Stop Worrying
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
I know I have written about this scripture on many occasions, but this time it was dissected and broken down for me when it comes to WORRYING!
How much do I worry... oh gracious. If I had a nickel for every worry that came into my head on a daily basis, I would never have to "worry" about finances again (OK... silly joke, I know, but I digress). I worry about everything. From my finances, to my job, to my schedule, to my relationships... everything.
Last night I attended Access like I do every Sunday night. The pastor for Access, Jordan Easley, has been going through a series called "Escaping the Cage". We have gone through the cage of stress, resentment, anger/bitterness and now we had come to escaping the cage of worry. I have been able to connect with all the cages and this one was no exception. I'm not going to go into everything Jordan preached (if you want to hear the sermon series visit www.second.org and download the podcasts from iTunes. They are FREE!), but I will say a few things before I go into the breakdown of Philippians 4:6-7.
When we worry, Jordan says that we are "making the choice to forfeit our peace when we chose to worry". I completely agree with him. When I am worrying, or even when you are worrying, do you have any peace about you? Are you able to sleep, rest, sit still, think about anything else? NO! It's something that is always on our minds. You cannot be at peace and worry at the same time. Let's look at Jordan's breakdown of Philippians 4:6-7
Verse 6: "Do not be anxious about anything". The word anxious in Greek is "merimnao" meaning pulling apart or dividing. Worrying can make us feel like we are coming apart at the seams. It can also be seen as a dividing heart.
Verse 6 continue: "But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." We must rejoice in the midst of our worry. It sounds kind of funny huh? Rejoice in our worrying. We have to remember (and I'm talking to myself here as well) that God is in our corner. He is Immanuel meaning "God with us". It says in Hebrews 13:5 "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." God will never leave your side. How awesome is that? The God of the universe, who created the sun, the moon and the stars, loves us so much and will NEVER EVER leave our side. God is not surprised by anything going on in our lives. It's part of His divine plan for you and for me. All this is happening with "divine permission" We cannot put God in a box. We cannot say something is too big for God. He's God! Matthew 19:26 says "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible". Nothing is too big for Him, He created it!
Verse 7: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I have said it before and I will say it again... God wants our burdens and our worries. He wants our cares and our troubles. Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will NEVER let the righteous fall." If we give Him our worries, He will give us peace. Peace means to put together. So when you are anxious you are being pulled a part, but with God's peace you can be put back together again. It's all about prayer. It's going to the feet of Christ and giving Him those burdens and worries that are on your heart. It's going all in and fully trusting in Him and his plan. God is in full control. You have to trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). He is big enough for anything and everything. He can and will take it all. His shoulders are big enough for our cares and worries. We just have to pray and give it all to Him.
I am blessed to have such sweet girlfriends. I have had so many worries and cares on my heart lately that sometimes I don't know how or where to start when it comes to bringing them to the Lord. I am blessed to have sweet sisters that will intercede for me when my words are at a stand still. One of my sisters prayed with me last night and prayed a prayer that could have only come from God. It was exactly what had needed to be said that I could not get out and I can never thank her enough stepping out of the way and letting the Lord speak through her.
My question to you is, what worries are on your heart? What is keeping you up at night and the wheels turning? What is causing you to not be at peace? What ever it is I encourage you to give it to God. I pray that you will. He wants our worries. Jordan asked a question last night..."Has worrying gotten you anywhere?" I honestly had to look at myself and say "no". He compared worrying to a treadmill. It's exhausting and you go nowhere (and might I add... pointless). I hope and pray that you will give it to Him. And I hope you will pray for me as I do the same. It's not easy, it's a difficult path, but we have not just our Lord and Savior with us, but we have our amazing brothers and sisters that will pray for us and with us as well. I will leave you with Isaiah 26:3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."
In Him and For His Glory!
P.S. I would like to thank Jordan Easley for bringing the Word every Sunday night and for being so obedient to God's calling. God truly spoke to me and this is what came out.
