Worry is a scheming, deadly being who wants you dead!

Worry is a coward who picks on children.

God you started talking to me this morning about worry. I’m pretty sure you gave the word a capital ‘W’, almost as though you were suggesting that Worry is a thing?

Mark Worry is much more than a ‘thing’; Worry is a conniving, scheming, deadly being, a ‘power’ – he’s far stronger than you, and he wants you dead! Gone. Finished.

Come on God!! Surely those feelings of panic and a tightness of the chest - we all get them from time to time right? Surely they’re just a normal human condition?? It sounds like a religious cop out to suggest that Worry should be spelled with a capital ‘W’, that he’s an actual being, some kind of entity, a power with a mind and keen to finish me off??

Mark worry, panic, fear and dread are not natural feelings for the human psyche – they’re common, but not natural. You humans are designed to sense that life is good, because it really is – and when you think it is, it goes even better! You have an inbuilt understanding that life is worth living. Children, before Worry begins to play with their minds, understand in their inner core that things are designed to naturally work out well.

This is like that Supertramp song right?

It is. The song is an accurate reflection of the way your enemy begins to corrupt the mind of an innocent child. That’s the sort of enemy you face Mark, a coward, one who picks on children…

"When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
joyfully, playfully, watching me.
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, responsible, practical. And they showed me a world
where I could be so dependable, clinical, intellectual, cynical
Won’t you please, please tell me what to do… "

Because of Worry the normal human condition has switched from constantly feeling up, positive, at peace and enjoying life -- to panic, dread, worry, fear, anxiousness. Worry is one of the most powerful principalities. No matter how bad things seem, the human is designed to sense that life is actually, inherently, very good - that good things always come and are coming right now.

But Worry comes looking for an opportunity to rip a gash in your soul through which his friends can climb. Fear and Dread come oozing into Worry’s wound and then root themselves deep inside of you. Those feelings of dread, common to almost everyone at some point, do not originate from within you. They are NOT justifiable responses to real situations. They’re not natural to you and they don’t originate from me. They’re a lie.

You will notice that when Worry makes you feel a bit anxious, panicked, tight-chested, uptight – that you’re often not even sure why you feel that way -- the feelings don’t seem to be about anything in particular. You find yourself wondering why you even feel that way, and then Worry, seeing his opportunity, reminds you of some situation in your life and tells you that the feelings belong to that situation. The feelings seem so real that you believe him. And then he has you, if you do not ignore him at that point you will be very quickly caught in his net. If you listened to me instead of Worry’s worry, you’d see that the potential for a fantastic outcome is far higher than the potential for a bad one.

So God what do we do about it?

Two things. Listen to me - my voice drives his away – AND IGNORE HIM! Switch off, don’t entertain or try to reason with this lie. Just ignore it. Block your inner ear. When the feelings of worry, panic and dread grip you, say ‘no sorry, that’s a lie, I’m ignoring you’. He tells you those feelings are justified. But he lies! They are simply the feelings you get when Worry himself comes near. It’s not you feeling like that, it’s his worry rubbing off on you – WORRY’S WORRY IS CONTAGIOUS WHEN HE’S NEAR.

Recognise his lie, tell him to be quiet and get on with your day. When you ignore him you force his silly little lie to remain just that, a lie that’s not worth thinking about. If you listen to Worry’s worry, the feeling of worry will grow and fester and quietly boil away until they become panic, anger, stress and depression, Worry has many friends. Worry slowly destroys all that is good.

The feelings he gives you seem natural, even justified but left unchecked those feelings will eat away at your self-confidence. He knows that’s the secret to destroying you. Worry gnaws slowly at the knowledge that others love and esteem you. A child understands that he is loved, but as the child grows Worry suggests that such a belief is ill-founded. Your enemy is cunning, he lies, but because of the feelings that accompany his lies, they seem true. Ignore the lie, no matter how real it feels!

That’s really you right God?

Mark this is one of the most powerful things I have said to you. If you can remember it and practise it, it will change your life.