I gotta tell you something, but don't worry about what I'm gonna tell you

Well automatically my worry was kicked in that was my first response

I thought oh my gosh, what do I have to worry about?

You see that's what happens sometimes our worry

Automatically kicks in without us even knowing it. We just worry when a concern or a care comes into our life

now this

Particular problem was not huge. It wasn't monumental, but it was a problem all the same

It was something that needed to be resolved. So I had to push pause for a moment and make a decision

Was I going to let this concern?

Overtake me. Cause my mind to just spin out of control

threat and worry until

The problem has resolved itself

Was I gonna ruin my entire day?

Because of this concern or was I going to say God you gotta help me with this situation

God, I've got to present this to you, you know everything about me

you said you'd fight my battles for me now god, I am giving this to you and I'm gonna try to rest and

Hear everything you would want me to hear from you

You see we have to make this choice. How are we going to handle this thing called worry?

Are we going to just work it in our minds?

You know sometimes I when I worry it's like I'm really doing something. I'm just working working working it in my mind

I heard worry was a lot like sitting in a rocking chair

You're doing something but it's getting you nowhere

We're just working it and working it and working it in our minds and that's so unproductive

My question today is how you handling?

worry

Because how we handle worry and stress it's gonna make all the difference in our life

There's two sisters in the Bible named Mary and Martha. You can find their story in Luke

Mary and Martha two sisters

They had a brother they were obviously from what the scholars say well-to-do people so they have a lot going on in their life

They had money to manage. They had a home to manage. They had a lot of things happening

One day Jesus came to their home. He was going to stay with him. He was going to fellowship with them

I'm sure they were so excited. I'm sure that everybody in the town knew

Hey, Jesus is coming over to my house because this was a very important person

So I'm sure they were preparing they were getting everything. Just perfect for Jesus

Jesus came to their home as they were fellas shipping and as they were enjoying Jesus Jesus noticed something about

Martha she was buzzing around. She was working it working it working it and he said to her Martha Martha

Why are you so anxious and troubled about so many things?

You see he had observed Martha as as they were in this home. He saw how she was

Handling all that to do that was going on

but in contrast

Here's her sister Mary

Know Mary wood had as much responsibility as Martha did but Mary said I'm gonna take this

Opportunity when all my busyness and all the concerns that I have

To just linger here with Jesus because he he's at my house today. I want to sit at his feet

I'm gonna pour out my heart to him so he can pour in his thoughts to me

You see Martha was so disturbed that

her sister would have the audacity to

Sit at the feet of Jesus when there was so much to do that. She said Jesus

You need to tell my sister to come help me. She needs to get up and she needs to get in this kitchen

There's the emails to answer there's stuff on the stove. The kids needed to be taken care of

There's a bunch of stuff to do and she needs to get up and she needs to help me

Can you believe she would even say that to her guest of honor?

He said to her

mary

Has chosen the one important thing

She's chosen

That one thing

She's chosen the better way

Now, let me just tell you this right now. He said there's one important thing

There's a better way now he was very much aware of

the legitimate concerns

that these women had

The Bible says that Jesus said in this world

You're gonna have trouble you're gonna have hardship you're gonna have some things that come against you but be of good cheer

I have already overcome

The world be of good cheer. I've already overcome the world. I

Guess when you look at that scripture, you can say easy for you to say Jesus your God. I

Still have these troubles and these concerns

But this is what he was saying. He wasn't saying that

You shouldn't take your responsibilities seriously

He wasn't saying that there weren't legitimately things to be done. He was saying there's one important thing and it's the better way

What he was saying is all these concerns all these crisis all these things that are coming against you

You need to come hang around at my feet linger in my presence because see that's the one important thing

That's gonna help you get through. That's the better way to handle worry and stress

That's the better way to handle worry and stress you

See, I believe that Mary

somehow figured out the better way and

She did it

It wasn't that she was lazy

wasn't that she didn't care Mary said look, this is my chance right now to

empty out the concerns and to put in all that God is

You see that's the better way

Have you ever planned a birthday party or a holiday celebration at your house or some?

