Anxiety, Part 2

Today on some at length with JD Greer. Most of us want to deal with anxiety is one stockpiling. Also, we feel vulnerable tomorrow yourself in a situation where your job is on the 20 relationship natural parenting techniques of another garrotte that Shearson you will always still be anxious about things or to slip in the cracks and light, pastor of the Summit church in Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina.

I'm your host Molly bit of edge and we are so glad you're back with us today when it comes to money, parenting, marriage, career and any of the other.

Let me of things we worry about not telling us to just back and do nothing.

He is saying that we need to do what we can in obedience to God to the best of our ability and trust him with the results.

Today pastor Jenny continues our study of difficult emotions with the conclusion of a message that we began yesterday on the emotion of anxiety and anxiety thanks to little about God also minimizes how much God survives thinking for a moment what comforting truth that he cares so much so grab your Bible to Matthew chapter 6, and let's get started really familiar memorized bridges I have memorized Isaiah 49, 50, 60, was the first God Isaiah makes this point very creative way can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child, she is born ever happened in the history of the human race. Mother's nursing a child, and just forget about the child told you before that when my wife had no are each of our kids. She had this weird, supernatural, six cents, connected to them.

She knew brought about what you will be like a baby so that I give that look about like a baby. Did not sleep tonight but she's just so into it she just got disconnected and she knew what was going on. That's why most of you mothers are with how good a mom ever forget her newborn baby that she's nursing but what I love that Isaiah put this next phrase of your mercy may forget that one of you out there that really had a bad mom right like I was. Maybe she's got me okay maybe it happened, whatever it maybe happened. I'll never forget you. How would you know why grade on the palms of my hands. Isaiah didn't even realize how literally that was true because God literally when he looks at his hands down.

Jesus look at us and we are engraved on his hands in the form of male stars can forget about us Romans 832's universe always go to" you did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all. When we were his enemies that when you were his enemy is about to withhold anything from you now as you graciously give you all things now that you are his child told what more would God had to do to prove his commitment to you and insulting for us to think that God died for us on the cross and now will take care of day-to-day needs honestly reminder my kids on Don's obligation.

After spending the day at Disney World were 30 minutes behind.

When we would typically eat dinner. My kids are like, I'm like you think I brought you all the way down here to start you is simply not being here.

Proof enough of my commitment to how much it cost to get your feet to stand right there whether standing, do you think we stood for two hours in line and 115° heat so that for 90 seconds.

I garrotte on Dumbo's ears. We did that for me if I cared enough to you on vacation. I'm going to care enough about you to keep you fed. Not that this is happened recently on the fresh illustration I think I'm just to say I surely if God Jesus the same cares enough to send his son to the cross to die and humiliation for you. Surely you could trust him with your bills, your spouses of the future of your families like John of the great Puritan used to say. So say what crater insole. Could you ever give to Jesus been to say after his death on the cross that God is probably not trustworthy and God probably doesn't really care about us see Jesus was saying and he says is tenderly, but anxiety for the Christian is totally irrational. It means you believe God can take you to heaven but can't handle you on earth you believe that God is good for eternity, but insufficient for time you believe that God delivered you from damnation, but won't do the details of your day-to-day lives is an honest you got shoes. You gotta choose you either believe in the God of the gospel or you don't.

That's why he brings up this comparison to the Gentiles in verse 32 figure what the Gentiles the Gentiles were atheists or at best.

I believe the gobbles like this caprices by keeping the glorified dog that you gotta constantly keep on your good side lest he smite you make sense for them to worry because are always worried that maybe there is no God and believe there is God and he's mad at me right now, but you you know that you got a heavenly daddy he's proven his commitment to use proven his care of his creation in the creation of the wildflowers and the and the and the birds and he's proven his commitment to you through his death on the cross so it's just totally inconsistent for you to believe in the God that looks anything like the God of the gospel be worried about your day-to-day life is like.

Don't act like an atheist all act like a Gentile. Instead, like somebody who knows who God is. It's impossible to really believe in the God of the gospel be anxious, at least for spiritual reasons is another place for the apostle Paul makes the same point and I and a great way out of this another one my favorite passages looking for six you should memorize all these verses are giving you today. 44. Six be anxious for how much I can be anxious not doing the big stuff you can be anxious about like you know your retirement, your kids on be anxious for nothing little word. Whatever you anxious about fits in that category. Nothing at all. What about nothing. Nothing. Okay. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanks giving Misty will correct that let your requests be made known to God. When you do that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. John helps me it helps me to reflect on the fact that I am commanded not to be anxious literally that that's an imperative. Be anxious for nothing, command that is not a steerable at least four times in Matthew six, overlooking at least four times. Jesus commands us. Don't worry.

