struggle and worry

This week we are taking a look at the various struggles that go on around our lives. Yesterday we talked about the spiritual struggle comes with our enemy. That struggle is one we cannot see, and it can be easily missed.

The struggle is real.

One of the struggles that has been so real in my life is the struggle of worry. You might call is anxiety or doubt or uncertainty. There are plenty of other words that come to mind, but it really is plainly marked as worry.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Last week we took a deep through Philippians 4 which is where those two verses come from. But I return to it in thinking about worry.

Worry is one of those things that kills our God given purpose and His love in our lives. Often worry, as we have heard before, robs us of the joy that God intends for us to have. Furthermore, worry can and will replace strong faith with unstable and paralyzing fear.

Choosing worry is an exit ramp for true peace to make a beeline out of our lives. Turn that around. Choosing prayer and not to worry is literally an on ramp for peace to show up and stay in our lives.

Take a few minutes to consider a couple Biblical truths that can go a long way to remove worry from our lives.

Matthew 11:28 NLT

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Worry keeps us from resting. Leaving our worry to God will give us real rest.

John 14:1,27 NLT

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.… I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Trouble will come. Tough times are inevitable. But trusting God doesn’t keep us from worry, but it will not not worry to stick around very long. Peace will stay and struggles will find their way in and then out of our lives.

Worry builds our fear. Trusting God and giving Him our worries brings us rest and peace.

The struggle is real and worry adds to it. I choose rest and peace.

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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