Freedom From Anxiety

Don't tell me you love Jesus and you're as worried as your non-Christian neighbor about how you gonna make it. Dr. Tony Evans talks about why we still experience anxiety when God promised us peace. The reason why we stay worried as a lifestyle is that first things on first.

Priorities are out of order. Celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, this is the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans. Author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative. Dr. Evans says the fact that we're worried can be a bigger problem than whatever we're worried about.

Let's join him as he explains. Today, I want to talk to you about another kind of freedom, one that we all need. I need it, you need it, and that's freedom from anxiety.

Freedom from anxiety, or to use the more popular term, freedom from worry. Some of us worry to death. Other people worry others to death. But we are all, all face this snake around our minds and our emotions that immobilize us called worry.

And there's plenty to worry about. Some people are worried about the financial situation. That could be their job, their bills, paying the rent, things that have to do with material and financial responsibility, and you are worried. Am I going to be able to send my kids to college?

Am I going to be able to meet my obligations? There's a financial worry. Others are worried about health issues. Health issues can produce worry. And now you not only have to worry about what's wrong, you now have to worry about the medicine you use to make it right.

Because they tell you that the medicine might make you sick in other ways while it fixes whatever you took it for to make better. So you got to worry about the sickness, then you got to worry about the stuff to fix the sickness. We worry about terrorism.

You can worry about what people think, and you can be controlled by the impressions and impact of others. Worry can go on and on and on and on and on and become a vice grip around our mind. One man said, if I have to worry about one more thing, it's going to take me two weeks to get to it.

Because I have accumulated so much to worry about. Another gentleman just couldn't take it anymore, and he said, I will pay, he said to a friend, I will pay you a thousand dollars if you will do my worrying for me. The man said, OK, I'll take that. I'll take that. I'll take your worry for you.

Where's the thousand dollars? The man said, well, that's the first thing you got to worry about. So in one form or another, we're all challenged with this thing called worry. In Matthew chapter 6, the scripture that was read in your hearing today, Jesus wants to tell you something. Can Jesus tell you something? Verse 25, the first line, For this reason I say to you, do not worry. Verse 31, do not worry.

Verse 34, so do not worry. Three times in this passage, Jesus wants to tell the family of old Cliff and those who gathered in our service today, stop it. Stop it.

Look at your neighbor and say, stop it. They can't get mad at you, you're just quoting Jesus. Jesus just said, stop it. Stop worrying.

Three times he says, stop worrying. If Jesus commands you to stop something and you keep doing it, it's a sin. Therefore, it's a sin to worry. If whatever you are worried about today, you are sinning against the Savior every time you worry about it.

He says, don't do it. Stop it. That raises the first question and that is, what is worry? What is worry?

Some of us try to make it seem better. We say, I'm not worried, I'm just concerned. The Greek word used here for worry was a word that used for the unthreading of a garment, so that there was a detachment occurring because the threads of the garment were coming out.

So it meant to be detached or unraveled. You are worrying when your circumstances are unraveling you. To worry meant to be controlled by the circumstance so that they dictated to you your well-being. How is that different than concern? The fundamental difference from legitimate concern and illegitimate concern, or anxiety or worry, is the issue of what's in control. Concern, you're in control of it.

You turn it on, you shut it off. Worry, it's in control of you. Worry tells you whether you're going to sleep tonight or not. Worry tells you whether you're going to have a migraine headache or not. Worry dictates to you whether you're going to stay mad and angry or not. The level of your worry reveals the size of your faith. If you're worried all the time, it's because you have faith little of the time. Your expectations are low because you really haven't studied what God has done in nature. And all of nature depends on God and the means He's provided to provide. You say, okay, okay, I got it. God has got it already built in. The systems are already working. The birds can testify.

The flowers can testify. Okay? What do you want me to do, Pastor? What does God want me to do? Because I'm tired of worrying. I'm tired of Excedrin. I'm tired of Excedrin PM so I can go to sleep. I'm tired of that.

I'm tired of worrying. Verse 31, Do not worry then, saying, What will we eat, or what will we drink, or what will we wear for clothing? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Now watch this. We're going somewhere. If you are a worrier, you're no better than a pagan. The word Gentile refers to unbelievers, pagans, the heathen. Don't talk about you love Jesus and you're as worried as your coworker about being laid off. Don't tell me you love Jesus and you're as worried as your non-Christian neighbor about how you're going to make it. You're no better than the Gentiles. You're no better than the atheists. You're no better than the people who don't know God, don't believe in God, not looking for God.

You are absolutely no better than them because you're talking like them. How am I going to make it? What am I going to do? He says, all these things the Gentiles seek, but your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things. Let me say something about these things.

What things? The necessities of life. He says, don't go around worrying about how the necessities of life are going to be covered. He's not saying be irresponsible. He's saying don't worry about how the necessities of life are going to be covered.

Here's our problem. We have confused the necessities of life with the extras of life. We have confused what God promises to meet and what we want Him to do. We have transferred needs into wants and then get mad at God because He's not meeting our needs that really are not the needs. They're the wants.

