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Presented by Lauren Stibgen Busyness. We all succumb to it. Just how busy are you? If you are too busy to know if your patterns are creating anxiety in the people at work, then I would ask you to consider how available you are to the people around you. If you are running from meeting to meeting and task to task like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off, take a moment to pause and consider what you aren’t seeing. Jesus had the very best eyes to see what was happening around him. Now, one might argue that he had a God-sized advantage in all of this, but the way he saw people and taught his disciples to see people is a model for us today. Are you seeing the person who doesn’t seem to quite fit in with others. Maybe they have a reputation that precedes them. Perhaps they have something outside of work causing them anxiety, which in turn has caused them to retreat. Like Jesus, do you extend time to get to know them? Think about how Jesus treats Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector and not very well liked. And he was described as small in stature. As crowds of people followed Jesus, he stopped to call out to this small, unliked man to have dinner (Luke 19). With a spring in his step and a who-me attitude, he wholeheartedly turns from his sin. Take time to see someone. Perhaps offer to have lunch or a cup of coffee. You never know how your presence may be the peace they need in the moment. You can’t be available if you are too busy to be present to others. Jesus also modeled something to his disciples that many of us need help with—delegation. Jesus’ ministry grew rapidly. Think about the 5,000 people who had gathered to hear Jesus. They needed to be fed. Aside from the miracle of the bread and fish, Jesus instructed his disciples on how to organize the crowds and distribute the food (John 6). Later in the book of Acts, as the church continued to grow, the disciples were hearing grumbling that some of the gentile widows were not being served. They selected 7 deacons or leaders to help ensure that these widows were being served (Acts 6). Your presence in reflecting kindness and care like Jesus and the disciples may depend on reducing your own anxiety by delegating! You simply can’t be peace if you are anxious yourself.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Communication, both clear and unclear has the power to bring peace and anxiety to your workplace. After all the Word tells us that: The tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). The weight of this verse alone should remind us how important words can be. Are communications in your office anxiety-laden or peace-giving? Gossip is one of the most common anxiety-causing forms of communication in the workplace. Consider these Proverbs: A perverse person stirs up conflict, a gossip separates close friends (16:28). Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. (26:20). Is there someone among you who seems to stir up conflict or perpetuates rumors? This surely creates anxiety at work. The Bible tells us simply not to do it. If you are in a position to address others who are gossiping, you should. I always suggest asking questions. For example, Do you know if that is true? How? Have you talked with so and so about this directly? Ephesians 4:29 tells us: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Can you leave people around you feeling built up? At times, gossip is an outcome of unclear or ambiguous communication. Have you ever been in a situation where people knew something was happening, but they didn’t know what? If you have worked in a privileged leadership role, you may be aware of organizational changes before others. When asked, you are caught in the balance of holding the organizational confidence or needing to leave out pieces of communication. Think of the disciples. Jesus spoke on numerous occasions about his death in the form of parables before clearly telling them what was happening (Matthew 21:33-36, John 12:24). They were stunned when he clearly talked about his suffering, death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21-23). Communicating as clearly as you can, when you are able, can help create a more peaceful work environment. Sometimes, if you have been stuck with piece mail communications, a sincere, “I am sorry I could not be clear before” can help ease tensions. Are you a peace-making communicator or anxiety-creator? Pray for God to help you bring more peace today!

Presented by Lauren Stibgen How are your relationships at work or the relationships between the members of your team? Whether you work in an office, hybrid, or remote, relationships matter. And it doesn’t matter what position you hold. Manager, subordinate, or peer, you have an opportunity to create peace at work. What causes anxiety in work relationships? The disciples of Jesus argued on more than one occasion about who was the greatest. Consider how Jesus, their leader, addressed them each time. In Luke 9:46-48, the Word tells us an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. Jesus brings forth a child and tells them: For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest (Luke 9:48b). Later, in Luke 22, after the institution of the Lord’s supper, the Word says: A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest (Luke 22:24). Jesus, again directs the disciples, telling them that: Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves (Luke 22:26). Competition in the office can create a great deal of tension between team members. How can you display an attitude of service to others? Can you take opportunities to be a champion of teamwork that allows everyone to win? While we may not experience direct disagreements between people about being the best, what is your personal posture about your position at work? Do you approach your position with humility or pride? Are you an I colleague or a we member of the team? This doesn’t mean you aren’t accomplishing things that move your career forward, but it does mean achievement is balanced in your success. If you are knocking others down to get where you want to be, this is surely not peace-giving to your work environment. And what about comparison? The disciples were surely comparing themselves to one another. We also see this comparison between Mary and Martha in Luke 10: 38-42. Martha is busy running around cleaning and cooking and preparing for Jesus and the disciples, and Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning. Jesus tells Martha that Mary is choosing the right action in the moment. I can almost feel Martha’s anxiety in this moment. If you are always worrying about what others around you are doing, you are sure to drive yourself crazy! How can you find peace in doing your very best today?

