What we can learn from Jesus about temptation

The lion circled, but Jesus didn’t notice. He was on his knees, lost in prayer, only his lips moving. The sun beat down without mercy, the wind whipped the desert sand – there was no protection from the elements. This was his 40th day without food, and the fast had stripped his body of strength. He did not look like himself. His skin stretched like shrink-wrap over a thin, skeletal frame. His once strong muscles were withered to a fraction of their size. His ribs protruded from his sides. His fingers were bony. Blisters and sores had broken out on the surface of his skin – the final expression of his malnourished state.

But while his body was unrecognizable, his spirit had developed a strong sense of dependence on his Father. It was as if the strength he now lacked in his physical body had been transferred to his spirit.

The flesh and blood lion still circled, but that was the least of his worries. There was something else stalking him now; a lion of a different kind.

Jesus heard the words before he saw the shape. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Those words elicited his strongest hunger pains yet. His stomach insisted. His body quivered for lack of strength. The memory of his mother’s baking wafted up from the desert floor. The nerve endings in his fingertips sprung to life and fired the message: The stone beneath your hand feels like a loaf of bread. Just say the word.

He paused briefly before he spoke. Remembering Eve’s failure with the deceiver, he didn’t want to engage a conversation; he wanted to parry with truth. His mind chased down the Biblical narratives he’d learned as a child. He was looking for parallels to his situation.

The wilderness. The desires of his people. The nagging hunger pains. He had the story. He could see the letters on the scroll. His mind raced to the final verse. He opened his mouth and spoke. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

The written Word had authority. It emptied the deception of its power. In a moment the mirage of his mother’s oven was gone. His hunger subsided. And his fingertips told him the truth: The stone beneath your hand feels like . . . a stone.

The deceiver couldn’t argue. Still, he continued to circle. Perhaps he could change the subject.

Jesus knew the Word well. He could pull out an obscure Bible passage, explain its meaning, and the people would stand amazed. When tempted by Satan, he answered with Scriptures that he had carefully considered and properly applied. When others had a need, Jesus listened well and had the right passage to share.

Because he operated within the intrinsic limitations of humanity, he acquired his skill with the Word through learning. The Bible declares that he grew in wisdom and favor with God. Like all young Jewish boys, he would have memorized a significant portion of the Scripture. To gain such knowledge, Jesus studied, learned, memorized, and applied. Do we bring the same kind of diligent study to the Word that Jesus brought?

Taken from Just Like Jesus: biblical strategies for growing well

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Top 10 lies of procrastination and the truths of Scripture

Lie #1: It’s your time. You should be able to use it as you desire.

Truth: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).

 

Lie #2: If you put off what you fear until tomorrow, you will be less anxious.

Truth: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can flesh do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4)

 

Lie #3: If you do the things you should do today, you won’t have time for the things you want to do.

Truth: Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper (Proverbs 13:4, NLT)

 

Lie #4: You won’t be able to complete this task if you start it—better not to try.

Truth: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

 

Lie #5: This task is too difficult for you. Wait until it’s easier.

Truth: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5, 6).

 

Lie #6: God is not there for you, you’ll have to figure this out on your own.

Truth: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26).

 

Lie #7: You can’t change. That’s just the way you are.

Truth: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

Lie #8: Better to live for yourself today; you can start following God tomorrow.

Truth: For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

 

Lie # 9: You always have tomorrow to do the things you could do today.

Truth: Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

 

Lie #10: You’ll never resolve this conflict; wait for them to come to you.

Truth: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother (Matthew 18:15).

**These 10 lies/truths were taken from Taking Back Time: biblical strategies for overcoming procrastination. Each of the Biblical Strategies resources includes 10 lies/truths that are unique to that particular struggle. All Biblical Strategies resources can be found on Amazon. Click here to view these products.

