Encouraging, Empowering & Equipping Ordinary Christians To Live Powerful Missional Lives!
As Followers of Christ we have experienced spiritual freedom. That idea of freedom leaves us with the impression that before we knew Christ we were slaves and indeed we were truly slaves.
This post is given to help us understand our spiritual freedom and how we are to use it. Watch it! Be challenged by it! And go out and live that freedom.
Randy McWhorter is the former Director of the Healthy Church Group of the California Southern Baptist Convention and now the Lead Pastor of a powerful church in Northern California.
My very good friend, Randy McWhorter, in his endorsement for my book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY shared that there is a cure for an anxious heart that will bring you peace, power and make you prosperous in all things regarding God’s will. Read the whole endorsement for yourself,
**“Living On Mission In Spite Of My Worry: Biblical Advice On Relieving An Anxious Heart is akin to a Christian prescription for hypertension of the believer’s heart. My friend, Jay Moore, has shared six Biblical principles that have the potential to revolutionize your concept of what it means to live worry free. You will find each principle to be a practical expression of God’s will for everyone who desires to glorify Him in all he or she does. Together, these six principles guide our understanding of what it truly means to follow Jesus in spite of our human frailties. There is a cure for the anxious heart that will bring peace, power and that will make you prosperous in all things regarding God’s will. There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole! The only question is... will you take the medicine? Will you follow the prescription? Or, will you remain weakened by worry and spiritually anemic? Take the prescription! Why spend another day allowing unnecessary worry to keep you from living a life on mission for the Lord? Take the prescription!” Randy McWhorter**
Now that’s a powerful statement that Randy made but a very true and accurate one. There is good news for all of God’s people who suffer from an anxious heart, a life filled with worry or struggling with the stress that the world loves to throw at each of us. That good news is that you can live a worry free life on a day by day and moment by moment basis.
It is not God’s desire and certainly not His will for His people to live a life plagued with worry. As a matter of fact Jesus himself told us to stop worrying. When we worry we are communicating that God isn’t enough for us and that we really don’t believe that He can meet all our needs or that He knows what is best. When we worry we demonstrate a lack of faith in the Lord Jesus.
But the good news is that you can live that worry free life, it is available to all who are willing to learn and trust God. That’s what this book is all about!
LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY will teach you the Biblical principles and Biblical practices that will guide into a lifestyle that doesn’t worry but just trusts God. This book contains the prescriptions for the cure of worry that Randy was talking about. It shows you what the Balam of Gilead looks like and how to get it.
Click the links below to find out more about this powerful book yourself.
Spend Time With Jesus & Watch The Worry Melt Away!
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
In this Bible story we see a pretty clear picture of most of us when it comes to worry through Martha’s experience. So often, we are so busy doing this thing and doing that thing, that we become overwhelmed and possible overextended.
Martha was busy and distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. I think it’s interesting that the story clearly says that she was distracted! But, distracted from what? What were all of her busy preparations keeping her from that she should have been doing? Once we can answer that question, we also reveal the 1 absolutely essential activity for a worry free life!
The story also reveals that Martha was worried and upset about many things! If the truth of the matter is made clear most people don’t worry about just one or two things. Worry for most people, including Christians, have become a lifestyle. Throughout life we have learned to worry about most things. We’ve watched our parents worry over this or that; we’ve seen our friends grip by worry; and the uncertainty of life has taught us that worry is the proper emotion to have. Through a worldly perspective it appears that most of life is filled with things to worry about.
But not only did the story tell us that she worried about also upset about many things. Being upset and worrying actually go together! When we are worried about something, its because that something is out of our control. We can’t beat it into submission. And when we can’t control something and worry begins to grip our hearts and mind, then we become angry at situations and in this people, Martha’s sister, Mary. Martha was upset with her sister because Mary wasn’t doing what Martha thought she should be doing. What was that? Helping her with the preparations.
So what is the one absolutely essential activity for experiencing a life without worry? It was what Mary was doing! Read again what Jesus says,
“… but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Jesus starts off telling Martha that she’s a worry wart and that her sister helping her isn’t the solution to her worry. Not only was Mary not the solution to Martha’s worry but she actually was doing and being the example on how to get rid of that worry!
