What To Do With Anxiety

Philippians 4:6–9

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

We all struggle with worry and anxiety. Yet Paul gives us a command here to not be anxious. This is not a new command; Jesus gave the same imperative in Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Yes, this is an imperative. To worry is to lack trust in God and to not believe His promises. Romans 8:28 tells us that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

If we believe that God is sovereign—which the Bible fully teaches—then we can trust that what He says, He not only can do, but He will do. He promises that all things are being worked out for good for His people.

Yet we all wrestle with anxiety and worry. So Paul gives us the solution: “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Pray to God and tell Him your worries and concerns—and then believe His promises. Once we give it to God, we must let Him have it. We cannot hold on to what we just gave to Him.

When we do this, His peace—which is incomprehensible—will guard our hearts and minds.

There is one more thing that Paul adds to this equation: this is all conditional.

Philippians 4:8–9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

The conditions for the God of peace to be with us are that we think about the things that are true, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. This is a pretty good description of Jesus.

Paul commands us to practice the things that we have learned, received, heard, and seen in him. In other words, read your Bible and do what it says. Then the God of peace will be with you. Then your faith will grow. Then you will believe God.

This is the disconnect many of us have: we believe in God, but we don’t believe God. We don’t read His Word, and we don’t make it what drives our thoughts. Instead, we fill our minds with the things of the world, and we let the world dictate how and what we think.

We do not need to be anxious or worried. But we must saturate ourselves with His Word and spend our time in prayer, always thinking of Christ. We must surround ourselves with other believers who will encourage us in this. We must sit under sound, biblical teaching. We must be in Christian community more than we are in worldly community.

There is peace to be found—but only in Christ.

Trusting God in the Turmoil

Yes, we are living in strange and even scary days. 2021 may be worse than 2020, who knows? But listen to the words of King Solomon, the man who God gave wisdom.

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. - Ecclesiastes 7:14 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, our calling is to stay focused on what God has called us to do, not to worry and fret over what may come. God is still in control. Completely. 

Faith. That is what we must have in both the good times and the bad. Commit yourself to living a life built around faith. 

If that is a struggle then here is the answer.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.                         -Romans 10:17 

Commit yourself to God's Word. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth of God as you read it. Memorize it. Hide it in your heart. Write it on your doorposts. But most importantly believe it. It is God's Word. 

Trusting God In the Midst of a Pandemic

Satan wants you to be afraid and to doubt God. He uses the systems of the world such as the media to attack our minds by instilling fear and doubt. Every day for month upon month, we have been bombarded with the news of Covid. While I am in no way saying we should not walk cautiously in these days of the raging virus, but to the Christian, that should never be fueled by the fear of death, suffering, or sickness. 

God is in control.

Yet this barrage of fearful news wears on us. We are tempted to be afraid. 

I feel that. But when I open up God's Word I am reminded that it is only Him I must fear. 1 John 4:18 reminds us though that perfect love casts out fear. Jesus is the perfect love it speaks of us. When we place our faith in Christ and in Him alone, we can rest in Him. 

God is sovereign people. I was reminded of that tonight as I, once again, took notice of Psalm 139, particularly verse 16. Listen to the psalmist explain who God is.

"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."

Nothing can nor will change the days that God ordained has for you. He wrote them in His book before you were even formed in the womb.

Nothing. Not even Covid-19. So, take your rest in Christ. Live for Him, by Him, and in Him.

Pray this and then follow His lead.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. - Psalm 139:23-24

Living As Aliens

This morning I have moved on to a new book of the Bible to study, 1 Peter. Peter begins with a salutation.

1 Peter 1:1-2  

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

There is so much beauty in the doctrines mentioned in this salutation. We see that we are chosen, we are sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit, we are called to a life of obedience to the Lordship of Jesus, and we are sprinkled by His blood. Because of all these doctrines, we experience His grace and have peace, in the fullest measure. We could spend weeks just exploring the theology of all this. In the commentary I am using in this study, there are countless scriptures to look up, to meditate in, and to grow in.

But this morning, as we find ourselves in uncertain times, I am called to bring to bring attention to a different doctrine of scripture, if you will. If you notice, Peter begins this letter by addressing it to “those who reside as aliens.” Obviously, in its strictest context, Peter was writing to people who had scattered into five different regions. But the Bible was not just written to the specific people it names, but it is also written to all who would call on the name of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that “these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” We know that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

If we are men (or women) of God, then the Bible speaks to us as well.

So, in the beginning of this letter, we find a lesson that we all need to lay hold of. We are aliens in this life. We are not meant to live as if this is where we belong. For those who are chosen by God unto salvation, our home is not this earth. This life is not meant to be clung to. It is meant to be lived as strangers in a strange world, who are, like soldiers in an army, simply on a mission for our King, in a foreign land.

Look at a few other scripture readings that confirm this.

Philippians 3:20

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 


Hebrews 11:13-16  

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 13:14

For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. 


Hebrews 11:10  

For he [Abraham] was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

What God needs you to hear this morning, is that we can be at peace in the midst of the chaos going on around us. Along with the other difficulties of this life, we are right now living in a world where death may strike us at any moment. This virus is invisible. We cannot see it. It is difficult to fight something you cannot see. That is why camouflage is a standard issue uniform of a soldier. We have no idea when or where we might encounter this invisible enemy and we have no idea how it might inflict its effects upon is.

But what God desires we do, is to live in joyful expectation of the very worst extreme attack the invisible enemy can inflict upon us. Death. That is the worst thing that our enemies can bring upon us. But the fact for the Christian is that death is not defeat; it is victory.

Again, what does the Word of God say?

2 Timothy 1:10  

But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Death is victory to the Christian. It is the culmination of our wanderings as aliens here. Physical death to the chosen people of God is only the beginning. We must live as soldiers in a strange land, fulfilling the mission are called to and doing so, not in fear of our death, but in eager anticipation of it. For in it is the victory, because of Jesus. Because of the power of resurrection.

As I close, I want to encourage each of us on the hope of what is to come.

Revelation 21:2-4

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

We can and must live in the peace of God. Even in the presence of invisible enemies.

Finding All You Will Ever Need In A Crisis - Grace

I just finished a study on the Book of Hebrews. The main point of Hebrews is that the New Covenant of grace is far superior to the Old Covenant of law. It is a lesson in the preeminence of Christ, our Savior.

I love how the author finishes the letter.

Hebrews 13:25

Grace be with all of you.

Grace. It is the most wonderful gift of God. It is what we must live both under and in. We must receive it to be saved and we must give it to live out our calling from God.

Grace. It is what we need to get through every step of life; both the good and the bad.

When Paul cried out to God to take away the throb=n in his side, God's answer to his prayer was this, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

And how does Paul respond?

Paul said, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

We are in difficult times. I would offer this is a calamity.

God will answer our prayers for healing and protection in different ways.

But he has answered those who live by faith in His Son, Jesus, already in this sense:

He has given us grace. No matter what else happens in this life, in the coming days, weeks, and maybe months, He has given us grace and that is sufficient to get us through whatever earthly things happen until He calls us home to be with Him.

His grace is sufficient for you, for His power is made perfect in weakness.

So, Grace be with all of you.

The Battle Against Fear and Anxiety in the Midst of Death

Fear, worry, anxiety, and a plethora of other emotions are knocking at each of our doors as we begin another week that looks to be even scarier than the last. I’m not anymore immune to this than anyone else is. Though I’ve continually preached against panic and overreaction, the temptation to do so is attempting to rise up in my own mind. Adding to the fears are the government’s response to lock us all down, through the orders to close restaurants, bars, and prohibit public gatherings. I can get by without going to Cracker Barrel and Bandanas to eat. I don’t drink alcohol, so the ability to go to a bar won’t matter one bit to me. But the straw that threatens to break the camel’s back in my life, is the closing of parks and fishing venues. I need the outdoors. I need to be in my kayak away from the problems of normal life, much less the newest issues we all face in the midst of this craziness. Even worse, my ability to gather with fellow brothers and sisters to worship and pray is most likely going to be taken from us.

All of this contributes to the temptation to let the fear and anxiety win.

But I will not go down without a fight. As a matter of fact, I won’t lose the war. I might get my rear end kicked in a few battles, but the war has already been won by my King, King Jesus. Every day I put on the spiritual armor as we read of in Ephesians 6. In case you forgot what that says or aren’t familiar with it, here it is. We need to do what this says.

Ephesians 6:10-20  

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,  and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Sword of the Spirit and prayer are the only two offensive weapons we see in this. And as I stand against the enemy’s attack on my peace, I will yield these weapons with the full force of the Holy Spirit’s power.

