God’s Answer to Fear, Anxiety & Worry: Rejoice in the Lord

You are listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God this at our website and learn more about harvest partners@harvest.org is the solution to overcoming 1 do something for someone with greater needs and muted step number one. Bring a smile to someone else.

Isn't it interesting how their smile was contagious. Pastor Greg Loring has encouragement experts up down the opening scene on others instead of yourself really change your mood side around his written echo chamber on negative one anxious thoughts. It's there and germinates the next day.

Soon as a guard or even depression today on a new beginning for Greg Laurie help all those anxious thoughts out. I love the truth of God itself deeply in our hearts and minds wander long today for good insight. So what we do when worried what we do. What were suddenly filled with anxiety. What we do.

What were overcome with fear.

Answer we need to give our worries to Jesus Christ. First Peter chapter 5 starting number six. By the way I'm reading from the new living translation so humble yourselves under the mighty power of God and at the right time to look you up in honor. Underlying this phrase casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you. By the way, the word used here for cast is not the normal word for throwing something brother it is a word that signifies a definite act of the will, by which we choose to stop worrying about something like God assumed the responsibility for our welfare something I am going to deliberately not worry about this.

I'm going to intentionally throw this on God, to put it in his hands, leave it in his hands. But let me just for a few moments talked about clinical depression. You know there is, I believe people can be clinically depressed or actually have medical issues in play and does. Sometimes the answer is not just you know another verse from the Bible and another prayer.

Sometimes people need to go see a doctor and they need to have a complete checkup and they need to maybe take a little time off, you know, there is a place for recharging their batteries. There is a time to take some time.

I'll take a vacation, even even Jesus with his disciples over in Mark chapter 631 said come apart to a quiet place and rest for a while and the reason he said this because so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles didn't even have time to eat a level practical.

That is Florida.

So many people believe that let's go get away for a little bit. You guys need to have lunch now. I love the practicality of that. Listen if you don't come apart to fall apart in their sometimes practical things we need to consider what were dealing with. Maybe depression that were facing in our life rightly could be your diet knowledge. It would some people eat and I'm thinking that's going to affect the way you feel and the way you think your eating Krispy Kreme donuts and washing it down with Diet Coke. I love that you know we need all this for having the Diet Coke that are pretty much correct everything so you're just filling yourself with sugar and then yours constantly watching television or looking at social media or filling your mind with junk and you wonder why you feel down, maybe ask yourself some practical questions once last time I took a vacation I what images am I filling my mind with how much time on my spending on social media do I have a tendency to isolate myself.give me another problem will begin alone were not around others. Again, sort of help us and we can get into a funk. By the way this happened to men and women of God.

Elijah comes the Michael Elijah, the great miracle working prophet Elijah who prayed in the rain stopped. He prayed again the ring came back the probably do literally called fire down from heaven, and yet after his great battle with the prophets of bail up in Mount Carmel the fire of God fell from heaven and answered well I just prayer and in those false prophets were were dealt with and it was just a glorious moment right afterwards he went into a cave and just went to the deepest depression ever, and it was in that cave at the Lord actually spoke to him and said what are you doing here to he isolated himself and then he sleeping in an angel wakes him up and I love what the angel said to he said to them in first Kings 19 seven get up and eat then interesting not pray more report scripts to just have a sandwich.

Will you.

Maybe you're just angry right this. He dove something away. My wife intone I'm a little bit cranky, you shall throw food at me, just as calmly done. I would seriously sometimes it's as simple as just having something to eat. Having a good night sleep resting a little bit having a balanced diet, even exercising these things all have their place but here's something I found depression often comes after high moments in your life. Lolos often follow hi hi it's right so you have the big moment and then you have to return to reality, and first, it's kind of hard to deal with the written interesting article by a doctor name Robin Smith. She wrote a book called hungry the truth about being full it. She writes about those who feel an emptiness in their lives after experiencing great success that she calls it, quote being hungry for the high note and she writes about the deaths of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston she said and I quote people say drugs killed the drugs didn't kill them. What killed them as they were striving and hungry and they were striving to get the high note again and I think it can be true. People you know they they have this certain success in their life for this certain euphoric moment in their life they wanted to always be like that and when it isn't like that to get depressed. We just have to understand that the culture is not going to bring us the fulfillment there were looking for. I read about an Instagram post by Justin Bieber. They made this statement in a world that glamorous lifestyle portrayed by famous people and Instagram don't be pulled into thinking their life is better than yours I can promise you it's not." So we look at these people on social media are we look out of MTV.

Always see them in the big screen was they all met up only I were living their life will maybe you should be happy living their life because you see how empty and said so many of them actually are. If you're dealing with depression and anxiety and fear take your eyes off of yourself and put them on God. Take your eyes off of yourself and put them on God.

Remember this, you are not alone.

If you're a Christian, God is with you if you're not a Christian, God is near and can be with you and in you. If you call out to him.

The Lord reminds us in Isaiah 4110 don't be afraid I'm with you. Don't be discouraged if I am your God will strengthen you and help you to hold you up with my victorious right now listen when you get down.