Isolationism: the greatest danger to a man’s spiritual journey

Nearly 25 years ago, I moved to New Jersey to pastor a congregation that had begun a few years earlier.  Before accepting the call, I’d preached a handful of messages, but had never performed a baptism, funeral, or wedding. I’m grateful the congregation was understanding with such a newbie.  I bumped a man’s head on the baptismal tank, bumbled a funeral or two, and once forgot to have the groom kiss the bride (she reminded me of course).  When I look back there are a number of things I would have done differently, but one thing I’m forever grateful that I did do was to consistently meet with a small group of men. After three years of doing it alone, I could feel the dangers of isolationism settling in. So I made a  decision to start meeting with men.  Over the years, the men have aged, the names have changed, and even some of the diners have closed, but the meetings have remained persistent.

Most Christian men tend to drift towards isolationism and pastors are no exception. Meeting weekly with a small group of guys has helped curb that danger. The brotherhood, accountability and encouragement have helped guard my heart and fended off discouragement. Aside from my wife’s faithfulness and encouragement, no other influence has had a more sustaining effect on my ministry.  The Christian man who attempts to go it alone is more susceptible to Satan’s lies, and when he falls there is no one to help him back up.

A few years ago, I realized that there was no way I was going to connect with all of the men in our church, so I took the lessons I learned in my past men’s groups and compiled them into a 13-week study. The video teaching is brief, intended to “set the table” for the discussion that will follow. But, the relationships that are fostered will carry your guys through the week and beyond. We call it 4M Training and its a small group study for the average guy who wants to grow but doesn’t know where to start. I invite you to view these resources and the free videos at 4mtraining.com. If you would like to view a copy of the 4M Training Manual and verse pack, we will send you a copy at no charge. Simply send an email with your mailing address to pmoser@biblicalstrategies.com, and let us know of your request. There is no charge for the manual or for shipping, and we will not request any financial information. We trust this resource will be a blessing to you as it has been to many others.

The dysfunction of trying to do what only God can do

One of the common themes I’ve observed as a pastor is that people often fail to do what they should do, because they’re trying to do what only God can do. We are not equipped to carry out God’s role, but that doesn’t keep us from trying.  Here are some examples:

  • God sees the future; we can’t see it, so we worry instead (Psalm 139:16)
  • God knows a person’s inner desires and intentions; we can’t know them, so we develop a judgmental spirit questioning their motives (1 Corinthians 4:5).
  • God can change a heart; we can’t, but we try; we seek to control and manipulate others through our words and emotional responses (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Titus 3:5-6).

When we attempt to do God’s job we end up defaulting on our own. Look back at the emphasized words in the previous points. God told us not to worry (Phil. 4:6), not to judge the heart (1 Cor. 4:5), and not to control and manipulate others (2 Tim. 2:24-26). When we attempt to do what only God can do, we fail to do what he asks us to do. The Bible teaches we are totally inadequate to carry out God’s responsibilities (Romans 11:33-34).  This is why we not only do them poorly but complain because the burden is too great to bear.

This is prime territory for self-pity to grow, as God’s dialogue with Moses revealed (Num. 11). So how do we overcome this tendency? By trusting God with those less than desirable circumstances and believing that he can accomplish something purposeful through them (Romans 8:28).

This was a truth that carried Joseph through betrayal, slavery, false accusations, and years in prison.  At the conclusion of his story he reminds his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20)  Joseph had grown in contentment. He didn’t need his brother’s approval to feel successful. He found it easy to love them and forgive. He didn’t need pleasant surroundings or positive conditions. It’s not our circumstances that make us prone to self-pity; it’s our dissatisfaction with those circumstances. Self-pity takes root in the soil of discontentment.

Taken from Dead-End Desires: biblical strategies for defeating self-pity
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A Daddy’s thoughts at his daughter’s wedding

This past weekend I had the privilege of giving my daughter away at a picture-perfect wedding outside of a reconstructed barn at the base of the Allegheny Mountains. For a father, giving your daughter away is a bit like taking your emotions and dangling them over a deep, dark abyss for the day. You can’t see the bottom of the chasm, and you’re afraid that if you start descending down there you won’t make it back before the wedding is over.  The sense of loss is also mingled with great joy for their happiness as they start their life together. Here are a few of the thoughts I shared with my daughter and son-in-law on that day. They serve as helpful reminders for all of us regardless of how long we’ve been married.

Marriage is best described as two imperfect people attempting to form a perfect union. For that reason, the most important word in marriage may not be love, communication or perseverance. The most significant word may be the word grace. The Bible describes grace as a gift, freely given that isn’t deserved. Because both the husband and wife bring their own set of imperfections to the table, the marriage that grows well will have grace at its core.

G.R.A.C.E. is comprised of 5 letters. Each letter will serve as a reminder of a truth to remember.

God is bigger than our problems.  The Bible tells us: “People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly upward from a fire” (Job 5:7). In a marriage we face problems from the outside and the inside. An outside problem is something that happens to us: a car accident, loss of a job, or a bad report from the doctor. It is good to know that God is bigger. Inside problems are things we bring into the marriage: a struggle with anxiety, a proneness towards self-pity, a tendency to lose our temper. Again, we affirm the Scriptures: “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom. 8:31). God is bigger than our problems.

Remember where you came from, then go further.  The Psalmist wrote, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them” (Psa. 17:4-5). Each of us enters into a marriage with our own set of family experiences, both good and bad. We can’t change where we came from, but we can go further. A warrior could only throw his spear a certain distance at a target, but the archer could send the arrow further. For that reason, children are described as arrows, not spears. Remember where you came from, then go further.

Always be willing to forgive. Imperfect people, even with the best of intentions, are going to offend. Those offenses will either become opportunities for forgiveness and restoration or they will become festering pools of bitterness—spilling over into all other aspects of the marriage. If you wait until you believe the other person deserves to be forgiven, you’ll never forgive. This is why the apostle Paul wrote, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). We don’t forgive someone because they deserve to be forgiven. We forgive someone because we didn’t deserve to be forgiven, and God in Christ forgave us. Always be willing to forgive.

Christ’s love sets the standard for how we love one another. The Bible told us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Imagine, that every time you sold your house your neighbor sold his. When you moved clear across the country, they moved too.  They kept following you whether you liked them or not. Marriage makes people life-long neighbors. You need to love your spouse as your neighbor. Jesus, however, raised the standard.  Twenty-four hours prior to his crucifixion, while the disciples argued in the upper room about who would be the greatest, Jesus washed their feet and said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you” (John 13:34). The love of Christ is incredibly sacrificial, not easily offended, and it bears no sense of entitlement. That is how we are to love one another. Christ’s love sets the standard.

Enjoy this life—it goes far too quickly. The first wedding I ever performed was at a barn venue in the Catskill mountains of New York. My daughter was in attendance, but she was three-years-old not twenty-five. She didn’t walk down the aisle with her father, she sat in the back row on the aisle with her mother. As it was my first wedding, I was a little nervous. Then, my eyes caught hers and she smiled. She was so full of wonder, taking it all in and loving every minute. My thoughts of my own daughter were only interrupted by the bride and her father. As they kept walking towards me, my eyes would shift from them to my little girl in the back row. I felt like I was caught in the Twilight Zone.  Each step that brought them nearer to the altar felt like a year that slipped away from my time with my daughter. How I wanted to make time stand still!  But, I couldn’t. I kept thinking: hold onto the moments—your life with her is going to go so fast. And…it…did.

I blinked and the little girl whose eyes were full of wonder had become a beautiful young woman. She was no longer sitting in the back row of a wedding, but she was standing next to me at her wedding. And I was granted the distinct privilege of escorting her down the aisle and putting her hand in the hand of the man she loved.

If I could do one thing over as a husband and a father, I would have enjoyed the moments more. I would have worried less about the outcomes and the day-to day decisions. I would have pushed out those anxious thoughts of the future with mental snapshots of the moments that were meant to be embraced with the fullness of joy. My brow would be less furrowed with the weight of this world, and my smile would reflect the grace of one who had paused long enough to thoroughly enjoy his family. Grace, a gift given that wasn’t deserved, was also meant to be enjoyed. Enjoy this life–it goes far too quickly.

