Part 11 (1/2)

63.

Greater Things Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing? . . . And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?

-MATTHEW 6:25, 27 The devil is constantly waging war on the battlefield of the mind. Our soul is the tangible area between our spirit-the place where G.o.d Himself lives-and our physical body. It is made up of our mind, will, and emotions-it tells us what we think, what we want, and how we feel. When our mind is constantly stirred up with concern, worry, and anxiety, our G.o.d-given inner voice of insight and understanding becomes drowned out. In this unstable state, we no longer know what G.o.d's will is regarding what we should and shouldn't do.

When we allow the devil to overtake our mind with worry and anxiety instead of following G.o.d's Spirit, we are living the life of the flesh, and it keeps us out of G.o.d's will. Romans 8:8 says that ”. . . those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appet.i.tes and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy G.o.d, or be acceptable to Him.” This does not mean that G.o.d doesn't love us. It simply means that He is not satisfied with, nor will He accept, fleshly behavior.

G.o.d cares about us and about our needs. He wants greater things for us than we want for ourselves. We must fight hard to resist the temptation to accept the devil's endless lies. When I finally got fed up with not having any peace in my life, I made a decision to do whatever I needed to do to get it. I asked G.o.d what I should do. His response was clear: ”Joyce, you need to begin living on a deeper level.” Eventually, the Lord made it apparent to me that the deeper level on which I needed to live was the level of the Spirit.

In order for us to truly enjoy the abundant life Jesus died to give us, we need to stop worrying about what we think we want and need, and start following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. That's the message against worry. It doesn't matter if your need is food, a job, the right clothing, the best schools for your children, your future, or the future of your family-G.o.d knows and G.o.d cares. The trick of Satan is to whisper, ”G.o.d doesn't care about you. If G.o.d truly cared, you wouldn't be in this mess.”

When we focus on ourselves-what we don't have-we have little energy left to focus on others and reaching out to help them. We don't give money freely when we're afraid or worried that we'll lose our job or not have enough to pay our own bills. But when we trust G.o.d to provide for every need, we are free to share what we have.

Let me encourage you to stop worrying about your own needs and instead focus on the Word of G.o.d. You might even need to say to yourself out loud, ”G.o.d does love me, and nothing can separate me from His love. He has heard my confession of sin, and He has forgiven and cleansed me. G.o.d has a positive plan for my future because His Word says so” (see Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 1:9; Jeremiah 29:11).

Every time worry and anxiety come up to try and steal your righteousness, peace, and joy, find out what the Word of G.o.d says, and then open your mouth and speak the Word. G.o.d's ultimate goal is to get us to the point where no matter what is going on, we remain calm. Who is going to keep us calm? The answer to that question is the power of the Holy Spirit working on the inside of us. G.o.d wants us to develop the habit of running to Him for the grace to resist the lies of the devil. Eventually the truth will win out and change our life!

My heavenly Father, thank You for caring for me and for a.s.suring me that You will provide for every need I have. Too often, I've allowed worry to creep in and steal my joy or my peace. Because of worries over little things, sometimes I've been unable to focus on the greater things in this life You do for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, free me from the things that bind me so I can be totally free to wors.h.i.+p and serve You. Amen.

64.

Reminders That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of G.o.d, [the inner fire] that is in you. . . . For G.o.d did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

-2 TIMOTHY 1:6-7 It doesn't matter what kind of problem we have in our lives, we need self-control and discipline to gain and maintain the victory. I believe this is especially true with regard to our thought life and the battle for our mind. What begins in the mind eventually comes out of the mouth, and before we know it, we're telling anyone who will listen how we feel. We have to discipline our mind, our mouth, our feelings, and our actions so that they are all in agreement with what the Word of G.o.d says.

Every quality of G.o.d that is in you and me, G.o.d Himself planted in us in the form of a seed the day we accepted Christ (see Colossians 2:10). Over time and through life's experiences, the seeds of Christ's character begin to grow and produce the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23).

I have found that it is virtually impossible to operate in any of the other eight fruit of the Spirit unless we are exercising self-control. How can you and I remain patient, for example, in the midst of an upsetting situation unless we exercise restraint? Or how can we walk in love and believe the best of someone after they have repeatedly hurt us unless we use the fruit of self-control?

As Christians, we have the fruit of the Spirit in us, but we must purposely choose to exercise them. Not choosing to exercise the fruit of the Spirit is what produces carnal Christians-those who are under the control of ordinary impulses and walk after the desires of the flesh (see 1 Corinthians 3:3). Whatever we exercise the most becomes the strongest.

Our thoughts and words are two areas in which the Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us to exercise self-control. The Bible says that ”. . . as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he,” and ”out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks” (Proverbs 23:7; Luke 6:45b). The devil is constantly trying to get us to accept wrong thoughts about everything from G.o.d's love for us (or the lack of it) to what terrible thing is going to happen to us next. Why? Because he knows that once we start accepting and believing his lies, it is just a matter of time until we begin to speak them out of our mouths. And when we speak wrong things, we open the door for wrong things to come into our lives (see Proverbs 18:20-21).

