The other day I got a phone call and the voice on the other end of the phone said Victoria
I gotta tell you something, but don't worry about what I'm gonna tell you
Well automatically my worry was kicked in that was my first response
I thought oh my gosh, what do I have to worry about?
You see that's what happens sometimes our worry
Automatically kicks in without us even knowing it. We just worry when a concern or a care comes into our life
now this
Particular problem was not huge. It wasn't monumental, but it was a problem all the same
It was something that needed to be resolved. So I had to push pause for a moment and make a decision
Was I going to let this concern?
Overtake me. Cause my mind to just spin out of control
threat and worry until
The problem has resolved itself
Was I gonna ruin my entire day?
Because of this concern or was I going to say God you gotta help me with this situation
God, I've got to present this to you, you know everything about me
you said you'd fight my battles for me now god, I am giving this to you and I'm gonna try to rest and
Hear everything you would want me to hear from you
You see we have to make this choice. How are we going to handle this thing called worry?
Are we going to just work it in our minds?
You know sometimes I when I worry it's like I'm really doing something. I'm just working working working it in my mind
I heard worry was a lot like sitting in a rocking chair
You're doing something but it's getting you nowhere
We're just working it and working it and working it in our minds and that's so unproductive
My question today is how you handling?
worry
Because how we handle worry and stress it's gonna make all the difference in our life
There's two sisters in the Bible named Mary and Martha. You can find their story in Luke
Mary and Martha two sisters
They had a brother they were obviously from what the scholars say well-to-do people so they have a lot going on in their life
They had money to manage. They had a home to manage. They had a lot of things happening
One day Jesus came to their home. He was going to stay with him. He was going to fellowship with them
I'm sure they were so excited. I'm sure that everybody in the town knew
Hey, Jesus is coming over to my house because this was a very important person
So I'm sure they were preparing they were getting everything. Just perfect for Jesus
Jesus came to their home as they were fellas shipping and as they were enjoying Jesus Jesus noticed something about
Martha she was buzzing around. She was working it working it working it and he said to her Martha Martha
Why are you so anxious and troubled about so many things?
You see he had observed Martha as as they were in this home. He saw how she was
Handling all that to do that was going on
but in contrast
Here's her sister Mary
Know Mary wood had as much responsibility as Martha did but Mary said I'm gonna take this
Opportunity when all my busyness and all the concerns that I have
To just linger here with Jesus because he he's at my house today. I want to sit at his feet
I'm gonna pour out my heart to him so he can pour in his thoughts to me
You see Martha was so disturbed that
her sister would have the audacity to
Sit at the feet of Jesus when there was so much to do that. She said Jesus
You need to tell my sister to come help me. She needs to get up and she needs to get in this kitchen
There's the emails to answer there's stuff on the stove. The kids needed to be taken care of
There's a bunch of stuff to do and she needs to get up and she needs to help me
Can you believe she would even say that to her guest of honor?
He said to her
mary
Has chosen the one important thing
She's chosen
That one thing
She's chosen the better way
Now, let me just tell you this right now. He said there's one important thing
There's a better way now he was very much aware of
the legitimate concerns
that these women had
The Bible says that Jesus said in this world
You're gonna have trouble you're gonna have hardship you're gonna have some things that come against you but be of good cheer
I have already overcome
The world be of good cheer. I've already overcome the world. I
Guess when you look at that scripture, you can say easy for you to say Jesus your God. I
Still have these troubles and these concerns
But this is what he was saying. He wasn't saying that
You shouldn't take your responsibilities seriously
He wasn't saying that there weren't legitimately things to be done. He was saying there's one important thing and it's the better way
What he was saying is all these concerns all these crisis all these things that are coming against you
You need to come hang around at my feet linger in my presence because see that's the one important thing
That's gonna help you get through. That's the better way to handle worry and stress
That's the better way to handle worry and stress you
See, I believe that Mary
somehow figured out the better way and
She did it
It wasn't that she was lazy
wasn't that she didn't care Mary said look, this is my chance right now to
empty out the concerns and to put in all that God is
You see that's the better way
Have you ever planned a birthday party or a holiday celebration at your house or some?
