A Wise Word To The Worried Series

A WISE WORD TO THE WORRIED

Dr. David L. Lane

TEXT: Phil. 4:6,7

I N T R O D U C T I O N

The biography of multitudes of people today is hurry, worry and bury. Therefore, the ulcer and the heart attack seem to have become the status symbols of our time as people live desperately without peace.

Whether we know worry as an occasional visitor or a constant companion, whether we find anxiety to be mildly uncomfortable or intensely painful, whether we experience worry as a slight distraction or a force that completely immobilizes, we all know we should worry less.

We know we shouldn’t, but yet we do. Some people worry over the big things, some worry over the little things, but we all worry. .[1] As someone said, “I have so many troubles that if anything happens to me today it will be two weeks before I can get around to worrying about it.”

“If we don’t have a job, we worry. If we do have a job, we worry about losing it. If we don’t have a car, we worry. If we do have a car, we worry about it breaking down. If we don’t have any money, we worry. If we do have some money, we worry about losing it."

• The ignorant worry because they don’t know enough.

• The knowledgeable worry because they know too much.

• The rich worry because they are afraid of losing what they have.

• The poor worry because they don’t have enough.

• The old worry because they are facing death.

• The young worry because they are facing life.

• Parents worry about the children they have

• Childless couples worry about the children they don’t have

• Single people worry if they will ever get married

• Married people worry about being married

You see, worry is an integral part of humanity. Ever since Adam and Eve started their worry about being naked, sewed fig leaves to cover their nakedness and hid in the bushes to avoid being questioned or punished by God, it has been an integral part of human nature.

The truth is, most of us need an anxiety makeover. The Good News for us today is this: God can help us to manage our anxiety Worry doesn’t have to dominate and destroy our lives.

We can attack worry and stress from a human perspective or from the spiritual perspective. The human perspective, which can help, says: get some exercise, get enough sleep, listen to good music that calms (not creates confusion and chaos), stay away from negative and nasty people (they drag you down even more), and learn to laugh (don’t sweat the small stuff - laugh at it.)

The spiritual perspective says that we must look to the Lord in order to overcome worry and stress.

I. WHEN WE WORRY WE DESTROY GOD'S TEMPLE.

Worry does not help, rather it hurts us physcially!

Not only does worry not help, it often has the opposite effect.

• Worry about losing your hair?. Worry will only accelerate the process. It won’t add a single hair to your head.

• Worry about getting sick? Worry will suppress your immune system and makes it more likely that you will get sick. It won’t make you healthier.

Worry about losing your job. Worry may actually cause behavior that lowers your performance.

Worry about gaining weight. You will probably eat more.

Proverbs 12:25 - "An anxious heart weighs a man down."

“Worry is like putting your car in neutral and revving the engine. It burns oil and gas, and is hard on the engine, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

We have learned that worry actually has a very detrimental effect upon the human body.

The Mayo Clinic claims 80-85% of their total caseload is due directly to worry and anxiety.

Many experts say that coping with stress is the #1 health priority of our day.

One leading physician has stated that, in his opinion, 70% of all medical patients could cure themselves if only they got rid of their worries and fears.

We know that medical science has closely tied worry to heart trouble, blood pressure problems, ulcers, thyroid malfunction, migraine headaches, a host of stomach disorders, amongst others. For example…

* 25 mill Americans have high blood pressure due to stress/anxiety; one million more develop high blood pressure each year. 8 million have stomach ulcers.

*Every week 112 million people take medication for stress related symptoms.[3]

Anxiety and worry cause all kinds of Physical and Emotional Problems

.• Fear to Act

• Withdrawal

• Hesitation

• Cowardice

• Depression

• Discouragement

• Angry

• Defeatist Attitude

• Distrust and Unbelief

• Unwise Decisions and

• Spiritual Decay

There is zero value in worry. It does nothing good for us. The words of Jesus express this truth completely: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”