How to Stop Worrying and Start Resting

When we are worried and anxious inside, the Bible promises that God will give us rest. Here is how to stop worrying and start resting. #Biblestudy #restandrelease #WomensBibleStudy #GoodMorningGirls

Is there something you are worried about today?

Prayer, meditation and music have proven results to reduce worry.  But today – I want to take it one step further, so that you can live a life of habitual rest rather than habitual worry.

Join me on this video as we discuss: How to Stop Worrying and Start Resting in God’s Love.

{If you are reading this in an email or feed – click here to view the video}
 

Think of a famous person that you know a lot about.  You may know this person’s opinions, beliefs,  their likes and dislikes, their achievements and mannerisms.  But do you know them personally?

No.

We can study the Bible all day long and learn lots of details about God but still not know God, as a friend and as a father.  And if this is the case, then you will only serve him. You will not enjoy a loving relationship with him.

Showing up at church and doing kind things for others, does not give you an intimate relationship with God. Unbelievers can do these things too.

There is a temptation to look forward to heaven for the rewards and a life with no pain, but in John 17:3,  Jesus said:

This is eternal life,  that they KNOW you,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Eternal life is not all about heaven and all of its benefits…plus answered prayer lists, here on earth.

What does John 17:3 say eternal life is?

That they KNOW you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

God wants to be known and has made himself known through is Word and creation.  We choose how deep of a relationship we will have with God. He is available 24 hours a day to spend time with.  He is alive and he is active in our lives and he wants to do life with you.  He wants to help you stop worrying.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said:

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus’ load is light!

He is strong – he can carry your back breaking load. You can give him all of your worries and in exchange –find rest for your soul.

Isn’t that what we all long for – rest for our souls?

That’s what Matthew 11:28 and 29 promises!

Jesus says – “COME TO ME!”

Then he promises, “and I will give you rest.”

God holds it out to us.

Rest is available.

Simply go to Him today and tomorrow and the next day and the next.  Repeat this every day until you die and see him face to face!

Put an end to your worrying today and start resting in His love.

Reflection Question:

What is something you are worrying about? 

How does living in a deep loving relationship with God help you to rest?

Walk with the King,

Courtney

This study guide is available exclusively on Amazon
in both Paperback and Kindle.

26 Comments

  1. In the last comment I left I said my husband had a few days off work before the promotion. Well the job just terminated.
    We really need to stop worrying.
    We have been through worse times and are praying and remembering the bible says not to worry.

  2. This year we gone through a big change – a move to another state. VA was our ‘home’ for the past 7 years – wel mir for our children then for us adults. We did not like VA and never found the connection we would have loved to have to make this truly our home. However, my husband retired and so we decided (yes, we included our children in this decision) to move to be closer to the grandparents and the area where my husband grew up. During that time, I was the ‘rock’. I encouraged everyone and kept being very positive through this all – this was not easy but God filled me with a sense of peace. Now we are where we are – new town, new job for my husband (4 hours away from home so he only is with us on the weekends) new house, new school, trying to find a new church……. and I am having anxiety attacks because my kids are struggling in this new school environment, the house is beautiful but I wished it had more windows viewing the backyard and then there are other little flaws. I know this sounds like complaining but I worry so much that I am daily in this pit of despair and sorrow. I wanted to move here. I knew this felt right but now I doubt that this was the right decision for our family. My daughter who is a sophomore struggles because she left her friends behind and the girls here are different. My sons are doing ok as they are still younger but I just can’t stop worrying about them. School is a different worry on my plate, it’s like a spoiled main course and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
    I cry daily and I pray daily but my relationship with God has gotten a setback because of these daily stresses. I love God and I know that he is with me through this all and wishes that I would just trust him completely and not let worldly influences wreck my joy. I know that I need to get back to church, to join meaningful bible studies and start connecting. We all do; we are a little lost right now; swimming in this sea of worries a d doubt. I know that God has it all under control but……,

    1. Oh, Sonia, I’m giving you a virtual ((hug)) right now. ❤️ You are in my prayers. God is with you and the children. ????????????

