Experiencing Profound Happiness and Lasting Joy

Message Introduction

Proverbs 12:25 ESV

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

“Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.” ― Jeremiah Burroughs

Anxiety may foster a heavy heart

Joy promotes healing

Step 1: Understand the Problem – Observation and Identification of the Problem (PROBLEM)

1. Introduction – What is my problem? What Are Fear, Anxiety, and Worry?

a. Fear - is the emotion of alarm in reaction to a perceived danger or threat

b. Anxiety - is a more general, long-term feeling of uneasiness, a vague perception of threat that won't go away

c. Worry - is not an emotion, however. It is the mental action of bringing up conflicts or fears, mulling over them, and contemplating worst-case scenarios

d. Tends to include: worrying mindset, physiological response, avoidance behaviors

e. Medical/Psychiatric Definitions of Anxiety Disorders

(1) Phobias

(2) Panic disorders

(3) Obsessive-compulsive disorders

(4) Anxiety due to a medical condition

(5) Post-traumatic stress disorder

(6) Acute stress disorder

(7) Generalized anxiety disorder

(8) Substance-induced anxiety

f. Fear —> Control —> Anger —> Depression (Despair/Destruction)

Characteristics that Exacerbate Fear, Anxiety and Worry

(1) “What if?” thinking

(2) Excessive need for approval

(3) Intense focus on self (protect and promoting self)

(4) Mishandled guilt  intense worry

(5) Perfectionism

(6) Poor communication of thoughts, desires and feelings

(7) Poor management of conflicts – Desire  Demand  Judge  Punish

(8) Self-medication– alcohol, food and other substances

(9) Tendency to controlling mindset and behaviors

(10) Victim mentality

Message Outline

Problem of a Heavy Heart

Perspective of a Heavy Heart

Promises for a Heavy Heart

Prescription for the Heavy Heart

Message Exposition

Problem of a Heavy Heart

Proverbs 3:5 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:8 ESV

8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Proverbs 12:25 ESV

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Proverbs 14:30 ESV

30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.

Proverbs 15:4 ESV

4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:23 ESV

23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

Proverbs 15:30 ESV

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 ESV

22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 18:14 ESV

14 A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

Proverbs 12:25 ESV

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Proverbs: Commentary Chapter 12

The effects of worry upon the inner man are serious; literally, one can worry himself sick (v. 25). But your words of encouragement and hope bring joy. The picture is of one sinking down into the depths; perhaps this is referring to the kind of fatigue that often accompanies those who worry. Don’t forget to bring in Philippians 4 and Matthew 6 when discussing worry.

Cares or anxieties

Losses

Health

Relationships

Disappointments - dashed expectation - did not turn out like you planned

Bad news

Sin

Specific problems

General circumstances

Perspective of a Heavy Heart

DAMAGING THOUGHT PATTERNS

Black-or-White Thinking

I have the tendency to think in extreme, black-or-white categories. Shades of gray do not exist; it’s all or nothing. For example, maybe my sermon goes so badly one Sunday that I conclude, “I was never called to the ministry.” Or the fleeting thought passes through my mind: God does not exist. I can’t be a Christian if I ever think that, can I? Whether preaching or praying, the extreme conclusion begins to drag down my mood.

Generalizing

Sometimes, when I experience something horrible, I’m convinced that the same thing will happen to me again and again. I remember the first time I asked a young lady for a date, only to be rebuffed. My conclusion? “Well, there’s no point in ever asking anyone else, is there? This is always going to happen to me, and I better just get used to the single life.” Another time I tried to witness to someone, but when the person mocked me, I moped around for days groaning, “I’ll never win a soul for Christ, so I might as well shut up.”

Filtering

I also have an amazing ability to pick out the negative in every situation and think about it to the exclusion of everything else. I filter out anything positive and find everything is negative. We’re especially good at this when our kids come home with 90 percent on an exam. First question? “What happened to the other 10 percent?” Or we hear a great sermon, but all we can think about is the pastor’s stupid grammatical mistake that spoiled the whole thing. Such tunnel vision is not good for the mood or the soul.

Transforming

Ever managed to transform a positive experience into a negative? Yes, I’m pretty good at that too. Someone compliments me. But instead of expressing humble thanks to her and to God, What’s she after? is my suspicious thought. I read my Bible and find a verse that speaks assurance to my heart. But instead of thanking God, I think, It’s probably the Devil trying to deceive me.

