Encouraging, Empowering & Equipping Ordinary Christians To Live Powerful Missional Lives!
Don’t allow worry and anxiety keep up from enjoying the life that Christ has for you or from joining Christ on His mission. Here are 4 Biblical activities that you can implement into your normal daily life that will disrobe the worry that haunts you.
Spend Time With Jesus & Watch The Worry Melt Away!
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
In this Bible story we see a pretty clear picture of most of us when it comes to worry through Martha’s experience. So often, we are so busy doing this thing and doing that thing, that we become overwhelmed and possible overextended.
Martha was busy and distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. I think it’s interesting that the story clearly says that she was distracted! But, distracted from what? What were all of her busy preparations keeping her from that she should have been doing? Once we can answer that question, we also reveal the 1 absolutely essential activity for a worry free life!
The story also reveals that Martha was worried and upset about many things! If the truth of the matter is made clear most people don’t worry about just one or two things. Worry for most people, including Christians, have become a lifestyle. Throughout life we have learned to worry about most things. We’ve watched our parents worry over this or that; we’ve seen our friends grip by worry; and the uncertainty of life has taught us that worry is the proper emotion to have. Through a worldly perspective it appears that most of life is filled with things to worry about.
But not only did the story tell us that she worried about also upset about many things. Being upset and worrying actually go together! When we are worried about something, its because that something is out of our control. We can’t beat it into submission. And when we can’t control something and worry begins to grip our hearts and mind, then we become angry at situations and in this people, Martha’s sister, Mary. Martha was upset with her sister because Mary wasn’t doing what Martha thought she should be doing. What was that? Helping her with the preparations.
So what is the one absolutely essential activity for experiencing a life without worry? It was what Mary was doing! Read again what Jesus says,
“… but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Jesus starts off telling Martha that she’s a worry wart and that her sister helping her isn’t the solution to her worry. Not only was Mary not the solution to Martha’s worry but she actually was doing and being the example on how to get rid of that worry!
What was Mary doing? According to the story Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to everything Jesus was saying. Mary was spending time with Jesus; she was learning from Jesus; she was soaking in all that Christ had to offer and as a result Mary would be filled with peace and contentment and not worry or anxiety. So, what is that one essential activity to get rid of worry?
When you do then all your worries will begin to melt away!
Here’s the lyrics to a great chorus that shares this message wonderfully:
“One thing is needful O my Father
One thing is needful O my God
That I sit at Your feet
And pour out my love
This thing is needful O my Lord
(REPEAT)
Verse 2
I sit and worship You my Father
I sit and worship You my God
Lord I sit at Your feet
And pour out my love
I sit and worship You my King
(REPEAT)
Verse 3
I lift my hands to You my Father
I lift my hands to You my God
Lord I sit at Your feet
And pour out my love
I lift my hands to You my Lord”
For more information on how to live a powerful worry free life, check out this powerful book that was ranked as an Amazon #2 Best Seller in the categories of Missions/Missionary Work and Pastoral Counseling/Recovery. It is called LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY: Biblical Advice On Relieving An Anxious Heart.
6 Biblical principles
and 5 Biblical practices that will lead you into a life without worry.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:4-9
How To Replace Your Worry With God's Peace
#1: By Rejoicing More
This verse starts off my telling us who are worried to start rejoicing or praising God. To ignore this is to ignore a command from God.
Instead of worry about the stressful situations of life we should look at the more humorous side of things. My mom was great at doing this. I can remember sharing with my mom some very frustrating things only to see my mom start chuckling about them. When I'd ask why she was laughing at my worries she would just say,
"I know this situation is very sad and hard on you and if I'd let it I could easily start crying. But I don't want to cry so I choose to smile and giggle instead."
What my mom had learned was that worrying about something or being at peace about something was a choice we make. So, instead of worry let's decide to:
In other words let's decide to REJOICE more!
#2: By Relaxing More
Did you notice what the verse in Philippians said?,
"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."
That word "Gentleness" can mean "Easy" or we could say "Taking it easy"!
The instruction of scripture is instead of stressing out about a situation take it easy and relax. Why? Because you know that God is in control.
#3: By Praying More
"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
#4: By Feeding More
" ... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (v.8)
You get rid of worry when you are constantly feeding your mind positive, uplifting and God thoughts!
When you are going through a tough time force yourself to take your attention away from the troubles you are experiencing and place it on all the blessings that God has given to you. There are always positive things going on around us but many times we have to force ourselves to look for them.