What was Mary doing? According to the story Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to everything Jesus was saying. Mary was spending time with Jesus; she was learning from Jesus; she was soaking in all that Christ had to offer and as a result Mary would be filled with peace and contentment and not worry or anxiety. So, what is that one essential activity to get rid of worry?
When you do then all your worries will begin to melt away!
Here’s the lyrics to a great chorus that shares this message wonderfully:
“One thing is needful O my Father
One thing is needful O my God
That I sit at Your feet
And pour out my love
This thing is needful O my Lord
(REPEAT)
Verse 2
I sit and worship You my Father
I sit and worship You my God
Lord I sit at Your feet
And pour out my love
I sit and worship You my King
(REPEAT)
Verse 3
I lift my hands to You my Father
I lift my hands to You my God
Lord I sit at Your feet
And pour out my love
I lift my hands to You my Lord”
For more information on how to live a powerful worry free life, check out this powerful book that was ranked as an Amazon #2 Best Seller in the categories of Missions/Missionary Work and Pastoral Counseling/Recovery. It is called LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY: Biblical Advice On Relieving An Anxious Heart.
6 Biblical principles
and 5 Biblical practices that will lead you into a life without worry.
Photo by Annette Batista Day on Unsplash
As it pertains to living life on mission with Christ and working to see Disciple Making/Church Planting Movements ignite here are 4 tactics that Satan will use to stop our efforts in their tracks. This is taking a look at Spiritual Warfare from the lens of being on mission with Jesus.
“And even if the Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the the Gospel of the Glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Cor. 4:3-4 (NIV)
The Christian’s response to this satanic spiritual warfare tactic s to pray for God the Father to start drawing that specific blinded individual to come to Christ. The Bible tell us that no one comes to the Jesus unless the Father first draws them and all whom the Father draws will come.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him …” John 6:44 (NIV)
“All the Father gives me will come to me …” John 6:37
Since it’s God the Fathers to draw people, let us start praying that he will do it for specific people who are blinded by satan to have their blinders removed.
The Parable Of The Sower:
“As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds cam and ate it up … When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one come and snatches away what was sown.” Matthew 13:4,9 (NIV)
The condition for the snatching away of the seed, message of the Gospel, is a lack of understanding of what is being shared. Our response to this Satanic tactic is two fold: 1. Prayer. Pray for that the Holy Spirit will open the mind and heart of the unbeliever to understand and believe the truth of the Gospel. 2. Use a simple to understand Gospel presentation and don’t leave until that person fully understands what is being shared.
“For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the the elect, if that were possible.” Matthew 24:24 (NIV)
At different time throughout the book of Acts we see counterfeit Christ’s, miracle workers, etc… trying to deceive people to believe their way (a satanic) way, is the right way.
A good response to this kind of satanic tactic is to focus on what God has personally done for you. Use your testimony inline with the Gospel to help people see that Jesus is what they need.
In Acts 13 we see over and over again how Satan used unbelievers following the Apostles to other towns to disrupt the work of the Lord. They will cause disturbances and get angry with God’s messengers.
A good response to these kinds of activities is to focus on the few who do believe and go undercover. Disciple them, strengthen them, and equip them. They then can go back into the community, without outside distractions, to keep the discipling process.
Let’s be aware of how Satan will try to stop us, hinder us or maybe even try to discourage us from our faithful service to Christ and His mission. If we know what to expect, we can begin to prepare for them in advance and not be caught off guard.
Curtis Sergeant
I pretty excited to share that my new book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY has received a powerful recommendation/review from Curtis Sergeant.
Here's little bit about Curtis which will explain why I am so honored to have his recommendation.
Curtis has served our Lord in some very powerful positions. Here are a few:
He is the founder and lead trainer for MetaCamp. A group to train people to live out powerful missional lives.
He has served with E3 Partners as Director of Global Strategies and Vice President. E3 Partners is a mission agency intended to ignite church planting movements all over the world.
Director Of Church Planting at Saddleback Community Church.
Served with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in the following positions: Associate Vice President For Global Strategy; Strategy Associate For East Asia; Global Strategy Coordinator & Church Planting Trainer; and Strategy Coordinator.