Mind Reading

Although I do not believe in psychics, I can read your mind. Yes, I know all your innermost thoughts about me. When you passed me in the mall without stopping to speak, I immediately knew it was because you hated me. I heard later that you broke your glasses and were on the way to the optician, but I know better.

Fortune-telling

I not only read minds; I also tell fortunes. At times I feel in my bones that things are going to turn out really badly, and sure enough it always happens. Another person I know with that skill convinced himself that his job interview would be a catastrophe. When the CEO saw him and said, “Cheer up, we’re not the firing squad!” he knew his prophecy was about to be fulfilled. Funny how what we feel often determines what actually happens.

Telescoping

I’ve found this amazing telescope that helps me find and focus on the sins of the distant past in a way that leads to present feelings of guilt, condemnation, and fear. Then when it comes to my present blessings and benefits, I turn the telescope the other way around, shrinking the good things until they are nearly invisible. No one can trump me when it comes to magnifying guilt and minimizing grace.

Perfecting

“I should . . . I ought . . . I should . . . I ought.” On and on it goes. An ever-lengthening list of obligations, duties, and targets. So much self-imposed pressure toward goals of unattainable standards, with all the frustration and resentment that accompanies the failure to reach them. Striving for the perfect day, the perfect home, the perfect yard, the perfect sermon, and the perfectly completed to-do list. Never realized. Never satisfied. Never content.

Personalizing

Thankfully, this is not one of my many skills, but younger people often fall into the trap of incorrectly viewing themselves as the cause of a bad event. I know one teenage girl who lost so many close relatives to death in a short space of time that she blamed herself for it all and lapsed into severe depression. You don’t need to be Sigmund Freud to realize that all these poor thought patterns will inevitably produce unhelpful emotions and behavior. If we always think about problems and negatives, imagine the future is hopeless, believe everyone hates us, or assume we have achieved nothing because we didn’t achieve everything, or if we blame ourselves for things we had nothing to do with, we are on a dangerous downward spiral. Such thought habits increase sadness, negativity, pessimism, and helplessness; they also undermine concentration, friendships, problem-solving ability, and motivation.

Murray, David. The Happy Christian (pp. 7-8). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

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Four Types of Personality that Fuel Anxiety

Perfectionism

Excessive need for approval

Poor stress management

Excessive control

Anxiety and Stress Tells Us

An event is dangerous, difficult, or painful and (which may be true)

We don’t have the resources to cope (which is not the truth)

Negativistic Mindset

All-or-Nothing Thinking: “I have to do things perfectly, and anything less is a failure.”

Focusing on the Negatives: “Nothing goes my way. It feels like one disappointment after another.” A variation is being overly judgmental: “The world is falling apart. I don’t like what I see around me.”

Negative Self-Labeling: “I’m a failure. If people knew the real me, they wouldn’t like me. I am flawed.”

Catastrophizing: “If something is going to happen, it’ll probably be the worst-case scenario.”

Excessive Need for Approval: “I can only be happy if people like me. If someone is upset, it’s probably my fault.”

Mind Reading: “I can tell people don’t like me because of the way they behave.”

Should Statements: “People should be fair, and when they are not they should be punished.”

Disqualifying the Present: “I’ll relax later. But first I have to rush to finish this.”

Dwelling on the Past: "If I dwell on why I'm unhappy and what went wrong, maybe I’ll feel better."

Pessimism: "Life is a struggle. I don't think we are meant to be happy. I don't trust people who are happy. If something good happens in my life, I usually have to pay for it with something bad."

Faulty perspective

“If what we perceive or choose to believe does not reflect truth, then how we feel does not reflect reality”

Jay Adams

The problem is not emotional, but pre-emotional

Promises for a Heavy Heart

Reviewed by J. Stephen Yuille

Are you happy? Think about it. In his book, The Happy Christian, David Murray contends that many of us are not. We struggle with deep negative thought patterns stemming from the fact that we walk by sight instead of faith, focus on self instead of God, and dwell on the past instead of the future. Coupled with the thick cloud of cynicism and pessimism that hangs over our society, our negative thought patterns doom many of us to a perpetual state of unhappiness.