By the way, you know the most often repeated command in the Bible is not to have sex before marriage not tied to your not 366 times that can be coincidental.

That's one for every single day of the year including leave your literally God said there we will never live a day in any here on earth where there's not a brand-new fear not command for you.

You should not be frisky or something. The only way those commands make sense is if God in those commands is promising through that command that he will take care of the things worried about. Otherwise the command not to worry is like a cruel joke right. Imagine you and I were going up to lunch together on book as a run to the restaurant the car you like how I forgot my wallet and I look at you and say don't worry about it. I was at what what what I should get to the restaurant and NNN the bill comes to likely my money.

What's awkward look, you have to go back in the bag and do dishes and you look amazed at what she said not to worry about it. Michael.I mean I was gonna pay for it.

I just wanted you to have a sense of peace and tranquility while we ate together. That's why I said those things that would be a cruel joke.

The only way it makes sense for me to tell you not to worry about is if I plan to take care of it. The only way it makes sense for God to command gospel be anxious is if he has promised to take care of the things that are making us anxious.

So instead of anxious. He says in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. The key word there is, with thanksgiving, because it's impossible to be anxious about something that you just thank God he's taking care of right here to probably stab them up really still have a couple things of God to help myself like training wheels and prayer that might help you.

I found that when I would have my time with God every day tell me things I'm worried about but I be just worried about them when I got done as I was when I started to basically my quiet time was like anxiety hour with Jesus right wording in the direction of the ceiling. That's what my my my my time was in a request for proposal talk about some totally different because what I'm supposed to do is I'm supposed to put these burdens on Jesus and see Jesus I'm looking for you to guide me in what you want me to do, but I know that now that actual responsibility belongs to you and I don't have to worry about anymore because you got that bird not me and hear the little trainee wills and I've done that that help me do this one is exactly what Paul says right here with thanksgiving after I pray about what I'm worried about.

I will think how little he verbally say God I thank you that you are dealing with this. I know he may not always answer it exactly the way that I think it should be answered but I know his promise to answer otherwise him commanded me to thank him for it would be a lie, so my thank you that your answering this like a good father would answer the other thing that I do and I have us another set of training wheels for the really this bad of the Christian life. I say God I thank you for doing this and I trust you with this. It helps me to hear myself say, I trust you with that because I know the point is not worrying in the direction of Jesus. The point is committing these anxieties to him and not being anxious for them because I've given them to him about seeking his first promise to take care of all these other things. I'm worried about. Okay now I read this article in a magazine. It was a secular magazine and it was try to get strategies for anxiety what he said was that you should have 15 minutes a day every day that you concentrate all your were in a 15 minutes so you want other day and you're worried about sums that you know what I'm on or about the now 445 five that's my worry is not worth 15 minutes, but all you were there knowing where there why read that I thought well it's gonna sad but you know it's like that you're onto something. The word is help you out. Always of fierce urgently's concert one place for the Christian, that's your prayer time.

That 15 minutes is were you worry but you're worrying to Jesus and then you're getting out from that 15 minutes and you are saying will have a long-lasting are say no. I trust you with this and I got the peace of God that passes all understanding, because all that makes me anxious is now sitting on you and the only way that makes sense is if you know God cares about any promise to take it.

