How to Win over Worry

“How to Win over Worry”

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Do you ever worry? I know you do, we all do; even the disciples which lived with Jesus worried. That’s why he talked to them about worry, and how to win over worry.

The causes of worry are many. They include fears about the future, feelings of inadequacy, financial pressures, work-related stress, loneliness, family conflict, and the fear of death.

There is also a host of proposed remedies; the Internet is filled with stress relieving remedies.

There are drugs, herbal remedies, aromatherapies, breathing techniques, self-help programs, and a 1000 other treatment options. No doubt some of these remedies are helpful in certain ways. Yet the Lord Jesus offers his disciples a more complete cure for the worries of this life.

The King James uses the phrase “take no thought" some translations say, “do not be anxious” or “don't worry”.

Three times in these verses the Lord Jesus says, “Take no thought- Do not worry”( V:22,25,26).

This is not a suggestion, this is a command from the Lord and to not obey is to disobey, which is sin.

I heard about a man who got tired of worrying so he decided he would hire someone to worry for him. He said, "I want to hire you to do all my worrying and I'm going to pay you $100,000 a year." The man said, wow, I’ll do it! But where are you going to get that kind of money?" He said, "That's your first worry."

Most of us don't think worry is a sin; but it is!

Worry and faith cannot exist in the same heart.

Whenever the Lord Jesus tells us not to do something it is for our good! He is trying to protect us from something that will hurt us, and like all sin worry with hurt you!

The word, worry, literally means to pull in opposite directions, to pull apart.

It is the opposite of the word, peace. The word, peace, means to join together. God's peace puts things back together in your life. When we worry we pull things apart.

Worry divides our minds; it pulls our minds in two directions. -“that a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways”.

When I worry I am unstable, unfocused, and unfaithful to God! My heart and mind are pulled apart!

Worry is no small thing; it will control us mentally, affect us physically, and paralyze us spiritually.

The website anxiety.com says that worry affects you physically, psychologically, and socially.

Worry will take over your mind: Someone said: “Worry is a thin stream of fear that trickles through the mind, if encouraged it cuts a wide channel that drains away all other thoughts."

If we continue to worry about things in our life, our mind will eventually become filled with fear, and unbelief. There are certain physical problems that come along with worry. Ulcers are one of them. When you get an ulcer it's not what you’re eating, its wants eating you.

Dr. Charles Mayo, one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic says, "Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, and the whole nervous system. I have never met a man nor known a man to die of overwork, but I have known a whole lot who died of worry."

Worry will do the same thing to you that sand will do to machinery.

Worry will paralyze you spiritually! Worry is a spiritual problem, worry is a lack of faith. You don’t believe God can take care of you! What you are saying when you worry is this: "God, you can't be trusted here. You cannot handle this situation. Your Word is not true here."

Worry affects us mentally, physically and spiritually that's why the Lord Jesus tells us:

" Do not worry"

Let me point out what that does not mean:

· Don't worry, doesn’t mean don't plan.

Our Lord is not saying don't plan financially, don't have life insurance, don't have a career path mapped out. When you read the Gospels you find that Jesus followed the father’s plan for his life. He planned for his ministry after his death, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus taught that you should not break ground for a new building until you have done the paperwork and know you can pay for it. () To live without planning isn’t spirituality; it's pure insanity.

· Don't worry, doesn’t mean don't be concerned.

There are those who quote. -“Be anxious for nothing," as an excuse for a careless, flippant lifestyle, Jesus is not talking about a carefree, careless haphazard, lackadaisical attitude. If you're not concerned about your children getting in the road, you're a terrible parent. If you're not concerned about your loved ones being saved, you're not walking close to God, it you’re not concerned about your health or the health of your loved ones, there’s a problem.

Having realistic concerns and restless anxieties are separate matters.

Concern – focuses on the present, there’s something you can do about concerns, keep an eye on your children when they're in the yard, pray and witness to your lost love one.

Worry– focuses on the future, and on things you have no control over. Mark Twain once said, "I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened."

The Lord Jesus tells us “not to worry” and in these verses He gives us three mighty weapons to win the battle over worry.

The first thing you can do to win over worry is:

1. Realize your Worth to God!

V:22-24.

Do not worry, because:

· God is your master, and you're his disciples V:22-His disciples…)

You are a valuable to him and he will take care of you.

· Because God is your Creator, and your His creation,V:24-“you are more important than birds”.

You’re his creation he will sustain you.

· Because God is your father and you're his child,V:30,32-“Your father…

You are of great worth to him and he will take care of you. The God of heaven is your father! The God who knows all things is your father, the God who made all things is your father, and the God who knows what you need is your heavenly father!

· Because God is your shepherd, and you’re his sheep, V:32-“fear not little flock; for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”.

All of these verses speak of our worth to our heavenly father, who has given his son for our salvation!

a. You have a Great Purpose.

