Archives For Anxiety

7 Things to Stop Worrying About

Phil —  March 13, 2013 — 4 Comments

Don't Worry Be Happy

Don’t worry be happy. What a bunch of bologna! One of our staff members shared in our staff meeting today that telling a worry-wart not to worry is like telling an alcoholic not to drink. It doesn’t do much good. Many people feel as if they cannot help but worry and as a result live in constant worry.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “Do not be anxious about your life.” (Matthew 6:25) It is something easier said than done. All of us are prone to worry. It is a human inclination. The only way to overcome it is the power of God.

Worry is never going to be the answer. Worry will not help you overcome the challenge before you. It only will keep you from being productive and doing what God has called you to do. Maybe you have heard someone tell you not to worry yourself sick. Constant worry will wear you down and will have a negative impact upon our health. Worry will never produce positive results and will keep you from achieving what is worthwhile.

I know I told you that it does not do much good to tell you not to worry. Nevertheless, I wanted to share with you 7 things you can stop worrying about. There is no need to worry about these things. So if you need to worry, you can spend your time worrying about other things.

1) Stop worrying about the things you can’t control. Worry is not going to change these things. You can’t do anything about them, so spend your energy making a plan to deal with the situation.

2) Stop worrying about he things you can control. If you can control them, then why are you worrying about them? Do what you can do, and leave the results to God.

3) Stop worrying about what other people think about you. Often those who “don’t” are the ones who criticize the ones who “do.” The more worthwhile your work the more you will need to tolerate the scoffers. The best way to tolerate them is ignore them. In my morning devotion today, the religious leaders say to Jesus, “we know you are true and you do not care about anyone’s opinion.” (Mark 12:14) Jesus realized the only opinion that matter was the opinion of his Heavenly Father. He was going to live a life pleasing to him.

4) Stop worrying about the past. Maybe you made mistakes. Maybe you said things that you would rather forget about. Remember those things are in the past and not today. Today is a new day. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) Today is not yesterday. It’s a fresh start!

5) Stop worrying about the future. Jesus says, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” (Matthew 6:34) Make the most of today. When you live God’s will in the present he takes care of the future. Too often we allow the future to paralyze our present.

6) Stop worrying about the unknown. Maybe you worry about what might happen. Most of the time what we think might happen rarely ever happens. When Barbara and I were considering the call to New Jersey there were many things we concerned about. But we realized most of our concerns were about uncertainties. Those uncertainties were as much of a reality in New Jersey as in they are Illinois. It doesn’t do much good to make decisions based on what might happen.

7) Stop worrying about your ability. Many of us are filled with self-doubt. We are not sure if we are up to the challenges before us. We question if we have what it takes. You need to know if God puts a challenge before you, he will equip you for it.

When you start to experience worry consider the Apostle Paul who gives some great direction. This is what he says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

In other words, instead of worrying try praying. Talk with God about what is going on in your heart and mind. The important thing is to express your anxiety. Expose it to the light, because it is in the darkness anxiety grows. Call out the demon of worry that is haunting you. Worry comes straight from the pit of hell. Rebuke it as not being from God.

When the worry is exposed, then let God then do his thing. He will give you peace that surpasses all understanding. In other words you will not fully understand why you have this peace about you. It surpasses understanding. The text also says he will guard you and protect your heart and mind from worry. I teach you about this, but the only way you will experience it is to try it for yourself.

Worry is the opposite of trusting in God. The equation is “more Jesus” = “less worry.” The opposite is “less Jesus” = “more worry.” The more we encounter Jesus, the less worry will be an issue.

A final thing I want to say is get busy. It is hard to worry when you are at work. In sports, I find that it is a lot harder being a spectator than it is being a player. It is much more an emotional roller-coaster when you are watching the game instead of playing in the game. When you are in the game you are focused on what you need to do to achieve the victory. The spectator on the other hand is not in the game and sits on pins as needles as their favorite team contends for the championship. It is amazing how when you get to the work God is calling you to, the worry melts away the anxiety.

So where do you struggle with worry? How has God helped you overcome worry? I would love to hear about it.

In Weekly Email , , , ,
permalink

He Will Be Called Prince of Peace

admin —  December 19, 2011 — Leave a comment

Download Audio

We apologize for the poor audio in this recording. We will try our best to improve future recordings.

