Worry Busters

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6: 34, NIV

"What's going to happen? What am I going to do?" These thoughts became a typical response to any trouble that came my way. That was until I became sick of it. I finally prayed and asked God for some help in eliminating this worry from my life. He gave me a solution which has helped me greatly. It consists of asking myself two questions when I catch myself worrying about something in my life.

1. I dentify the worry:
Before asking myself these two questions, I first had to identify the worry. When I would catch myself worrying about something, I stopped myself and paused. I then continued with the second step. I will use two examples from my own life to illustrate this point. First, I was taking a very important exam. Second, I discovered the tests had shown I may have cancer.

2. What is the worst thing that would happen to me?
I had to first look at the worst case scenario. In my first example, I could fail the exam. Secondly, I could die o f cancer.

3. Can I deal with the worst possible outcome with the Lord's help?
This consists of looking to God for help, no matter what the outcome. I discovered that if I failed the exam, I would be very disappointed. However; there would always be another time to take the exam over again. Secondly, if I died of cancer, it actually would be the best outcome in the end, not because I wanted to die, but because I would be in heaven with my Lord!

4. Release the worry to God and follow up.
As I released the worry to God, I was relieved. One thing I did do was keep a mental note of it, and follow up to see what happend. Almost all the time, my worst case scenario did not come to pass. I did not have cancer and I passed the exam with flying colors. These two easy questions have helped me trememdously in the worrying department. Not that I have conquered worrying, but with the Lord by my side, these steps have helped relieve me of quite a bit of stress. There.fore, the next time you catch yourself worrying, remember to follow these simple steps.


Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for relieving us of our heavy burdens and worries as we bring them to You. In Jesus' name, Amen

By Jodi, Arizona

HOW TO PREVAIL WITH GOD

SERMON BY CHARLES FINNEY

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, It shall be opened."--Matt. vii. 7, 8.

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."--James iv. 3.

THE subject to which I spoke last evening I shall continue this evening--The Conditions of Prevailing Prayer. I noticed last evening several of these conditions, and announced that this evening I should pursue the subject. I was speaking of Perseverance being made a condition of prevailing with God. Sometimes, however, the circumstances are of such a character that there is no time for perseverance, in any such sense as to protract; if the prayers must necessarily be repeated, the object cannot be attained at all. But often there are very good reasons why the supplicant should be left to wrestle and persevere. God is anxious, by this means, to develope a certain state of mind, sometimes for the petitioner's benefit, sometimes for the benefit of others, or both of these together. Some cases of this kind are recorded in Scripture, where God declined to answer at once, in order that he might develope a certain state of mind in the petitioner for the benefit of others. I shall instance some cases of this kind. I noticed last evening that of Jacob as an example of perseverance in struggling--persisting in supplication, until he prevailed. I noticed, also, the case of Moses, and was about to mention that of Elijah.

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JESUS, WAKE UP!!!!

“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:23-27

I laid in the hospital bed in a state of panic. I was here about to give birth to my fourth child. The nurse explained to me that the baby was not in the most ideal position and that the doctor might have to deliver her by cesarean. As much as she tried to reassure me that everything would be fine my mind was shouting in protest. This was the last thing I wanted.

As the nurse turned and walked out of the room I remember looking towards my husband, my eyes full of tears. I felt helpless and afraid. I ranted on and on before he gently touched my lips and began to pray. He prayed for God’s wisdom and discernment. He pleaded with God to give us peace. He prayed for my heart to trust. He prayed for our baby who in a matter of hours would enter the world. He prayed for the storm right in front of us to be calmed.

As soon as he uttered “amen” I thought about the disciples, in their boat, afraid in the middle of a storm. They had been with Jesus long enough to witness his ability to overcome impossible circumstances. He had healed the sick and driven out demons with simplicity. They witnessed this first hand but when tested their faith was lost. They began to panic! They woke Jesus and pleaded with him for their lives. Jesus gently rebuked them and then with simple words calmed the storm. They were once again amazed.

I too have seen God do some amazing things in my time on this earth. I have watched the impossible become possible. I have received blessing when odds were against me. I have experienced peace amidst the storm. Every time, regardless of my lack of faith, God comes through for me. He is able!
Let us allow these words in scripture to soak into our hearts. Read this passage and absorb the magnitude of his power. Let us learn to trust and believe in the one who longs to calm the storms in our lives.


