A motorcycle officer named Terry Filbert noticed a passing vehicle with something that appeared to be dragging behind it. As he passed the vehicle, he saw the object was a basset hound on a leash.
"He was picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could," said Filbert. He chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued, but not before the dog reached a speed of twenty to twenty-five miles per hour, and rolled over several times. (The dog was fine but didn’t want to go out for an evening walk for a long time.)
There are too many of us who are like “Tattoo”, that is, every day we are "Picking them up and putting them down as fast as we can." We find ourselves hooked to schedules and obligations that we had no choice about and we find it difficult trying to free ourselves. Because of this, we hear a lot about “Anxiety Attacks” these days.
WHAT IS AN ANXIETY ATTACK? Anxiety attacks occur the same way you might be attacked as you walked through the park or in the local mall by an evil predator.
You are living your life in the cool of the day and you find yourself....
• Driving down a freeway or…
• Reading a great novel or …
• Cooking a special dinner
… and suddenly you are struck (attacked) by an irrational and intense terror. Nothing in the outside world has changed, but your heart is racing, you're having trouble breathing, and you feel a sense of impending doom.
That is an anxiety attack (panic attack), a sudden surge of overwhelming fear that comes without warning and without any obvious reason. Some patients have such attacks only occasionally, while others may have several attacks a day.
Since the attacks are very frightening, many patients start to avoid situations in which the attacks have occurred, such as driving on an expressway or over bridges, shopping in large department stores or malls, etc. Agoraphobia is the term for such avoidance, which in severe cases can lead to being completely housebound.
The cure for these “Anxiety Attacks” is found in the Word of God. These vicious attacks come on us when we have taken on more than God ever intended for us. Stress is a way of life for many people. It is the only way some people know how to live their life. But the Word of God shows us there is another way and it is a better way.
So we can live a controlled life, let’s look at -
I. SOME THINGS WE SHOULD NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT
Look at Matt. 6:25, we read, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on….”
The people that lived on earth when Christ was here had the same basic fears that we have today. Because this was a problem THEN and a problem NOW, the Lord gives us this passage of Scripture.
The people standing on that mountainside when He delivered the Sermon on the Mount were no different than you or me. They had to deal basically with the same set of problems we have to deal with, such as:
• Paying their bills
• Feeding their families
• Family problems
• Job security
• Foreign invasions
• Raising their children
• Paying their taxes
• Saving for the future
But when the Lord saw how fear was attacking them, He spoke these wonderful words to teach them to place their trust IN HIM, not IN THINGS!
What did He say to help them, and to help us? Notice, He did not do what many physicians today do. He did not turn them into a bunch of legal drug addicts walking around like they were lost in space.
Illus: It is appalling today to see what many medical doctors are doing to the American people and getting away with it.
WHAT ARE THEY DOING? They are doing the same that many dope peddlers in this country are doing. They are pushing pills at every opportunity. The only difference between them and the dope peddlers on the streets is that they have a nice office to push drugs out of and a license to do it, and the dope peddler doesn’t!
But the great Physician did not do that to people He came into contact with that lived a life of fear.
WHAT DID HE DO? The first thing He did was to tell them to say “NO” to worrying!
Illus: When Nancy Reagan came out with her drug solution, “Just Say No!” there were some who made fun of her. Some said, “That is too simplistic, and you would expect more from the First Lady!”
But later, many realized that she tapped into something that is true.
If a person is going to stop a bad habit, such as taking drugs and drinking alcoholic beverages, they are going to have to learn to say “NO” to these things in their life and mean it.
Illus: Many have said, “I have said ‘NO’ hundreds of times, but I go right back to drugs or the bottle!” Why? Because they have never come to realize that “NO” is not a magic word, it is a word that means NO MORE!
Before we can overcome any of these things, we must understand that “NO” means, “NO MORE!” Nobody can do it for us; it is something we have to do ourselves.
Illus: We hear a lot these days about date rape. A young man will begin to take liberties that are not his and place his hands on a girl’s body where he has no right placing his hands. She turns to him and says, “NO!” But this idiot does not know what “NO” means. So the girl has no choice but to take her shoe off when he tries it, and beat him on the head and say, “Dumb! Dumb! No means No!”
When it comes to “NOT WORRYING,” a person must learn to say “NO” and mean it. No one can do it for us; it is something that we have to do for ourselves. If we do not say “NO” to such things and mean it, we never will be able to live a life free of worry!
When it comes to worrying, the Lord says, “SAY NO!” “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on….” (Just say NO!)
WHY SHOULD WE SAY “NO” TO WORRYING? Because worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing! Look at some of the things the people who lived during the days of Christ were concerned about.
(1) THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT CLOTHING AND FOOD
Look at Matt. 6:25, we read, “…Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
(2) THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT DYING
Look at verse 27, we read, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Notice, the Lord says man can’t “Add one cubit unto his stature.”
The word “Stature” here is the word “Helikia” (Pronounced as Hay-lik-ee'-ah) which means maturity in years or size. Here, the Lord is probably talking about YEARS, not SIZE!
