STOP WORRYING AND START LIVING

Is your life full of concerns? Are you worried over something? Are your nights full of tossing and turning? Have you lost your joy? Has your smile disappeared? Are you afraid of your tomorrow? If there is any such time that we needed PEACE the most, this is the time. The threat of job losses, challenges of the real estate market, collapse of various institutions and the gloom and doom from the news media all contribute to creating a sense of fear and restlessness among a lot of people. People are beginning to experience fear and wondering if there is a way out of the present condition. Some Christians are even wondering whether the God they serve is truly able to see them through all these gloom and doom and the predicted difficult times ahead. Some are asking is God able and capable to see me through the storm? Is God aware of these challenges? The answer is God is all knowing and GOD IS MORE THAN ABLE to see you through the challenges. I am reminded of that song that says “He is able, more than able to accomplish what concerns me today”.

Isaiah 26:3-4 says. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” Christ is saying, I am able to keep you in perfect peace when your mind is riveted and focused on me. When we focus on Jesus, we are saying that we trust in His enabling power and ability. We are saying that no matter the challenges in the environment, we trust Him to take us through. We are saying to him that we believe He is able.

Are you in need of peace in the midst of the storm? Are you in need of peace as you hear and read the challenges that are ahead of us? KEEP YOUR MIND ON HIM!

In 1 Peter 5:7 Jesus said “Cast all your anxiety on me because I care for you.” Jesus is saying that we should cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. I checked the word cast and this word means: throw, shed, direct. Jesus the King, Lord, Savior, Master, is saying that we should “throw” all our cares on Him. Not some of the cares but ALL! Not only should we throw these cares but we should “shed” — meaning discard, get rid of, drop and cast off these cares. Many times we have attempted to give Jesus our cares but turn around to take them back and hold on to these cares. The question is, are we really interested in giving Him our troubles? Are we confident that He will surely take care of these troubles because He cares for us? I have been a victim of this error where I give God my concerns and cares and turn around a couple of hours later to taken them right back. Small wonder we are going through the struggles we have today and unable to sleep at night.

The great King, the all sufficient one, the provider, the God of love, the greatest healer of all times, the prince of peace, the LORD of the armies is saying drop all your concerns and cares on me for I care for you. We need to direct our cares to Him. Get away from the temptation of giving your cares to people who have no capacity to take care of those needs and cares. Whoever you give your cares to have problems of their own. We need a paradigm shift and total makeover in the way we resolve personal challenges. Instead of immediately running to people when we are worried, let’s run to the one who has the capacity, the wherewithal to resolve our concerns. You see, Jesus is more than able to take on these issues without feeling the weight. Why carry the weight when Jesus is willing to take on this weight and provide a solution? Remember that in order to run this race, the race of life with excellence and distinction, you NEED TO TRAVEL LIGHT!! And you cannot travel light with the weight on. Learn to cast your cares on Him and Him alone. He is able to do more exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

I have come to learn over the years that God is true to His WORD. He promises us peace and He meant just that! You will never get peace from any other source. Authentic peace cannot be found in things. Authentic peace is found in a person and His name is Jesus. Focus on Him, meditate on His WORD. Jesus is PEACE personified!

Matthew 6:24-27 says. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

Over the years our conscious and subconscious mind has been programmed to worry. Our thoughts, feeling, emotions and actions have been shaped by the print and the electronic media which has specialized in providing sensational information. Many of us are worried because of the predictions of the news media. Most of us are focused on the negative than the positive. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is saying to you, DO NOT WORRY. He will take care of your needs. The God who takes care of the birds of the air will continue to supply your needs according to His riches in glory. All you have to do is Trust and Obey! Have you ever seen a bird in a tree or flying by and it's there having a nervous breakdown wondering where the next worm is going to come from? We can all learn a lesson or two from the birds. They sing even when not sure of where the next worm will come from.

Spring is around the corner and the flowers will begin to bloom all around us. Let the flowers remind you of God’s masterpiece. Let these beautiful flowers remind you that there is a God who has clothed all these flowers in their magnificent beauty and splendor. The same God is saying to you, Do not worry; I am in control, just trust me.