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. I will live and I will pray through it and by it. In the midst of this battle, I am reminded of the story of three men who stood firm against the threat of death. They refused to submit to a king who demanded they worship him instead of God. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their story is found in Daniel 3:8-30. Take a few minutes, open your Bible and read the story. But it can quickly be summed up as this.

They were ordered to worship the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. If they still refused, they were to be cast into a burning fiery furnace.

Listen to their response, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”

I love it. Pure, unadulterated rebellion against the king, who not only wanted to stop them from worshipping God, but also wanted them to worship his man-made god.  These are my kind of guys.

But what they said next is of even more importance.

“But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

We must understand something here. God has the power to deliver us from every and any danger this world might throw at us. Scripture tells us that nothing is too hard for God. Look at Jeremiah 32:26-27. This is God speaking. “The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Matthew 19:26 says that “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believed God would save them from the fiery furnace. They knew with 100% certainty, He could.  But even if God did not save them, they were still going to worship the one and only true God, not the false image of the king.

That, my friends, is faith. Faith in God. The kind of faith that says, God, whatever it is you allow to happen today, is okay with us, because we trust you.

The story ends well. More than well, it ends in a preincarnate appearance of Christ, who performs a miracle that changes everything.

Daniel 3:24-25

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!"

Daniel 3:24-25  

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king."  He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!"

It gets even better.

Daniel 3:28-30  

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.  "Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way."  Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Our faith will be tested today. The stock market will most likely crash even more. Some of us will catch the corona virus. Some people will die today. Fear will continue to grow. And our government will continue to ask us to trust them. In a sense, they are like Nebuchadnezzar, they want us to cower in fear and place our faith in them. That is a form of worship.

I am tempted to be afraid.

But I shall stand against the enemy and I will refuse to bow to the world and its false offer of protection.

My God whom I serve is able to deliver me from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver me out of their hand. But even if He doesn’t, if by the end of the week my entire pension fund is gone, if this virus has invaded my body and takes my very breath away, and even if the National Guard sets up a perimeter around my house and tells me I cannot go to church Sunday, I will not worship the king. Instead I will worship THE KING, my Lord, my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I will pray. I will worship. I will read His Holy Word. I will do more than believe in God, I will believe God. And I will not be alone, for Jesus has promised me this.

Matthew 28:20  

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Deuteronomy 31:6  

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

How to Deal With Fear

Most of us have, at times, experienced those places in our lives when we just struggle to get a grip on our fears. There is no end to the things of this life that can paralyze us with fear or anxiety. Loss of jobs, health, relationships, and even sometimes simply serving God are all just a small list of the things we get anxious about. We remember the famous words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Those are nice words. They fit well sometimes in the moments of our lives when our fears are completely without merit. But truth be said, there are things to fear. There are things in this life that are very difficult to deal with and we should never brush off people who are facing trials of life that have serious possibilities and conclusions.

Pain is real and there are countless types of pain. There are illnesses, such as cancer, that have a very scary prognosis. People face real issues every day that are life-altering and bring very heavy burdens to their lives. We need to have something in our lives that does more than write off our fears.

Enter Jesus. Jesus was a realist. He walked this earth as a man and was tempted in all ways just as we are according to Hebrews 4:15. He knew fear. He knew it was real and He knew what it felt like to be facing something terrible, so terrible that it brought Him agony beyond any.

Luke 22:44
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus knew fear. Notice though where He is in this time of agony. He is in prayer. He is in the presence of His Father, Almighty God.

There is a temptation to think God doesn’t care about your situation. That was Jesus, you say. Of course, God was watching over Him and was listening to His prayers, but I’m not Jesus. I’m not important. Baloney, that is the devil trying to drag you down.

Jesus knew we would have weak faith at times. On more than one occasion he even rebuked His disciples for that, but only because they needed to be reminded of the truth of how solid the object of their faith is. We serve a God who is so much bigger, so much stronger, so much more caring, so fuller of grace and mercy, than we can ever imagine. God is infinite. You must learn what that means.

Jesus tells us just exactly what infinite means in terms of how ell God knows us and is watching over us. Read.