This guy has served our Lord faithfully for the purpose of saturating our world with the Gospel of Jesus.
Here's what he has to say about LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY:
"Jay's book follows a similar pattern to many of Paul's epistles, with the first half consisting of theology and principles and the second half being practical application. The second half is culture-specific. The first half is universal in application. The first half is timely and much-needed in our day. It provides a critically important perspective which has come to be alarmingly rare in recent years. Its message is simple but not easy. It directly confronts the idolatry of comfort and convenience in current expressions of Christianity. It challenges us to live the abundant lives the Lord intends for us to live, the life of a disciple, the life of a servant rather than one who is to be served. It is worth reading for one's own growth and passing on to the disciples we are making. I recommend it." ~ Curtis Sergeant
It is my sincerest desire that this book helps God's people to shed the worry that plagues them to join Him on his mission of making disciples of the whole world.
If you are a Follower of Christ and worry holds you back from joining Christ on His mission or holds you back from doing anything that you know God wants you to do, then it’s time to get rid of that worry and begin to live a worry free life. GET YOUR COPY OF THIS POWERFUL BOOK TODAY & LEARN HOW!
Please feel free to share this message with you friends on Facebook & Twitter.
I just have to tell you that I am so very excited to share this next endorsement with you about my book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY!
Why? Because it is from a person who make up the audience I am trying to reach and encourage to be on mission. That target audience are those that I like to call Ordinary Christians.
What Do I Mean By Ordinary Christian? First let me say that I am not trying to demean anybody by using that title. I do believe that all of who come to faith in Christ are now somebody very important. Not because of our own goodness but because of the grace of God.
When I say ordinary christians, I mean people who are just your everyday follower of Christ, who loves Jesus and wants to be obedient. They don't have any special Bible education from a Christian college or seminary but they do love studying the Bible and staying close to Jesus in prayer.
However, they may worry about joining Christ on His mission for one reason or another. This book is written to encourage and equip them to live a worry free life while being on mission with Christ.
Janet Howard is such a Christian. She loves Jesus with all her heart; she wants to be obedient to Him as an expression of her love for him; she want to share the love of Christ with others but has suffer with some worry over it.
I had her read this book so as to see if I had accomplished my goal for writing the book, which is to help people overcome their worry and join in God's mission. Read what she says and see for yourself if I accomplished it or not.
"This book, LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY, is just as the title suggests. The beginning chapters give us foundational biblical reasons why we should not allow worry hinder the mission that God is calling all believers into. The remaining chapters give clear practical advice and steps to take to move forward in that mission without worry. It will be a great book for group studies to encourage and equip ordinary believers live out their mission. As I read through the book I was challenged in my own personal responsibility to not allow worry overtake the need to love people into the kingdom. It's a very worthwhile book to read.”
Janet Howard
An Ordinary Christian
Tucson, Az
My very good friend Pastor Billy Galloska has taken the time out of his busy schedule to write me a very wonderful but honest endorsement for my new book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY.
Pastor Billy is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenns Ferry, Idaho. I love the way he works with his congregation to intentionally equip them live powerful missional lives that brightly shines the Light of Christ in their part of this dark world through making disciples for Jesus Christ. He and his wife, December, have a powerful testimony of God's transforming power. Billy understands the needs of ordinary christians and what it takes to empower them to share Christ. I greatly value his endorsement and what he has to say about my new book, LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY.
Take a few seconds and read what he has to say about it.
"Worry is a part of every life. Even as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ we can experience worry that sometimes cripples our work. It is no wonder then that ordinary Christians find themselves in the midst of worry that cripples them from sharing God's love in their part of this dark world.
Author Jay Moore uses Living on Mission in Spite Of My Worry to show that even in our worry God can and does empower us to inspire and connect with people in our part of this dark world to share the good news of Jesus when we seek His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Jay has not only hit the mark with this book, he has driven it home. If you have become crippled by worry, whether you are an ordinary Christian or you are a minister, this book is a must-read that will not only keep you reading but make you want to hit the neighborhood halfway through!"
