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. If you don't want to live in anxiety, fear, and worry, put the matter in God's hands. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that God invites us to cast our cares on Him. He's more than capable of handling them, and He assures us that He cares.
So at night when you're going to bed, you say, Well, Lord, Here's this problem, here's that problem, and there's five more. Here you go. I'm going to sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning. That's exactly what you should do.
This is the day we- The lost off town. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing graves now sweet the sound. But can you hear all the ancients are singing? This is the day, the day will lie in.
Worry can burn through our minds like a forest fire. It consumes our sense of peace and well-being, our emotional equilibrium and passion, our entire outlook on the day. What extinguishes that fire that tries to burn through our serenity? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie answers that question. We'll see, prayer can keep us from worry.
But we have to have perseverance because worry can keep us from prayer. Glad you're along today for a practical study. Why don't you grab your Bibles and turn to Two passages today. They're going to be Matthew chapter 6 and Philippians chapter 4. Matthew 6, Philippians 4.
This is part three of a three-part series I were calling God's Answer to Fear, Worry, and Anxiety. You know, 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. Matthew 6, 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 or at least make it more miserable.
I have a friend who's a doctor who heard my message last Sunday. and came up to me and said you know greg you were talking about how Medical scientists and others have said that worry and anxiety can shorten your life. And he said there's actually a condition for that, and it's called broken heart syndrome. And I'd never heard about that before, and it's also known as octopus heart, of all things. because it affects the shape of the heart.
What happens is sudden bad news. Can cause fear, fright, or anxiety. It takes hold of you, and the tip of your heart enlarges immediately, and it results in chest pain, depression, heart failure, and even death.
So sudden bad news. Maybe the sudden death of a loved one. Maybe a car accident. Maybe some other traumatic event. That happened to you.
Interestingly, I read that one of the things that can also cause this is public speaking.
So for some. It could be a terrifying thing, but whatever it is that frightens you, it overwhelms you at that very moment. And so, Worry does not lengthen your life. It can actually shorten your life. Worry is an indication of a lack of faith.
Look here at Matthew chapter 6, verse 30. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Notice Jesus did not say you have no faith. He said, you have little faith.
And because some are weak spiritually or have little faith, they're prone to worry and anxiety. They're always stressed out. They're always worried. They're always defeated. They're sort of like those little chihuahuas.
Have you ever seen a chill chihuahua? They're always shaking, shaking, shaking, you know. They're just perpetually nervous. Why? Because they know I just look like a rat.
And no one loves me. They even know cats are better than me. I'm like, I don't know. Always shaking, but some people are that way, aren't they? Oh, what if this happens?
What if that happens? And what if that happens after this happens? And they work themselves up into these frenzies and. You can control that. You don't have to live that way.
It's because your faith is small, so make your faith big. Make your faith stronger. You say, well, how do you do that? You grow in faith by what you're doing right now. Studying and believing the word of God.
Your faith grows by hearing God's word and acting on it. Romans 10, 17 says, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. When I listen to God's word, It puts everything in perspective. I see God for who he is. I see life.
with all of its challenges for what it is. I see everything as I ought to see it.
Okay, so don't worry, I got that. What should I do instead of worry? Trade your worry for worship. Put God and his word first in your life.
Now here's a very familiar verse, Matthew 6.33. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Well, what does that mean to seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness? To seek first means to seek it. principally above everything else. Give it priority. Have you ever lost something?
Let me put it another way. Have you misplaced your cell phone? That's kind of a big deal, isn't it?
So the other day I was driving with my wife. I said, where's my cell phone? She said, I don't know. I said, for that matter, where's my wallet? Oh no, I've lost my cell phone and my wallet.
Well, we called my wallet, which I can do because I have a little device in it called a tile. And by the way, I'm going to try to attach it to my brain later. But anyway, my tiles battery is low, so it wasn't working.
So we said, well, let's try to find the phone.
So we use the find my phone feature. And boy, sure enough, boom, it just showed up at a certain spot.
So we're driving along. It's along the road, like almost a highway. And we're driving along. Kathy says, It's a little further. It's a little further.
Stop right now. Look. And there it was. It had bounced a few times. My phone, right next to it, my wallet with my credit cards laying on the ground.
We scooped them all up. Gave thanks to God. And on we went. We sought it out. We were going to find it no matter what.
And this is the idea of put God's kingdom first. Don't give up on this. Seek it above all things. Listen, if you don't want to live in anxiety, fear, and worry, put the matter in God's hands. I like what Martin Luther said, quote.
Pray and let God worry. That's good, isn't it? Do you think God worries? I don't.
So at night when you're going to bed, you say, Well, Lord. Here's this problem, here's that problem, and here's five more. Here you go. I'm going to sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning.
That's exactly what you should do. It's in God's hands. Place it in God's hands. See, often we turn to people for help. And we forget that we need to turn to the Lord for help.
Now, notice this. Paul says. that we should turn these things over to God. Because he is in control, and he is the one that wants to help us with these issues.
Now, let's flip over to Philippians chapter 4. And our next point is Turn your panic into prayer. Turn your panic into prayer so the next time you're tempted to worry. Pray instead. Look at Philippians 4:6.
