Worry has a way of paralyzing us keeping us from moving forward in what we know God wants us to do
listen to me at the bottom the basis for all anxiety in our life
is this calculating without God calculating without God
when you get to the root of why you are worrying it is calculating without God
we get concerned about our children we get concerned about our health or our financial future
we get concerned about our dreams and our goals and we keep thinking about what if what if what
if what if what if but with all of our plans and calculations we forget God we forget God you know
I think about the life of Joseph and so many times Joseph found himself in an impossible situation
and then you find those words in scripture but God but God this was happening to Joseph
but God intervened in his situation but you know one thing I've discovered is it really doesn't
matter what the size is whatever you're worrying about whether it's big or small if
you don't deal with it properly it can consume your complete thoughts and all of your energy
somebody has said that worry is like a thin stream trickling through the mind if left unchecked
it cuts a deep channel into which all other thoughts are drained uh
worry can absolutely separate you from the life God has intended for you what matters is not the
size of the object you're worrying about but your focus Corey Ten Boom that great saint of
God said one time worry does not empty tomorrow of its troubles it empty today of its strength
when problems come into your life you can't control that necessarily
but you get to decide how you're going to label those problems you can decide whether you're
going to have the final say or you're going to let Christ have the final say let the peace of
Christ let Jesus have the final say about that challenge that's coming into your life
if you're in charge then you're on the throne of your life you're the one trying to manage it
you're trying to make sense of it or you can say Christ I'm gonna let you handle this problem I'm
going to let you have the final say I'm going to trust your promise that nothing comes into my life
except according to the perfect and loving plan of God there are spiritual consequences when you
allow fear which is really allowing yourself to have the final say in your life rather than Jesus
Christ here's something to consider when I don't understand what is happening fall back in what I
do understand let me say that again and direct it toward you when you don't understand what is
happening fall back on what you do understand so what don't you understand well whatever it
is you're facing whatever hardship difficulty why why why we ask okay fall back on what you do
understand what do I know well if I'm a Christian I know my sin is forgiven right if I'm a Christian
I know that one day I'll go to heaven if I'm a Christian I know that God is in control of my life
and if I'm a Christian I know that god loves me and if I'm a believer I know that all things work
together for good to those who love God another called according to his purpose so though I
don't understand these circumstances I'm going to fall back now on what I do understand and I have
found that when those what if questions start rolling through your mind I like to go back to
what I do understand what I know is true so here's something to consider I love this little verse
so much packed into one verse of scripture Luke 12 32 Jesus said fear not little flock
it is your father's good pleasure to give to you the kingdom we learn a lot from that verse
number one fear not little flock so my point is this God is our shepherd and we are a sheep
so why should I not be afraid because he is my shepherd watching over me but he's also
my father caring for me and I can approach him at any time with whatever
is troubling me and he will listen so when you're filled with anxiety and fear and worry
because of a problem you're facing consider this God is bigger than your problem and if you have
a big God you have a relatively small problem and if you have a big problem do you realize
how big your God actually is and so he's your king who's in control of your life maybe you're sinking
right now you're filled with fear and anxiety and worry you feel defeated or maybe there's somebody
that has a marriage that's unraveling you think I don't think there's any hope for my marriage
or there's somebody else that's dealing with some other problem but you need to call out to
the Lord and remember that God is in control of your life we don't know what the future holds
we should plan and we should make our plans but but ultimately only God knows what's ahead
only God knows what is ahead for us how many even know that's how life is sometimes sometimes it's
dark all around us all we can see is the step ahead of us and listen you need to write this
down your perspective is limited but you got to trust God anyway your perspective is limited but
you got to trust God anyway it's always going to be limited you start a business you're going
to have a limited you're going to have limited facts you're raising a family there's going to be
there's going to be limited information there's going to be limited information and and uh you
know you you think as a parent you're prepared and then you go through another season and and then
you know you think as a husband and wife you're prepared and then you walk through another season
your perspective is limited but you got to trust God that's why over and over again season after
season you turn to God you give it to God over and over again season after season you turn it over to
God you give it to God come on somebody first Peter chapter 5 7 cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you this word cast that Peter uses in the original language the Greek language
is literally like throwing something you get you're just you're throwing it up to God's like
like throw it like throwing throwing the ball with with God just throw it to him
give it to him you have this set back and you have this challenge and you want to you want to give
up and you want to quit but you but you you're staying in it and you're building it come on
the struggle listen to me the struggle is real but it's necessary struggle is real but it's necessary
if you want to become everything god has called you to become and here's what I've learned listen
when it comes to the struggle with every struggle there's this fork in the road and and and it looks
like this are you gonna are you gonna give in to fear are you gonna give in to worry are you gonna
give in to anxiety are you gonna sit down are you gonna are you gonna let fear uh paralyze you
are you gonna give up you're going to go back you're going to quit what are you going to do or
or or the other path is I'm going I'm going to face the fear I'm going to face the challenges
I'm going to face the anxiety but I'm going to press forward and keep moving forward in faith