Are you a good worrier because I know how to worry and I've learned this that worship is worry
in reverse if you can worry you can worship if you can worry yourself into a problem by your own fear
and by your own worry you can worship yourself into a place where you understand how great God is
so the first thing I want to say is this that worry releases fear that's what worry does the
more you worry the more fear grows in your life but when you turn away from worry and you start
to realize that worry is something that we're delivered from that's when we're free from worry
we're free from all that and we we replace worry with worship things begin to change and that's
what worship does when you worship in the midst of your environment that's not going well when you
worship God your faith will grow it will it will start to grow and you start to energize your life
by seeing that kick in you see it's like this what your worry does is it restrains God that's what
worry does worry restrains God and this is what it does if you restrain God darkness is going to grow
now we have authority in Jesus we have authority in Christ but the more we worry the more we give
ground to the devil and the more the devil has a deeper place in our lives he gets stronger
he starts to get fear into us palpitations heart palpitations nervous all these different
things it starts to grow in our life this is what he does so the devil gets stronger
as we worry more all's the believer needs to do to take authority over this is to realize
that worship restrains the darkness when you worship God you take authority over the devil
that's why the bible says the devil is under our feet
but we forget that because we don't worship God and so we allow our worry to release darkness
and darkness has free reign to roam in our life to tempt us to bring addictions and bad lifestyles
and bad habits and all those other things but the minute the believer begins to worship the devil
is bound again you got the picture when you make a conscious choice I'm not going to worry anymore
I'm going to worship every time I feel worry I'm going to worship every time I feel fear
come I'm gonna worship every time I think about my teenagers I'm gonna worship every time I think
about my job and my lack of economic status I'm gonna worship that's what we can do and if we
can engage that things can change but how many of you have wasted a significant amount of time
a lot of energy sleep finances due to worry in your life we all have maybe you just received a
diagnosis of some kind and man in every moment of the day it seems to consume your thoughts what's
going to happen to me what am I going to do or maybe you went into work one day and found out
that your your company had had downsized and your position or your office was one of the ones they
were doing away with and because of your age or education or experience or the market that
you're in finding another job especially that salary is just going to be difficult
you're thinking man what am I going to do when you're driving to work in the morning when you're
driving home at the end of the day maybe when your head hits the pillow at night what are
the thoughts that are knocking around in your mind well regardless of the the source of your
worry whatever it's rooted in the bible speaks to it in the same way in Matthew 6 it says this
therefore I tell you do not worry about your life what you will eat or drink or about your body
what you will wear is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes
look at the birds of the air they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly
father feeds them are you not much more valuable than they can any of you by worrying at a single
hour to your life Philippians 4:6 goes on to say something similar it says do not be anxious
about anything but in everything every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present
your request to God see worry is rooted in doubt and insecurity in fear and in self
doubt insecurity fear and self while worship on the other hand is rooted in confidence and
security in love and in God when I when I worry I ask questions like what's going to happen to me
what are we going to do what are people going to think about me are things ever going to be the
same again but when we worship when we see things from God's perspective it changes everything about
ours because instead of being focused on who I am and what I'm capable of I focus on God and who he
is and what he's capable of instead of having to face my limitations I'm reminded that he is a God
that can do immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine that he is my creator the author and giver
of life that he's with me that will never leave me nor forsake me and there is no season or struggle
that I'm ever going to walk through where he is not bigger or greater or worthy to be worshipped
see the reality is that worry is a pattern of this world a consequence of sin that we've walked in
for a long time but the bible tells us it does not have to be that way and so many times when we
face these moments of difficulties in our life the temptation at least for me and maybe it's true of
you is to worry to worry see we will worry about those things in which we have no control over
most of the things in this life that we choose to worry about these difficult
situations these hardships were things that we worry about that we really have no control over
instead of worrying about that which we cannot control
in those moments let us worship the one who is ultimately in control
in the midst of whatever it is that you're going through in this life or whatever it is that you
will go through can I challenge you to take your eyes off of the problem and place them on the Lord
turn your attention from your problem because you can't control it
and instead place your attention on the one who is ultimately in control
can I challenge you as I challenge myself that when we're in these tough times of life let us
remember let us recall God's faithfulness we all know that when we're in the midst of a problem we