Gathering and you are so stressed out that you made your own self miserable and maybe some of your friends and family as well
There's a better way to handle the stresses of life
The word worry comes from an old English word in the fifteen hundreds that meant to strangle
To strangle. I think that's an amazing
interpretation of that word because worry and stress
Literally chokes the fun out of life
It literally pressures us in every relationship that we have
It steals our joy. Think about it. Jesus was at Martha's house
She couldn't even enjoy
the fact that
Jesus was there she missed the whole beauty of the moment
She couldn't calm down relax and be peaceful. She
Allowed the stress that was going on in her mind to strain the relationship with her own sister
She was an attitude that changed
Worried doesn't change anything but your personality
It changes your disposition. It doesn't make the situation better
Actually, it makes the situation worse
I
worked with a woman
Several years ago and she had some legitimate concerns in her life and I could see how it was affecting her entire life
Her son was - was in the military and he had been deployed to another country
She was extremely concerned about his his well-being and if he was gonna make it and how things were going
She was so concerned and so worked up that I saw it begin to change her disposition
Change her personality
She could hardly even function at work
And I said to her I said look got to be a better way to handle the situation
I mean he is there there is not a thing that you can do about it
You've got to come to this place of peace and rest in the Lord
So I begin to pray with her and then I begin to make some suggestions
I said look you need to get some scriptures
You need to have them ready just as your as your warfare when these thoughts start
Strangling your joy and your peace you need to write out some declarations
When you feel that tension coming against you you need to say God. Thank you that my son is in the palm of your hand
Thank you Father that no weapon formed against him will prosper father. Thank you
Your angels have charge over him to keep him in all of his ways
He won't even - his foot against the stone
But he'll tread upon the lion in the Cobra the young lion shall he trampled underfoot? Thank you father
You put a blood line around him that the enemy cannot cross father. I thank you Lord that my son will come home
safely, I
Begin to see her put this into practice
Little by little she began to take control over that worry and I could see the strength come back
I could see her focus and her resolve come back
She began to praise God in
The midst of her fear and her torment and it made all the difference in her life
You see worry pulls us away from God's power
But worship and praise draws us to him and exchange
the situation I
Have a good news to report six years serving in the military and her son came home safely
You see worries a weight it weighs us down causes us to not be productive
In fact, the Bible says lay aside every weight
That would so easily
Beset us. Come on us
So you have to lay it aside because it says that you have to run with purpose in
Every step and when you are weighed down you can't run my sweet friend was so read down
She couldn't hardly get to work much less run
You see when she began to lay aside that weight
She was able to run out her purpose see her prayers her
Intercession for her son was much more powerful than her worry when she talked to him on the phone
She could say son
I want to tell you I'm praying for you the angels of the lords have charge over you you walk out you be bold with
Confidence know that God Almighty is looking after you she could encourage him to pray for himself
You see which she began to lay aside the weight and run with purpose. She was way more effective
There's a technique that I use and I've used it for years and it works for me
You just got to find something that works for you, right?
so when I had these concerns in these troubles I
Imagined a big helium balloon big beautiful blue red red balloon. It's a power color
And I began to put those troubles in that balloon and I imagined myself holding that balloon by the string
Holding it out in front of me with those troubles and I look at that balloon
And I let it go and I release it to God and I say God thank you that you're bigger than all these troubles
thank you that you
Love me
And that you said you'd protect those things that concern me
So I'm gonna give them to you these troubles are just gonna go right at your feet Jesus
You're gonna take care of them
You see sometimes I have to admit sometimes I have to let go of a whole bouquet of balloons
Do what you got to do do what you got to do to release the words and the care
Because Jesus will sustain you when you release it to him
listen
If you feel the pressure the stranglehold of worry coming on you even if it's automatic push the pause button
Let's be like Mary. Let's take a lesson from this woman and let's sit at his feet
Let's leave her there for a while. Let's empty out the concerns
So that we'll have room to receive
His goodness his thoughts towards us his wisdom his joy listen
Wait is only gonna weigh you down
But when you let it go to him
Hmm all things can be new again. Amen
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