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Often as we reflect on our faith at work, we think of how our belief helps guide us through some pretty challenging situations. But how much are we thinking about how our faith is reflected to others and creating reactions to our colleagues, bosses, and subordinates? I want you to answer this question: are you creating anxiety or peace at work? Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27). In John 14, Jesus tells us he is leaving peace­—his peace. The world cannot give peace like Jesus. Our difficult task each day is to reflect more of Jesus and less of this world. Let’s face it, this world is full of anxiety-causing matters, and work can only compound them. People experience anxiety from issues ranging from financial matters to health challenges to relationships. This anxiety can be compounded by things like overconsuming caffeine, lacking sleep, and even skipping meals. Anxieties create real physical issues for us, and a seemingly vicious cycle of things that just create more anxiety. Is your work environment creating more financial stress for people? Perhaps an impending layoff or a freeze on raises is looming. Maybe your company is changing health plans. This could create anxieties about coverage for someone facing significant health issues. How is your office culture? Is it causing people more anxiety? Considering how much time we spend at work, each of us has an opportunity to create more peace for the people around us. As we think about our peace in Christ, take time to consider some of the ways we can be better peacemakers than anxiety creators.

I remember a song we sang when I was young: “Why worry when you can pray?” Well, it’s a good question, isn’t it? Why do we worry when Jesus has clearly told us not to worry? Worrying is truly worthless!    In part one I read this familiar passage from Matthew 6:25-34. I’m sure you’ve read it many times, but let’s read it once again. Jesus said:   Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.    In this passage there are at least three reasons why we should not worry if we belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ. They are:    Because of who we are—we are more valuable than birds. Because it never does any good. Because it’s a bad testimony.   Worry is a function of your mind, your thoughts. So, to stop worrying, you have to change your thought patterns. And in order to change your thought patterns, you have to replace wrong thoughts with right thoughts. So here is one thought that can stop you from worrying:    You have a heavenly Father who is taking care of you.    Jesus said in Matthew 6 that our heavenly Father knows what we need and will provide for our needs when we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Now, this may cause you to ask some questions, like “Why doesn’t God answer all my prayers if he is taking care of me?” That’s what we expect a father to do, right? I think of my own father, and I am certain that if he could have met any need I had, he would have done it, and he often did.    Sometimes it seems that our earthly father is more predictable than our Heavenly Father. Most earthly fathers can be counted on to do anything they can for their children. Yet often our Heavenly Father doesn’t come through for us the way we think he should, or the way we want him to. Does he love us less than our earthly father? Why doesn’t he act at least as good as my earthly father would?     The answer to that is because he has a different agenda for us from our earthly fathers. He has an eternal agenda, and his purpose is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. The daily transformation which needs to take place in our lives often comes through unexpected—and sometimes unwanted—ways.     Spurgeon, a great preacher of the 19th Century, wrote: “O blessed acts of sorrow that cut a pathway to our God by chopping down the tall trees of human comfort.” Isn’t it true that the difficulties and uncertainties of life are the things which teach us to depend on our Heavenly Father? Even when you’re in the midst of tough times and you don’t see how God is taking care of you, you should not worry, because he is working everything out for your good. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).     Now, I fully recognize it’s a lot easier to say those words than it is to live them. Believe me, I’ve gone through trials where trusting God to make all things work for my good did not come naturally or easily. And the worrying had to be abandoned many times; it’s not just one quick application of Romans 8:28, and everything is fine. It is a process of choosing to believe and replacing the worrying thoughts with faith-building ones. That takes spiritual muscle and maturity, and we build those into our lives with practice.     Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we must take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. I have found that to be a daily task, something I must intentionally do. So, when worry sets in and your thoughts are taking you in that direction, you must choose to abandon those thoughts and replace them with thoughts that will bolster your faith. You must literally capture those worrying thoughts and make them obey Christ—to think about all you have to be thankful for, to remember that God has promised to take care of you and to remember that worrying is worthless.    The battle is in your mind, and you stop worrying when you change your thought patterns. I’ve written a book on this topic—Think About What You Think About—because I believe most of our problems begin with wrong thinking. It’s certainly true in my life; as soon as I allow my thoughts to get out of control, to think about things I should not be thinking about, that’s when worrying moves in, and I become a worry-wart, as we say!    