0:03 Good morning, Pilgrim. Grace and truth
0:05 to you.
0:08 Grace and truth from Hillsboro, Oregon,
0:18 garden shed converted into an office.
0:22 God bless you. Grace and peace, Pilgrim.
0:25 Got a message for you today. I've been
0:30 worrying. I've been anxious about uh
0:33 about this uh meeting coming up on the
0:35 6. Been all anxious and worried about
0:39 it. Been all anxious and worried about
0:41 this website. I got to got to get together.
0:43 together.
0:47 Been all worried and anxious about uh
0:51 the next days uh today's
0:54 uh video. you know, I worry and anxious
0:56 a lot.
1:00 But so I'm going to do this uh little
1:03 message, little devotion talking about
1:08 anxiety and worry. Isn't that crazy? Me
1:10 a worry wart.
1:13 Me an anxious person.
1:15 Well, Pilgrim, there's an absolute truth
1:18 every heart needs to hear, especially
1:21 me. Listen, Lawrence, listen. Listen to
1:24 this. Anxiety and worry are are burdens
1:27 we all face.
1:30 I put this all together.
1:32 I read the Bible and I think about this.
1:35 Boy, I hope I hear it good. But we're
1:38 never left alone in them. No, we're
1:41 never left alone in our in our burdens
1:43 we face. God cares.
1:46 He cares deeply for us pilgrim. Let's
1:50 never forget that. And his word, it
1:54 offers real hope. It offers real hope.
1:57 It's full of help.
1:59 So today, let's sit down together and
2:04 talk about overcoming anxiety and worry.
2:08 You pray for me, I'll pray for you.
2:10 Yeah. There's there's no fancy talk
2:12 here. It's just a simple strong
2:16 encouragement found in Jesus Christ.
2:20 That one who loves you and knows your
2:22 every need.
2:24 He loves me too.
2:27 Why do sometimes I not
2:31 think think more deeply about that?
2:33 You know the the reality of anxiety and
2:37 worry. It it's real.
2:40 It does bug us at times. Anxiety is one
2:42 of the most common struggles in our
2:45 world today. Worry, worry, worry.
2:48 Whether it's about our health,
2:50 about our families, about our future, or
2:53 what others think of us,
2:56 worry can sneak up and settle in our hearts.
2:58 hearts.
3:00 Sometimes it feels like it's out of our
3:04 control, like a storm. Storm we can't
3:08 escape. I got to worry about this.
3:10 But the Bible, it teaches that with
3:13 God's help, we can learn to guide our
3:16 thoughts and and find peace. Peace in Jesus.
3:18 Jesus.
3:21 Trust him. Trust him.
3:27 Jesus said in John 14:es 26 and 27,
3:30 "But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom
3:33 the Father will send in my name, he will
3:36 teach you all things and bring to your
3:40 remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace,
3:43 Peace,
3:47 not worry. Peace I leave with you.
3:50 My peace not worry.
3:53 My peace I give to you. Not as the world
3:56 gives which gives us lots of worry.
4:00 Not as the world gives do I give to you.
4:03 Let not your hearts be troubled.
4:10 Let's dwell on that. Huh? God has given
4:13 us his spirit to help us.
4:15 Most folks, they never realize how much
4:17 they can actually shape their own
4:22 thinking. With practice, with prayer,
4:24 with leaning on the Lord, the battle
4:28 against anxiety can be overcome,
4:31 or at least managed so it doesn't
4:34 run your life, ruin your life.
4:37 Philippians 4:7,
4:39 "And the peace of God, which surpasses
4:42 all understanding, will guard your
4:46 hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
4:48 God's plan for his children is not a
4:51 life ruled by fear. As Paul wrote in 2
4:54 Timothy 1:7, "For God,
4:58 he gave us a spirit not of fear, but of
5:08 Jesus had this. He offers it to us.
5:10 What does the Bible say about worry?
5:13 Well, worry isn't new. Folks in Bible
5:16 times had their own anxieties.
5:19 They worried about food, safety. They
5:22 worried about their future and and more.
5:24 Jesus spoke plainly about it. He said in
5:31 "Therefore, I tell you, do not be
5:34 anxious about your life, what you'll
5:37 eat, what you'll drink, nor about your
5:41 body, what you'll put on. Is not life
5:43 more than food?
5:45 Isn't the body
5:48 more than clothing?
5:50 Look at the birds of the air. Look out
5:54 the window. Look at those birds.
5:57 Look at them. Learn from them. Look at
5:59 the birds of the air. They neither sow.
6:01 They don't reap. They don't gather into
6:04 barns. And and yet your heavenly father
6:08 feeds them. Are you not of more value
6:10 than they?
6:12 And which of you by being anxious can
6:17 add a single hour to his span of life?
6:20 Nothing. We can't do it.
6:22 But seek first the kingdom of God and
6:24 his righteousness, and all these things
6:27 will be added to you.
6:30 Trust God.
6:38 He'll do you right. He'll do his will.
6:42 And his will is right.
6:44 Jesus pointed out that worry doesn't add
6:48 a single hour to our lives. Not one.