Matthew 10:26-33
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So, everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Not one single sparrow falls to the ground that God doesn’t know about. Even the hairs on your head are numbered. God knows every little thing going on in your life. He knows the beginning, the middle, and the end. Despite what some false teachers may say, he has not left us to our own. He is sovereign and He is in control. Nothing happens without His knowledge and if it happens, he allowed it. He is God.

I hope this encourages you this morning in whatever fears you face. Don’t feel foolish if your fear today seems silly and ridiculous. Take it to Him in prayer.

There are things to fear, Jesus made that clear. He said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Fear God. But if you will humble yourself before Him and confess that you do fear Him, He will give you new life and adopt you into His family. He will call you sons and daughters. He is the perfect father, a father who will allow only what is necessary in your life to purify you and at the end make you like His son, Jesus. He will turn your sorrows into joy.

Open His Word today and you will find the promises of the new life in Christ. It is a life of love. I leave you with this scripture truth.

1 John 4:15-18
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

How do you deal with your fear? Be perfected in love.

 

 

 

Sitting In God's Good Grace

Sitting here this morning in the dark looking out the window. It’s raining, kinda foggy, and every now and then a little thunder breaks the silence. I don’t know if I’ve ever known a more peaceful moment. I read my Bible, studied it with my Holman NT Bible Commentary, and simply have been sitting in the presence of God, sometimes praying to Him, sometimes just listening. This is the verse He gives me to share.

Psalms 145:9
The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

My lesson spoke about the “common grace” of God. This is the grace He has shown to all of us, whether we believe in Him or not. This is the grace that keeps us fed, safe, and watches over all of us, even when we are living in direct rebellion to Him.

Yet, for reasons that make no sense to my earthly mind, He chose to call me out of the life that only exists in His common grace and has brought me into the grace of salvation that comes only through faith in His Son, Jesus.

This morning I am resting in the peace of His uncommon grace. You can as well. If you are reading this, He is calling you to come to Him. Read this verse. It’s for you.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

What To Do When Fear and Anxiety Try and Overcome You

Saying we have faith in God, and actually living it out, are two different things. The truth is that sometimes it is quite difficult to not be anxious and not to fear the worst. Countless times in my Christian life I have seen God answer prayers and do things that far exceeded my petitions. Yet, just this past week as I faced surgery to remove my gallbladder, I wrestled with anxiety. I barely slept Tuesday night as I just couldn’t get a grip on my fear. I hate medical procedures and this particular surgery played right into my fear. I prayed and I prayed, and I remembered all the times God has brought me through the storms and trials of my life. Yet, I couldn’t let go of the fear.

He did it again yesterday. Things couldn’t have gone better than they did. I am home recovering and yet, even though God brought me comfort and even some joy in the midst of that surgery, I find the temptation to fear the recovery. Me, the guy who does nothing but preach how we must trust God, struggles to overcome his fears.

The good news in all this is that even when we waver in our faith, God the Father, though Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, understands us and never let’s go of us. I love what the psalmist tells us about God in Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” God knows we are frail, we are weak, and we struggle in our humanity. Yet, He has compassion for us in our weakness.

This is no excuse for our sins, of course. It doesn’t mean we should just give up trying to trust Him. The Gospel is good news because Jesus died for us, which demonstrates the compassion we read of in Psalm 103. And when Jesus ascended back to Heaven to be with the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit back to dwell within each and every believer. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us, guides us, and comforts us in our times of need. He even helps us to pray when we don’t even know what to pray as Romans 8:26 declares to us that “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”  

We are in good hands, when we are in the hands of God.

This does not mean things are always going to go our way. This morning my Bible chapter was Acts, chapter twelve and in this lesson, we are reminded that God is sovereign. This means He is in control. Which means we are not. Take time to open your Bible and read this chapter. A lot happens in the twenty-five verses.

King Herod arrests some of the church men and severe persecution begins. James, the brother of John, is put to death. Then Herod has Peter arrested. Things look really bad at this point. Certainly, fear would be a normal reaction for Peter and the others in light of James’ execution. The first lesson we can find here is an important one. Sometimes God allows physical harm and even death to come to His children at the hands of evil men. Sometimes, He protects them. James dies, apparently without any type of trial. Peter is spared, at least pending a public trial. There is a temptation to ask why James, why not Peter? The answer is simply that God’s ways are higher than ours, and there isn’t always an answer that satisfies us. One of God’s greatest attributes is that He is sovereign. He knows what He is doing, He sees a much bigger picture than we. We are called to walk in faith.

