Identify Your Life Needs And Focus On What Really Matters
Jesus taught his disciples, saying, Listen to me. Never let anxiety enter your hearts. Never worry about any of your needs, such as food or clothing. For your life is infinitely more than just food or the clothing you wear.Luke 12:22-23 TPT
I wanted to call this point Dont sweat the small stuff, but it felt cliche. At the risk of stating the obvious, our worries increase not only when we experience sudden or tragic events, but when the daily burdens of life pile up over time. Our basic needs can weigh us down if were not fortunate enough to be completely secure financially.
Ive read this scripture a lot of times and its always tempting to fixate on verse 22, and neglect to consider verse 23. To me, its teaching us that God will take care of our needs and burdens, so we dont have to focus so much on them. It helps us to reflect on what really matters: our lives, and everything God gave us to make them worth living.
Our health, bank accounts and pantries will fluctuate over time. But they shouldnt get in the way of us enjoying our relationships with God and the people hes put in our lives.
Be Patient And Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:7 NIV
Patience is a spiritual quality that is a must for those seeking to beat anxiety. God works on a timetable that we wont ever understand until were up there with him, so its up to us to acknowledge in prayer that God is always working for our good, even if we arent seeing yet .
Whats interesting about this scripture is the focus on comparing ourselves to successful people. Nothing triggers anxiety quite like the realization that were behind or missing out .
Patience is the ability to look at what others have and trust that what you have right now is exactly what God knows you need, and that your future will bring only what will help you grow closer to him and the people you care about. You dont need that Tesla right now, is what Im saying.
Is The Bible Still Relevant Today
According to the most recent research conducted by Barna in 2017, 87% of American households own a Bible. But the question is, how many people are reading it? Like a lot of people who grew up in church and stayed around, I have accumulated several Bibles over the years. I still own my first “real” Bible, a King James Version that I received in my 3rd grade Sunday School class.
When I was young and feeling ambitious, I made the determined decision to read my Bible cover to cover. I stalled out somewhere in Leviticus and skipped to James, which seemed a bit more manageable and understandable. I bet Im not the only one who has had this problem, and that is because the Bible isnt really meant to be read that way. The Bible is truly more of an anthology than a novel, and it is much easier to read it as such. The lessons learned from the Bible are timeless, and the wisdom and salvation that it offered to people thousands of years ago continues to be just as powerful and just as relevant today and will continue to be so into the unforeseen future.
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Why Is The Bible Important
Inside your Bible is a collection of sixty-six unique and separate books writings from different times, different nations, different authors, different situations and different languages. Yet, these writings compiled over the period of 1600 years all weave together in unparalleled unity, pointing us towards the truth of God and the salvation that is ours in Christ.
The Bible undergirds much of our classic literature. As a former high school English teacher, I found authors such as Shakespeare, Hemingway, Mehlville, Twain, Dickens, Orwell, Steinbeck, Shelley, and others difficult to fully grasp without at least a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible. They frequently alluded to the Bible, and the language of the Bible is deeply embedded in the thoughts and writings of our history and culture.
Speaking of books and authors, it is important to note that the first book printed on Gutenbergs printing press was a Bible. That was in the 1400s before Columbus sailed the ocean blue and a couple hundred years before the American colonies were established. The Bible continues to be the most printed book today. Although it was written long before the English language had come into existence, the life and language of English speakers have been forever impacted by the phrasings of the Bible.
Dont Worry Remember Who The Lord Is Remember Who You Are Praying To
When things get tough prayer can quickly become nothing more than worry on my knees. Paul is instructing us to remind ourselves who we are talking to, Lord, you are the Sustainer of all things. You sustain the galaxies, every star in the sky, and every molecule in every living thing on earth. Nothing is too difficult for you. Thank you that in Christ you come near to me, and you care for me. Im not alone in this. I feel powerless right now, but youre not powerless. And if with your love you come near to me, what could you accomplish in this situation? Prayer begins with rehearsing who God is, and our relationship with him because of Jesus Christ. Like a good marinade, we need to soak our hearts and minds in who God is for us in Christ.
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How Did The Bible Get That Name
It is interesting that the Bible never refers to itself as “the Bible.” So when did people start calling these sacred writings by the word Bible? Again, the Bible is not really a book, but a collection of books. Yet, even the New Testament writers seemed to understand that the things being written about Jesus were to be considered part of Scripture.
In II Peter 3:16, Peter addressed the writings of Paul, He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures
So even then there was something unique about the words being written, that these were the words of God, and that the words of God were subject to being tampered with and manipulated. The collection of these writings, including the New Testament, were first called the Bible somewhere around the fourth century in the writings of John Chrysostom. Chrysostom first refers to the Old and New Testament together as ta biblia , the Latin form of biblos. It was also around this time that these collections of writings began to be put together in a certain order, and this collection of letters and writings started shaping into the one-volume book that we are familiar with today.
How To Overcome Worry With The Bible
1. Pray. Spend some time talking to your Heavenly Father. Tell Him your heartache. Tell him what you’re worried about. I promise you that He has good in this for you, and it’s okay to ask Him what that good is.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28
I have prayed and prayed and prayed. I sent an email to the prayer team at my church. I went up to the altar during our service and women laid hands on me and prayed more.
