Sermon Central
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Needless Anxiety
Contributed by Howard Strickland on Oct 25, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: Most anxiety is needless. Do you believe that? As anxiety or worry dances around inside our minds, God is blocked from doing His best work.
Needless Anxiety
Most anxiety is needless. Do you believe that? As anxiety or worry dances around inside our minds, God is blocked from doing His best work.
Place a finger on each of your temples. Now say, “Thank you Lord for my amygdalae. Thank you Lord, for the two almond-shaped neural clusters that reside inside my brain.”
You wouldn’t be alive without them.
Your amygdalae operates like an alarm system. If an intruder breaks a window or pries open a lock to your house, your home-security-system warns you.
The same is true for you. However, your amygdalae wasn’t created to work in overdrive 24-7.
“If I could just give you one key ingredient to unlocking God’s will for your life, It’s of the utmost importance—live free of any needless worry.’ Remember this, “If it bothers you, it surely bothers God.” P.H
Philippians is one of Paul’s prison epistle:
Philippians 4:4-9TPT Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow! 5 And let gentleness (Aramaic humility).” be seen in every relationship, for our Lord is ever near. 6 Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life, 7 then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. 8 Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always. 9 Put into practice the example of all that you have heard from me or seen in my life and the God of peace will be with you in all things.
Again, Philippians 4:4KJV Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Paul writes from his cell—Rejoice in the Lord always…and if that didn’t do it,…and again I say rejoice!
Paul commands, keep on rejoicing! In other words, “Make a continual effort to rejoice.”
Remember this, Your rejoicing is very pleasing to God; Rejoicing carries you into a new work environment, it travels through your day to day affairs.
Again, Verse 4TPT …Let your joy overflow!
Fact—You can live whole and happy through the trails in your life, or you can be depressed and dejected—It’s your choice. P.H
How about turning-on the joy-overflow-button!
Jeremiah was the prophet to Judah during one of her darkest periods of rebellion. They called him the weeping prophet, because he was one. He wept at the condition of the people and the depravity of their faith.
Over half the book of, Jeremiah speaks of Judah’s depravity. It’s a sad day when God’s people treat ‘Him’ with contempt.
Israel’s contempt—“Maybe I’ll love you; However, maybe, I’ll act as if I don’t even know you—contempt—Maybe, I’ll show up…Maybe, I’ll praise Him… maybe, I’ll let my mind rule the day.
Listen to these words from the prophet— Jeremiah: Lamentations 3:17-20NASB My soul has been excluded from peace; I have forgotten happiness. 18 So I say, “My strength has failed, And so has my hope from the Lord. 19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the wormwood and bitterness. 20 My soul certainly remembers, And is bent over within me.
Jeremiah purposefully lifted his mind to the thoughts about his king! Jeremiah states—My soul is humbled and bent over in your presence.
Lamentations 3:21NASB I recall this to my mind, Therefore I wait.
Let me say this about the word—Wait.
“Seasons belong to God—He’s the season changer.”
Genesis 8:22AMP “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
Right this very minute, I want you to make a pivotal decision, and that decision is—
As I wait, I will rejoice.
As I wait, I will sing.
As I wait, I will trust.
As I wait, I will serve others.
Jeremiah goes on and writes in, Lamentations 3:22-26NASB The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I wait for Him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who await Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.
Wait without Anxiety, Wait in faith, Wait knowing, wait trusting, wait on His salvation—Wait for His Deliverance, it’s lasting.
Back to today’s text, Philippians 4:5 Paul commands every saint of God to stay humble, be gentle. Why? The Lord is at hand!
When it comes to our walk with the Lord—Paul states, “Humility and gentleness, become major to our spiritual depth.”
Q&A: How much do I want to hear? Am I willing to go out into the depths with God?