    2. Dear Sonja~

      Thank you for sharing openly and honestly about your present situation and the fears, anxieties, and challenges you are facing. I do want to encourage you because there have been times in my life that I definitely have not felt that I was “home”. When the Israelites wandered about the desert for 40 years, waiting for the “Promised Land”, they struggled with fears and sometimes even asked to go back to their slavery in Egypt! “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” (Exodus 16:3 NLT). Yet God provided for the people and He visited them as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They were always in His Presence.

      In Luke 9:58 and Matthew 8:20, Jesus spoke to a scribe who had just promised to follow Jesus wherever He may go. Jesus answered him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20 ESV). Even Christ, while on earth, did not consider that he was fully home. His home is with the father and abiding with him. Jesus exhorts us to abide in him and then we will know His heart for us and we will truly be able to rest in Him. We are at home in Christ! “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4 ESV)

      You are in a difficult place and I know your heart is for the health and happiness of your sweet family. The situation may not be optimum and perhaps this is just a season. Do take time to pray for God’s wisdom, but also take time to find that rest that Courtney is teaching about us and abide with your Prince of Peace, with your King of Kings! Even in the fiercest of storms, He is the anchor to our soul! I am praying for you dear sister, and I know God will use this time to bring you and your family closer to Him!

  3. Courtney – you struck a cord with me when you talked about teaching your children that no matter what they go through – God is always there with them and always loves them. I was 12 when my mom and dad divorced and I wondered how a loving God could allow something like that to tear my family apart. How could He truly love me and have allowed for that to happen to my family? It took me years to finally work through that and I pray that your children will never walk away from their faith as I did for a time. However, even though I walked away from God, I now know that He never left me. He was still there with me and wanted me to turn back to Him. The Holy Spirit never left me and tried to guide me even though I chose not to listen. It took more than a decade but when I came back to the Lord I came back completely and whole-heartedly and I am so thankful for what He continues to teach me every day now and how I know that I can bask in His love for me. This week’s study has been such an amazing reminder of how much my Heavenly Father adores me and cherishes me – even more than I love and care for my children. His love is perfect and I can trust Him completely. I praise God for how good He is and how faithful He always will be.

  4. I love reading everyone’s comments of such strong women and how their faith has carried them through difficult times, and I’m praying for those that I’ve read that are facing something right now.

    I needed this reminder today – that living life with God is more about just serving, but also fellowship and relationship with Him. If we don’t get how important relationship is with Him we can be left feeling empty, but when we are full of Him we feel full within.

  5. Thank you. Jesus can promise his burden is eat because it’s his! 🙂 if we are truly walking with him, he carries the load making it easy for us. I imagine that is so we can fellowship along the way… you can’t communicate with your traveling companion if your head is down under a heavy load ♡

  6. My daughter’s job was elimated, that was term used, and we are all devastated. She’s single and has no other income, no benefits. I worry all the time even though I know it doesn’t help. I’m angry and mad and resentful. Y’all I’m sorry for these feelings but I’m harboring them and they’re effecting my health. Not sleeping, so anxious. I know my daughter is worried beyond words.
    I know what I should do scripturally but am finding it so difficult. Please keep her especially in your prayers.
    1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
    Thank you.

  7. Courtney last week you asked us to say No more. My heart felt heavy to say No to medical appointments for my daughter. To ask her team if we could take 3 months off of them. I voiced what God put on my heart and I got word this week that they agreed. Theirs 2 appointments I have to keep during that time period but for the first time in over 12 months we get rest from the medical world ????

  8. Thank you so much. I love the studies that you do Courtney. I am anxious right about worldly things. I keep talking to Him to not let those things get to me. With Him i can find rest and peace. I keep praying to place his hand over my mind, heart and soul. I need Him Everyday of my life and nothing more. My quiet time with my Lord is so precious to me.

    Everything i do, i do it for His Glory! My job is stressful but with Him beside me, it never feels like work. I enjoy what i do. I pray to kindly keep us all humble.

    I’d also like to pray for you and your family as well Courtney.
    Father thank you for Courtney and her studies and the strength you have given her through the trials of her life. Please always keep them all healthy and safe spiritually, mentally and physically. I pray that they find the rest they need and to quiet the voice that may tell them to stop reaching for you. Thank you. In Jesus Name. Amen.

