Free from but not of….with a dangling preposition…
In my previous blog, I repeated something similar to something Mahaney said: our fears, our concerns, our worries are not the cause of our anxiety but the occasion. Now insert any struggle that you have with depression, lust, anger, bitterness – anything at all. If we dependently pray to God for what he calls us to pray to him about in his construct prayer in Matthew 6:8-15, how is it that we still struggle with these things????
You may or may not have heard: we have a heart problem. Romans 6 (the whole chapter) teaches us that we are free from sin but not free of sin. As Christians, we are free from sin, yet we have in our natural selves a lingering desire to please the natural man. We are not free of indwelling sin until we are glorified with Jesus Christ in heaven…my husband would exclaim here: “I cannot wait for that day!!!”
What in the world is going on? How can Jesus say to me: “do not be anxious?” (Matthew 6:25) (or insert any of the other commands given to us!). He can say this because he himself will be our source of hope. When we place our source of hope in ANY other person, thing, or idea we are feeding our indwelling sin. We are serving two masters and it does not go well (helloooooo sleepless nights). How does this happen?
Jeremiah teaches us that “[Our] hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) That is our problem. We have hearts that are naturally bent to desire ‘not God.’ This is a battle that rages within us. This is the reason the Bible was written.
If you have read Matthew 6:25-34 you are familiar with Jesus’ encouragement and admonition to not concern ourselves beyond the day. Of course, this does not mean we shouldn’t plan or structure our lives. It means we shouldn’t be anxious for what we will have or what will happen to us. “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” Matthew 6:34.
When we worry (a variation on the theme of ‘anxiety’) our deceitful hearts are telling us: “Your dependency does not lie in God, it lies in something else.” We think to ourselves: if only things were this or that way! Our minds are drawn to ways to overcome our anxiety and resolve whatever major earth-shattering issue is at hand. I don’t put it that way lightly. We have taken what should be an opportunity to seek the Lord’s help and created Frankenstein’s monster – I know how its done ladies and I’m pretty good at it. That’s why Mahaney said our concerns are not the cause of our anxiety but the occasion. Which, when we look at the practicality of the Word of God our concerns can humbly become the occasion to be dependent on God and glorify him.
I’d like to offer you some practical help to change a pattern of occasions to worry into a pattern of occasions to glorify God. He is our Father in heaven and he is holy – his will must be our will as well. This is how we can please him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Here are 4 biblical steps the Bible teaches to overcome worry. Also – it won’t happen in a weekend (not even this long one). It won’t happen at all as soon as you want it to happen because God’s will is being done. This is about himteaching us to glorify him. We are working out our salvation here with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). Change takes time.
1) Suffering. You are serving two masters here (Matthew 6:24) and it is tearing you up inside like a Romulan disrupter (Trekkie reference but you get the idea). The entire volume of Psalms, 150 of them, deals with our emotions. The Lord wants to teach you how to respond to inner struggles. He knows you are suffering and desires to comfort his child – even though you have strayed from dependence on him (read the Old Testament). Use these in your suffering (and fretting) over these things you are unable to control. They are for you! Here’s a few to narrow down your search: Psalms 10, 37, 40, 42, 77, 88, 91, 119, 131, 145.
2) Confession. I believe this is the most underused tool in Christianity. Confess to the Lord your ‘two-mastered’ heart. He is aware of it but he desires your humility toward him: it is an action of dependence. Confess to him any thoughts you have had regarding your anxiety and confess to those you may have sinned against in your actions or words regarding your anxiety. BE SPECIFIC. (See Psalms 32, 51, 131)
3) Accept God’s forgiveness. This is so very, very important. He is not a taskmaster nor an accountant but a loving Father. I would strongly suggest you read Isaiah 57:15-16. Re-read Matthew 6:14-15 for the fullness of forgiveness. You are fully loved by God.
4) Repent and Change. The Bible is the most practical tool for Christian change. There is absolutely no Christian author that is worth his (or her) salt that would tell you otherwise. We need to read it (Read Joshua 1:8) and know it. My husband says the Bible is shallow enough for a child to wade in it and deep enough for an elephant to swim in it. True that my friends. This once again has become longer than I wanted but I will give you 2 passages (of so many!) that will help you repent and change. First look up the word ‘repent’ in Webster’s 1828 online dictionary. That’s the definition.
Now go to 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. This is what repentance looks like. It is a laborfor your heart to change.
1 Peter 5:6-11 This is the process to use all those verbs on from 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. The key words here are ‘humble yourself’ and ‘casting.’ These are words of a heart of anxiety to a heart willing to change to dependence upon God. (See also ‘Labor to Rest’)
I hope and pray that this will bless you as it blesses me because no one can serve two masters – it’s just wearying!