Worrying

Worry is something most of us do from time to time but what does it mean?  Worry is defined in the NIV Bible as to feel anxious or uneasy.  It's easy to picture someone pacing or not being able to sit still.  You just can't get comfortable.  What do you worry about?  What does worry say about our faith?  Lets take a look at the subject of worry.

Matthew 6:25-34

New International Version (NIV)

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?
²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In this passage we can clearly see that Jesus is telling us how much we are worth.  He compares us to birds?  Our worth is more than those.  He then goes on to question how much faith can we have if we worry about things such as clothes, food, and drinks.  We learn that non believers run after such things but we being believers should not worry but seek God and these things will be given to us. 

 It sounds so easy but often we will go and complain to a friend, coworker, family member about our fears of having enough.  It's our job to seek God and trust Him, to have faith He will provide.  In the Concise Bible Commentary by Don Fleming it says Believers should trust in God and put the interests of His kingdom first.  They are under His rule and they should trust that as day to day difficulties arise, He will provide the answer.  Let's look at some other verses.

Luke 12:24-34

New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life^[a]? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

John 14:27

New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Proverbs 12:25

New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ Anxiety weighs down the heart,
    but a kind word cheers it up.

Proverbs 28:26
Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.
 

 We see in the verses above that once again we are worth much to God and two we are told that worrying can not add a single hour to our lives.  Worrying/Stress leaves us feeling fatigued and often frustrated because we are trying to figure everything out on our own.  In other words to do things under our own power instead of trusting God.  

In John we see that peace God gives us.  He tells us to not be troubled or afraid.  Are you able to do this in your everyday life or are you left with your heart pounding in your chest at the end of the day unable to sleep.  Lets see if we can dig a little deeper about why we worry.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Our fears come from not trusting God and trying to figure things out on our own.  We drive ourselves crazy with questions like what if?  why?  how?  when?  It's in those moments we are trusting ourselves to make sense of things we aren't meant to make sense of.  We are putting strain and stress on our minds and bodies because we are not resting, trusting and praying.  So what can we do?



 Psalm 55:22

New International Version (NIV)

²² Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.

 Philippians 4:6-7

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  

To sum things up we are to cast our cares, worries, fears, anxieties on God in every situation.  We are to pray and thank Him.  Our minds should be at peace trusting God and guarding our hearts so that worry doesn't return to our hearts.  We have to believe that He knows what He is doing and that He knows best.  That is faith!  It is essential to our walks and belief in God.   So I leave you with one last verse to think about before you turn to worry.

Philippians 4:8 ESV / 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Seek God In Your Decisions

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

So here we are getting closer to Thanksgiving and God has put on my heart to ask are we seeking Him in our decisions?  Do we pray about things or do we just react based on our own emotions, reasoning, thoughts or plans?  We are just His creation...shouldn't we be seeking what He wants us to do in a given situation?


Psalm 25:9
He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

 Proverbs 2:6-9
For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course.

Psalm 25:12-
Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

  John 16:13
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure

James 1:5
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Jeremiah 29:11 -
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Proverbs 16:9-
The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.


So based on the Bible verses above He is looking to lead us but we must also be humble, trust God, acknowledge Him, seek wisdom, let Him guide us, direct us and He will put us on the path He has for us.  It is so easy to reason something in your head and not seek God.  Often we don't think we need His help unless we get into a real jam.  Then we humble ourselves and cry out to Him with all we have.  Wouldn't it be less painful and more wise to seek Him from the beginning?  James 1:5 says above that God will give wisdom if we ask for it.

Now let's seek God in our decisions, trials and all that we are going through.  We don't want to learn the hard way so let's do it God's way.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

He Hears Us

There are days where we call out to God and just wonder...does He hear me?  We pray and He doesn't answer right away.  That can cause us to doubt and worry at time.  So lets look at scripture about God listening.

1Chr 5:20 For they cried to the God in the battle, and He was entreated of them; because they put their trust in Him.

