How to overcome anxiety Breaking Free Series - Part 3
Matthew 6:11, Philippians 4:6-7
(Acknowledgments - Rick Warren’s series Breaking Free; Charles Stanley’s book ’Peace With God’)
We are in a series called Breaking Free. We talked about breaking free from strong temptations, pride, and this week anxiety. Have you every felt you’re going to have an anxiety attack? This is a huge issue. Were worried about life, our relationships, kids, the church, our future.
In researching this topic I went to the American Association of Christian Counselors. They said women worry, and this is the number one thing they worry about. Am I good enough as a wife, as a mother, as a Christian? Will people accept me?
They worry about their marriages. Will it last, will my husband stop loving me?
What do you worry abut the most? Finances? Your job? School? Kids? Your weight? Your schedule? This church? This is the age of anxiety. People seem to be uptight about everything. Everywhere I go and almost everyone I meet is stressed and uptight about life.
We want to control everything
The doctor told his patient ‘I’m afraid you only have three weeks to live,"
Okay then, " the patient replied, "I’ll take the last two weeks of July and the week between Christmas and New Year’s."
The Bible says in Proverbs, "The anxiety in a heart brings a man down" -- it weighs a heart down. The old English word for "worry" literally means to choke, to strangle. That’s what worry does to us. Worry does not work. It is like the motor in neutral – going nowhere. It just doesn’t work. It’s useless.
Research has shown that 40% of all our worries are about the future and they never happen; 30% of our worries are about the past and they can’t be changed; 12% are needless worries about our health; 10% are petty worries, not worth worrying about; 8% are legitimate concerns.
You say Pastor what is the difference between worry and concern? I think I am not overly worried, just concerned about things? What is the difference? I am glad that you asked.
Concern is not a sin, but constant anxiety is? What is concern? Concern has its root in caring. We are to be concerned about our families, workplaces, community, church, neighbors. Concern:
o Says I care! Concern involves wanting to see things done well so God receives the glory in our lives
o Is rooted in obedience. Nowhere does the Bible tell us to be responsible.
o We should live and be concerned about people living honest and moral lives
o We should be responsible to pay our bills, tell the truth, give an honest days work for our pay
o But concern is not the same as anxiety
o Supposing you walk into work one day and the boss says its game over
o Your not working here
o You may think this is a time for anxiety
o Not according to the Bible
o Yes you should be concerned about providing for your family and where to find another job, but were not to be anxious
Is there an antidote to anxiety? Yes. Philippians 4:6 (LB) “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything, and tell God your needs." That’s the message in a sentence. God says, “Don’t worry, pray!” Jesus also says ‘don’t worry; seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Jesus and Paul said the same thing – don’t worry, trust God.
In a few minutes were going to look at solutions to anxiety, but first let’s look at five results of anxiety in our lives.
1. A divided mind
o Many people cannot focus on one task at a time
o They are working on something but at the back of their mind is another problem or situation that has centre stage
o This problem becomes all consuming
o You are a prisoner of this problem and your only hurting yourself
o A person says ‘my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night is I am overwhelmed’
o Take the woman is overly anxious about her husbands employment situation (you fill it in; my anxiety _______________
o It is shaky at best so she should be concerned, but not anxious
o Instead of praying to our Almighty God anxiety is driving her
o God knows all things; He does not allow anything to come into our lives except for our ultimate good
o She needs to seek the Lord God, claim the promises in the Bible, and regain her peace, but she is anxious
2. Anxiety lowers her productivity
o Lets follow this through logically
o Now this woman takes matters into her own hands
o Against her husbands wishes she starts a business that takes her away from her husband, small children, and church
o She is less productive with her family; now the good fruit that she was bearing with her children is gone out the window
o She becomes short tempered with all the family members
o She has lowered her productivity on what really matters, the people she loves the most
3. Anxiety leads her to make unwise decisions
o Now that she is so anxious about the possible loss of her husbands income she refuses counsel and takes matters into her own hands
o She is so busy she decides not to attend her local church
o She is headed down a slippery path, one that Satan has laid out for her
o Her children no longer have the spiritual influences they need in their lives
o She is blind to the fact that her unwise decisions are ruining her family and the next generation
o Her husband is losing heart spiritually and is becoming detached to her and the church
o She now lives in a cloud of apprehension and confusion
o She is distant and cold toward her brothers and sisters in Christ
o Even though she knows the Bible says ‘do not forsake the assembling together with other Christians’, she rarely attends
o She is now in direct obedience to God’s ways, has a strained marriage, strained relationships with other Christians, and her kids are distant from her
o The word of God, in Proverbs 14:1 ‘the wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.’
