Cultivating
a Heart after God
A
Carefree Heart
by
Rachelle Crawford
Introduction:
On any given day, we experience anxiety; sometimes it is over the huge
issues of life—loss of a job, divorce, illness, death…planning a wedding, our
children; and sometimes it is over the small things in life---the sink is piled
high with dishes! My haircut is horrible! What will I wear today?
Regardless, every human being experiences anxiety at one time or
another. As we walk with the Lord, we desire to deal with anxiety according to
His will and His way. In this study, we will explore anxiety, how it affects
us, and how we can walk in victory over anxiety.
I.
What is Anxiety?
In 1 Peter
5:5-7, we are admonished to cast all our anxiety on God because He cares for
us:
“You younger men, likewise, be subject
to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, for GOD IS OPPOSED
TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE
HUMBLE. Therefore humble (to make low, bring low; to
bring into a humble condition, reduce to meaner circumstances; to assign a
lower rank or place to; to abase; to have a modest opinion of one's self; to
behave in an unassuming manner; devoid of all haughtiness) yourselves
under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you
at the proper time casting all your anxiety (care, anxiety; to divide, to separate
into parts) on Him, because He cares for
you.”
Casting anxiety
on God is an act of humility.
The Greek word
for anxiety in this passage means to divide; to separate into parts, cut into pieces; to be split into factions.
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines anxiety as:
concern or
solicitude [carefulness] respecting some event, future or uncertain, which
disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness. It expresses
more than uneasiness or disturbance, and even more than trouble or solicitude;
it usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a
suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to
shape our conduct.
Anxiety is a
perplexity of mind; a division or disturbance of the mind. The painful
uneasiness occurs when we forget that “the things which are impossible with men
are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27) We forget the promise of 1 Thes. 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who will
establish you and guard you from the evil one.”
Our mind is
disturbed and in a painful uneasiness because we are afraid of some evil we perceive
coming our way or because we are uncertain of how to handle a situation, we are
fearful that we will come into a place where we cannot control our
circumstances and situation which may create discomfort or pain that we do not
want to experience. What if this happens? What if that happens? We forget the
truth of Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Is. 26:3-4 we
discover the secret to a peaceful mind: “You will keep him in perfect peace (completeness,
soundness, welfare; safety, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment;
peace; friendship; covenant relationship), whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
A mind stayed
on the Lord, our everlasting strength, is a mind at peace.
When we remove
our focus from the Lord and place that focus on our selves—on our own strength,
whether mental or physical—or on our circumstances, our mind becomes divided
between faith in God Who is able and the uncertainty of my own ability to face
whatever comes my way.
David understood the importance of an undivided
heart/mind; a mind united in reverence for God Who is able. In Psalm 86:11
he prays, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will
walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear (stand in awe; revere, honor, respect) Your name.”
The most
common Hebrew word used in Scripture for heart is “leb” or “lebab” which
means:
- midst
(of things) the middle or center of anything;
heart (of man); soul, heart (of man)
- knowledge (which is the illumination of the mind)
- thinking (our ideas, supposings, judgments, intentions, meditations)
- reflection (our consideration of past thoughts, opinions or decisions of
our mind or of past events)
- memory (the area of our heart where past events are retained)
- inclination (those things we are drawn to in our minds)
- resolution (the fixed purpose or determination of the mind)
- determination of will (the faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do
or not to take an action; the aspect of who we are that decides among two
or more objects, paths, or decisions, which we will embrace or pursue)
- conscience (internal self knowledge, or judgment of right and wrong; or
the faculty, power or principle within us, which decides on the lawfulness
or unlawfulness of our own actions and affections and instantly approves
or condemns them; the moral sense)
- As seat of:
§
appetites
(natural desire of pleasure or good; the desire of
gratification; passions directed toward an object)
§
emotions
(the moving of the mind or soul)
§
passions
(zeal or vehement desire; violent agitation or excitement of mind)
§
seat
of courage (bravery;
that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties
with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution)
Therefore,
God calls us to revere Him with every fiber of our being: our mind,
knowledge, thinking, reflection, our understanding, memory, inclination,
resolution, determination of will, conscience, the seat of our appetites, affections, emotions, passions, desires,
sensibilities, intelligence, and courage. Our whole heart!