Murray wants to stem the tide of our negativity by promoting what he calls “Christian happiness”: “a God-centered, God-glorifying, and God-given sense of God’s love that is produced by a right relationship to God in Christ and that produces loving service to others” (p. xix). Murray achieves his goal by presenting “ten biblical and practical ways” to change our outlook.

Overview

In “Happy Facts” (chapter 1) Murray explains that the “major factor” in determining how we feel is what we think (p. 4). Most of us are unhappy because we think about things in the wrong way. We need, therefore, to re-orient our thinking. “The kind of thinking I’m advocating,” says Murray, “is not so much positive thinking but realistic thinking, thinking that faces the facts…. It’s all about reasoning and persuading on the basis of evidence and truth. And its foundation is not faith in self, but faith in God” (p. 21).

In “Happy Media” (chapter 2) Murray contends that many of us have “spam filters” that allow the negative to enter our minds while filtering out the positive (p. 25). This intake adversely affects our mental and spiritual health. We must, therefore, heed Paul’s exhortation to think on what’s edifying and encouraging (Phil. 4:8). That isn’t to say that we should be uninformed or unconcerned about current affairs, but that we should be sensible when it comes to the media. Do we really need constant exposure to “horrifying” information?

In “Happy Salvation” (chapter 3) Murray celebrates the “gospel of done” (p. 48). Christ’s finished work is totally sufficient. The “gospel of done” brings the troubled mind, troubled heart, and troubled conscience to the cross. “The most important work,” says Murray, “has been done and covers all our laziness, all our foolishness, all our time wasting, all our bad decisions, all our temper tantrums, all our losses, all our inabilities, all our everything” (p. 59). We must seek to live daily in the reality of God’s forgiveness in Christ.

In “Happy Church” (chapter 4) Murray addresses the issue of hypocrisy. When confronted with it, we’re inclined to follow “our natural instinct to give in, give up, and get away” (p. 77). But Murray encourages us to be other-focused by praying for one another, fellowshipping with one another, bearing with one another, and empathizing with one another. Above all else, he calls us to focus on Christ (p. 75), cultivating brotherly love by camping at the foot of the cross.

In “Happy Future” (chapter 5) Murray unmasks the danger of “backward looks” (p. 88). If we focus on past sins, pains, losses, and failures, we’re inviting disappointment. Rather, we must look to Christ, remembering that “the best is yet to come” (p. 92). Hope is “a realistic expectation of and longing for future good and glory based on the reliable Word of God” (p. 92). Hope energizes the present. It increases faith, encourages purity, motivates action, and provides stability. It cultivates expectation which, in turn, cultivates joy.

In “Happy World” (chapter 6) Murray stresses the importance of seeing the whole picture. If all we notice is the negative, then “we’re closing our eyes to God’s work of grace all over the world and all around us” (p. 107). If we look closely, we’ll find evidence of God’s common grace everywhere. When we see beauty, power, wisdom, love, loyalty, patience, humility, mercy, truthfulness, creativity, diligence, or any other virtue, we can trace it back to its “ultimate source” and worship God (pp. 112–113).

In “Happy Praise” (chapter 7) Murray seeks to correct what he calls “distorted Calvinism” (p. 122). While the biblical doctrine of man’s sinfulness is extremely important, it’s imperative that we don’t misapply it to such a degree that we have no appreciation for humanity at all. We ought to recognize God’s image (however distorted and corrupted) wherever it appears. One way to do this is to trace all good back to God, and encourage others to see all good as a gift from God.

In “Happy Giving” (chapter 8) Murray affirms that it’s more blessed to give than receive (pp. 143–147). He demonstrates how this shapes our approach to marriage, leadership, forgiveness, etc. “Sin has ripped every entitlement from our grasp, apart from the entitlement to hell and everlasting punishment. The more we grasp this, the more we will ask ourselves two empowering and elevating questions. How much have I been given? How much can I give?” (pp. 170–171).

In “Happy Work” (chapter 9) Murray challenges the false notion that the only divine calling is church ministry (p. 173). He comments, “Your work is of God. Your work is through God. Your work is to God. Your work is for God’s glory” (p. 174). With this perspective in place, we work hard at whatever God has called us to do, in order to meet our needs, provide for our families, share with those in need, and (most importantly) serve God. In this way, our labor becomes a sacred calling – infused with dignity, purpose, and reward.

