Pastor Greg Laurie presents the Amazon Prime hit series The House of David, now on DVD. The House of David, which has been just a smash hit on the Amazon streaming platform, is now available in a box set format. And you can watch it when you want to. We're also including something called Beyond House of David, which is a four-part documentary series.
So order your copy right now, The House of David. Yours for a gift of any amount at harvest.org. God is in control of my life. And when I worry, I'm really doubting God. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie points out: worry is not only a waste of emotional energy, it's actually a step backward in our walk with the Lord.
Stop worrying. It's a lack of trust in God. Worry is sort of a mental and emotional strangulation that can harm your life because it's really a failure to trust in the providence of God. This is the day. Win the lost up panel.
This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace helps meet the sound. But can you hear all the angels are singing? This is the day, the day will I begin. The Bible says, be anxious for nothing.
In other words, don't worry about anything. It also tells us, cast our cares on the Lord, because He cares for us. What is it that's heavy on your heart today? Pastor Greg Laurie brings some good encouragement toward a worry-free life. in the final message of a three-part series called God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry.
Glad you're along today for a new beginning. Good encouragement is coming your way on today's program. The day, the day when life begins You know, I love birds. I've always been interested in them ever since I was a little kid, and I've had quite a few different birds over the years. I've been parakeets and cockatiels and parrots and lovebirds and all these different birds.
And they're so fascinating. And the thing about birds, when you watch them, is they just get up every morning. They always seem to be collectively in a pretty darn good mood, don't they? I mean, they start the day singing their little songs. I've never seen stressed out birds.
I've never seen birds in therapy. I have never seen a bird popping a volume. Have you? You know, so actually, we can learn something from the birds. And while we're talking about nature, we can also learn something from the flowers.
This is what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. And this is where he takes us here as he gives us some very clear words about how to deal with our worry and our anxiety. And I'm going to share with you in this message 10 tips to utilize when worry comes knocking. But let's read a few verses together. Matthew chapter 6, starting in verse 25 of Matthew 6.
Jesus says, I tell you, not to worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear, isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?
All of your worries cannot add a single moment to your life.
So why do you worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all of his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.
So why do you have so little faith?
So, don't worry about these things. What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of non-believers, but your heavenly Father already knows all of your needs.
Now, very familiar verse, Matthew 6, 33, but seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Wow, how practical are those words? Given to us by Christ. 2000 years ago.
Yet they resonate in the culture we live in today, a culture that is gripped with worry and filled with fear and crippled by anxiety.
So here now are 10 tips, 10 biblical truths on how to fight. Anxiety, fear, and worry in your life. Point number one, very obvious, very simple. The believer that is the follower of Jesus Christ. The man or the woman who has asked the Lord to come into their life should not worry.
The believers should not worry. No, no. Jesus was not saying a Christian should not think about or be concerned with the things of life. Such as what you're going to eat, or what you're going to wear, or where you're going to live, or what career you're going to pursue. Those are things we should think about.
In fact, the Bible tells us we should plan for the future. The Bible tells us that we should work hard. that we should save our money.
So the Bible is a very practical book, but what Jesus is saying was don't worry about these things. Don't let these things become something that distract you from what really matters in life.
So here's the thing to consider. You know, if you let worry get a hold of you, it can actually cause deep depression in your life. It can cause a lot of problems that I'll talk about in a few moments. Proverbs 12, 25 says, anxiety in the heart of man causes depression. I find that interesting.
Hundreds of years ago, before scientists figured it out, before psychologists figured it out, before the so-called experts figured it out, the Bible says anxiety can lead to depression.
So how do I overcome it?
Well, one way is to stop thinking so much about yourself and put your eyes on the needs of others. You might recall that I pointed out to you in the last message that I have a 10-step solution to depression. Point number one, do something for someone who has greater needs than you. And point number two is repeat point number one nine more times. Try it for a day.
You might be surprised by the outcome. Experts have actually found that when you volunteer your services or your time to help others, it actually elevates your mood. It's been dubbed by experts as the Helpers High.
Now, it's a funny thing, I just talked about this in my last message, and someone commented. On my Instagram page, send me this little message and I'll read it to you. It's a young lady. She says, Hi, Pastor Greg. I'm not sure if you will see this message.
Well, I saw your message. I do read my comments, by the way. But I wanted to comment on what you've been speaking on lately regarding depression and anxiety. I struggled with really bad depression and suicidal thoughts for years, and at one point, I was determined to end my life. But in the last six months of getting involved at Harvest, giving up my time to serve others in the church, and making so many new Christian friends, I can honestly say my anxiety has gone away.
Isn't that great? I don't feel depressed anymore. I haven't had a suicidal thought for a long time now. I just wanted to thank you for your encouraging sermons and for this amazing church. It has truly impacted my life for the best and has helped me to grow in my faith and become closer to God.
