Winning Over Worry pt. 2

Mark Finley: I want to look at five biblical principles that you can apply to real-life situations where you feel overly worried, that will lift you out of crippling worry and paralyzing fear and life-altering anxiety.
Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: Winning Over Worry, Part Two. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up on past messages and stay updated with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: Now, these five principles increase our confidence in God, who knows our challenges, walks with us in our trials, and gives us strength to cope with our fears. So let's begin. Here is principle number one in overcoming worry: Although I may feel worried, God is still in control. My feelings in no way determine God's sovereignty. When I'm worried, is God still on his throne? See, our feelings of worry don't determine whether God is in control of the situation or not. God is still in charge, whether I realize that or not. He's still on the throne, working for our best good and his glory. That enables us to get through crippling worry and paralyzing fear. It is first: Things may seem out of control, but God is in control. The second great principle in enabling us to get through worry and fear is this: God only gives us strength for the challenges of today. He'll give us strength for the challenges of tomorrow when tomorrow comes. Two principles so far. What are they? I may feel worried, but God is still in control. Second principle: God does not give me strength for tomorrow today; he gives me strength for today. Third principle: What is the root of all of our worries? What's the root of all of our fears? Why do we worry so much at times? Trials and challenges of life are the root of all our worries, but rightly understood, they can lead us to deeper trust. As we face these challenges, every difficulty in our life can be a call to prayer. Every difficulty in our life can be a call to our knees. So worries, rather than destroying us because we're fearful of the challenges of life, those worries can be a means that God uses to draw us closer to him. You're looking here at Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4, and we're looking at verse 6 and 7. The Apostle Paul talks about our worries. He talks about our fears and how to deal with them. Philippians 4:6: "Be anxious for nothing." Now, what's another word for anxious? To be worried or fearful, right? Be worried about nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. Now let's decipher this verse. Be anxious, that is, don't be worried about anything. So when worries grip your soul, when you feel the emotion of worry, in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Now, I don't give thanksgiving for everything because there are many things in life that are evil, wicked, or sinful. We give thanksgiving because in the midst of the sorrow and difficulty, we can come to God. That's why we give thanksgiving. Don't be worried about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Notice it's with thanksgiving. Why is it with thanksgiving? Because we know God is still in control, and we know that God will give us strength for today. We know that God's greater than the problem. With thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Now notice: Anxiousness and worry are opposite to peace. Do you see that in the text? I may feel anxious, but God is going to guard my heart when I take my anxiety to him in prayer and give me a peace. You see, it says the peace of God, which passes understanding, will guard. You see that word "guard"? That guard is like a sentinel. That guard is like a person who stands there watching your home so nobody will rob it. So what this text is saying is, when I take my worries to God, his peace, like a guard, like a sentinel, will stand watch. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Christ replaces worry at the center of our life when we release our worries to God in prayer and thank him, even for the trials we're facing, because we know that in the trials of life, God is developing our characters. His peace guards our hearts. In the book *Ministry of Healing*, she talks about worry being blind and puts it this way: "Worry is blind and cannot discern the future, but Jesus sees the end from the beginning." In every difficulty, he has his way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish and a plain path before their feet. So God has how many ways of solving our problems? A thousand. He has more than a thousand ways. When I'm filled with worry, when I'm concerned about the future, but I make the honor of God in my life supreme, my perplexities will vanish, and there will indeed be a plain path before my feet. That's what God does. When we allow our worries to drive us to our knees, God accomplishes a larger purpose in our lives. He draws us close to himself. When our fears lead us to spend time with God in prayer, our faith grows. Fourth principle: Most of those worries focus on things around us. These worries are because of certain events that have happened. We worry because this took place. We worry because that took place. We worry that things are going to get worse. When our mind is focused on the things around us, we tend to