Pastor Billy Galloska
First Baptist Church
Glenns Ferry, Idaho
Photo by Fernando @cferdo on Unsplash
Christians all over the world experience unnecessary worry! They worry about health, they worry about finances, they worry about their children, they worry about being obedient to God, and the list could go on and on about the things that Christians worry about!
But for Christians who sincerely want to join Christ on His Great Commission, worry isn't only unnecessary but it is also debilitating! Why is i debilitating? Because is paralyzes you from doing the things that you really want to do or the things that you know you should do. I know of a person who decided not to graduate from college once they learned that they would required to take a speech class. You see they were worry and fearful over speaking in public and that worry crippled them from finishing school.
What's a follower of Christ to do? After all, isn't worry just a natural part of life, including a Christian's? Isn’t just something we need to accept as part of our life? Or, is it? Does God really want us to just deal with the fact that worry is a part of our life or is it part of God’s plan for you to live a worry free life now that you’ve come to faith in Jesus Christ?
In the book LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY you will discover that worry isn't part of God's plan for His children and it will serve as your guide on how you can rid your life of it forever. Before I tell you what you will learn from this book, let me first tell you what this book is not!
First, this is not a book containing five easy steps to a more fulfilling and peaceful life.
Second, this book isn't a watered down Christian self-help book that contains a bunch of fluff with no real spiritual substance or meat.
Third, this book not a “Name It & Claim It” book. On the contrary, the pages contained in this book are going to challenge you beyond your level of comfort!
As matter of fact, as you read this book you may begin to wonder if you really want to live that worry free life! The Biblical principles that you will learn will sound totally counter intuitive to all that you have come to know about living a life without worry. You will learn that a life without worry is a life of denial; You will learn that obtaining that life will require you to die to yourself and take up your cross daily and follow Christ. It is a life of total submission in mind, heart, and will to the will of the resurrected Jesus.
This book will provoke you! I am not writing this book as a comfort to you but more to challenge you! I want to provoke you to rethink why you’re worried, why you allow those worries to paralyze you from joining Christ on His mission, and why God still has you in this world.
LIVING ON MISSION IN SPITE OF MY WORRY will teach you six Biblical principles and five Biblical practices for living a life free of worry. These principles are taken from a famous quote from the great missionary, Hudson Taylor and exemplified through his life of service.
So, with this warning clearly given, read at your own risk!
Why is the Great Commission so important that it should become our driving desire in life? That's what this short video is intended to share. Watch it and share your thoughts about it.
" Yes, He (God) has humbled me and shown me what I am, revealing Himself as a present, a very present help in times of trouble. And though He does not deprive me of feeling in my trial, He enables me to sing, 'Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation ... Now I am happy in my Saviour's love. I can thank Him for all, even the most painful experiences of the past, and trust Him without fear for all that is to come." Hudson Taylor
In this video I am going to share 3 things you can expect from God when you decided to join Him on His mission! They are taken from the above quote of Hudson Taylor and is verified with scripture. THEY WILL BE CHALLENGING TO HEAR AND ACCEPT! But they will also, once made part of your life, prepare you for whatever assignment the Lord sees fit to give you as part of His mission.
I am so glad to hear of your interest in The Basic Gospel Sharing Training that The Ordinary Christian has put together. This is a FREE training that you can get to help you become more competent and confident in sharing Christ with others.
When we begin to join Christ on His mission and become intentional about making reproducing disciple makers, we can rest assured that we will run into times of trials and tribulations! Difficult times is something we can guarantee will happen and is something we will need to learn to deal with.
In Luke 9:23 we hear Jesus telling people what is expected of anyone who wishes to be one of his disciples,
"Then he said to them all, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily, and follow me."
According to Jesus there are three things that are essential if someone truly wants to become one of His disciples.
They Must Deny Themselves: A life of a disciple of Christ is a life of self-denial. To be His disciples means to no longer have your own ambitions, your own goals or your own desires. Instead, your life is for Christ and Him alone. You surrender your will for the will of Christ and your desire is to accomplish God's will.