Philippians 4:8 says we are to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. When you’re worrying, it is often because your thoughts are not true, certainly not noble, never admirable or excellent or praiseworthy. So, we need to stop worrying. And you do that by replacing wrong thoughts with right ones. It may only last for a few minutes before you start worrying again, but if you will simply keep replacing wrong thoughts with right ones, soon you will build spiritual muscle and you’ll discover you’re not worrying nearly as much as you used to.    Jesus said we should not worry about tomorrow. Isn’t it true that most of our worries are about tomorrow? What’s going to happen? What if this happens or that doesn’t happen? We allow our minds to conjure up all kinds of possible scenarios that frighten and worry us. Jesus knew this and he specifically tells us not to worry about tomorrow, not to borrow trouble from tomorrow.   I know some friends who were trying to make a decision about a major move in their life—moving from one place to another and altering their current lifestyle dramatically. As I talked with them, I realized they were considering this move based on being fearful of tomorrow, trying to make sure nothing bad will happen in the future. Obviously, we should be properly wise in preparing for the future, but there’s no way any of us can know what the future holds. Going through Covid taught us that, right? Worrying about the future, making decisions out of fear, goes against this simple directive from our Lord—not to worry about tomorrow.    The Proverbs 31 ideal woman is described as a woman who can laugh at the days to come (Proverbs 31:25). She is a woman of faith who simply refuses to let her fears of tomorrow hold her captive.    In Matthew 6:30, Jesus says to his disciples that their problem is they have little faith. You of little faith, he said to them—and I think he must say it to me and you as well. How do you have more faith? Well, the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. So, if you’re worrying a lot, it could be because you’re not spending enough time in the Word of God, and therefore your faith is weak.    When I have some concern on my mind and it’s starting to become a worry, if I will just sit down and read the Word, something usually comes alive and ministers to me just where I need it. But if I don’t do that, the worry only gets worse.    Worry is like the check engine light in your car. You know when that light goes on something is wrong with your car, and you need to have it checked out. Well, when you are worrying, it’s a warning light that something is wrong spiritually. Either you’ve forgotten who you are in Christ and how your Heavenly Father has promised to take care of you. Maybe your faith is very weak because you’ve not spent enough time in the Word of God. Or perhaps you’re not truly seeking first God’s kingdom. Other things, other people, other activities have taken first place in your life.  We know from Scripture that Jesus was fully God and fully man while he was here on earth, and we know from Hebrews 4 Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. That means Jesus was tempted to worry. As he was on the Mount of Olives before his arrest and crucifixion, we read in Luke 22 that he was in anguish when he was praying to his Father, so much so that his sweat was tinged with blood.     But note how Jesus dealt with this anxiety—this overwhelming worry. He prayed, …yet not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42). Amid the worst kind of worry and anxiety, he submitted to God’s will for his life. He rested in the knowledge that his Father does all things well; his Father could be trusted; his Father had good plans for him, even though those plans included the cross. After he prayed like this, an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.    Well, we have an even better help when we’re worried. Hebrews 2:18 says, Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Remember, when we are overcome with worry, we are sinning because it means we are not trusting God. Well, Jesus understands that temptation to worry, and he is able to help you when you’re tempted to worry.    Let us then approach God’s throne of grac

Do you really believe you are precious to God? We all need someone to value and appreciate us and to tell us we’re doing a good job. And here’s the good news: The God of all the universe knows your thoughts before you think them; he knows how many hairs are on your head; he knows when you sit and rise; he is intimately acquainted with all your ways. And he loves you with a love that cannot and will not change. You are precious to God. It always comforts me to know that God knows the worst about me, and he loves me still. As I said, some things are loved because they are valuable, and some things are valuable because they are loved. You and I are valuable mainly because we are loved by God. It doesn’t matter what others may think. After all, you are loved by God, and it doesn’t get any better than that! Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands… (Isaiah 49:15-16). Moms, did you ever forget your nursing child? Maybe you could forget a five-year-old for a minute or two, or a twenty-three-year-old for an hour or two. But could you ever forget the child you are nursing? No, of course not. But even if a mom might forget, God will not forget you. God has engraved you on the palms of his hands. That means it’s permanent, non-erasable, can’t wash it off. Why? Because you are precious to him—valued by him, counted worthy by him. If you will accept this by faith, you can start down the path of freedom. Freedom from anxiety, discouragement, and even depression; freedom to put all that behind you and go forward to do the good things God has planned for you to do.

