Jesus is in control!
Church in the dirt
(August 2020)
Everything belongs to God!
Psalm 24:1–2 (NLT)
1The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
2For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.
Psalm 50:10–11 (NLT)
10For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
· Before we go any further let’s meditate on this
· The earth is the Lord's! And everything in it!
· He created it and in the end, it all belongs to Him
· HE OWNS IT ALL
· We sometimes forget that and that leads to us worrying and can become unhealthy both mentally and physically
Anxiety and fear are relentless. These are two of the enemy’s most popular weapons that he uses against us. Unchecked fear can be debilitating, and anxiety can be crippling. The longer you struggle with fear, the more likely it is for you to be overwhelmed by it, allowing it to control your every decision and move. Choosing not to deal with it can leave you with scars. One of the best ways to rid yourself of the fear that is plaguing you is to turn to God's word.
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
· The first two words ‘Fear Not”
· Then God says I am with you!
· Let’s just let this sinking in
· Really let it sink in
· “I will help you”
· “I will strengthen you”
· “I will uphold you”
Let’s just think about that for a second, we lean on ourselves way too much, and not on God enough!
Psalm 46:1 (ESV)
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
· By definition, a refuge is a safe place.
· When the Bible describes God as our refuge, it is saying that God is our safe place when we need protection from something, from anything.
· There is no situation we will ever face that is out of God’s control, so the best place to be, always, is right with Him.
We can’t be with Him if we are not in a relationship with Him!
Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)
6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
· Fun Fact! According to data released by Amazon on the most highlighted passage in Kindle ebooks, is this passage from Philippians.
· And in every one of my bibles I have this verse highlighted and I go to it often
o I know a lot of you are under a lot of pressure right now; I can feel it
o And believe it or not, I am not immune to it, I get like that more than you think
o We all need to now, more than ever, lean into Jesus and each other!
Luke 12:22-26 (ESV)
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
· Worrying doesn’t change anything, big or small, except to make those problems appear worse than they really are.
· most of the things we worry about are out of our control and worrying won’t help, or affect the outcome
· Worrying is not a bad thing when we can affect the outcome until it starts to take over everything
· Then a good thing turns bad
Psalm 27:1 (ESV)
1The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
· David wrote this in a season of trouble
· Much of his life was rampant with issues and trouble
· But David always leaned on God
· And we could learn for him
· Jesus is our light, our salvation
· And we have no fear for He is with us
· It doesn’t mean we are reckless, or careless in any way
· But we don’t have to live in constant fear either
Revelation 1:17 (ESV)
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
· Jesus said, “Do not be afraid” This is what we need to hear in these days when many of us are so anxious.
· Remember, fear doesn’t glorify God.
· Jesus was always saying “fear not” to His frightened disciples.
· The Gospels record that every time they were in trouble, they expressed themselves in fear, anxiety, worry, and panic, but the Lord always came along at the right moment and said, “Fear not.” We are called to do the same.
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