AD.
What is the fruit of anxiety? Anything
rooted in fear produces rotten fruit. In order to produce rich, godly fruit in
our lives, we must address any and all anxiety.
1.
Walking in anxiety is prideful. Casting
our anxiety on the Lord is an act of humility. Anxiety is an uneasiness of mind that
occurs when we fear evil or an unknown future and we are unsure of how to shape
our conduct to deal with what may come our way. The focus is shifted to “me, I”
and away from the Eternal God Who is “my rock (security) and my fortress and my deliverer (escape); my God, my strength in whom I will trust my buckler, and the horn, of my salvation, and my stronghold.” (Ps. 18:2) When we become our own rock, fortress and
deliverer, we usurp God’s authority as the one true Rock, Fortress, and
Deliverer; we elevate ourselves to the place of the Lord of Psalm 18. We must
surrender control to the One Who holds our breath in His hand and owns all our
ways. (Dan. 5:23)
a.
Humble: the word in the Greek means to
assign a lower rank or place to; to abase; to have a modest opinion of one's
self; to behave in an unassuming manner; devoid of all haughtiness. If we are
walking in a state of anxiety, we are in fear, a state of painful uneasiness because
we have ceased looking to the All-Sufficient One and we have begun to look to
ourselves for answers.
b.
Humility requires us take our eyes off
our circumstances and place them on the One Who is Lord over all of our
circumstances. We must
acknowledge that He is in control, not us.
c.
We are casting our anxiety upon the
Lord because He cares for us! We
must believe this and if we do not, we must renew our minds concerning Who He
is and how He views us. Remember the God of Psalm 91. Psalm
91:1-2, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High (El-Elyon—the sovereign ruler of all
the universe) shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty (Shadday or Shaddai—Most powerful God; the
All-Sufficient One). I will say to
the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God (Elohim--mighty, power;
the Creator), in whom I trust (to
have confidence, to be bold; be secure; to feel safe, be CARELESS) !"
d.
God alone is able to unite a heart to
fear (stand in awe) and trust Him rather than placing one’s
trust in one’s self. In Psalm 86:11, the Psalmist, beseeches the Lord, "Teach me Your way (manner,
habit, way; of course of life (fig.); of moral character (fig.), O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart(inner man, will,
heart, soul, understanding, midst (of things),mind, knowledge, thinking,
reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination (of will),
conscience, heart (of moral character), as seat of appetites, emotions and
passions, as seat of courage) to fear (to revere,
to be afraid, to stand in awe, to honor)
Your name.”
The Psalmist asks the Lord to unite his heart---to bring every area of his
heart, including his mind, into unity to fear Him. This reveals that the heart
can, indeed be divided; most commonly, through the presence of anxiety.
e.
Humility assumes God is in control and
God has His will and our best in His heart. In Mark 12:30, Jesus answers the
scribe, “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind, and with all your strength.'" We learn
here that we have a choice as to whether or not to assume goodwill toward the
Lord in every area of our heart, which includes our mind. When we are divided
in any area of our heart, this leaves room for unbelief and fear.
2.
Anxiety prevents us from being
fruitful. Matt. 13:22, "And
the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry (care; anxiety) of the world and the deceitfulness (concealment or distortion of the truth for
the purpose of misleading) of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
The thorns of anxiety growing in
any area of our heart will obstruct, hinder, and impede Truth; anxiety prevents
the truth from settling into the soil of our heart to take root, grow, and
expand to a flourishing “tree of life” that bears fruit. That’s why Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 4:3, “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among the thorns”
3.
Anxiety causes depression. Proverbs
12:25, "Anxiety (anxious care) in a man's heart (inner man, will, heart, soul, understanding, midst (of things),mind,
knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination
(of will), conscience, heart (of moral character), as seat of appetites,
emotions and passions, as seat of courage) weighs it down (to bow down, to depress), but a good word makes it glad.” When
we are in a state of fear, a painful state of uneasiness, or confusion as to
how to respond in a situation, it creates oppression in that area of our heart
affected by the anxiety. Before I became a Christian I was in a constant state
of anxiety and very much weighed down in my heart. I can’t think of much of
anything that I did not experience anxiety over, from school work to
friendships. I was uneasy about virtually everything that I did not feel I had
control over. Unfortunately, when I became a Christian, this anxiety-stricken
way of life and the heaviness that accompanied it, did not magically disappear.
