REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES

On the fourth Friday of each month in 2026, we’re studying The Answer to Anxiety by Joyce Meyer. Join me as we learn practical. Scripture-based steps we can take when fear or worry try to take hold.

CHAPTER ONE — Be Anxious for Nothing

Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything. ~ Mary Hemingway

The Answer to Anxiety opens with a simple but powerful truth: worry accomplishes nothing. Joyce Meyer reminds us, “When we waste today being anxious, we accomplish nothing that will change tomorrow.” Anxiety keeps us stuck in fear, drains our strength, and steals the joy God intends for today.

Jesus addresses this very issue in Matthew 6, where He speaks directly to the human tendency to worry. His words are loving, practical, and deeply reassuring. This chapter invites us to see life through God’s eyes and to trust Him more fully.

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING THIS MONTH

- Our lives matter deeply to God
- Worry does not add anything positive to our future
- God provides for His creation without anxiety
- Nature reflects God’s care and faithfulness
- Faith is active trust, not passive hope
- Jesus clearly commands us not to worry

WHY IT MATTERS

Worry consumes time, energy, and emotional strength—resources God designed us to use for living, loving, and serving. When we worry, we actually lose valuable moments of our lives. As Joyce says, “Anxiety is spending today dreading tomorrow.”

Jesus reminds us that if God cares for the birds, flowers, and even the grass, how much more does He care for us? Our lives are far more important to God than anything else He created. Because of that truth alone, worry simply doesn’t belong in the life of a believer.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Matthew 6:25–34

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So, don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

In the verses above Jesus points us to some of nature’s most beautiful creations to focus our attention on that will help relieve our anxiety and worries.

- He tells us to watch the birds. They never worry, yet God faithfully feeds them. Simply observing a bird can calm anxious thoughts and remind us of God’s steady provision.
- He also points us to flowers, encouraging us to stop and notice beauty. Taking time to “smell the roses” soothes the soul and redirects our attention back to God’s care.
- Jesus even mentions grass—something we rarely think about as important. Yet God clothes it beautifully. The next time you can, take off your shoes and stand on soft green grass. Receive it as a quiet blessing from God.

THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION

Worry is not just unhelpful—it’s unnecessary. Jesus gives us a command not to worry, not as a suggestion, but for our mental, physical, and spiritual health. We are called believers. That means we are called to believe God.

PRACTICAL STEPS

- Pause when anxious thoughts arise
- Spend time observing God’s creation
- Step barefoot on grass and thank God
- Ask yourself, “Is this worry helping me trust God?”
- Replace worry with God’s promises

CALL TO ACTION

This week, meditate on God’s promises instead of worrying. When anxious thoughts come, gently redirect your focus toward trust and watch how God’s peace grows.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, thank You for reminding me that my life matters deeply to You. Help me obey Your command not to worry and to trust You with today and tomorrow. Fill my heart with Your peace. Amen.

When Your Heart Feels Tired

A woman’s heart carries so much more than blood and oxygen. It carries worry. It carries memories. It carries people.

And sometimes, without even realizing it, it carries stress, grief, and emotional burdens that slowly affect our physical wellbeing.

Women are often the caregivers, the encouragers, the steady ones — even when our own hearts feel worn thin. We push through fatigue, we minimize symptoms, and we tell ourselves, “I’m fine,” even when our bodies whisper otherwise.

Cardiovascular disease is often called a “silent threat” for women. But God never intended for our hearts — physical or emotional — to be silent when they need care.

The Heart as God Designed It

Your heart was created by God with care, intention, and purpose. It beats faithfully through every season of your life — joy, loss, transition, and healing.

And just as God designed it to sustain your body, He also cares deeply about the spiritual and emotional life that flows from it.

Women often assume “heart care” means exercise or medication alone. But Scripture expands that definition. Guarding your heart means tending to what you carry, what you fear, what you hold onto, and what you internalize.

Let God Strengthen the Heart

Caring for your heart is not selfish. It is stewardship.

Simple, gentle choices honor the body God entrusted to you: slowing your pace, breathing deeply, choosing foods that nourish, moving in ways that feel kind, and resting without guilt.

Psalm 73:26 reminds us: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

A Soft Closing Prayer

Jesus, thank You for the heart You gave me — for every beat that keeps me moving, loving, and living. Teach me to listen to my body with kindness and to honor the limits You designed for my wellbeing. Help me release the stress and burdens I’ve carried for too long. Guard my heart with Your peace, strengthen it with Your presence, and fill it with the assurance that I don’t walk this healing journey alone. Amen.

As we begin The Healing Journey, our worship theme song is “Healer” by Kari Jobe. This beautiful song reminds us that in every season of sickness, stress, pain, or uncertainty, Jesus is our strength and our restoration. Its simple declaration — “I believe You’re my Healer” — invites us to rest in the truth that Christ is near, He is faithful, and He is gently healing our bodies, minds, and hearts.