V:22-23-“Don't worry about your life, what you shall eat; or what you will wear. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than clothes”.

He argues from the greater to the lesser. God is our Creator. He made our body, if He can do something that great; surely he can take care of the body that He made, and put clothes on our backs and food in our stomachs. God has a great purpose for you, he wants you to know him as your Savior and Lord, to live your life for him, to use your gifts and talents for him.

He wants you to find your fulfillment in a relationship with him, and when you die, spend eternity with him. God, who created you, has a purpose for you, values you, and will take care of you!

Our great master, creator, father, shepherd will meet our daily needs. God who is the Creator of life can sustain the life he created.

So he argues from the greater-the creation, to the lesser-the ability to take care of the creation.

If God is able to create your body and bring your soul into existence, then it's a piece of cake for God to take care of your body.

God who made you has a purpose for you and he will take care of your physical needs.

a. You have a Great Purpose.

b. You have a Great Provider.

He argues from the lesser to the greater.

V:24-"Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them: how much more are you better than the birds?"

He is not saying that the birds don't work, because birds do work. He is saying that birds don’t worry. They don't get all stressed out and worry and get ulcers.

Have you ever seen a bird at the veterinarian because it had an ulcer? Have you ever seen a bird biding its toenails because it’s worried?

Jesus is not saying not to work. The birds do work; God feeds the birds, but He doesn't throw it in the nest. The early bird gets the worm. Jesus is telling us that if God can take care of the little birds, then God will take care of you and me. He argues from the lesser to the greater. You are of more value to God than the birds.

You are more important to God than a bird. What farmer would feed his chickens and starve his children?

Said the robin to the sparrow: “I would really like to know Why these anxious human Rush around and worry so. Said the sparrow to the robin: I think surely it must be that they have no Heavenly Father Such as cares for you and me."

God created your body; He can provide for your body. God created the birds; and feeds the birds, you are of more value than the birds, and He will take care of you! He loves you; he is watching over you, nothing has happened to you but by his permission. Why are you worrying? Trust God!

To win the war, over worry:

1. Realized your worth to God!

#2 to win the war, over worry:

2. Refused to Waste Your Time!

V:25-30.

Jesus tells us that worrying is a waste of our time. First, Jesus says worry is: a. Pointless.

Jesus tells us that worrying is a colossal waste of time. Jesus says, V:25 which one of you by worrying can add any height or length to your life?

The answer of course is you can’t make yourself any taller, by standing around worrying about it.

A Cubit, as Noah knew was 18 inches, the length from your elbow to your fingertip. Jesus said, nobody can worry themselves a foot and a half taller! If some of you boys could make yourself taller by worrying you could worry your way into the NBA.

Another meaning of this verse is you cannot worry, any length onto your life, worrying about your health will not make you live longer, and as a matter of fact you may cut your life short. We can't add a day, hour, or even a second to our life.

How tall you grow, how long you live is in the hands of God. It is God who is sovereign, and God who makes the ultimate decisions about our life. According to Jesus, worry is a waste of your time!

A third grade teacher was trying to instruct her class on how to use fractions. She said to a little boy on the front row, "Billy, what is 3/4's of 5/16's? He said, "I don't know exactly what it is, but it's not enough to worry about."

Someone has observed that worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.

Worry, divides the mind and multiplies misery, it subtracts happiness, but never adds! I've known a few people who have cut their life short worrying!

Anybody in here have a pet hamster, rat? Have you ever seen one of those little guys run on the little wheel in their cage? They wake up and say to themselves, must get on the wheel! Must keep running! The average pet mouse will run 9000 miles on the little wheel in its lifetime, yet it still inside the cage.

That's the way it is with worry – don't spend your lifetime, frantically running in your mind, worrying, and filled with anxiety, it will get you nowhere, and wear you out. Worry is pointless, it does absolutely no good. V:26, if worrying won’t make you any taller, or help you live any longer; why would you worry about anything.

Worry is: Pointless.

Worry is:

a. Faithless.

V:27-30 V:28-“O you of little faith.

Jesus used that phrase “You of little faith” 10 times in the gospels. When we worry, we have no faith, we are not trusting God! Worry is simply the outward expression of inward unbelief. Faith and worry are mutually exclusive. George Truett once said, "Worry is a mild form of atheism." When you worry about a situation you are telling God you do not believe Him. When we worry, we are not trusting God! Jesus takes us to the world of nature again. He has talked about the birds, now he is going to talk about flowers. God feeds the birds, and God clothes the flowers. Again, the idea is, you are more valuable than a bird, and you have more worth than a flower. Why are you worried about clothes: V:27-28-“Jesus says, consider the lilies of the field… They don't toil over their clothes they don't sit at a sewing machine and sew their clothes: and yet even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these flowers. If God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; shall he not much more clothe you, O you little faith”. Solomon was the richest man who ever lived, had the finest clothes that could be made, and he never had to wear them twice. But if you take the robes of Solomon, or the finest clothes made today and put them under a microscope you would discover that there's very little to them. But if you can take one of God's wild flowers and put it under the microscope you will find they have far greater detail and splendid, design and shades of color, than the finest clothes we can make.