What do you do when you need to be rescued? We are precious to God. we are valued and valuable because he has placed his love on us. Some things are loved because they are valuable; some things are valuable because they are loved—and that’s you and me. We are valuable because God has placed his love on us. I’ve pointed out two suggestions when you need your Heavenly Father to rescue you: First, embrace your worst fears, and then call on God to make his presence real to you as you walk through the deep waters. Here’s the final suggestion: Give yourself to others. Do not wait until you’ve conquered all your fears, until you’ve learned everything you need to know, until you have all the good feelings and confidence you need. That’s a huge mistake. Begin, at once, to find someone else who needs help and get involved in the lives of others. Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I (Isaiah 58:6-9) This is God’s plan for rescuing us—from our fears, insecurities, anxiety, and ourselves. Reach out to the people God has put in your life, people who work with you, people who live near you, people who are far off and those whose lives are in desperate need. Find those people, become intentional about looking for them. Ask God to show you who they are and where they are and start doing anything and everything you can to set the oppressed free. You are precious to God and so are they.

Are you in need of a rescue today? When we think of an ideal father, we think of one who is protective and who would do anything to help you when you are in trouble. Well, our Heavenly Father is all that and more. I suggested that if you need help from God, for whatever reason, begin with embracing your worst fear and your deepest hurt. Get out of self-denial, and then: Ask God to walk through it with you. It is never too late to do that. More accurately, ask God to make you aware that he is walking with you through it, because he never leaves us or forsakes us. But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1-3a) Recently a friend was telling me of a fear she had just faced, a dreaded outcome she had imagined which had kept her from moving forward with God. But finally, she did what she knew God wanted her to do, stepping out in faith, and she said to me, “It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be; in fact, it wasn’t bad at all.” Is the enemy of your soul keeping you in bondage through fear of dreaded outcomes? It’s one of his most common tactics. The truth is your fear of a dreaded outcome is most probably unfounded. Your mind tends to blow the fear totally out of proportion and paralyze you. God is going to walk through everything with you if you are his child through faith in Jesus Christ. You are never going to be alone, never ever! Do you think he’s going to let you drown in the water or burn up in the fire? No way! He’s there. He is sovereign over everything and everyone, and he loves you. You are precious to him.

I know the way we relate to our earthly fathers has a great influence on how we see God, our Heavenly Father. And you may not have had the kind of earthly father you wanted, needed, or deserved. If that’s true, I simply want to assure you that your Heavenly Father is the perfect father. Everything you ever wanted or needed in a father you have in God, our Father. Romans 8:15 tells us: For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba Father.’ Abba is a term of endearment, like Papa or Daddy. So, whether or not you had an earthly father that met your needs, your Heavenly Father says you are precious to him—valued, treasured, loved. And he rescues you when you cry to him. If you need to be rescued by God, here’s what I want to suggest: First, embrace your worst fear, your deepest hurt. Remember the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. Before he could be rescued from his dreadful life with the pigs, he had to embrace his worst fears and admit his terrible condition. What if his father totally rejected him? How embarrassing to crawl back and ask for a job as a hired hand. The people around would ridicule him, no doubt, and he must have feared being rejected by all the people in that town. He had to face all that, but it couldn’t be worse than where he was—starving and alone. Many of our problems have been self-created because we try to avoid the pain of facing our fears and hurt. Can you identify with that? Maybe you’ve been finding all kinds of things to substitute, to try to mask the pain, and this can lead to addictions of all kinds. Remember, you are precious to God, your Heavenly Father, and that means he desires to deliver you from whatever pit you may find yourself in.

