“Casting all your care upon him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV)

I’ve been a worrier most of my life. I’m not proud of it. It’s one of my biggest weaknesses.

And because of that, I’ve allowed worry to rank high in my defining personality traits. As if being a worrier deserves to run parallel with traits like… friendly, kind, humorous, etc. Except it doesn’t.

Worrying is a very real emotion in life. And if we don’t get a firm grasp on it, it will take root in our hearts.

For years, I gave Satan the green light to hitch onto my worries and tow me straight to the road of living with fierce anxiety. And it wasn’t a thrill ride.

Anxiety is just a glamorous word for fear. It robs our days and especially our nights. It steals us from our families, our friends, and from the abundant life Christ came to give.

Through my early Christian walk, I had no problem going to God in prayer about my worries and anxieties. But I wasn’t giving them to God in prayer.

There’s a vast difference between going to God in prayer and giving it to God in prayer.

Going to God in prayer looks like us talking and/or complaining to God about the negatives in our lives, yet not fully surrendering them to Him. We still want to keep one hand on them.

While giving it to God in prayer looks like us fully surrendering and handing over to Him the negatives of our lives before they overtake us. We completely let them go.

And I noticed as I began to root deeper and bloom into a more intimate relationship with God, He empowered me to uproot the hold both worrying and anxiousness had over my life.

It took me years to drop all of the anxiety I carried for far too long down at the foot of the cross. And it felt good to turn heel and walk away hand in hand with Jesus.

This doesn’t mean I don’t have legitimate concerns arise from time to time. I certainly do. And sometimes my mind still fills up with frantic worrying over self-manufactured scenarios.

Apparently, the useless emotion of worry seems like it’s always going to lurk beneath my surface. And the enemy revels in hoisting it up from my depths every chance he gets.

But as soon as it creeps in… to the foot of the cross it goes… and at the foot of the cross it must stay.

So how do I leave it at the foot of the cross?

1. I close my eyes and visualize my worries and anxieties wrapped up in a box. And then I see myself kneeling and placing them down at the foot of the cross.
2. With my eyes still closed, I now visualize the face of Jesus. And the words, “Do not worry, do not fear” are on constant repeat until I feel His inner peace wash over me.
3. And every time Satan wants to take my mind captive again, I rush and give it to God in prayer.

Trust me. It may sound nutty, but it works for me. So when I say leave it at the foot of the cross… I mean I’m literally picturing leaving it at the foot of the cross.

And did you know that God actually asks us to hurl our anxieties onto Him?

Sounds harsh doesn’t it?

Yet Peter asks us to carry out this very action in our scripture verse. The Greek word for casting means throwing or hurling. And if you pop down to verse 8, you’ll see why He asks us to do this.

Because Satan is always on the prowl looking for someone to devour.

So our good God wants us to quickly throw off our negative emotions onto Him so He can protect us from the enemy. And when we don’t? Well… I know from experience we’ll be fighting with Satan all day.

God cares for His children and He wants to fight for us.

So whether we hurl our worries and anxieties onto God or visualize placing them at the foot of the cross, it’s all the same… we’re giving them over to Him.

I’ve fought hard to claw my way back to living the abundant life He intends for me to live. And I refuse to allow my emotions to define my existence. I lost out on too many years of my life.

And I don’t dwell on it. I love seeing how God has grown me through the years. But mercy… if we don’t have to lose out on years of fighting with the enemy, then let’s don’t, right?

So sister if I’m describing you to a tee right now, my prayer is that you’ll give it to God in prayer today. I will be cheering for you from the sidelines and praying with you to leave it at the foot of the cross. Because I know the devastation it brings when we don’t.

Go ahead and comment on your struggle. This is a safe place here and I’d love to help you to become an overcomer.

Dear God, give us Your power and strength to uproot the negative emotions of our lives and root in our relationship with You instead. Let us be daughters who give these strongholds to You and leave them at the foot of the cross. In Jesus’ name. Amen