Lord thank you for your patience. Thank you for calming the storms in my life. Help me to trust you when things are difficult in my life. Amen.

By Christy Kennard, United States

CHRISTIAN PERFECTION --2

SERMON BY CHARLES FINNEY

TEXT.--"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."--Matthew v. 48.

IN speaking from these words, two weeks ago, I pursued the following order.

1. I showed what is implied in being perfect.

2. What Christian perfection is.

3. That it is a duty.

4. That it is attainable in this life.

5. Answered some objections, and then gave some reasons why so many persons are not perfect.

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CHRISTIAN PERFECTION--1

SERMON BY CHARLES FINNEY

TEXT.--"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."--Matthew v. 48.

IN the 43rd verse, the Savior says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

In discoursing on the subject of CHRISTIAN PERFECTION, it is my design to persue this order:

I. I shall show what is not to be understood by this requirement, "Be ye therefore perfect;" or, what Christian Perfection is not.

II. Show what is the perfection here required.

III. That this perfection is a duty.

IV. That it is attainable; and,

V. Answer some of the objections which are commonly urged against the doctrine of Christian Perfection

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The Wisdom and Faith a Wilted Rose Taught Me

“Jesus said, ‘I give praise to you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.” Mathew Chapter 11: 25 (New American Bible)
‘


John was an African American man about 55 years of age. Due to his Schizophrenia it was difficult for him to express himself clearly. Each day he would have roses tucked in all of his pockets. They were many colors and he seemed to take pleasure in picking certain roses. Even thought they became wilted when he put them in his pocket, to him they were a priceless treasure. Each day John would come to me and say,” What color rose would you like today?” His face would show his eager anticipation of giving me this wonderful gift from his heart. Even though the flower would be wilted I always was go grateful that he would share his greatest treasure.

Unfortunately John passed away last year. I saw him the day before he died. Now it was my turn to give him a rose. I brought the brightest roses I could find. Even though he was in a coma I think somewhere is his subconscious mind he knew I was there. I told him I loved him and how much his roses meant to me. Then the m ost amazing thing happened. I sensed a bright light surrounding John and I felt peace and holiness. John taught me to share my spiritual treasures and also give the best of myself to others – even if I feel like a wilted rose that day.




When the night is dark and the world seems to be passing us by,
There is a light which can give us courage and hope.
This light is filled with love
and comes from Jesus.
We have this light within us.
We can have joy, peace
understanding and forgiveness.
He is waiting for us. Come to the wonderful light of Jesus!
Let this Holy light shine for all the world to see!





By Cindy Tuttle

When You Pray Say…

And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Matthew 20:32 (NASB) And He said to them, "When you pray, say…" Luke 11:2A (NASB)

When I was a young mother I heard a sermon that really challenged me to teach my children to pray for specifics and not just in generalities. The pastor was very pointed in his analysis of why parents are hesitant. We don’t want our children to be disappointed if God doesn’t answer, so we foster low expectations with non-specific requests. He stepped on my toes, but more importantly he convicted my heart. I asked the Lord for opportunities to encourage my children to pray for specifics. Of course He came through.
My daughter overheard my concerns that the lack of rain was hurting our large garden. Big brown eyes looked earnestly into mine and said, “Mommy, let’s ask God to bring rain today.” I swallowed hard because I knew that there was no rain in the forecast all week. We joined hands and prayed that God would bring the needed rain to our garden. She happily and confidently went outside to play in the bright cloudless day with her brother. I had my own praye r session asking God to deal tenderly with her young faith. Imagine my delight when a couple of hours later the kids were dashing to the front porch to get out of a rain shower that was falling as the sun shone almost as brightly as her little face. There was no doubt in her mind or mine that the Lord of the universe had stooped to hear and to answer her request.
Of course she had to grow in her relationship to God in prayer. There is so much to learn. She had to learn patience and perseverance and how to stand on His promises. But I would say she learned one of the most important aspects up front…when you pray say….be specific. The Lord hasn’t changed He still asks, “What do you want Me to do for you? Remember to say, “Thank you.”

Lord, thank you for the privilege of bringing all our concerns to you in prayer. Help me to be clear, help me persevere and help me to have high expectations because of who You are. In Jesus’ name, amen

By Carol (North Carolina, USA)