Grace In The Moment Series

We live in a world which is full of lies. Every television commercial, billboard, and latest fad promises to make us happier, healthier, and wiser. Some of this happens through insinuation, so-called subliminal messages, while much of it is blatant and easily understood. We are bombarded from all sides all the time. Our minds are pummeled daily with false advertising about everything from our appearance to our health to our happiness and prosperity. Inevitably, we pick up some or many of these false belief systems just like we pick up burs and thorns when we walk through the high grass of a wild field. We must challenge these false belief systems with the truth.

Some have likened excessive worry to an addiction though I would liken it much more to an infection of wrong thinking. Our minds drift from legitimate concern and care over our circumstances into anxiety and worry largely as a result of wrong attitudes and misperceptions about the nature of reality in general or the nature of a given set of circumstances. The world has thrust lie after lie upon us. It is as though the landscapes of our minds are filled with holes that can only be filled with the truth of God’s word. We have to take our thoughts captive and confront those thoughts which are out of accordance with the will of God with the truth of God.

This is not something that we can do once and be cured from worry and anxiety! This is a continual and gradual process, a habit which we must develop in order to retrain our minds. In Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul writes, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” That is exactly what we must do if we are to find freedom from worry. We must allow God’s word to transform us from the inside out. We must allow God to work in our minds so that we can replace anxious thoughts with peace filled, faith filled, thoughts even as we allow the word of God to penetrate our minds, confronting the lies of this world with the truth of God.

Follow Christ

The second part of finding freedom from worry which Jesus lays out in Luke 12:22-34 is to follow after Christ. While the first admonition of Christ was, in a sense, a negative command not to worry, the second dose of medicine in this cure for worry is the positive instruction to place all of our cares secondary to following Jesus Christ. It is a matter of attention and focus. Jesus is telling us that when our attention and focus is on doing God’s will, living in God’s will, then we will not be as easily distracted and tempted toward worry and anxiety.

I remember when I was a young Marine in combat training which, at least at that time, was a school that all Marines, regardless of job specialty, attended just following a week of leave after basic training. Marine Combat training was intense. Each of the four weeks of training culminated with a long hike in full combat gear, with rifle, canteen belt, and a full pack. Each Friday morning the hike was significantly longer than the week before, concluding with a hike of what felt like at least one hundred miles, though I believe it was actually in the high teens. At any rate, it was long and grueling.