Did you know you are precious to God? I remember some years ago a friend came to a Christmas concert at my church, and he had never been in a gospel-preaching church before. After the concert, his comment to me was: “I’ve never heard anyone use the word precious in a sermon.” That caught his attention. Well, it’s clear from Scripture that we are precious to God—we are loved and valued and treasured. Look at Psalm 72:12-14 (NLV): For He will take out of trouble the one in need when he cries for help, and the poor man who has no one to help. He will have loving-pity on the weak and those in need. He will save the lives of those in need. He will take them from the bad power that is held over them and from being hurt. Their blood will be of much worth in His eyes. And Isaiah 43:4: Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. When was the last time someone said: “You are precious to me”—or at least some words that made you feel precious, loved, valued? Well, I want you to know if you are born from above and have received Christ as your Savior, you are precious to God. What kind of relationship did you have or do you have with your earthly father? It’s true that the way our earthly father related to us has a strong effect on our relationship with our Heavenly Father. So, Did you feel taken care of? Did you ever worry about what you would eat or wear or where you would live? Did you have a full sense that your dad loved you? Did he express his love to you in ways that you could feel it? Did he ever abandon you? Was he harsh and demanding? Was he mostly an absentee father? Was he emotionally removed from you? The attributes and characteristics of our earthly fathers can become our measuring rod, comparison, or definition of what a father is. Hopefully you were blessed with a loving, caring father as I was, but for those who had distant or harsh fathers—or worse still, abusive or nowhere-to-be-found fathers—believing and accepting that you have a Heavenly Father who sees you as precious is not so easy to do. But let me assure you—it is true. You are precious to God.

The dictionary defines worry as “to feel uneasy or anxious; fret; torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts.” Did you ever realize when you worry, you are inflicting torment on yourself? Worry is self-inflicted suffering, and it never produces anything good.    Jesus fully understood our propensity to worry, and he addressed it strongly in his Sermon on the Mount. From Matthew 6:25-34 we read:  Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.    I remember when my pastor, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, spoke on this passage. It was such a blessing to me, I asked his permission to share some of his thoughts with you. In this sermon Jesus gave us three reasons not to worry.  You Are a Child of God  First, if you are born from above and have been redeemed through Jesus Christ, you should not worry because of who you are! Jesus said that God takes care of little birds, and even though they cannot take care of their need for food, he provides food for them. And Jesus asks, “Are you not more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26b).    Well, are you more valuable to God than little birds? Surely the knowledge of how much God loves you, how deeply he cares for you should cause you to stop worrying. After all, your Heavenly Father is sovereign over everything and everyone in your life; he is always in control, and because we are his children, he has pledged to take care of our needs. So, that’s the first reason you should not worry. You are a child of God, and he never leaves you or forsakes you.  In this crazy world many people are worried about their job security, or worse, about trying to find a new job because they are unemployed or underemployed. That’s certainly understandable; we all depend on our sources of income, and if they are threatened, our natural human response is worry! I’ve been in such situations, and I must confess I’ve worried.    If you’re in this kind of worry mode, I simply want to remind you of what Jesus said:  ...your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:32-33). Jesus was talking about the basics of life: what you eat, what you wear—the necessities of life. And Jesus said it is his responsibility to give those to us, when we seek first his kingdom. If God takes care of unemployed birds, don’t you know he’s committed to taking care of you? Sure, the birds must hunt for their worms and insects, but God provides it for them to find.    Notice Jesus said we should not seek for our basic needs. Rather Jesus said we are to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. So, instead of praying that God will give you the material things you need—instead of worrying about how you’re going to get what you need or what you want—pray instead that your priorities will change.     That’s what it means to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. It means you have your priorities in good shape. You invest your energies in doing what God wants you to do. According to Jesus, your goals and objectives in life should not be to make sure your needs are met. That’s God’s responsibility. God knows you need certain material things. He doesn’t condemn you for recognizing these basic needs and, like the birds of the air, you must do some work to have those needs met. But you don’t need to worry about it. You belong to God, and he has promised to care for you.   Worrying Does No Good  A second reason Jesus tells us not to worry is that it just simply does no good whatsoever. Jesus said, Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? (Luke 12:25). Worrying is totally worthless. It never produces any good results, but instead, it causes you to lose your peace, to lose your joy, to waste your energy.    Do you know how much energy it takes to worry? You are spending lots of emotional and mental energy when you’re in worry mode—and has it ever done you one bit of good? No, of course not. Worrying is worthless! That’s a really good reason for any sensible person to refuse to worry. You know, most things you are worrying about never turn out as bad as you imagine. Just think back on what you worried about last month or last year? How many of those worries actually materialized? Worrying probably contributes to bad things happening; it certainly doesn’t prevent them from happening.   Worrying Is a Poor Testimony to the World  Then Jesus gives us another really strong reason not to worry. In Matthew 6:32 he says, For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Jesus is talking about material things, and he told his disciples that those who are not believers are always worrying about these things.     Isn’t it true that most people around you are worrying these days? Just think about the conversations you have with people, particularly people who are not yet believers in Jesus Christ. You’ll observe that they worry a lot. So, if those of us who are disciples of Jesus Christ worry just like everyone else, what kind of testimony is that?     If you are a real worrier, you can be sure people know it because you talk about it, it shows on your face and in your body language, and it’s not particularly attractive. Do an honest assessment of yourself: Are you prone to worry too much—and any worry is too much, according to Jesus. He told us not to worry. Worrying is evidence that you’re not trusting Jesus in a particular situation. And it’s not a good testimony to the difference Jesus makes in our lives.    Have you ever thought about the fact that anything you are worrying about means you simply don’t trust God in that area? Can you see it as a slander on God’s character when you worry? Just imagine you’re a mom or dad with a six-year-old child, and because you love your child, you take care of her. She has always had plenty to eat, nice clothes to wear, a roof over her head, her health needs cared for, her safety provided—everything a parent should do, you have willingly and lovingly done for your child. Now, suppose every morning this same child gets up crying, despondent and worried. And every morning she comes to you and says, “What am I going to eat today? I’m worried about whether or not you’ll have food for me today. And what about my clothes? Will I have anything to wear today?”    If your precious child did that, it would be offensive to you, would it not? How could she doubt you would continue to take care of her as you always have done? Why can’t she just trust you to do what is best for her? You always have, yet she simply doesn’t trust you.     The example is rather ridiculous, since children don’t worry about those basic things—at least not if they are cared for as they should be. Yet, as children of God, isn’t that what we do to God when we worry about something? It must be offensive to him when he sees us worrying, because worry is always an indication that whatever we’re worrying about, we’re not trusting God for.    Worry is totally worthless, but even more than that, worry is faithless! I just don’t think we often put worry into the category of sin, do we? We worry and worry and never think to apologize to God and repent of this sin of worrying. Paul wrote to the Romans that everything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans 14:23b). Well, for sure worrying does not come from faith. Faith and worry are like oil and water; they don’t mix. Therefore, continually worrying about anything is a sin.     Maybe the first thing you need to do is to confess your worrying sins. What do you worry about most? Here are some common ones:   How to be well   How to pay the bills  How to find a job  How to keep a job  How to find a mate  How to find a cure   How to control something or someone—like your children or your boss or whatever    What is on your list? I encourage you to stop right now and ask God to forgive you for anything you worry about and be specific. That’s a good first step in getting rid of worthless worries.