There are many folks who do a great deal of worrying about the future. One of their concerns is how much longer will they be here. The Lord shows how ridiculous it is for us to worry about such things by telling us:
(a) IF GOD FEEDS THE FOWL OF THE AIR, HE WILL CERTAINLY FEED US
Look at verse 26, we read, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”
(b) IF GOD TAKES CARE OF THE LILIES OF THE FIELDS, HE WILL CERTAINLY TAKE CARE OF US
Look at verses 28-30, we read, “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
God uses His provision for the insignificant things, to show us that if He loved us enough to die for our sins, He will take care of us. Since God takes care of the insignificant, we can safely conclude He will take care of those He loved enough to die for.
Look at verses 31-32, we read, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”
He let’s us know that He is aware of our need for these things. These are THINGS WE SHOULD NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT.
But there are –
II. SOME THINGS WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT
Look at verses 33-34, we read, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
It is unbecoming for a Christian to live a life of distrust. We can understand why lost people live such a life, because they can’t turn:
• To the devil, because he won’t help them
• To the Lord because His is not their Lord
They are truly between a rock and a hard place.
Christians, who have the Lord Jesus, can turn to the Lord Jesus who loves us. He then gives us a number of reasons we should not be anxious.
(A) WE HAVE A HEAVENLY FATHER
If we are going to conquer worry, we must come to the realization that God the Father loves us and that He will take care of us. So many people are simply not convinced of this fact.
Many feel that because they have lived in sin, God is angry with them and is going to make them pay dearly for those sins. If you do not come to Christ for salvation, you will pay dearly for sin.
But when you come to Christ for salvation, HE FORGIVES US OF THOSE SINS.
1 John 1:9, says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When the Lord saves us, the Bible says, “He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.”
Listen, we all have done some things we are ashamed of, but when we came to the Lord Jesus, He forgave us and in the sight of God our sins no longer exist. WE NOW ARE JUSTIFIED, which means in the sight of God, IT IS JUST LIKE WE NEVER DID IT!
John 5:24 says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Christians deeply regret that we once sinned against Him, but He has forgiven us for those sins. God is not like us; He does not claim to forgive them and then bring them up every time He gets a chance.
When you come to know and believe that God really loves you and will meet your needs, then you do not have a thing to worry about.
Illus: We grandparents enjoy watching our grandchildren because they are having the time of their life. They are not worried about a thing. They know their parents will take care of them.
Jesus tells us that we should not be anxious -
(B) WE CAN ONLY LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME
In other words, we can only live in the present. Being anxious over what is yet to be and may not be, is suffering in advance for something that may never happen.
It is living in the "what if’s." What if this happens, or that happens? Well, what if it doesn't?
Illus: Did you know that 90% of the time, the things we fear will happen never happen?
Jesus said that each day has enough trouble of its own. Deal with today.
The Lord’s prescription to worrying is given in Matthew 6:33, we read, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Jesus issues the supreme challenge to every believer. He tells us that our focus should be God's kingdom and righteousness.
Our needs will be met as we focus on Him. This is what Jesus promised – “…and all these things shall be added unto you.” In other words, as we concern ourselves with the things of God, He will concern Himself with the things we need.
This is one of the divine paradoxes in Scripture, for example...
• Jesus told us that if we seek to save our lives we will lose them, but if we willing give our lives to Him, we will find life.
• Here we are told that if we turn our attention away from our needs, our needs would be met.
Now, we believe that if we don't take care of our concerns no one will. God asks us to believe the opposite. He asks us to trust Him. He asks us to focus on Him. He asks us to put Him first in all things.
This is the challenge for all believers.
• I am anxious when I think that I am alone in this life.
• I am anxious when I think that it all depends on me.
• I am anxious when I do not trust in the goodness and provision of the Lord to take care of me.
• I am anxious when my focus is on myself, and my needs.
• I am anxious when I think I need to manipulate circumstances to get my needs met.
But when I trust, genuinely trust in the Lord, the anxiety level falls rapidly.
Conclusion:
The only thing we have is the present; the future belongs to God. He is in charge of all things. Never second-guess Him.
Illus: I know of a man who was bearing the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. His name is Dr. George McCauslin. Dr. George McCauslin was one of the greatest YMCA directors this world has ever seen. But some years ago, he was serving a YMCA out in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. And in that western Pennsylvania YMCA that was losing membership, that had financial difficulties and terrible staff problems, George McCauslin found himself working 85 hours a week. He found himself getting little sleep at night. He took little time off. And when he was off, he was worrying and fretting about the problems of this YMCA.
He went to a therapist who told him he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had to learn somehow to let go and somehow to let God into his problems. He didn't know quite how to do that.
So George McCauslin took an afternoon off, took a pad and paper, and took a walk in the western Pennsylvania woods. As he walked through the cool woods, he could just feel his tight body and his tight neck start to relax. He sat down under a tree and sighed. For the first time in months he relaxed.
He got out his pad and paper, and he decided that he would let the burdens of his life go. He wrote God a letter. He said, "Dear God, today I hereby resign as general manager of the universe. Love, George."
Then with a twinkle in his eye that is so characteristic of George McCauslin, he said, "And wonder of wonders, God accepted my resignation." (Thomas Tewell, "The Weight of the World [1995]," Preaching Today, Tape No. 147.)
What kind of load are you carrying today? Are you seeking God’s righteousness and letting Him take care of all the rest? That is exactly what he wants you to do!
I. SOME THINGS WE SHOULD NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT
II. SOME THINGS WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT
