21 Day Prayer ChallengeSample

Day 19- Peace Instead of Worry 

• God’s Word

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) 

• Today’s Thought

What consumes our minds controls our lives. Nothing weighs heavier on our lives than fear, stress, anxiety, and worry. Have you ever stopped to think about what stress is? It's a response to pressure or a threat. Stress can negatively impact our lives spiritually, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and physically. Stress triggers a hormone called adrenaline that temporarily affects our nervous system. The number one source of stress in our lives is worry. Nothing good comes from worry. Jesus said we can't even add a single day to our lives by worrying (Matthew 6:27).  

When you think about it, worry exaggerates the problems in our lives. The word "worry" means to "choke" or to "strangle." Worry chokes and strangles the life out of us. Like the Apostle Paul reminds us through his letter written from a prison cell, rather than allowing worry to weigh us down, let's choose to allow God's peace to lift us up to help guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.  

As we continue to pray this prayer of blessing over family, friends, and our future, let's pray that God will help us take your worry and turn it into worship and experience God's peace in our lives today.  

• My Prayer 

May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace. Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT) 

Lord, today I confess my thoughts have been focused on my problems rather than on you. Today, I release the burden and weight of worry I have been trying to carry on my own. I ask that you replace my fear, stress, anxiety, and worry with your perfect peace. I pray the same over my loved ones and friends. I pray that your peace would fill their hearts and replace any negative thoughts weighing them down. I choose to let go of worry, lay it at the altar, and worship you today with all my heart and mind, soul, and strength. In Jesus' name, Amen!