can all we would just step back and pause and just remember and recall how God was faithful
at a certain part in our life before and if he was faithful then he'll be faithful now
and he's faithful now as long as we live he'll continue to be faithful why because that is his
character and he can't go against his character now through that process it may not always end
the way we want it to end it may not always look or feel like we'd like it to to look
and feel but at the end of the day God is going to do what only God can and desires to do
but he's faithful so in the midst of our problems let us remember that let us look
to him and remember and recall his faithfulness and if he delivered me then he will deliver me now
so many of us try to fight the devil we try to deal with sin in our own strength
and I know how that story ends and it's never well
but when we allow God for the work of the Holy Spirit Christ in our life we allow that strength
to be with us and we realize that that it's not just me but no it's his strength in me
I've got a chance I've got a real good chance
and so we need to realize acknowledge your problems before God but also be willing to
acknowledge your inadequacies he says we do not know what to do has your problems in this
life ever brought you to that statement I just don't know what to do I don't know what to do
but at the end of the day what does he say but our eyes are on you see there's moments in his
life would you you and I won't know what to do and all we can do is put our eyes on him
and believe and trust that he has got what's best for us even if it doesn't make sense so when I
think about this issue of worshiping the one who's in control instead of worrying about all these
things that are out of our control I believe it comes down to just trusting in God trusting in God
see there's nothing that will establish the heart of an individual while going through shaky times
then believing in God's mercy believing in God's power and ultimately believing in God's promises
and can I tell you whatever it is that you came into this room with today whatever battle it
is that you're battling can I tell you from the word of God it is not yours but it's his
Lord help us all to worship
and not worry you got a problem it's called anxiety here's the solution it's called prayer
what's the result of prayer peace do you know what the payoff to prayer is peace I have a
sense tonight that if I could convince you that the payoff to prayer was peace some of you would
start praying more what the scripture says is that when we go to God in prayer what happens is
we don't get man's peace we get the peace of God the peace of God is interesting because according
to the scripture the peace of God transcends all understanding meaning that God's peace is superior
to your earthly situation a good translation of this verse is God's peace is illogical
so if you have a situation that doesn't make sense good news your God has peace
that doesn't make sense anytime anxiety comes pray pray first it's funny because some of us
were hearing this message right now dude this pastor he's old school this is super cliché
the people that think that prayer is cliché are people that don't pray pray first do all the stuff
just pray first we live in an age of anxiety we write books on peace of mind and they sell like
hotcakes why because we're searching for in a book what we do not have in our lives so what is peace
what is peace first start with peace is precious the ancient poetess has said heap
upon other men the treasures of this world but give to me the treasure of the untroubled heart
the point is there are many things we desire we desire health and love and riches and beauty
and talent and fame and power but without peace of mind all of those things bring nothing but torment
if we have peace no matter what else we may lack life is beautiful without peace
a palace of gold is still a penitentiary God allows these problems in our lives and then he
orchestrates the circumstances so that he can show us his strength in the midst of it God's purpose
in your life and in mind is not to make all our trouble go away but to show us that in the midst
of our trouble and in the midst of our stress and in the midst of our anxiety he is enough
and when we find that out we are so rich we can get up every day with confidence amen but we can
say I don't know what's going to happen today but here's what I know my God is enough and
uh every time I think of something in my life that's challenging I just sing that little song
my God is bigger than this and he is but let me ask you a question how do you find that out
unless you have trouble in your life God allows trouble in our lives to show us how strong he is
in the midst of it all I've discovered that when I'm under pressure it's easy for me to
skip right to my issues and forget about the God to whom I am praying but when I pray and I
worship God here's what happens God grows in my life until my problems are put into perspective
Jesus said therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own thing
sufficient for the day is its own trouble think about it the past exists only as a mere memory
the future exists only in the imagination only the present exists in true reality so why do
we ruin the only moment of existence we have by pulling trouble from non-existent places
like the past and the future live your life for today if you live in the past and you live in
the future you're allowing two thieves to rob your life but if you live in the present the bible says
that God is sufficient for every day there's a wonderful verse in Deuteronomy 33:25
here's what it says as your days so shall your strength be I love that verse
that means Lord I don't know what's going to happen on Wednesday or Thursday I got this
and that and all that but all I know is this for this day I got the strength you want me to have
as my days so shall my strength be here's what I've learned I don't know how God's
gonna deal with tomorrow but I know he's sufficient for today
and I'm going to rest in the promise that he's always kept he's never ever out-promised himself