GOD'S ANTIDOTE FOR ANXIETY
God Is Answer To Your Deepest Needs - Part 4 of 7
Matthew 6:11, Philippians 4:6
Matt 6:11 give us today our daily bread.
Philippians 4:6 don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God.
So far we have talked about God as our perfect Father. Our perfect Father is Caring, Consistent, Close, and Capable, therefore He is a reliable, trustworthy, Father that you can count on. Because God is our perfect Father is can and will meet our deepest needs.
Also our perfect Father God has a Purpose for each of our lives. He wants us to know Him, Be like Him, Serve Him, and be with Him.
This morning I want to share with you, "God's Antidote to Your Anxiety".
So many people spend their time worrying about their daily needs. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, He was teaching them to ask God for their daily provision.
Our perfect Heavenly Father will take care of us one day at a time. He knows what we need each day to live our lives and be successful in life. Jesus is teaching His disciples that God's Antidote to their Anxiety is His daily provision.
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.
Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere.
Philippians 4:6 "Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything, tell God your needs." That's the message in a sentence. God says, “Don't worry, pray!” God is saying why worry when you can pray?
But what’s 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, you ask God to help you out.
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. God has infinite resources to meet all your needs.
3. Trust God's timing. "... Today... daily..." not weekly bread, monthly bread, annual bread... "Give us today our daily bread."
1. ASK FOR GOD'S ASSISTANCE.
Instead of worry, ask God for help. Worry is an attempt to control the uncontrollable. When you feel like you're helpless then you start worrying. But how much is out of God's control? Nothing. Absolutely nothing
.
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 to ask for His Assistance.
How much more would you have if you just simply asked? You have not because you ask not.
Why does God want us to ask? Because He is the source for everything that you need in life and when you ask for His assistance, you are saying God I need Your Help. Numbers 16:32 "God is the source of all life." God wants you to see Him as your source for all your needs.
God is our source:
When we don't know what to do, God is our wisdom.
When we run out of energy, God is our source of strength.
When we feel like everything is caving in and depressing me, God is the source of our happiness.
He is our Source of hope when things look hopeless for us.
When you’re stressed out, God is our source of peace.
When we're irritated and about to blow up, God is our source of patience.
When we're overwhelmed with guilt, God is our source of salvation.
When we feel like giving up, God is our source of encouragement.
We have a great God!!! He's the source of all these things. He's says, "Look to Me". God is waiting for you to ask for His assistance.
2. REMEMBER GOD'S RESOURCES
Worry means that we've forgotten God's promises and that He has unlimited resources at His disposal. "Give us today, our daily bread." I heard someone say that’s a prayer for other poor countries, but not America.
Why should I pray about it, if I can go down to the store and buy it?
Bread represents the basic necessities of life. Everything you need. God is concerned about all of our basic needs. Philippians 4:19 "God will supply all that you ever need from his glorious resources in Christ Jesus."
What does "all" include? Everything. If this verse is really true, what do we have to worry about? Nothing.
All that anxiety you're carrying around is worthless if God really does supply all that you ever need.
It doesn't says, "My God shall supply all your greed." There's a big difference. He doesn't say He'll supply all you want.
Do you give your kids everything they want? No, because kids want everything. Do your kids know what is best for them? Not most of the time.
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.
He says He's going to supply it out of "his glorious resources." God's ability is greater than your anxiety. Whatever you're uptight about; God has more ability than there is anxiety. So you come to God, you ask for assistance and you remember His resources.
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. He knows everything you need.
God loves to provide, ask for assistance instead of worrying, but this is not a promise for everybody. It's a promise for those who put God first in their lives.
The sad thing is millions of people pray the Lord's prayer on a regular basis, expecting God to answer this 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."
God says, Put my priorities first - "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done" then you can pray for any of your needs and He will meet them. But to say, "Give us this day our daily bread, but to forget God’s will for my life, just doesn't cut it!
Romans 8:31 "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?"
God loved you enough to give his own son, to die on the cross for you, don't you think you can trust Him with your income, your retirement, your kids, your school, your family, and everything else.
God loved me enough to send His son Jesus, so I know He loves me enough to keep shoes on my feet and clothes on my back, and a roof over my head as I put Him first place in my life.
Instead of you being anxious about the problem, ask God for His resources and trust in Him.
3. TRUST GOD'S TIMING.
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 it now!" God says, "No, you don't. You need it when I say you need it." God's timing is perfect.
Waiting requires faith. He wants us to trust Him 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. Pastor Forge once said "He wants you to trust for the crust.”
He's not going to give you everything you need for the next 2000 years. He'll give it to you one day at a time so you can keep depending on Him, so you look to Him as your source.
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.
How do I get the faith to live that day-by-day lifestyle?
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 read this book, the more I study this book, the more I fill my mind with the stories of this book, the greater my faith is going to grow.
If your faith is weak and you want 4000, 5000, 6000 years of examples, just start reading this book.
God gave the Israelite's manna in the desert. They would gather it early in the day. They would get just enough for that day. You couldn't store the manna. You couldn't save it. If you tried to save it overnight it would get worms and go rotten and it was useless.
God made it so that it was only enough for that day and every day, day in, day out, for forty years three million people had to depend on daily bread. He wanted them to live moment by moment.
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. God says don't worry about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.
Matthew 6:44 "Each day has enough trouble of its own!" Someone once said, "Worry is the interest you pay when you borrow trouble."
Now I’m not doing a 180 here but the Bible also talks about planning as well even though we trust God daily we should also plan. The wise person plans for the future. You can plan for the future but you've got to live today.
You can't live in tomorrow as much as you try. 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, it just messes up today. It makes you miserable today.
Pray and live one day at a time. Psalm 68:19 "Praise the Lord who daily [circle that] bears our burdens."
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:
1. You become more at peace. Circumstances don't bother you anymore. You look beyond the circumstances to the One who is ultimately in control and you don't sweat it. God is my source.
If tomorrow you went to work and they asked you to make an unethical decision and you refused because you are a Christian and you got fired, what would you do? Panic or pray?
Would you say, “God is my provider; He'll provide another job because I'm honoring Him.
He said if I put him first in my life I don't have to worry. He's going to take care of my needs between now and when I get the next job which He has in mind.”
2. You become more generous. When you're stingy with your time, your money, and your effort it means you really don't believe God's going to provide for you. So you've got to hoard it, hold on to it, and you can't give it away.
If I am absolutely convinced that God is the source of my supply and He meets my every need, then it's easy for me to help others and it's easy for me to tithe ten percent of my income. God's my source. People don't tithe because they don't really believe God's going to meet their needs. It's a faith issue. How generous am I?
If you're a Christian, do you realize that every Sunday when the offering plate 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.
Today What are you worried about the most? You job? Your health? Have you thought about asking God for assistance and remembering His resources and then trusting His timing? He wants to teach you to live by faith day by day. "Give us this day our daily bread."
He has not always given me everything I wanted, but He has always met my needs. He will meet yours if you'll trust Him.