In “Happy Differences” Murray calls on us to embrace diversity. Because we love ourselves, we tend to love those who are most like us (p. 193). Such a skewed mindset proves problematic in an increasingly culturally diverse society. We must recognize that “the gospel smashes superiority and inferiority complexes.” Moreover, God intends for Christ’s bride to consist of people from every tribe, every nation, and every tongue. Diversity is a wonderful thing in the mind of God.

Recommendation

Having provided an overview, I want to give you three reasons why you should take the time to read this book.

Practical

For starters, Murray provides a very useful and useable tool. He doesn’t consider the subject of happiness in the abstract, but in the concrete. His approach is very refreshing, as he provides numerous “action” lists for putting biblical truth into practice. His six questions concerning “thoughts-facts-feelings” are particularly insightful and helpful.

Biblical

Secondly, Murray presents a biblical paradigm for happiness. While employing a number of insights from the field of psychology, Murray doesn’t place any ultimate authority in this field of study. There are only two options available when it comes to our foundation for knowledge. Either we build the foundation with man as its central component, or we build the foundation with God as its central component. Any system of thought focused on man will prove finite and unable to bear the full weight of reality. That’s why there are so many conflicting psychological, anthropological, sociological, and philosophical theories out there. Murray is careful to harness what he deems useful from the field of psychology, while rejecting its basic man-centered premise.

Essential

Finally, Murray addresses an extremely important motif. Looking around, we see that happiness is the focal point of human existence. Parents seek to cultivate it; musicians express it; governments promise it; businesses market it; and commercials sell it. Why? Most people are desperately trying to find it. Yet happiness proves elusive because most people don’t know where it’s found. They equate it with outward things: possessions, experiences, achievements, and relationships. But here’s what eludes them: happiness isn’t found in changing conditions and circumstances, but in an unchanging God.

While acknowledging the harsh reality of living in a fallen world, Murray points us to a great God: “We confront the brutal reality of our lives, our families, our churches, and our society. But at the same time, we keep steady faith in the Word of God, especially its sure promises of personal perseverance and the ultimate triumph of faith and the church of Christ” (pp. 230–231).

Joshua 1:5–9 ESV

5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Philippians 4:4–9 ESV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Prescription for the Heavy Heart

1. Good word from God’s word

Re-affirm what you already know

2. Gracious word of others

3. Good message sent to you

Cards and Letters (Emails/Texts)

4. Good Visits

Job’s friend

Came

Wept

Sat down

Said nothing

5. Good prayer

6. Good done for others

The Bible says we must:

Accept one another - Romans 14:1; 15:7

Admonish one another - Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16

Be at peace with one another - Mark 9:50

Be compassionate with one another - 1 Peter 3:8

Be devoted to one another - Romans 12:10

Be hospitable to one another - 1 Peter 4:9

Be kind and forgiving to one another - Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13

Be of the same mind toward one another - Romans 12:16

Build up one another - Romans 14:19; Ephesians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Care for one another - 1 Corinthians 12:25

Comfort one another - 1 Thessalonians 4:18

Confess your faults to one another - James 5:16

Consider one another - Hebrews 10:24-25

Encourage one another - 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13

Esteem others as better than yourself - Philippians 2:3

Give preference to one another - Romans 12:10

Greet one another - Romans 16:16

Love one another - John 13:34; Romans 12:10; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12

Minister your gifts to one another - 1 Peter 4:10

Pray for one another - James 5:16

Receive one another - Romans 15:7

Recognize your relationship to one another - Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:25

Rejoice or weep with one another - Romans 12:15

Serve one another - Galatians 5:13

Show tolerance toward one another - Romans 15:1-5; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13

Submit to one another - Romans 12:10; Ephesians 5:21; 1 Peter 5:5

The Bible says we must not:

Be partial with one another - 1 Timothy 5:21

Be proud against each other - 1 Corinthians 4:6

Hate one another - Titus 3:3

Judge one another - Romans 12:16

Lie to one another - Colossians 3:9

Lust after one another - Romans 1:27

Provoke or envy one another - Galatians 5:26

Take one another to court - 1 Corinthians 6:1-7

Use each other - Galatians 5:15

Commentary: A Good Word

Proverbs 12:25 ESV

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

25a Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop… 1. Heaviness:

a. 6 occurrences; Authorized Version translates as “carefulness” twice, “fear” once, “heaviness” once, “sorrow” once, and “with care” once.

b. Anxiety, anxious care, care. (Strong’s)

c. Dictionary of Biblical Language: anxiety; restlessness; worry; i.e., an attitude or emotion of distress.

d. The term is used in the following passages: • Jer. 49:23 – Damascus has been judged severely by God. The neighboring cities hear of it. They are confounded… fainthearted… they have sorrow (this is the term translated “heavy” in Prov. 12:25)… there is no quiet.

