Worrying – from Journal

Worrying

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. – Philippians 4:4-7

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

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”  – Matthew 4:4

The devil wants us to worry about all the “what ifs.” God wants us to endure the actual current suffering trusting in Him and saying let your will be done, knowing that He will provide us our daily bread to endure the present trial and bring good through it all. God doesn’t want us to ask Him what if questions or “what about that?” Or us trying to guess His will. – C.S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers 

For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  – Isaiah 41:13

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!  – Psalm 40:17

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  – Psalm 34:4

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  – Isaiah 55:8-9

If I surrender to God completely, what if He makes me do something I’m afraid of?

Answer: He will have me do what is spiritually best for me. I can trust Him. After all, He did love me so much that He died for me. 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,  – Psalm 46:1-2

“All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.”  – Isaiah 54:13

My take: this applies to my parents and to me and Colette. God is teaching me, and I shall have great peace from God. God is also teaching Chloe and Abby, and the peace of God is in them.

“Fear is embracing the inferior.” – Bill Johnson

“I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid…  – Isaiah 51:12

He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,  – Psalm 91:4-5

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”  – Hebrews 13:5-6

“All of that stuff on your mind?  Give it to Him – again.  Replace those fearful thoughts with His words of truth. And sleep in peace tonight.  He knows what concerns you, He’s got you covered.”  – Crosswalk.com

Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”  – Isaiah 35:4

Matthew 10:29 – Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.

My takeaway: The Lord is sovereign; He will always take very good care of me. He is completely trustworthy with my life in any circumstance.

1 Peter 5:6-11 – 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. Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

My takeaway: Key thing is to humble yourself before casting your anxieties on Him. Humbling yourself means to surrender yourself and your situations over to God, under His mighty hand; for He can take care of you and all your needs for it is promised in the Bible. Then, you can cast your anxieties onto Him, and since it states that He cares for me, He will take care of me completely. So, I do not have to be anxious about anything since my awesome, heavenly, trustworthy, almighty Father is now taking care of all my needs. Another thing, this passage teaches us how to resist the devil: “firm in your faith.” In Ephesians 6:16, it tells us to take up the “shield of faith,” which says, “which with you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” This means to have faith in being sure that God will keep His promises that are stated in the Bible and His direct messages to me. Faith in God protects you when you are tempted to doubt. That is why we must constantly study His promises in the Bible and memorize them as much as possible. If an arrow gets through and hurts you, use the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, to minister to you in order to take out the arrow or arrows.

Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?” or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

My takeaway: God is saying do not worry about any of our necessities, like sleep. He said to focus on seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Seeking His kingdom means to seek the will of God. And seeking His righteousness is to seek to be righteous like Him. Both of these are had by seeking or living the exchanged life. Having Jesus live in and through you is seeking His kingdom and being righteous. God is living in you and through you, so He is control of you. So, with His mind, power, will, resources, and control, you are indeed seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So, do not worry about any necessities, God promised you He will provide it all. Also, He is teaching us the very important lesson to live one day at a time, as His grace will be sufficient for each day. We cannot get His grace for tomorrow today, so live each day knowing His grace is sufficient for today.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I should.

My takeaway: Rely on God’s strength when fighting against the devil. Know the word of God and remember the promises of God. The promises of God is your shield to nullify the devil’s attacks. Paul instructs us to pray at all times in the Spirit. I take this as always relying on Jesus to pray for us, and for us to pray often, especially during times of attack from demons.

Isaiah 26:1-3 – We have a strong city, He sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks (defensive walls). Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. You keep perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

My takeaway: Stay focused on God and trust in Him, then He will take care of you and your problems. He may not take care of your problems in the way you think, but He will take care of them in the best way possible.

John 16:33 – I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

My takeaway: You need to study this passage in detail. But, this passage says clearly that we may have peace in Jesus. Also, Jesus promised us that we will have hardships, but He also promised us that He rules the entire world and everything, which includes all our hardships.

Philippians 4:4-7 – 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.

My takeaway: When you are anxious, always go to God for help. Let Him know what you need, but be thankful as you ask since you know He will answer you in the best way possible, even if it’s not how you expected it. Acknowledge that He knows things that we don’t know about what is best for us in all situations.

Jim Logan worry sermon

When we worry, it is a message from God that we are carrying a burden we are not able to carry.