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Please note: the next Bread for the Journey Blog  post will be Monday 7th October

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I have a challenging project at the moment, and in true ‘unregenerate’ fashion I have been throwing myself at it—working long hours, striving after its completion. Often I have felt it is ‘pitched too high for my voice’ (a wonderful expression which I believe originated with Martin Luther); and the temptation has lurked to jack it all in and go and do something else. However, believing the assignment is God-given I just haven’t had the liberty to abandon it.

Sometimes our worry-habit masquerades as diligence. Sometimes we respond to anxiety by doing more, and we attempt to conquer the inner unrest by our own efforts.

One day when it all seemed a bit too much, I went for a walk—my usual go-to activity to quiet the soul and be with the Lord; and began to pour out my heart to Him.

He began to show me that key areas of my life—spiritual and physical health—had been neglected in my busyness, and needed readjusting.

And then He said,
Why don’t you stop striving, and start believing? You are tired and weary with working so hard, why don’t you exercise your faith instead?

Doing more masks anxiety; believing more deals with the heart of the issue.

And the place to kick-start believing is in the presence of God. Faith is a choice, but it flows out of relationship. I had been working so hard, I had been neglecting my time alone with my Father. I needed to restore the pattern of regular time in His presence, listening to His voice, and receiving the empowerment of His Spirit. I needed the rivers of living water to flow from inside-out once again. From that place it was easy to trust in His supply.

The cure for our worries is in the all-encompassing provision of God; so it’s important that we know what His provision is for our circumstances. These are some of the things I needed for my project:

Wisdom (Biblical wisdom is a plan that works)
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [James 1:5]

Resources (Energy, finances, time, physical help)
God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. [2 Corinthians 9:8]

Success (Jesus has fulfilled the Law on our behalf so its blessings become ours)
The Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands [Deuteronomy 30: 9]

Favour (Jesus came to…)
…set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. [Luke 4:19]

Courage and discipline
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. [2 Timothy 1:7]

His empowering
For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.[Philippians 2:13]
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.[Philippians 4:13]
 
I have a choice to make: I can choose to lift the weight alone, or as Joyce Meyer puts it, I can let God do the heavy lifting. I can opt to rest in His presence and in the abundance of His provision; or I can do it by my own efforts—punctuated periodically by cries for help. It’s a no brainer, really.

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long,
and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders.
[Deuteronomy 33:12]

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Modern trend-setters tend to judge people by the busyness of their diaries—those who are crowded out are deemed the successful ones, multi-tasking is heralded as a must-have accomplishment; and so we end up with ‘to do’ lists which make us sweat just to read them.

What do we do about the time pressure so many of us experience?
One of my favourite verses is in Ecclesiastes:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…
He has made everything beautiful in its time…
[Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11]

Sometimes we get stressed and worried because we are just trying to shoehorn far too much into our days; and sometimes we have the right activity, but the right time for it hasn’t arrived yet. So maybe the first thing we need to do to stop worrying about our ‘to do’ list is prune or postpone…

And then there’s the stuff which crops up to mess up our plans—revised work schedules, unexpected visitors, power cuts, internet issues—trifling things which aren’t front page news, but are enough to throw us off-course. Our time is such a precious resource, and we often feel we could spend it several times over, so when things occur to upset our carefully laid plans, worry sets in.

But time is a created thing—and we are fortunate enough to know its Maker. And our Father has promised to supply all that we need for every good work, and that includes the time we need:

God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times,
having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
[2 Corinthians 9:8]

When I’m time-challenged I have to make a choice between sinking into panic or putting my trust in God my Provider. (I don’t always make the right choice straight way—but I’m learning…) And I have learned that if I look to Him, the God of abundance will give me more than enough of what I need—including time.

I have been in many situations where I have found that time has ‘stretched’ somehow. I have completed journeys—legally & safely; made appointments and fulfilled assignments in ridiculously short periods—I can’t explain how , except that God is faithful!

If I really believe this, I can then give thanks that He is able to redeem all the details of my life. If I choose to trust Him, the annoyances and delays which could easily trip me up become a means of grace—an opportunity to see His hand in my affairs. Instead of worry, I can let expectation rise: I wonder how He’s going to work this one out…?

