God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety & Worry, Part 3 | Good Encouragement

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Learn more and sign up 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 worry.

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. 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. 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 had parakeets and cockatiels and parrots and lovebirds and all these different birds, and they're so fascinating. 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've never seen a bird popping a volume.

Have you? 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 little leaves 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 nonbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all of your needs. Now a 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. Well how practical are those words given to us by Christ 2,000 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 believer should not worry. Now know Jesus was not saying that Christians 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 men 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. Sent 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.

And 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 that 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 is going to happen to me externally but I can control my reaction to it. That is 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 is a virtue to worry. But it isn't.

But it isn't. 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 is a sin I have committed on more than one occasion. And really what is worry.

It is 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 will get a little handful of them and I like to take them all in one gulp. So I will throw them in my mouth and get a little bit of water and in one gulp will this one doggone vitamin C pill got turned sideways in my throat. And I am in my house with two of my grandchildren and I am choking choking.

There is Papa. Are you okay? And I am 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 is frustrating.

That is choking. And that is what worry can do to you as well. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. It's a joy to hear when these studies have truly impacted lives.

Listen to these comments from our listeners. Hi Pastor Greg. I started coming to your church when I was 28. I was on drugs at that time but after hearing your messages I never touched a drug again. I'm now 57 years old and am very thankful for you. Pastor Greg, your teaching of the Word of God totally changed the direction of my life. It's 30 years and counting now.

No turning back. Thank you. If you have a story to share why not call us and give us all the details. Here's the number. 1-866-871-1144. It's a special number for this purpose.

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 am really doubting God. The prophet Daniel had this great trust in God. Daniel 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 his 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 the law. And it went into 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 a lion's den 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. Birds should not worry.

Why should we? Verse 26. Look at the birds. 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. 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. And 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 out 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 is 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 is 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 will 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 is 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 am looking at you right now. I am actually.

No I am not. But 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 in 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 news feed 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. 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 Greg has an important closing thought from this message in just a moment. Well it's a real privilege to have some special guests in the studio today. Joining Pastor Greg and me are Kathy Laurie and Shannon Bream, anchor of Fox News Sunday and the chief legal correspondent for Fox News. And she's written a brand new book called The Love Stories of the Bible Speak. And Kathy I know you're really excited about this.

Oh my goodness. Shannon, thank you for writing this book. It is amazing the number and the selection of couples and situations that you're representing in this book. So important for us to read deeply in the Scriptures. And there are passages sometimes that we come across that we really don't understand. And one of the ones that I think is so fascinating has been made into a movie recently, right, is the story of Hosea and Gomer. There's a story behind the story, right? But can you talk a little bit about that story in particular?

Yeah, and this one I think is so hard to understand sometimes, so painful. So Hosea was a prophet and, you know, often they weren't popular with their people. They had tough things to say from God. Israel was in a place where they were away.

They were drifting at this time, as they often did, as we often do. And they weren't in a great place. And so God asked him to go take a woman of a promiscuous ill reputation and marry her and that he was going to give a picture of Israel and God's relationship through this difficult relationship. So Hosea, you know, we don't see any hesitation in Scripture. He does what God asks. He marries this woman. They have children and the names of these children are heartbreaking, like, not my people, you are not loved, these kinds of things. And what God is doing in working through this passage, he talks both about them, but also about Israel, that she's been unfaithful to me, she has credited her lovers that she's chased with the blessings I've actually given her. And so this all plays out through Hosea and Gomer as she drifts away from him and is unfaithful again. And God says, go get her and redeem her. And he does, he buys her out of whatever debt or slavery that she was in. And God doesn't just say go get her. He says, love her.

And he doesn't say, wait until she's cleaned up her act, you go get her now. So we don't know what she was up to at the time he went and got her. But God used it to show that he would redeem Israel and that he would love them again, they would be his children again.

But man, Hosea's willingness to go through this really unpleasant marriage, I'm sure. But to show that there's redemption when we continue to love and reach out to those who have not always been faithful and good to us. You're listening to Shannon Breen was written a brand new book called The Love Stories of the Bible Speak, subtitled Biblical Lessons on Romance, Friendship, and Faith. And we're making this book available to you this month for your gift of any size. Yeah, Shannon highlights more than a dozen relationships in Scripture, including Adam and Eve, David and Abigail, Ruth and Boaz, Mary and Joseph, and many others.

We learn so much about the different aspects of love spoken of in Scripture. We'd like to send this new book your way to thank you for partnering with us so these daily studies can keep coming your way. We're completely listener-supported, so ask for The Love Stories of the Bible Speak as you donate today. And today is the last day for us to mention this resource, so be sure to contact us right away.

You can call us at 1-800-821-3300, call anytime 1-800-821-3300, or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514, or just go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, join us for the finale of Pastor Greg's series, God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry. But before we go, Pastor Greg closes our time together this way. I like what Corrie Tynboom 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, or 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. A New Beginning is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. If this show has impacted your life, share your story, leave a review on your favorite podcast app, and help others find hope.