God bless you.
Now, I love her insights there. And here's a couple of things she points out. She was having these thoughts, but she got involved in serving others. And this is why we need one another. This is why we cannot do life by ourselves.
God has given us this great Group of fellow brothers and sisters to support us in the church.
So, what does Jesus say? Verse 25: don't worry about your life. Another way to translate this is: don't have anxiety about the issues of life. Look, I can't control problems. I cannot control what's going to happen to me externally, but I can control my reaction to it.
That's what Jesus is talking about. Don't let your life be filled with worry and anxiety. In the Greek, it means to stop doing what is already being done. In other words, stop worrying.
Now, I think that we justify worry.
Sometimes we might even think it's a virtue to worry. But it is in. I think it can actually be a sin to worry. And if worry is a sin, I don't like to admit this, but it's a sin I've committed on more than one occasion. And really, what is worry?
It's a lack of trust in God. In fact, the very word worry comes from an old German word meaning to choke. The other day, I was choking on a vitamin C. Aren't those supposed to make you feel better? It almost killed me.
Now, when I take vitamins, I'll get a little handful of them and I like to take them all in one gulp, okay?
So I'll throw them in my mouth and get a little bit of water and in one gulp, well, this one doggone vitamin C pill got turned sideways in my throat. And I'm in my house with two of my grandchildren and I'm choking, choking. There's, Papa, are you okay? And I'm like, I'm okay. It sounded like I was dying, honestly.
And I couldn't swallow it. I drank a whole bottle of bottled water. It would not turn. And I don't want to get graphic, but I couldn't get it to go the other way either. It was just stuck there for the longest time.
And that's frustrating. That's choking. And that's what worry can do to you as well. Um Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Uh It's a joy to hear when these studies have truly impacted lives.
Listen to these comments from one of our listeners. Hey, that's for Greg. I feel my story is a lot like yours. I'm about your age. I lost my oldest daughter to ovarian cancer at the young age of 27, and I'm a pastor, and I would just like to say that I'm encouraged by your words of encouragement.
Every morning I listen to you as I mow lawn out here with my headset on, and I do support you. God bless you and keep up the good work. When we hear from you, it's not only a blessing, it also confirms that the program is touching lives. If you have a story to share, call Pastor Greg and leave him a message. Call 1-866-871-1144.
That's 866-871-1144. And now, more good encouragement from Pastor Greg's message called God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry, Part 3. Worry is sort of a mental and emotional strangulation that can harm your life because it's really a failure. to trust in the providence of God. What is the providence of God?
It's a simple belief that I believe as a Christian that God is in control of my life. That God is in control of everything that comes into my life, and either He does it or He allows it. Therefore, I don't believe in accidents. I believe in providence. And when I worry, I'm really doubting God.
The prophet Daniel had this great trust in God. Danny was such a faithful Follower of the Lord. He was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and taken into captivity. along with his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Because of their gifts and talents, they were brought into the palace and made advisors to the king.
Well, Nebuchadnezzar was ultimately replaced by Belshazzar, and he was conquered by the Medo-Persian forces. And along comes Darius, but Daniel was a faithful representative of the Lord to three of those kings.
Well, he had a lot of people that didn't like him. He had a lot of enemies, fellow advisors to the king. They wanted him out. And they could not find any skeletons in this closet. In fact, the problem is for them.
He prayed in his closet.
So they said the only way we're going to get Daniel. out of commission. And not influencing the king is if we do something with his faith in his God. And they knew Daniel had a habit. Every day he would go to his house, open his windows up, Get down on his knees, face Jerusalem, and pray to God.
They said, Let's get the king to sign a decree that no man can pray to any God for 30 days except the king. The king signed it. And it was a law. And it went in the position. And what did Daniel do?
He went and prayed as he always had. And now he's thrown into a lion's den facing a certain death. And here's the point I want to make. That night, who slept better? Daniel in the lion's den or the king in the palace?
Actually, Daniel slept better. You know, better to be in alliance than with God than anywhere else without him. The king was up all night worrying, despite the fact that he was in the very lap of luxury, and Daniel. He slept like a baby. because he had complete trust and confidence in God.
Psalm 127 verse 2 says, he gives his beloved sleep. And Daniel had that sleep and that rest.
So Jesus gives us some illustrations as to why we should not worry. Uh, birds should not worry. Why should we? Verse 26, look at the birds. Or another way to translate this is Look at what is in front of your eyes.
Jesus did a lot of his teaching outdoors. He'd just be walking along with the guys. point things out. Hey, a sower went out into a field to sow seed.
Some seed fell on good ground, other seed fell on rocky ground. And he probably was gesturing to a sower in the distance. And then he says, hey, look at the birds. They don't toil there. They don't worry.
They don't get stressed out. And yet, no bird has ever been given the hope of heaven. Yet they get up every morning. Singing? The birds gather their food every day.