I know I have written about this scripture on many occasions, but this time it was dissected and broken down for me when it comes to WORRYING!
How much do I worry... oh gracious. If I had a nickel for every worry that came into my head on a daily basis, I would never have to "worry" about finances again (OK... silly joke, I know, but I digress). I worry about everything. From my finances, to my job, to my schedule, to my relationships... everything.
Last night I attended Access like I do every Sunday night. The pastor for Access, Jordan Easley, has been going through a series called "Escaping the Cage". We have gone through the cage of stress, resentment, anger/bitterness and now we had come to escaping the cage of worry. I have been able to connect with all the cages and this one was no exception. I'm not going to go into everything Jordan preached (if you want to hear the sermon series visit www.second.org and download the podcasts from iTunes. They are FREE!), but I will say a few things before I go into the breakdown of Philippians 4:6-7.
When we worry, Jordan says that we are "making the choice to forfeit our peace when we chose to worry". I completely agree with him. When I am worrying, or even when you are worrying, do you have any peace about you? Are you able to sleep, rest, sit still, think about anything else? NO! It's something that is always on our minds. You cannot be at peace and worry at the same time. Let's look at Jordan's breakdown of Philippians 4:6-7
Verse 6: "Do not be anxious about anything". The word anxious in Greek is "merimnao" meaning pulling apart or dividing. Worrying can make us feel like we are coming apart at the seams. It can also be seen as a dividing heart.
Verse 6 continue: "But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." We must rejoice in the midst of our worry. It sounds kind of funny huh? Rejoice in our worrying. We have to remember (and I'm talking to myself here as well) that God is in our corner. He is Immanuel meaning "God with us". It says in Hebrews 13:5 "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." God will never leave your side. How awesome is that? The God of the universe, who created the sun, the moon and the stars, loves us so much and will NEVER EVER leave our side. God is not surprised by anything going on in our lives. It's part of His divine plan for you and for me. All this is happening with "divine permission" We cannot put God in a box. We cannot say something is too big for God. He's God! Matthew 19:26 says "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible". Nothing is too big for Him, He created it!
Verse 7: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I have said it before and I will say it again... God wants our burdens and our worries. He wants our cares and our troubles. Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will NEVER let the righteous fall." If we give Him our worries, He will give us peace. Peace means to put together. So when you are anxious you are being pulled a part, but with God's peace you can be put back together again. It's all about prayer. It's going to the feet of Christ and giving Him those burdens and worries that are on your heart. It's going all in and fully trusting in Him and his plan. God is in full control. You have to trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). He is big enough for anything and everything. He can and will take it all. His shoulders are big enough for our cares and worries. We just have to pray and give it all to Him.
I am blessed to have such sweet girlfriends. I have had so many worries and cares on my heart lately that sometimes I don't know how or where to start when it comes to bringing them to the Lord. I am blessed to have sweet sisters that will intercede for me when my words are at a stand still. One of my sisters prayed with me last night and prayed a prayer that could have only come from God. It was exactly what had needed to be said that I could not get out and I can never thank her enough stepping out of the way and letting the Lord speak through her.
My question to you is, what worries are on your heart? What is keeping you up at night and the wheels turning? What is causing you to not be at peace? What ever it is I encourage you to give it to God. I pray that you will. He wants our worries. Jordan asked a question last night..."Has worrying gotten you anywhere?" I honestly had to look at myself and say "no". He compared worrying to a treadmill. It's exhausting and you go nowhere (and might I add... pointless). I hope and pray that you will give it to Him. And I hope you will pray for me as I do the same. It's not easy, it's a difficult path, but we have not just our Lord and Savior with us, but we have our amazing brothers and sisters that will pray for us and with us as well. I will leave you with Isaiah 26:3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."
In Him and For His Glory!
P.S. I would like to thank Jordan Easley for bringing the Word every Sunday night and for being so obedient to God's calling. God truly spoke to me and this is what came out.
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