I. Introduction
You will remember last week we began by talking about Monsters Inc. and how the skilled "scarers" were employed in The Scare Factory to harvest the screams of human children to power their city called "Monstropolis".
It was a cool and fun movie. However, I think we need to admit that there is still a scare factory in existence today. We struggle with mind monsters because when Adam and Eve encountered the devil in the Garden of Eden, they believed his lies over God's truth. In the process not only did, according to Paul in Romans 5:12, we inherit their sin we also inherited their thought process. So, in the garden not only did we lose relationship, dominion, authority we lost our mind. Then Jesus shows up on the scene commissioned to redeem, restore, reconcile and another fancy word - justify - us - just as if I'd never sinned. He was and is on a mission to restore everything we lost. So, Jesus shows up preaching and teaching about another Kingdom and spends His time trying to get us to learn to think differently and correctly. He declares we a part to play in this path to deliverance and restoration when He says in . . .
Matthew 22:37 (NIV)
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
We are made up of three parts. heart, soul and mind. Most of us have allowed Jesus to save our heart/soul but we haven't allowed Him to renew or redeem our mind. The struggle then is that we struggle. Paul knew this reality and declares in Romans 7:25 we serve the Lord with our mind. So, we must understand we can have a new heart and a saved soul and have the same mind. That is why after a powerful worship service, even while I am preaching, your mind can begin to operate in doubt, disbelief and distraction. We must renew our mind. So, we said that we must filter, fight, and focus. I hope you have been doing that all week and I pray that you will do that over the next few moments today.
Adam and Eve choose to not be influenced by the truth of God's Word and discover their mind is now controlled by Satan’s lies. Remember we wrestle against principalities (principles) and so instantly they begin to think differently than they have previously. They encounter a mind monster that is still working in our midst today. Let's go back and look at what happens and see if maybe the same monster is prowling the recesses of your mind on a regular basis.
Genesis 3:6-11 (NIV)
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
They eat the fruit to gain wisdom - mind power and in that moment, they are overtaken by two mind monsters. I could probably argue which one they encountered first but the order isn't important. What is important is that these mind monsters are to this day the favorites of our enemy to use on us! So, don't get distracted by an argument that I may address them out of order. Let's focus on how to uproot these monsters so that we can free our mind.
Notice . . . they ate the fruit and it they take actions to cover themselves and hid. Why? I would submit that they hid out of a fear of punishment or retribution from God. In their MIND they suddenly have a preconceived idea - I wonder where that came from - that God will be ruthless with them and that they won't be able to survive His reaction.
Think about it . . . the only interaction they have had with God since day 1 is one of relationship, camaraderie, companionship, provision, protection and have never seen God angry or in a punishment mode. However, now in one instance they jump from trusting God to now fearing Him. They instantly come to the conclusion that something bad is going to happen. And so, they respond - we were afraid.
God addresses the origin of this mind monster when He asked who told you that. He is making it clear that He didn't tell them to be afraid.
I believe that in that one moment one of the principles that has been established in our mind is the principle (mind monster) of anxiety.
There is this sense of doom or dread that tends to rise up in us. Our mind runs away with us. We think worst case scenarios rather than best case. Haven't you met people who have the world by the tail and yet it seems they are unexplainably filled with anxiety over what could, might or may happen? Even though one clinical psychologist did a study and determined that about 85 percent of the things people worry about never happen our word is shaped with this constant anxiety in our mind! Always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for the bad report. Waiting for the news that everything is gone. Haven't you looked in the mirror at someone who should be content and joy full only to see someone who instead is overtaken and overcome by worry, apprehension and uncertainty? Believers that trust the Savior of salvation, but can't trust Him enough to believe the best is yet to come, that is He is watching for me . . . so we sing . . .
Because he lives I can face tomorrow
Because he lives all fear is gone
Because I know he holds the future
And life is worth the living just because he lives
But we operate in a spirit of anxiety because we refuse to allow Him to hold the future. Even though there is no unknown to Him, even though there is no tomorrow for Him, even though He walks into our future ahead of us we fear!
So, since we can identify this mind monster that set up residence long ago, we must go to war to remove him from our heads. Fortunately for us there is a prescription that effectively overcomes this monster. Paul and Peter help us out.
Paul in . . .
Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let everyone come to know your gentleness. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Be anxious for nothing . . . Great another person telling me not to be anxious or worry. Paul goes beyond that he literally gives us prescription for overcoming anxiety.
So, let's work through this quickly.
1. Anxiety is destroyed by the presumption of God's presence!
Remember what happened in the garden? Adam and Eve sin and God shows up afterwards. During what they perceived as the absence of His presence they are overtaken by anxiety. Anxiety is built on the presumption of absence. You assumed that His silence meant He wasn't there. You assumed that He wasn't watching. You assume that what you went through was so bad that He had to have been on vacation. It took you by surprise so surely it had to take Him by surprise. Anxiety overtakes us when we think God is absent.
