Transcript
The Anatomy of Worry
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Hello, and welcome to The Overflow Podcast.
My name is Craig Booker. The title of this
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episode is The Anatomy of Worry. The material
in this episode is inspired by Winning the War
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on Worry by Louie Giglio. Note: I will talk a lot
about mental health, but please note this is not
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a substitute for therapy or mental health care
I am not a counselor or a physician if you need
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help with mental health challenges, please find
a qualified mental health professional, the title
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of this episode is The Anatomy of Worry. In last
week’s episode, we talked about Worry is a Liar. And
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we also talked about Welcome to a New Way of Life
which was kind of the introduction to the book. we
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also talked about the four lies of worry. This
week we’re kind of picking up from there. Louie
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opens this chapter with a story about a time
when him and his wife attended a NASCAR race
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and they were invited because they I
guess his church like owns a record label
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and they have several artists that were going
to NASCAR I think and and singing there or
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maybe performing The National Anthem or something
like that so they got invited to come along and
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while they were there they had the opportunity
to ride in one of the pace cars and so a pace
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car if you’re not familiar with it kind of goes
around the track ahead of all the drivers when
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they’re first starting to kind of get them like
to a certain speed and I think to prevent some
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crashes early on like in the first lap or so and
so they have this opportunity to ride in a pace
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car of course it was before way before the race
where it’s ever going to start but they were going
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to ride in this pace car just as a fun experience
a veteran NASCAR driver that I’ve been driving for
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20 years was was driving them around the track
at well over 100 miles an hour uh Louie’s just
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talking in detail about how he was freaking out
because they were going over 100 mile an hour
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often like a few inches from the wall uh you know
the the curves are really I guess steep angles and
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so he was just talking about how he was freaking
out over the experience initially and so after you
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know he kind of I guess was in the experience a
little bit he realized that this driver had been
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doing this for years and so this driver driving at
100 or so miles per hour was not a big deal to him
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he drives probably at quite a bit faster speeds on
a regular basis you know next to all kinds of cars
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that are inches from each car and so this was not
a big deal for this driver to be driving this fast
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um it basically he was saying this
guy’s an expert and I should trust him
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and so after he realized makes this realization
that this guy is a pro and that he can trust him
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he just kind of lets all those feelings kind of
fade down and he says it was still exciting it
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was still you know he was still trying to reach
for the break uh to kind of slow himself down
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even though he couldn’t uh but he said they ended
up you know finishing the experience and getting
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out of the car and kind of laughing and talking
about how thrilling it was to go through this
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experience he he mentions that they could enjoy
the experience because they weren’t the the person
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in control driving the Nascar driver was this
expert and then he kind of you know transitions
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to talking about like if you’re feeling like
weighed down by feelings of worry it’s most
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likely because you’re trying to control something
or someone that you weren’t designed to control
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uh and he goes on to say this is how or
this is the way worry works it begins with
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a logical thought that we should be concerned
about a certain whatever it is uh and you know
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we think that it’s up to us to be prepared for
whatever might come our way I mean that’s that’s
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our logic when we’re thinking through these things
well it’s reasonable to be concerned about this
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situation it’s reasonable to be prepared or uh
but a lot of times we take it a little too far
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and that’s where we get into worry this is the
introduction to the chapter he then goes into
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talking about how he’s discovered over the years
that there are usually five major themes of worry
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and he said one of these is a dangerous outcome
uh number two would be a threatening confrontation
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three would be some sort of shortage of resources
uh four would be our ability and the five was a
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like a global disaster and so we’ll go into these
a little bit in detail to give some gift some
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context and maybe an example so if we’re looking
at a dangerous outcome you know we may worry about
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a cancer diagnosis maybe for a friend or
family member maybe they get a test done
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and they’re unsure about the results and
they’re going to see the doctor and so
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we’re we’re worried about that situation uh
we may worry about a friend who is traveling
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and we kind of worry about them having an
accident or getting into some kind of accident
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in other areas you know we as kids we may worry
about our parents getting a divorce um so that’s
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what a dangerous outcome is how he describes it so
then the next one is a threatening confrontation
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and maybe you’ve you’ve been in something similar