Don’t worry about anything instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6
2. Believe in God’s plan. Our God is a miracle worker. He can part waters, move boulders, heal the dead , save, destroy, bless, and curse. He can do anything, everything, things beyond our comprehension.
And He has you in the palm of His hand.
So that’s it. It’s a lack of faith. If we believe in God’s plan and provision, we have no worry.
I have often meditated on these verses over the years as I’ve worried about our finances. Are we putting enough money into savings? Are we paying enough on our credit card debt? Just like now, the thoughts come and I don’t know how to stop them.
My pastor preached a sermon on worry not too long ago. He said that worry is a sin.
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How To Stop Worrying And Start Trusting God: 15 Helpful Tips
| Listen to this devotional |
Writing about worry is difficult for me. Over the years, Ive spent more time succumbing to the numbing paralysis of anxious thinking and self-indulgent fretting than I have walking with God through the situations in life that make me afraid.
When confronted with a problem that feels daunting to me, my first instinct is almost always to run. But as has been the case with so many other topics Ive written about on our site, this presented me with an opportunity to study the scriptures, make decisions to change, and share about the experience. So what does the Bible say about worry and anxiety?
Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NASB
Anxiety is defined as experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. The most challenging part of this scripture to me is the idea that there is action I can take to not give in to that unease. I like feeling like a victim, and if I can convince myself that my nervousness and worry is too strong, then I can successfully excuse myself from doing anything that pushes me out of my comfort zone.
God changes lives, he doesnt merely improve them.
How to Stop Worrying and Start Trusting God
What Does The Bible Say About Worry And Anxiety
Actually, quite a lot.
Here are a handful of verses that get right to the heart of the bibles take on worry and anxiety:
- Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad
- In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul
- Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on
- Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid
- Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus
- Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you He shall never permit the righteous to be moved
- And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her
- I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears
- For what has man for all his labor, and for the anxious striving for which they labor under the sun?
- Search me, O God, and know my heart try me, and know my anxieties
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Worrying Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing
Most of us don’t have time to throw away these days. Worry is a waste of precious time. Someone defined worry as “a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
Worrying won’t help you solve a problem or bring about a possible solution, so why waste your time and energy on it?
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
Having Faith Amidst Uncontrollable Situations
According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is being confident of things we are hoping for. It is also assuring us of the things we havent even seen. And then, the whole chapter tells the stories of the great men and women of God who exemplified faith. It is a powerful reminder that God remains in control of the situation no matter who you are, no matter what season and time youre in. God is unchanging.
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A Conversation With Pastor Lutzer About Anxiety
In todays troubled world, we all struggle with anxiety. We asked Pastor Lutzer some questions about coping with anxiety, and we present his answers to you here with the prayer that they will be useful in your life.
Q: Do you think there is more anxiety now than at any other time?
A: No, I do not. Perhaps there is more anxiety in America, but people have always had something to worry about. It is just that here in America, those of us who have enough to eat and have good health, have lived without a lot of stress. That is changing because of the breakup of the American home, the economic uncertainty, the fear of terrorism, etc.
Q: What do you say to the person who is in the midst of crisis, such as dealing with a fatal disease?
A: There is no easy answer to these kinds of painful situations, yet we must be convinced of two facts. First, that these matters are in Gods hands and second, that God is good.
I believe that as Christians there must be a transfer of our problems from our shoulders to Gods. This transfer must be made consciously and daily. Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you. This does not mean that we will never have another worry it does not mean we will be free from emotional pain, but it does mean that we have the confidence that God is there for us, today and tomorrow. The peace that God gives and the emotional pain of loss can exist within us simultaneously.
Q: Can you help ushelp memake a commitment like that?
What Does The God Is In Control Verse Mean
What does the God is in Control verse symbolize? Does it mean that God is in absolute authority? Or does it mean He wants to control us? If God has the authority and power, why are there still so many injustices around us? Why wont He make the sicknesses and infirmities disappear and put an immediate end to the pandemic? Why wont God prevent catastrophes from occurring?
There are too many injustices and misfortunes happening around. It is why we sometimes find it hard to believe that a good and powerful God is still in control. But if we know God and His character, we would know this is not true. And for us to know Him, we need to immerse ourselves in His Word and to pray. In Isaiah 14:24, the Lord declares that whatever He has planned will come to pass. He also says whatever He has willed will happen.
The God is in control verse in the Bible just means God is above everything and everyone. He is on top of things. The Lord will accomplish His plans, whether we believe them to be true.
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Overcoming The Sin Of Worry
One of the defining sins of our culture is worry. Sometimes we call it worry. Other times we call it anxiety. Sometimes it is referred to as fear. A more recent label is stress or being stressed out. There are many different ways people deal with worry. Sometimes we distract ourselves with incessant entertainment. Some seek counseling or therapy. More and more people use prescription drugs and psychiatry. Some even resort to alcohol or illegal drugs as a way to deal with their anxiety and worry.
Is there a better way to deal with stress and fear? Does the Bible give a prescription for overcoming worry? Of course it does! In Matthew 6:25 Jesus commanded us not to worry about the needs of this life. Jesus said, For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
If you are saved today, what has your heavenly Father done for you? God the Father has given you life. Jesus said in verse 25, Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Jesus is using rabbinic logic arguing from the greater to the lesser. He is saying, If God has given you life and a body , isnt He going to provide food and clothing ? God is very generous in giving life. He will also sustain your life.