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Far too often, the reason worry sticks around is we become complacent. We accept worry as just another part of our lives.

“In the previous chapter we looked at how the perfect love of God drives out fear and leads us to surrender our idea of control, which then leads us to worship rather than worry. The more we discover about the love of God, the more we’re wanting and willing to surrender, and the more worship we give to Him.” 1

God Delights in You!

“…the more we delight in God, the more we discover that He delights in us.”1

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

“God takes great delight in you. He quiets all forms of worry and anxiety with His perfect love. And just in case you are ever tempted to listen to the sound of the world and be pulled back into fear, God says that He rejoices over you with singing.”1

How do we win the war on worry?

“We take back the battleground of our minds. We tear down the house that worry built, and we set out to build a new and peace-filled home on the most stable rock and foundation—the person and work of Jesus.”1

It’s Time for a Home Renovation

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

“…you have the power through Christ to identify and bind the power of every lie that comes into your mind. You can take captive every thought! When you commit to this and put it into practice, you begin tearing down the house that worry built, brick by brick and thought by thought.”1

Stand Ready

Don’t expect the demolition process to be easy. Understand that the Enemy isn’t going to just sit there and take it as you pick apart the house he’s built in your heart.

“Whenever you set out to make a change, to start tearing down bricks and demolishing strongholds, the Enemy seems to rise up and attack with even more vengeance.”1

​

“…no weapon forged against you will prevail…” Isaiah 54:17 NIV

“You have all you need, offensively and defensively, to start this process of demolishing the house that worry built.”1

The goal here is to change the way we think.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and

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“…when we invite God into our worry, we begin to realize that more than any solution, He wants to give us a Savior. He wants to invite us into an intimate and personal relationship with His Son.”1“The counteragent for worry isn’t control. It’s faith rooted in love.”

Introduction

Louie opens by telling a story about when he was in college. He was in a

long-distance relationship with Shelley, his wife. She was going to

school at Baylor University. He would often get in the car and drive

for hours just to see Shelley for a few minutes.

He did these things because he was hopelessly in love with Shelley.

God’s Great Love For You

“Do you realize God has left a stunningly powerful message of love for you? He hung the greatest ‘I love you’ of all time on a tree at Calvary through the death of His Son. You can see His message from wherever you are today if you just turn and look toward the cross.”

“He has never loved you more because of your good deeds, nor has He ever loved you less because of the sinful acts you have committed. He is love. His love is unchanging. It is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”

“In His love we have the only weapon we’ll ever need to extinguish and eradicate worry from our lives.”

What’s Your Operating System?

“We have a hardware (our bodies) and a software (our minds and spirits). When it comes to winning the war on worry by recognizing the power of perfect love, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves, what operating system are we using?”

“This is the breakdown of where most of our worry comes from: Fear → Control → Worry”

“We entertain feelings of fear, often stemming from questions starting with, “What if?” Think back to chapter 1: What if I get sick? What if I don’t measure up? What if I lose a loved one or my job or my house? What if she walks away from the marriage? What if people found out just how broken I am?”

“Our fear leads us to try to control. To try to stand up and straighten up. To take the necessary actions to avoid negative outcomes. But our shoulders were never meant to carry the weight of being in full control.”

“So, as we realize that control is actually quicksand pulling us even farther under, we begin to worry.”

“Fear spawns the need for control, which gives birth to worry. And from worry comes a whole host of unhealthy practices and compromises.”

“If that’s the formula for how the world operates, what about how we as children of God should operate? It goes like this:  Love→Surrender → Trust”

“When we invite God into our worry and dwell in an abiding relationship with Jesus, our operating system shifts. Instead of fear being the motivator for our lives, we start with love.”

“That’s what Scripture means when it says in 1 John 4:18-19: ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.’”

“When we experience and internalize the perfect love of God, there is no room for fear.”

“Perfect love drives out fear. And once fear is gone, we no longer have the pressing need for control.”

“Instead, we can be free to fully surrender and...

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Note: A lot of the material is inspired by Louie Giglio's book. Each week, I take concepts from Winning the War on Worry and apply them to brain health.

"Knowing who worry is (a liar) and what worry is made of (its anatomy-rooted in fear), we can know our Enemy and his tactics. " [1]"And knowing our Enemy is essential to being able to fight well." [1]"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." [2]

"As we continue this journey to become more equipped to win the war on worry, we know our Enemy: his sole purpose is to take us down and steal our joy (John 10:10)."

