Abide in Him: What does that look like?!

Do you worry? Are you a worrier? I am, no doubt about it. I worry about big things, little things, real things, 'what if' things. And my worrying increased tremendously when I became a mom. Not only do I have myself and Robert to worry about, but these precious children God has entrusted me(us) with! It's a lot to handle! A lot of unneeded pressure and stress I put on myself.

 

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A couple weeks ago, Pastor Alex gave an incredible message on worry, focused on Matthew 6:25-34. God was speaking to me through that message big time! The biggest thing He was (is) impressing upon my heart is to abide in Him. When I abide in Him, the things I worry about blur out of focus. My focus is on Him, not on the worries around me. My focus is on Who He is, how big He is. And my response and reaction to those worry changes because I know who's really in control. 

But when I'm not abiding in Him, my worries blur the reality of Who Jesus is. Matthew 6:32 says "These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs." Worrying dominates the thoughts of unbelievers, not born again believers! This really struck me. If I'm a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17), I should not be worrying, even obsessing at times, over things that I may or may not have control over. I need to be taking my thoughts captive and giving Him control over my mind!(Romans 12:2)

So what does that really look like in my daily life? Life is hard! There are unexpected tragedies and rough patches in life, so how can I not focus on those worries? How can I abide in Him?

~I have to be intentional about spending time with Him, not just 5 minutes with Him in the morning, but intentional, specific time to sit in His presence. To open His word, dig deep and read the words on the pages and let them sink deep into my heart.

~I have to sit quietly in His presence and let Him speak to me. I can be all too good at laying my requests, needs & desires at His feet and far too quick to move on about my day and not sit in His presence and let Him talk back to me.

~I have to submit to Him daily, sometime minute by minute, when the worries of life try to choke out His voice and presence. I've heard many times that if you're not already in a valley, then you've either just come out of one or you're about to enter one. That thought alone can cause me to worry. However, He has been impressing upon me that, although the valleys will come and life is guaranteed to be hard and bring heartache, I can be prepared for the battle when I'm abiding in Him, abiding in Him when the days are easy and the burdens are light. That way it's just second nature, just what I do, when those rough patches come along.

Since that message a few weeks ago, every single day in my time with Him, I have seen the words "abide in me" or "abide in Him". Is that a coincidence? No way! I'm listening, Lord, and I'm learning how to abide in You. I've been presented some opportunities within the last couple weeks to "put my money where my mouth is" and keep Him in focus and my worries out of focus. And I'm here to tell you, He's faithful to walk me through, or around, those worries!

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