Phil Moser is the author of the Biblical Strategies series.Click on the image below to view these unique resources

5 truths to change the way you think about your work

With Amazon recently passing a trillion dollars in market capitalization, and with their dominance shuttering retail stores that historically seemed invulnerable, it’s easy to think business is all about the money. During so many changes, it’s important to remember that God said some things about work and business that will outlast the 24-hour news cycle.  Here are five thoughts that may shake up your thinking a bit.

#1: WORK is a God-given assignment and not a cursed condition (Gen. 2:15; 3:18-19).

Here’s a simple but life changing truth: Genesis chapter 2 comes before chapter 3. In chapter 2 we read: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Gen. 2:15). And, in chapter 3 we read, [God said] “Because you…have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread (Gen. 3:17-19).

When work is hard, it’s easy to think that work is a result of the fall. But God gave Adam work to do prior to his fall into sin. The weeds that grow faster than the crops remind us that it is the futility of work, not work itself that is a result of the fall. For Adam, work was his God-given assignment. It is for us as well. How might your attitude about your work change if you began to look at it in this way?

#2: TIME is the reminder that our opportunity to work has limitations (Ecc. 9:10).

Solomon, with renowned wisdom, reminds us:

Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom (Ecc. 9:10, NLT).

Each day brings new opportunities.  But the opportunities we have today, may not be there tomorrow; time creates those limitations.  That is why planning is so important. It’s the means that God gave us to make the most of our time limitations. It is also the reason procrastination is so dangerous. Writes American aphorist, Mason Cooley,

Procrastination makes easy things hard and hard things harder.

Whatever you put off until tomorrow will need to be done in addition to tomorrow’s tasks and unexpected interruptions.

#3: PLANNING is a means of accountability with your limited time (Prov. 21:5)

The writer of Proverbs reminds us,

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty (Pro. 21:5).

Planning is a means of accountability with our time. The Hebrew word for planning meant to weave. The weaver doesn’t just throw colors randomly. He considers how the pieces relate to one another, and how they affect the overall picture. This is good planning. Both looking at how things relate to each other and keeping the end in view. A friend of mine recently gave me a 7-step process for planning. I just shared three of those steps with my college-age daughter, and she found them helpful.

  • Vision: begin with the end in view. Imagine where you’d like to be several years out.
  • Current state: give an honest evaluation of where you are now. What are your resources, gifts, and abilities? What are your weaknesses, inefficiencies, and shortcomings?
  • Gap analysis: Considering your current state, what steps do you need to take now to reach your end goal? This sequences the action steps that enables you to accomplish your your vision.

#4: REST is the result of work well done but not the goal (Pro. 21:25).

As Westerners, we love our weekends and vacations. In fact, they often provide the stimulus to get us through the work week. It’s easy for the weekend to become a short-term goal, and retirement to become the long-term goal. But rest in the Bible is always the result of work well done, not the goal. Even God sets that example.  Following six days of creation, we read,

On the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done (Gen.2:1).

Rest is the natural result of work well done, and it is also to be done at the end of the work not before. The Proverbs insightfully remind us: “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor” (Pro. 21:25)

# 5: GIVING and SERVING are the rewards of working hard, not hoarding and spending (Eph. 4:28).

In a free society, it’s easy to assume that the rewards of our labor should be spent on ourselves as we please. But Ephesians provides a unique perspective. The apostle Paul writes,

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28).

While it is a personal decision, the purpose of “honest work with our hands” is so that we might have something to share with those in need. There is no sense of entitlement, no plan for personal spending, nor saving for the purpose of feeling more secure. There is an awareness, and a desire to share with those in need. Some of the happiest retirees I know are those who have found a way to use their time and wealth on others and not themselves. In the words of Albert Einstein,

A life directed chiefly toward the fulfillment of personal desires will sooner or later always lead to bitter disappointment.