Gathering and you are so stressed out that you made your own self miserable and maybe some of your friends and family as well

There's a better way to handle the stresses of life

The word worry comes from an old English word in the fifteen hundreds that meant to strangle

To strangle. I think that's an amazing

interpretation of that word because worry and stress

Literally chokes the fun out of life

It literally pressures us in every relationship that we have

It steals our joy. Think about it. Jesus was at Martha's house

She couldn't even enjoy

the fact that

Jesus was there she missed the whole beauty of the moment

She couldn't calm down relax and be peaceful. She

Allowed the stress that was going on in her mind to strain the relationship with her own sister

She was an attitude that changed

Worried doesn't change anything but your personality

It changes your disposition. It doesn't make the situation better

Actually, it makes the situation worse

I

worked with a woman

Several years ago and she had some legitimate concerns in her life and I could see how it was affecting her entire life

Her son was - was in the military and he had been deployed to another country

She was extremely concerned about his his well-being and if he was gonna make it and how things were going

She was so concerned and so worked up that I saw it begin to change her disposition

Change her personality

She could hardly even function at work

And I said to her I said look got to be a better way to handle the situation

I mean he is there there is not a thing that you can do about it

You've got to come to this place of peace and rest in the Lord

So I begin to pray with her and then I begin to make some suggestions

I said look you need to get some scriptures

You need to have them ready just as your as your warfare when these thoughts start

Strangling your joy and your peace you need to write out some declarations

When you feel that tension coming against you you need to say God. Thank you that my son is in the palm of your hand

Thank you Father that no weapon formed against him will prosper father. Thank you

Your angels have charge over him to keep him in all of his ways

He won't even - his foot against the stone

But he'll tread upon the lion in the Cobra the young lion shall he trampled underfoot? Thank you father

You put a blood line around him that the enemy cannot cross father. I thank you Lord that my son will come home

safely, I

Begin to see her put this into practice

Little by little she began to take control over that worry and I could see the strength come back

I could see her focus and her resolve come back

She began to praise God in

The midst of her fear and her torment and it made all the difference in her life

You see worry pulls us away from God's power

But worship and praise draws us to him and exchange

the situation I

Have a good news to report six years serving in the military and her son came home safely

You see worries a weight it weighs us down causes us to not be productive

In fact, the Bible says lay aside every weight

That would so easily

Beset us. Come on us

So you have to lay it aside because it says that you have to run with purpose in

Every step and when you are weighed down you can't run my sweet friend was so read down

She couldn't hardly get to work much less run

You see when she began to lay aside that weight

She was able to run out her purpose see her prayers her

Intercession for her son was much more powerful than her worry when she talked to him on the phone

She could say son

I want to tell you I'm praying for you the angels of the lords have charge over you you walk out you be bold with

Confidence know that God Almighty is looking after you she could encourage him to pray for himself

You see which she began to lay aside the weight and run with purpose. She was way more effective

There's a technique that I use and I've used it for years and it works for me

You just got to find something that works for you, right?

so when I had these concerns in these troubles I

Imagined a big helium balloon big beautiful blue red red balloon. It's a power color

And I began to put those troubles in that balloon and I imagined myself holding that balloon by the string

Holding it out in front of me with those troubles and I look at that balloon

And I let it go and I release it to God and I say God thank you that you're bigger than all these troubles

thank you that you

Love me

And that you said you'd protect those things that concern me

So I'm gonna give them to you these troubles are just gonna go right at your feet Jesus

You're gonna take care of them

You see sometimes I have to admit sometimes I have to let go of a whole bouquet of balloons

Do what you got to do do what you got to do to release the words and the care

Because Jesus will sustain you when you release it to him

listen

If you feel the pressure the stranglehold of worry coming on you even if it's automatic push the pause button

Let's be like Mary. Let's take a lesson from this woman and let's sit at his feet

Let's leave her there for a while. Let's empty out the concerns

So that we'll have room to receive

His goodness his thoughts towards us his wisdom his joy listen

Wait is only gonna weigh you down

But when you let it go to him

Hmm all things can be new again. Amen

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