Don't worry about anything. But in everything, my parents' supplication with thanksgiving, maybe underline that. Let your request be made known to God in the peace of God that surpasses all. All understanding. We'll guard your hearts and your minds.
through Christ Jesus.
So you put it in God's hands. Notice he says, in everything. By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. He doesn't say, and only the big scary things. He says in everything.
So, because guess what? Little things become big things. How many of you have children? Raise your hand up. How many of you have children under the age of eight?
Raise your hand up. How many of you have children over the age of 12? Raise your hand up. Okay, you guys really need to be praying a lot right now. You know, when you have a teenager or a young adult.
A lot of new problems develop. They face a lot of temptations, a lot of challenges. And you do as well as a parent. Let me say a word to you, parents of younger children. Start praying for your children when they're small.
Because one day when they're older, you will have laid a foundation in their life. Pray for them when they're young and now pray for them when they're older. Pray for little things. Pray for big things. Pray for everything.
The Bible says, in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. Notice he says thanksgiving. We need to spend more time in our prayer in thanksgiving. And maybe not as much in petition. I'm not suggesting you not pray for things.
What I'm saying is, spend time giving glory to God first. It might even affect the things you pray for after. In fact, I'm sure it will. Um Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We're thrilled when we hear from listeners that join us from every background, every profession, every age.
Hi, Pastor Greg. I'm 11 years old and I listen to your podcast almost every day. It has helped me so much, especially with things like guilt and forgiveness. Thank you so much, and bless you. Has Pastor Greg heard from you?
Why not drop them an email and share your story? Send it to Greg at harvest.org. Again, that's Greg at harvest.org. And now, Pastor Gregg continues his message called God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry, Part 3. Here's my last point.
Replace thoughts of anxiety, worry, and panic with godly thoughts. Replace thoughts of anxiety, worry, and panic with godly thoughts. Look at Philippians 4 verse 8. Finally, brothers. whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble.
Whatsoever things are just and pure. and lovely. Whatsoever things are of good report. If there's any virtue. If there's anything praiseworthy.
Meditate on these things. Listen. Maintaining personal peace involves both the heart and the mind. Isaiah 26, 3 says, You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Why do thoughts matter?
Because what we think about ultimately affects what we do. Proverbs 23, 7 says, as a man thinks, so is he. Guard your mind, people. Protect your mind. Think about what you're going to put in there.
Think about this thing that I'm going to watch right now on Netflix. Think about this thing that I'm going to download and listen to. Think about this place I'm going to go. Think about this thing I'm about to do. Is this going to build me up or tear me down spiritually?
Think about that thing that I'm going to put in my mind. Because it's going to affect me ultimately in my actions. And so we need to think about godly things more. And we need to think biblically. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, Bring every thought into captivity of the obedience of Jesus Christ.
Memorize scripture. Fill your mind with the word of God, and it will be there to strengthen you in your time of need. These promises are amazing. Everybody has trouble in life. The rain falls, the Bible says, on the just and the unjust.
Non-believers have tragedies happen to them. And tragedies happen to Christians as well. Christians get cancer. Christians die in automobile accidents. Christians lose loved ones unexpectedly.
Christians face every kind of hardship, but here's the difference. The non-believer, what do they have to turn to? We have God to turn to, and He wants to hear our prayer and will help us in our time of need. It's so wonderful to know. My doctor friend who told me about that broken heart syndrome.
Said, I was listening to your message today, and I just thought I wish I could say to more of my patients: when bad news comes, when hardship comes, call out to God. See, that's what we can do. We can call out to God, Lord, here's my problem. It's bigger than me. I don't know what to do.
It's scary. I'm afraid. But you're greater, and you're bigger, and you love me.
So here it is. And I throw it right up to heaven. And he takes it from me. Because what did Jesus say? Come to me, all of you who are laboring and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
He wants a take care problem. I don't know about you, but when I travel, I always overpack. And I don't like to check my luggage, I like to go carry-on. Which means I am that obnoxious guy trying to cram my bag into the overhead of the plane, right? I always put too much in it.
It's always a little too big.
So sometimes if I'm walking along with some heavy bag and someone says, let me give you a hand with that, I'll say, well, thank you very much.
So here we are in life, pulling all these problems behind us, all of these burdens, and along comes Jesus and says, Let me help you with that. Oh, I can do it myself. Really? I'll carry the whole lot for you. Give it to them.
What are you facing right now? What burden have you come in with today? What is troubling you?
Something's concerning you.
Some anxiety, some fear. Commit it to the Lord. And listen, if you're not a Christian, You need to be. Why? Because these promises are for believers only.
Only the man or the woman who's put their faith in Jesus. You say, well, what does that even mean? I think I'm a Christian. I come from a Christian family. That doesn't make you a Christian.
There has to be a moment in your life where you realize you're a sinner. In need of a savior. Let me put it another way. Talking about the beach. If you're out on the ocean and you're drowning, If you see a lifeguard, you need to cry out for help.
