The Power of a Carefree Mind

[0:00] Well, good morning again, and welcome to Faith. We're so glad you're here together with us today, and we're going to be talking this morning about the power of a worry-free mind.

[0:10] Wouldn't it be nice to be able to not worry? Wouldn't it be nice to not have to fret over what you are afraid might happen, or what has happened, and the ramifications?

[0:25] What if we could just leave it all in God's hands and to be able to live a worry-free life?

[0:35] Now, we could say a carefree life, but, you know, there are cares in this life that are important, that we need to care about, but not worry about. And the cares of life, the worries of life, can make us powerless.

[0:50] It can suck the power right out of our life. It can suck the life right out of our life when we worry. I've known worriers. I've known people who worry.

[1:02] Now, I worry sometimes, and you worry sometimes. But I think we could all point to someone who we would say could be a professional worrier.

[1:14] I mean, when it would be so much easier to just go with the flow and accept it, they worry. Even when there's nothing to worry about, they what?

[1:26] They worry. If there's nothing to worry about, they might even tend to make up something to worry about. Well, you know what?

[1:36] I might get struck by lightning next week. I mean, it's crazy, but you know what? Worry is a part of life, whether we like it or not. Worry is something that we tend to succumb to at times.

[1:50] And there are times when a person would be rather unusual if they didn't worry. But the moment we begin to fret over something for the one who is the follower of Jesus Christ, for the one who has the Holy Spirit living within us, and for the one who has the hope and the knowledge that God is in control and that he is sovereign, then that worry will then turn into trust and say, God, you are in control.

[2:22] I will just let you handle it because you can take care of it so much better than I can. Now, focusing on problems tends to do what to our faith? It tends to weaken our faith.

[2:33] When we focus, just like Peter, when he stepped out of the boat and he was keeping his eyes on Jesus and he was walking on the water in spite of the billowing waves and the howling wind, he was walking to Jesus on the water.

[2:46] But when he began to focus on his problems, and do you think Peter worried? I think so. He looked at the situation around him and worried.

[2:56] What if? What in the world? How can I be walking on the water? And what if? And then he begins to sink. So worry can weaken our faith.

[3:08] And cares and worry drains not only the potential of our mind, but also the potential that God has placed within us and what God has called us to do.

[3:21] Now, cares often are caused by idolizing money, possibly idolizing pleasure.

[3:32] And we worry that our pleasure might be taken away. We worry that we might not have enough money. We worry about other things. We see that in Mark 4.19. We see that also in Luke 8.14.

[3:46] And in Luke 21.34, it says that worry can keep us from expecting the return of Christ. So there are a number of ramifications that worry will create or cause in our life.

[4:01] So today we're going to be talking about the power of a worry-free mind. Cares and worry can also cause us to do things on our own, ahead of God.

[4:14] And who of us have not worried about something and began trying to get the pieces of the puzzle to fit together? And have you ever taken a puzzle and could not figure out how to get, you couldn't find that right piece?

[4:31] And there was a piece that was close and you put in the spot and then what do you do? You try to beat it in a place, right? You will make that thing conform to that little spot, right?

[4:45] We do that in life. Well, God's taking his own dear sweet time. And if anything is going to be done about this, well, I'm going to have to do it myself.

[4:58] And so we do things ahead of God when we worry. And so that's also one of the bad things about worry. The Apostle Paul calls for a worry-free mind.

[5:11] Let's look this morning, take your Bibles, and let's turn this morning to the New Testament book of Philippians, chapter 4 and verse number 6. Philippians 4, verse number 6, where we read, Be anxious for nothing.

[5:25] Your version might say, be careful for nothing. Be anxious, be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.

[5:41] So be anxious for nothing. Now this is not a call to a carefree life. There are those who live carefree lives. And they don't care about anything.

[5:52] And there are those who, for whatever reason, don't have money, don't have anything, and just don't care. They live a carefree life. There are some who live a carefree life and allow their family to suffer.