He who sacrifices thank-offerings honours Me,
and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.
[Psalm 50: 23]

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The secular world has made much of the power of positive speaking in the last 50 or so years, and many books and articles have been written proclaiming its importance, as if it was a new insight. However, the Bible got there first!

Scripture is clear about the importance of the spoken word. Right at the beginning of time, God spoke and the world came into being. And we read that He sustains everything in the present by His powerful word [Hebrew 1:3].

And of course Jesus was revealed as the Word of God made manifest or visible:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through Him all things were made;
without Him nothing was made that has been made….
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
[John 1: 1-3,14]

We see again and again in the Gospels, that when Jesus spoke, things happened: people were healed, storms were stilled, dead were raised, lives were changed. His spoken word carried the creative spiritual power to effect change.

God ... gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
[Romans 4:17]

It is not surprising then, as we were made in the image of God, that the Bible clearly teaches that what comes out of our mouths is enormously important.

For example:

From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
[Proverbs 18:20,21]

 ‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain,
“Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart
but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
[Mark 11:22,23]

Long before positive declaration became fashionable in the secular world,  the Bible was encouraging the speaking aloud of words of faith and hope as a part of a godly lifestyle.

As what comes out of our mouths is a sure indication of the state of our hearts, the two being closely allied [Matthew 15:18], if we are to walk in faith and hope, not only do we need to think right, we have to speak words of faith and hope. If we want to effect change in our lives, our families and communities we have to do it God’s way; and it starts with what we say.

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Worry often keeps us awake at night, or occupies our minds throughout the day. Worry is the undisciplined action of our souls—our minds, wills & emotions—and many of us live at the mercy of our souls, rather than living from our spirits, which are filled with His Spirit.

King David was very clear about how he dealt with his soul: firmly and consistently—and yes, he talked to himself!

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.
[Psalm 42:5]

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits….
[Psalm 103:2]

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
[Psalm 131:2 NKJV]

Try this strategy for dealing with worry, it’s one I have found to be really effective:

1. The opposite of worry is hope—the confident expectation of good. Set aside a specific time every day, about 30 minutes, for the specific purpose of breaking the worry-habit and replacing it with a habit of hope.

2. Arm yourself with a ‘Hope’ notebook, and two pens, one black & one coloured. Whenever you are starting to worry, write the worry down in the notebook with the black pen. Leave plenty of space underneath each entry for a response. Then say (aloud—if no one is nearby!) to your soul—“I’m not thinking about that issue now—I will deal with it during today’s ‘Hope Session’."

3. Every time that worry creeps into your consciousness, refuse it in the same way, and instead turn your thoughts to giving praise to the Lord, thanking Him that He has got you covered, and will show you an answer for all your worries.

4. Then during your Hope Session, in the space under each worry, begin to write out the truth in coloured pen. (The coloured pen makes these truths stand out from the lies.) The truth is what God says in His word about your concern. You can find out by doing an internet search on ‘What does the Bible say about…?’, or Joyce Meyer has written a helpful little book listing Bible verses for various issues, details below.

5. Finally, speak these truths aloud over your soul, saying, ‘I am not concerned about… because…’
Continue speaking these truths daily, until like David, you can say that your soul is like ‘a weaned child’—in other words, it is quiet and at peace, not constantly clamouring for attention.

It’s time to kick the worry-habit and live like hope-filled children of the King!

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If we have identified areas in our hearts where we doubt the Lord’s goodness to us, or feel that He is withholding good from us (see last post), then we need to lay these things before Him, confessing the underlying thought patterns as sin, because we are crediting the Lord with behaviour that is unworthy of Him. Then, acknowledging our lack of understanding, we need to ask Him to show us the truth.

The root meaning of the Greek word for ‘repentance’ is to change your way of thinking. To get free from worry we have to be willing to put down our unbelief and lack of trust, and set ourselves to renew our minds, and align ourselves and our thoughts with God.

To build trust in the Lord’s goodness, we can…

1. Spend time reflecting on what the Gospels teach us about Jesus. Jesus came to reveal the Father  
—whatever is true about Jesus, is also true about the Father. Think about how Jesus responded to the different needs around Him … that was the Father’s response made visible. 

    2. Take time to read and listen to what well-known speakers have to say about the goodness of God. (You Tube & Amazon are good places to start.) 

  3. Start to declare the truth you are learning aloud: “God is good—all the time.” Then personalise it: “God is good to me—all the time!” 

  4. Don’t be side-tracked by your perception of what hasn’t happened, or prayers which seem to have gone unanswered. The Lord has chosen to work in partnership with us—and we’re on a learning curve!  Focus instead on the many blessings which fill your life, and the prayers which have been answered, and begin to celebrate them.

  5. Search the scriptures for promises about your particular issue. All God’s promises are yes in Christ! Start to declare them over your life.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes’ in Christ.
And so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.
[2 Corinthians 1:20]

This message from Bill Johnson is a good place to start...

And another resource from Bill Johnson, with the same title:

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When we worry, whether it's about something trivial, like today's weather, or a serious issue to do with health perhaps, we are dealing with projected negative outcomes—which often lurk half-formed at the peripheral of our minds. If we trace our worries to their starting points, we find the root is always a fear of some sort.

As we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, who has given us a 'bookful of promises' to cover every eventuality, any fear must point to an area of unbelief in our lives. And if we can identify the area of unbelief, we can fix it. If we are really going to deal with our worry-habit we have to go to the root and deal with the question of trust in our heavenly Father.

We see this issue addressed in the account of the temptation in the Garden of Eden [Genesis 1-3]. The insinuating voice of the serpent suggested that despite the abundance surrounding them, and the provision for their every need, Adam & Eve were somehow missing out. Despite being made in the image of God, with a regal purpose and calling, there was something more to aspire to. Two foundational questions arose out of this catastrophic encounter:

Is God good?
and
Is He withholding something from me?

And man has been tempted with these two questions ever since—despite the fact that scripture proclaims God’s goodness with a ringing voice, and our lives are showered with blessings.

“The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him,”

wrote AW Tozer, in 'The Knowledge of the Holy', cutting to the heart.

In order to get free from our worry-habit, we have to identify this root in our own hearts, for these questions, unanswered, make the whole structure of our lives shaky. So let’s take time before the Lord in the next few days, and ask Him to show us any areas where we doubt His goodness, and any hidden feelings that He is withholding good from us. Then we need to lay those thoughts before Him, and ask for His help in building trust.

We live in a world of quick-fixes, but this 'learning to trust' is a lifelong process, and we will continue to find the Lord prodding at areas of distrust lurking in the shadows of our hearts. However,  as the Chinese proverb says, a journey begins with a single step. So let's make a start...

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Research in recent years has suggested that over 80% of adults in the UK are worriers. I can well believe it. We worry about anything and everything: finances, relationships, health, family members, occasions, the economy, being late, new experiences, (and Brexit)… to name just a few triggers.

This next series of posts looks at what we need to do to  kick the worry-habit into touch.

The Oxford Dictionary says that worry is ‘to allow no rest or peace of mind to oneself; to give way to anxiety, or let the mind dwell on troubles’. When we say that a dog ‘worries’ at a bone, meaning that he shakes or pulls it about persistently, we get a visual image of the human worrying process. The word ‘worry’, interestingly, comes from the Old English word for ‘kill’—an indication of the negative consequences of this tendency.

Although worry is a well-known cause of mental and physical health issues,  saps energy and strength, and deprives us of rest, many people feel powerless to change—it’s just ‘how they are’. However, worry is a habit, not a condition, and bad habits can be replaced by good habits—not overnight—for it takes time to form, or replace a habit.

For Christians, the only reliable safe place is the Lord. Fear isolates, so our first step in defeating a worry-habit is to run to Him, not away from Him.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’…….
He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
[Psalm 91: 1-4]

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
[Proverbs 18:10 NKJV]

You are my hiding place;
You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
[Psalm 32:7]

Next time: Dig up worry by its roots...

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