Today is the fourth and final message in our Advent series – “He Will Be Called.” We have been looking at the 4 names given to Jesus is Isaiah 9:6. You can follow the links to previous messages below:

November 27: Wonderful Counselor December 4: Mighty God December 11: Everlasting Father December 18: Prince of Peace

Join us on Christmas Eve at Lord of Life at 5pm or 7pm for a special Christmas message: He Will Be Called Jesus!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In Sermons , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink

Difficult Problems and Simple Faith

admin —  March 3, 2011 — Leave a comment

Last week our family headed to the Wisconsin Dells for a wild weekend vacation at one of the waterparks. Before leaving I wanted to make sure our tires were properly inflated. So I took our family minivan to the gas station around the corner from our house to fill up the tires. After I finished filling the last tire I noticed the sound of hissing air. Pssssssssssssss. I held the air hose up to my ear and did not hear anything. I then put my ear next the tire and sure enough the tire stem was leaking. This is not good. Air was coming out about as fast as I could fill it. We were not going anywhere unless I could get this fixed fast.

Fortunately, there was a mechanic shop next door to the gas station. I quickly drove the van across the parking lot before the tire deflated, walked inside, and said “HEEELP!” The mechanic told me to pull the van into the shop. He pulled out his little tire stem tool twisted the stem on the tire and in about three seconds I heard him say, “next!” It was all fixed and ready to go.

Now don’t you wish every little crisis we face in life was fixed so easily? Rarely do we encounter such simple solutions. To “fix” these crises of life it often seems like we are left choosing the lesser of two evils. There are no easy answers. Sometimes I find myself wishing there was a step by step manual that left no room for interpretation. It would be much easier if life was more black and white and did not have so many shades of grey. As our world becomes increasingly complex, our problems also become increasingly complex. So how do we navigate through life’s challenges, especially when it seems there are no easy answers?

I will give you one word. The word is faith. It is not faith as faith is often defined. Faith is often defined as having a positive attitude in spite of difficult circumstances. I will contend faith is more than a positive attitude. Rather it is confidence in Jesus the Savior. It is confidence that God’s plan will prevail. The pathway may not be the pathway we really want to go down. Sometimes God will take us down a path that we would rather not go, only to bring us to a destination that is beyond anything we could have ever imagined.

The book of Hebrews says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 There may be some rough days with incredible challenges. It may not seem like there is much light at the end of the tunnel and that there is no solution in sight. But that is why we look to Jesus, because Jesus is the light. When everything else seems dark, he will shine.

In Weekly Email , , ,
permalink

The Power of Negativity

admin —  January 11, 2011 — 2 Comments

Have you ever thought about the power of negativity? Negative is the opposite of positive and has a powerful pull. Negative criticism will often stick much more in your mind than positive words of affirmation. As a pastor I will hear over and over the incredible stories of how God is working in the lives of his people, but there will be that one story without the happy ending that will occupy my thoughts and discourage my spirit. Negativity just has its way of standing out. It is a lot easier to become discouraged than it is to be encouraged.

It works the other way as well. I recognize it is important to be careful with the words I speak to others. Yes, there are times when you need to speak the truth in love to another, but you earn the right to do so by being a source of encouragement and affirmation. In Hebrews 10:25 it says let us encourage one another and even more so now as the day of the Lord’s return comes near.

The power of the negative is huge. But here is the thing: our God is is greater. Yes, we will face negativity in this life, but God has not left us without hope. Consider the following as you encounter negativity in your life.

1) Trust in Jesus. Jesus says in this world you will have trouble. In other words, we will face negativity. But that is not the end of the story. He goes on to say, “take heart for I have overcome.” (John 16:33) Jesus will prevail and you will prevail when you put your life in his hands and live obedient.

2) Remember the most important person to please is God. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks about you. What matters is what God says and thinks. This is why God’s Word says: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

3) Occupy your mind with God’s Word. In Philippians 3:8, the Message Translation, says, “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

Consider the following quote from Pastor David Platt in his book Radical: “The battle is intense, and it cannot be fought with little thoughts in a daily devotional or petty ideas from a preacher on Sunday. It certainly can’t be fought with minds numbed by the constant drivel of entertainment on television, DVDs, video games, and the Internet. If you and I are going to penetrate our culture and the cultures of the world with the gospel, we desperately need minds saturated with God’s Word.”

I love that thought. Saturate your mind with God’s Word. Anything less will allow the negativity to creep in and eventually overwhelm your thoughts.

4) Pray! Too many of us spend so much more time worrying than we do praying. We let the negative thoughts churn and churn in our minds without ever asking God what he has to say about it. Over the next few weeks I will be talking about the Sermon on the Mount on Sunday mornings. In this sermon Jesus says, “Do not worry.” The reason we worry is because we do not ask. The Apostle Peter would later write cast your cares on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

5) This is an important point that is often overlooked – Ask who are you running with? Do you associate with people who are negative? Or do you run with people who are encouraging? Do the people you associate with constantly criticize others and rarely have anything good to say about anyone or anything else? I have been among Christians who when they gather will do nothing other than complain about their church and individuals in the church. This is neither healthy nor helpful. When we hang around individuals who are constantly negative it will only bring us down.