[6:07] There are some who live a carefree life, and when things are happening that need their attention, they have the attitude of, oh, you know, it'll all be okay.

[6:20] Some people do that with their health. Oh, you know, it'll all be okay. And then they end up dying of something that was extremely treatable. They just have a carefree attitude.

[6:32] There are some who deal that way with their family. You know, well, you know, kids will be kids, and, you know, they'll catch it. And then they live a carefree life, and then they wonder why their family goes south.

[6:46] And they wonder why their kids are in trouble. They live a carefree life. Now, we're not called to live a carefree life. We're called to live a worry-free life.

[6:57] To care and to be genuinely concerned is one thing, but to worry is another. Paul and Timothy cared for the people that God had entrusted them to minister to. They cared about them.

[7:09] As a matter of fact, any time Paul heard something that was going on in one of the churches that he had started or in one of the places he had ministered, when he heard something was going on, false teachers or bickering or sin in the body, he cared enough about them to write them or to visit them, and if necessary, chide them into getting back to where they needed to be.

[7:33] So Paul and Timothy cared for the people that God had entrusted them with, but they still kept their trust in God. They didn't fret to the point where, oh, the church is dependent upon me, and if I don't do everything right, then the church is going to fall apart.

[7:51] No, they did what they were called to do and then left the rest up to God. Jesus also warned against worry, which obviously eliminates trust in God.

[8:06] Let's look at Matthew 6, verse 25 through 33. A little bit of a lengthy section here, but I think this really, and with Jesus' own words, Matthew 6, 25 to 33, he says, Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on is not life more than food and the body, more than clothing.

[8:38] And then he, just as Jesus did, the powerful teacher that he was, used imagery that was common and was all around them. He said, look at the birds of the air.

[8:50] He says, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

[9:02] Which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit to his stature? Obviously, not a single one of us. So what does worry accomplish?

[9:15] Nothing as far as the goal is concerned. Now, worry. Could I have someone that I know of, that friend who was having stomach issues?

[9:29] Well, he's been talking to me, and we've been praying together about his family and about his son and his daughter-in-law, who are about ready to get divorced. And they have a grandchild together.

[9:39] And he's been really, really worried about it. Now, he's a brother in the Lord, and we've been praying about that together. But he's been worrying about it for about two or three months.

[9:50] We've been praying about that. Well, last week, he went to the doctor. They had the CT, and they had a whole nine yard, went through the whole gamut, and it ends up being, you got an ulcer.

[10:00] So worry not only doesn't accomplish anything to resolve issues, it can be deleterious. It can be bad on our bodies.

[10:12] It can be bad on our minds. And so worry is not a good thing. So he says, So what is Jesus saying is wrong with these people?

[10:47] Their lack of faith. Worry, their lack of faith, caused them to worry about things. He goes on, verse 31, Therefore, do not what?

[11:01] Don't worry. Do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? Now, again, we have to be careful.

[11:11] Don't be so carefree that you don't work and expect God just to drop money and food from heaven.

[11:23] You know, work for the Israelites, but only for a short period of time and only for a certain reason. See, we can't expect that. Because what does the Bible also say? Let him who does not work, what?

[11:37] Him who does not work won't eat. Meaning, when we're going through difficult times. If a person is not willing to work for their wherewithal, for their food, he says, Don't distribute it to them if they're not willing to work and they're able-bodied.

[11:55] So, therefore, don't worry, saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek.

[12:05] That's what we talked about a little bit earlier. A lot of our cares, a lot of our worry can be caused by a love of money and a love of pleasure. We're always worried about, Well, am I going to have the right style?

[12:20] And are my jeans going to have the right tag on them? And are my clothes going to have that little crocodile? Is it going to have the right logo on it?

[12:31] And so people worry about things. And especially, we see that, parents see that in schools. And that's why a lot of schools have gone to school uniforms. And then they still try to be individual, even with uniforms.