Walking in faith, as we know, can be difficult. The next lesson in this story is to see how they responded.

Acts 12:5
So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church..

The importance of prayer cannot be overstated. The church not only prayed, they earnestly prayed. The NASB uses the term fervent. This wasn’t just some words spoken out loud with little emotion, it means they were talking to the living God in heart-felt devotion and faith in God.

There is another important aspect to this prayer. It was the church that prayed, not just individuals. When I went to the hospital for my surgery yesterday, I had already a multitude of Christians praying for me. People were praying for me who go to many different churches. It doesn’t matter which building you go to or what denomination is written on their sign, the Bible teaches us that the church in its purest form, is made of every single believer who is saved by their faith in Christ. The Book of Acts talks a lot about the unity that exists within the world-wide church and when it uses the term that is its meaning. It honors God when we unify as the church.

God answers these prayers for Peter in a miraculous way. We see an angel show up, we have a bright light in the cell, and then Peter’s chains simply fall off him. The gates open on their own and Peter walks out following the angel. A true miracle.

Not good news for the guards, who Herod quickly executes. Herod’s anger continues to grow and in another display of God’s sovereign power, because Herod refused to glorify Him, an Angel of the Lord appears, and Herod is eaten by worms and dies.

Is that a wild chapter, or what?

Take some time and read this chapter over. Meditate on it. The truth we come to is simply this; God is sovereign, and He is in control. We will not always understand what He ordains and allows, but no matter what, we must walk by faith, not by sight.

The battles of life are hard. There will be some things we simply won’t understand, but we cannot fall into the trap of why this and why not that. We must build our faith and we do that through reading our Bibles, being part of God’s church, fervently praying without ceasing, and letting the Holy Spirit be our guide, our teacher, and being the power in us to do

Why We Fear Death and How Not To

Death. The very word sounds scary. The topic of death for many, is a subject they prefer not to talk about. We even have a word that people use when they feel uncomfortable when someone gets a little too familiar with death in conversation. We say they are being morbid, and the implication of the adjective is that we don’t wish to hear such talk.

Yet, the world of entertainment is filled with the subject of death. Go to the library and look at the novels. The shelves are filled with books about murders and the mysteries that surround them. Our movies and TV shows are often centered on the deaths that occur in real life. We even have dinner shows called Murder Mystery Dinners, that allow us to participate in the old ‘who done it” theme.

But then again, we spend millions upon millions on medical treatments and research on how to defeat death. We clamor against cancer and other diseases, demanding our government spend more on this quest for immortality.

In truth, death is a huge part of our lives. We even have a saying about it. We like to say that there are only two sure things in life; taxes and death. But that’s a poor statement. You do not have to pay taxes. There are several ways around that. But there is no way around death. It will come. And no one has a clue when. It could occur at any minute to anyone of us. And that scares us.

Why are we afraid of death? For one thing, as I alluded to above, we simply don’t know when it will strike. But the other thing about death is that it brings an end, and that end brings something that we have never experienced personally. That makes the other side of death a place of the unknown. And the unknown is scary.

But Christians who have read their Bibles know what death brings. They know that, while it is the end of life as we know it on earth, it is not the end. The Bible is clear about death. It tells us that though it is an end, it is also a beginning. The Bible tells us that all of us are eternal beings. And it tells us that in death, eternity will bring judgment. And judgment is scary.

The world hates judgment. People say they want justice, but they only really want justice to be served on others, because justice demands judgment and judgment demands punishment. Punishment is scary.

This is why the world hates Christians.

The world hates Christians because the world knows we speak of the truth when we speak of judgment and that we tell them that without Christ as their Lord and Savior, their death will bring judgment. They are afraid of death, because they are afraid of judgment and deep down in the recesses of their hearts and minds, they know they are guilty. They hate it when we quote the Bible. They hate when we quote Romans 3:23 which tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They hate it when we quote 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that warns us about the consequences of sin with these words, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” They hate this verse because they know all of us are guilty of the sins it speaks of.

They hate it because this verse speaks to the result of those who die without Christ and who will face judgment on the basis of their own merits. This makes death very scary.

Therefore we must preach the entire Gospel, not just tell them that Jesus loves them. Death, without Jesus is scary and the world needs to know this. Without Christ we are slaves to fear and sin. But Christians have been set free from this fear of death. And it was the death of Christ by which we are set free.

