stop worry in its tracks. It’s a great way to teach the devil a lesson, too.
Try it.
Every time he comes at you with fear-filled thoughts, start worshipping and praising the Lord. Loudly. Thank Him for His goodness, His mercy and His grace. Thank Him for your home, your family, your job, your car. Thank Him for every good thing in your life. Thank Him for the guidance and comfort of His Word.
Sing to Him.
He inhabits the praises of His people, and when He shows up, Satan runs.
This is how you defeat worry forever. You rejoice always—it’s impossible to rejoice and worry at the same time. If a worry starts to arise, you say, “No, that’s not a good report. I’m not going to think on it. I take authority over it, and I’m not going to touch it with my mind anymore.”
Then, move back into praise, and say goodbye to worry for good.
Offer good June 9 – Dec. 9, 2022.
Order your copy HERE today!
5. Watch Your Confessions to Defeat Worry
“But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.” –Matthew 15:18 NLT
Last, but not least—if you really want to defeat worry forever, in addition to those things we’ve already discussed, you’ve got to watch your confessions.
When you speak worried thoughts, you are ministering fear to yourself. You’re thinking about bad things and picturing them coming to pass in your life. You’re envisioning yourself losing your job, for instance, and running short of money. You’re talking about it and making fear confessions: “I’m just worried to death about all these dumb decisions the government’s making. They’re messing up the economy so bad, I’m afraid my company is going to go under, and I’m going to end up unemployed.
As a believer, you don’t have any business saying such things! It’s counterproductive. It doesn’t proceed from faith, and, as we’ve already seen, whatever doesn’t proceed from faith is sin.
Instead, if you are struggling with the temptation to speak worried thoughts, stay silent! Then, say this: “I don’t have a care in this world because I’ve cast every one of them onto my Lord.”
Call things that be not as though they were, and stop that worry in your life for good!
When you put these actions into practice—even if you have to do it every 30 seconds for a while—you will defeat worry forever. In fact, you’ll be shocked at how quickly your faith rises. You can take command, crush the worry habit and live a supernaturally carefree life!
Watch Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach you how to destroy the worry habit.
As always, if you need agreement in prayer, please call our prayer ministers at 1-877-480-3388 or submit a prayer request. We’re here for you!