Fresh Mannaby Pastor Tim BurtI was recently talking with someone who was sharing she had been experiencing extreme anxiety. She said, "I know the world is full of good people, yet it seems to be falling apart at the seams, and I worry about what the future is going to be like for my children!" Research says that many people feel exactly what the woman is expressing!Do you ever wake up or go to bed feeling anxious? Do you ever catch yourself worrying—maybe even terrified over negative circumstances or from thinking about the world we live in? Years ago, in my early walk with God, I went through seasons of life where I felt anxious about many things I allowed myself to worry about.Anxiety is a form of fear and one of Satan's most effective tools for robbing your faith and stealing your joy in life. The Bible tells us that worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing positive! In Luke 12:25-26 NLT, Jesus said,“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! And if worry can't do little things like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?”The truth is, worrying only steals from us. It steals sleep. It distracts us from God’s voice and promises. It clouds clear and sound thinking, and often leads to irrational impulses! It can make us irritable, and bring out the worst of our character—especially around those we love. It can cause stress that manifests itself as symptoms of sickness. It can even lead to discouragement, depression or worse. It too often creates a desire to isolate ourselves from others which results in a lack of interaction with other Christians who would otherwise be a source of godly encouragement. God wants you around others Christians and church so they can be led by Him to remind you of His intense love and care for you! Bottom line: worrying is the pits and produces nothing good!Do you remember the story in Exodus, when the Lord led the Israelites out from the most horrific circumstances under Pharaoh’s repression? They were crying out to God and that is why He raised up Moses to help them! The Lord had Moses lead them our of captivity as they all followed God miraculously leading them by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. He split the Red Sea. He destroyed Pharaoh’s army. He rained down supernatural angel food—manna from Heaven. He caused water to flow from a rock. Their clothes and footwear supernaturally lasted without wearing out the entire 40 years they were in the desert! God continuously provided for them yet they worried, whined, and insulted God with their unbelief. He was obviously there with them? Their worries were strictly leftover bad mindsets from their dysfunctional life without God, under slavery. Truth be told, God was actively and miraculously taking care of them the entire time. We can't allow ourselves to think like we used to before Jesus became our Savior. Our lives are new in Him! He is with us always!Generations later, it happened again. The devil leads us to sin so that we stray from God and become faithless and thankless toward God! Israel only existed as a nation and people because of God, and now they had forgotten Him again! They worried and tried anything and everything to fix their own problems. They became their own god and drifted from the one who loved them so dearly to begin with.Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord rebuked the children of Israel for letting worry steal their relationship with Him and instead drifting to depending on false gods and idols. Through Jeremiah the Lord said, “This is what the Lord says: "What sin did your ancestors find in me that led them to stray so far? They worshiped foolish idols, only to become foolish themselves. They did not ask, 'Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness—a land of deserts and pits, of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?' "And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the inheritance I had promised you. The priests did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?' The judges ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on nonsense.” Jeremiah 2:5-8 (NLT)
In the early days of my Christian walk, I let worry have a place in my life. My mind was often over-active, and I struggled with sleeping issues. I would read and reread these scriptures from Jeremiah, letting them correct me and comfort me. They revealed that God wanted us to lean on Him and not ourselves. I would get on my knees and begin to worship the Lord and pray. I would tell the Lord that I am not going to let cares and worries have any place in my mind, imagination, or heart. I rebuked them in Jesus name. I refused to let worry have any place in my life! Instead, I thanked God for giving me a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. A sound mind is a worry-free mind! I would pray, Lord, I thank you that you love me, care for me, and are the one that helps and protects me. I thank you for leading me to green pastures and still waters, and blessing the work of my hands providing my every need. I thank you for showing me and leading me to solutions for my life, and for the supernaturally working in the situations you do not want me to handle myself. Lord, I had nothing. Everything I have and every good thing in my life is because of you. I refuse to dishonor you by worrying. I will draw near in worship to you! You are the one who loves and cares for me.Worries may try to come, but when I let this be my heart and prayer, The clouds part, the sun shines, anxieties melt away, my heart is restored and refreshed, and my faith is strengthened and revitalized! It's His will for each one of us!Philippians. 4:6 (NIV)"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.In His love,Pastor Tim Burt
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