And Jesus is ready to rescue you. He's ready to save you. And I love the fact that the Bible uses the word saved a lot. By grace we've been saved through faith. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Saved. That's what God wants to do. He wants to save you from your sins, forgive you. Of all the awful things you've done and wipe your slate clean and give you a fresh. Life, a new life.
But you must come to him. and admit your sin. And be sorry for it. and then put your faith in Jesus and throw all of your burdens on him. I'll close with this.
I remember as a young man But I came to Christ. I was 17 years old. This was 10 years ago. And a few more years. I went forward at a meeting and I prayed a prayer with Christians and asked Jesus into my life.
I really didn't know what I was doing. But I do remember this very distinctly. I remember I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of me.
Now, what kind of a weight could a 17-year-old be carrying?
Well, I guess a pretty heavy one. Because it was like lifted off of me. It was my guilt. It was my sin. It was all the things that I'd done wrong that I guess I'd grown so accustomed to, I didn't even know it was there.
I just carried it around every day, that weight of sin. And when I prayed, it was like relief. The pressure was lifted. The sin was removed. And God can do that for you today.
Jesus died on that cross and he rose again from the dead. And he stands now at the door of your life and he knocks. And if you will hear his voice and open the door, he'll come in. Do you need Jesus in your life? In a moment, we're going to pray, and I'll extend an invitation for anyone here.
That wants their sin forgiven, that wants the burdens of life lifted, that wants a fresh start, it can happen for you right here, right now. Let's all bow our heads and pray, Father. Speak to every person here. And every person that is watching and listening, wherever they are, show them their need for Jesus and help them to come to you and believe today, we pray. Amen.
Pastor Greg Laurie, with an important prayer about coming to the Lord to find forgiveness of sins. And if you'd like to do that, Pastor Greg will help you in just a moment before today's edition of A New Beginning concludes. Are you receiving Pastor Gregg's daily devotions each day via email? If not, let's take care of that right now. You can sign up today, free of charge, at harvest.org.
And you'll receive a daily inspirational thought from God's Word each day in your inbox. Again, go to harvest.org.
Well, Pastor Gregg, a few moments ago, you spoke of the need to get our hearts right with God. Could you help someone who wants to do that right now? Yes, I'd be delighted to. Listen, as you've listened to this program today, Maybe something's been happening inside of your heart where you're sensing. I need to do this personally, but...
How do I do it? And what do I do? Let me help you. It's very simple. In fact, it's so simple you may be shocked.
God, this relationship with Him is just a prayer away. The Bible says, if you will call upon the name of the Lord, you'll be saved.
So I'd like to lead you in a prayer where you do just that: you call on the name of the Lord. You know, sometimes when I'm talking with someone one-on-one and they want to accept Jesus Christ, I'll have them pray a prayer after me. Maybe you'd like to do that right now. Thousands have done this over the years listening to our broadcast, and the Lord has changed our lives. And it can happen for you right now.
This can be the moment where you change your eternal address. literally from hell to heaven. I'll pray a simple prayer, and I would just ask you to pray this prayer out loud if you like. After me, just pray these words: Lord Jesus. I know that I'm a sinner.
But I know that you're the Saviour. who died on the cross for me. and rose again from the dead, Jesus, I choose to follow you From this moment forward, In your name I pray. Amen. I know.
It's such a simple short prayer. But you just called on the name of the Lord. And you know what? He heard that prayer. And if you meant that prayer in your heart, he answered that prayer.
Now let me help you to get started on the right foot in your new life in Jesus Christ. The greatest adventure awaits you: the life of walking with God. I want to send you what we call a new believers growth pack. What is that?
Well, first of all, it's a copy of the New New Believers Bible. And by that, I mean we have redone this from ground level up. I've rewritten the notes. And it's a new living translation with a lot of notes on how to grow spiritually woven through this unique edition of scripture.
So I'll send you the new believers pack that includes a new believer's Bible and a whole lot more. And let me be the first to say to you: congratulations and welcome to the family of God. Yeah, that's right. And to get that free New Believers Growth Pack, which includes the New Believers Bible, Just ask for it if you've prayed along with Pastor Greg to receive Christ today. We'll be glad to send one your way.
Just call 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. or write a new beginning box 4000. Riverside, California 92514.
or go online to harvest.org and click No God. And, Pastor Greg, we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We're touching lives for eternity. And we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further, isn't that right? Absolutely.
When you invest in harvest ministries, you're not going to be able to invest You're investing in the souls of men and women. boys and girls, and what is the value of a soul?
Well, let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife? your son or your daughter. Or your mommy, your dad?
Or your best friend.
Well, I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable.
Well, listen, God says all souls are mine. God loves us and sent his Son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sins so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with Him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, Than in the work of the kingdom of God.
So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in harvest ministries. As we continue on to fulfill the great commission. Yeah, that's right. And you can make your donation right now at harvest.org. or write us at a new beginning box 4000.
Riverside, California, 92514. or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300.
Well next time we follow along as David the Shepherd Boy. encounters a 9 foot, 6 inch giant named Goliath. Pastor Gregg begins a series considering the heroes of the Bible. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Lord. This is a day, the day when life begins.
