Today’s devotion builds on the thoughts from Sunday’s Sermon – Week 6 of “Fan or Follower – Worry Less” (LISTEN HERE).
Replace lies with truth.
How much worry do you carry that is based on false assumptions or false information? How much worry do we carry because we seek to solve the issue with our own abilities and realize our limitations? How much worry do we carry trying to figure out multiple answers when we have none or little of the information?
Perhaps it’s those situations when we look back we say, “Why did I worry about that?” or “That was dumb to worry about that.”
A lot of worry is time, energy and effort NOT well spent. Jesus said, “Who by worrying can add a single hour to our lives?” The opposite is true that worrying can shorten our life rather than lengthen it.
So, when worry begins to creep into my heart, what truth can replace or counter the potential lies or misinformation that is creating worry.
- God loves and cares for you.
Situations arise that tempt us to worry and our conclusion is that God has left us or abandoned us. There is nothing farther from the truth. In fact, God is ready to journey with you and for you into the uncertainty and fear of the situation you face. Jesus reminds us in a comparison from the lesser to the greater that if the Father cares for the birds of the air, he WILL care for you because, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
2. God has the future figured out.
Worry comes when we perceive future problems. Without knowing the future, the news of the present tries to predict or give indication of what the future holds. Will it be a time of prosperity and success or a time of hardship and persecution? However we perceive the future may indicate our daily sense of worry. But here’s the truth. God knows and sees the future. Not only that, he controls and is present in the future. So the promise we can carry when we are tempted to worry about the future is this, “ Psalm 31:14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. David didn’t worry about the future, he commended it to the Lord…so can we.
3. God turns tragedy into triumphs.
What if the things we perceive as tragedies are actually triumphs waiting for us to realize? Tragedies are events in life that WE didn’t plan, WE don’t like, WE wish we could change. But what if we perceive them as situations GOD planned, GOD desires us to experience, and GOD planned for us to experience…not for our hardship, but for our blessing? We can carry this perspective because of this promise, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
4. God is in control.
Worry comes when we realize something is out of our control. Sometimes this is the “bottom” that we hit that turns us back to the Lord. Worry often intensifies as we try to control a situation, but we can’t. We try to control the future, but we can’t. We try to control a relationship, but we can’t. So we give up and worry changes to despair. Instead of allowing worry to change to despair, forge the worry and replace it with this truth, “God IS in control.” The disciples realized this as they were worried they were going to drown in a storm on the Sea of Galilee, until Jesus did something about it. Jesus’ miracle was not just to still the waters, but to still the disciples hearts and help them realize, “Jesus is in control, not them.” Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Let God’s truth and promises always replace the lies that lead to worry.
Apply: Which of these four truths resonates with you most today?
Prayer: Father, replace the lies I believe wit