Telling the Truth

Guest (Male): Today on Telling the Truth, Stuart Briscoe’s message "Don’t Worry" looks at scripture to find the formula for worrying less and finding true peace, no matter what’s going on in your life. That’s coming up in just a moment.

But first, your generous support helps keep broadcasts like this one today going out around the world, so you and others can experience life. As thanks for your gift today, we’ll send you two great resources: the Briscoes’ two-message series, "Worry Less," and Jill’s booklet, "Me, Worry?"

These encouraging resources are filled with biblical wisdom and practical advice to help you overcome worry and live with God’s peace. Call today to request yours at 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388. Or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here’s Stuart’s message, "Don’t Worry."

Stuart Briscoe: The word translated gentleness here can also be interpreted sweet reasonableness. Now look at it this way: when we have anxiety-inducing situations coming our way, there’s always the tendency to fight them.

There’s always the tendency to resist them. In fact, we can begin to resent them. Now you know what I’m talking about. There’s this person here who’s worrying me silly. There’s this situation here that is absolutely driving me nuts, and everything inside me resists it.

Everything inside me wants to fight it. Everything inside me is beginning to resent it, and I find myself tense. I find myself stressed. I find myself in this painful state of uneasiness. Isn’t that the way it goes? I mean, you’re all experts on this subject. Why am I doing all the talking?

So here’s the situation. This is what Paul says: instead of resisting and resenting and fighting the things that are anxiety-inducing, respond to them with sweet reasonableness. Now this takes a little thought. Let me give you an example to see if this helps.

A very dear friend of mine, well-known pastor, had a very, very effective ministry for many years. One day he was shocked that his daughter, his beloved daughter, the apple of his eye, announced she was going to move in with her boyfriend.

What they did, actually, was respond with sweet reasonableness. Let me explain it to you. This is what they said: "We don’t agree with what you’re doing. We don’t approve of it. These are the reasons. This is what we understand to be the correct approach to sexuality."

"This is what we believe to be what God ordained from the beginning of creation as far as the relationship between man and woman is concerned. We believe that sex is a gift from God to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage. To engage in this kind of behavior outside of the confines of marriage is in flat contradiction to all that God ordained for your well-being."

"This behavior is contrary to everything that you profess, and it is potentially self-destructive. You understand our position. We don’t approve of it, and we will never mention it again."

She lived, as far as I remember, with her boyfriend for about a couple of years. Then one day her younger brother got married, and she was invited to be part of the wedding service. When she stood there in this wedding service and was reminded of Christian marriage and the beauty of two believers coming together in holy matrimony, with her father presiding over the wedding, she burst into tears.

She rushed to her dad and said, "I’m sorry. I was wrong. Can I come home?" There’s an example of sweet reasonableness. So we rejoice in the Lord. Instead of attacking and resisting and resenting the things that are inducing the anxiety, we begin to handle them with a sense of the fact that the Lord is in this thing.

The rather terse, somewhat enigmatic reminder on the part of the Apostle Paul here: "The Lord is near." That’s what he said. The term that he uses here can mean near either in terms of time or in terms of space. Probably he used this expression in this way so that both could be applied.

What that would mean is this: bear in mind that the Lord is near to you spatially. He is present with you in the situation. That’s the first understanding of it. The second thing is the Lord is near in terms of time. That was a technical expression: the coming of the Lord draws near.

The reminder that the Lord is working according to His timetable and is working inexorably toward the consummation and completion of His kingdom. Put these two things together: the fact that the Lord is present with you in the situation and the reminder that He is working in the affairs of men to the consummation of His own plan and purpose.

Guess what will happen? You put that into your thinking and you’ll begin to discover that some of the painful uneasiness is beginning to dissipate. As you rejoice in the Lord, as you respond with sweet reasonableness, and as you bear in mind the proximity both of the Lord in your life and of His soon return.

But then the fourth thing he gives us: do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Now this word that is translated from the Greek into the English word anxious also finds its way into Philippians earlier on and is translated quite differently.

Speaking of Timothy, Paul said this: "I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare." The word interest there means he is genuinely concerned for you. When does legitimate concern become illegitimate worry?

That perhaps is the big question. The same word is used in two entirely different senses: one positive, one negative here. Let me try to help clarify this. When does legitimate concern become illegitimate worry and anxiety?

Legitimate concern becomes unhealthy worry and anxiety when concern is focused on the things we think can secure our lives, when only God can. Legitimate concern becomes unhealthy worry and anxiety when the concern is focused on the things we think can secure our lives, when only God can.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked to the people and said, "Now you’re all anxious about what you’re going to eat. Look at the birds of the air. They get fed, don't they? Your heavenly Father is caring for them. Now you’re all worried about what you’re going to wear, aren't you? Well, look at the flowers of the field. Aren't they gorgeous? Your heavenly Father’s looking after them, isn’t He?"

He said, "You’re worried about extending your life, your fitness. How many of you by worrying can do that? You’re worried about your finances. I’ll tell you about your finances. If the moths don’t get it, the rust will. If the moth and rust don’t get it, thieves will steal it. One day you’ll leave it all anyway."

