Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Pray More, Worry Less {Understanding}

Welcome and thanks for joining me!  I am so delighted that you are here.  I am so so so excited about this new Bible study!  In this study we are going to learn all we can about how to pray more and worry less.  Yeah, I’m pretty stoked about it too!

As I said before, this girl right here is a worrier by nature. Ugh, any of y’all with me on that one? It’s not one of my better qualities. I worry about paying the bills, about Joey driving, about my dog having arthritis, about Joe’s work, my family’s health, about my housework, about my business, blah blah blah on and on. My to-do lists keep me awake at night. Because clearly laying awake at night worrying will get my chores done, right? Questions like what if and should I have swirl around my mind, holding me hostage and keeping me chained to my worries and fears.
As we get started, let’s first take a look at a few definitions:

Worry – to think about problems or fears : to feel or show fear and concern because you think that something bad has happened or could happen.  It comes from an Old English word that means “to strangle”. 

Anxiety – an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.  It’s basically an emotion caused by fearful thoughts.

Now that we know what worry and anxiety mean, let’s look at what God says about them.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 6:25-27

So why is worry wrong? Jesus gives us several reasons in the above verses.  

~ Worry causes us to lose sight of who we belong to.  God is more than capable of taking care of us.  We belong to a sovereign God.  The word sovereign means God has absolute control over everything, all the details of life.  God will take care of us and He knows just what we need at each point in our life.  And because God knows what we need, He will take care of His children. 

~ Worry is a sin. Would you categorize worry alongside lying, adultery or overindulging in alcohol? They are all sins. Sure, we can gloss over it, sweep it under the rug and call it a day. That’s easy to do, isn’t it? Or better yet, let’s rename it. That way we won’t feel guilty about it. Let’s call it stress, anxiety or just concern. Worry has taken on the form of a acceptable sin. We all do it…so, why even call it a sin?

We can’t trust God and then worry, those simply don’t go together. When we worry, it shows we don’t trust God. Period. Worrying is the absolute opposite of trusting God. Worry shows that we not only believe He isn’t capable of knowing our needs, but He doesn’t care. We all know neither of those are true. Worry really comes down to trusting Him.

~ Worry accomplishes nothing.  Honestly, worry is a waste.  It ruins your day, normally (if you’re like me) it ruins the day of everyone around you, it causes you health issues and it just plain stinks.  There is nothing productive about worry and it leads to no where.

When we worry, often times our health suffers.  It can cause ulcers, high blood pressure, heart problems, colon distress and headaches.  Let’s not forget one other thing worry causes…sass, grumbling, grouchiness and shortness.  We end up not sleeping well because of it. Which then adds to the sass and grouchiness. You know how God told us to be the light of the earth {Matthew 5:14}, worry will put that light out quicker than lightening.

When we replace worry with prayer, then we have trust. We need to faithfully turn to God in prayer. We are to give our worries to God in prayer, trusting Him with all our burdens and cares. As a result, we will receive in return the peace we long for. That feeling of doom will go away and a feeling of peace will wash over you.

Come back next week where we will take a closer look at how to trust God and give all our worries fully to Him.  This week, keep your eyes looking up 🙂

Pray More, Worry Less

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Since December, God has been speaking to my heart about prayer. He made is clear that my word for this year should be prayer. And that my verse of the year should be 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I will admit, I was kinda sad that I didn’t get a “cool kid” word at first, but quickly realized that was just my spoiled brat nature coming out in me.

Over the past few months, I’ve spent lots of time in prayer.  I’ve kept a prayer journal (which I LOVE) and I’ve been studying prayer.  If it’s going to be my word for the year then I should know as much as I can about it.
And with that, our next Bible study here at Forever Beloved was born…simply titled Pray More, Worry Less.  And I am SUPER excited!!!!  
Let me share a little with y’all…
This girl right here is a worrier by nature.  Ugh, any of y’all with me on that one? It’s not one of my better qualities. I worry about paying the bills, about Joey driving, about my dog having arthritis, about Joe’s work, my family’s health, about my housework, about my business, blah blah blah on and on. My to-do lists keep me awake at night. Because clearly laying awake at night worrying will get my chores done, right? Questions like what if and should I have swirl around my mind, holding me hostage and keeping me chained to my worries and fears.

