Intro: The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. George Muller Massena, one of Napoleon's generals, suddenly appeared with 18,000 soldiers before an Austrian town which had no means of defending itself. The town council met, certain that capitulation was the only answer. The old dean of the church reminded the council that it was Easter, and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in God's hands. They followed his advice. The dean went to the church and rang the bells to announce the service. The French soldiers heard the church bells ring and concluded that the Austrian army had come to rescue the town. They broke camp, and before the bells had ceased ringing, vanished.
Worry ultimately comes from trying to wrestle something from God that doesn’t belong to us. As I have said before most of the problems we have spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically result from us seeking to have control of something we have no power to control. Worry is care and concern gone overboard.
In our day where we see the signs of the times pointing to the soon return of Jesus. Isis taking over the eastern world. Muslims infiltrating Western Europe and the United States. Economic, social, ethnic and racial problems seem to be on the rise. How do we face all of these concerns and not be overwhelmed with anxiety, worry or fear?
If we are followers of Christ the first place we look is to God’s word!!
I. Consider God’s word (Read Philippians 4:6-7)
As we look into the truth of God’s word we will find He has much to say about anxiety, worry and fear. The context of the Philippian passage is the nearness of God in 4:5.
A) The command of God against anxiety
Don’t worry about anything. Paul leaves us no room for guessing. He uses a word that is a present imperative or command in the Greek. Paul used this word to stress to us that not worrying should be the normal habit and patter of our life.
So that we wouldn’t be confused in any way he used a word that carries very visual language. It communicates the idea of dividing into parts or being distracted. When we worry we are allowing situations divide our attention and distract us from Jesus.
The devil loves to distract us from the goodness and grace of God. Someone once said well, “Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.”
Matthew 6:25-34 (read) Jesus clearly tells us don’t worry.
B) The correction of God for anxiety
So if we are commanded by Jesus not to worry does that me we don’t look at the world realistically? No!! We don’t look at the world with rose colored glasses. We are called of God to look at the world with grace colored glasses.
From the Biblical and spiritual point of view worry is wrong thinking in the head and wrong feeling in the heart. However the worst thing you can do to someone when they are worrying is to tell them read Philippians 4:6, 7 and just stop it. Worry and anxiety are an inside job. Good intentions to not get rid of worry. It takes a mind secure in the faithfulness of God.
1) A call for renewed confidence in God
Paul’s call to prayer and petition and thanksgiving is a clear call for us to look and lean confidently on the Lord. When we pray we are trusting that God is not only able to hear but to act.
It is also a recognizing of God’s knowledge of who we are and what we face. God is not ignorant of the advance of Isis, He is not ignorant of the falling away of America, He is not ignorant of the looming financial collapse. Neither is He ignorant of your family issues, financial, mental, physical or spiritual pressures.
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In fact He told us very clearly what our days would be like today. Job 14:1 “Man born of woman is short of days and full of trouble.” Acts 14:22 “strengthening the[d] disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God.” John 16:33 “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
2) A call for renewed confidence in God’s word.
Are you willing to call God a liar? Worry and anxiety look God’s word and character in the face and call Him a liar. We will never be rid of worry and anxiety by focusing on not worrying or being anxious. Someone said it very well, “I've joined the new Don't Worry Club, and now I hold my breath. I'm so scared I'm going to worry that I'm worried half to death.” We are not called to fight anxiety we are called to abandon it.
Know this that God will never give us a command that He does not enable us to obey!! Philippians 4:13 “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Do we believe this? How about, Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.”
We are not only called to confidence in God’s person, character, promises and word. We are called to actively lean on Jesus.
If we are to be free of worry, fear and anxiety we must learn to constantly cast them on Jesus!
II. Cast your cares on Jesus (when your imagination or the enemies aggravation hits remember cast the thoughts and cares on Jesus)
1 Peter 5:6, 7 (read) We are called to cast all our cares on Jesus. Why because He cares for us! This is a call to surrender the good and the bad, the ugly and the pretty into the capable hands of God. This is a once for all surrender of the things that seek to strangle the life and joy of God out of our lives!! Also a daily continual surrender of all our worries and anxieties.
Peter is emphasizing what Paul said. Bring your worries and anxieties to God. Cast them, fling them on Him and leave them there.
Paul makes clear in Philippians how to cast our cares.
A) Specific requests
Paul is teaching us that specific prayer about our specific worries and anxieties. We realize we have a specific need relationally, physically, financially, mentally or spiritually and we acknowledge that it is God’s responsibility to accomplish the results.
We are not called to cast our responsibilities on the Lord. We are called to cast all the results on Him. Our Father never tells us to stop caring about people or circumstances He tells us to not blame ourselves for others choices and circumstances we can’t control!!
B) Strategic thanksgiving
When the devil attacks us with stinking thinking we respond with strategic thanksgiving. Thanksgiving reminds us that all that we have that is good comes from God. It reminds us that God is in control of the good and the bad. Thanksgiving is a form of worship and praise that take our eyes off ourselves and place them firmly on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
If we learn to turn everything over to God there will be nothing to be anxious about. When we offer our anxieties, burdens, problems and pressures to Him he promises overwhelming peace in the face of life’s pressure. The promises of God are John 14:27 “My peace I give to you” Philippians 4:7 “The peace of God will guard your mind” The peace of God guards us by keeping the thoughts of worry and anxiety away from our thoughts.
III. Carry each other’s burdens
Psalm 55:22 “The Psalmist had learned the secret exhorting us to "Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken"
Galatians 6:2 “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Here we are given another command. Carry and keep carrying each other’s burdens. This is what the family of God does! When we do this it’s as if Jesus is on one side and we are on the other helping our brother or sister in Christ.
We are not told what the burden is. It could be the burden of sin, wrong choices, financial difficulty, anxiety, worry or anything that weighs down a brother or sister. By this Paul says we fulfill the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? It is the law of love!!
Church we must remember that our responsibility in the body of Christ is relationship and burden bearing. We all too often want church discipline to drive people away. Church discipline is designed by God to restore!
If you want church to be a nice neat perfectly ordered worship time on Sunday morning then you are here for the wrong reason. Church is about family. Family relationships can be dirty, messy, difficult and downright hard! They require lots of energy and investment.
We fulfill the law of Christ when we are willing to bear burdens!!
What are some very practical actions and decisions that we can make or do to help with anxiety?
1) Sin – (Psalm 32:1-5) anxiety, fear and worry can result from sin in our life. Get alone with God and see if there is anything you need to repent of and confess!
2) Sleep – Sleep deprivation can cause anxiety if you have trouble sleeping ask God to give you rest and sleep. You may also need to seek a Drs. help
3) Be more realistic with your expectations
a) Of yourself
b) Of others
c) Of what will happen
d) Of what will not happen
4) Listen to soothing praise and worship music
1 Samuel 16:23 Music soothed the soul of Saul when he was tormented by a spirit.
Don’t just listen to the music Praise God for what he has done in your life
Conclusion: Worry will wreck your life physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Trust which is part of worship will transform your life into joy.
