Notes of Faith April 19, 2026
Pastor’s Pen Pulpit Series: “Worry”
August 4, 2002
“THE CURE FOR ANXIETY” Part I
Matthew 6:25-34
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus has just told His disciples, “No one can serve two masters; for you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (NLT).” He continues in verse 25:
For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?
The point is well taken. Life is more than the essentials – or what we consider essential to a fulfilled life, yet modern day society contradicts this principle. It seems that everything in life revolves around not only food and clothing, but also desiring a better job, a more lovely home, the latest model car. I wonder what Jesus thinks of today’s world?
How society envies the lifestyle of the rich and famous – yet more suicides are taking place in this high-class level of living than on skid row! Folks, it seems as if some people can cope better with poverty than with wealth.
I don’t think I want either one. I try to be satisfied somewhere in-between. Didn’t Paul say that he had learned to be content with whatever provision the Lord provided (Philippians 4:11)?
Yet we worry. Will my paycheck stretch? Oh, God! My children are - - - -! What will the doctor say about my latest tests? And our church - - - - -! (Fill in the blanks!)
In this short series of verses we are going to analyze worry, its cause and, hopefully, its cure. George Mueller put it into perspective – “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith and the beginning of faith is the end of anxiety!”
So buckle your seat belts for the next few weeks as we put the sin of worry in its place. After all – worry won’t get you anything but ulcers! God bless.
Love to you all,
Pastor Charles
Our lives are filled with problems (tribulations).
John 16:33
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
House issues, water leaks, broken appliances, trying to get birds to not nest where you don’t want them, flat tires, car accidents, trying to help people at your job, boss issues, children growing up issues…I think I could fill pages with things that we encounter in a day that need to be fixed! Or do they?
Maybe God allows things into our lives and then watches how we deal with them. Do we respond with a pure and righteous heart? Do we cause more problems by our actions?
Let us do what we know to do…get help with the things that we don’t know how or what to do…in all things first taking it before the Lord to hear His heart in our time of need. He will answer with “you can do this”, or He will send the help that we need at the appropriate time, even giving us opportunities to share the gospel that those helping us might be blessed for all eternity and the Lord be given much glory for the very things that we tend to sit and wallow in worry about.
That presumptive “don’t worry, be happy,” may be more spiritual than one might first think. God takes our worry and gives us peace through the trial, problem, tribulation…whatever it is that causes you to worry. Praise God that it is not our job to fix everything!
Pastor Dale