I controlled my life in order to feel safe. Sadly, I was a dismal failure. It
wasn’t until I began a passionate pursuit to understand Who God is according to
His Word (the Bible), how He views me, and who I am in Him that the anxiety
that had sucked the life from me and weighed me down began to dissipate. It was
not until I began to surrender my heart, daily, to the Lord that I was able to
experience some relief from anxiety. It was strange at first, because anxiety
had become a constant companion; it was familiar and therefore brought a
strange sense of comfort. I remember when I first began to cast my anxiety on
the Lord and when I first began to acknowledge that He cared for me and would
take care of me, I almost felt guilty that I wasn’t worrying because that made
me feel as if I actually cared. Do you hear the “me, me, I, I?” I had to learn
to surrender to the One Who is sovereign over all. The One Who loves me and
would take care of me. As I continued to practice casting my anxiety on God,
anxiety not only became an enemy, but the Lord became my beloved friend.
B.
How do we combat anxiety? 1 Peter 5:8,
“Be sober (to be calm
and collected in spirit; to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect), be vigilant; because Your adversary the devil
walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing
that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
1.
Realize the devil roams around like a
roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
a.
Lions
usually hunt at night when the moon is not visible or at dawn. Ever notice
that anxiety seems most pronounced when you are trying to fall to sleep or
manifests in your dreams? The devil is a bully, and bullies tend to inflict the
most damage when their victim is vulnerable. But take heart! God has promises
apply to each and every one of His children: Psalm 91:5-6 says, “You will not be afraid of the terror by
night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence (deadly
disease; something that is considered harmful, destructive, or
evil) that stalks in darkness…” and Psalm 4:8 declares, “I will both lie down
in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
b.
Lions
have excellent acceleration, but they are unable to chase their prey for long
distances. They stalk their prey; they become
extremely adept at getting very close to the prey they intend to kill. The
ability to hide and intently watch the animal as the lion slinks its way closer
is vital to foraging success. In 1 Peter
5:8 we are admonished to “be sober,
be vigilant,” in other words, we are to take an offensive position against
the enemy. In Ephesians 6:10-18 we are encouraged to be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might, to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand
against the wiles (cunning arts, deceit, trickery) of the devil. We discover
that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against hosts of wickedness
in heavenly places. We are then instructed to put on the full armor of God,
taking up the shield of faith with which we are able to quench the fiery darts
of the evil one and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. In
believing God is Who He says He is according to His Word, and believing His
Word is Truth, we defeat the devil.
c.
When
stalking its prey, the lion changes its posture by lowering its head and body
staying low to the ground while keeping a visual lock on the target prey. Whenever the prey looks away or looks down to
eat, the lion creeps closer, and if the prey is to look in the direction of the
lion, the lion will cease its movement and remain still. This interplay continues until the lion gets
within striking distance. After the lion
has entered the striking distance, it pounces and ends the chase rather
abruptly. Have you ever felt stalked by the enemy and then the next thing you
know, he pounces and you are caught? 1
Peter 5:8 instructs us to be
vigilant. The Greek word used for vigilant means to watch;
give strict attention to, be cautious, active; to take heed lest through
remission some destructive calamity suddenly overtakes you. In other words, we are to take a
defensive position against the enemy. In Ephesians 6 the Apostle Paul
encourages us to stand, having adorned ourselves with the defensive aspects of
the armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and the shield of faith (both
offensive and defensive). Believing God is Who He says He is, believing He
keeps His promises, believing Who we are in Christ, and believing How He views
us is key in defense against the enemy’s lies. Because the only power the enemy has is in a lie. If we choose not
to believe his lies, we walk in the liberty that is ours in Christ. EXAMPLE:
You blow it. You lose your temper, you yell at the kids, you watch something
you shouldn’t have, you said something your shouldn’t have…the list goes on…and
the rest of the day you walk in condemnation. You forget that you serve a God
Who paid the price for your sins and by His blood you are justified before
Him—you forget that if you repent of your sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). As
long as you stay in that condemnation, you are placing yourself on the throne
as your Savior; you are requiring yourself to pay for that sin. That is
pride---just fall upon the Rock and be broken---He already paid the price.