The trouble with worry is that it doesn’t seem all that harmful. It has taken on the form of a acceptable sin. We all do it…so, why even call it a sin? Come on, it’s just a little thought in our mind that no one else can see or hear. Let’s just gloss over it, sweep it under the rug and call it a day. Or better yet, let’s rename it. That way we can not feel guilty about it. Let’s call it stress, anxiety or just concern. Yes, glad we solved that one!
But wait, renaming it stress and pretending it’s not a sin doesn’t make me feel any better.  I still feel yucky and I still lay awake at night thinking about scrubbing my carpets.

Join us here each Friday as we discuss getting rid of that never-ending feeling of doom by handing all our worries (and dirty carpets) over to God.  Our study will wrap up on Good Friday.  We can either keep getting upset and feeling hopeless or face our problems in a more positive and faith-filled manner by continually seeking and trust in the Lord by giving Him our burdens continually.

Biblical Besties {Restoring}

Friends are the family we choose for our self. Isn’t that such a great feeling? Friendships often produce the tightest bonds and greatest loyalties. We walk through life with our friends.  They help shape our character, cheer us on from the sidelines and silently hug us while we cry. We meet them at all different seasons of life; some have been with us since we were just wee ones and others we encounter later down the road. No matter how they’ve entered our life, friendship is a gift from God.

Friendships, as with any relationship, have highs and lows. There are times when the friendship might become strained or rifts might be created. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding, unexpected act of disloyalty or a circumstance changed. Suddenly, this person who we shared our life with now seems to be a stranger. And if we all were truthful, we are hurt. Really hurt.

Is the friendship lost for good? Or is there a chance it can be saved? There might be a little window of opportunity where reconciliation seems reachable. When that happens, your first instinct is to grab onto it. At the time though, it’s hard to see through the haze of hurt feelings. The unspoken words and presumptions seems to echo throughout your mind. When that happens we find it difficult to walk the path of restoration. Have you found yourself at that place? I think we all have at one time or another.


Forgiveness. Before you can even begin to restore a broken relationship, you have to be willing to forgive. As I’ve said before, this girls heart can hold a grudge like no other. Forgiveness just isn’t something that comes easily or naturally to me. Over the years I’ve learned that forgiveness is an absolute key part to a successful relationship. There isn’t a single relationship on this earth that is perfect. There may be times when you are hurt by those that you love, but it will nearly be impossible to truly move beyond the hurt if you are not ready to forgive.


Don’t be afraid to reach out first. This one is hard for me. Whether I want to admit it or not, this girl can be so proud! That certainly isn’t an endearing quality. God’s Word has much to say about pride. When we love our relationships, we should have no room for pride and arrogance to creep in. Regardless of who is to blame, when we are really serious about reconciling a friendship, we put aside our pride and sometimes that means being the first one to take the step towards restoration. It might mean being the first one to apologize, even if you don’t know what you’re apologizing for. Ask yourself how important restoration is to you.


Let bygones be bygones. Those thoughts of revenge? Not in this relationship! And rehashing the issues over and over again? No way! They need disposed of. With all that gone, God will start to work in both your hearts.. That’s how we need to be when we reconcile relationships. Does God keep throwing our sins in our face? Nope. He isn’t keeping tabs and neither should we. When you have finally decided to let it go, kick it out the door. There is no need to pick it back up again.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are longing to restore a broken friendship, ask God to speak to your heart on the best way to approach the situation and if He is leading you toward the path of restoration, ask Him to help you to allow love and forgiveness to be the light that guides you along your way.