Time Out! Devotions

Let’s admit it; we all are tempted to worry at times. It is very easy to become anxious about our children, our finances, our work, our relationships.

A few years ago, I heard about a couple who dealt with worry in a unique way. Whenever they faced a situation that tempted them to worry, they would earnestly pray about it and give it to God. And once they had put it in God’s hands, they would write that worry down on a piece of paper, fold it, and put it in a big brown paper bag that had the word “God” written on. Next they would tape that bag high on the back of their kitchen door… out of reach and out of sight.

“It’s now God’s, not ours!” they would declare.

The couple would agree together that if they ever started to worry about that situation again, they would have to get the stool out, stand on it, and fish that worry note back out of the bag… because God no longer had that worry, they did!

You know, if we’re honest, a lot of us would spend quite a bit of time up on the stool fishing our worries out of that bag. Potentially, we all have a lot of things to worry about, don’t we?

Add to that, the devil wants you to worry! First Peter 5:8 speaks of Satan as an adversary and a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The context for those statements is worry! Worry is one of his many strategies to defeat you.

The truth is that you and I are in a battle. And our foe is not made of flesh and blood. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-12,

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

I want you to take special note of verse 11: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” What are “wiles”? Well, other translations refer to “the devil’s strategy” or “the schemes of the devil.” One translation even says “the evil tricks of Satan.”

So how can we resist the devil’s attacks? What should we do when we’re next tempted to worry? First Peter 5:7 gives us the answer: “…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” That’s what you can do… cast your care on God, who cares for you. Give your worry to Him!

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.” Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing….” In other words, don’t worry about anything. That same Scripture continues, “…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 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

The fact is that God is big enough to take care of the worries we commit to Him. Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it just empties today of its strengths. Worry is a waste of our time! We should be doing more productive things with our time than worrying.

So the next time you’re tempted to worry, turn it around. When you understand the methods the devil uses to steal, to kill, and to destroy, you can shut down the devil’s attack. You can defeat him and live victorious over worry!

Let’s close that door of worry on the devil. Put your worries in the open and loving hands of God, who cares for you… and who is more than able to deal with the issues in your life.

Crosswalk.com is thrilled to announce the addition of Bayless Conley’s daily devotional, Answers for Each Day, to our devotional lineup. Click here to check it out, or to sign up for email delivery!

(from – http://www.christianity.com/11576715/)

(from – http://joanwanderson.com/2009/07/story-of-the-week-july-3-2009-give-it-to-god/)

One of the situations that causes tension for all of us is our attempt to control our lives.  We seem to feel that the tighter we hold on, direct and attempt to fix, the better things will be.  However, God would obviously like us to lean a bit more on Him, to surrender and follow his lead.  It’s not always easy to determine just where He’s leading us, but when we humbly ask for help, it’s amazing what can happen. Helen Scheid of Rochester, Minnesota, knows this very well.

Helen has her PhD in Psychological Measurement and Evaluation (wow!) and has been a consultant and a director of her own company, one that provides examinations and licensing for schools and state boards.  A corporation wanted Helen’s professional advice to help their board of directors choose among three bidders for a project. But the board members didn’t know what questions to ask, nor how to evaluate the answers when they got them.

It was a rather routine situation, and Helen felt she could help.  She was familiar with the corporation, and with the three organizations whose bids they were considering.  “I knew the strengths and the weaknesses of each, and I felt certain I could help them make their own good decision,”  Helen says. “That’s what an effective consultant should do.”

So far, so good.  But as the evaluations and discussions proceeded through the first day, Helen sensed that one of the three organizations was already being favored.  By the second day it became clear that the directors were divided into two camps—those with a preconceived plan in favor of that bidders, and those who wanted to weigh the evidence before making any decision. “I tried to steer a neutral course between the two, directing their attention to facts and data and the implications of alternatives,” Helen says, “but by lunch time, there was a stalemate. The directors were no longer treating one another with ordinary courtesy and respect; the velvet gloves were coming off. What was I to do?”

Lunch was brought in to the conference room to expedite the agenda. Tension had taken away any appetite Helen had, so she excused herself to go for a walk.  And on the path, she prayed. “Dear God,” she said, “I’m in an impossible situation. I really don’t know what I can do about it. There is a lot of friction and hostility in this group, and some of it has a long history that I really can’t deal with. I know they have to make a decision, and they have to make it now. But no one wants to compromise, and everyone wants it their own way. I have to go back to the meeting now, God, but I’m leaving it in your hands to show me what I can do to help them resolve this.”

Instead of hanging on even tighter to an imaginary sense of control, Helen had asked God to take over.”I was still a little anxious about what I should do,” she says, “but I also felt that I didn’t have to worry.”  She went back to the meeting, and the discussion resumed.

Surprisingly,as the afternoon progressed, the tone of the meeting changed.  Somehow, the directors found ways to accommodate the differences that had overwhelmed them in the morning. By the end of the day, there was complete consensus on the decision to be made, and the morning of the third day could be spent in working out the details of its implementation.

“I know that nothing I said or did in the meeting contributed to the outcome, but I’m equally certain that what I did outside the meeting had a direct effect,” Helen says. The company chairmen drove Helen to the airport, and she decided to share what had happened.

“I was wondering what had changed everyone at that meeting from the morning to the afternoon of the second day—and now I know!” the chairman said.

It’s not always easy to relinquish control.  But when we invite God to direct us, amazing things happen.