The word “worry” is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or to choke. How well-named the emotion it has been demonstrated again and again in persons who have lost their effectiveness due to the stultifying effect of anxiety and apprehension. A certain well-controlled carefreeness may well be an asset. Normal sensible concern is an important attribute of the mature person. But worry frustrates one’s best functioning. ¹ In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus mentions three thorns which choke the Word in a believer’s life. One of these thorns is the sin of worrying.

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The Three Thorns which Make for Thorny Ground

Mark 4:7 (KJV)
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

Mark 4:19 (KJV)
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

• Jesus gave his disciples the three types of thorns which makes up thorny ground.
  • The cares of this world.
  • The deceitfulness of riches.
  • The lust of other things.

What Are the Cares of This World?

Mark 4:19 (KJV)
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Definition: care – merimna – worry, anxiety, or care

• The word ‘care’ or ‘careful’ in the KJV is an Old English word for worry and anxiety.
• The word ‘care’ in our modern language means to be ‘cautious’ or to have ‘forethought’.
• According to Jesus worry is a sin because its effect in a believer’s life is to choke the word out.

Worry Is a Sin

• In order to be free of worry, you have to treat it as the sin it is.
• The scriptures admonish us to have no anxiety about anything.
• This is not merely a mild suggestion.
• It is a Bible directive mentioned multiple times (Matt. 6:25, 13:22, Lk. 8:41, 21:34, 2Cor 11:28, Phil. 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7).
• Four different times Jesus referenced the sin of worry.
• If you go cross-wise to these words, what is that called?
• In the Bible it is called sin or missing the mark.
• Worry is a sin plain and simple.
• Some have a hard time understanding that because their definition of sin is skewed by their own preconception.
• Many people when they think of sin, think of lying, stealing and adultery.
• In fact, true and genuine Christians shudder in horror at the thought of committing any of these sins.
• We should react to worry in the same fashion.
• In order to overcome worry, you have to place it in the ‘sin’ category.
• Granted, it is socially acceptable to worry but it is not spiritually acceptable.

Worry is A Trust Issue

• A heart that worries is a heart that is not trusting.
• You simply cannot trust God with a problem and worry about its outcome at the same time.

Worry is a Physical Issue

• Worry causes people to become physically ill.
• Think about that?
• Here is what the sin of worry is when you step back and take in the whole picture.
• Jesus died for your sins.
• He took stripes upon His back for your healing. (We talked about that in “Which of Jesus Stripes Healed You?” – podcast episode 21 Season 1.)
• And here you are propping open a door that Jesus closed by His death, burial and resurrection.

Worry Is a Locator

• Worrying about an area in your life is a sign that your faith in God may not be healthy in that area.
• If you pray about something, as Philippians 4:6-7 admonishes you to, you are supposed to turn the results of that prayer over to Jesus.
• Now, Jesus has this request and He is going to use His ability to solve it.
• A worried prayer is a thorny prayer and gets no results.
• It’s not mouthing the words before God. It’s the quite confidence which you have in your Father God to take care of you that brings the results.
• If we know, in our spirits, we are going to get the answer which God’s Word promises. This becomes a buffer against the gnawing feelings of worry and anxiety.
• Worry is a barometer of sorts.
• It lets know you have thorns in your garden. You have thorns in your ground. What are those thorns of worry going to do? They are going to choke out the Word.

Do the Work of Defeating Worry

• Take worry as a challenge to your faith and a symptom that reveals to you that there is some work that we need to do in building ourselves up.
• And then, do the work.
• Do the work of getting rid of worry.

John 6:29 (KJV)
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Believing God’s Word is work.

• Is that one reason why some people say, ‘Pray for me’ instead?
• Are they saying inadvertently saying is, ‘You do the work for me?’
• When people don’t know the Word in an area, you can come alongside and jointly use faith to help them overcome.
• But at some, point God expects you to do the work.
  • God expects you to do the work of getting your Bible.
  • God expects you to do the work of looking up scriptures that promise the things you need.
  • God expects you to do the work of meditating in those truths until they become real and alive on the inside of you.
  • God expects you to do the work of releasing your faith.
  • God expects you to do the work of praising God until the answer comes.
  • God expects you do the work of resisting doubt.
  • God expects you do the work of refusing to worry and be anxious.
  • And after having done all that is necessary to stand, God expects you to do the work of standing until the answer comes.
• Rise up and accept the challenge of doing the work.

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Philippians 4:6 (TNIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

• Note the order in this verse and do your level best to keep it straight.
• The order is refuse to worry first and, then pray.
• Do not be anxious first, then pray.
• There is a comma, a pause in between these two directives.
• Your work comes in where the comma is.
• The comma is your pause to step back and get in the Word and when the worry subsides because your confidence grows THEN continue on with the rest of the sentence. Then pray.
• You will have trouble; you will have delays in receiving answers, if you get this order inverted.
• “In nothing be anxious” and then come boldly to the Throne of God.
• ‘Nothing’ means, there is no situation where a little bit of worry is acceptable.
• In no situation are we allowed the luxury of worry.
• You simply cannot have the worry of the world and the peace of God at the same time.

[Tweet “You simply cannot have the worry of the world and the peace of God at the same time.”]

Cast Your Care upon the Lord

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

• What does it mean to cast your care on the Lord?
• It literally means take the problem you are tempted to be anxious about and put it in God’s lap.
• When God says ‘Cast your care upon me’, He is saying in effect, ‘Transfer your concerns to me and I will take care of it for you.’
• How do you make the transfer?
  Since all operations of God are done by faith, you transfer the emotion of worry to God through that avenue.
• You commit that area to the Lord.
• If you transfer your care to Him that means that you don’t have it anymore. How could you transfer it to Him and still have it?
• Now, do the work of keeping it transferred and refuse to pull the problem back into your thought life.

1 Peter 5:8–9 (KJV)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

• We are instructed to ‘Be sober, be watchful’ because the enemy will try to get you to reverse the transfer.
• Only you can transfer it and only you can pull it back.
• God can’t transfer it. He told you to do it.
• The devil can’t make you pull it back.
• If you resist the devil steadfast in faith, he is toast.
• Steadfastly means you keep doing it every time the sense of worry comes, you keep reminding the enemy that you no longer have the problem because God has it now.
• After a while, you will notice that the fear will be gone.

Call to Action:

The rest is up to you. It’s not up to God to get you to obey His Word. It’s your responsibility to take God at His Word. Rise up and do the work.

Episode Resources

You can find more information on The Parable of the Sower by visiting the following posts:

1. Introducing the Gospel of Mark
2. What is the Parable of the Sower? [Podcast]
3. How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables? [Podcast]
4. In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground? [Podcast]
5. In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Stony Ground? [Podcast]
6. In the Parable of the Sower, More of “What Is Stony Ground? [Podcast]

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Question: How have you attacked the sin of worry in your own life? Please leave a comment in the comments section below.