[12:46] But you know what? My kid, I can't afford this $100 pair of jeans that this other family can afford. And so my kid, you know, all of this. Worry and cares.

[12:56] The Gentiles worry about all that stuff. The lost worry about that stuff. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first. So what's the antidote to worry?

[13:09] Here you have it. Put God's kingdom first. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

[13:21] So how do we achieve this important goal? How do we have a worry-free mind? How do we engage the power of a worry-free mind? Well, first of all, we need to trust instead of tremble.

[13:35] We need to trust God instead of trembling with worry and fear that things will not work out or how will I be able to make it if I don't or if this doesn't happen or if this takes place then what will I do?

[13:50] Oh my, oh me. Trust instead of tremble. Anxiety prevents us from accomplishing all that God wants us to accomplish.

[14:02] Think back to all those in Scripture that God called to do something great. What was their initial reaction? They were what?

[14:15] They were afraid. And what was God's common response? Come on, you know it. Talk to me. Fear not. See a pattern here?

[14:28] God says, go and I will use you to accomplish this great big thing. And they said, oh, I don't have the ability. I can't speak or I'm from the smallest tribe and there's not many of us and I'm just a shepherd and I'm just this.

[14:44] And God said, fear not. Don't worry. I called you to do it. And so what anxiety does, what fear does, it doesn't allow us to accomplish what God, it prevents us from accomplishing what God wants us to do.

[15:02] So fear was their common response and God's response was fear not. Now let's consider, think about it, consider the potential of a mind free from fear.

[15:16] What if, now we have daredevils in life. You have those that, I mean, you're like, you're like having breakfast together and somebody says, hey, let's go jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

[15:29] You go, let's go. Or, you know, let's go, let's go get in a race car and go 250 miles an hour around an oval track, you know, with a whole bunch of other cars around the track.

[15:42] Sure, I'll try it. You know, there are people who are game for anything and there are Christians like that who says, you know, God says, sell everything and move to outer Zambesi.

[15:54] And you go, okay, let's go. but not many of us are like that. There are many of us who will try to wrestle with God.

[16:07] Well, God, but what about or rationalize? Well, God, if I did that, then where will I retire? God, if I did that, well, what do I, and how will I, and God, all God said was just do it.

[16:22] You know, the Nike slogan. Just do it. And I think that God may be calling us to be spiritual daredevils.

[16:37] Now, not carefree, but worryfree. If God says to do it, now, I wouldn't be like an evil Knievel and say, you know what, I'll jump over the Grand Canyon.

[16:50] I don't care how well planned that thing is. Because I don't want every bone in my body broken. But now, if God said, that's different.

[17:03] If God says to do something, the person who trusts without fear says, okay, God, when do you want me to go? I'm going to go gave me sweet the consequences up to God.

[17:24] God. So if God says, I need you to go speak to so-and-so, I need you to go share the gospel with your neighbor across the street, but God, you just don't know how awful they are. I need you to go share the gospel with the people next door. Well, God, you just don't know how heathen they are. If God says to do something, the Holy Spirit places it on your mind.

[17:46] That's the power of a worry-free mind, because what anxiety does is it prevents us from accomplishing what God has called us to accomplish. Do you know that faith and fear are opposites?

[17:59] So you can't be afraid and have faith, because you have faith that God will accomplish what God wants to do. Trust overcomes our fear. It's just like with a child and their parent. I remember my grandparents' house was across the yard from ours, and there were times when I would walk out the back door to go back home or to go to my grandparents' house, and it was dark, and I would tear out like you wouldn't believe it just to get from here to there. But when mom or dad were with me, walking across the yard, guess what? I had absolutely no what? I had no fear. It's the same when God is walking with us. Fear vanishes. But do you realize God's always with you?

[18:47] I mean, is that a, is that an idea, you know, where the light bulb comes on and the cartoons over you? It's like, is that a new idea? That God's with you all the time. So why do we worry?