6) With that said, consider the words you speak. Choose your words carefully. Other people are not the enemy. Satan is! Do you speak well of others? Are you a source of criticism or of encouragement? If you don’t have something good to say about someone, it is probably best not to say it at all. Be slow to anger and slow to speak. Before condemning others, pray for them. Jesus says, “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) When you start praying for someone, the negative feelings you have towards that person will start to be replaced with love, compassion, and generosity.

7) Know that from out of the negative God will do something incredibly positive in your life. Some of the most incredible movements of God are born out of the bleakest of circumstances. In Isaiah 6 we read about the calling of Isaiah. We read King Uzziah had died. Uzziah had suffered the judgment of God and died because of his spiritual failings. What was more was the people Isaiah lived among were morally bankrupt. They had nothing going for them. In many ways Isaiah was spinning his wheels. His ministry was less than effective with little impact upon the people around him. Next, God appears before Isaiah in the temple and all Isaiah can say is “I am ruined.” Not a good thing. Yet, it is in this bleakest of moments when Isaiah was at his lowest that God would revive Isaiah’s ministry and make him and a powerful voice of wisdom from on high. God will use negative events and circumstances to reveal himself in a might way.

8) Learn from criticism. Our default is to arbitrarily reject criticism directed towards us, but then we allow it to eat away at us on the inside. I hold a motto that is to be slow to take offense. We too easily become offended at what other people might say to us or about us. Rarely does the other person intend to give offense that we think they were out to give. Receive criticism graciously. No matter how off based the criticism might be there is usually some element of truth in it from which we can learn.

9) Put on your armor (see Ephesians 6). Know that there is a battle that is going on. Fighting negativity is not an easy thing. Satan is the great naysayer. He is out to convince you that you are not good enough, not smart enough, not talented enough, and beyond hope. He will use negativity to bring you down. If you desire to be a force for the good of God, there will be spiritual powers and authorities at work to discourage you and hinder your work. That you can be sure of.

So I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul as an encouragement to be strong: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

In Weekly Email , , , , , ,
permalink

I Can’t Do This

admin —  December 7, 2010 — Leave a comment

I have been amazed watching our daughter grow. When it comes to learning, she soaks things up like a sponge. Watching her begin to learn to read is such a miracle right before our eyes.

But then I will see her question herself and her ability. There are times when I know she has the ability, but not the confidence. I know she can sound out the letters, but she thinks it is too hard and she gives up.

Things don’t change much when we get older. There are may times in life we reach that point and we say to ourselves, “I can’t do this.” We question our ability. We end up stuck at a dead end with seemingly no way out.

When we get in this situation, we have a number of possible of responses. The first is to continue to do what we have been doing. Of course, we know this is the definition of insanity. Doing what we have been doing is what got us into this place originally. There is no reason to expect different results.

A second response is to give up. It is to quit. It is to just lie down and die and accept our fate. We leave behind our dreams, our hopes, and our affection for others.

A third response is to escape. We might do this by turning to drugs or alcohol. Others might drown themselves in excessive work or playing around on the internet. We simply try to run away. There are several mechanisms available to help us escape, but the reality is none of them offer us true freedom from the circumstances we find ourselves in.

We have been told that we can do anything we want if we put our mind to it. This is a dangerous lie we have been led to believe. We all have our limitations. As frustrating and potentially depressing as it is to reach those limitations, it is a good place to be. Yes, you heard me right. It is a good place to be! Why you ask?

When you reach the point where you say, “I can’t do this,” you come to grips with the fact that you are not God. We like to put ourselves in the place of God, that there is nothing that I cannot accomplish. But to reach your limitations is recognize your mortality. There was only one Superman and he went by the name Jesus.

After you realize you are not God, you will recognize your need for God. Think about this. If there was nothing you could not do, what need would you have for God? The answer is none! Do you see the danger with this? Without recognizing our need for God there is the danger we will leave God on the outside looking in.

But once you recognize your need for God, you will start to seek him. There are so many promises in the Scriptures about what happens when you seek him. The most famous of these promises are found in the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus says, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Later he says, “Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). In another place in the Scriptures, it says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8).

When we open the pages of the Scriptures, when we come to receive the Sacrament, and when we get on our knees to pray to the Most High God we begin to see God show up in amazing ways. We see him take us to new heights and to greater service.

If you have come to the end of your ability, you might be in no greater place because you are now left to rely on God’s ability. No, you can’t do whatever you want if you put your mind to it. But you can do all things through Christ who gives you the strength. It’s time to stop taking matters into our own hands and putting them into his.

In Uncategorized , , , , , , , , ,
permalink