What he could have added if he’d been a contemporary preacher was, and if the moth and rust don’t get them and the thieves don’t get them, the IRS most definitely will. The point he’s making is this: that people are worried about their lives. They want to make their lives secure.

So how do we make our lives secure? By making sure our finances are right, by making sure we eat all the right food, by making sure we look after our fitness. In other words, all these things that we think are life.

Guest (Male): You’re listening to Stuart Briscoe on Telling the Truth. You’ll hear more of his message in just a moment. But before we jump back in, here’s a note from Jill, a listener in Wisconsin who shares: "Thank you, Stuart and Jill. I’ve been listening for 40 years now and always hearing a new word from the Lord through your preaching. Thank you for your dedication and devotion to Him and the kingdom work being advanced by it."

Thanks for that note of encouragement, Jill. That’s the kind of encouragement your support today will help bring more people around the world as you help and share the teaching and resources of Telling the Truth so others can experience life in Christ.

We’d like to encourage you this month with two helpful resources: Stuart and Jill Briscoe’s two-message series, "Worry Less," and Jill’s booklet, "Me, Worry?" The stresses of life can leave you feeling worried, anxious, even afraid, and this turmoil can rob you of the joy and peace God wants for you.

In this powerful series, the Briscoes help you discover the secret to worrying less and living with more joy. These encouraging messages shine a critical light on a root cause of worry and give you practical guidance on how to rule your anxieties instead of having them rule you.

This special resource plus Jill’s booklet are our thanks for your gift today to help more people experience life through the teaching resources of Telling the Truth. Request your copy of "Worry Less" and "Me, Worry?" when you call 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388. Or give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here’s more from Stuart.

Stuart Briscoe: Jesus said your life doesn't consist in the things that you have. Your life is a gift from God. Your life is sustained by the grace of God. The point of your life is that you are here to honor and glorify and enjoy God.

At the end of your life, you will stand before God and give an account of your life. But your trouble is this: you lost God and you spent all your time worrying about your finances and your food and your fashion and your fitness and your family. All these things are legitimate when they are handed over to God, but you haven't done that.

You lost God and worried about all these things. When our concerns are focused on the things that we think will secure our lives, they will degenerate into worry. Instead of us recognizing that the orientation has to be on who God is in this thing, with prayer and supplication we make requests to God about what?

About our food, about our fashion, about our fitness, about our finances. We relate all these things to Him with thanksgiving. Thank you, God, for this food. Thank you, God, for these finances. Thank you, God, for this measure of fitness. They are all gifts from You.

Thank you, God, that none of these gifts from You will take the place of You. Thank you, God, that I can talk to You about all these things. Thank you, God, that You’re interested in me talking to You about these things.

Thank you, God, that as I talk to You about these things, You’ll give me wisdom to keep these things in perspective. By the way, God, thank you very much now I’ve handed all these things over to You. They’re Your worry, not mine. Does that make sense?

Rejoice in the Lord. Let your sweet reasonableness be known. Remember the Lord is near. In all the things that we think life consists of, make sure that you’re relating them all to the one from whom they came.

Knowing that when you hand them to Him, they’re His concern. Bear in mind when you keep them to yourself, they’re your worry. Which would you rather have these things be? God’s concern or your worry? It’s a no-brainer if you can do it.

Now there are two other steps. I don’t have time to get into them now, but you can check them out yourself. One is to make sure that your mind is fed with the right things. There’s a beautiful list of the right things to feed your mind with instead of filling it with worries and anxieties.

The final thing is, and then do what you know. Do what you know. We could have a talk on worry and anxiety. We could follow in our Bible. We could follow the outline. We might even make some notes of our own.

We might actually remember to take it home. In fact, we could even call our daughters and tell them the details of the talk, all of which is admirable and utterly useless unless we do something. Do what we know.

Do I know how to rejoice in the Lord? Have I got some ideas how I can respond with sweet reasonableness? Can I fix my mind on the fact that the Lord is near? Can I begin to relate the things that I think my life is all about to the one about whom my life is all about?

Can I begin to fill my mind with healthy, positive things? Will I do it? If I will, then there’s two promises. Two very simple promises. The first promise is this: the peace of God that passes understanding will be with you.

The second one should read: and the God of peace will be with you. The peace of God will guard you, and the God of peace will be with you. Two great promises. The other promise is this: as the peace of God is granted to you, the God of peace will stand with you in the situation.

Let me give you a little picture that you can take away with you. I want you to imagine a little house with two rooms. It’s yours. One room is called heart, and the other is called mind. In the room called mind, that’s where you think things through and arrive at some conclusions.

In the room called heart, that’s where you have your feelings. Heart and mind. Some people have a bigger room for mind and a smaller one for heart, and the other is vice versa. Coming up the steps to this little house with two rooms in it called heart and mind are two mean, ugly-looking dudes.