to this uh maybe you need to talk to your boss
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about a situation and you worry about getting into
argument with your boss it could be that you worry
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about a conversation with your parents turning uh
confrontational like getting aggressive and heated
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um the third area is a shortage of resources and
you know for me this I really relate to this maybe
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you’re worried about losing your job not having
enough being able to provide for your family
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uh you could be concerned about running out of
time on a project maybe at work the next one is
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yeah you worry about our own ability um such as
will I make the cut do they like me do I do good
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enough maybe it’s on a project at work maybe it’s
participating in a softball team and you’re just
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worried that you’re not going to be good enough
for the team or they’re not going to be happy with
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you uh the last area is a global disaster and I
think pretty much the whole world can relate to
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this one because of recent events and it you know
you may be thinking will there be another pandemic
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so we can really relate to that
we know that situation really well
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um we may worry about going to war or will
there be another you know economic crisis
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so these are these five typical areas that he
that he sees that has major themes of worry
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and so he tells this story about when he was a kid
that in school they were going to dissect a worm
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and um probably in a biology class or or similar
class and he was really nervous about dissecting
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this worm and so after this story he he goes into
transitions to how we can dissect our own worry
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and actually put it on the on the table and
really open it up and see what it’s all about
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a story that he goes into is you know if we
look at the story of Adam and Eve in the garden
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and they believed the lies of the enemy which
encapsulated questions like is God good can he
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be trusted uh Louis goes on to say when they
held the fruit in their hands they wanted
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to control their fate they wanted to make
sure that they were in charge or at least
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they had as much Authority and ability as The
God Who had formed them and given them purpose
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then he goes on to say it turned out God wasn’t
trying to keep anything from them with his command
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in fact God was seeking to protect their peaceful
state so what they perceived as God trying to
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control and keep things from them actually was
for their own good uh Louis goes on to say it’s
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one thing to try to make someone doubt God’s
goodness in the midst of the pain and death
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we face on a broken planet but how do you get
someone who lives in Paradise to fall for a lie
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so there’s just this idea that Adam and Eve
were in the best situation possible this is
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how God designed it was the garden where he had
a relationship with them you know there there’s
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basically one rule which was not eating of the
tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil that was
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it that was symbolic in many ways and they wanted
control of their situation he goes on to say it
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says so you should be convinced that he says Hill
he’s speaking of the enemy he’ll be bold enough
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to come after you so if he came after Adam and Eve
in the perfect situation in the garden he’s gonna
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come after us and he goes on to talk about his
plan the enemy’s plan he says this plan will be
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involved a two-pronged attack so first he’ll
attempt to get you to doubt God’s character
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and motives uh second he’ll try to convince you
that life will be better when you are in control
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so if we look at the first lie that God about
God’s character and motives um and we asked
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the question how do we fight the enemy when
he tries to get us to doubt God’s character
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uh so Louis says when we look back at the
cross we see that there’s no doubting the
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fact that God is good and that he can be
trusted says in John 15 13 in the New Living
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Translation it says there is no greater love
than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends
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so prime example of when we’re struggling to trust
God’s character and motives is look to the cross
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looked at he he didn’t have to do that whatsoever
um we as humans screwed things up and God Made A
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Way and left Heaven Sent Jesus to us Jesus left
heaven to come here to Earth to die on our behalf
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so that we could have a way to have a relationship
with him and so when we’re doubting God’s motives
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in our life and our personal situations when it
gets rough we we need to look back at the cross
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and take an honest look back at what Jesus did for
us and that will be our kind of our our guiding
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um event that can really re-center us a second
lie is life will be better when you’re in control
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and Louis again points us back to the cross
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uh he says sin brought death and when we lived
under the banner of death we felt compelled to
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try to control every outcome because if we didn’t
who would one or our need for control was rooted
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in a fear or In Fear And it fueled our anxiety
Romans 8 15. I think he’s just saying that’s
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what he’s referencing there it wasn’t like a
direct quote uh it says we were fed the lie
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that we could become masters of our own fate all
the while our in destination was determined death
