Be Anxious for Nothing

In the Webster's dictionary anxious means...full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; worried. The thesaurus had an even clearer picture...tense, uptight, troubled, disquieted, concerned, fretful, alarmed, over-wrought, anguished, and fearful.

This does not sound like an emotion that is pleasant to live with. Today, we will discuss what Jesus said about anxiety in Luke 12:22-30...

And Jesus said to His disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious and troubled with cares about your life, as to what you will have to eat; or about your body, as to what you will have to wear.

When financial troubles come, we quickly forget that our God cares for us, and wants to provide for our needs. When we worry and fret about what we will eat, how we will clothe our children, and troubling situations in our lives, we are hindering the help that He so longs to provide us with. It does not just fall in our laps. We must have faith. If Jesus says not to be anxious, then we should obey and not worry. We must trust Him.

For life is more than food, and the body [more] than clothes.

This is very true...our lives here are just a grain of sand in the vast Universe. There are more pressing matters...like the salvation of the lost.

Observe and consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn; and [yet] God feeds them. Of how much more worth are you than the birds!

Have you ever seen a bird falling apart over what it will eat or how it will find it's next meal. Have you ever seen them afraid to fly? There feathers are never in a ruffle...ever. They know the Creator has already provided. And if He has already provided for the birds...don't you think He has you covered? You are after all one of His precious daughters.

And which of you by being overly anxious and troubled with cares can add a cubit to his stature or a moment [unit] of time to his age [the length of his life]?
The only thing we will do by living lives with worry and anxiety is shorten our days.

If then you are not able to do such a little thing as that, why are you anxious and troubled with cares about the rest?

This verse just shows the awesome power of Almighty God. To Him, adding time to a life is a simple task. If we would just realize that He really is that powerful...why would we worry about the rest?

Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither [wearily] toil nor spin nor weave; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory (his splendor and magnificence) was not arrayed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you [people] of little faith?

Think about the beauty of a flower. He put such care into each kind of flower. They are all so different...yet beautiful. Shouldn't we have faith enough to know that He would clothe His own children?

And you, do not seek [by meditating and reasoning to inquire into] what you are to eat and what you are to drink; nor be of anxious (troubled) mind unsettled, excited, worried, and in suspense;

This takes it beyond mere food and clothing. When you are anxious about a pregnancy, health of a loved one, a business venture, your car starting, money to fix the car, money period, a test result, when your children are away from you, etc. (If your issue was not mentioned...it still counts! ;)

You need not worry for nothing!

For all the pagan world is [greedily] seeking these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

Your Daddy knows what you need. Trust Him.

I am leaving you with two more Scriptures that I want you to read. These Scriptures will back up what Jesus is saying in Luke. They will give you more confirmation that you do not have to be anxious for any of life's circumstances!

Philippians 4:6 ~ Do not worry about anything!

I Peter 5:7 ~ Cast your cares! He wants them!

When worry threatens to knock on the door of your mind pull these Scriptures out and speak them OUT LOUD over your circumstances. Those little worry demons will go running...And when the forget Who's you are and come back...pull those weapons out again and repeat!

Let's pray,

Daddy God, thank You for taking care of me. Thank You for supplying all of my needs. Thank You for caring about the things that matter to me. Thank You for wanting my burdens so that I don't have to carry the load. Lord, I can't carry the load any longer. Please take the burden of (fill in the blank). I just give it to You. I trust You with it. Thank You for loving me enough to take this burden from me. I choose to cast my cares on You! Praise Your Holy Name! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

I'm letting go of worry...won't you join me?

Worry Free,
Lara ;)

Do you know what you are up against?

Ephesians 6:12-13

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger, and, having done all to stand firmly in your place.

It is EXTREMELY important that we understand that we are NOT dealing with what we see. Demons and evil are VERY real. The devil is not just a metaphor. He is very real, hates you very much, and is out to get you.

Evil spiritual forces are whirling all around us, from the pulpit to the government. We MUST learn to recognize the enemy at work, and learn how to fight!

Following are some examples of the enemy at work today...

~ Division: Strife, disagreements, and the like are crippling to the Church. And the enemy knows this. He is very aware of what unity can do for his cause. So, he and his slimy followers work overtime to divide...divide...divide...They help divide marriages, friendships, family, and the Church as a whole.

Take Action! FORGIVE QUICKLY!
(Matthew 6:14-15; 2 Timothy 2:23-24)

~ Apathy: We have a Church that does not fight for righteousness. If it did then we would not be a society over run with pornography, endorsement of homosexual lifestyles, sexually charged entertainment, and the like. It's like the Church keeps hitting the snooze button and the early bird (devil) is getting the worm.

Take Action! WAKE UP!
(2 Timothy 2:25-26; Revelation 3:15-16)

~ Distraction: We live in a very fast paced society. Everyone is busy. Everyone has places to go and people to see. How many Christians have an active daily prayer life? Read the Word consistently? Are actively involved in their Father's business?