o Everyone else can see her destructive attitudes but pride has blinded her eyes – she is right and that it the end of it
o She is quick to blame others and has a critical spirit
o Other people want to help her but she is cold and they feel alienated and unwanted
4. Anxiety affects her physically
o She now feels robbed of joy
o She has less hope and is less capable of appreciating others joy
o She is fidgety, critical, quick to blame, unforgiving, and angry
o Medical studies have proven that anxiety produces negative affects in the body – such as headaches, stomach aches, intestinal disorders, greater likelihood of heart attacks, hormonal systems out of balance
o This can result in multiple diseases
o Job who experienced significant anxiety wrote ‘if only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery placed on the scales’
o Surely Job suffered greatly but his anxiety made it far worse
o Like Job she is now anxious and it is affecting her physically
5. Anxiety robs her of joy
o King David wrote ‘restore to me the joy of my salvation’
o The Bible is full of stories of people who lost their joy through anxiety
o The woman in my illustration is blind to the fact that peace and joy cannot coexist with anxiety
o Given all these troubles we can conclude that a troubled soul is not God’s plan for our lives
o The Bible says ‘do not worry, it only causes harm (Psalm 37:8).’
o So the woman in my illustration has become anxious about her husbands employment
o She has not prayed and sought the counsel of God, her husband, and other godly leaders
o The direct result is a divided mind, lower productivity, unwise decisions, physical sickness, and a joyless life
o So what can she do about it? How can she overcome anxiety?
1. Repent of her ways
o She has disobeyed God, her husband, and her church leaders
o She has really lost her way
o She has lost her love for God, for those closest to her, and for her church family
o Jesus said to the Ephesus church ‘Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love (Revelation 2:4)
o Her ultimate sin and going her own way is a sin against God
o The truth is she is not reading her Bible, has no prayer life, has broken relationships, and is out of fellowship with other Christians
o She starts with God and says “I am sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me.’
o She then goes to her husband and says ‘I was wrong, please forgive me.’
o She says to her brothers and sisters I was wrong
o She then begins to do the things she did at first, seeking God and his ways
o It starts by repentance
2. She seeks first the kingdom of God
o In others words she puts God and his work first
o She begins to be a giver, not just a receiver
o She looks around and says ‘God show me how to serve others, not be so me centred
o She reaches out and invites newcomers over for lunch
o She then begins to pray and seek God
o What does she pray
o What is the kind of prayer that I pray in order not to worry? Matthew 6:11 "This is how you should pray; Give us today our daily bread." Jesus gives three keys in how to overcome worry in that one little sentence.
1. Ask for God’s assistance. "Give us..." Rather than worry, she asks God to help her out of the financial instability she feels.
2. Remember God’s resources. "... Our daily bread..." Bread is the basic food of life. It represents all of the necessities of life that you need. He says God has more than enough resources. He has infinite resources to meet all her needs.
3. Trust God’s timing. "... today... daily..." not weekly bread, monthly bread, annual bread... "Give us today our daily bread."