So anxiety minimizes how much God thinks about you. There's one more great point. Jesus makes about worry Matthew six is about anxiety and it's our last four year number three Jesus said, anxiety is a false prophet, anxieties a false prophet because it offers false solutions make false promises and it offers false predictions feeling anxiety worried about stuff but you'll whereabouts of always makes me feel better when I'm worried about a cousin on my Willison devote some energy to the problem. Somehow I think worried about this experience I am doing something that's going to help the situation because I'm I'm putting some energy into it. Just to let a making sense all of you think that we all think that Abby said I making sense for a couple reasons to problems versus verse 27 this morning that I should change anything. I look at Jesus's question. Verse 27 can any of you add one moment was lifespan by worry this morning, save the issue at all will worry actually add to your life. Even a single second know. Ironically, if anything, worry will just shorten your life. Doctors point out that around 75% of all doctor visits our stress or anxiety related. Charles Mayo of the Mayo Clinic wrote and I quote worry affects the circulation of art glands bone nervous system so I personally have never known a man who died of overwork. I have known a lot of men personally who died of anxiety and saw a bumper sticker recently was that anxiety is my daily cardio okay yes it will get your heart warm but it's the wrong time to get your are going, but she gets a hard one because anxiety is a false prophet. It promises you that if you devote time to it that that time and energy devote to it will change things, but that's a lie and Jesus tells us is alive. Second, Jesus is anxieties a false prophet because the vast majority the things you worry about never take place. Anyway you were about a thousand things and never take place never to describe for as paying the interest on a budget that you will even know it's like you hear the threatening music and the soundtrack of your life when there's actually no danger at all and the wife and I went on watching this scary movie together right at children like you know my life. If every time something was about to really bad that ominous music would just play it would really help me in decision-making about old you know, like that person looks charming but that's not turn out well and I know that because… That's that's taking place right there. That was that ominous music over and then I thought about it later but actually I have the opposite problem I have the problem with that ominous sinister music plays when there's nothing to be afraid of, and so just in the background while I was like all what is good overall. I'm just anxious because I think that there's going to be something that goes wrong I have no idea.

Don't think about how many things you worry about and have worried about that never happens. Look at what you how Jesus addresses this verse 34 therefore will worry about tomorrow because tomorrow is going to have trouble of its own. That's what I was worried about about tomorrow.

I was worried to be trouble trouble you said you were about to mark his troubled nose and was worried about them except what point is Jesus making tomorrow and have trouble because was also to be true tomorrow. The God that secure you today is good to hear you, Martha, God can be there also. Right you see that you worry about 999 things will never happen. I got a good deal of those who they didn't exist in the first place, but God is going to help you deal the water to actually do know we got all this to the children of Israel, was the story of the manna in the wilderness, literally the desert. Nothing but sand and cactuses are Garvey say that just another one ain't nothing the rights of their life will serve God every morning provides us little Ritz crack multivitamin Ritz cracker look a day this week until just like this right here okay and had gluten-free options for those you better and better. Your exam I got some and everything they needed to stay alive and is actually pretty good ceremony here will rule every morning to get out to be a mantle of the ground about the collective. Here, the rule is you can only get enough of that day, just that it is you did what we all do well my needy lecturer because you never know like Tamara tomorrow we might not have a rainy manna day and so I needed when taken up now because the best way to deal with the future is a stockpile today. If you did that then that nights as you collected all this manna it would breed worms and staying in cockroaches and rats just turn your tent into the off one exception was the day before the Sabbath and on that day and that they only were supposed to your commanded to get not just enough for that day. But enough of the Sabbath day and God miraculously kept it so that it did not spoil what was God trying to teach the children of Israel through that whole that whole situation he was trying to teach them. Don't worry about tomorrow. I'm the God who will be present tomorrow. I'll still be with you, so don't try to provide today what you need tomorrow. I will provide for you tomorrow I'll I'll send more. You know what bodily manna means what is that no idea about what is that manna does not assume or what is it you for your Morrison worry about it whatever you need whatever whatever you need. I'll send what is its to take care of it the way that most of us want to deal with anxiety is want to start Tylenol so that we feel invulnerable tomorrow right Jesus. It will force all this foolish for one, you can never prepare yourself fully for tomorrow and so about your strategy for dealing with anxiety to get yourself in a situation where your job is locked up and got plenty insurance company money. The bank if you got all the right relationships that you needed natural parenting techniques of another garrotte. If that's your site, you will always still be anxious about things in a slip of the cracks, and destroy you when I get robbed what I lose my job when my 401(k) crashes. What if the whole economy crashes with the Russians attack us and take us over what mom falsely accused at work. What if I go to jail. One of my kids want nothing to do with me when I go with my wife for me gets diagnosed with cancer.

If I never get married. What if this time next year. I'm still not married in a single closer you're always going to be anxious. You can never prepare fully for the future because it's foolish for. Then he says is also unnecessary because the God who is faithful to you today promises to be as present with you tomorrow as he was today and he's been a be there to deal with anxieties you don't even know about yet. Jesus, I like your worried about X, Y, and Z happening tomorrow and X, Y, and Z aren't good happen tomorrow. Actually, DDN effort happen and they're way worse than X, Y, and Z. But don't worry about it because I'm an A-Z, God, and I've got what is is for every single letter of the alphabet right so what ever left whole. Whatever the letter of sunscreen or calamity to come your way tomorrow.