I would only add what others have said before me: “True fulfillment only comes through helping others.”

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Why do we struggle with relationships? Five truths found in the Garden of Eden hold the answer

When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, they could not possibly have envisioned what they would unleash on humankind. Death comes in many forms: famine, war, disease, and murder. But their choice also brought a similar disaster to the development of our relationships with each other. Frederick Buecher writes,

Original sin means we all originate out of a sinful world which taints us from the word go. We all tend to make ourselves the center of the universe.”

Whether you were aware of it or not, here are five ways that your relationships are affected by that first sin:

#1: Sin ignites a sense of entitlement that renders serving another obsolete (Gen. 3:5; 2:18).

God had created Eve to be a helper (Gen. 2:18). That’s not meant to be demeaning, even God refers to himself as our “help” in the Scriptures. It does bring with it the idea of serving. Adam, the first husband, was to serve Eve as well (Eph. 5:25). But when Eve chose the fruit, she chose it under the guise that she “would be like God.” Adam ate the fruit under the same assumption. Ever since then, each of us is born with a sense of entitlement. Simply put, entitled people don’t serve; they believe they should be served.

#2: Sin creates a self-centeredness that lacks self-awareness (Gen. 3:6).

Eve thought only of herself when she took the fruit, and Adam, who remembered what it was like to be alone, thought only of himself when he ate. Their self-centeredness in this action is apparent to all except themselves. Imagine if the fruit left a visible stain running down their chins after their first bite. Both Adam and Eve would have been unaware of their own stain, but they would have been able to recognize it on the other. Self-centeredness is the stain that we can’t see in ourselves, but that others see immediately. I am naturally self-centered, as are you, but we lack the awareness to see it. Perhaps that is why we grow so defensive when someone else points it out.

#3: Sin destroys trust in communication – you’ll lack transparency in order to self-protect (Gen. 3:8).

Its’s difficult for us to imagine a walk in the garden with God himself. Yet, that was business as usual for Adam and Eve until their sin occurred. From that point on, they started hiding and most of us have continued the tradition. We’re unlikely to reveal our painful pasts and our innermost thoughts. We often plead the 5th in our closest relationships if we deem the truth too costly. Our desires and motives need no instruction on self-protection; they do it quite naturally.

#4: Sin generates an excuse-making mechanism that restricts your ability to change (Gen. 3:12).

When God asks Adam if he had eaten from the tree that was forbidden, he shifts the blame. Adam responds, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12). The ka-thump, ka-thump you hear after that verse is Adam throwing his wife under the bus. Adam discovers he has an excuse-making mechanism that wasn’t operable prior to the fall of man, but it works very well now. The unfortunate element of this device is that it limits are ability to change. Once our excuses are locked and loaded, we’re able to justify our behavior as it stands. Without genuine repentance, we can stand firm in our actions even though they are wrong.

#5: Sin encourages shortcuts as your best choice (3:5).

God had made Adam and Eve in his image (Gen. 1:27). In many ways, they were far more like him than the animal world that existed around them. Undoubtedly, in those long walks in the garden, they were learning more about him, and his love for them. As they grew, they would become more like him. But Eve held in her hands the fruit and a false promise: she could be like God. The distance from her hand to her mouth was short. The gap between where she was and where God wanted to take her, and her husband, seemed eternally long. Temptation mocks faithful diligence. Eve chose the short-cut.  Sin always makes the shortest path seem the best choice, even when it isn’t. I want my relationships to go the distance. I’m sure you do to. Don’t take the short-cuts; the road less traveled, while arduous, is far better.

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How can I stop worrying about the things I can’t control?

Have you ever struggled with feelings of anxiety and said, “I just feel like everything is out of control?” Chances are your worry is a result of the things that are not simply out of control, but outside of your control. Three circles will bring clarification to how you perceive your circumstances and what you can actually do about it.