[19:01] Faith brings salvation, security, and peace, and a peaceful mind is a powerful mind. Faith drives fear away, placing everything within reach by God's power and by grace. We see that in Mark 9.23, which is what we'll read next. We also see that in Hebrews 11.1. But let's look at Mark 9.23 together in God's Word.

[19:25] Jesus said to him, if you can believe, how many things are possible? All things are possible to him who believes. We believe in a God of miracles. We believe in a God who is so powerful that he spoke and everything came into existence. We believe in a God that is so powerful that if he said, mountain, you move from here on the west coast to south Louisiana, guess what? We'd have a mountain range. And I'm not talking crawfish mounds. And so if God says it, he can do it. And so Jesus said to him, if you can believe, all things are possible.

[20:16] So let's not prequalify a situation and say, well, God, I don't think, or I don't think, well, if God says something or if God's Word says something is his will, who are we to worry or be anxious about the outcome? Leave it to God. Not saying carefree. We're saying worry free.

[20:41] V. Raymond Edmond, former president of Wheaton College, said this, faith is dead to doubts, dumb to discouragements, blind to impossibilities, knows nothing but success.

[20:59] That's what faith is. I love that definition. Faith is dead to doubts, dumb to discouragements, blind to impossibilities, knows nothing but success.

[21:09] Let's let's trust God. Secondly, how do we accomplish this worry free mind? We must forgive instead of fume. Because what? Why do we worry very often?

[21:22] Because we're worried about someone else. They hurt us and we fuss and we fume over something that we perceive. We think someone did to us or to something that they actually did to us.

[21:34] We must forgive instead of fume. Let's look at Ephesians 4, 31 and 32, where God's word says, let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

[21:59] So how do we handle bitterness, wrath, anger, malice? These hindrances must be put away. These are hindrances to God's power.

[22:12] And we saw this in the New Testament. We see this in the New Testament in Corinth. We see it in other places. People were bickering and backbiting and they were clamoring and some had evil motives and many weren't forgiving.

[22:28] And Paul said, that's the bottleneck. That is keeping you. That is keeping God's power from flowing freely within the body of Christ. So he says, put all that away.

[22:39] Anger is a roadblock to accomplishment. Anger robs us of the power of God, from God to bless others. Because when we're angry about something, what are we focused on?

[22:52] We're focused on that thing or that person. And we're focused on the negative aspect of it. So anger robs us of the power to bless others. Anger stifles Christian fellowship.

[23:06] Lack of willingness to forgive. Unforgiveness stifles Christian fellowship. Forgiveness. What's the antidote to anger? Verse 32.

[23:21] Be kind to one another. Tender hearted. If we're tender hearted. Now some of us have, some of us are challenged in that area. Some of us are challenged in the tender hearted area, in the mercy arena.

[23:34] But, what we see here, is, he says, be kind to one another, be tender hearted, and do what?

[23:47] To one another. This is one of those one another verses. Forgive one another. Forgive one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. So be kind to one another, forgive one another, and forgiveness opens the channel, of God's power.

[24:05] So, rather than fuming over something, forgive. So, trust instead of tremble, forgive instead of fume, and then thirdly, we must release instead of retain.

[24:22] We must release instead of retain. I'm going to explain what that means. Release instead of retain. 1 Peter 5, verse 7. It'll make sense to you, because I know you're familiar with this verse.

[24:35] Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Anybody ever feel like you're walking around with a, we have, we have one of our folks that loves to do what they call the go-ruck challenge.

[24:50] You know, I'm going to pick on you, Rick. A fully grown man that will subject himself to punishment and carry, and how, how, how heavy is that pack?

[25:08] Uh-uh, no, no, how heavy is that? 40 pounds? Huh? About. Am I low or high? Depends on the day. Okay, so, you put this 40 plus pound pack on your back, and you go run, you do sit-ups, you do all the stuff, climb stairs, and, and run in the water, and, and all this other stuff, and, when you take it off, at the end of that long day, is there a difference between walking without the backpack and with it?