So, Paul shows us that we can destroy anxiety by not only recognizing God's continual presence, but also by making His presence a certainty by worshipping Him. He starts it off by saying "rejoice in the Lord." He is literally saying worship the Lord and then he doubles down. "Again I say worship the Lord." Maybe he had learned the truth of Psalms 22:3 where David informs us that God dwells in the praises of Israel. In other words, we need to understand that our praises are irresistible to God. He hears and inhabits. So, Paul says rejoice. Bring His presence to bear. Paul states emphatically . . . "The Lord is at hand!" Our worship brings the Lord to our side!
We need to change our perspective and the way that we think. You don't worry if you recognize that the God of the Universe is at hand! If we would learn to magnify God who is present rather than magnifying trouble that doesn’t even exist yet, then our minds would be at peace.
Anxiety is destroyed by worship. Have you ever noticed that you don't worry as much when you are involved in a worship service? It is only after you stop worshipping, get in your car and head home that worry overtakes you. Maybe David had it right when in Psalms 34:1 he states . . . I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Maybe David knew what Paul knew that if we would be in worship continually, with music and without music, surrounded by other worshippers or in the privacy of our own car that the mind monster called anxiety would struggle to operate in that atmosphere. I submit to you that every time you start to worry you should start to worship. Rejoice!
Don't presume God's absence. Instead presume His presence. Instead . . . usher in His presence daily with praise! Rejoice - His goodness never ends. Rejoice - His mercy endures forever. Rejoice - In His right hand are pleasures are forevermore.
2. Anxiety is destroyed by proper prayer.
Paul addresses our needs. He isn't naive enough to think that we will go through this life without needs. Even in the Garden after the fall God addresses the needs the fall has created. He discards man's attempt to cover himself and provides animal skins for clothes.
Needs are real. Needs are constant. However, Paul is teaching us that needs don't have to result in anxiety. Instead, Paul teaches us to pray about our needs. That isn't news to us. We have all been taught to tell God what we need. We used to sing it like this . . . Jesus on the mainline tell Him what you want! However, I submit to you that what we miss is that Paul teaches us that it is proper prayer that destroys anxiety.
He instructs us to break the mindset of anxiety this way . . . Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God.
We are presenting our laundry list of needs, our shopping list, our wish list to God and we are being overcome by anxiety because we fail to approach our needs and our God correctly.
I need a dollar. Anyone have a dollar? Thank you. Again, is there someone who has a dollar? Thank you.
I am saying thank you for the completed action. Proper prayer is when we approach with thanksgiving for completed action. Thank for what He has already done. What has He already given you that you can be mind full of so that the fear of what He hasn't done yet is diminished?
2 Peter 1:3 - God’s power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowing the One who called us to his own glory and goodness.
It is finished. It is complete. So, our needs are simply an opportunity for us to assert the fact that while I am figuring it out God is working it out! I don't have to ask for what He has already finished and provided. By His stripes I am healed. I can thank Him for what He has already done! I thank Him for protection. You have commanded Your angels to watch over me. It is already complete.
Jesus weighs in . . . Matthew 6:25-32 - He says we shouldn't worry about life, what we will eat or drink, our body, what we will wear and then says God takes care of the birds and the flowers and then says we are more valuable than those things and then says . . . He concludes this assertion by stating . . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. If He knows we need them, then He will provide so we learn to approach appropriately thanking Him for completed actions. Some of us are full of anxiety because we aren't convinced that He will come through. Some of us are full of anxiety and it shows up in our prayers! We beg. We plead. We fret. We wring our hands. We negotiate. We make promises. Listen . . . anxiety is destroyed when we pray properly. Thank you for your completed work!
3. Anxiety is destroyed by humility.
Pride and anxiety are a package deal. Adam and Eve think they are now responsible for their own covering. Prior to this God was seen as their provider. I believe Peter understood this connection. That is why in 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV) he says, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your care upon Him, because He cares for you."
Another version says, "Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you."
Too many of us can't get rid of anxiety because we can't get rid of pride. We feel like we are responsible. We feel like the weight of provision, healing, breakthrough, _____________ is on us. We can't let Him have our worries and cares if we think we are in charge! If we insist on doing it our way, figuring it all out on our own, depend on our ability and ingenuity, then, it will produce anxiety. If we have to cover ourselves, then we will be covered by anxiety.
Instead, we humble ourselves and then we realize that He is thinking about us more than we are thinking about us. So, we don't have to be anxious. He is mind full of you. "He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you."
Finally, Paul says . . . And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
What does that sound like to you? To me that sounds like the absence of anxiety.
Paul promises God’s peace! There is inferior peace. Peace that is based on bank accounts, popularity, cars, houses. But then there is God's peace. God’s peace is different. It is durable. Beyond understanding – I’m not anxious in the unknown because I have peace that is beyond understanding. The world didn't give it and the world can't take it away. Lack can't take it away. Sickness can't take it away. Difficult situations can't take it away. My situation doesn't even have to change and I can have peace that is un-understandable to the world. Anxiety has to go because my mind is full of worship. My mind is full of praise. My mind is full of thanksgiving. My mind is full of Him rather than being full of me!
Who told you that you had to be afraid? Who told you I wasn't here for you? Who told you that I wouldn't provide? Heal? Deliver?
Focus - On His presence. On His faithfulness. On His peace.