4. Start thanking God for his goodness in her life
3. ASK FOR GOD’S ASSISTANCE.
o Three times in Matthew 6 Jesus said ‘do not worry.’ Instead of worry, request help. Worry is an attempt to control the uncontrollable. When you feel helpless then you worry. How much is out of God’s control? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
o What does God say to do? James 4:2 "You do not have because you do not ask God!" If we prayed as much as we worried, we’d have a lot less to worry about. Over 20 times in the New Testament, God says, “Ask.” He wants you to ask. He’s waiting for you. The things you’re worrying about -- don’t worry about them. Instead, ask Me for assistance because nothing is out of My control.
o I heard about a guy died and went to heaven. There were these warehouses all over heaven. The Lord took him into one and he saw all of these great gifts -- cars, homes, restored marriages, a revived church, girlfriends, and big checks. "What are these things, Lord?" God says, "Every one of them has a tag on them. Every tag says the same thing: Never asked for."
o Why does God want us to ask? Because He is the source. Numbers 16:32 "God is the source of all life." God wants you to see Him as your source for all your needs.
When I don’t know what to do, God is my wisdom.
When I run out of energy, God is my source of strength.
When I feel like everything is caving in and depressing me, God is the source of my happiness.
When life becomes stressed out, God is my source of peace.
When I’m irritated and about to blow up, God’s my source of patience.
When I’m overwhelmed with guilt, God is my source of salvation.
When I feel like giving up, God is my source of encouragement. Romans 15:5
We have a great God? He’s says, "Look to Me” God is waiting for you to ask. Ask for assistance. God says; don’t be too proud, just ask.
4. REMEMBER GOD’S RESOURCES
o Anxiety means we’ve forgotten God’s promises and that He has unlimited resources at His disposal. "Give us today, our daily bread." That seems inappropriate here. We have more than enough food. This is a prayer for Ethiopia. Daily bread. Why should I pray about it, if I can go down to IGA and buy it?
o Bread represents the basic necessities of life. Your sustenance, what it takes to keep you going through the day. God is concerned about all of our basic needs.
o Philippians 4:19 (Phillips) "God will supply all that you ever need from his glorious resources in Christ Jesus." How much will God supply? All I need. Then what do I have to worry about? Nothing. Let’s dump all that anxiety at the foot of the cross.
o Circle "need". It doesn’t says, "My God shall supply all my greed." There’s a big difference. He doesn’t say He’ll supply all you want. Advertising today makes a lot of our wants seem like needs.
o We had this conversation recently. We think we need a better boat, car, or whatever. Then we have more stuff – we then spend all this time fixing things up that break down.
o I am in this constant battle to simplify my life. I don’t want to just work to pay my debts. Some of us are just working to pay debts. Then we have no funds for God’s work.
o Our young children see a toy and they say, "Dad, I need this toy." They don’t need it, they want it. Parents your children do not know what is best for them. You’re the parent, you have the right to say no
o Similarly God gives us what we need, not what we want, because He is a loving parent. Why don’t you give your kids everything they want? Because you love them. Why doesn’t God give you everything you want? Because He loves you.
o God says He’s going to supply it out of "his glorious resources." Circle that. Jerusalem Bible says, "As lavishly as only God can provide." God’s ability is greater than your anxiety. Whatever you’re uptight about; God has the answers for. So you come to God, you ask for assistance and you remember His resources.
o Matthew 6:32-33 "Don’t worry at all about having enough food or clothing. Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them and He will give them to you if you give Him first place in your life." God takes care of His family. He’s our heavenly Father and He’s well aware of all your needs.
o As a father, it gives me great joy to provide for my family. By nature I am a giver. If you think Randy’s kind of a softie, you’re getting to know me. But it gives me great joy to provide
o It gives God great joy to provide for you. He’s waiting to give. He’s anxious to give. He loves to provide. Ask for assistance instead of worrying. And you remember His resources.
o This is written 2000 years ago. Jesus said don’t worry about food and clothing. Isn’t that current? Two thousand years later that’s what most people are preoccupied with: How do I look and what am I going to eat?