As we all clearly know Jesus knew what it meant to pick up a cross and carry it! It meant to suffer and then die to accomplish the work set before Him. Even Jesus didn't relish the thought of going to the cross and would have preferred a different solution if possible. In Matthew 26:39 we get the rare opportunity to listen in on a prayer by Jesus to His Heavenly Father. It was a prayer concerning the cross. Listen to what Jesus asks:
"Going a little farther, He felled with His face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will but as you will."
Jesus didn't like the idea of going to the cross. He understood clearly the pain and suffering that was going to come with it. He referenced it as a "cup". This was an Old Testament imagery that was a reference to the Cup of "God's Wrath" being poured out as judgement. Jesus understood that going to the cross meant that he would be experiencing the full unbridled wrath of His Father. This was not a pleasant thought at all.
There's no written record of the Father's answer but we do know what it was by the actions of Jesus and His resolve to go to the cross and die. The Father's answer was simple,
"Son, you must go to the cross if people's sins are to be forgiven."
And out of love for us Jesus endured the cross.
Just like Jesus was to take up His cross, Jesus tells us that we are to pickup our cross daily and follow him. He is telling us that on a day by day basis we are to have a heart willing to suffer and possibly die in order to join Him on his mission of redeeming the world. We must be willing to deny our self interests and desires in order that others, still lost in sin, can hear the Good News and be saved. We must be willing to die, if need be, so others can be born again.
But how do you do that? How do we endure the pain and suffering that comes with being on mission with Christ so others can be saved? Again, we find our answer in the example of Jesus.
In Hebrews 12:2 we find our answer through Jesus' example.
" ... For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the Thrown of God."
How did Jesus endure the cross? Not by focusing on the cross but look past it and focusing on the joy that would come after the cross.
That's how we endure daily picking up our cross with all the pain associated with it! We focus, not on the trial or tribulation but on all those who will receive Jesus by faith because of our faithfulness; by focusing on hearing Jesus words spoken to us, "Well done good and faithful servant"; by focusing on the "JOY" that will come when Christ returns and finds us faithful to the call.
THAT'S HOW YOU ENDURE!
In Philippians 3:13-15 we read hear the Apostle Paul admonishing us to press on, never give up, never stop but strain and push your way to the finish line. Read for yourself how Paul puts it:
"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things ...."
When it comes to living a powerful missional life that brightly shines the Light of Christ this should be our marching verse! KEEP ON PRESSING ON! Being on mission with Christ is not like a sprint race but more like a marathon race. To finish the part of God's mission He has given to us to do will take years, along with lots of pain, sorrow and heart ache. The temptation to quit will at times will be almost hard to overcome if we are not mentally and spiritually prepared to go the distance.
This video is the first of 3 messages I brought for Agape Baptist Church in Tucson, AZ during their 3 day retreat with the theme of PRESSING ON! I share it with you because this is a Word from our Lord not just for a few but for all of us who confess Jesus as Lord and have committed ourselves to follow Him. As you watch it be encouraged but also be challenged for the work that our Lord has called us to is the greatest work in all of creation. Don't allow the temporal things of this world blind you or fool you to think that the work that Christ has called us to is of little significance! For it's not! THE WORK WE DO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK YOU WILL EVER UNDERTAKE! I pray that Christ will speak to you!
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient.” – Hudson Taylor
The previous principle of actualizing a worry free life that I shared was to have faith in Sovereignty of God. It was designed to help us understand and believe that God is able to do anything, through anybody, including each of us. If God is truly God then nothing is impossible for Him and all things that He wills can and will be done. In other words, there’s no force or authority above Him or beside Him.
God most definitely is in control.
But trusting and believing that God is in control, when left by itself, does provide insurance that we won’t be filled with worry and anxiety. As a matter of fact, it is quite possible for a person to be actively doing God’s will and still have no peace about it! People can be in service to God, doing exactly what He has asked them to do, with full assurance that God will accomplish His task and still be worry and anxious about it! That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But it’s true.
Let me give you an example using the prophet Jonah. You know the story of Jonah. Jonah is commanded by God to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their disgusting wickedness had come up to God. Jonah however, didn’t want to obey God so he ran away and hopped on a boat headed for Tarshish. While on the ship God sent a hug storm to come up against them and almost sink the ship and everyone on it.
