What is the most valuable gift you have ever received? That could mean the gift of the highest monetary amount but not necessarily. It might be a gift of great sentimental cost. Or a gift that brought you immense joy. What is the most valuable gift you have ever received?

Have you thought about it? Do you know what it is?

Now imagine you never opened the gift. What would have happened? No doubt you would have missed the significance of the gift, the treasure it represents, and the joy it brought. But more importantly, had you refused to open the valuable gift, you would have rendered it worthless. The gift only had value to you because you chose to open it.

Did you know that God has given you a gift of incredible value? God makes clear to us that through the power of the Holy Spirit we have each be given a very valuable spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:11).  Everybody gets one. Not everyone has the same gift. No one has all the gifts. We don’t get to choose which one we get. And we are to use our gift to help others and bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Have you thought about it? Do you know what it is?

Perhaps it’s the gift of hospitality or service. Or it could be a great adeptness to lead or teach. Maybe it’s the gift of mercy or healing. You might be exceptionally skilled at administration or craftsmanship. Whatever it is, because it comes from God, it is a gift of great value. But if the gift is never opened you miss the significance of the gift, the treasure it represents, and the joy it brings. More importantly you are robbing God and others of the gift you have. If you negate to open the gift, you render it worthless.

So, go ahead…open it!

 

 

 

As we finish our series on freeing ourselves from the prison of worry and anxiety, we see this word: “finally”.

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. Philippians 4:8

We’ve humbled ourselves and admitted where the struggle is real with worry and anxiety. We’ve taken the things that keep us up at night and cast those into the hands of Jesus. We are striving desperately to leave them with God and trust that He can handle the situations better than we can. We’ve made our “already” list and are doing our best to focus on the things God has provided rather than the things we are waiting on. Now what?

Finally…we must think about what we think about. In his book Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado shares that we must be the air traffic controller of our mental airport. We occupy the control tower and can direct the mental traffic of our world. Thoughts circle above, coming and going, We choose which planes land. How do we make sure the right planes land? We must think about what we think about.

Think about what you think about:

1. Acknowledge negative thinking

Psalm 139: 23-24 declares, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ask God to help you identify the ways you are thinking negatively or in a critical spirit. God can speak through others, too.  Ask those closest to you to help you identify the ways you think negativity. They would be more than glad to help out!

2. Identify positive things

Make a list of the encouraging and affirming things. Ask others to help you with that list as well.

3. Think on the positive

If you can worry you can meditate! Worry is thinking on something over and over and over. The problem is, you’re thinking on the wrong thing. Find the encouraging thing and think on it over and over and over.

4. Express verbal appreciation for the positive

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” Speak life into your worry and anxiety.

Finally, think about what you think about. And, “practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).

 

 

 

You lie down but you cannot sleep. Your worry list is long. There are bills to pay, children to fret about, friends to agonize over, and tests to stress about.

Since you can’t sleep, try this. Get out a sheet of paper and label it “My Worry List.” Write down everything you’re worried about. If you need more than one page, fine. Just keep filling it out. Then take another sheet of paper and title it “My Thanksgiving List.” Write down everything you are thankful for. Hopefully you need more than one page, great! Just keep filling it out.

Now, place the “My Thanksgiving List” in front of you and begin to thank God for everything on that list. Let Him know how grateful you are for all the things that He has given you and done for you. Don’t rush. Spend as much time as you can. Then take your “My Worry List” and station it in front of you and begin to share your anxieties with God. He already knows about them. But vocalize the places that are keeping you up at night.

See if your worry list doesn’t begin to fade away. Your worries might not necessarily vanish, but perhaps your perspective on them adjusts. Worry refuses to share the heart with gratitude. That’s why the apostle Paul said:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and

supplication with thanksgivinglet your requests be made known to God,

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your

hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (emphasis mine)

Prayer doesn’t necessarily change our circumstances and make them better, but prayer always changes us and makes us better.

 

 

 

 

It’s likely something is keeping you up at night. If not last night, you probably don’t have to think very far back to remember the last time you couldn’t sleep because anxious thoughts and worries kept your mind racing. Perhaps you’ve tried counting sheep but your mind is so revved up you keep losing count. Relying on sleeping pills, taking a drink, or sleeping with the TV on to try and “take the edge off” doesn’t work in the long run. You need peace, and that’s a gift from Jesus. So, how do you put the X in anxiety and live in the peace that He has given?