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all right Louis goes on to say think of it this
way we are trying to control life that inevitably
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ends in death yet God has stepped into the story
with stunning Grace and upended the power of
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this up into the power of dead maybe it’s supposed
to be death so uh and again that’s referencing
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First Corinthians 15 26-28 it says it was his
plan from the beginning of time acts 4 26-28 uh
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Jesus resurrection put the brakes on our need for
control because he can fully or we can fully trust
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that the one who overcame death hell and the grave
loves us and gives us his Victorious Life to us
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through Jesus Christ he promised to care
for us guide us protect us then he says
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one of the most sobering descriptions of the
victory of Jesus is found in Isaiah 53 4-5
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he says here we read that surely Jesus Took up our
pain and bore our suffering yet we considered him
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punished by God stricken by him and Afflicted
but he was pierced for our transgressions he
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was crushed for our iniquities the punishment
that brought us peace was on him and by his
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wounds we are healed he says Jesus can carry what
is worrying worrying you because he has already
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carried what was meant to kill you so if the heart
of worry is a desire for control how do you change
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and he says you find Peace by surrendering
your need for control to the one who is
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actually in control so you know when we go
through life and we experience rough times
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um we experience loss maybe that’s the loss of an
opportunity a relationship maybe that’s the loss
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of a loved one that passes away um we go through
several experiences like this where we experience
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loss or um some other things in her life and
that leaves us trying to grasp for control
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uh it’s it’s kind of like getting hit by several
punches uh in a boxing match and we’re just trying
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to grasp at the ropes to try to pull ourselves
back up except we tend to go a little bit further
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than that a lot of times all right so it says
scripture says before the mountains were born or
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you brought forth the whole world from Everlasting
to Everlasting you are God Psalms 90 verses 2. in
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Isaiah 46 God’s word reminds us of just how in
control God is it says I am God and there is no
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other I am God and there is no or there is none
like me I make known the end from the beginning
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from ancient times what is still to come I say my
purpose will stand and I will do all that I please
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then Louis goes on to say Surrender Your need to
be in charge trust that his heart for you is good
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place in his hand whatever is causing you to worry
right now believe God is good at being in control
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he also says there is a benefit to being concerned
or preparing for something but the answer lies in
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separating concern or Preparation from worry
because as we’ll find out in the next chapter
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they are two very different things so he
he goes into saying like isn’t there any
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value into being in control in some sort and
he talks about like planning and preparation
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and certainly there is value in being prepared
and having a plan but typically like when we get
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to the stage of worry we’ve taken that way further
than preparation and planning uh we are worrying
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about things that we can’t change that we can have
no impact on um that are out of our control and so
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making a plan is one thing it’s it’s Godly it is
biblical but you know it’s taking that a little
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further uh he shares a prayer here and uh he says
father I Surrender my need to con for control to
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you I humble myself under your kind and righteous
hand believing and trusting that you are able to
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work all things out in ways that glorify you and
that bring me the fruit of the spirit I release
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my heavy burden of needing to be in charge and I
take the freedom your son accomplished for me amen
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discussion question number one was what
are you trying to control right now
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what do you need to relinquish to God number
two write out what is currently worrying you
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then write out a corresponding truth about
the character of God for each concern
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how can you frequently remind yourself
of these truths of God’s character
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number three when you think about the cross
of Jesus what comes to your mind or stirs in
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your heart and four read Isaiah 46 and write out
four truths about the nature and character of God
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that’s all for this episode thank you for
watching if you like the video give us a
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thumbs up and be sure to subscribe so
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Show Notes
Louie opens the chapter with a story about a time he and his wife attended a NASCAR race. While they were there, they had the opportunity to ride around the track in one of the pace cars. They sat in the back while a twenty-year NASCAR veteran driver drove them around the track at well over one hundred miles per hour.
Louie talks in detail about how he was freaking out until he realized this professional driver had been doing this for years. Their prerace drive was nothing out of the ordinary for this driver. At the end of their drive, everyone in the car piled out laughing and talking about how fun it was. They could do this because they weren’t in control. The NASCAR driver was.
If you are feeling weighed down by feelings of worry, it is most likely that you are trying to control something or someone that you were not designed to control.
This is the way worry works. It begins with a logical thought that we should be concerned about XYZ. It is up to us to be prepared for whatever might come our way, right?
