Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled (Leave It In God’s Hands)

fear is a liar because fear leads you to forget all that God has done one description of fear that I like says fear is false evidence appearing real fear creates a cloud that makes you think you are alone it creates a cloud that makes you blind to God's promises and his word and one way fear manifests itself in today's society is in the prevalence of anxiety disorders stress-related diseases and health conditions anxiety and stress are both the children of fear We Fear the Future We Fear the past we fear things we cannot control and we don't want to admit that most of life is out of our control we are not in control of when we're born or when we die we are reminded of our lack of control when faced with an unwanted diagnosis or a natural disaster this is why Jesus invites us and commands us not to worry Matthew 6 verse 25 tells us 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 Jesus goes on to say in verse 33 but seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you Jesus is telling us to let go of the illusion that we are the ones in control because while we are not in control God is Sovereign he's always in control while we don't know the future God is already in the future while we can't let go of the past God is already in the past working out your present and your future the devil is the father of fear but God is the master of the future the devil is the Warlock of worry but Jesus is the Prince of Peace the devil is the architect of anxiety but the holy spirit is the conduit of comfort the Lord tells us in Isaiah 41 verse 10 so do not fear for I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you and help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand as Believers Our Lives should not be dictated by fear but rather our faith Our Lives should not be crippled by worry but rather empowered by encouragement now we all have that one Bible verse that one passage of scripture that speaks to us like no other and for me I find psalm 16 verse 8 to be that one Bible verse that I can always turn to and this verse says I have set the lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved many times when I have been afraid I have held on to this word many times when I have been wrestling with uncertainty I have turned to Psalms 16 verse 8 and this is how I apply the verse in my life I have set the lord always before me in other words God orders my steps the Lord goes ahead of me to clear my path or rather God is in front of me he is already in my future and when it says because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved I claim and declare that the Lord is by my side I am Anchored In Jesus I am rooted in Jesus I am joined with him and therefore I cannot be moved I will not be shaken not because of my own strength or might but because of the one who lives inside my heart so I would like to offer some advice to you today find your scripture find a passage in the Bible that speaks to your heart find a verse to hold on to Psalm 16 verse 8 gives me hope because I can say whatever the future holds whatever is in store for me I have set the lord always before me If Tomorrow Comes If Tomorrow Never Comes I have set the lord always before me if my friends leave me and abandon me in the near future if my boss at work doesn't honor his promises if my pastor Falls from Grace I will not be moved or shaken because I have set the lord always before me so I encourage you to do the same find your verse find the verse that will shift your focus from the problem in front of you to The God Who has promised to fight your battles the word of God is there to offer us Direction it's there to inspire and strengthen our faith [Music] if you've ever seen someone with bad eyesight you'll find that the simplest of activities will become difficult now a Christian who hasn't got the word of God in them is like a person with bad eyesight without the word of God you have no idea the protection you've been given without the word of God you cannot see that you've been offered peace Beyond understanding the word of God reveals things to you you begin to see the devil for who and what he really is a deceiver and the father of all lies you begin to see The Passion of Christ the love and passion that led him to be wounded for our transgressions to be bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed the word of God reveals all of that the word of God is sight to a Christian this is why it's important that you obey Joshua 1 verse 8 which says this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success you must meditate on the word so that you can keep your eyes on the Lord when you have the word hidden in your heart you will always have a reason to say it Is Well With Me if you're struggling and can't seem to find a way out of the mess you're in fix your sight keep your eyes on Jesus and on his word whether the economy is good or not whether my friends are there or if they have abandoned me your eyes are to always be on the word of the Lord if you were asked these three questions about the word of God how are you using it how well do you know it and how are you being changed by it what would your response be to those three questions when we make it a practice a routine to read the Bible we are spending quality time with our heavenly father we are in effect reading the letter he wrote for us the word of God changes us it cuts through every thought and every attitude how do you know if you're doing something right hold it up against the word of God second Timothy 3 16 says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness God speaks in his word for us to be corrected for us to know the ways of righteousness for us to know how to navigate this life the Bible tells us John 1 verse 1 in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the word of God has been there from the beginning of time as we know it and the Bible is very clear the word was with God and the Word was God and when you see the Bible as God's own words then Hebrews 4 12 makes sense for the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of Soul and Spirit and of joints and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart and here's why we need to take the word of God seriously and every aspect of Our Lives the characteristics of the word of God is that it is living has life it brings life and it is life to the b