#5: By Following More
" ... Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
Paul was telling the Christians in Philippi to follow his example of how to live a life of peace that was free from worry. How could Paul say that? Because he also shared with them that he had discovered the secret of being content in any and every situation. To be content means you are no longer worrying and Paul had learned how to experience that state of mind on a moment-by-moment and day-by-day basis.
We too should follow the example of others Christians who also have learned how to live that life of freedom from fear. These kinds of saints have a lot they can teach us and we listen and follow their example.
I hope this blog post has encouraged you, empowered you and equipped you for a more faithful life on mission for Christ!
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient.” – Hudson Taylor
The previous principle of actualizing a worry free life that I shared was to have faith in Sovereignty of God. It was designed to help us understand and believe that God is able to do anything, through anybody, including each of us. If God is truly God then nothing is impossible for Him and all things that He wills can and will be done. In other words, there’s no force or authority above Him or beside Him.
God most definitely is in control.
But trusting and believing that God is in control, when left by itself, does provide insurance that we won’t be filled with worry and anxiety. As a matter of fact, it is quite possible for a person to be actively doing God’s will and still have no peace about it! People can be in service to God, doing exactly what He has asked them to do, with full assurance that God will accomplish His task and still be worry and anxious about it! That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But it’s true.
Let me give you an example using the prophet Jonah. You know the story of Jonah. Jonah is commanded by God to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their disgusting wickedness had come up to God. Jonah however, didn’t want to obey God so he ran away and hopped on a boat headed for Tarshish. While on the ship God sent a hug storm to come up against them and almost sink the ship and everyone on it.
Jonah then convinced the other men of the ship that the only way to save the ship from God’s wrath was for them to throw him overboard. While floating around in the water, God caused a whale to come and swallowed him up. However, this whale swallowing experience wasn’t intended to kill Jonah but for God to get his attention and compliance. As Jonah was sitting in the belly of the whale, He cried out to God, committed to obeying Him by going to Nineveh, and preach against the city. Then after being burped up onto shore Jonah did go to Nineveh, he did preach against the city but once the king of Nineveh heard the message, on his own initiative, he got the whole city to repent and beg God for mercy.
As God heard the sincere cry of repentance from the people of the whole city, He did show mercy on them and pulled back His wrath. This, however, was not what Jonah wanted to happen. Jonah didn’t want mercy to be shown them but instead he wanted the judgment of God to fall on them. Jonah then begins to act like a spoiled little brat and throws a temper tantrum. Listen to what the Bible records Jonah saying once he realizes that God had shown the people of Nineveh mercy.
“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, ‘isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God; slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:1-3 (NIV)
While there are lots of lesson that we can learn from those first 4 chapters of Jonah, the one I want us to understand and meditate on today is this:
Just because you’re doing God’s will doesn’t mean you’ll experience God’s peace and be free from anxiety. Just because you’re being obedient doesn’t mean you won’t have worry in your life!
Why? Because a Christian who wishes to experience a worry free life not only needs to trust in the Sovereignty of God but they also need to surrender to the will of God in their attitude as well as in their action. If our attitude is wrong, even when doing what is right, we still won’t have a life filled with peace.
Jonah went and did what God wanted but he went and did it with a bad attitude. Even, though his actions were right – his heart was wrong. Jonah didn’t want the people of Nineveh to be forgiven – he wanted them to be judged and condemned! Jonah knew, from his understanding of the nature of God that “if” the people of Nineveh repented God would forgive them and because of this understanding of God, Jonah worried that God would forgive them and show them mercy if they repented.
The worry free life that we all are seeking always will come from both right actions and right attitudes. Jonah obviously didn’t have the right attitude. Jonah desired something that was contrary to what God wanted and as a result, even though He was obedient, Jonah neither had peace about the assignment or joy about the outcome.
Now with this as the backdrop, let’s once again take a look at part of Hudson Taylor’s quote.
It’s that last part of the sentence I want us to focus on,
Hudson Taylor had come to a place in his daily life where he could honestly say that he not only sought to do God’s will but also that it was his sincere hearts desire to see God’s will accomplished, regardless of what it was.
So here is the third principle for a worry free life. We can experience a life free of worry by:
What I mean by that statement is that when we get our hearts to desire that which God desires; that we want what God actually wants; that we have no desires of our own but only to do the will of God then we can be freed from worry.
Jesus, after talking to the sinful woman at the well described his desire to do the will of God in the following manner,
In other words, Jesus was so desirous to do the will of His Father that it was being hungry and thirsty. It was only through complete obedience that Jesus was able to satisfy that desire.
Think about a time when you were so hungry or thirsty! How did you feel? Wasn’t getting something to eat and something to drink an all consuming desire and thought for you? Of course it was!
Nothing else will satisfy. Satisfaction only comes when we obey!