It is essential for us to be physically and mentally still and to know the I AM of Scripture. Now, let's focus on the last of those eight words: Be still, and know that I am GOD. Many of us, including Christians, are worshiping false gods. You say, “Not me, Mary. There are no idols in my house or my church.” Well, there may not be any idols of wood or stone, but that doesn't mean we aren't worshiping an idol. Oh, how easy it is for us to forget who is God. This world system tells us that each of us as individuals is a god. Culture will encourage you to worship yourself and make yourself the most important person in the world. The business community believes our careers should be our god. Sometimes we allow another person to become a god in our lives. Often our dreams and desires become our gods. We need a constant reminder of who is GOD. We need to frequently check the thrones of our hearts and see what has climbed up there to take first place. Be still, and know that I am God. Those eight words hold the secret for us as Christians—the secret for a victorious life, the secret for keeping our priorities in line, the secret for a balanced life, the secret for a life of peace and contentment, the secret for a life that blesses others and brings glory to God. I want to challenge you, as I do myself, to take this verse seriously, and by God's grace, start to implement it in your life. Start each day by consciously getting still before God. Quote the verse to yourself. Ask yourself, "Am I really still?” Plan your still time and pray for the inner stillness you need so you can know God. Remember the I AM's of Scripture. Write them down and read them often, to remind yourself of how totally sufficient God is for every need. And then carefully keep a watch on the throne of your life to see who or what may be trying to become your god. It happens subtly, and we must constantly be on guard against it. Will you Be still, and know that I am God?