"We also need to know ourselves; and most importantly, we need to know our God. Because here's the reality: if we don't know God, we won't be able or willing to invite Him into our worry." [1]

"That's a big problem, because the act of inviting God into our worry is one of the most crucial strategies of winning this war." [1]

Going On the Offensive

"It's not enough to call worry out or to break it down and study it. If we want to win this battle, we need to strap on our armor and get ready to go on the offensive." [1]

Our first move

To surrender our concerns to God in prayer.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" Philippians 4:6 NLT

"...Paul wasn't just saying "don't worry." He was giving you an additional offensive step to take. He was encouraging you to invite God into your worry by telling Him everything that's concerning you." [1]

"The word worry in this verse means 'to rip into pieces.' It's the same for the word anxiety in Scripture. Anxiety and worry tear our minds and hearts apart. That's why we have the phrase, 'I was worried to pieces.' Worry turns our peace into pieces." [1]

"God wants us to bring every little piece to Him. That's the first step in how God brings us peace." [1]

Just like Adam and Eve in the garden, our first response when we miss the mark is to hide or run from God.

"We run from God when we need to be running to Him." [1]

1. Don't try and fix worry on your...

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Note: A lot of the material is inspired by Louie Giglio's book. Each week, I take concepts from Winning the War on Worry and apply them to brain health.

Louie opens by telling a story about how his wife Shelly is an A-Z person while he is an A-B type personality.

He deeply loves and appreciates his wife.

But both personality types are susceptible to worry.

“We learned in the previous chapter about the anatomy of worry and how the different themes of worry are connected by the same thread: control. And while we determined that our ability to control our lives is an illusion, we still need to address the question of how we can reject control and fear while still accounting for planning, preparation, and concern.” [1]

“God calls you to steward what you have in your hands.

He gives you decision-making authority over what He has entrusted to you.” [1]

“Matthew 25 – Jesus tells the parable about a master who goes away for an extended period of time. This master entrusts a considerable amount of money to his three servants.” [1]

1st Servant – 5 talents or 100 years’ worth of wages.

2nd Servant – 2 talents

3rd Servant – 1 talent

“He gave talents according to their ability.” [1]

Learning to Plan Without Practicing Worry

“Planning: Planning is a constructive and tangible process where steps and actions are linked together for future outcomes.” [1]

“While planning, contingencies are always in place for unexpected events or delays. But these contingency plans do not impede our ability to move toward the next step with confidence.” [1]

“In other words, planning is about leveraging your gifts and resources around what is in your hand at this moment, and moving it forward, step by step.” [1]

“If planning is a constructive and tangible process, worry is the projection of an endless string of what-if scenarios that absorbs all present effort (what you could be doing with what is currently in your hands). This string of what ifs often brings fear and paralysis that keeps us from our next steps.” [1]

“Planning focuses on the present and on what is in your hands, while occasionally looking ahead to factor in what is to come. Worry fixates on the future, while occasionally circling back to “work” on what is currently in front of you.” [1]

“The third servant in the story of the talents got paralyzed by the what ifs.” [1]

What if I lose the money?

What if I’m not capable?

What if the other...

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This is the aftershow to The Anatomy of Worry. No show notes to speak of.

Enjoy!

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Louie opens the chapter with a story about a time he and his wife attended a NASCAR race. While they were there, they had the opportunity to ride around the track in one of the pace cars. They sat in the back while a twenty-year NASCAR veteran driver drove them around the track at well over one hundred miles per hour.

Louie talks in detail about how he was freaking out until he realized this professional driver had been doing this for years. Their prerace drive was nothing out of the ordinary for this driver. At the end of their drive, everyone in the car piled out laughing and talking about how fun it was. They could do this because they weren’t in control. The NASCAR driver was.

If you are feeling weighed down by feelings of worry, it is most likely that you are trying to control something or someone that you were not designed to control.

This is the way worry works. It begins with a logical thought that we should be concerned about XYZ. It is up to us to be prepared for whatever might come our way, right?

5 Major Themes of Worry1

We worry about:

1. A dangerous outcome
2. A threatening confrontation
3. A shortage of resources
4. Our ability
5. Global Disaster

A Dangerous Outcome

• We may worry about a cancer diagnosis for a friend or family member
• We may worry about a friend who, while traveling has an accident
• We may worry about our parents getting a divorce

A Threatening Confrontation

• Maybe you need to talk to your boss about a situation, and you worry about getting into an argument.
• It could be you worry about a conversation with your parents turning confrontational.