Ps 3:4 I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill.

Ps 34:4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Ps 55:16,17 As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.

Ps 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You: for You will answer me.

Ps 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him.

These are just a few but so often we need these reminders.  Life is filled with challenges, bad days, times when our hearts are broken and we just want to give up.  He is with us all the time.  You are not alone.  It doesn't mean that God is like a genie in a magic lamp.  He isn't shocked or surprised with what you are going through.  Often He uses that time to shape and mold us into the person He wants us to be.  There will be times when He asks us to just trust Him..to be still and know He is God.  He doesn't need our help.  He knows what He is doing.

So in the midst of your challenges, heart breaking and tough days..trust God.  He is listening to you.

Changing Our Mindsets

In the news everyday we see news of terrible things, murders, deaths, attacks, kidnappings and natural disasters just to name a few.  We can listen to music about broken relationships, watch television programs and movies filled with violence and dysfunction.  If this is what we put into ourselves what do you expect to come out of us?

Luke 21:34 ESV 

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

If we dwell on these things God says that it's a trap.  We aren't meant to be weighed down with the world.  So what are we supposed to think about?  How are we to use and renew our minds?

Romans 12:2 ESV / 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ESV / 

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Isaiah 26:3 ESV / 

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Philippians 4:4-9 ESV / 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ..

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV / 

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Proverbs 4:23 ESV / 

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 17:22 ESV / 

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Based on these scriptures we are to trust God, have a joyful heart, we will receive peace from God when we keep on mind on Him and by staying in His word(Bible) He will help us to understand what is good and what His will is. 

Many people often feel like God doesn't speak to them, but if you aren't spending time reading the Bible how can you?  He speaks to us through His word, it's not the only way He can speak to us.  Sometimes we are looking for a sign and want to hear a clear voice.  God can do that too but are we giving Him the opportunity or are we too busy to even notice when He is speaking to us.  We can get to the point where all we are doing is saying God fix this and not listen to Him.  We need to get alone so we can hear His still small voice.

1 Kings 19:11-13

King James Version (KJV)

¹¹ And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
¹² And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
¹³ And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

It's so easy to send a million prayers up to God but not take the time to be still and quiet to hear Him.  We need to take the time to listen.  To trust Him.  Sometimes He will give you a scripture for a certain situation such as Psalm 46:10 He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  Being still can be very hard in our culture where we get what we want instantly.  But God does thing in His own timing and often requires us to wait.

Isaiah 40:31 ESV / 

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 27:13-14 ESV / 

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

James 5:7-8 ESV / 

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV / 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV / 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Psalm 33:20-22 ESV / 

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

Isaiah 30:18 ESV / 

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

James 5:11 ESV / 

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

These are just a few examples about waiting on God.  Please take the time today to renew your mind, trust God, and wait.  He will do what He was said He will do but in His timing.

 

His Love

Never doubt God's love.  Here are some wonderful scriptures to remind us!

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—

1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

1 John 4:7-8  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Peter 5:6-7  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Job 34:19 who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor,  for they are all the work of his hands?

Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

John 13:34-35  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Colossians 2:6-7  Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

Worried?

We have all done it at one point or another...We worried.  There was something going on in our life that we couldn't control, fix, or find a solution to when we wanted to.  Worry isn't all that helpful but some of us live constantly in a state of worry.  Once a problem gets solved we find something else to worry about.  So what does the Bible say about it?

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Proverbs 12:25, NIV).

“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7)
 (Also see Psalm 55:22-23)

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” (Luke 12:22-26, NIV). (Also see Matthew 6:25-34)

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5).

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:26-28).

These are just a few examples of what the Bible says about worry.  So when God made us He had a plan for us to deal with these feelings.  He knew that we would need Him.  God is our answer to those times of worry, doubt, fear, anxiety, etc.  He wants us to trust Him.  He wants our problems, prayers, and to give us peace.  God is in control...He made the world we live in and everyone around us.  Shouldn't God be the one we run to?