"Do Not Hold Onto Worry" Series

The Ultimate Decision

July 25, 2014

Many of you could relate to the Ironman Race and Life. One of the top things I took away from the race given to me by a pro athlete was this wisdom.

“The race is a long and hard day; too long to think ahead. When you are in the water think about the next stroke, when you are on the bike think about pedaling smooth, eating right and the next aid station. When you are on the run think about putting one foot in front of the other and getting to the next aid station. The next aid station was crucial to think about as it limited you to thinking about how far you had to go. If your mind starts thinking at mile 50 on the bike that you have 72 miles left and then a marathon it messes with your mind and then the worst word comes into your mind - “Doubt”.

So many of us are worn out not because life has been so difficult but we have not been able to live in the moment. What if my child gets sick, what if they can’t go to college, what if I can’t get a job, what if this plan crashes (That was mine) what if that lump is more than a lump and on and on and on.

Matthew 6:25-27 "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? 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Most of us have read this verse before but do you see one amazing thing? God feeds the birds. Now the birds have to go out and look but God draws each bird to enough food that they will live. Each bird - Everywhere. How powerful a God is that!! Now we know that worrying does not add a single hour to our lives but that still doesn’t stop most of us from still worrying. HOW do we stop this madness that robs the joy in our lives that we could be having?

The answer is in:

Matthew 6:33,34 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”

In order not to worry do not think about tomorrow, just today. One step further is “Seek FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness and ALL these things will be given to you.” Sounds good but again how do we do this?

I can’t tell you how much praying IN the Spirit has changed my life. It has made be go from the temperament of a Chihuahua to a Golden Retriever. So many years I worried and if I didn’t have anything to worry about I would invent something. That is a stronghold of the evil one. I could not rest in the moment. I was worried about what might be coming around the corner. In essence I did not trust God to take care of me. Do you trust God to take care of you? The way you answer has a huge bearing on how you move forward.

Since the mind can ONLY think of one thing at a time we need to do what the Apostle Paul said.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil”

If you want to stop worrying do these things

1. When was the last time your prayer was a prayer of thanks (Praise) to God for what he has done - Praise God in praying - give thanks - we all have many things to be thankful for.

2. Pray continually that is why praying IN the Spirit is so wonderful. I can actually pray and think about other things at the same time. Praying IN the Spirit is prayed out of my subconscious while praying a regular prayer is out of our conscious. But use whatever “Spiritual Gift” God has given you to pray. Maybe it is the gift of faith or the other gifts, PLEASE use them.

3. Give thanks NO MATTER what circumstances you are in. If you think things will get worse a number of things happen