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.

Who Get's The Glory

When we have success in life, relationships, business, etc who get's the glory.  Are we just soaking it up and saying yes I did it?  Oh thank you it was such a sacrifice.  I am just so talented, so smart, so gifted, etc.  That's not the way it's supposed to be.  We shouldn't be getting the glory.  It should be going to God.  Don't believe me let's see what the Bible says.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV / 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Romans 11:36 ESV / 

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Well it really says it all in the first verse.  We are to do all things to the glory of God.  The second verse tells us more that all things come from Him and through Him.  He gets the glory.

Is it easy to give God the glory?  If we aren't spending quiet time with Him, listening to Him, truly loving Him,..it's not easy.  No matter what we are going through or where we are in life He should be getting the glory.  You might be thinking I did the work, where was God when this happened or when that happened?  Well since God created you didn't He do the work.  He knew you before you were even born.

2 Peter 1:21 ESV / 

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The scripture above tells us the prophecy comes from God.  The Holy Spirit brings it about.  We can't get into a mindset where we get up and tell everyone what God wants to do in their life without it coming from God.  It's clear.  He doesn't need our opinion or plan.  He will send it when He wills it.

Mark 10:17-22 ESV / 

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

We cannot do anything good apart from God.  The scripture above is basically a man of pride.  Nobody can live a perfectly sinless life.  We are just not that good.  It doesn't matter what we think we have done.  Our blessings, talents, gifts, finances, relationships all came through God.  He provided.  He is our provider.

Psalm 29:11 ESV

English Standard Version

May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

 

Give Him the glory!  Let's not take the credit anymore.  We are not perfect only God is!

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!

I can't go there but.....

The tragedy in the Philippines has really grabbed my attention.  The people there have lost homes, family members, basics like food, and clean water.  The emotional toll(lack of hope) has to be heart breaking.  Stepping over bodies, struggling to get the help and supplies they need are things that aren't going away.  So what can we do?

1.  Even if we can't go over there we can always pray.  God hears our prayers and He knows their needs. 
2.  We can send money.  There are plenty of organizations at work over there.  We can help.
3.  Help someone else go who has the opportunity.

Keep in mind just because you can't physically go there doesn't mean you can't help.  I can't go over to Africa and dig wells but I can send money to help those who do.  We can expect to be blessed for doing so.  That shouldn't be our motivation but it can help when we doubt we are making an impact.  It will also help us take our focus off ourselves.  We can't live our entire life just worrying about us.  There are plenty of people out there looking for help that you could provide.  Sometimes it's just a conversation with someone who is feeling down.  It might be that you can make a meal for someone who is having physical issues or just out of the hospital.  Maybe you could help take care of the yard of someone who is elderly.  God can move in mighty ways in our lives to bless others if we just make time.

Lets look at some examples from the bible about helping others.

Hebrews 13:16 ESV / 

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Philippians 2:4 ESV / 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Luke 6:38 ESV / 

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

1 John 3:17 ESV / 

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Matthew 25:35-40 ESV / 

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ...

James 2:14-17 ESV / 

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Galatians 6:2 ESV / 

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

John 15:12 ESV / 

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Matthew 5:16 ESV /

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Proverbs 19:17 ESV / 

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 22:9 ESV / 

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

So now it's not just me saying this but God.  Please take the time today to take your eyes off you and your problems and focus on what you can do to help someone else.

Face To Face With God

In my life when I've gone through some of the most painful things...I've often wondered why I didn't see His hands at work right in the moment or why I didn't hear Him.  I would read His word and pray and then call everyone I know rehashing the issue over and over and over....

I the current battle I am going through I am being shaped, molded and taught everyday.  In order to get to this place I had to come to the time when I only looked at Him.  I had to quit making calls, listening to people's advice, wondering, worrying and whining.  I had to get face to face with God keeping my eyes on Him.  How did I do that?  I will let you know.

1.  I let Him break me.
I had been fighting Him in some areas of my life for so long that it took everything I had to try to control things.  I had to let go of my fear, cry plenty of tears and tell Him ok I give up.  I can't do this.  Let's do it Your way.

2.  I surrendered everything to His will.
This was really hard because often when we pray we truly want things our way.  We don't think about what God wants or His purpose for what is going on we just want it over and our way.  I had to learn that and say whatever You want to do.  If I am in Your way move me.



3.  I learned to listen to Him.
In order to do this I had to get quiet.  That meant turning off the tv, radio, going somewhere alone where I wouldn't be interrupted.  I had to make the effort.  It was really tough at first because I just wanted to keep praying and not stop long enough for Him to get a word in.  Then after a while I did start hearing from Him, when reading the Bible, sometimes I would be in the middle of something and He would tell me to go pray specifically for a situation or person.  He would give me every word.

4.  I had to learn to trust and obey Him
Once God started talking to me in a way I could understand...I did pray for that so I wouldn't miss anything.  He started telling me to do things I didn't want to do or was comfortable doing.  I will give a few examples..He asked me to go and pray for a guest speaker at my church in front of everyone and the guy didn't even ask for it.  That was so scary but I knew God was telling me to do it.  Another time He asked me to do laundry for someone who didn't want me to do their laundry.  I argued with Him about that one but I eventually gave in.  That was so tough because I really didn't want to do it and I got angry but He had me do it.  I started learning that He was going to keep testing me with different things He told me to do just to make sure I did trust Him and obey Him.  It didn't happen overnight but once it started I had such great peace.

5.  I had to put my cares aside.
Talk about tough.  I had to give over all my worries to Him.  Every time I felt like I was under a spiritual attack or I let my fear get the best of me...He spoke to me about it.  I can clearly remember one time where He said to me what is going to take for You to trust me?  I immediately repented.  A good way to put it is if you were in a desert with no food, or help of any kind from anyone but Him.  A storm comes, then a legion of demons come mocking you and insulting you and threatening you.  Instead of looking around and fearing it you look at God right in His face sitting in front of you and listen to Him.  Talk about life changing.

Many times I felt like Peter when he stepped out of the boat and wanted to walk on the water to Jesus.  It's a strange and scary feeling not knowing what He is going to ask you to do next but knowing He is there.  I felt like a totally different person and that was really weird.  But once you can start doing these things.  You will experience a peace unlike any you have ever felt before.  He will take you by the hand and guide you every step of every day.  Just let Him.

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.

Who you gonna call?

In the midst of trials most of us pick up the phone, send an email or ask for help.  We often seek out people first and then as a last resort go to God.  If God created the world and all the people in it and knew them before they arrived here shouldn't we go to Him.

One reason people don't go to God first is because they don't hear Him.  We want someone we can hear and have a conversation with.  Can we do that with God?  Yes but not like we do with people.  If we want to know how He feels about something we can read the Bible.  It's not as hard to find an answer in the Bible as it once was.  There are search engines and apps that allow us to find certain topics.  You can find it in most new Bibles as well.  His Word wasn't just for the people who lived when it was written.  It's still valid, alive and from God just as much today.

We can also hear from God at times when we pray.  It's not everyday that we hear an audible voice.  I personally have only heard it once.  But there are times when God might impress a thought or Bible verse in your mind and you stop and say where did that come from.  It came from God.

A great verse that reminds us to call out to God is Psalm 50:15 and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.  Another one is James 5:16 The Prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

So as we go through whatever challenge there is know that He should be first to turn to.  I am just as guilty as any other person for making the mistake of going to people so don't be embarrassed if that's you.  Make the change today!