• The term here means worry… anxiety… they saw what was happening in the cities all around them and they are full of worries and fears that it will happen to them… much like what the Iraqis soldiers must be experiencing today.

• Ezek. 12:18-20 – “carefulness” is the word translated “heaviness” in Prov. It means worry, fear, anxiety, being torn on the insides… it is used together with the word “astonishment” = horror.

e. In the Bible it is translated “heaviness” only once—and that might not be the best translation. • It implies to us today a sense a burden, depression, discouragement, sorrow, or grief. • While that may be included in its meaning, the real thrust of the word is worry, fear, and anxiety. • Of course, over time, worry often does become an overpowering burden, a weight, which leads to discouragement and heaviness of heart. • But the main thrust of the word is anxiety and worry… not so much the grief or sorrow or heaviness which results from it.

2. Anxiety in the heart… a. Heart: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding, reflection, thinking… b. Worry digs down deep, doesn’t it? c. It can stick into our belly… and fester there… d. It can take over our thinking… our emotions… and be THE controlling factor in our lives… e. Hence, we become FILLED with worry. f. We should be filled with the Spirit… controlled by God’s Holy Spirit. (Eph. 5:18) g. Instead, we are filled (controlled) by fear… worry… anxiety. h. It is not sin to experience fear or anxiety. That is pretty normal and natural. i. It IS sin however, to be FILLED with it… controlled by it. • The cares and anxiety of this world tends to choke out the Word… j. Whatever FILLS our heart, controls it. • In Acts, we read of men being filled with envy, indignation, joy, or wrath. • In each case, it had a controlling effect on them… on their words and deeds. k. Our hearts SHOULD be filled with Christlikeness by means of the Holy Spirit… under His control… so controlled by the Spirit that it SHOWS in the way we talk and walk… l. We ought to be so filled with the Spirit that it AFFECTS our thoughts, words, choices, motives, and deeds. m. Worry and anxiety in the heart can also be CONTROLLING. • It too can affect our words… • It can affect our thoughts… dominate them… • It can affect the choices we make… • It can affect our deeds… • It can be so controlling that everything we think, do and say is first filtered through this lens of worry…anxiety… • When we are filled with worry rather than being filled with the Holy Spirit, the end result will ALWAYS be the fruit of the flesh… (read list in Gal. 5!)

3. Maketh it stoop… a. Stoop = to bow down; to depress. • This term means to bow down; to be low; to weigh down. • It is often used of bowing before idols… bowing before a king or superior… and is most often used of worshipping the true God… bowing in obeisance. • It is usually translated “worship.” • Dictionary of Biblical Languages: take a bowing stance, here as a position of submission to a superior. b. “Stoop” is used in Prov.12:25 in a FIGURATIVE sense. • It is not a literal or physical bowing down of the body… but an internal bowing down of the heart. • Hence, it is used of being “down cast”… discouraged… depressed… weighed down… heavy laden… burdened. c. ANXIETY makes the heart stoop… • Fear, worry, and anxiety bring us down… • It results in discouragement, even depression. • We worry about so MANY THINGS… • We worry about our finances… our health… our kids… our home… our country… our job… • The cumulative effect of ALL of these worries, weighs us down… drags us down… • It is a burden on our back… and one we need not carry about with us. • Worry is stronger than we are. It is a heavier burden than we are able to bear. • God never intended for our hearts to bear the burden produced by worry and anxious care. 25b But a good word maketh it glad. 1. God’s plan: replace the anxiety with gladness.

