Oh what a beautiful Sunday! Today was a pretty awesome day...not gonna lie.
The sermon this morning was so great and it was definitely something I needed to hear. By female and sinful nature, I am a worrier. I worry all the time. Most of the time its over completely frivolous things...it's pretty much pointless. The sermon was called Why Pray When You Can Worry and it was taken out of Philippians 4:4-9.
(4) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
(5)Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
(6) do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
(7)And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(8)Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
(9)What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Pastor Duke then went on to talk about what worry actually was...SIN. By worrying, we as humans are not making much of God. Throughout the Bible, God is constantly telling us to not worry for he is near. Just take a look at verse 5. I have to agree with Pastor Duke when he states that it is one of the worst divisions in the Bible. "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is near;" NOTICE the semi-colon...its important. In the NIV, theres a period trying to make it its own sentence and starting off verse 6 as a command. In reality, the Lord is near is the REASON we should not be anxious about anything. It's very simple, the Lord is near; THEREFORE do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. So we've established that worry/anxiety/fear..etc. are sins lets move on...
He goes on to say that in order to overcome worry, we need to replace it with thankful prayer. This is where looking on the bright side and optimism comes in. Instead of focusing on the fact that you've recently lost your job or some other form of unfortunate circumstance, praise God for the things you do have. We are debtors to God. We deserve nothing and everything that we do have is a blessing from him whether that be our health, family, homes...etc. We are blessed beyond what we deserve. Ladies and gentlemen, we deserve death and eternity in hell. Lets just think about this. Think about the most painful thing you have ever encountered whether that is a serious injury, a serious illness, or even a paper cut soaked in lemon juice....then times that by like a million zillion. THAT is what we deserve. God did us a HUGE favor by sending his son to die for us and we are forever indebted to Him. When you feel yourself start to worry, stop and turn it around. Praise him for what he has done and trust him to help you through. Use the same devotion that you use worrying to praising God and praying to him. There is a fine line between a healthy concern and worrying. A healthy concern is something that moves us to take action but ultimately trusts God for the outcome. Worrying is taking the burden upon yourself to carry around and thinking that God can't handle it....not a good place to be I assure you.
Pastor Duke also went on to talk about resting in God's promise and using our minds for God's purpose. In verse 7, God promises us that the peace of God, something our puny little human minds can't understand, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. God promises us that he'll take care of us. For example, in Matthew 6:25-34, a passage I've come to know well, we're reminded that God takes care of the birds of the air and he clothes the lilies in beauty and splendor. How much more does God care about us? He made us in HIS image...He's going to take care of us. He has a plan for each of our lives and we just need to trust him to guide us along the way. We're also told in verse 8 to think about GOOD things. Things that are pure, true, honorable...etc. These are the things we are to focus on. Thinking produces behavior and behavior reinforces thinking. Don't just sit back and passively listen to your sinful thoughts...and there is a way to overcome this...
the 3 R's
1. REBUKE : rebuke yourself and your sinful thinking.
2. RENEW : renew your mind with scripture. According to Ephesians 6, the only defense we have against sin and Satan is our sword of Truth, the scriptures.
3. REPLACE : replace worry with the opposite good. Instead of worrying, praise and thank God for what you do have and present your requests to Him ultimately trusting him for the outcome.
Like I said....this was a very good and much needed message for me to hear. I've been going through highs and lows lately, today especially when it comes to my future and all that entails. I've found myself fretting and worrying even today after the message about things that don't really matter. I'm just so thankful that I not only serve an almighty God that knows every detail of my life, but also that he loves me enough to forgive me when I stumble and fall day after day. Can I get an amen?!
