Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.
On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Faith is an attitude we choose in life. And it's the attitude choice that we're talking about today in our series, Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life. Today, we're going to talk about that conscious choice we have to make when troubling situations come into our life. We choose faith over worry. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. What's on the top of your worry list today?
Maybe it's a medical condition, a financial problem, or a relationship that seems to be in constant conflict. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress challenges us to make our worry list our prayer list and let God turn our fears into peace. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Over the past few years, we've developed a number of creative tools to help you grow deeper in your walk with God. And I'm convinced that one of our best kept secrets is the publication we developed for you called Pathway Magazine. Pathway Magazine contains daily devotional readings, feature articles about your Christian walk, and a variety of other fascinating features.
It's printed in a convenient size and sent directly to your home. And to help you get started, I'm prepared to send you three issues at no cost just by getting in touch at ptv.org. Click the link at the top of our web page that says Pathway Magazine. Well, our current study is titled Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life. And this series represents the core purpose of the Christian faith, and that is allowing God's Word to change your life. But as a pastor and Bible teacher, I find that people often feel stuck.
They want to change, but they can't seem to get any traction. Well, I'm convinced that true life change begins with our attitude. I've written a practical book on this topic in which I present 11 ways to change your life. The book is titled Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life. And when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll make sure you receive your copy.
I'll tell you more about my book and other resources later in today's program. But right now, let's get started in our study of God's Word together. I titled today's message, Choosing Faith Over Worry. Now, before we talk about how to choose faith in our life, let's look at some common causes of worry.
Cause number one, a wrong value system. Most worry involves a fear of losing something important to us. Whenever your heart, your affections are built around things that can be taken from you, there's going to be a low-grade anxiety that consumes your life. And that's why Jesus said in Matthew 6 verses 19 and 20, do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, for thieves break in and steal.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Sometimes our anxiety reveals a wrong, not a sinful, but just a wrong value system, building our affection around the temporal instead of the eternal. A second cause of worry in our life can be unconfessed sin. Whenever we are consistently and willfully disobeying God, the byproduct of that disobedience is anxiety, worry.
There's a third cause that we don't talk about often. Some of our worry is the direct result of satanic attack in our life. Now I know that sounds extreme, so don't write me off before I explain what I mean by this. You know, in Ephesians chapter 6, Paul describes the spiritual armor that is available to every Christian to fight against Satan's attack. Remember, Paul reminds us that our struggle in life is not against flesh and blood. It's really not against other people.
We think it is. We think our struggle is against our maid or our children or our employer or somebody else. No, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, Paul says, but against the unseen forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Spiritual warfare demands spiritual weapons. And remember in verse 16, he describes one of those pieces of armor available to us. In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. What does Paul mean, the shield of faith? Well, a Roman soldier had this shield made of wood. It was about two and a half feet wide, four and a half feet long, and it would be covered in leather.