worry more. These worries can serve a purpose, though. They can lead us to recognize that the things of the earth are temporary, and what really counts are the things that are eternal. Life's worries can help us place priority on the things that really count. Jesus, in one passage of scripture, a lengthy passage about six or seven verses, speaks about worry six times. Jesus must have known that worry would be part of the human condition. He must have known that at times, we tend to worry a great deal. So let's analyze what Jesus says about worry and how worry can drive us to place priority on eternal values. Matthew chapter 6, verse 25 to 34: "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you'll eat or what you'll drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Let's pause right there. What is Jesus trying to help us to see in that passage? He's trying to help us to see that there are priorities in life beyond what our eyes can see, beyond what our hearts can understand. So he says to you, don't worry about your life, what you'll eat or what you'll drink, or about your body, what you'll put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Let's weigh out values. On this hand, you have the birds of the air. In this hand, you have the grass of the field. In this hand, you have the lilies. They're not worried about anything. The grass does not worry if it can grow tomorrow. The birds aren't worried about what they're going to eat, and the lily isn't worried that it's not as beautiful as the rose. So what Jesus says is, if I'm caring for the birds and I'm caring for the lilies and I'm caring for the grass, those are of lesser value. You're a human being. I've created you; I've fashioned you. You need not be paralyzed by worry and strangled by fear because just look at all nature. I take care of it, and I'm going to take care of you. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to its stature? Does worry help us to grow? If you're worried about growth, you're not going to grow by worrying. So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry saying, "What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear?" For after all these things the Gentiles seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. What is Jesus saying? Seek first the kingdom of God. When you feel worried, let your worries drive you to prayer. Let your worries drive you to deeper faith. Six times in this passage, Jesus mentions worry. Why? Because too many of us are familiar with worry. We're familiar with that tight feeling in our chest. We're familiar with those butterflies in our stomach. We're familiar with that sense of impending doom that just flashes in our mind. Even for those not previously plagued by anxiety, it's hard to remain unaffected by the fog of worry that settled over the globe in the 21st century. Worrying seems like the natural response to the challenging nature of life. But scripture provides insights on the supernatural ability to thrive even in trying times. So how do we live in a way that we don't worry about tomorrow? Notice carefully what Jesus says here. He clothes the grass of the field in all its beauty. He adorns the lilies of the field in all their splendor. He provides food for the birds and they're satisfied. If indeed Jesus cares for them, he will care for you. I was 17 years old, became a Seventh-day Adventist when I was in my fourth year of high school. In March of 1963, I was baptized. I had real concern. I was the only Adventist boy in my high school of 3,300 students. I didn't know what I was going to do for the future. I had a lot of worries about it, a lot of cares about it. There was an old Italian woman, her name was Francis Parisi. Francis sang a song about the care of Jesus. Does Jesus care? I love that old song. It goes something like this: Is there a heart overbound by sorrow? Is there a life weighed down by care? Come to the cross each burden bearing. All your anxiety leave it there. All your anxiety, all your care, bring to the mercy seat and leave it there. Never a burden he cannot bear, never a friend like Jesus. This is the story of Matthew chapter 6. He is emphasizing how much he cares for us. He's our friend, and good friends don't let us down. There are in our times of need to recognize that Jesus is our best friend of all. When worry is destroying our joy and when crippling fear is strangling our happiness, we defeat Satan by placing our priority on things that really matter: resting in Jesus's love, embracing Jesus's promises, recognizing that our trials in no way make us less dear to the heart of God. Worry gives way to the assurance of his care. Worry surrenders as we focus our priorities on the things of eternity. As we look at our troubles, our worries grow. As we look to Jesus, our troubles go. Let your worries drive you to your knees, embrace the promises of God, and grasp afresh his care for you. Now, the fifth anecdote for worry is this: The root of our worries often are life challenges, life difficulties, the things going on around us. But if our worries can lead us to long for Christ's second coming, rather than worry about the future, we can look forward to a future where there is no worry. Remember Jesus calmed the disciples' troubled hearts