What if, instead of allowing our minds to go over all of the things that have hurt us, we would remind ourselves to think about all the good things G.o.d has brought into our lives? When we allow Satan to fill our minds with worry, anxiety, and doubt, we wear out our ability to make good decisions. Worry is also thankless by nature. I've noticed that people who worry rarely see much good in life. They talk about tragedy, failures, sickness, and loss. They seem unable to focus on the good things that they still have in life.

Try this. Each day, focus on the things G.o.d has done for you in the past. This will make it easier for you to expect good things in the future. As I wrote those words, I thought of the memorials mentioned in the Old Testament. Often the people stacked up heaps of stones as reminders that G.o.d had delivered them or appeared to them. As they looked backward and remembered, they were able to look forward and believe.

The psalmist wrote, ”O my G.o.d, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon” (Psalm 42:6). He was reminding himself of past victories. When he was having problems, he recalled G.o.d's great work in the lives of the people.

When doubts try to sneak in, you can do what the psalmist did: You can look back and remember that G.o.d has always been with His people. All of us have had times when we wondered if we'd make it. But we did. So will you.

My great G.o.d, forgive me for allowing the little things of life to distract me and to take my thoughts away from You. Through Jesus Christ, help me always to remember that You are with me in the good times and in the bad times. Amen.

65.

Our Responsibility-G.o.d's Responsibility So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

-MATTHEW 6:34 Every believer has the responsibility to live right-to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. Motivated by the reverential fear of the Lord, we can learn to live carefully and begin to make a difference in the world we live in. You and I need to be careful about what we allow into our spirits and how we live our lives. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard our heart with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life. I believe we should have a careful att.i.tude about how we live-not a casual or a careless one. We need to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we think about, and who our friends are.

I'm not saying we need to live according to the strict and demanding dictates of man. Some would say we must not wear makeup or that we must wear colorless clothing from our necks to our ankles. That is nothing more than legalistic bondage to a bunch of rules and regulations. I had a very legalistic relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d for years and was miserable, so the last thing I want to do is teach legalism. What I am saying is that we shouldn't compromise. We should recognize our responsibility as Christians to live our lives in such a way that unbelievers will be attracted to G.o.d by our behavior.

James 4:17 says, ”. . . any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.” In other words, if we are convicted that something is wrong, then we must not do it-even if we see a hundred other people doing it and getting by with it. They may seem to be getting by with it, but sooner or later, we will all reap what we sow.

We know that worry and anxiety are not characteristics of a G.o.dly Christian. Yet still, many Christians worry. You can choose to worry, or you can reject worry and choose to live with joy and peace. Most people don't want to hear that message, and they seem to find an odd comfort in thinking that worrying is beyond their control. It is not. Worry is a sin against G.o.d.

As long as I've been in the church, I don't think I've ever heard anyone make that statement. But it is sin. It is calling G.o.d a liar. It is saying that G.o.d is not sufficiently able to take care of you and provide for your needs.

Faith says, ”G.o.d can do it.” Worry says, ”G.o.d isn't able to help me.”

When you worry, you not only call G.o.d a liar, but you have also allowed the devil to fill your mind with anxious thoughts. The more you focus on the problems, the larger they become. You start to fret and may even end up in despair.

Think of the words of the great apostle: ”I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13). Or think of the words from the psalmist: ”Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pa.s.s” (Psalm 37:5).

Jesus told His disciples not to be anxious and, as quoted above, not to worry about tomorrow. But He did more than teach those words; He lived them out: ”And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). That wasn't a complaint but a simple fact of life. Jesus trusted His Father's provision for Him even when He didn't know where He would sleep or what He would eat.

Jesus taught that we are not to worry about anything in life. He wasn't speaking about planning and thinking ahead. He was saying that some people never act because fear holds them back. They can always tell you ten things that can go wrong with every plan. Jesus wants us to live a stress-free life. If you are worrying about what might happen, you're hindering G.o.d from working in your life.

I heard about a couple whose daughter was diagnosed with a serious illness that wasn't covered by insurance. The parents were struggling to pay all the medical bills. Not knowing what else to do, they both went into their bedroom for a lengthy time of prayer. Afterward the husband said, ”It was really quite simple. I am G.o.d's servant. My responsibility is to serve my Master. His responsibility is to take care of me.”

The next day, the doctors told them that their daughter was eligible to be part of an experimental surgery and all expenses would be paid. The wife smiled and said, ”G.o.d is responsible, isn't He?” What a testimony to their faith and trust in G.o.d who remains faithful and responsible at all times and in all things. G.o.d is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another (see Romans 2:11). I encourage you to stop worrying and start trusting in Him.

Lord G.o.d, I know that worry is a sin against You. In the name of Jesus, help me overcome all anxieties and worry and enable me to trust You to provide for every need I have. Amen.

66.

Right from the Heart Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?

-MATTHEW 6:31 ”What are you going to do?” As a Christian leader, I've come to believe this is one of Satan's favorite questions. I sometimes think he sends out special demons that have one specific task: to whisper this question in the ears of believers: ”What are you going to do?” If you listen, the questions increase. The more they increase, the more negative and intense they become. Before long, you think of every possible obstacle on your path. You begin to feel as if nothing is right in your life.

That is the devil's task. He and his helpers wage war on the battlefield of your mind. They want to engage you and other Christians in long, drawn-out, costly combat. The more questions and uncertainties they raise, the greater their chances for victory over your mind.