Believe Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who
do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Repentance
is a choice to walk according the Spirit rather than according to the flesh.
Receive God’s forgiveness and move forward in His grace.
2.
Resist the Enemy. 1 Peter 5:9 Verse we
are admonished to resist the devil by standing firm in the faith knowing that
our brothers and sisters in Christ, throughout the world, too are standing
against the schemes of the enemy.
a.
Stand firm in our faith. The
conviction that God exists and is the Creator and ruler of all things, the
provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ---stand firm in
knowing that God is Who He says He is.
b.
Know that we are not alone. A tactic of the enemy is to convince us that we are
the only one who is going through what we are going through, that we are the
only one who is thinking what we are thinking, the only one who is suffering.
We are not alone. God is with us and has promised to never leave us or forsake
us (Heb. 13:5)
c.
Believe God. Daniel 6:3-23—Daniel distinguished himself
above all the governors and satraps because he had an excellent spirit. The
satraps and governors become jealous of Daniel and hatched a plot to have him
executed. So these governors and satraps thronged
before the king, and said thus to him: "King Darius, live forever! In Verses 7-10, we see that all the governors of the kingdom,
the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisers, consulted together to establish a royal
statute and decree that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days except
the king, would be cast into a den of lions. After the decree was signed,
Daniel went home, knelt down and prayed, giving thanks to God, “as was his
custom.” Daniel’s enemies report him to
the king and Daniel is thrown into a den of lions. God miraculously shut the
lions’ mouths, preserving Daniel’s life. Verse 23, “ Then the king was
exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of
the den. So Daniel was taken up out
of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed (to
confirm, to believe in; to trust) in his
God.” Daniel was delivered from the mouths of the lions because he believed
that God is Who He says He is, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield
and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Ps. 18:2)
II.
How do we walk free from anxiety?
A.
Pray with
thanksgiving. Phil. 4:6-8, “Be anxious
(to be troubled with
cares; to seek to promote one’s interests) 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 understanding, will guard (protect
by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the
inhabitants of a besieged city from flight) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever
things are true, whatever things are noble (deserving of honor or respect),
worthy of reverence), whatever things
are just (upright; righteous, and virtuous), whatever things are pure (venerable (excites reverence), sacred;
pure from carnality, chaste, modest),
whatever things are lovely (acceptable, pleasing), whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue (moral
excellence; modesty, purity) and if there
is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
1.
Prayer: talk and listen to God.
2.
Supplication:
seek God’s heart, make requests, and discourse with God.
3.
Thanksgiving:
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definition, the
act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.
4.
Requests
known to God: freely express our hearts’ desire before God.
5.
Peace: the meaning
of this word in the original Greek is: security,
safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things
safe and prosperous); the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation
through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot,
of whatsoever sort that is. Ephesians
2:14 reminds us, “For He Himself is
our peace…”
6.
Heart
guarded by peace: this verse assures us that our heart
will be kept as a military guard keeps watch, either to prevent hostile
invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight. God’s
peace guards against anxiety, fears, and the other fiery darts of the enemy.
His peace also keeps truth safe in our hearts.
B.
Dwell
on Good Things, Philippians 4:8
1. True: sow
the Word of God into your heart! Sow truth concerning Who God is, how He views
us, and who we are in Him.
2. Noble: dwell
on that which is worthy of honor, respect, or reverence. The Lord, first and
foremost!
3. Just: dwell
on that which is upright, righteous, right, and virtuous.
4. Pure: dwell
on those things that excite reverence, that inspire you to worship in purity,
free from offense.
5. Lovely: discover
what is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord and dwell on that.
6. Good Report: think
on those things that are pleasing, happy, and encouraging.
7. Virtuous: take
a virtuous course of thought, feeling, and action. Think on those things that
are of moral excellence; modesty, purity.
8. Praiseworthy: dwell
on anything that is worthy of praise or approval.
C.
Surrender
daily to God’s heart and will.
D.
Receive His
love, mercy, and grace daily.