The more you examine it the more gorgeous and the more beautiful it will become.

Jesus is telling us, if God goes to all of that trouble for just a little wild flower, don't you think God is going to take care of you?

In fact, the little flower is kind of short lived. He says in V:28, "God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven."

In those days they had clay ovens and used flowers and grass for fuel to heat and cook. One moment they were here; the next moment they were just burned up in the oven.

If God goes to all the attention to do that for something that is so short lived, what do you think God is going to do about a creation like you and me made in His image, and that will live for eternity? That's why we should not to worry. It's faithless. We are basically saying that God can take care of the flowers of the field; God can take care of the birds of the air; but I'm not sure God can take care of me. Let me ask you a question. How many of you have trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

That means then that you have entrusted your soul into the hands of the Lord Jesus. Do you believe that Jesus will keep your soul for all eternity?

You have enough faith to believe that He has saved your soul and He will take you to heaven when you die. If you can trust God for all of that, then can't you trust God to help you with the necessities and the needs of your life?

Look at the flowers and don’t be faithless.

Look at the lost and don't be faithless.

V:30-"For all these things do the nations of the world seek after." That's just another term for the lost." For all these things the lost people seek after. If you allow worry to take over in your life Jesus is saying that you are living like a lost person. That's the way lost people live. They seek after these things, and worry about things. Jesus said if you are saved; don't be like the lost who seek after things. They don’t know God, you do V:30-“your heavenly father knows you have need of all these things”

God knows what you need. Do you think God has had a mental lapse up there in heaven? No! God know your needs! Don’t waste your time worrying!

Jesus gives us third thing to do to win over worry:

3. Receive the Word of God!

V:31-34-Read

In these two verses Jesus gives us the word of God to help us win the war over worry.

The first word from God is:

1. Put first things first.

V:31-"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness"

Jesus says put God first in your life! Be concerned that God is first in your life! Get very concerned about His work, his kingdom. Get very concerned about His honor and His glory. Put Jesus first in your life. "Seek first the kingdom of God." If you are going to win the war over worry, God must come first.

Jesus does not want a place in your life.

Jesus does not even want prominence in your life. Jesus wants preeminence in your life.

Jesus wants the first moments of every morning when you get out of bed. Jesus wants the first day of every week. Jesus wants the first fruits of your income. He wants to be first.

The Lord Jesus is not interested in being the first runner-up in your beauty contest.

He is not interested in being vice president in your corporation.

He is not interested in being second in command in your army. Jesus wants to be the king on the throne! The word, seek, was used of hunters who would go hunting for birds. You bird hunters know that birds become the center of your attention. Jesus is saying let me, my kingdom, and my work become the very center of your attention. Get all caught up in putting Jesus first in your life. When does worry, enter our life? When we are no longer seeking God first, that's when!

When we begin to focus on our needs and desires, and began to think about things we have no control over, that's when worry comes in.

The key to overcoming worry is proper priorities. Worry is simply the symptom of the disease of misplaced priorities. If you want to overcome worry you make the first and overriding priority of your life to do the will of God, and let God take care of the things you can’t!

Jesus says to win over worry.

1. Put first things first.

2. Invest in the future.

V:33-34-Read

Store up, lay up treasure in heaven, so when you get there, you won't be spiritually bankrupt. The real issue Jesus is dealing with is your heart.

Where I set my heart is the most critical issue in my spiritual life. And Jesus says that your heart will be where your treasure is, V:34-“for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”

Wherever you put your investments- money, time, and talents is where your heart will be!

Jesus does not say don't have any treasure, no! Jesus is saying make sure your treasure is in the right place. Don't let Satan make a fool out of you, by putting all your eggs in this world’s basket. This world is one gigantic Titanic, it is sinking!

When you tithe, give an offering, give to missions, and to your church, and missionaries and God's work around the world, you are laying up treasure in heaven. Jesus says, what you send to heaven will never lose its value, Moths can’t get it, Rust won't touch it, and thieves can't steal it.

If you store your treasure on earth, it will pull your heart in the direction of the earth. But if you store your treasure in heaven, it will pull your heart, toward heaven.

Jesus says the cure for anxiety, is to send some money to heaven, and trust him to take care of you. We are not to worry because our father knows what we need, and because our father knows what we need, we do not need to be afraid of giving and investing in eternity.

It is a fact; we spend our money on things that we love the most! When we love ourselves more than we love God, we will not give to the church, missions, church planning, acts of mercy, and God’s kingdom work.

It is easy to tell where your heart is: it is where you are putting your money, and time!

Jesus tells us “How to win the war over worry!

Realize your worth to God! Refuse to Waste your time!

Receive the Word of God!