Jonah then convinced the other men of the ship that the only way to save the ship from God’s wrath was for them to throw him overboard. While floating around in the water, God caused a whale to come and swallowed him up. However, this whale swallowing experience wasn’t intended to kill Jonah but for God to get his attention and compliance. As Jonah was sitting in the belly of the whale, He cried out to God, committed to obeying Him by going to Nineveh, and preach against the city. Then after being burped up onto shore Jonah did go to Nineveh, he did preach against the city but once the king of Nineveh heard the message, on his own initiative, he got the whole city to repent and beg God for mercy.
As God heard the sincere cry of repentance from the people of the whole city, He did show mercy on them and pulled back His wrath. This, however, was not what Jonah wanted to happen. Jonah didn’t want mercy to be shown them but instead he wanted the judgment of God to fall on them. Jonah then begins to act like a spoiled little brat and throws a temper tantrum. Listen to what the Bible records Jonah saying once he realizes that God had shown the people of Nineveh mercy.
“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, ‘isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God; slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:1-3 (NIV)
While there are lots of lesson that we can learn from those first 4 chapters of Jonah, the one I want us to understand and meditate on today is this:
Just because you’re doing God’s will doesn’t mean you’ll experience God’s peace and be free from anxiety. Just because you’re being obedient doesn’t mean you won’t have worry in your life!
Why? Because a Christian who wishes to experience a worry free life not only needs to trust in the Sovereignty of God but they also need to surrender to the will of God in their attitude as well as in their action. If our attitude is wrong, even when doing what is right, we still won’t have a life filled with peace.
Jonah went and did what God wanted but he went and did it with a bad attitude. Even, though his actions were right – his heart was wrong. Jonah didn’t want the people of Nineveh to be forgiven – he wanted them to be judged and condemned! Jonah knew, from his understanding of the nature of God that “if” the people of Nineveh repented God would forgive them and because of this understanding of God, Jonah worried that God would forgive them and show them mercy if they repented.
The worry free life that we all are seeking always will come from both right actions and right attitudes. Jonah obviously didn’t have the right attitude. Jonah desired something that was contrary to what God wanted and as a result, even though He was obedient, Jonah neither had peace about the assignment or joy about the outcome.
Now with this as the backdrop, let’s once again take a look at part of Hudson Taylor’s quote.
It’s that last part of the sentence I want us to focus on,
Hudson Taylor had come to a place in his daily life where he could honestly say that he not only sought to do God’s will but also that it was his sincere hearts desire to see God’s will accomplished, regardless of what it was.
So here is the third principle for a worry free life. We can experience a life free of worry by:
What I mean by that statement is that when we get our hearts to desire that which God desires; that we want what God actually wants; that we have no desires of our own but only to do the will of God then we can be freed from worry.
Jesus, after talking to the sinful woman at the well described his desire to do the will of God in the following manner,
In other words, Jesus was so desirous to do the will of His Father that it was being hungry and thirsty. It was only through complete obedience that Jesus was able to satisfy that desire.
Think about a time when you were so hungry or thirsty! How did you feel? Wasn’t getting something to eat and something to drink an all consuming desire and thought for you? Of course it was!
Nothing else will satisfy. Satisfaction only comes when we obey!
There’s an old gospel hymn that perfectly describes this principle of conforming our attitude and desire to match that of Christ’s.
WHEREVER HE LEADS I’LL GO
Wherever He leads I’ll go,
Wherever He leads I’ll go,
I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so,
Wherever He leads I’ll go.
He drew me closer to His side,
I sought His will to know,
And in that will I now abide,
Wherever He leads I’ll go.
My heart, my life, my all I bring
To Christ who loves me so;
He is my Master, Lord, and King,
Wherever He leads Ill go.
(Alan Jackson)
A true worry free life comes when we 1). Abide in God’s will; 2). Surrender our heart, our life and our all to Christ regardless of where He leads us.
In order to experience the worry free life we must be willing to exchange our will to that of God’s will.
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.” – Hudson Taylor
The prospect of attaining a worry free life is a wonderful proposition for many but has, at the same, seemed like a pie in the sky ideal that is completely unreachable. The lesson we learned in Part 1 is that it’s not an unattainable goal but actually a completely Biblical one that Christians can make part of their daily lifestyle.
