Worrying is like paying interest on a loan you haven't taken out yet.
Hi katieanna
You must "take every negative or dangerous thought captive" and deal with it for what it is.
My personal vendetta is against fear. I live in an African country where senseless violence is part of the daily norm.
If I didn't take the thoughts of fear caused by this captive and literally tell them to "get out" I would go crazy.
Your situation is more complex in that you are worrying "that God is expecting more from me".
Personally that wouldn't worry me, that would excite me and I would endeavour to find out what it is. Remember God always starts small and builds up. So I don't think He's asking you to publicly burn a copy of the Koran and challenge Allah to get off the loo and respond. ;)
But if that's where He's leading you take it a step at a time, be obedient and learn to trust Him more deeply every day.
You may also want to read "He came to set the captives free" by Rebecca Brown. She's right in there at the fore front of fighting demons and though I'm not suggesting that this where you're supposed to be (VERY dangerous turf), she has some insightful things to say about obedience and listening.
Chris
I just drink a few beers and call it good.
Most of the responses here focus on blocking out or diverting worrying. That never has worked for me.
The method I use is borrowed from a way of working through a traumatic memory. That focuses on purposefully reliving the memory until it is no longer debilitating. Depending on the severity it's important not to do this alone, but with a professional counselor.
With worry, I give myself an hour, half-hour, whatever I need each morning to do my worrying. I play out the scenarios to the end and imagine my responses. I allow myself to fully play it out even to the unthinkable. Then I ask God to both give me faith and sustain me if such an event should happen. At the end, I choose to go through each day without worrying, and post-pone any worries until my appt. with them the next morning.
In this context, I don't find worry to be unhealthy at all, but rather it provides a context for prudent planning. I haven't done this, but it also may be helpful to develop a "worry diary" which allows you to monitor the productivity of your worrying. This also provides another line which gives you a clear appropriate way to express worry and makes it easier to keep yourself from doing it in other contexts.
Part of the reason you have a hard time giving up worrying is because worrying can be helpful. As a result, you know that people who tell you it never is are lying. The Psalms are fully of "worries" and entirely appropriate. The Bible says to cast your cares upon the Lord, not stop having any cares.