The Circle of Control

The inner circle is the circle of control; because it includes the elements over which you are able exercise control and have been given responsibility. You’ll note that it is the smallest circle; there is very little in this life that you and I can actually control. For instance, I can’t control the traffic on my way to work, but I can control my response to that traffic. I can’t control the world’s economy, but I can control my spending and be fiscally responsible. I can’t control the outcome of my children’s choices, but I am able to control the instruction and discipline I give to them while they are under my authority.  God has intentionally made my circle of responsibility the smallest. His Word gives precepts and commands so that I would know what my responsibilities are an could obey him accordingly. As I walk in the Spirit, and not in the flesh, I am able to do everything that is within this circle (Gal. 5:16, Phil. 4:13).

The Circle of Concerned

The middle circle contains the areas that touch my life, but over which I exercise limited control. A friend or a family member who is living a dangerous life style would fall into this category. Hopefully, through the years, my compassion and loyalty have won me the opportunity to speak to him about my concerns. Certainly, I have influence as a friend. Still, I have to remember, I do not ultimately control his choices or the outcome of those choices. He alone is responsible. He, too, has a circle of control.

In the areas where I feel concern, I pray, and look for opportunities to minister. But when I think I can control my friend’s choices, I become manipulative. I use tools like shame or silence. I bribe him by holding our relationship hostage. To avoid this pattern, I remind myself of my responsibilities as found in 2 Timothy.

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will (2 Tm. 2:24-26).

Ultimately, I cannot make my friend change his mind. Only the Spirit of God can bring about repentance. In the areas where I am concerned but cannot control I must learn to trust God. This is why prayer is a valuable replacement for worry. Every time I pray, I am trusting God to do in another’s life what I cannot do.

The Circle of Consumed

Even when I am not manipulative, it is easy to drift from the middle circle into the outer one. Being concerned is only one step away from being consumed. I go to sleep thinking about the situation and wake up with it on my mind. It distracts me from the important conversations around me. It interrupts my relationship with God, and it intrudes upon my relationships with others. This is the circle of worry. I can’t seem to get my mind off the matter at hand. When I am in this circle, it feels like I should be able to come up with a solution if I only worry for a little longer. That is anxiety’s lie. Without realizing it, I have drifted from being concerned to being consumed.

The three circles clarify an inherent danger when we move from the inner circle to the outer. The outer circle does not touch the inner. Which means, when I am worrying about a matter, I cannot fulfill my God-given responsibilities. My time and energies are wasted in the consumed circle and I have nothing left to spend on the areas that I am responsible for. This is why unchecked anxiety often leads to other sins. We’ve depleted the resources that God had given us to fulfill our responsibilities today because we were worrying about tomorrow. Jesus made this case in his Sermon on the Mount when he said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Mat. 6:34).

When something or someone is beginning to consume your mind, the three circles serve as a vivid reminder that you are not fulfilling your responsibilities. Stop obsessing over what you can’t control and give your best efforts to those areas that you can. Be faithful to do what God has asked of you.

. Additional Biblical helps for overcoming anxiety can be found in Safe in the Storm:biblical strategies for overcoming anxiety. *Credit to Dr. Nicolas Ellen for the 3 circle concept of worry.

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How do I slow down my anxious thoughts?

When we’re anxious, it’s hard to be still. We think if we work harder relief from the anxiety will come. But we accomplish one task, only to grow anxious about another. We run faster, only to discover our anxious thoughts were waiting of us at the next destination. We cannot outwork nor outrun our anxious thoughts. This prompted King David to write: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently on him” (Ps. 37:7). Later in the Psalms God speaks in the first person: “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Ps. 46:10). The Bible ties our ability to be still and wait to what God has done and will do.

Corrie Ten Boom was born in the Netherlands. Her family secretly housed Jews during the Holocaust. Their act of courage would be rewarded with sentences to Nazi prison camps.  Corrie and her sister spent years in the prison at Ravensbrück. I’ve walked the stone pavers at Ravensbrück, laid down by the bleeding hands of women and children. Fresh cut flowers now pour forth from the incinerators, where most prisoners left the facility in the form of smoke and ash. While the barracks are no longer there, the footprints of the foundations serve as a memorial to where thousands would spend their final days. It’s hard to imagine living in an environment that must have run rampant with fear and anxiety. Rape and abuse were prevalent; hard labor the only event of the day; death your only escape. Still, this environment would inspire Corrie Ten Boom to write:

Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.