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the

proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he

cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7

1. Humble Yourself

Here’s a revelation: anxiety isn’t your giant, it’s the shadow cast by your true giant; a symptom of an issue with deeper roots. Humbly ask God to help you uncover what’s underneath your anxiety. Maybe you’re like me, and you struggle with control. Maybe it’s fear, unrealistic expectations, or negative self-talk.

2. Cast Your Anxieties on Him

The word “cast” means to permanently relocate and object from one place to another. There’s only one other place this word is used in the Bible. It’s in Luke 19:35 when the disciples “cast” their coats on the borrowed donkey that Jesus will ride into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The disciples literally threw their coats onto the donkey. When Peter uses the same word, he is implying that we are to throw our worries onto God. We are to relocate our worries and anxieties from our mind to the hands of Jesus – permanently. The disciples never expected to get their coats back. Likewise, we are to leave our worries and anxieties with Jesus and not snatch them back. To do so is to quash our humility and in essence say, “Never mind, Jesus. I’ve got this. I can handle it better than you can.” What pride and arrogance!

Jesus cares for you! Humble yourself and give him the root causes of your worry and anxiety. Relocate it from your mind to His hands and leave it there! And experience the peace that only Jesus can give!

 

 

 

You’re familiar with a “Come to Jesus” meeting.  I’m sure you’ve been on the receiving end of more than one of those dreadfully persuasive discussions aimed at getting you to change doing something negative or self-destructive. And you have more than likely been on the giving end of a few as well.

Do you need to have a “Come to Jesus” meeting today? Jesus is inviting you to one. 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gently and lowly in

 heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my

 burden is light.                                                  Matthew 11:28-30

Has rest been a bit elusive? Not just physical respite but rest for your soul? Are you having trouble sleeping at night because your mind won’t stop racing? Do you have excessive worry, unnecessary fear or even panic attacks? Anxiety disorders are reaching epidemic proportions. The United States is the most anxious nation in the world. Anxiety disorders are the number one mental health disorder for women living in the United States and number two for men.

If this is you, Jesus says you need to schedule a meeting with Him. Your worry and anxiety is negative and self-destructive and Jesus wants so much more for you. No need to dread this meeting, Jesus promises rest for your soul!

Where do you usually go when you are worried, anxious and stressed out? Are you a stress eater? Does a little retail therapy ease your burden temporarily? Do you binge watch your cares away? Do you turn to alcohol or drugs? Jesus says, “Come to me.”

So, take Him up on his offer. Spend some time in solitude. Find what the Bible has to say about worry and anxiety. Spend some time giving Him your concerns in prayer. And listen to what He is speaking to you.

Why are you still reading? Jesus is waiting…

 

Why is it when as soon as our heads hit the pillow our minds take off in a sprint? Like a hamster up all night scurrying on a wheel, we begin to think about our to-do list, that thing we said to our boss, or how we are going to pay for the kid’s braces. Our brains have this annoying tendency to ruminate on worst case scenarios at night turning molehills into mountains and small uncertainties into full-blown monsters.

And it’s not just when we try to sleep. It can and does happen any time of the day. Unrelenting anxious thoughts can be paralyzing. They sap our emotional energy, impair our physical health, and interfere with our daily lives.

How do we tackle the monster of our worry and anxiety in our lives?

1. Get to know God.

People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. (Matthew 6:32 – The Message) If you don’t have a relationship with God you have every reason to worry. Get to know God. And don’t just know about Him but really know Him. As a believer, you understand you have a heavenly Father who has promised to take care of you.

2. Put God first in your life.

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.(Matthew 6:33 – The Message) Anytime God moves away from first in your life, you have reason to worry. Billy Graham said, “Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and his will for us.”

3. Live one day at a time.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:34 – The Message) If you are worried about tomorrow, you can’t enjoy today. Plan for tomorrow but live for today.

I would love to have you with us at Aldersgate Church for a new message series titled “Anxious for Nothing” beginning this Sunday. We will dive into how to tackle the monster of worry in our lives. Join us in person or catch us online at aldersgate.online at 9:00, 10:15 or 11:30.

 

 

 

Last week I was scrolling through my Facebook page when I came across this gem (thank you Patty Pruitt for letting me share it!) …

So, last night I decided to drive through Taco Villa. I love their cheesy

chicken bowl, it’s yummy. I ordered the cheesy chicken bowl, she repeated

it back correctly, I paid, got my food and drove home. When I took the food

out of the bag it was not a bowl! It was a large clamshell container! I opened

it to find a chicken taco salad! Dang it! I called Taco Villa and complained. My

husband is sick! I do not want to come back! I just want you to be aware of your

mistake! I ate the taco salad…….I loved the taco salad. I may have a Taco Villa

taco salad again tonight. From a different location, of course….