He can lift you up. She need to remember you're not alone call out to the Lord. Remember our last message that we look good on this topic. Peter was walking on the water doing the impossible.

With his eyes set on Jesus and then he began to look around see how crazy it was seeing in the stormy waves inside to need to devise up the Lord, and he began to sink in.

When you take your eyes off of Jesus going to start sinking your great glory will have the second half of his message just a moment. Sometimes, we can always make it pictured here is his church is coming to you is coming due on your TV screen or on your tablet or your computer or even your phone. We do it every weekend and it's called harvest home. We worship we have a message of the word of God.

If you want to find out more, just go to harvest.org enjoy this this weekend for harvest at all.

Pastor Greg is offering some great encouragement today from his message God's answer to fear, anxiety and worry.

Part two let's continue with your dealing with depression. I have a 10 step solution to your depression. To overcome limits of you taking notes deftly write this down 10 steps to overcoming depression.

Point number one do something for someone with greater needs and you do do something for someone was greater needs and you do step number two. Repeat step number 19 more times.

That's it. Yeah that's it. Now understand I'm not dealing with clinical depression or anything like that now. But I'm just saying. A lot of times our problem is were so focused on our self if you just find someone who was a real need probably a need much greater than yours.

It can put things into perspective for you experts have found helping and focusing on others instead of yourself can literally change your mood.

It's a well documented fact that volunteering elevates mood. In most people it's a phenomenon that is actually been God. The helpers hi, the helpers hi and it's been assessed biologically in brain imaging studies and it's been looked out in research on the release of endorphins are you part of the runners hi there is also the givers hi, I can tell you I've experienced this myself where there've been times I've stepped up to speak and maybe I'm not feeling well or something else is troubling me and I'm really not in the mood to speak, but I get up and do it anyway and I start with my spiritual just take maybe a 20% and I end at 100% of the weight.

How does that work. I started out depleted and he ended up full update works.

The Bible says give and it shall be given unto you press down, shaken together and running over with the same measure you give to others it will be given back to you.

So that's were always seen you get involved and serve. And I think would church really starts firing on all cylinders is when we start participating not just attending not just expecting everyone to cater to what we come saying I want to serve. Now I want to help. Now I want to do something though and I don't care what I do. I just want to do something to bring glory to God you'll start having that helpers hi, so to speak where the givers hi so when someone asked you what you're doing on the weekend you can just say hey man, I'm getting hi what about you are a Christian, I am a Christian. I'm going to church on Sunday, this serve the Lord that makes me high man. Now you know understand I'm not trying to make this overly simplistic, you're not always going to have euphoric feeling when you do things for God. But what I am saying is there is a certain lift that you can experience and then when you find someone really unique. I going the good times are going to make a hospital call then maybe I have a cool cool blue so hard by the goals. I'm thinking then I go and visit somebody that is terminally ill or somebody that's facing a real serious illness of some kind, and sometimes a minister to me more than I minister to them and I walked out feeling bad about how selfish I was, not even wanting to go there in the first place and how I got perspective on what real hardship is magenta how the Lord was there with them. So I think it really helps us when we can get perspective about these things.

Let's read one more passage in the will wrap this up of Philippians chapter 4 verse 5 to 7 rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord as it can be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God. The process all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Rejoice in the Lord. No matter what you're going through. Rejoice in the Lord.

No matter what you are going through. Rejoice in the Lord always writes Paul and again I say rejoice. By the way circumstantial.

He Paul had nothing to rejoice about when he wrote this he was going to great hardship with a very uncertain future sitting in a prison cell.

Yet he writes rejoice in the Lord always and by the way the phrase that he uses in the original language is a command decision on commending you. The Lord is commanding, you rejoice in the Lord. Notice it doesn't say, rejoice in your circumstances always and again I say rejoice. You don't have to necessarily rejoice in circumstances, you have to say Lord I'm so thankful that you know I just wrecked my car. No. Rather, I'm so thankful that despite the fact that I wrecked my car. You're in control of my life and you can provide for me and you and you love me that's rejoicing in the Lord.

See. So despite my circumstances, or maybe my physical challenges I am facing north. Despite other areas of my life in dealing with the Lord still in control.

The Lord is my shepherd the Lord is my king, the Lord is my father. The Lord is thinking about me. So with this in mind I can rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Paul is typically thing we just lightened up a little bit just be happy in the Lord and rejoice in the Lord. Look, if anyone can be depressed, it's me where I am right now I could be depressed.

I almost deserved to be depressed, but I've chosen not to be because God is in control of my life and I'm rejoicing in a bike and rejoice. You can rejoice as well.

Maybe you've come here tonight with the weight of the world on you. You just heard some devastating news. Something is happening that is sort of sent you into a tailspin and you're just you don't feel good right now. You don't even really in some ways want to even be here right now but here you are, and here's what Jesus is saying come to me right now. If you're laboring under the weight of your sin. If you're tired of carrying heavy burdens and let me carry that for you. If you are schlepping around a bunch of heavy luggage and someone says can I carry that for you. Your answer should be yes you can and thank you very much for that series the Lord saying when he looked up her let me help you with that.