Have you ever "planned" to read your Bible or pray, and then go distracted? Or said, "I just don't get this...I don't have time...I can't "get into" this..." ? The enemy is helping you my dear sisters. He will do EVERYTHING he can...He will pull out ALL the stops to get you to believe that it's OK to just "be good." It is a FATAL lie!

Take Action!

READ the WORD...EVERY day!
(Psalm 37:4; 2 Timothy 2:15; Philippians 1:10-11; Hebrews 12:11)

PRAY...EVERY day!
(2 Chronicles 7:14; Ephesians 6:18; James 5:16b; 1 Peter 3:12, 14)

We MUST! If we do not, we are playing right into the slime balls hands.

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for loving me enough to take the time to send Your Word. And to warn me of what I am dealing with. Help me to learn. Help me to recognize the enemy when he is at work in my life. Help me to take action. I love You, Lord. I do not want to be a "luke warm" Christian. I want to be on fire for You and Your Truth. I need You. I can't do it without You. Thank You, Daddy. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara ;)

A Mother’s Battle
By: Lara Velez

The tongue is such a tiny little organ. Yet, it can be one of the most powerful weapons. James 3 has a lot to say about the tongue…I suggest that you read the entire chapter. (It’s very short)…Anyway, verse 6 says; And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is a world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating and depraving the whole body… Whew, those are some strong words…but, wait, that’s not all. Proverbs 18:21 tells us; Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it for death or life. It is scary to think that my mouth has that much power.

As Christian Mothers we have a great call on our lives to train our children up…Are we speaking life to them? If not, it is never too late with God. He makes all things new. I know that in my own life…I do not always choose my words wisely. I get angry and say stupid things. Do you? Proverbs 29:11 says; A self confident fool utters all of his anger, but a wise man holds it back and stills it. The original Hebrew word for “utters” is ruwach (roo’vakh). It means a violent exhalation, anger, unsubstantiability, blast, and whirlwind.That means, when we lose our temper and spew out our anger…it’s like what a hurricane does when it hits land. It destroys everything in its path. I don’t know about you, but I can have some pretty nasty storms come out of my mouth at times…

Ephesians 4:26 says; When angry do not sin; do not let your wrath last until the sun goes down. This tells me that it’s OK to get angry…it’s normal. We don’t have to walk around holding everything in. We do however, have to express our anger without yelling, cursing, violence, name calling, etc. That is where the anger becomes sin. How do we accomplish getting angry without sinning?
Well, before we can learn that, we must explore the subject of anger more deeply.

There are two types of anger mentioned in the Bible; justifiable and unjustifiable. Here are some examples of both:

UNJUSTIFIABLE ANGER

Cain – in Genesis 4:5-6: His anger came from not getting praise and approval that he felt was deserved. He thought too highly of himself and, was filled with jealousy.

Jonah – in Jonah 4:1-9: His anger came from rebellion. First, he ran from doing what God told him to do. Then, when he finally did, he had distain and apathy towards the people that he was called to minister to. He thought too highly of himself and lacked pity.

The Sadducees – in Acts 5:17: They were filled with jealousy, indignation, and rage. Why? Because, the Apostles were held in high regard, for the signs and wonders God gave them the power to perform.

JUSTIFIABLE ANGER

Moses – in Exodus 32:19: Moses was up on the mountain pleading with God, not to destroy the Israelites. And, there down below building a golden calf to worship. When he came down and saw their disobedience, he got very angry…and burned it!

Samuel – in I Samuel 15:16-31: Samuel was angry with Saul because, he had disobeyed the Lord. He had become rebellious and stubborn. Samuel then told Saul that God had rejected him as king…high price for disobedience.

Jesus – in Mark 3:5: Jesus became angry with the Pharisees because, of the hardening of their hearts. He was going to heal a man on the Sabbath. They had a religious spirit.

When I looked at these examples, it became clear to me what sinful anger is…

Cain wanted praise for himself. Jonah was a snob. He looked down on others who didn’t perform the way he thought that they should. And, the Sadducees were jealous because they wanted to have the admiration and respect of the people.

What do they all have in common? They all had a selfish, self-centered anger.

On the other hand, Moses got angry at the lack of faith and the disobedience to God’s ways. Samuel was angry for the exact same thing. And, guess what? Jesus was too! They all had a righteous anger. Anger at sin and disobedience.

Now, we will look at a couple of examples of unjustifiable anger…. how it begins…and how to counteract it. (I have left out justifiable anger, because, we just learned that justifiable anger has to do with a righteous indignation at sin. None of the examples are rage filled.)


Example One:
Your child spills a drink for the twentieth time, on the carpet that you just cleaned from the last spill. Grrrr. You explode. You begin a full verbal attack with questions the child is unable to answer, and comments that will leave them in tears. This is selfish anger. It is about you. Who cares about a rug, tablecloth, or broken dish? Are they going with you when you go to Heaven?
In this example you need to stop…bite your tongue…and leave the room. Take a deep breath, and think; “OK, this is my beloved child. God gave me this child to love and care for. I must show grace…after all, God has shown me more Grace than I could ever deserve. I love this child. I love my child. Thank you Lord, for this wonderful and precious child.”I know what your thinking. “Yeah, right!” What you need to understand is that you must train yourself to do this…write it down, and keep it near by. Pull it out when you feel the anger building up inside. If you continue to do this over and over again, it will become your natural response…instead of an outburst of anger.

