Devotional Thought : Luke 21:14-15

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Luke 21:14-15

These verses tells that we are able to make a decision not to worry. The Amplified Bible puts v.14 like this: Resolve and settle it in your minds not to meditate and prepare beforehand how you are to make your defense and how you will answer.

To meditate means to roll something around in our mind. Worry is simply rolling unpleasant possibilities around in our minds. Not to prepare beforehand how we will response to those who disagree with us is a real step of faith. We are then forced to rely on whatever God brings to our minds. By not preparing a defense and rolling different scenarios around in our minds we are open to receiving wisdom from God.

However worry can sneak up on us and we find all sorts of negative possibilities seeping into our minds uninvited and unwelcome. The instant we become aware of this happening we need to make a decision to stop thinking on these things and deliberately think of something good.

We see this in Philippians 4:6-8. First we are told, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Then we are told, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” The way to stop worrying is to present our requests to God, leave them there, and then deliberately choose to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy.