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No More Worries [study notes] (Part 2)

by Creflo Dollar 

Summary

God’s grace has made available to us all the blessings we need for successful lives; we receive those good things by faith. However, we have a spiritual enemy, and his purpose is to amplify things going on in our lives to the point where we begin worrying about them. Worry blocks God’s blessings so that we do not receive what He promised. It is not God’s will for us to live in worry or stress. As free moral agents, we have the choice of whether or not to allow worry to enter in; this negative emotion cannot assert itself if we believe God instead of the circumstances. We live in a stressful world; however, we are more effective when we can rest in what Jesus has done instead of stressing out over what others are doing. Staying at rest empowers us to move out of worry and find grace.

1. Worry does not achieve anything useful. We can have faith that God will take care of us.
   1. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (Matthew 6:25).
      1. God does not want us to be worried or stressed.
      2. Underneath worry is fear; underneath fear is condemnation. However, the Gospel of Grace moves us out of condemnation.
   2. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, “What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?” These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs (Matthew 6:25-32, NLT).
   1. We all have the potential to worry about everyday life. We must reach the point where when worry knocks on the door, we will not answer.
   2. We all know intellectually that we do not need to worry, but when we lack the basic necessities, the temptation to worry is real. However, God has our backs; He is watching over us.
   3. God is well able to take care of His creation.
   4. “Little faith” refers to spotty, inconsistent faith.

2. Fully believing in the finished works of Jesus Christ gives us rest and peace of mind.
   1. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world…Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (Hebrews 4:3, 11).
      1. The key to avoiding a worry-filled life is learning the importance of entering into rest.
      2. Rest is not inactivity or resting from work; it is resting in work, while we do what we need to do. We become more productive this way, because while we are resting in our work, God is working on our behalf.
      3. When we truly believe what Jesus has done, we can enter into a confident, peaceful rest.
      4. There are plenty of opportunities to worry and stress out. Sometimes entering into rest is, itself, labor. We work to maintain our belief in what Jesus did.
   2. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7).
      1. A person who lines themselves up with what God says shows true humility; a proud person refuses to do so.
      2. But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble (James 4:6).
      3. To cast our care is to trust and believe God, and rely confidently on Him.
      4. Under the old covenant, the order of things was to work first, then rest. Under the new covenant, it now starts with God’s rest first, so that our work can be empowered by our rest.

3. Whatever we worry about is fleeting and momentary. We find rest from worry in Jesus.
   1. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6, NLT).
      1. By doing this, we ride a wave of peace and rest all the way into manifestation of what we need.
   2. So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, MSG).
      1. Some people worry so much that they simply give up. Others panic; panic is a groundless fear of something that has not happened yet. Instead of panicking about something that has not happened, we should believe in God and what has happened.
      2. If we go through tough times and rejection, and it seems like we will never be good enough to be accepted, we must persevere; things can change.
      3. …Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
   3. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ (Colossians 2:16, 17).
   1. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was a particular day; however, the Old Testament was a shadow of things to come. Now, Jesus is our Sabbath.
   2. There was a reason Jesus did so many miracles on the Sabbath; Christ is the reality of the Sabbath.
   3. And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27, 28).

4. Our self-efforts can stress us out and make us anxious. Accepting grace is the answer.
   1. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:29, 30).
      1. We do not find rest in Buddha, Mohammed, or in any other religious figure—only in Jesus.
      2. Our souls are where our minds, wills, and emotions reside.
   2. Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG).
      1. We can get burned out trying to be good through our self-efforts. Religion always has a long to-do list for us.
   3. God gives to us when we are at rest. We see miracles only when we are resting.
   1. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Psalm 127:1).
   2. Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat, for God gives rest to his loved ones (Psalm 127:1, 2, NLT).