o Notice the condition. God says to the Christian – give me first place in your life and I will meet all your needs
o This is not a universal promise. It is a promise for the Christian to claim
o It is also for you as a parent. Your not obligated to feed every child in Red Lake; but you are called to care for your own
o As a child I went to confession each week
o For penance I had to pray the Lord’s prayer every week
o Not once did I understand it
o Millions of people pray the Lord’s prayer on a regular basis, expecting God to answer the third request -- "give me today my daily bread" -- while totally ignoring the first request of "hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done."
o God says, Put my priorities first -- "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done" -- say, "God, I want Your will in my life", then you can pray for any of your needs and I will meet them. But to say, "Give us this day our daily bread, but forget Your will for my life, God" just doesn’t cut it!
o It is like the teenager who says ‘Dad let me borrow the car but I’m not going to do anything you ever tell me to do."
o All Jesus is saying is obey me first and the principles of the Bible; then I will meet your needs
o Romans 8:31 (Living Bible) "Since God did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?"
o If God loved you enough to give his own son, to sacrifice Himself, to die on the cross for you, don’t you think you can trust Him with your income, your retirement, your marriage, your kids, your school, your problems at work, this church, the economy, and everything else. If God loved me enough to send Jesus, certainly He loves me enough to keep shoes on my feet and clothes on my back, as I put Him first place in my life.
o He is waiting. He is anxious to give. Instead of you being anxious about the problem, ask God for assistance, and then you remember His resources and you trust Him.
5. Put yourself in a place of blessing
In our illustration the lady pulled away. She alienated herself from her husband, children, church, friends and spiritual leaders
She needs to put herself in the place of blessing
She needs to come under the sound of God’s word
She needs to choose to be with godly friends
She needs to choose to rebuild her relationship with her husband
She needs to choose to read her Bible
She needs to choose to be in a small group
She needs to place herself in a place of blessing
6. She needs to trust God’s timing
o When you pray remember this – God can meet all my needs; God can solve all my problems
o Then trust God for His time as to when He answers. "Give us today [circle that] our daily bread." This is often the most difficult part in overcoming worry. How many of you have discovered that God’s timing is not the same as yours? It’s way off a lot of the time. I’m always in a hurry -- "God, I need the church to grow today” God says, "No, you don’t. You need it when I say you need it." God’s timing is perfect.
o God what I want is all my finances resolved now, a perfect husband, perfect kids, perfect friends, a perfect church
o Waiting requires faith. God says, Randy trust my timing instead of worrying, God says, "Hang loose! Trust my timing!"
o He says Randy trust me daily. Moment by moment. "Give us this day our daily bread..." Not weekly, not monthly, not annually. Daily bread. It’s a statement of trust.
o In the woman’s situation she prays God provide for us. God take away my anxiety. God I do not feel like belonging to the local church but the Bible calls me to it.
o If God gave me every thing I needed for the rest of my life I would hardly ever pray
o God wants to provide it on a daily, moment by moment basis. He’s not going to give you everything you need for the next 20 years. He’ll give it to you one day at a time so you keep in dependence on Him, so you look to Him as your source.
o The word daily -- circle that on your outline -- is an interesting word. This is the only time this Greek word is used in the entire Bible. When the scholars were translating the Bible into English they couldn’t find this word anywhere in Greek history. They thought maybe Jesus had made up this word, daily for daily bread.
o In 1947 they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in Israel
o The took these scrolls our of a cave and found rare documents and manuscripts of the Bible which proved its authenticity and veracity back thousands of years earlier
o they found this word daily on some fragments. When they discovered what the fragments were -- they were shopping lists, grocery lists. These items were perishable items they couldn’t store for more than a day.
o In those days they didn’t have refrigeration. You had to go to the store every day for things like milk, ice, Chocolate moose tracks ice cream ... all those things we have to have today. Those were items that didn’t last. Then they knew what the word daily meant.
o What is Jesus saying ‘God give us our daily ration ... not enough for tomorrow... not enough for the next week, but for today. That’s how God wants you to live. One day at a time. That’s what it means to live by faith. If God gave you everything now you wouldn’t talk to Him very often. He wants you to depend on Him regularly.