2. Good word: a. Good —- good; b. Word: speech; word; speaking; saying; an utterance.

3. Glad: make merry; cause to rejoice; gladden. a. This isn’t the kind of gladness or joy that comes from winning the lottery… b. This is a much deeper, inner, spiritual joy… the work of the Spirit in the heart. c. This might be (as the song writer put it) the kind of joy that seeketh me through pain… d. This is the kind of joy that does not change the circumstances… but rather it TRANSFORMS the inordinate, controlling anxiety and worry, into a reasonable concern. e. It takes the bite and sting out of the worry… so that it is no longer THE controlling factor in our lives… 4. Solomon’s point here is that you and I can have a WONDERFUL ministry to the hearts and minds of miserable men, women, and children. (anxiety makes life miserable). a. We can bring gladness to a heart that is burdened and weighed down with fear and worry. b. We can lift the spirits of one another. c. This is a ministry that doesn’t require some special talent. Anyone can do it… even kids! Perhaps especially kids! d. If you know how to talk… have an ounce of compassion… a healthy dose of tactfulness… and know a few Scriptures passages, YOU can make a sad heart glad! 5. What IS a good word? THE BIBLE! Here are a few good words you might try with a brother who is experiencing anxiety and worry: a. Phil. 4:6-7 – we are to be anxious for NOTHING… anxiety is replaced with peace. Don’t just blurt out, “Be anxious for nothing!” That’s not going to help… finish the verse! b. I Pet. 5:7 – we are to cast our cares upon the Lord. The anxious cares are gone. Emphasize His care for us! c. Matt. 11:29 – Too often we are heavy laden… with fears and worries in life. But, we are NOT to submit to worry and anxiety. We are to submit to Christ. Submit to His yoke—and the end result is REST… not fear and worry. • Challenge a worried, anxious brother to come to Christ… submit to His will… d. Ps. 55:22 – Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. e. Ps. 42:10 – Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. f. Ps. 62:8 – Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. g. Luke 12:22 – And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought (be anxious for nothing—same word) for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. h. Luke 12:25-26 – And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? • We worry about our finances… our health… our kids… our home… our country… our job… • We live more often like Martha—cumbered about by so many things… rather than Mary, who rested comfortably at the Savior’s feet… i. Isa. 50:10 – Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. • Isaiah is speaking to the godly who fear God and obey Him. • Nevertheless, they are walking in darkness—not sin—but are walking in dark days… difficult days… trials and trouble is implied here by the darkness. • They are counseled to TRUST… and to STAY upon God (lean; lie; support oneself upon another; to rest upon) • Even the godly, who fear and obey God face the worries and fears of darkness and trials… • But God has an answer… STAYED upon Jehovah! LEANING on the everlasting arms! Jesus I am RESTING, RESTING in the thought of who thou art! My faith has found a RESTING-place! Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is STAYED upon Thee. j. In each of these passages, the reader (who had previously been heavy laden with burdens and anxiety) is pointed to Christ… and encouraged… challenged… commanded (!) to cast those burdens upon the Lord. k. These are some “good words” that can lift the cast down soul… the heart that is weighed down in worry and anxiety… and replace that fear with gladness… the joy of the Lord. l. Such folks need to KNOW of the infinite LOVE of God… to be reminded of the marvelous PURPOSES of God… and the PRESENCE of God in the midst of those struggles. m. Prov. 12:18 – we can use our tongue to pierce… or like a medicine… to bring about good spiritual HEALTH… n. Prov. 16:24 – Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. o. Prov. 15:23 – A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it! • What a gift—to be able to lift up souls… to bring joy to a brother who is bent over in grief… • What a talent—to know what to say—and WHEN to say it… in due season. • How good it is!

Discussion Questions

What new thoughts have you had since reading and studying Proverbs 12:25 or from Hearing James’ message on the passage?

What verse from this psalm will you commit to meditating on and memorizing this week? Write it down. Share it with others.

Bringing It Home

Pondering the Passage:

What is the main point:

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Learn

What did I learn?

Where has my thinking, beliefs, and values been challenged in this p?

Do I find any of the characteristics ways of thinking or behaving of the ungodly in my life?

List and describe those areas in which I struggle.

Love

What does this passage teach me about God?

Has my thinking about God changed?

How have I learned to love God more and others selflessly as the result of the passage?

Have I learned ways that I have acted unlovingly towards others that I must change?

Live

What are the practical steps that I can take to apply to what I have learned in this passage?

Where must I change?

What do I need to repent and confess?

How will pondering and personalizing this passage change how I live my life today and moving forward?

Praying the Passage (ACTS)

What specific things can I pray adoring God because of what I learned in this passage?

What specific things do I need to confess based on what I learned from this passage?

What specific things do I need to thank God for based on what I learned from this passage?

What specific things do I need to request in prayer (supplication) based on what I learned from this passage?