Hebrews 2:14-15
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

Christians should not fear death. We have been freed from that fear because if our faith is in the work of Christ and not our own, we are free of the judgment that death will bring.

Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Christians, we are free from the law of sin and death. We no longer should fear death.

The greatest witness to the lost and dying world is to show them this truth by how we live. We must live free of fear and free of the sin that causes us to be afraid.

Let us go forth in freedom.

How To Live 2019 Without Worry, Anxiety, and Fear

Isn’t it amazing that we Christians say that we trust God with our eternal destination? We say we believe in the Jesus of the Bible. We say that we trust that that the Bible is the very word of God, though written by the hand of men, we believe they were supernaturally inspired by the Holy Spirit to write it. We say we trust in the story of Jesus as the Bible records it, that He was born of a virgin, healed the sick, raised the dead, was crucified on the cross, died, was buried only to be raised from the dead three days later, to then finally ascend back to heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God, having made the way for us to enter into the very presence of God upon our death, where we will live for eternity.

We say we believe all that. That takes faith, a lot of faith. By faith we trust God has saved us unto eternal life, yet we worry and get anxious over the physical elements of life on earth.

Cancer scares the daylights out us. The possibility of losing our jobs petrifies us. The stock market, the price of gas, and the rising cost of medical insurance weighs heavily upon our minds. The crime, violence, drugs, and the possibility of our children becoming kidnapped into the hands of child pornographers, has created a culture that is afraid to even let their children play outside or walk the dog, unless we are within reach of them. The list of things that bring fear and anxiety has no end.

Yet, the message of the same Bible that tells us that we have a sure hope of eternal life, rails against worry, anxiety, and fear. It makes no sense to live in the belief that our eternal life is secure, but our earthly one is in such constant peril that we worry and get anxious.

2018 is over. If you are reading this, you survived another one. If you are a Christian and you died in 2018, you are in the presence of Jesus. Either way, the Bible spoke the truth. As we begin a new year, what if we made it our life’s passion to make one change? What if we followed through with the faith we are called to have and actually believed God?

Let’s take a quick look at the Word of God and see what He has to say about worry, anxiety, and fear.

Matthew 6:25-34
 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?  "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?  "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.  "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'  "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In case you don’t remember, that was a quote from Jesus. Let’s sum up what He said. Don’t worry. God will feed you. He will clothe you. It makes no sense to worry, it won’t change anything anyway. Oh, and one more important thing; each day will have trouble. That’s just simply life. Instead of making money, getting healthier, trying to stock up food, or making anything else your goal in 2019, simply seek first His kingdom. Make God and His kingdom the most important thing in your life. Do that and trust in Him to get you through the troubles of the day. As Christy Lane sang so well, take it one day at a time.

Here is another reminder form God’s Word.

1 Peter 5:6-7
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Are you anxious? Give that to God., because He cares for you. But to do that we see we must humble ourselves before Him. This means simply admit to Him that you just cannot handle all this. But take note here, it says He will exalt you at the proper time. Giving our anxiety to Him and living by faith means we need patience.

Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.

The secret here is to stay in His Word, for that is the good word that we can believe.

And then what about fear?

Luke 12:4-7
 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Again, Jesus speaks. He tells us there is only one person to fear. It’s not any man or woman on the face of this earth. They can do nothing to you that our sovereign God doesn’t allow. And if they do happen to kill you, you go straight into the arms of Jesus if you are a Christian. If you are not a Christian, then you need to fear God, for He can and will use His power to throw you into hell. God is the only one with that power, so He is the only one to fear. And the Bible also tells us that perfect love casts out fear. Jesus is that perfect love.

The real question we need to ask ourselves this very day, as we start this new year, is do we really believe God? If we do, then we can know that even though we serve a powerful God, who has the power to cast us into hell, He has sent us His son, whose perfect love will cast out our fear of death.

Will there be times in 2019 in which we face difficult and trying times? Probably. But we can know with certainty that Jesus will be with us through it all if we humble ourselves before Him. We do have an enemy that fights against us. So, do as 1 Peter 5:8 commands us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” But remember what God has told us from 1 John 4:4

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

2019 is upon us and we have no idea what we will face. But Jesus was clear on what this life will be.