We saw how both Hudson Taylor and the Apostle Paul claimed to achieve that state of being and we also learned that Jesus taught that living a worry free life should be the kind of life that His followers should experience.
In today’s lesson, we are going to learn where to start in the development of that worry free disposition. Every journey starts with taking the first step. So, today we are going to look at the first step in ridding our life from the stress, worry and anxiety that life throws at us.
Lesson #2:
Trusting In The Sovereignty Of God
We will start this lesson by looking at the second statement that Hudson Taylor made in his quote.
“ … I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will for me…”
In this one short phrase, Hudson Taylor gives us the starting point for developing the worry free life that we’ve been talking about. For him there could be no other first step. All other subsequent steps are dependent upon this first step being actively embraced. If a Christian fails to take this first step, then all the other steps are unattainable for this first step lays the foundation upon which to build all other steps.
What is that first step? It is simply this: Trusting In The Sovereignty Of God!
While that may sound profound, what exactly does it mean? To help us answer that question here’s a definition that resonates with me:
“God, as the ruler of the universe, has the right to do whatever He wants and whenever He wants and also has the ability and power to bring it about.”
In other words, God has both the authority and power to do whatever He decides to do. It means that nothing is out of God’s control or outside His authority. Or, you might even say that God’s will, will be done!
From this statement in Hudson Taylor’s quote, we can conclude that he came to the place in his walk with Christ that he sincerely believed that God is able and willing to accomplish whatever He has planned. Taylor realized that there was no need to worry since God would be successful in accomplishing His endeavors. He knew that God would be successful and would never fail.
Taylor wasn’t concerned that people, in their sinful actions, would mess up God’s plans. He wasn’t concerned that Satan with all of his scheming and deceitfulness could alter God’s will. Why? The answer is, because Taylor understood all of creation, whether angel, man, or demon, is under the complete authority of God. Taylor truly believed that with just one word from God all of creation, both willing and unwilling, would do His bidding.
Listen how the Bible describes the power and authority of God in Romans 9:19-21 (NIV):
“One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?’ But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”
In this verse, the Apostle Paul asks a couple of rhetorical questions,
Here’s the point of this whole verse: God is in control! Nothing exists that is outside of God’s control. This was something that Hudson Taylor understood and believed in the very depths of his heart, and it was the foundation that brought him peace and allowed him to live a worry free life.
Hudson Taylor also applied this truth to his own life! Take a look at that quote again. Notice that it says,
“…I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will for me…”
The last two words at the end of the quote make it so powerful and so personal at the same time. The phrase, “For me,” is so powerful. Why? The reason is because if one doesn’t truly believe that the truths of God apply to them personally then they will never experience them personally. Hudson Taylor could say that he no longer got anxious about things because he applied the truth of God’s sovereignty to his own life.
How peaceful and restful it is when we finally come to the place where we truly know and believe that nothing is able to hinder or prevent God’s will from being worked out in us and through us. Think about it for just a moment. Other people cannot mess up God’s will for your life. You can’t even mess God’s will for your life!
Once a person truly understand and believes, with their whole heart, that God is truly and completely in control and His will, will be done there’s no need to worry. THINK ABOUT IT:
Jesus said it well in Matthew 6:27,
“Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worry?’
The obvious answer is “No.” And here’s the lesson: Worrying over something cannot change what is or will be!
If we truly want to join Hudson Taylor and the Apostle Paul in a worry free life, then three things need to take place:
Once we successfully accomplish those three things, we will have laid the foundation from which a worry free life can be built.
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.”
Hudson Taylor was the great missionary that came from England to China. Many of his quotes have been persevered over the years that allow us to learn some valuable lesson into missional living.
One of the biggest lessons that we need to learn is how to join God on His mission without being overwhelmed with worry and anxiety. Experiencing God’s peace in the midst of trials, tribulations and the lack of resources is an essential disposition for all Christians to have especially if they are going to brightly shine the Light of Christ.
From Hudson Taylor’s quote, we learn how to develop that worry free disposition so that we are able to join him in saying,
“I am no longer anxious about anything.”
