Philippians 4:4-9
LET GO OF WORRY.
A man was constantly worrying that somebody or something was under his bed. He decided to seek help from a counselor but was discouraged by the exorbitant fee and the long duration of the treatment. A few weeks later, the Counselor met the man on the street and asked him why he had not returned. The man replied, ''I met a friend who gave me some great advice for free. It worked perfectly. The Counselor asked what advice had been given him, and the man replied, "He simply told me to saw off the legs of the bed until it was at ground level."
Do you find yourself worrying a lot? Worrying about things that never happened. We often worry about what others think or say, job interviews, deadlines, budgets, bills, and expenses. It can be overwhelming.
We wasted much of our time worrying about all kinds of things!
Remember Y2K! (Y2K was a widespread fear that computers would malfunction or crash when the year 2000 arrived). The world braced for total computer failure as the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2000. The batteries were in place, candles were prepped, and food was stocked.
Worry kidnaps your brain from normal thinking. Worry hijacks your mind.
According to experts, excessive worrying can have a significant impact on both our physical and mental well-being.
Signs of worrying:
Feeling light-headed or dizzy, restless or unable to sit still or sleep, headaches, backache, or other aches and pains, faster breathing, and a fast or irregular heartbeat.
Instead of worrying and fretting, remember that it will not change the outcome.
The mind is the battleground; this is where the devil attempts to defeat us.
You may never meet him head-on, but you may meet him in your mind.
Temptations come to us first through our minds.
You might be going to the doctor–having restless nights, unable to sleep–because you are worrying - your problem might not be the sickness or the pain – your problem might be the worrying that’s causing it.
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful (anxious) for nothing.;
When we are anxious or worried, it is often because we focus on our circumstances instead of God.
1. GOD CARES ABOUT THE “LITTLE THINGS” IN OUR LIFE:
He is attentive to the details in our lives that may seem small but are important.
Matthew 10:29 “ Are not two sparrows sold for a far-thing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Matthew 6:25–33 25 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
2. THE LOVE God HAS FOR EACH OF US IS INDIVIDUALIZED AND SPECIAL:
(Psalm 139:13-16).For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” 14. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well.” 15. “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in
the depths of the earth.” 16. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Psalm 139:13 tells us that God created our inmost being and knit us together in our mother's womb.
Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:”
3. GOD GOT THIS: WORRY IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU.
Proverbs 12:25 25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up. When a man experiences anxiety, it can weigh heavily on his heart. However, a kind and positive word can bring him joy and comfort.
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Paul urges us to always find joy in the Lord in this passage. He emphasizes this message by repeating, "Again I will say, Rejoice." It's worth noting that Paul wrote these words while in prison in Rome for his Christian beliefs. This context underscores the importance of his message - that we can find joy in the Lord no matter what.
How do we get rid of our worries?
- WE MUST PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING!
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
- SURRENDER YOUR WORRIES TO GOD.
1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
The Bible tells us to Cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for us.
Think of it this way. Imagine for a moment that a worry is a heavy burden you’re carrying on your back (like a backpack filled with rocks). Wishing it will go away won’t solve the problem, nor will simply hoping the burden will grow lighter. But suppose you meet someone who’s obviously stronger than you, and he offers to take the burden off your back and carry it for you. What would you do? It would be foolish for you to keep carrying it; instead, you’d gladly hand it over to him.
It's like handing a heavy backpack to someone stronger than you. Don't try to carry it alone.
And that’s what God wants us to do with our burdens — hand them over to Him in faith and trust. He knows all about us, our problems, and all about the things that concern us. Furthermore, He loves us, and He wants to help us. The Bible says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
When we do this, we are acknowledging that God is in control and that he cares for us
God will help us through our anxiety and worry if we let him
Matthew 11:28 “28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
- WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE WAY WE THINK
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
There was a man who was hiking up a mountain. Caught up in the beauty and wonder of the landscape, he lost track of time wandering on the trail, and it soon became dark. Feeling his way back down the mountain, he slipped and fell over a cliff. He grabbed a protruding tree limb as he fell and hung on for dear life. In his anxiety, he heard a voice say ever so calmly, "Let go." He thought to himself, "are you nuts?" The voice repeated itself, "It's okay; you can let go." The hiker responded, "No way, I can't do that; I'll die."
After holding on for what seemed like an eternity, he felt his grip slipping away. With his anxiety level at its peak and the hope of someone coming along to rescue him waning, he braced himself for the fatal fall. He fell a total of six inches before he hit the ground. After all that needless anxiety, he was only a few inches away from the ground. He couldn't see that in the dark, but God knew that's why he told him just to let go.
Add comment
Comments