That’s an insightful statement worth reading again. Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear. In the whirling thoughts of worry, it can be difficult to discern what we fear. Our thoughts are too busy. Ultimately, it’s not about your busyness, it’s about God’s faithfulness. It’s not about what you do, it’s about what he’s done. Folk singer Andrew Peterson captures this sentiment in the lyrics of You Can Rest Easy:

You work so hard to wear yourself down,

And you’re running like a rodeo clown.

You’re smiling like you’re scared to death;

You’re out of faith and all out of breath;

You’re so afraid you’ve got nowhere left to go.

Well, you are not alone.

I will always be with you.

You don’t have to work so hard;

You can rest easy.

You don’t have to prove yourself;

You’re already mine.

You don’t have to hide your heart;

I already love you.

I hold it in mine.

You can rest easy.

Safe in the StormTaken from Safe in the Storm: biblical strategies of overcoming anxiety

 

Why do I lose my motivation in living for Christ? These five words tell it all.

The world that you and I pass through daily is fraught with spiritual challenges. In our mundane day-to-day existence, it’s easy to forget that. A friend of mine shared recently that there are five D’s that Satan uses to attack us. The five words are: doubt, discouragement, diversion, defeat and delay.  Here they are with brief definitions, and  a few of my insights.

Doubt – you question God’s Word and God’s goodness.

You’re not alone when you doubt from time to time. It can be hard not to doubt when your circumstances are difficult. But part of God being faithful, means that sometimes we must wait to see his goodness.  And his goodness is not determined by the brevity or length of time we must wait.  Rather, his goodness is inherent in his character. Like the father in Mark 9, sometimes we’ll just need to cry out, “I do believe, help my unbelief.”

Discouragement – you look at your problems rather that at God’s strength.

Whether your problems are internal or external, they can still feel all-consuming. In the Old Testament, one of God’s names was Jehovah Chezeq. It means the Lord is my strength, and that strength, according to the prophet Isaiah, is an everlasting strength (Is. 26:4). When we are discouraged in our weakness, we look to the everlasting strength of the Lord.

Diversion – you focus on the wrong things and begin to see them as attractive.  As you dwell upon them, you end up desiring the wrong things more than the right things.

Most of us are easily distracted. We start a project, but then we’re interrupted.  While the interruption is challenging, the real danger occurs when we begin to allow our mind to think and dwell upon the things that draw us away from the Lord. Each of us has an internal lawyer that will argue for what we think will satisfy our desires, while at the same time justify our sinful thoughts and actions. Dwell on the right things, not the wrong ones.

Defeat – you’ve tried before and failed. Rather than fail again, you choose not to try. None of us like to fail. Professional athletes aren’t rewarded for losing, they’re traded. Often defeat can have a paralyzing effect on a decision to go forward. UCLA’s famous coach, John Wooden, was fond of saying, “

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.

For the Christian, each defeat is an opportunity to walk in humility, and reach for God’s strength the next time.

Delay – you put off doing something, and it never gets done. When I first began writing, a friend of mine told me the story of a fellow pastor who had a great idea for a book, but was always saying, “I’ll get to that one day.” A decade had passed since their first meeting, and my friend commented that the minister was still talking about what he would write one day. My friend asked me, “Do you think he’ll ever do it?” Then he added, “Whatever God is laying on your heart to do, do it today, don’t delay.” I’m forever grateful for his encouragement.

Five D’s that Satan consistently reaches for in his arsenal: doubt, discouragement, diversion, defeat, and delay. But, when we reach for the Lord and his strength, we will find that we are not victims of the 5 D’s, we are victorious over them.

For additional resources by this author visit biblicalstrategies.com.

For an excellent small group study for men by this author visit 4Mtraining.com