A Shortage of Resources

• Maybe you are worried about losing your job.
• You could be concerned about running out of time for a project.

Our Ability

• Will we make the cut?
• Do they like me?
• Did I do good enough?

Global Disaster

• Will there be another pandemic?
• Are we going to war?
• Will there be an economic crisis?

Dissecting Worry

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

They believed the lies of the Enemy encapsulated in questions like Is God good? Can He be trusted?

“When they held the fruit in their hands, they wanted to control their fate. They wanted to make sure they were in charge–or at least they had as much authority and ability as the God who had formed them and given them purpose.”1

“It turned out God wasn’t trying to keep anything from them with His command. In fact, God was seeking to protect their peaceful state.”1

“It’s one thing to try to make someone doubt God’s goodness in the midst of the pain and death we face on a broken planet. But how do you get someone who lives in Paradise to fall for a lie?”1

“…so you should be convinced that he’ll be bold enough to come after you.”1

His plan will involve a two-pronged attack.

1. “…he’ll attempt to get you to doubt God’s character and motives.”1
2. “…he’ll try to convince you that life will be better when you are in control…”

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“We’ve already established that the root of worry is fear. And fear doesn’t come from God. Thus, at the heart of worry is the devil. And Scripture is clear the devil is a liar.”1Louie Giglio

“When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

“To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit. Worry is an Enemy tactic-a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces.”1Louie GiglioThe Four Lies of WorryLie 1: Something really bad is going to happen.

“A 2019 study from Penn State showed that roughly 91 percent of the things we worry about never even happen.”2

“…most of what you’re spending your time worrying about won’t happen.”1

Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it.

“…the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening.”1

“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? Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:25-26, 34)

Lie 3: I have no choice-I’m a born worrier.

Louie opens by telling a story about how his parents were big worriers.

“Being sixteen, I was clueless about most of the weight my parents were carrying. But that night, as I went to leave our apartment and walk to a friend’s house, he said, ‘I’ve just had the worst day of my life. I need everyone to just stay in the house tonight.'”1

“I only fully understood this when I was older and I started having the same feelings. I realized that I, too, could easily tip toward fearing a dreadful outcome. I would naturally obsess over the question, ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen?'”1

“if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

(2 Corinthians 5:17).

“We may have a genetic tendency toward worry. And, more powerfully, we may have been weaned in a worrying culture. Worry is what we saw others do. Worry is what we learned. Worry is what we are prone to repeat.”1

“if you are in Christ, all those old patterns were disrupted the instant you were born again. You have a new Father in heaven. He has never worried for one second in His eternal existence. He wasn’t worried yesterday. Nor is He today. He will not be worried tomorrow.”1

Lie 4: I can control the outcome by worrying.

“You are not God. While worry wants you to think you’re in the...

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Note: A lot of the material is inspired by Louie Giglio's book. Each week, I take concepts from Winning the War on Worry and apply them to brain health.

“Worry is so prevalent in our society and throughout our daily lives that it often feels inescapable. Instead of worry being an occasional event, many of us have learned to embrace worry as a part of the fabric of our lives. Worry has become woven into our regular rhythms, and for many of us, it’s become an identity. We say, ‘I’m a worrier. It’s just the way I am.’ As a result, we live in a perpetual state of being worried about something. In fact, you might already be worried about the promise and prospect of this book.”1 -Louie Giglio“As believers, we are meant to live a life characterized by the light and easy yoke of Jesus (Matthew 11:30), and the more room we give what ifs, the more heavily burdened we become.”1 -Louie Giglio“”Worry is like a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.””2 -Arthur Somers Roche

Worry is an equal opportunity offender.

“Worry can weasel into the hearts of business leaders, professional athletes, high-school seniors, first-time moms, creatives and artists and producers and designers and software engineers. It can creep into the minds of chefs and astronauts, truck drivers and teachers. It can even get into the minds of pastors and people who are called to work for the church.”1

“…worry is a choice.”1 -Louie Giglio

“God can conquer worry because He has already been victorious over the ultimate root of worry: fear. We’ll dig into this in a later chapter, but 1 John 4:18 says it so well: ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.'”1

“God is greater than fear and all its cousins- depression, anxiety, panic, and worry. And if God is greater, you and I can experience freedom from the grip of worry that robs us of sleep and peace.”1

“I believe that as we go through these next chapters together, the truths you encounter will have the potential to set you on a new path and give you the tools you need to replace worry with a greater sense of trust in the Almighty.”1

“Throughout our journey together, we’ll look at both the theological and the practical. We’ll fix our eyes on the only One who has perfectly conquered worry and anxiety, while also setting our feet into motion as we go to war on worry. If you stick with this, I believe you will find help for the headache and hardship lingering in your life. However, please understand, this is no self-help guide.”