  9. Courtney, I had been away from your blog over a year, not because I stopped enjoying it but because I took on a demanding job that left me no time to rest. God is good though, nudging me but patiently waiting for me to make rest a daily priority again. I’m enjoying this study, so thank you for your time & your heart to serve. By the way, you look amazing!!!!

  10. Here’s something to think about: You said, “What does John 17:3 say eternal life is? “That they KNOW you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” God wants to be known and has made himself known through is Word and creation.  We choose how deep of a relationship we will have with God.” This is also what the church says, and I agree with this completely. But here’s something that I have been wondering about lately: How can one say that they want to KNOW God, when they claim that practically everything He taught has been done away with by the crucifixion of Jesus? The church tends to teach that the Old Testament, and specifically God’s commandments, were done away with at the cross. But, if God and Jesus are One, then how can Jesus teach contradictory to what God taught? Essentially, everything Jesus taught is exactly what God taught in the Old Testament, only deeper. For example, rather than only the act of adultery being a sin (“You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14), Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28). Jesus did take away the need for sacrifices, as Hebrews 10 tells us, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,” (vs. 12). Could it be that the church has it wrong? Could it be that Jesus’ death on the cross did not do away with the “law”? (” “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:17-20) Could it be that “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” (Hebrews 10:16) doesn’t really mean what the church tells us, but instead means that God wants us to obey His “law” because we love Him enough to live the way HE wants us too? Just something that I’ve been thinking about lately. Over the years I have heard so many pastors & lay people say that Jesus did away with the “law” but He very plainly says that He did not. I tend to think that, if we want to draw close to God, and if we really want to know Him, we need to truly be obedient to His law rather than the church’s (opposing) teachings. After all, do disobedient children have a very close relationship with their parents? [Also, don’t get hung up on the word “law”; when you go back to the original language, Hebrew, it is the word ‘torah’, and it means “instruction”.]

  11. My thoughts on the reflection question this week: “Is there any reason, after looking this week at how much God loves you and pursues you that you cannot rest in God?” Busyness and distraction are what keep me away from God, even though I feel His love and know He is always with me. My own brain fog, due to poor eating habits, that is Satan too, keeping me angry, frazzled and afraid. I am going to take the time to focus on rest and nutrition, even though my job and family overwhelm me still, because I need to keep my brain clear and alert, watchful so that all my choices are what God wants for me. That is the only way I can get out of this craziness and find some peace with better choices. God is far stronger than Satan and I turn to Him for my love and protection.

  12. I am worried about where do I go from here,is my marriage going to come back together or what’s going to happen and where do I go from here? Then God gives me a song,or a word and I am consumed with joy and peace.

    1. Hi Marilyn,

      I know exactly how you feel. Just keep taking it one day at a time. One thing I am sure of – God is with us and taking good care of us.

      I am saying a prayer for you tonight.
      Lots of Love,
      Courtney

  13. With one spirit,I can feel the warmth and love of God thru WLW. Thank you Courtney for inspiring women to stay strong, focused and joyful inspite of all the challenges and struggles of life. Yes you are right, just continue walking with the King!

  14. Just came across this blog. Thanks for your advise on how to stop worrying. I am one who usually worries a lot, about my single status, job, lack of friends just about anything. I love the Lord and recently I think I underestimated the peace of mind the Lord gave me. I had a former friend who stopped talking to me for no reason. I guess she decided to take a different path in life which is OK but for some reason I was so angry with her I just cut her off too. I didn’t realize it was important to keep moving forward and not have any expectations because I sought her out on the internet and tried to see if she was really OK. I saw she was fine but then I started having mysterious headaches that wouldn’t go away for a while and I just seeing her everywhere. It was so hard fighting her off but God has been wonderful and The anxiety and panic attacks have all gone now and soon the headaches will completely disappear.

    My point is when God is taking you somewhere don’t look back and maybe what happened to be also taught me that it’s OK when people don’t want to be friends with you. It’s their choice and their right and I didn’t have any right to be angry if they didn’t call me. I also discovered I had been really worried and unhappy for a long time and perhaps seeing that girl just ticked me off. I am grateful for God’s abounding mercies and he has won this battle for me.
    I am ready for a relationship now, to meet my husband and start a better God filled life ahead. I am just thankful for each day and I don’t think too deeply about negative situations again by God’s grace.
    God bless.

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