5 Major Themes of Worry1
We worry about:
- A dangerous outcome
- A threatening confrontation
- A shortage of resources
- Our ability
- Global Disaster
A Dangerous Outcome
- We may worry about a cancer diagnosis for a friend or family member
- We may worry about a friend who, while traveling has an accident
- We may worry about our parents getting a divorce
A Threatening Confrontation
- Maybe you need to talk to your boss about a situation, and you worry about getting into an argument.
- It could be you worry about a conversation with your parents turning confrontational.
A Shortage of Resources
- Maybe you are worried about losing your job.
- You could be concerned about running out of time for a project.
Our Ability
- Will we make the cut?
- Do they like me?
- Did I do good enough?
Global Disaster
- Will there be another pandemic?
- Are we going to war?
- Will there be an economic crisis?
Dissecting Worry
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
They believed the lies of the Enemy encapsulated in questions like Is God good? Can He be trusted?
“When they held the fruit in their hands, they wanted to control their fate. They wanted to make sure they were in charge–or at least they had as much authority and ability as the God who had formed them and given them purpose.”1
“It turned out God wasn’t trying to keep anything from them with His command. In fact, God was seeking to protect their peaceful state.”1
“It’s one thing to try to make someone doubt God’s goodness in the midst of the pain and death we face on a broken planet. But how do you get someone who lives in Paradise to fall for a lie?”1
“…so you should be convinced that he’ll be bold enough to come after you.”1
His plan will involve a two-pronged attack.
- “…he’ll attempt to get you to doubt God’s character and motives.”1
- “…he’ll try to convince you that life will be better when you are in control…”1
First Lie – God’s character and motives.
So, how do we fight the Enemy when he tries to get us to doubt God’s character?
“When we look back at the cross, we see that there’s no doubting the fact that God is good and that He can be trusted.”1
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13 NLT
Second Lie – Life will be better when you are in control
Again, we should look at the cross.
“Sin brought death. When we lived under the banner of death, we felt compelled to try to control every outcome, because if we didn’t, who would? Our need for control was rooted in fear, and it fueled our anxiety (Romans 8:15). We were fed the lie that we could become masters of our own fate. All the while, our end destination was determined: death.”1
“Think of it this way: we are trying to control life that inevitably ends in death. Yet God has stepped into the story with stunning grace and upended the power of dead, (1 Corinthians 15.26-28). It was His plan from the beginning of time (Acts 4:26-28). Jesus’ resurrection puts the brakes on our need for control because we can fully trust that the One who overcame death, hell, and the grave loves us and gives His victorious life to us through Jesus Christ. He promises to care for us. Guide us. Protect us.”1
“One of the most sobering descriptions of the victory of Jesus is found in Isaiah 53:4-5. Here we read that ‘Surely [Jesus] took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.’”1
“Jesus can carry what is worrying you because He has already carried what was meant to kill you.”1
“So if at the heart of worry is a desire for control, how do you change?”1
“You find peace by surrendering your need for control to the One who is actually in control.”1
“Scripture says: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). In Isaiah 46 God’s Word reminds us of just how in control God is:
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. (vv. 9-10)”1
“Surrender your need to be in charge. Trust that His heart for you is good. Place in His hands whatever is caus. ing you to worry right now. Believe God is good at being in control.”1
“There is a benefit to being concerned or preparing for something. But the answer lies in separating concern or preparation from worry, because as we’ll find out in the next chapter, they are two very different things.”1
Prayer
“Father, I surrender my need for control to You. I humble myself under Your kind and righteous hand, believing and trusting that You are able to work all things out in ways that glorify You and that bring me the fruit of the Spirit. I release my heavy burden of needing to be in charge, and I take the freedom Your Son accomplished for me.”1
Discussion:1
- What are you trying to control right now? What do you need to relinquish to God?
- Write out what is currently worrying you. Then, write out a corresponding truth about the character of God for each concern. How can you frequently remind yourself of these truths of God’s character?
- When you think about the cross of Jesus, what comes to your mind or stirs in your heart?
- Read Isaiah 46 and write out four truths about the nature and character of God.
Sources:
Giglio, L. (2022). Winning the War On Worry – Cultivate a Peaceful Heart and a Confident Mind. Thomas Nelson.