Example Two:
Your husband comes home from work and plops down in front of the television. He puts on some program that he enjoys (or in my case plays Nintendo;). Grrrr. You begin to think: “Doesn’t he know how hard I work to keep this house clean and take care of his kids?” “I wish I could just plop down on the couch…but, noooo, I can’t even go to the bathroom without an audience!” You blow up. Look out…here comes Hurricane Mom!

As you can plainly see in this example, you have thought your way right into a melt down. Does any of this sound familiar? I’m sure you can think of some of your own examples. In a situation like this, it would be a good time to start thinking about how thankful you are to have a husband that goes out and works, so that you can stay home (if you’re a stay at home Mom)…or how you love his smile, laugh, whatever. ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE!

Any time that we feel rage, for any reason, we need to think about what we’re thinking about. The Word says in Colossians 3:2 - …set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on the earth. In verse 13 of the same chapter it says; Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference, a grievance, or a complaint against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so you must also forgive. I encourage you to read the whole chapter. It is very good.

“But, I cant do all this!” you say. Yes, you can! You have the Mind of Christ (I Cor. 2:16). “How” you ask. The Word tells us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). You must get into the Word…and, study the Word. That is the only way that you can renew your mind.

Can you see how the mind affects the tongue? First, it becomes a thought. Then, we allow that thought to pour out of us, and…BOOM! The mind is the root of most of our fears, low self esteem, some forms of depression, doubt…it all starts in the mind…then we speak it into existence. Renew your mind!

Please, understand that if you truly want to gain victory in your life, and you begin to pursue it, the enemy WILL attack! When he does…you must go straight to the Word. Fill your mind with Truth. And, when you fail, don’t beat yourself up. Pick yourself up, and press on!

Here are some Weapons to get you started:

II Chronicles 7:14
Psalm 103
Psalm 139
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 14:1
Proverbs 15:4
Proverbs 16:24
Proverbs 31:26
Isaiah 54:17
Mark 11:24
Romans 8:31-39
Philippians 4:13

I hope that these Scriptures are helpful to you in the battle of your mind and mouth. As you study the Word for yourself…you will find more. Write them down. Keep them with you. Memorize them. I know that you and I can overcome this battle!

If you need prayer, please feel free to contact me any time. I will stand in prayer with you. Simply fill out a prayer request at this address; http://www.momsoffaith.com/prayerrequests.html

God Bless You!

Lara VelezLara@momsoffaith.com

Copyright ©

A Sleeping Church

You are like unfaithful wives having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being God's enemy? So, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God. James 4:4

The Church as a whole is a poor example of what Jesus died for it to be. Jesus died for so much more than our Salvation. He also died so that we may have peace, joy, and a sound mind. He left us with a mission to tell others about His great love through our words and deeds. He left us the Holy Spirit to comfort us, and His Mighty Name to give us power. He did not intend for us to let the devil make the rules. He did not intend for us to become friends of this world through indifference.

The Body of Christ seems to be asleep, while our cunning adversary swoops in for the kill. Does that sound like a dramatic statement? I think it is an understatement! Why? To answer this we must ask several questions.

If the Church were awake and active would there even be a hint of legalized gay marriages in the air?

No. If the Church were awake there would have been a march on Washington like there has never been seen before. We would not let such a thing slip by.

Would there be pornography displayed at every turn?

No. Christian men would rise up and not tolerate such an attack on their minds. The Church as a whole would push for better laws to prevent our children from having to see these things when walking in a 7-11 and then have sexual sin problems as adults.

Would prayer be illegal in schools that we pay taxes in?

No. Honestly, I don't know how we ever let such a thing happen.

Would the divorce rate in the Church be the same and even higher than the world's?

No. We would align ourselves together and help marriages. We would prepare our young people for marriage. We would teach our children that a happy marriage isn't about "feelings" and getting your own way. It is about giving, loving and forgiving for a lifetime.

If the church were awake would the world have such a powerful hold on our entertainment?

No. Unfortunately, the Church has become desensitized. We watch things that I don't believe we would ever watch if Jesus came for dinner and a movie. We watch movies with language that we wouldn’t dare use in front of our pastor. We watch movies with sexually explicit scenes and then wonder why there is a pornography problem in the Church. Yes, the Church!

Need I go on? I don't think so. I hope and pray that somehow the Church will arise from its slumber, grab their weapons, and put the devil back in his slimy evil place. If we do not, what kind of world will our children be left with? What are we teaching them with our apathetic reaction to the chaos that is whirling all around us?

If we do nothing, it is like leaving them alone in a dark room filled with vipers. Can you live with that? I can't.

Let’s START making a difference one decision at a time. Let’s start living OUT LOUD for Jesus!