I first connected with today’s guest, Lisa Appelo, way back in 2015…

when I signed up to receive one of her devotions, 31 Days of Braving the Broken. I think what drew me in the most was Lisa’s transparency in sharing about the shocking and unexpected death of her husband.

As I heard her story, I couldn’t help but wonder how her precious faith had been tested beyond what many of us could imagine. Then, as I got to know her more and more, through her beautiful blog and timely articles, I came to deeply appreciate her insight and wisdom concerning the stretching of our faith.

What a blessing to introduce Lisa to you today, and share her incredible words of wisdom as we continue our series on worry.

Jennifer:  As you know, worry affects everyone from time to time. However, chronic worry is a stronghold that can wreak havoc on a person’s faith. From your experience, how does persistent worry damage or influence a woman’s walk with the Lord?

Lisa: Worry can sabotage our walk with the Lord in lots of ways, but here are the two biggest.

First, worry steals joy. Joy is a gift to the believer. It’s not that we have to walk in joy; it’s that we get to walk in joy. No matter what the day holds or what we’re facing, we can still have joy.

Now sometimes, that joy is mixed with pain or grief. In the weeks after my husband died, I realized that joy can come right in the midst of grief. But joy is never mixed with worry. Worry robs us of joy because it preoccupies our thoughts and emotions so that we aren’t free to see the good that God has for us.

Second, worry keeps us from seeing Who God is. If we truly know God, then there’s no way we can worry! If we really understood that God is infinitely powerful, absolutely sovereign, measureless in Goodness, unambiguously truthful, eternally faithful – if our little finite minds could fully take that in – we wouldn’t waste a minute of this life worrying. We would step out where God says to step out, we would trust Him in the long waits, we would count on Him to provide and we could smile at the future.

Thing is, we can live like that. For the rest of our live-long days, we can say “You are faithful. You can only be faithful. You will be faithful.” We can then trade out our worry for the abundant, anchored life God has promised us. 

Jennifer:  Lisa, I love that last sentence so much. We can trade out our worry for the abundant anchored life God has promised. Wow! I love the word picture of trading in our worry for abundant life. It reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 10:10 when He said that He came to give us life abundantly.

What are some signs that worry is having a negative impact on our faith?

Lisa: There are many. We’re too scared to do what God is calling us to do. Or we do it with one foot in, waiting for the shoe to drop on the other.

One big sign for me is when I become preoccupied. I realize “what-if’s” and “what-now’s” are spinning through my thoughts keeping me from really being present with my kids and my day.

I know I’m worrying when I’m wrestling with a decision or a problem rather than praying about it, giving it to God, and then watching for God to guide and work.

Another sign of letting worry have a negative impact on my faith is when I’m clutching something too tight. I want control, and worry keeps me from holding both hands wide open to God. (Ooh, boy) God will do what He needs to get us to release and trust Him.

Jennifer: Do you have any Bible passages that may help those of us who are struggling with chronic worry?

Lisa: Ahhh, so many! The Psalms, especially, have so many verses to lift our head and encourage us to trust God. Here are a couple favorites.

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

I had this painted on a board for one of my children who was struggling to get good sleep because of some anxiety. I wanted that child to see this promise each night before falling asleep.

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10

This verse is both a promise of God and indication of His character. He has never forsaken one of His children and He never will. When life gets complicated or difficult, we can find refuge in Him.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Psalm 34:7

The words of Psalm 34 are so powerful. If you find yourself unable to shake worry, read through Psalm 34, pray through it and let the Word of God become louder than the lies of the enemy.

He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber. Psalm 121:3

What a promise. God will not let our foot slip! Recently, God asked me to step out in faith. I knew God had called me but it felt like I was walking off a cliff. I kept asking, “You’ve got me, right? You won’t let me fall on my face.” This verse assures us that God’s got us! The only place His child can fall is into His strong and loving hand.

There are so many more verses. Here’s a list of 20 verses from Psalms to help us overcome anxiety. 

Jennifer: The Psalms are my “go-to” book in times of need as well. Thank you for sharing those timely verses with us!

Now, what would be your number one ACTION tip for overcoming worry?

Lisa: The one game-changer for me was implementing 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 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. (emphasis added) This verse gives us a 3-step process to fight fear and worry.

What is the truth of Christ? God’s promises and God’s character set out in the Bible. So, we have to be in the Bible, a lot, to know truth and to use it proactively to fight the enemy’s lies. For me, I have to be in God’s Word every day. If I’m out for a day or two, my thoughts will fall right back to their old patterns and old lies.

Jennifer: I am in total agreement with you, Lisa. Each day without the Word of God is like a chipping away at our peace and our joy. Before long, we feel battered and worn out by our worries.

Is there any last bit of wisdom you’d like to share with us worriers?

Lisa: I think we forget that worry is a sin. Jesus doesn’t just give us great reasons not to worry; He commands us not to. Worry is a sin that we tend to tolerate and even coddle.

Instead, we need to understand that we can really and honestly be free from worry. As God’s child, if we’re following Him, then the“what-if’s” and “how-in-the-world’s” are not ours to carry. They are God’s burdens and it’s our right and privilege as His children to give them to Him.

This will never be a one-and-done thing. Our whole life, we’ll need to process our worry and hand it over to God. Rather than be surprised, we should expect God to continually stretch our faith.

The whole life of the believer is one of faith-to-faith all the way home. So too, then, we need to keep handing over that new problem, that next decision, and our unknown future.

God can only ever be faithful.

You can read more from Lisa and connect with her here:

Website: LisaAppelo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaappelo/

*Lisa is also offering 100 Days with Christ Bible study and journal. Be sure to sign up and connect with Lisa today!