o God please take away my anxiety today. God please give me joy today. God please give me the strength to go to church today.
o How do I get that kind of faith? Simple. You read the Bible, God’s word. Romans 10:17 says "Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God." The more I study this book, the more my faith is going to grow. Why?
o God has a proven track record of his provision and it’s recorded in the Bible. If your faith is weak and you want 6000 years of examples, just start reading this book.
o Let’s take one example. When the Israelis left Egypt they needed food. For forty years in the desert God fed three million people on a daily basis.
o He sent bread down from heaven that covered the ground. Literally daily bread for forty years for three million people. It was called manna. Manna is the Hebrew word for "What is it?" They had never seen anything like it.
o God provided it. It was bland, tasteless bread and you had to get up early in the morning. They would gather it every morning. If you were lazy and slept in you didn’t get any. The early bird got the manna. When God says "Don’t worry", He’s not saying "Don’t work." This is not an invitation to be lazy. "I’m not going to get a job. He’s not saying that at all. He’s not saying “Don’t work,” “He’s saying don’t worry!”
o He is not saying don’t be concerned about strained relationships. No, he is saying let me show you how to resolve them.
o You couldn’t store the manna. If you tried to save it overnight it would get worms and rot. God made it so that it was only enough for that day. For forty years three million people had to depend on daily bread. He wanted them trust Him daily.
o It’s bad news when someone says "Your sermons are like manna from heaven!" What is manna? "What is it?" It’s bland, it’s tasteless, and it doesn’t last. If you keep it longer than 24 hours it rots!
o Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 "Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time." How do you overcome worry? You pray and you live one day at a time.
o God says don’t worry about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. One thing that makes us anxious about tomorrow is buying on credit. When you buy on credit you are presuming on tomorrow so you buy something for today but then you have to hustle to make the payments on it for the next 60 easy payments.
o Credit is often a great enemy of faith. Have you ever stopped to think that if maybe you wouldn’t rush out and charge it, that maybe God wanted to supply it for you? Maybe you ought to give Him a chance to supply it before you go out and buy it. Maybe you ought to pray for it before you pay for it.
o When I bought a used fishing boat I prayed about it. God brought me an Alumacraft for $3000 less that what the marina wanted
o I called a friend and said come and check it – he said this is a great deal
o But when we buy today and have to pay it off for the next years you’re putting additional anxiety into your life.
o When you become convinced that God is the absolute source of all your needs then maybe you’ll be a little less likely to rush out and put on credit something you feel you need and provide it for yourself rather than waiting for God to provide it in His own time. If you really need it, God says He’ll provide it.
o If were in too much of a hurry we will miss things in advance that God wants to provide
o I’d advise you if you want to live worry free live as much as you can debt free. Pray for it before you pay for it.
o Matthew 6:44 (NIV)"Each day has enough trouble of its own!" Einstein said, "I never think of the future; it comes soon enough!" Someone else said, "Worry is the interest you pay when you borrow trouble."
o Or in our illustration how the woman who is full of anxiety about her husbands shaky job the Bible says to pray and God will replace it with his peace
o Worry is an attempt to control both the past and the future. You worry about the past that you can’t change. You worry about the future that you can’t change. Worry doesn’t change the past, it doesn’t change the future, and it just messes up today. It makes you miserable today.
o What is the antidote to worry? Pray and live one day at a time. Psalm 68:19 "Praise the Lord who daily [circle that] bears our burdens."
o I love to hear your stories. Stories about how God is providing for you. All the good things you have are a blessing from God. Your family is a blessing from God. This church is a blessing from God. He has blessed us with homes, cars, jobs, friends, all kinds of things. He provides for us daily.