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Note: A lot of the material is inspired by Craig Groeschel's book. Each week, I take concepts from Pastor Craig Groeschel's book, The Power To Change, and apply them to brain health.

“When you’re winning, you’re winning. When you’re losing, you’re learning.”1 Craig Groeschel

We must remember to keep moving forward.

“As you continue walking, you’ll find that you are moving out of your past and into your future.”1 Craig Groeschel
Remember

• You are walking into your future, into the who you want to be.
• You are walking away from the sin or self-destructive behavior you want to leave behind
• You are walking toward the new habits and new life you’ve wanted for so long.

“As we’ve learned, it takes time to get to what you want most.”What you want now almost always has an immediate payoff.1

• That cookie tastes good now.
• Sexual sin feels good now.
• Sending that mean text when you are angry feels great now.
• Buying the new car, even though you can’t afford it, feels awe-
• some now.

“The desires of the flesh have an immediate payoff. But what you want most almost always takes time.”1“You can have it! But not now. You walk there, with the Spirit, while depending on God, moment by moment. It will take time, but it will be worth it. You may miss out on some short-term fleeting satisfaction, but you will realize you chose the greater reward. You chose what you want most over what you want now.”1Exercise

Taking into account everything you have learned throughout the book, and all that God has shown you as you’ve worked through every exercise, let’s calculate your next steps.1

I know the first step I need to take in starting a new habit is:

I know the first step I need to take in stopping an old habit is:

The one change I believe God is calling me to make- in his power, not my own_-is:

Principle

“When you’re winning, you’re winning.

When you’re losing, you’re learning.”1

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
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Note: A lot of the material is inspired by Craig Groeschel's book. Each week, I take concepts from Pastor Craig Groeschel's book, The Power To Change, and apply them to brain health.

Craig Groeschel opens this section by telling a story about an old house (1910) he and his wife Amy lived in early in their marriage. In his den, he had a couch, lamp, and a little TV. One night they tried to turn on the lamp, and it wouldn’t come on. Neither would the TV. Thinking it might be a blown fuse, Craig told Amy he would try to fix it. While he was working on it they brought in extension cords that they plugged into outlets in the kitchen. These cords created an eyesore that they tripped over for three years. One day when they were getting ready to move out, they found a light switch they hadn’t seen before. [1]

When they flipped the switch, all of the outlets in the den worked. For three years, they had power, they just didn’t know how to access it. [1]“That is also a fairly solid description of my early years of following Jesus. I needed God’s power. It was available to me. But I didn’t know how to access it. How to live in it. How to walk by the Spirit.” [1]“Whoever it is that you want to become or stop being, whatever it is that you want to do or stop doing, you need more than willpower. You need God’s power.” [1]

God can give you the power to: [1]

• Love someone who is difficult to love
• Serve when you’d rather be served
• Give when it’s scary to give
• Study when you’d rather play
• Spend time with your child when you would rather relax

“…how do you rely on God’s power – rather than willpower to overcome the temptation to do wrong?” [1]

“How do you walk in the Spirit in those moments?” [1]

“Here are the four words I introduced to you at the end of the last chapter: Renew. Remain. Acknowledge. Ask.” [1]

There are two for before the moment and two for in the moment. [1]

Renew

Craig Groeschel tells a story about a time in college when he decided he wanted to live for Jesus. He struggled with this decision because he didn’t want to give up sex. Realizing how difficult this would be, he knew he needed God’s power. He felt led to give up dating for an extended period. This time would serve as a point of renewing his way of thinking about women and relationships. [1]

“To walk in the Spirit, in God’s power, we need to renew our minds: ‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will’ (Rom. 12:1-2).” [1]

“The key to living out God’s ‘good, pleasing and perfect will’ is being ‘transformed by the renewing of your mind.'” [1]

“When we allow God to change the way we think, it will change how we act.” [1]

“When we allow God to change the way we think, it will change how we act, how we respond to opportunities and temptations, how we treat people. It will change everything.” [1]

“This takes us full circle back to ‘who before do.’ You do what you do because of what you think of you. We said that how you think about yourself drives your behavior. Here’s another truth bomb: how you think about everything impacts everything.” [1]

You renew your mind by consistently reading the Bible. Your success depends on your commitment. [1]

Another way to renew our...