as they worried about the future. Remember Jesus said to them, "I'm going to go away." He was with them for three and a half years. Peter had left his fisherman's boat. Matthew had left his tax collector's booth. James and John and the disciples had left their professions. They had banked everything on Christ; they had placed their full hopes upon Christ. But yet now Jesus told them that he was going to be going away. They were fearful; they were worried. They couldn't discern the future. What does Jesus say? "Let not your heart be troubled." Don't be worried. Don't be over-concerned. Don't be fearful. Let not your heart be troubled. Why not? You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, and there you will be also. Jesus is saying, look beyond your troubles, look beyond your difficulties, look beyond your fears. Never lose sight of the fact that Jesus Christ is going to return soon. One day, John Wesley is walking with a troubled man. This troubled man is so worried about the future that he can hardly function. As they're walking down this country road, they see a cow. This cow is strange. He has his chin upon a wall and he's looking over the wall. Wesley looks at the cow. He says to the man, "Stop for a minute. Stop here for a minute." They stop, and Wesley's just standing there gazing at the cow. The man has been telling Wesley about all of his worries, all of his fears. Wesley looks and says to the man, "Why's that cow looking over that wall?" The man is standing there wondering what in the world is this preacher going to tell me. I'm talking about all my troubles, all my worries, all my fears, and he's talking about cows? Why's this cow looking over the wall? The guy says, "I don't know." Wesley says this: "The cow is looking over the wall because he can't see through it." The cow is looking over the wall because he can't see through it. You cannot see through your worries. You cannot see through your fears. You have to look over them. You have to look beyond them. Faith enables us to look past the difficult, challenging circumstances of life to the day that Jesus will return. We can look beyond our worries, beyond our fears, beyond our disappointments, beyond our difficulties, beyond our troubles to the glorious day of Christ's return, when we can live in a land of peace forever. When you're consumed with worry about the future, you are not looking far enough into the future. Let me repeat that. When you are consumed with worry about the future, you're not looking far enough into the future because you can look beyond the worry, beyond the fear, beyond the difficulty, beyond the challenge. We can look further than our natural eyes can see by the eye of faith to the day that Christ comes in glory. Look beyond what is to what will be. Look beyond today till tomorrow. Look beyond the things of time to the things of eternity. When you are consumed with worry, when you're overwhelmed with fear, remember these five things. First, God is still in control. My emotions do not determine where God is. He is still on his throne. When you're consumed with worry, remember God will give you strength for today, one day at a time. Give me strength to live today. When you're consumed with worry, let life's challenges, which are the root of our worries, drive us to our knees. May the worry not accomplish Satan's purpose of driving you from God. May it drive you to your knees to find praise in the one that loves you beyond an everlasting love. When you're filled with worry, refocus your priority on the things of eternity. When you're filled with worry, look beyond what is to what will be. Never forget the names of God. He is Elohim, the creator God. He is the God that will provide. He is the God that sees. He is the God that heals. He is the God that's almighty. You and I can trust him. We can trust him with our worries. We can trust him with our fears. We can cast all our care upon him because he cares for us.
Guest (Male): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final prayer from Pastor Mark.
Mark Finley: Would you like just to take a moment and bow your head and give that worry to Jesus? Somebody came today with a burden, and you can leave here with peace in your heart. Somebody came today worried about something, and Jesus wants to take that worry away. That doesn't mean that the problem will be solved immediately. That doesn't mean the difficulty will be all gone. What it does mean is you're placing faith and confidence in him. The peace that passes all understanding will fill your heart. Oh, my Father, often we're filled with worry. It's a natural response to life. But help us to know that you are there, that you care for us in times of worry, in times of fear, that you're bigger than our worries, you're greater than our fears. Help us to know that we can come to you, we can cast all our care upon you because you care for us. Give us a sense as we leave this place that we've left our worries here. As the old song says, all our anxiety, all our care, we bring to Jesus at the mercy seat. We know you're the great high priest. We know that you can fully bear our burdens. So we give them to you and grant us that peace that passes all understanding. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.