One is called anxiety and the other is called worry. As they make their way up the steps, they are talking to themselves. One says, "Well, I’m going to move into room called mind," and the other one says, "I’m going to move into room called heart, and we’ll have a ball."

As they’re making their way up the steps and they just come to the front door and they’re going to bang the door down, two burly characters step out of the shadows, stand in front of them with their arms folded, tower over these two mean-looking dudes, and say, "And where do you think you’re going?"

They said, "We’re going in here, and we’re going to move into room heart and room mind, and we’re going to have a ball." The two burly characters say, "No, you’re not. For one of them says, 'I am the peace of God.' And the other one says, 'And I am the God of peace, and you guys don’t belong around here. You have no access whatsoever into this little house anymore.'"

With a quick, dexterous movement, they grab worry and anxiety by the scruff of their neck and the seat of their pants, and they hurl them over the hedge and dust their hands and say, "Next." I would submit to you that the message is a very simple one, a very basic one, and an incredibly challenging one.

It is this: whatever happens, don’t worry. You claim the peace of God like a guard over your heart and your mind, and you claim the God of peace to make His presence felt within your heart and evident through your life. So whatever happens, don’t worry.

Guest (Male): You’re hearing from Stuart Briscoe on today’s Telling the Truth. He’ll answer some questions about today’s message, but first, here’s a great resource you’ll want to know about. Worry and anxiety can limit your joy and keep you from experiencing true peace. That’s not what God wants for your life.

We want to help you conquer worry and anxiety so you can start to live with the joy and peace God intends by sending you Stuart and Jill Briscoe’s encouraging series, "Worry Less." This uplifting two-message series offers biblical truth about the root cause of worry and will help you uncover the secret to worrying less and living more.

"Worry Less" is our thanks for your gift to help more people experience the peace and joy of life in Christ through the unchanging truth of God’s word. When you give today, we’ll also send you Jill Briscoe’s booklet, "Me, Worry?" These resources will help carry you from angst and uneasiness to the peace God intends for your life.

Simply request your copies when you call today and give a gift to help keep Telling the Truth going out around the world. Call 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388. Or give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now Stuart explores a few ideas from today’s message.

Stuart, how does a believer recognize illegitimate worry? Anxiety about something that only God can do?

Stuart Briscoe: We are told, of course, in scripture that we should not allow our lives to be filled with care, but that in marked contrast to a life of worry and anxiety and concern, we should commit our concerns to the Lord in prayer and the peace of God will take over where once worry ruled in our lives.

Well, I guess this question is a good question because at the same time that it tells us that we shouldn't have worry and anxiety, scripture does tell us that we should be responsible and we should be concerned and that we should be acting appropriately in difficult circumstances.

So in a sense, worry is illegitimate except in areas where we should be responsible and be concerned. How do we differentiate between the two? I would say you differentiate between the two when you start worrying about things that God has told you not to worry about, or you start trying to take control of things that God has promised He will control.

So what it really comes down to is knowing what God has promised and acting on it, and then acting in obedience to the things that He has told you to do.

Guest (Male): Stuart, it’s so important to make sure our minds are fed with the right types of things. How do we do this without turning it into just another religious requirement?

Stuart Briscoe: One of the things I learned as I started to try to learn the mysterious world of computers was the old maxim: garbage in, garbage out. In other words, if you put all kinds of wrong information into your computer, don’t expect it suddenly to purify it and spit out all that is good and beautiful and right and true.

Garbage in, garbage out. So it is with our minds. If we put a lot of garbage in our minds, we should not be surprised if there’s a lot of garbage in our attitudes and our activities, our desires and our intentions as a result.

So that being the case, we recognize that our responsibility is not to be putting in a lot of garbage. It is to be feeding our minds on the truth. The Apostle Paul told the young believers that they were to fix their minds on the things that are good and right and true and beautiful.

Well, the question is, how do we do this without it just becoming another religious thing to do? Having regular meals is not an onerous thing to do, I don’t think. I think when you have an appetite, having a nice meal put in front of you is a thing of joy.

You don’t say to yourself, "Oh boy, I’ve got to go and eat some more food now." No, you say, "I am so grateful that I have a healthy appetite and I have some good food available here."

If you recognize that putting good food into your spiritual life is going to mean good things coming out in your spiritual experience, I think you’re going to develop an appetite for goodness, for rightness, for beauty, for wholesomeness. As you develop this attitude, you’ll discover the difference in your life and it won’t become a religious principle that you have to adhere to. It will become a joy and a delight.

Guest (Male): Thanks so much, Stuart. We hope today’s message encouraged you. Before we go, remember that when you give today to help keep Telling the Truth broadcasts like this one today going out around the world, we’ll send you a copy of "Worry Less," the Briscoes’ two-message series designed to help you start worrying less and living with more joy.

As a special thanks, we’ll also send you Jill’s booklet, "Me, Worry?" Call now to give and remember to request these resources with our thanks. 1-800-889-5388. 1-800-889-5388. Or give online at tellingthetruth.org. Thanks for being with us today. We hope you’ll join us again and experience life here on Telling the Truth.