Can you say that for yourself? Are you free from worry or do you still get a little anxious or maybe even extremely stressed out about uncertain circumstances?
Over the next few posts, we are going to learn those lessons that Hudson Taylor learned in living a worry free life and how we can apply them to our life. There’s a total 7 of them.
Again, what did Hudson Taylor say? Read it one more time and let it really sink in!
"I am no longer anxious about anything ..."
WOW! What a claim! He is saying that he has come to a point in his growth in Christ that he is no longer gets anxious, no longer worries about or gets stressed out over the things of this life.
Hudson Taylor believed that the worry free life was not only a possibility but also something that every Christian should seek after and attain.
What are we to conclude about such a statement? We can come to the conclusion that Hudson Taylor was either:
But before we get to far along in judging Hudson Taylor let's take a look at what the Apostle Paul had to say about the topic of worry and about experiencing personal contentment. (My Definition Of Contentment Is: The state of mind that is freed from a life of worry).
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Do you see it there? Paul is basically saying the same thing that Hudson Taylor said. Paul is telling us that there is no need to be anxious about anything! What does “anything” include? It includes everything. In other words, there is absolutely nothing that you will go through in life that you need to worry about if your life is in Christ. Those that belong to Jesus have no need to worry about anything! That’s exactly what this verse is teaching.
So, if the Bible is telling us to stop worrying then it must be possible to do!
There's no question in Paul's mind that living a worry free life is not only possible but also should be expected!
Paul doesn't stop there. He goes on to tell people what to do when the circumstances of life are uncertain. Paul clearly instructs us to to stop the worrying, which is our normal response to uncertainty, and start praying about it.
In other words, do an exchange! Instead of worrying over the uncertainties of life exchange that activity with the activity of talking to God about it. Place your faith in the god who's not uncertain about what the future hold but actually controls it.
PRAYER IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR THAT MUST BE NURTURED IF WE WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE A WORRY FREE LIFE!
Paul says in Philippians 4:12 that he has discovered the "SECRET OF BEING CONTENT"! Isn't it interesting that the Apostle Paul refers to contentment as being a secret? Why would he do that? Maybe it's because this contentment that so many of us are striving for is also what has alluded us so often and hard to hold onto!
This contentment that Paul is talking about is to be found in any and every situation! Not just some situations but in all situations and circumstances. Meditate on that thought for a just a little bit!
And then Paul shares what that secret is in Philippians 4:13,
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
The secret of contentment is trusting in Christ who helps us do all things and specifically being content in the midst of the most uncertain of situations. It is clear that the Apostle totally agrees with Hudson Taylor that a worry free life is the expected life style of God's people.
But, just in case you think that both the Apostle Paul and Hudson Taylor were crazy let's also take a look at what Jesus himself had to say about a worry free life.
In Matthew 6:25-43 Jesus talks about worry at length as part of the Sermon On The Mount. Let's look at a couple of statements that Jesus made about worry and how to view it:
Did you notice that in the spam of 9 verses Jesus instructed us four different times NOT TO WORRY! Basically Jesus was saying,
What does that tell us about Jesus position on being anxious or worried? Simple this: It’s not part of the lifestyle that He has planned for His disciples to have, it's an unnecessary activity and if we are chronically suffering from a lifestyle of worry we are not experiencing the life he has intended for us to live.
But before you experience that stress free – worry free life you have to embrace that kind of lifestyle as attainable. In order to get there you have to believe that others have made it and that you can too, with Christ help and strength, can make it.
NO ONE CAN EXPERIENCE A WORRY FREE LIFE IF THEY DON’T BELIEVE IT’S POSSIBLE!
The starting point is to just to believe that with Christ and through Christ an anxious free life is possible.
So, are you ready to take the plunge? Are you ready to draw the line in the sand and declare that it is God’s will that you no longer worry about anything but pray about everything and allow the peace of God that transcends all understanding to guard your heart from disappointments and your mind from confusion, as you stand firm in the contentment that Christ provides you regardless of the circumstances God allows you to go through, rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, slave or free?
Are you ready?
If so, you are one step closer to making the worry free life your reality!
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