They do their diligence.
Some birds get their food from the sea. Others get it from the ground. The rest hang on at McDonald's and wait for the fries to hit the ground.
So the birds get out there and they get their food.
So, Jesus is not saying don't think about these things. He's saying, don't get stressed about it. The birds aren't stressed. Why should you be? Have you heard this poem about birds?
Said the robin to the sparrow, I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so. Said the sparrow to the robin, Friend, I think that it must be That they have no heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.
Well, actually, we do have that Heavenly Father. Who's promised to take care of us? And if he takes care of little birds, will he not also take care of you? His second illustration is about flowers. Verse 28, why do you worry about clothing?
Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't work. They don't make their clothing. Yet Solomon in all of his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. Jesus is saying, even King Solomon.
dressed in royal robes in his lavish palace, with pieces of furniture overlaid with gold, did not have the beauty of the wild flowers of Galilee. And he's saying, look. Why do you stress so much about the way that you look? Why do you get so concerned about your wardrobe? You know, we'll think so much about an outfit and putting the right outfit together and looking a certain way.
Or we Photoshop ourselves and we want to look a certain way. And here's what Jesus is saying. Don't be obsessed with those things.
Now, having said that, you can go too far the other way.
Some people need to think more about the way they look. And I'm looking at you right now. I'm actually. You know no, I'm not. But uh Give a little more thought to it.
Jesus is not saying don't think about the way that you look. What he is saying is don't be obsessed with these things. especially at the expense of spiritual things. Point number four, worry does not make life longer. It just makes it more miserable.
Worry does not make life longer, it just makes it more miserable. And I would add this: worry does not resolve problems. It simply creates new ones. Look at verse 27. Can all your worries At a single moment to your life, How many of you, through worry and anxiety, can extend the length of your life?
Answer, no one. In fact, worry may actually shorten your life.
Some people are trying to extend their lives using the latest technology. I read an article in a newsfeed the other day about a number of billionaires who are trying to find a cure for aging. One well-known billionaire wants to have a computer chip strapped to his brain.
So a little artificial intelligence there. Other billionaires were having blood transfusions from healthy young people between ages 16 and 25. They felt by getting this transfusion of blood from young people could reverse aging. Instead, what happened to them is they wanted to move back into their parents' house. Play video games.
And some wanted more avocado toast.
So I don't know. You explain these things to me. But they think that's going to actually reverse aging. Actually, we know also that one Silicon Valley billionaire is investing in a startup that promises to upload your brain into computer. And thus, he thinks it will grant eternal life to your consciousness.
Crazy stuff. These things are not going to extend your life. God determines the date of your birth and the date of your death. You do not determine that. But you have everything to say about the dash in the middle.
That's your part. The rest is God's part. Um Helpful biblical insight today from Pastor Greg Laurie and his practical message: God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry, Part 3. Glad you've joined us today, here on a new beginning, and Pastor Gregg has an important closing thought from his message in just a moment or two.
Now, maybe this kind of reassurance is new to you. You are unaware of the way God takes care of His own. Have you ever come to the Lord and entered into a relationship with Him? Maybe today's study has made you aware of the need to do that.
Well, Pastor Greg, what would you say to someone who wants to make that change right now? What I would say is. He is only a prayer way. Which means if you will call upon the name of the Lord right now through prayer, He will hear your prayer and answer your prayer. Listen, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, just pray this prayer right now after me.
Just pray, Lord Jesus. I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Saviour. who died on the cross for my sin. and rose again from the dead.
I turn from my sin now. and I choose to follow you. From this moment forward as my Savior and Lord, as my as my God and my friend. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Amen. Listen, if you have just prayed that prayer and meant those words sincerely. We want to welcome you into the family of God. Let us help you get started walking each day with the Lord. Pastor Gregg wants to send you his New Believer's Bible, absolutely free.
It explains the basics of the faith, and Pastor Gregg's notes are practical and easy to follow. Just let us know you've prayed with Pastor Gregg and that you want the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call any time, again at 1-800-821-3300. or go online to harvest.org and click the words Know God. And then, thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue.
Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online, you'll find us at harvest.org. And there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now.
That's harvest.org. Or write us at a new beginning box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-332. 3300.
Well, next time, join us for the finale of Pastor Gregg's series called God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry. But before we go, a Pastor Gregg closes our time together this way. I like what Corey Tinboom once said: quote: Life is not measured by its duration. But by its donation. Don't worry so much about how long you will live.
Think instead about how you are living. And what you're doing. With this precious commodity called time that God gives to each and every one of us every day. Every single morning, God deposits into your bank of time. 86,400 seconds.
are 1,440 minutes, which equal 24 hours. You choose how to spend those minutes. Nothing will be carried over to the next day on credit. You have to spend it and what you don't spend is forfeited forever. This is a day, the day when life begins.