So we become like the Gentiles and we seek it, which means we go break our necks, we work overtime, we're doing ten jobs, we can't come to church because we're too tired from working six days, or we got to work seven days, and we become like the heathen, breaking our necks for stuff God said I would take care of if you had them in the right priority. But you don't give me a chance to take care of them because you won't operate by my order. And so we're living from hand to mouth, week to week, trying to exist because we have inverted needs into wants. I need a new car.

No. If the one you have is working, you want a new car. And don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with wanting a new car or wanting a new house. But if there is food in your stomach, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, the needs have been provided for. But if you skip God, God's way, and jump to a want and call it a need, then don't be surprised if you're blaming God that He's not meeting your needs. Because He's dealing with the necessities of life. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Key word? First. First. The reason why we stay worried as a lifestyle is that first things aren't first. Priorities are out of order. And when spiritual priorities are out of order, don't expect to see God come through.

You are worried because you're not confident, but you're not confident because first things aren't first. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That means His standard, His will, His way, His word. He says, you will be amazed what you see when I become first, when you stop leaving me to what's left over. Dr. Evans will be right back with a look at what God wants to start adding to our lives when He continues this message from His brand-new CD compilation, Tony Evans Top 40. It contains 40 of the most hard-hitting, life-changing lessons He's taught in His ministry's 40-year history. It includes messages on our authority as believers, the importance of being authentic, how to discover the beauty in brokenness, understanding God's timing, and much more. And right now, we're offering you Volumes 1 and 2 of this four-volume collection as our gift when you come alongside Tony's ministry and help see us through the summer with a generous contribution. Please visit tonyevans.org while this special offer is still available, make your donation, and let us send you all 20 lessons in Tony Evans Top 40, Volumes 1 and 2, along with his booklet on what's almost a lost art in today's church, fasting.

You'll discover why it's such an effective way to get rid of some of the burdens and baggage we carry through life. Make the arrangements to get this special double-resource package before time runs out. You can do that today at tonyevans.org or call our resource center at 1-800-800-3222. I'll repeat our contact information later on after Part 2 of today's lesson, coming up right after this.

Coming to theaters this November. We're at the Church of the Nativity here in Bethlehem, where it is believed that the birth of Jesus Christ occurred. Travel with Dr. Tony Evans as he retraces the life and human journey of the greatest being to ever walk this earth. Well, we're here in Capernaum, a place where Jesus did most of his miracles, and it is in this place that he demonstrated he truly is the Son of God. You'll travel the streets, fields, and synagogues that Jesus walked and visit the locations where some of the most powerful events recorded in the Bible took place. It is highly likely that much of what we read about Jesus' ministry in Galilee happened right here. Journey with Jesus in theaters November 15, 16, and 17 with Dr. Tony Evans.

Visit tonyevans.org for locations, showtimes, and to learn more. You know, the Sabbath was established to give one day where you didn't try to earn money. That was the one day a week you couldn't try to earn money.

It's called the Sabbath. Even God didn't skip this. On the seventh day, he rested. And he didn't rest because he was tired. He rested because he wasn't going to do nothing else. In other words, God looked at what he did the sixth day and said, You are so bad.

He enjoyed the work of his hand. God says, six days you can labor. You can work hard. You can go out there and do your thing for 60. But there has got to be this one day where you're not trying to make anything happen.

You're not trying to cut any deals. You are just resting in what God has allowed you to do in those other six days. And you are trusting him to work it out, to multiply it.

Because one of the things the Scripture says on 1 Timothy 7, he gives his beloved sleep, for he knows that you have needed these things. And look at what he says in verse 33. He says, And all these things will be added to you.

Whoa, did you get that? He'll add what you're trying to make happen. He'll bring it to you.

He'll connect it to you. Many of us are blocking God's hookup. Blocking God's addition.

And the extra stuff we're doing is creating subtraction. Because then we've got bad attitudes. We're mad at people all the time. We're frustrated.

We're cussing people out. We're doing all this because I just got too much on my mind. You know, we can't handle it, but we're doing everything we know to do. And we're doing more of it and more of it and more of it and more of it and more of it. And God's not adding anything, because we're not doing it His way. We're doing it our way and asking Him to bless it.

In other words, as though we are the king of the kingdom and we'll set the standards. You drive in your car and you see somebody on the side of the road, hungry, hungry. But everybody with a sign up doesn't mean you ought to do something for them.

Because there's always a question that has to be answered. What are you hungry for? See, if I give you money without knowing what you hungry for, then that may be a bad investment. See, because if you're hungry for food, then it ought to be okay if I say, let's go to McDonald's. See, that ought to be good, because that's money, but it's money for food. But if you only use the word hungry and you don't put nothing in it, you could be hungry for drugs. And I don't want to give you money if that's what you're hungry for, because you only told me you're hungry. You gave me a fact, but you didn't tell me the truth. You just said, I'm hungry.

That's a fact. But I didn't get the truth. I didn't get what you were hungry for. So until I get the rest of the story, I don't know whether to invest in that sign.