Psalm 46:10 is a key principle in our Christian walk. If we don't learn to be still, both physically and mentally, to learn the discipline of being still, we will never really know God in the way he intends for us to. Be still, and know that I am... Moses asked God what he would tell the children of Israel if they asked him, What is his name? God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13-15). I AM is God's name. What does it mean to you? Here's how I think of it. Fill in the missing word. "I need .” Whatever word you can put in that missing blank, Jesus can fill it in, because he is, I AM. He is our total need-satisfier. Just listen to a few of the I AM's we find in Scripture: I AM your shield (Genesis 15:1). I AM the Lord that heals you (Exodus 15:26). I AM with you (Isaiah 41:10). I AM he that comforts you (Isaiah 51:12). I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). I AM the bread of life (John 6:48). I AM the light of the world (John 8:12). I AM the door of the sheep (John 10:7). I AM the good shepherd (John 10:11). Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15). That's my question for you. What is your understanding of I AM? Do you allow God to be to you all he is willing and capable of being? Is your missing blank today "I need a husband or a wife?" Isaiah 54:5 says: For your Maker is your husband. Is your missing blank "I need money?" Philippians 4:19 says: My God will meet all your needs... Do you need healing of your body, your mind, or your emotio­ns? Jesus is the Lord who heals you. Are you lonely? I AM is with you always, able to take away your loneliness if you will learn to know that he is God. Are you hurting badly today because of a broken relationship or rejection or loss that you've suffered? I AM is there to comfort you and meet that need for you. Until you take time to be still and know God, you won't experience his all-sufficiency, the power of I AM to meet all your needs. Will you begin to be still and know the great I AM who is waiting to be gracious to you?

Let’s talk about the next challenge of these eight simple words, and that is to know that he is God. Knowing something means we understand clearly and with certainty. Knowing implies understanding. Knowing requires training and education. Knowing doesn’t just happen. It is a result of a process, and it requires involvement on my part. Knowing develops confidence and trust. Knowing dispels doubt and fear. To know God means we know that he alone is God, and we don’t look to other people or sources to meet our needs. Tell me, when you have a need, where do you go first for help? Do you first go to your bank account and trust in your money? Do you run to a friend or counselor to give you comfort and advice? Do you look to a job for security? Then if those fail, is that when you go to God? When you know he is God, you run first to him for all your needs. You know God alone is your source, and while he may use other people to help you, he alone is your source. Lots of us are simply using God as our emergency escape hatch; when all else fails and we’ve exhausted all our sources, then we start praying, “Oh, God, please help me.” Knowing God means you know he alone is God, and you learn to turn first and finally to him for all strength, help, confidence, and security. But you’ll never be able to do that if you don’t first learn to be still so you can know that he is God. We need rock-solid confidence in our knowledge, and that comes as a process, a way of life. Let me ask you, do you know that he is God more today than yesterday? Do you trust God more this year than you did this time last year? Can you see a growth pattern in your knowledge and trust of God? If your answer is not a definite yes, perhaps it’s because you haven’t yet made a commitment to be still—both bodily and mentally—and know God. That’s where it begins.

One of the more familiar verses of Scripture is: Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). This verse is deceptively simple because it holds for us the real key to successful Christian living. I noted that you must first get your body to be still—to find a time and place of stillness. But I can get up early, get my body into that still place, and discover that I’m still not still. Now the battle really begins for me. My mind starts moving a mile a minute. It’s easy to lose my concentration on the purpose of this still time. Even though my body is in the right place, I’m not still before God. To be still before God, I must have that inner focus which centers on God and God alone. I need to come to the place where, for that time, he is my whole universe, and no extraneous or conflicting information is allowed to interfere. How can I get to the place where I can be truly still before God, completely swallowed up with his presence and his reality, and nothing interferes with it? Frankly, I don’t think it’s easy for any of us, because our three enemies—the world, flesh, and devil—are out to break up this quiet inner stillness. A spiritual war can rage when we sit down to be still before God. Here are some things I’ve found helpful. First, I begin by praying for inner concentration, claiming the blood of Christ as protection, and putting on the helmet of salvation to keep my mind from wandering. Singing can also help me be still before the Lord, so at times I sing a hymn or chorus that focuses on God. Try keeping a pad nearby so when your mind starts thinking of things you need to do, you can quickly make a note of it and then return to your meditation time. And simply be prepared to stay with it, no matter how much your mind wanders. Just keep refocusing. Don’t give up. So, this simple verse that tells us to Be still, and know that I am God requires some strong discipline on our part. We have to make a commitment to it and ask God to give us the strength to be still, both on the outside—stopping the perpetual motion and finding time to be alone with God—and on the inside, focusing our thoughts and minds on him alone.