There’s an old gospel hymn that perfectly describes this principle of conforming our attitude and desire to match that of Christ’s.
WHEREVER HE LEADS I’LL GO
Wherever He leads I’ll go,
Wherever He leads I’ll go,
I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so,
Wherever He leads I’ll go.
He drew me closer to His side,
I sought His will to know,
And in that will I now abide,
Wherever He leads I’ll go.
My heart, my life, my all I bring
To Christ who loves me so;
He is my Master, Lord, and King,
Wherever He leads Ill go.
(Alan Jackson)
A true worry free life comes when we 1). Abide in God’s will; 2). Surrender our heart, our life and our all to Christ regardless of where He leads us.
In order to experience the worry free life we must be willing to exchange our will to that of God’s will.
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.” – Hudson Taylor
The prospect of attaining a worry free life is a wonderful proposition for many but has, at the same, seemed like a pie in the sky ideal that is completely unreachable. The lesson we learned in Part 1 is that it’s not an unattainable goal but actually a completely Biblical one that Christians can make part of their daily lifestyle.
We saw how both Hudson Taylor and the Apostle Paul claimed to achieve that state of being and we also learned that Jesus taught that living a worry free life should be the kind of life that His followers should experience.
In today’s lesson, we are going to learn where to start in the development of that worry free disposition. Every journey starts with taking the first step. So, today we are going to look at the first step in ridding our life from the stress, worry and anxiety that life throws at us.
Lesson #2:
Trusting In The Sovereignty Of God
We will start this lesson by looking at the second statement that Hudson Taylor made in his quote.
“ … I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will for me…”
In this one short phrase, Hudson Taylor gives us the starting point for developing the worry free life that we’ve been talking about. For him there could be no other first step. All other subsequent steps are dependent upon this first step being actively embraced. If a Christian fails to take this first step, then all the other steps are unattainable for this first step lays the foundation upon which to build all other steps.
What is that first step? It is simply this: Trusting In The Sovereignty Of God!
While that may sound profound, what exactly does it mean? To help us answer that question here’s a definition that resonates with me:
“God, as the ruler of the universe, has the right to do whatever He wants and whenever He wants and also has the ability and power to bring it about.”
In other words, God has both the authority and power to do whatever He decides to do. It means that nothing is out of God’s control or outside His authority. Or, you might even say that God’s will, will be done!
From this statement in Hudson Taylor’s quote, we can conclude that he came to the place in his walk with Christ that he sincerely believed that God is able and willing to accomplish whatever He has planned. Taylor realized that there was no need to worry since God would be successful in accomplishing His endeavors. He knew that God would be successful and would never fail.
Taylor wasn’t concerned that people, in their sinful actions, would mess up God’s plans. He wasn’t concerned that Satan with all of his scheming and deceitfulness could alter God’s will. Why? The answer is, because Taylor understood all of creation, whether angel, man, or demon, is under the complete authority of God. Taylor truly believed that with just one word from God all of creation, both willing and unwilling, would do His bidding.
Listen how the Bible describes the power and authority of God in Romans 9:19-21 (NIV):
“One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?’ But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”
In this verse, the Apostle Paul asks a couple of rhetorical questions,
Here’s the point of this whole verse: God is in control! Nothing exists that is outside of God’s control. This was something that Hudson Taylor understood and believed in the very depths of his heart, and it was the foundation that brought him peace and allowed him to live a worry free life.
Hudson Taylor also applied this truth to his own life! Take a look at that quote again. Notice that it says,
“…I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will for me…”
The last two words at the end of the quote make it so powerful and so personal at the same time. The phrase, “For me,” is so powerful. Why? The reason is because if one doesn’t truly believe that the truths of God apply to them personally then they will never experience them personally. Hudson Taylor could say that he no longer got anxious about things because he applied the truth of God’s sovereignty to his own life.
How peaceful and restful it is when we finally come to the place where we truly know and believe that nothing is able to hinder or prevent God’s will from being worked out in us and through us. Think about it for just a moment. Other people cannot mess up God’s will for your life. You can’t even mess God’s will for your life!
Once a person truly understand and believes, with their whole heart, that God is truly and completely in control and His will, will be done there’s no need to worry. THINK ABOUT IT:
Jesus said it well in Matthew 6:27,
“Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worry?’
The obvious answer is “No.” And here’s the lesson: Worrying over something cannot change what is or will be!
If we truly want to join Hudson Taylor and the Apostle Paul in a worry free life, then three things need to take place:
Once we successfully accomplish those three things, we will have laid the foundation from which a worry free life can be built.
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.”