John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

In this world we will face troubles and tribulations. But we do not need to worry, be anxious, or be afraid. In the midst of it all, is the truth that Jesus has overcome the world, God is sovereign and still in control, and in Him we can have peace.

Make 2019 the year you believe God. Do that and it doesn’t matter what comes to be, you will have peace. It won’t even make sense, but when the people around you see it in you, they will want to know Jesus too.

Here is the plan for us Christians in 2019.

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Do that and it will be a happy, peace filled, worry free 2019.

Replacing Fear With Power

This past Sunday, I heard a sermon in which the pastor was reminding his congregation of the way in which we Christians, so often sort of put the Holy Spirit in the background of our faith, both in our church and in our personal walk. He preached from the text of 2 Timothy 1:7-8. As I have meditated on that passage since listening to him, I find myself drawn deeply into thoughts of the second verse of that letter to Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I love the Word of God. I never cease to be amazed at how it works in my life. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “…the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The more I mulled over this statement from 2 Timothy, the more it began to judge the intentions of my heart, many of which really don’t demonstrate that I am allowing the Holy Spirit to change the way I live, as much as He wants to.

The first aspect we see here, is spoken of in the negative. We have not been given a spirit of fear. As a man, I don’t ever want to display a sense of fear in front of my fellow man. Neither do they, yet most of us, men and women, live out our Christian lives in fear. This is what hinders our witness and why we so often dim the light of Christ in our lives. If we let the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, pierce deeply into our joints and marrow, judging the intentions of our heart, can we honestly say we consistently speak out in sharing Christ?

In response to the fact that we do not have a spirit of fear living within us, we then see that we have power. For those of you who remember the old TV show, Home Improvement, you will recall that Tim the Tool Man Taylor, was always talking about more power. He was constantly tinkering with everything he could get his hands on and tweaking things so that they would have more power. Wouldn’t we all like to have more power. Guess what? God has given us a spirit of power and that power is complete in itself. It does not need to be tweaked in any way; it simply needs to be exercised. A power tool is completely powerless unless you turn it on and use it. We simply need to exercise our faith and when we do, the same power that raised Christ from the dead, lives in us.

It is this power, which enables us to attain the fullness of the Christian life, by which we must walk. Galatians 5:16 instructs us to “walk by the Spirit” and if we do that then we “will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” The desires of the flesh are selfish desires. But as our text from 2 Timothy tells us, we have been given a spirit of love. Again, if we turn to the Word of God, in this case from 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, we learn that love “does not seek its own.” The Holy Spirit empowers us to love as God calls us to love. The love that God calls us to is not speaking of itself as an emotion, which emanates and is manipulated by our feelings, but it is a love that is dictated by our choice to act. Love is a choice. The Holy Spirit empowers us to make choices that override our selfish desires and our own feelings. This is how we can, with all our being, love our enemies. It is how we can forgive the unforgivable.  It is how we shine the light of Christ, who took upon Himself, the horrible payment of our personal sin.

Finally, we see that we have been given a spirit of self-control. There is no limit to the effects of the power God has given us in changing our lives. This Holy Spirit power enables us to overcome addictions. 2 Corinthians 10:4 is clear, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Read that again. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Addictions are strongholds. We have been empowered to overcome them by the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in every believer. We have the power to say no to sin. We have the power to live a disciplined life in Christ, one that reflects to the world, His light. Yes, every single believer has this power, this spirit. Again, open the Word of God.

1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

If we are truly Christ’s. we have this power living in us. We have the power to have self-control and choose what we do, how we act, and what we think. We have the power to love as Christ loved. We have the power to overcome all fear.

Yet, we fail so often. What do we do about this? The answer lies in the verse before the one I am speaking of.

2 Timothy 1:6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

The Spirit lives in us, but like a power tool that remains unplugged and turned off, His flame will burn low and be ineffective. God calls us to action. Like any fire, if we want it to burn brightly, we must fan the flame, kindle the fire, stir up the coals, and keep it ablaze. We do this by staying in God’s Word, being in constant prayer, by worshipping God, and by meeting with other believers though our local churches. We must get up and walk in the Spirit.

Open your Bible, ask the Spirit of God to help you flame the fire of the gift of God. If you do, you will find the spirit of power, love, and self-control warming your heart to action and will be restored to the joy of your salvation.

Be strong in the Lord Always.