Anxiety has a way of controlling us. Here’s one way to defeat your anxiety and start living with confidence.
look at the word anxiety look at how
it’s spelled in English look at what is
in the center of the word. Do you see it?
(Show them on the screen) At the center of your
anxiety, if you really trace it, I’m not
talking about a medical condition. I’m
not a pharmacist. I don’t know about all
that. I’m not a neurologist. I’m saying
spiritually speaking that the Lord told
me at the center of your anxiety is your
pride the reason that you’re so anxious
is because you’ve got you at the center
and you can’t sustain it because it’s
not your throne. I mean even listen to
your language the Lord said I don’t know
if I have what it takes I don’t know if
I can do it I don’t know if I can make
it if I, if I, if I..
if I, you can’t spell anxiety without I
it’s right in the middle and you know
what other word I is in the middle of
pride and maybe the reason that you’ve
been carrying anxiety that
you can’t get rid of is because you’ve
been bearing weight that you weren’t
meant to bear you better humble yourself
under the mighty hand of God because if
you stay weighed down with pride you’re
gonna be weighed down with anxiety and
God can’t lift you up casting all your
anxiety on him see it’s not a command to
cast your anxiety on him it’s a result
the command is to humble yourself under
his mighty hand and when you do the anxiety
goes with the pride if you would get
yourself out of the center and get God
on the throne and lift your hands to
him and say I need you Lord. I’m a
sinful man. Can’t step without you. Can’t
breathe without you. Can’t eat without
you. Can’t pray without you. Can’t parent
without you. Can’t preach without you.
can’t work without you can’t live
without you no peace without you no joy
without you God said now I’m ready to
lift you up above the wind above the
waves above your pride it’s the reason
that you’re so anxious because of your
pride maybe the anxiety is the fruit and
the pride is the root if you would pluck
it up by the root fruit couldn’t grow
get yourself out the center get yourself
out the center humble yourself under the
mighty hand of God well what if I look
stupid some of you are about to try
something right now that you never tried
before what if I look stupid I got good
news for you everybody else is thinking
about themselves not you, so they won’t
even notice
but if i i i i i who better to teach us
about humility than peter and now peter
writes decades later to a church under
attack humble yourself under the mighty
hand of god for your enemy the devil
what’s he like he’s like a roaring lion
he’s looking for somebody to devour he’s
looking for somebody who he can shred to
pieces with doubt and fear and
selfishness he’s looking for somebody
that he can get to walk away and as a
pastor i’m just sick of having to make
phone calls and visits with people every
week who are being devoured by the enemy
so peter says this is a time for
resistance this is not a time for you to
run this is a time for you to resist
yeah but he’s a lion okay he is a lion
and he might be licking his lips and his
fangs might be sharp and he might have
you in his sight and you might have
failed and you might have done it and
you might be going down but you need to
know one thing about this lion Peter
says is that after you have suffered a
little while God himself will step in
and restore you and make you strong he’s
a lion but the lion is on the leash he
can only go so far
he can only do
much he can’t keep you down forever
humble yourself under the hand of God
and in due time come on this is somebody’s due time this is it anxiety stops here
depression stops here fear stops here
in due time he will lift you up
and the enemies that we’re afraid of
today will be our testimonies in our
tomorrow I must say that again the
enemies that you fear today will be your
testimony of triumph in your tomorrow
God said it’s just a little while the
God who has called you into his eternal
glory what lasts forever after you’ve
suffered a little while he himself will
restore you Peter said I know about it
cause I’ve been there I’ve had me at the
center I failed so bad I didn’t know if
I could ever bounce back I went back to
my fishing business cuz I figured God
didn’t have any more use for me but when
I was going down that’s where I found
his hand when I was going down that’s
when he reached out to me just when it
looked like the lion had me in his
sights that’s when the God of all grace
the God of all provision the God of all
power do I have a witness that
immediately he reached down and picked you up