I wonder how many times I pray for the cheesy chicken bowl when God wants to give me a chicken taco salad? Instances when what I think is best for me is not what God knows is best for me? Times when my will does not line up with God’s will? When I’m not praying in surrender?

What are you currently praying for? What if that is not God’s best for you? What if you are praying for a cheesy chicken bowl when God knows what you would really love is the chicken taco salad? Where do you need to surrender your will to God’s will?

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock,

and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who

seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you,

if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for

an egg will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good

gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit

to those who ask him!  Luke 11:9-13

 

 

The late Paul Harvey told the story of a three-year-old boy at the grocery store with his mother. She sternly told him before entering the store, “No chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask!” In the store, she put him in the little child’s seat in the cart, and they wheeled down the aisles. He was quiet until he got to the cookie aisle. He saw those delicious chocolate chip cookies, stood up and said, “Mom, can I have the chocolate chip cookies?” With a strong voice she said to him, “I told you not to even ask. No!” He sat down. They went down the aisles but later had to come back to the cookie aisle again. He asked for them again. She told him, “Sit down and be quiet. I said no.” Finally arriving at the checkout lane, the little boy knew it was his last chance. He had to do something quick. So, he stood up in his seat and shouted as loud as he could, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?” Everyone around him began to laugh and applaud that little boy. And because of the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy and his mother left the grocery store with twenty-three boxes of chocolate chip cookies!

Have you ever wondered why we pray in Jesus’ name? Is it a magical way to ensure we get the chocolate chip cookies or whatever it is we are asking for? Is it a merely a sign that the prayer has come to an end and we can open our eyes? Or is there more to it?

There’s much more to it. We pray in Jesus’ name because:

1. We Ask in His standing

We, in our own standing, have no right to present ourselves to God and ask Him anything. On our own merit, there is no reason God should answer any of our prayers. We all fall short of God’s glorious standard. “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:24). Because Jesus made us “right” we come before God with confidence and ask with boldness (Hebrews 4:16)!

2. We Ask in His authority

Jesus says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). When Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, He broke any authority that Satan might have. Satan still has inherent power (2 Corinthians 4:4) and we wage war against his deceitful schemes. Nowhere does it say that Christ delivered us from Satan’s power – only that He delivered us from his authority or the right to use his power against us. “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19).

In Jesus’ name! Amen!

 

 

Question: Do you long to be in God’s presence?

Not like eternally in God’s presence after death here on this earth (although the desire for that is a given) but in God’s presence in the here and now? Beyond understanding that “God is everywhere” but to know “God is here.” That God’s presence is discernible?

Answer: “Come into his presence with singing!” Psalm 100:2

God inhabits the praises of His people. I don’t know about you, but I need the Lord’s inhabiting of my life. I need His rhythms in my plans and steps. If the way to bring him closer to me is by coming near to Him through singing, count me all in! I’m no American Idol and certainly wouldn’t make it as a contestant on The Voice, but I’ll make a joyful noise with everything I’ve got!

How about you?

 

I saw a story recently that reported $5.8 billion worth of gift cards go unclaimed every year. $5.8 billion! These are benefits that have already been purchased, but never get enjoyed. 

Could it be the same way with God’s promises?

The Bible is a book full of promises – an estimated 3,000 of them. All the promises of God have been purchased by Jesus’ blood! It’s like saying there are 3,000 gift cards in the Bible, purchased by Jesus for us!

Let’s go and get ‘em!

1. Find a Promise.

Search the Bible and find a promise of God that applies to your situation. There are promises that cover whatever area of challenge you may currently be facing. Do you need healing? Wisdom? The ability to pay bills? Whatever it is, you can pray one of God’s promises that relates to your issue.

2. Mediate on the Promise.

To mediate means to think deeply and carefully about something. Focus your mind on the promise that you are trusting God for.

3. Personalize the Promise.

Personalizing God’s promises simply means to make the promises yours. When Solomon became the king, he asked God for wisdom. The Bible says that God gave Solomon “wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29). Often when I find myself needing direction, I pray the same. “God, please give me wisdom and understanding beyond measure like you did for Solomon. May the depth of my mind be like the sand on the seashore.”

4. Speak the Promise.

We shouldn’t just read through the Bible but pray through it! Our words are like seeds. What we speak determines what we eventually harvest. So, pray through the Bible and reap the promises of God.

Let’s go get the promises of God!