o What is the result? If I really develop the conviction that God is the source of everything I need... My job is not the source of my income. If you feel that way you’re going to get under tension if you lose your job. You’re uptight. God is the source of your income. He just happens to be using a particular job as the channel. If He turns off one faucet He can just as easily turn on another. What happens when I really make God the source of my life and I really look to Him to provide all my needs? Two things happen:
o A. I become more at peace. Circumstances don’t bother me any more. I look beyond the circumstances to the One who is ultimately in control and I just don’t sweat it. God is my source. In our illustration of the woman whose husband had a shaky job she panicked and took matters into her own hands. What would you do, panic or pray? Would you feel like you’re going under for the last time, that your life is falling apart? Will you say, “God is my provider; He’ll provide a stable income for our family. I am going to continue to put him first in my life I don’t have to worry. He’s going to take care of my needs.
o If God asked you to quit your job and for six months serve the Lord full time, go do some church work, mission work, go to school, could you do that? Could you take a downward step in mobility? Or would you say, I couldn’t do that because I’ve got too many debts, too many worries.
o Recognize that God is your source, not anybody else. Don’t put your faith in your bank account or stock options or your retirement or anything else. God is my source. You become at peace.
o The other thing that happens... How do you know when you’re really trusting God?
o B. You become more generous. When were stingy with our time, our money it means you really don’t believe God’s going to provide for you. I asked someone in the church why he thought we were struggling financially as a faith community. He looked at me and said shame on us. We have so much. Were really blessed. He hung his head
o If I hoard it, hold on to it, I cannot give it away. If I am absolutely convinced that God is the source of my supply and He meets my needs then it’s easy for me to give money to help World Relief deal with cyclone victims. It is then easy for me to tithe ten percent of my income. God’s my source. People won’t tithe because they don’t really believe God’s going to meet their needs. It’s a faith issue. How generous am I? God dealt with me on that.
o If you’re a Christian, do you realize that every Sunday when the offering basket is passed, God is giving you a faith test? Can I live without X dollars? Can I do what God has told me to do, or can I not trust Him? I can’t afford to tithe because I need every bit I make to make my payments. Do I really believe God? That’s the issue.
o I met a man this week from Dryden; his kids are involved with the Christian school there
o They had funding problems so they had a coffee night to raise funds
o People gave $4,500
o Then the next day someone came to him and gave him a cheque for $2000
o He gave in faith and God blessed him for his faithfulness
o What are you worried about the most? Your job? Your health? Your relationships. Have you thought about asking God for assistance and remembering His resources and then trusting His timing?
o Some of you are afraid to trust God to heal your brokenness.
o This week I just sat and prayed with Joan Nordby who has brain cancer
o Life becomes simple when you have brain cancer
o I shared this verse with her ‘do not worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble all on its own.’
o Some of you are too proud to ask for help. You’re Christians and you’re believers but you’re afraid to trust God. You think if I really give my life to God, He’ll turn me into a fanatic. If I really put Him first in my life, He’s going to make my life miserable. If I really start tithing, I’ll go broke. You don’t really trust God. He is waiting to show what a loving, providing God He is. He wants to teach you to live by faith day by day. "Give us this day our daily bread."
o Jesus said "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger again." That dissatisfaction in your heart, that which is missing in your life is Jesus Christ. You have a God shaped hole in your life that only God can fill.
o If you’ve never said “Yes” to Him, say yes today.
o But if you’re already a believer, you’ve already done that, then I challenge you today to develop the bedrock conviction that for the rest of your life you’re going to look to God as the source to meet all your needs.
o Claim the promises. God has a track record of thousands of years of meeting needs. I’ve been a Christian for 32 years and God has always met my needs. God has not always given me everything I wanted, but God has always met my needs. He will meet yours if you’ll trust Him and demonstrate that trust by first being at peace and second by being generous.
Prayer:
What’s got you worried this morning? Would you say, "God, I am sorry? I have been too proud to ask for help. I need your wisdom. I ask for strength to live for you. I believe you will provide. I give you first place in my life. God help me to live one day at a time. God I want to do what you have told me to. Lord Jesus help me to live one day at a time." God please carry by burdens today. "Lord, help me not to panic but to pray instead this week and to live one day at a time, to be at peace and to be generous because You’ve promised to meet all my needs?" In Jesus’ name. Amen.