I've got a what is it in the bag and I'll provide for so that you have no needs at all to look at my look at me right now. Everything will you make me tomorrow is going to have problems and thereby write upturned unit rental but your neighbor gets a little sinister look on your face and go girl just go eat some going around this week. Some of you next week, some going to go wrong with you next week would show this. It's okay. It's okay that sounds good to go wrong next week.

Why what God will be there. There is a way to face the uncertainty of tomorrow. The uncertainty of next week. The uncertainty of next year without feeling anxiety today because he lives I can face tomorrow because he lives, all fear is gone because I know I know he holds the future. My life is worth living just because he lives.

Anxiety causes you to worry about a thousand bad things when actually happening keeps you with leading with joy and peace on the God who promises to give you strength of the one or two bad things about jargon Avenue level Charles Spurgeon who "kind of anxiety allows that it is not into more of a source just empties today of its strength pain interest on a debit to match existing.

Give yourself in the riches of the God who provides what is its every single morning for you to deal with whatever anxiety you have or whatever tomorrow holds, God will be there to give you daily string know anxiety is a false prophet is a very persuasive one, but it is a false prophet to make false promises useful solutions in all directions, all in the Old Testament based on false prophets.

You need to stone anxiety every time it shows up in your life and you need to turn your attention instead to the one true prophet the true prophet who never lies, never fails and is always Every single promisee is ever made. That is the son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not just a prophet that told the truth he was a prophet that took everything we should have been afraid of. To begin with and put it away with blood on the cross and tells now because he did that we can surely trust him with everything else. So what is the conclusion of the whole matter right.

Verse 33 just seek first the kingdom of God. Just do what God wants you to do. Surrender to God. You're not a perfect Christian.

He knows that to say God I'm gonna follow you and you to the best of my ability.

What you tell me that it was apparent we are told it was a single what you tell me to do is a person who has a job with my money.

I want to do what you want to do and I want to trust all these other things. I'm worried about are to be provided for me as I need them there forges a door about tomorrow because you know the God of yesterday today and forever. The God saved you yesterday in the God that delivered you today is certainly a be the God who will provide for you tomorrow know the answer to worry is not a trouble free life is not an invulnerable future. The answer to anxiety is a relationship with the God who controls time I got him promises and not here false. Without his knowledge and his permission so that an Jesus is leaving for those never know.

Never desert to expose what more can he say you he is said to you, Jesus for refuge of lead, fear not, I am with the will be not dismayed, for I am the God and still give the 80 strength in the help the cause they do stand upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand walk with you to the fire when you pass through hobby with not fearing to stop because you know tomorrow's good, not bad, but I never change the God that provided manna the God that sent his son to die on the cross, the God that makes birds secure flowers and beautiful is that God is good and you will and opportunity to trust God to lean on him. The real question is are you most devoted to him. You're listening to Senate life with pastor Jenny Greer. If you happen to join us late.

You can listen again online@jennygreer.com Jenny most Christians believe that time in the word is important when it comes down to it we sometimes go home, days or even weeks without really spending time with God in a meaningful way.

Especially if her feeling depressed or angry or any other extreme emotion. You are the strange things is that people, even in Christian circles, often look outside of the Bible and outside of the Christian community to do with her emotions like wealth. The Bible teaches me how to be a moral person. It teaches me how to have hope. You know in life after death, but when it comes down to dealing with anxiety when it comes to deal with sadness or even some forms of depression.

Only thing the Bible to place auditor that I want to implore you don't manage your emotions don't don't suppress them if they're like smoke from a fire to cut away the smoke at your house and use it to diagnose what's really going on in your heart, and I think the series. I hope it will help you do that in this tool that were offering along with that, also called smoke for five also called smoke from a fire will help you to give you some sums study helps some diagnostic questions and really lay open your own heart see how the scriptures speak. As always, you can get it today. Right now JD Greer.com we like to say thank you work with 10 devotionals and guided Scripture reading in hand with our new teaching series titled smoke from the fire to provide insight in Scripture that will mean typical dimensions, depression and anger with the relationship with Jesus praying for the work that when you donate today when you commit to being a monthly gospel partner suggested getting level is $35 or more, 866 550 T-20 eight 663-3550 T-20 or you can get new resource online here.com by Molly emotion.

There is a great week and were sitting with your local church right here Monday for Senate life