Positive Christian Motivation

Anchoring Your Heart in God's Love - Powerful Christian Motivation

Make God's word your ultimate source of daily motivation as you tune in to this impactful episode filled with motivational messages, empowering life advice, inspiring teachings, and stories. Enjoy this remarkable blend of spiritual insights and empowering inspiration that motivates you to become the best version of yourself and nourishes your spiritual connection with God.

Duration:: 10m
Broadcast on:: 11 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

"These days, work is in trouble. We've outsourced most of our manufacturing to other countries, sending away good jobs and our capability to make things. American Giant is pushing back against that tide. They make the high-quality clothing staples you need for a comfortable, stylish, and active summer wardrobe, like vintage-style teas, breathable polos, lightweight sweatshirts, and so much more right here in the USA. So when you buy American Giant, you create jobs in towns and cities across the country, and jobs bring pride, purpose. They stitch people together. Support America's workers and get 20% off your first order at american-giant.com with promo code STAPLE20. That's 20% off your first order at american-giant.com, code STAPLE20. What is it that keeps you up at night? When you're laying in the bed and your mind won't shut off, what are you thinking about? Let me ask you a little bit differently. What is it that you're worried about? Maybe for you it's, "Can I pay my bills?" Or this college debt that I have accrued will I ever get out from underneath it? Am I going to be able to get a job when I get out? Am I going to lose the job that I have? Am I going to be able to afford to retire? Or maybe for you it's an aging parent? Or what's the doctor going to say at the next doctor's appointment? Or are my kids safe when they leave the house today? Maybe it's, "Am I ever going to be able to make a difference in this world?" So what is it that you're worried about? Do you have it? Here's why I ask. Because what we worry about the most often reveals where we trust God the least. Jesus defines the problem so clearly. Jesus says this, Jesus says that the things that you are most devoted to are the things that will determine what you worry about. You and Jesus taught on worry, guess what topic he launched it with, money, money. Money and the stuff related around money because in all honesty a lot of people really worry about money. They think they're going to run out of money. Do you know that most people run out of life before they run out of money? And we're so concerned about money that we treat it like it's life. And Jesus has this way of pulling us back and saying, "Wait a minute, isn't life more than clothing? Isn't life more than a job? Isn't life more than a retirement?" Not that these things aren't important, but are they life? See here's the issue, do you trust in your heavenly Father? Every warrior is expressing little to no confidence or faith in God's willingness and ability to take care of them. In Psalm, chapter 62, verse 7 and 8, the psalmist talks about a God who's trustworthy where he says this, "My salvation and my honor depend on whom, not me. They depend on God. He's my mighty rock and my refuge." Sounds like somebody who's not worried. Trust in him at all times. Not some of the time, not when you feel like it, not just with your eternity, not just with part of the things. He says what? Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your hearts to him, your worries, your fears. Pour him out to him. Why? Because God is our refuge. The psalmist understands the truth and the truth that the psalmist understands is this, is that God is trustworthy. Right? God is trustworthy. It's not what he does. It's who he is. He's deserving of our confidence. Well, there must be something to it because a lot of us struggle with it. You guys admitted, "Why do we do it? Why are we so obsessed with it?" I think after reflecting on this all week, I think I know, we don't trust God. We don't trust God. We think that he's actually going to rip us off, that he's not who he says he is, that he doesn't have good plans for us, that he doesn't want to bless us. We think that he just wants to make life hard for us, and so if we can just take control of our life, then it'll be better, right? If we take the reins, then we can make everything better. We can solve all of our own problems and make the world a better place. I think that's really the problem with a lot of us, right? We just hold on to these things, and we think that, man, if I just worry about it enough, I can really change it. I can make it different. We're struggling because we're trying to control our lives, and anything we're trying to store up years, stuff, money that doesn't last is pulling us away from the God who does last. And so, what I want to say is, how do we get away from controlling ourself? Well, we have to then submit ourselves to God's care. And when I submit myself to God's care, I trust him as my Father. I trust him as my Father. Anxiety to me is simply me trying to be God in an area of my life that I know I'm not God. Here's my challenge. If right now you are overwhelmed with anxiety, where are you not trusting Jesus? Where are you not trusting Him? Sooner or later, your heart is going to be full of the worries of this life, and it's going to be empty of Jesus. Listen to what Peter says, "Give all your worries and cares to God." Why? Because he cares about you. Here's the thing. We've got to give it to God. And I go to God, and I say, "God, I don't understand. I don't understand. I don't understand." But God does. God understands. And Jesus said this, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Jesus has come and worked for me, and I will lighten your load." Why? Because he's humble and gentle at heart. And he says, "And then you will find rest for your soul." It's not our bodies that are crying out for rest. It's our souls. Let me tell you, there's no greater freedom than discovering you're not God, and that's okay. Jesus is God, and he's good with the stress that comes with the job. But here's the secret. Here's the key. My anxiety is constantly rooted in what might happen. Most of our worries have to do with allowing our minds to be ordered by thinking that is untrue. I think it was Mark Twain who said, "I have had many troubles in my life, most of them I have never experienced." You die a thousand deaths in fearing one. He points out that the root of worry is the absence of trust. At the end of verse 28, one little phrase, "Oh, you of little faith." That's even the disciples worried, what they were saying was, "God, you can't be trusted in this situation." That's what worry really is. God, you cannot be trusted in this situation. Worry proves you don't believe that God can take care of you. Worry is faith in fear. Think about that. Worry is faith in fear. Worry drowns faith in hope. Worry is interest paid on trouble before it ever happens. An old man said, "Most of the trouble I've had in my life never happened." How many of you have done that? You've worried about something and then it just didn't occur? Don't worry, period. It's an absolute waste of time. Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere. God's word says, "Don't worry about food, fashions, or the future." Why? Because he can supply anything that you need. He can supply anything that you need. How do we know that our God is trustworthy? He's been faithful before, and he's faithful today. Because God's faithfulness today is not dependent on the absence of problems, but on the presence of God in my life. Here's the thing, we worry because we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But the reality is, we've never known what was going to happen tomorrow. Every day of your life you've lived in uncertainty. Your future has been uncertain every single moment of every single day of your life, and God has been faithful to you in your past uncertainty, and he's been faithful to you again and again and again, and he will continue to be faithful to you in your life. So why are you and I so worried? I get so focused on the uncertainty that we think is in front of us. We don't keep our eyes fixed on our loving, heavenly Father. Don't you believe that perhaps in a tomorrow that you have no control over the God, you take care of you? And we know that God is trustworthy because he will be faithful tomorrow. He will be faithful tomorrow. [Music]