Because I need to know what we're going to do with what I consider valuable, that is my money. See, God sees signs every Sunday from Christians coming to the church talking about, I need thee, oh, I need thee, every hour I need thee. And we've got the sign of the church, Jesus, I need thee. We're waving our hair, I need you.

God's saying, for what? I want the rest of the story here. You just need me so you can use me up. You just need me so I can bless you so you can skip me. You just need me so I can do more for you so you can do less for me. You just need me. What for what?

What's the rest of the story? Are you talking to a king? Or are you talking to Santa Claus? God says in Jeremiah, scripture you should read when you're prone to worry, chapter 17 verses 7 to 8. Jeremiah 17, 7 to 8, God says, And I will remove your anxiety in a drought. You know what drought means? It means no rain. No rain, no agriculture. No agriculture, no food.

No food, you starve. So when it's not raining for a long period of time, you can get scared. You can panic when it hasn't rained for a long period of time, but God says, I'll remove your worry in a recession, in a depression. When you don't know where the stuff is coming from, I will calm your mind.

Or as it says in Isaiah, chapter 26, verses 3 and 4, I will keep him with a steadfast mind whose mind has stayed upon me. So when your company sends you somewhere, they pay for it. We want to do our own thing, but we want to know why the king won't pick up the tab.

Because God is saying, that's not where I sent you. That's not what I want done. That's not how I want it done. That's not when I want it done. That's not my thing. I'm not picking that up.

Now you mad at me, talking about I don't believe you answer prayer. He says, So do not worry about tomorrow. Most of us are being crucified between two thieves, yesterday and tomorrow. The regrets of yesterday, the uncertainty of tomorrow, and we've still got to deal with the trouble of today. He says, Don't borrow from tomorrow. In other words, all these things might happen tomorrow.

How am I going to make it tomorrow? He says, When you withdraw from the bank of tomorrow, you've increased the burden of today. So that means you reached into tomorrow, brought it back to today, so now you've got to deal with what you already had on your plate today, and what tomorrow just added to that plate.

And you've got to pay interest on both. So you've added to yourself a burden you were never meant to have. Listen to me. Listen to me. It's okay to plan for tomorrow. The Bible talks about planning. You can plan for tomorrow. What you can't do is get unraveled about tomorrow. You can't worry about tomorrow.

Why? Because the only thing God is promising you is enough for today. Lamentations 3.23, His mercies are new every day. Give us this day our daily bread. God is only guaranteeing you today. So when you start thinking about tomorrow, you've gone further than God has promised. He's only supporting you today. Well, what about tomorrow?

He'll meet you there. Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. Today is the tomorrow that you were worried about yesterday, and now you're today. Today has enough trouble of its own. And you know, if you can't even deal with the stuff in your face today, you're not going to be able to handle that plus tomorrow stuff today. Don't worry. Tomorrow stuff will be there when you get there. Because when you get there, tomorrow will be today. Do not worry about tomorrow.

All I'm trying to tell you is something. Look at your name and say, stop it. It's a sin to worry. You've insulted your father when you worry. Because you've said to your father, the birds can trust you.

The flowers can trust you, but I can't trust you. You've insulted God. But if we had a testimony service here today, and if we could invite the children of Israel, the children of Israel would testify. We were in a wilderness, and we didn't know where we were going to get water and where we were going to get food. But God had food in a rock and rained down corn flakes from above. If the widow of Zarephath was here this morning, she would testify.

I was down to my last meal, and me and my son had only one meal left. But when I put God first with Elijah, God took that bread, he took that oil, he multiplied it and gave us enough to retire. If the disciples were here to testify this morning, they could tell you they were with 5,000 men, not counting women and children, and they didn't know how they were going to feed them. But a little boy with some sardines and crackers gave it to Jesus first, and Jesus multiplied it, fed 5,000 women and children, and had 12 baskets full left over. If Jesus were here, he could testify. From John 6, I am the bread of life.

He that cometh to me, he says, will not thirst, and I will give him living water, and I will feed him the bread of life. Somebody ought to bless his name up in here so that God can be trusted, even when you don't know how he's going to do it, when you put him first. As we learn today, the antidote for anxiety is trust. But trusting God for the little things doesn't matter if we haven't trusted Him with the biggest thing of all, our eternal future.

When we have that part of life in order, that's when we experience what the Bible calls peace that passes understanding. Let Tony explain how you can find that peace today. Visit tonyevans.org, follow the link that says Jesus, check out his video, and download the free follow-up resources.

Those few moments can change your life. Now don't forget, today's message is part of our four-volume audio compilation, Tony Evans Top 40, and Volumes 1 and 2 of this brand-new collection are yours as our thank-you gift when you help support Tony's work with your contribution. Get details before time runs out at tonyevans.org, where you can also find a huge selection of life-changing resources and sign up for his free weekly e-mail devotional. Again, that's tonyevans.org, or call our 24-hour Resource Center at 1-800-800-3222.

That's 1-800-800-3222. The Declaration of Independence talks about the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But pursuing something is no guarantee we'll find it. Tomorrow, Dr. Evans will have some advice on how to make our pursuit of God more productive. I hope you'll be with us. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by The Urban Alternative and is celebrating 40 years of faithfulness thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you. ? ?