6:50 Instead, he calls us to trust our
6:53 heavenly father. Our heavenly father who
6:56 knows he knows what we need even before
6:58 we ask.
7:01 And there's a principle. It's called the
7:04 principle of sowing and and reaping.
7:07 The Bible teaches that what we sow we
7:11 reap. Galatians 6:7 tells us,
7:14 "Don't be deceived. God is not mocked.
7:18 For whatever one sws that will he also reap.
7:21 reap.
7:24 If we sow worry, fear will reap more the
7:28 same. Yeah, it seems to multiply,
7:29 doesn't it?
7:32 But if we sow faith,
7:36 faith in our Lord,
7:39 if we pray often,
7:42 pray always, if we trust in God, we'll
7:44 reap peace. will
7:46 will
7:48 grow strong.
7:52 Proverbs 11:18 reminds us,
7:56 "The wicked earns deceptive wages, but
7:59 one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward."
8:01 reward."
8:05 Jesus also said in Luke 6:37 and 38,
8:08 "Judge not and you'll be not judged.
8:10 Condemn not, and you'll you'll not be
8:12 condemned. Forgive and you will be
8:14 forgiven. Give and it'll be given to
8:16 you. Good measure pressed down, shaken
8:19 together, running over, will be put into
8:21 your lap.
8:24 For with the measure you use, it'll be
8:32 Many times anxiety has roots in past hurts,
8:33 hurts,
8:36 in past disappointments or fears about
8:38 the future.
8:41 Sometimes it's caused by things we don't
8:46 even realize by old habits, by ways of thinking.
8:48 thinking.
8:51 Are we positive all the time? Are we
8:53 negative all the time?
8:57 Let's be balanced. Are things we picked
8:59 up from from others?
9:03 Paul wrote in Romans 7:15, "For I don't
9:06 understand my own actions.
9:09 For I don't do what I want, but I do the
9:12 very thing I hate."
9:15 Said, "That's it is."
9:18 We all struggle. Sometimes we repeat
9:20 patterns without meaning to. That's why
9:23 we need the Holy Spirit, pilgrim. We
9:27 need him to bear his fruit in our lives.
9:31 Galatians 5:22 and 23 says, "But the
9:35 fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace,
9:39 patience, kindness, goodness,
9:45 faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
9:53 Is our inde identity is it is it in
9:56 Christ or someone else or something else?
9:58 else?
10:02 In the middle of anxiety and and worry,
10:06 don't forget who you are in Christ.
10:08 You are loved
10:10 by Jesus,
10:14 by the father. Romans 5'8 says, "But God
10:16 shows his love for us in that while we
10:19 were still sinners, Christ died for us." [sighs]
10:21 [sighs]
10:22 Would he die for you if he didn't like
10:26 you, if he hated you?
10:29 You are accepted, pilgrim. Ephesians 1:6
10:32 says, "To the praise of his glorious
10:35 grace with which he has blessed us in
10:36 the beloved,
10:39 you're not condemned." Romans 8:1 says,
10:42 "There is therefore now no condemnation
10:46 to those who are in Christ Jesus."
10:49 No matter what we're facing, no matter
10:53 what you're facing, I'm facing
11:01 dealing with anxiety.
11:05 Let's look at Israel. What' they do?
11:07 The Israelites when asked to take
11:09 fortified cities.
11:12 Yeah. They were crippled by fear. They
11:15 said, "We ain't going up against those giants."
11:17 giants."
11:20 Anxiety and worry. They can feel just as
11:23 overwhelming to us. The New Testament
11:26 tells us there's no condemnation for
11:28 those in Christ Jesus.
11:32 Romans 8:1. Jesus has absorbed God's
11:35 wrath for us. We got nothing to worry
11:39 about. Jesus takes care of it all.
11:41 But that doesn't mean Christians are
11:45 free from anxiety and depression. No,
11:49 for many of these are daily realities.
11:51 Sometimes just getting through a day
11:54 feels like conquering Canaan. We got to
11:56 conquer the devil.
11:58 But remember,
12:00 those who suffer anxieties aren't like
12:05 the Israelites who chose to defy God.
12:09 They do anything to avoid it.
12:13 God has already acted, pilgrim. He's
12:15 done it through Jesus. He's dealt with
12:19 sin and promises to remove all tears in
12:21 the age to come.
12:25 Revelation 21 3 and4 says, "And I heard
12:27 a loud voice from the throne saying,
12:29 behold, the dwelling place of God is
12:31 with man.
12:34 He will dwell with them, and they will
12:36 be his people, and God himself will be
12:38 with them as their God. He'll wipe away
12:41 every tear from their eyes. Death will
12:43 be no more, neither shall there be
12:47 mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.
12:50 For the former things have passed away."
12:54 What me worry? What's to worry about?
12:57 What's to worry about?
13:05 from now to eternity.
13:08 My future
13:11 is Jesus's.
13:13 The cross and the empty tomb are
13:16 permanent signs of God's action even in
13:19 the storms of anxiety.
13:22 The gospel doesn't remove all anxiety
13:25 now, but it shows us God has acted and
13:28 will act again.
13:31 He's a God who can cast all our
13:35 anxieties on. We can throw them away.