Let me stand right next to you now carry that thing that your caring given to me now look he's not going to take it from you if you give it to him. That's why Jesus says come to me if you're under the weight of sin. Your under the weight of anxiety or your under the weight of glory.

He says give it to me casting all your care upon him for he cares for you.

He says come to me with your problems. Maybe your same manner. I made such a mess of my life. I don't even order start but but how to why I get this fix will you just come and admit you can't fix it on your own.

You come to God and say I need your help. I'm a sinner and I need a Savior. I need someone to pull me out of this mess that I'm in right now because I can't pull myself out of it may be of like an addiction. Or maybe you have some other device that has a hold of you are just some other area of your life. You just can't sort it out. You can't fix it. That's okay you're just like the rest of us, so just come and say Lord help me forgive me and I'm telling you whatever problems you're facing a life God to change your story right here right now but you have to come to him. He said to the forces way in your life. He invites you to come. He welcomes you. But you miss a all right Lord, I'll take your hand right now on and let you pull me out of this. And Jesus died in the cross for your sin, and that your biggest problem not your anxiety. Not to worry about anything you're facing right now. That's of the temporal nature.

Your biggest issue is where you're going to spend eternity and according to the Bible.

There's only two options.

Can you guess what they are heaven and hell.

By the way, that hasn't change and it never will. Despite shifting culture and what we think or don't think doesn't matter to destinations in the afterlife heaven or hell. God wants you to go to heaven.

God doesn't want anybody to go to hell. That's why he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sin pay the price for the wrongs we've done so we don't have to go to hell. He died in our place will believe in him, turn from our sin will change our eternal address from hell to heaven. But you must call out to him. The Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved and if you've not done that yet, when it should do it right now as we pray together. Let's all bow our heads. Father, thank you so much for sending Jesus to die in the cross in our place. Lord Jesus, thank you for coming and laying your life down for us now. I pray for anyone that is joined us here tonight if they don't know you that they don't have a relationship with you. Help them to come to you. Help them to believe in you. Help them to be forgiven by you. We aim to Greg Lord important prayer and if you like to make that kind of change today in your relationship with the Lord. Pastor Greg will help you in just a moment before we wrap up today.

You're on a new beginning with Pastor Greg, you have a one hour weekly music program called refresh heard on many Christian music stations across the country and were expanding to even more stations.

That's right, but it wasn't so many years ago that the number of stations that played contemporary Christian music Lord Jesus music was close to zero.

Yes. And the story of how that music was born and was incubated is told in a brand-new book, a beautiful hardcover edition that were making available that's right the title of the book is the Jesus music so I have an opportunity to have a front row seat to the beginning of this music. We didn't know it was going to become an industry with Christian radio stations around the world. We just were caring what we believed in music that we could connect to in the late 60s, you know, groundbreaking artists and bands like love song and Larry Norman and Andre Crouch and the disciples and mustard seed faith and many others that followed to the present date of the bands that you love so this is sort of a behind-the-scenes look at how it all got started.

It's called the Jesus music as you mentioned, it's a beautiful hardcover book written by my friend Marshall Terrell that I've written three other books with and I had the privilege of writing the forward for this book, and so we are offering to all of our listeners. A copy for their gift of any size. So whatever you sin will send you a copy of the Jesus music but I meant to encourage you to be generous.

This should be a fairly expensive book if you were to order it@amazon.com or your favorite bookstore, but I'm to give it to you at no charge, but I do want you to invest in our ministry. So whatever you can give. It's greatly appreciated and will put it to work getting the word of God out getting the gospel out to order your copy of the Jesus music from us right here at a new beginning yet is right we have a copy waiting for you so get in touch with your investment today and be sure to ask for the new book called the Jesus music are addresses a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org will Pastor Greg. You mentioned how someone can become a Christian. With just a simple prayer.

Maybe somebody would like to do that right now. Could you help them with that. Sure, I'd love to a simple prayers right affect. I would like to just pray a prayer and I would ask you to pray it after me right now. Pray these words Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner but I also know that you are the Savior because you died on the cross for my sin and he rose again from the dead. Jesus come in the my life and forgive me of every sin I've ever committed.

I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer Lord, and I pray all of this in Jesus name, amen. If you just pray that prayer and meant to. I want to the know on the authority of Scripture God Almighty has heard your prayer, and he will answer this prayer. You are now a newly minted child of God.

So congratulations, you've made the right decision and welcome to the family of God. I want to send you a special gift because of that prayer.

You've just pray it's called the new believers growth packet and then it is a copy of the New Testament in a very understandable translation called the new living translation. It also is filled with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you made to follow Christ and there's some other outstanding materials in this little packet.

I'll send you as well so order your copy today and let me be the first to see the you congratulations and welcome to the family of God and to get that new believers growth packages get in touch and will be glad to send it right out. You can write a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and click the words know God flextime Pastor Greg brings us more valuable biblical counsel study series called God's answer to fear, anxiety and worry. Join us here on a new beginning. Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Lord, I knew beginning of the podcast, made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God if this shell has impacted your life. Share your story leverage you on your favorite podcast and help others find help