Victory Over Worry Part 2

Victory Over Worry
Part 2

II. The Curse of Worry

A. Worry is never a blessing, always a curse.

B. Interesting to trace the origin of our English word "worry"
1. Greeks thought of worry as something that tears a man in two, and drags him in opposite directions.
2. Latin word suggests a turbulent force responsible for turmoil within.
3. Anglo-Saxon word is descriptive of a power gripping a man by the throat "as a wold seizes a sheep and strangles all the vitality out of it."

C. Worry chokes the life of faith - The eye of faith does not see His hand clearly in every circumstance, but He is there - in tragedy He sustains.

D. Let us roll ourselves and our burdens upon the Lord, and leave them there. Tragic part, too many take them back again.

E. Implications of the word worry designate a destructive power - distraction, disturbance, stifling, and choking.
F. H.C. Lee says that "Worry is nearly always a form of fear."

G. Worry is frequently not a thing of the present, but of the future and past."

H. Let me state some reasons shy worry is foolish, and injuries, and sinful:
1. Worry is harmful to ourselves - mentally, physically, and spiritually
2. Worry is harmful to others
a. The Bible tells us that no man liveth to himself.
b. A depressed person can certainly create much gloom.
c. Worry robs of pleasure and satisfaction.
d. Are you bored listening to woes and moans of those who do not live on the sunnier side of the street.
e. Remember, friends and neighbors are watching to see how we bear our burdens, troubles, etc. - Remember we belong to Christ! Act like it!
3. Worry is harmful to God.
a. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we give place to the devil through worry.
b. One thing Hell cannot stand, and that is a happy, victorious believer.
c. Worry leads us to doubt His love
d. Worry constrains us to doubt His wisdom.
e. Worry prompts us to doubt His power.
f. Paul lived a life of undeserved worry. Look what he had to endure. God gave him grace to conquer his loads of care.

Stay close to God. Mother's hand quiets fretful baby - Jesus' hand whispers "Peace be still"

III. The Cure of Worry (Surely it is glad tidings to proclaim that the Scriptures offer a life without worry. To millions of distressed minds, there is hope. Turning, then, to scriptures, let us seek to discover the ingredients in the the divine cure for worry.

Write down the thing worrying you the most. Pray daily for God to reveal how His grace is sufficient for that one thing. God's grace is never exhausted. There's more and more when this is gone. God replenishes the supply. If it's grace you need, help yourself. There's plenty of it.

A. Peace through trusting
1. When the mind is stayed upon God, it experiences a continuous uninterrupted peace.
2. Is there not music in the words, "Peace, perfect peace!!
3. Every heart sighs for rest, "as the ocean shell, when placed to the ear, seems to sigh for the untroubled depths of its native home."
4. Let us look for a moment at the nature of His divine peace.
a. It is perfect - "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3
b. It is refreshing - "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea." Isaiah 48:18
c. It is great - "Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend them." Psalm 119:165
d. It is triumphant - "These things have I spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33
e. It is incomprehensible - "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
f. It is personified - "He is our Peace." Ephesians 2:14

B. Peace through loving - We find perfect peace only when we love God.

C. Peace through casting
1. Peter gives another avenue of victory over worry. His cure is "Casting all your care upon Him, for it matters to Him about you." 1 Peter 5:7
2. Casting is a fisherman's term. As the Big Fisherman, Peter knew what it was to cast, or throw his net away from himself upon the water.
3. Peter, using this expression, simply means for us to throw all our care upon the Lord, just in the old days, "he was to throw his net upon the sea"
4. What would have happened if Peter had thrown a part of the net on the sea and kept the larger half of it in his boat? Why, he would not have gathered a harvest of fish from the sea.
5. What are we doing with our care?
Cast thy care upon the Lord,
The care that loads thy heart;
Take Him this moment at His word,
And let Him do His part.
Thy need is deep, thy care is great,
Thy burden hard to bear;
Roll it on Him with all its weight,
And leave it resting there.

6. We must cast our daily cares to Him who cares for sparrows and saints.
7. Care, as Webster suggests, is defined: "Oppression of mind weighed down by responsibility of mind because of one's interest, affection, or the like"
8. Peter uses it as "That which divides and disturbs the soul; which diverts it from pleasant duty to fret and worry about the future."
9. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

D. Peace through Looking
1. Peace becomes the "possession of care - worn hearts "when they look, not merely "unto Jesus" but "away unto Jesus," that is; away from all else unto Jesus.
2. This looking away unto Jesus is not a mere glance, but a constant gaze. Seeing Him, we become like Him. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of the world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

E. Peace through protection
1. Paul's cure for worry. "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus...But my God shall supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6, 7, 19
a. Anxious about NOTHING b. Pray about Everything c. Gratitude in ALL THINGS
2. We are told that Bible has 365 "Fret Nots" One for every day of the year. Let these perfume our lives every day.
3. The great immortal Mark Twain said: "I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most over them never happened."

Worry or Pray???

Worry? Why Worry? What can worry do? It never keeps a trouble from overtaking you. It gives you indigestion, and wakeful hours at night, And fills with gloom the days, however fair and bright.

It puts a frown upon the face, and sharpness in the tone, We're unfit to live with others and unfit to live alone. Worry? Why Worry? What can Worry do? It never keeps a trouble from overtaking you.

Pray? Why Pray? What can praying do? Praying really changes things, arranges like anew. It's good for your digestion, gives peaceful sleep at night. And fills the grayest, gloomiest day with rays of glowing light.

It puts a smile upon your face, the love note in your tone, Makes you fit to live with others, and fit to live alone. Pray? Why Pray? What can Praying do? It brings God down from Heaven, to live and work with you!!