13:39 He'll take care of it because he cares
13:41 for you.
13:45 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your
13:48 anxieties on him,
13:50 on Jesus,
13:53 because he cares for you.
14:01 The Bible speaks directly to anxiety,
14:03 both as a command and as a comfort.
14:05 Instead of letting worry take over,
14:08 we're told to bring our concerns to God
14:12 in prayer and thanksgiving.
14:16 Philippians 4 6-7.
14:19 Don't be anxious about anything, but in
14:21 everything by prayer and supplication
14:23 with thanksgiving, let your requests be
14:25 known to God.
14:28 And the peace of God, which surpasses
14:30 all understanding,
14:34 will guard your hearts and your minds in
14:36 Christ Jesus.
14:38 the Bible. It makes a difference between
14:44 true concern and destructive worry.
14:47 Sometimes anxiety is just caring deeply
14:51 for for someone else like your your
14:53 husband, your wife, your children. Worry
14:56 about them. Worry about them.
14:58 But when it takes over, it can keep us
15:02 from trusting God.
15:05 Put them in God's hands.
15:08 Freedom from anxiety comes through trust
15:10 and prayer.
15:13 Cast your anxieties on God. He cares for
15:16 you. 1 Peter 5:7.
15:19 Perfect peace comes to those whose minds
15:24 stay fixed on God. Isaiah 26:3.
15:28 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind
15:30 is stayed on you
15:35 because he trusts in you.
15:41 pilgrim overcoming anxiety starts by
15:45 recognizing it isn't God's will.
15:48 He don't want you to worry. No, he don't.
15:50 don't.
15:54 Anxiety quietly suggests God isn't able.
15:57 He's not willing to care for us. But
16:01 that's a lie. That's not true.
16:06 God loves us. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear
16:08 not, for I'm with you.
16:12 Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I
16:15 will strengthen you. I will help you. I
16:17 will uphold you
16:21 with my righteous right hand.
16:24 Jesus offers his peace to his followers
16:31 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give
16:34 to you. Not as the world gives do I give
16:39 to you. Let not your hearts be troubled.
16:42 Neither let them be afraid.
16:45 God gives not a spirit of fear, but
16:47 power, love, self-control. Second
16:50 Timothy 1:7.
16:53 Charles Spurgeon, he once said, "Anxiety
16:56 it it it doesn't empty tomorrow of its
17:00 sorrows, but only empties today of its strength."
17:02 strength."
17:05 Thomas Brooks, he wrote, "Let not your
17:08 fears be betray your faith, nor your
17:11 faith be betray your fears, but strive
17:14 to bring your faith to bear upon your fears.
17:15 fears.
17:18 Use the strength you have and God's
17:21 given you. John Owen reminded the
17:23 greatest sorrow and burden you can lay
17:26 on the father, the greatest unkindness
17:29 you can do to him is not to believe that
17:32 he loves you.
17:40 So in conclusion,
17:44 what does Jesus say?
17:46 Repeat it. Let not your hearts be troubled.
17:48 troubled.
17:52 Believe in God. Believe also in me. John
17:55 14:1. And from the Psalms.
17:58 I sought the Lord and he answered me and
18:01 delivered me from all my fears. All of
18:05 them. The Lord delivered me from all my
18:16 Heavenly Father, thank you for your your
18:19 great love and your your patience with
18:23 us. Thank you for sending Jesus to bear
18:26 bear our burdens and for giving us your
18:30 spirit to comfort and guide us. Lord,
18:32 for those who struggle with anxiety and
18:35 worry, please remind them of your
18:37 presence and your care. And Lord, remind me.
18:40 me.
18:42 Lord, help them to trust you. Help me to
18:46 trust you to know that that we're all
18:48 loved, that you love us, that you've
18:52 accepted us, and never never
18:57 we're never condemned in Christ.
19:01 Lord, give us all courage to face each
19:04 day, wisdom to take each thought
19:07 captive, and and peace that passes understanding.
19:09 understanding.
19:12 Lord, may your word fill all our hearts
19:18 and and your spirit lead us to freedom.
19:22 In Jesus holy, precious name we pray. Amen.
19:25 Amen. Marinatha,
19:27 Marinatha,
19:31 come Lord Jesus. Come today. Come when
19:38 Dear friend, make it your habit to read
19:41 the Bible every day. Pray often. Pray always.
19:43 always.
19:45 God's word is living. God's word is
19:47 powerful. And prayer is your lifeline to
19:51 the father who loves you. He does love us.
19:54 us.
19:56 And if this message encouraged you,
19:58 please subscribe, like, and especially
20:00 share it with others. Let's spread the
20:02 good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ
20:07 all around the world. From
20:10 here to there to everywhere,
20:12 everybody needs to hear that Jesus
20:16 saves. Jesus saves.
20:19 Well, pilgrim, walk with Jesus, beside
20:21 him, behind him. Don't get ahead of him.
20:30 Jesus be your guide.
20:34 He knows the way. He's been there. He's
20:36 done that.
20:40 And Pilgrim, I will see you later. The
20:43 good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.
20:45 rise.
20:48 God bless my beloved friends. I love y'all.