[25:45] I would think so. How many of us feel that way sometimes? We're walking through our day, we're living through our day with this heavy load of worry and care and bills and family and job and responsibilities and it's like, oh, at the end of the day, oh, how can I get through because it's just so heavy?

[26:14] What if we did what Peter is telling us to do? Literally, take the weight of all those burdens, take those off, and just like we do with a backpack, and we cast we throw, we give all of that to Jesus and say, Jesus, you carry it.

[26:48] Think about that impact. Think about that. If we simply take all the cares, the worries, and I'm not talking the genuine care for family, for others, for our responsibilities, because we can't give that to anybody else to do.

[27:12] But those worries that we literally cannot do anything about beyond our own ability, if we simply traded those worries for the peace and for the care of Christ and say, Jesus, I'm going to cast this on you, let you carry it, because you died for me.

[27:43] You paid for all of this. How much of a difference would that make in your life? do you realize that most mental health professionals would have to find another line of work?

[27:58] Sorry, Stuart, do you realize that many physicians would have to maybe pick up little odd jobs here and there? Because much of our sickness, much of our illness is stress-related.

[28:14] Many of it is caused, much of it is caused by stress and much of it is made worse by stress. And so, if we were able to trade off all of our worries and just do this, what Peter says, cast all your care upon Him.

[28:28] Why? Because He cares for us. Because He cares for us. We can rest our cares on Christ and be free of Him. Holding on to our cares makes us weak and weary.

[28:43] Just like carrying that 40-plus pound rucksack makes you tired carrying the worry and cares of this life makes us weak and weary.

[28:56] And then when God says, go do this, we can say to God, or normally what we do is we say to God, well, God, I'm so tired. You don't know what I've had to do all day today.

[29:08] I'm so tired. Well, guess what? If we traded all those worries and cast it upon God, we wouldn't be as tired. We go, yes, God, what do you want me to do?

[29:20] Now, as human beings, we will get tired. You know, growing older is not for sissies. But, God can rejuvenate us when we have the proper amount of rest, and you know what?

[29:33] Naps are good. Amen. So tell the grandkids, I'm a little sleepy. Yes, tell me that 20 years from now. So cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

[29:49] Releasing our cares to Christ sets us free. And we have the option of releasing our cares to Him, our worries, because God loves us. Christ died for us.

[30:01] The cross proves the caring love of Christ. And as we come to a close, Romans 5, verse 8, But God demonstrates His love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

[30:19] How much more could you care for someone? Care enough for you to die for you. Care enough for you to leave the glory of heaven, to be separated from the eternal God, to take the weight of sin upon the world, Him who knew no sin became sin for us.

[30:40] He did that for you and for me. That's how much He cares for us. So, in conclusion, God's power can flow through us to others when it's not blocked by worry.

[30:58] so trusting, forgiving, forgiving, and releasing can turn the power back on.

[31:09] Let's pray. Our precious Heavenly Father, this morning, we thank You so very much for allowing us to be here together today. We thank You for the opportunity to worship You as the body of Christ.

[31:20] Christ. And in all we do, I pray, Father, that You would release us from worry and care by helping us to cast that care upon You and that worry upon You.

[31:31] Father, I pray that You help us to accomplish Your will and Your way around us. Lord, I pray that You would help open our eyes to those around us who are hurting and who need to know that their sin can be forgiven.

[31:44] Their sin has been taken care of by Jesus on the cross 2,000 years ago. and that Your love was demonstrated to them while they're still sinners.

[31:54] Christ died on the cross for them and all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Father, help us to be Your mouthpiece to a lost and a needy world around us. And help us, dear Lord, to care for one another.

[32:09] I pray that You help us to be a conduit of love, that we be kind to one another, tenderhearted toward one another, forgiving one another, and allowing Your power to flow through us.

[32:25] Help us, dear Father, to be a powerhouse for You. And let all those around us see Christ in our life.

[32:37] Father, for this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.