Hudson Taylor was the great missionary that came from England to China. Many of his quotes have been persevered over the years that allow us to learn some valuable lesson into missional living.
One of the biggest lessons that we need to learn is how to join God on His mission without being overwhelmed with worry and anxiety. Experiencing God’s peace in the midst of trials, tribulations and the lack of resources is an essential disposition for all Christians to have especially if they are going to brightly shine the Light of Christ.
From Hudson Taylor’s quote, we learn how to develop that worry free disposition so that we are able to join him in saying,
“I am no longer anxious about anything.”
Can you say that for yourself? Are you free from worry or do you still get a little anxious or maybe even extremely stressed out about uncertain circumstances?
Over the next few posts, we are going to learn those lessons that Hudson Taylor learned in living a worry free life and how we can apply them to our life. There’s a total 7 of them.
Again, what did Hudson Taylor say? Read it one more time and let it really sink in!
"I am no longer anxious about anything ..."
WOW! What a claim! He is saying that he has come to a point in his growth in Christ that he is no longer gets anxious, no longer worries about or gets stressed out over the things of this life.
Hudson Taylor believed that the worry free life was not only a possibility but also something that every Christian should seek after and attain.
What are we to conclude about such a statement? We can come to the conclusion that Hudson Taylor was either:
But before we get to far along in judging Hudson Taylor let's take a look at what the Apostle Paul had to say about the topic of worry and about experiencing personal contentment. (My Definition Of Contentment Is: The state of mind that is freed from a life of worry).
"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, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Do you see it there? Paul is basically saying the same thing that Hudson Taylor said. Paul is telling us that there is no need to be anxious about anything! What does “anything” include? It includes everything. In other words, there is absolutely nothing that you will go through in life that you need to worry about if your life is in Christ. Those that belong to Jesus have no need to worry about anything! That’s exactly what this verse is teaching.
So, if the Bible is telling us to stop worrying then it must be possible to do!
There's no question in Paul's mind that living a worry free life is not only possible but also should be expected!
Paul doesn't stop there. He goes on to tell people what to do when the circumstances of life are uncertain. Paul clearly instructs us to to stop the worrying, which is our normal response to uncertainty, and start praying about it.
In other words, do an exchange! Instead of worrying over the uncertainties of life exchange that activity with the activity of talking to God about it. Place your faith in the god who's not uncertain about what the future hold but actually controls it.
PRAYER IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR THAT MUST BE NURTURED IF WE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE A WORRY FREE LIFE!
Paul says in Philippians 4:12 that he has discovered the "SECRET OF BEING CONTENT"! Isn't it interesting that the Apostle Paul refers to contentment as being a secret? Why would he do that? Maybe it's because this contentment that so many of us are striving for is also what has alluded us so often and hard to hold onto!
This contentment that Paul is talking about is to be found in any and every situation! Not just some situations but in all situations and circumstances. Meditate on that thought for a just a little bit!
And then Paul shares what that secret is in Philippians 4:13,
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
The secret of contentment is trusting in Christ who helps us do all things and specifically being content in the midst of the most uncertain of situations. It is clear that the Apostle totally agrees with Hudson Taylor that a worry free life is the expected life style of God's people.
But, just in case you think that both the Apostle Paul and Hudson Taylor were crazy let's also take a look at what Jesus himself had to say about a worry free life.
In Matthew 6:25-43 Jesus talks about worry at length as part of the Sermon On The Mount. Let's look at a couple of statements that Jesus made about worry and how to view it:
Did you notice that in the spam of 9 verses Jesus instructed us four different times NOT TO WORRY! Basically Jesus was saying,
What does that tell us about Jesus position on being anxious or worried? Simple this: It’s not part of the lifestyle that He has planned for His disciples to have, it's an unnecessary activity and if we are chronically suffering from a lifestyle of worry we are not experiencing the life he has intended for us to live.
But before you experience that stress free – worry free life you have to embrace that kind of lifestyle as attainable. In order to get there you have to believe that others have made it and that you can too, with Christ help and strength, can make it.
NO ONE CAN EXPERIENCE A WORRY FREE LIFE IF THEY DON’T BELIEVE IT’S POSSIBLE!
The starting point is to just to believe that with Christ and through Christ an anxious free life is possible.
So, are you ready to take the plunge? Are you ready to draw the line in the sand and declare that it is God’s will that you no longer worry about anything but pray about everything and allow the peace of God that transcends all understanding to guard your heart from disappointments and your mind from confusion, as you stand firm in the contentment that Christ provides you regardless of the circumstances God allows you to go through, rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, slave or free?
Are you ready?
If so, you are one step closer to making the worry free life your reality!
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