Touching Lives is the international broadcast ministry of Dr. James Merritt.
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#Emotional Health
#Self-Control
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#James Merritt
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#Isiaah 46:3-4
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Touching Lives with James Merritt | No Hard Feelings - Worry Free | January 14, 2022
- male announcer: This program is paid for by the friends and
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- partners of "Touching Lives."
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- Welcome to the international broadcast ministry of "Touching
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- Lives with Dr. James Merritt."
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- Here at "Touching Lives," our mission is to touch the lives of
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- the lost and enrich the faith of the found.
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- And now, here is pastor, author, and speaker, Dr. James Merritt.
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- ♪♪♪
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- ♪♪♪
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- ♪♪♪
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- James Merritt: Feelings affect all of us, every one of us.
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- The truth of the matter is emotions play a powerful part in
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- everyone's life.
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- Nobody's immune to it.
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- And that's why we're going to enter into a series that I
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- believe is gonna minister to more people at more times in
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- more ways than maybe any series I could do, and we're calling it
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- "No Hard Feelings."
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- And it's amazing.
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- It just blows me away how much this book, how much God's Word
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- has to say about our feelings.
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- And God shows us in his Word how we can control our feelings
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- instead of letting our feelings control us.
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- Because here's what goes on.
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- When your feelings are controlling you and they ratchet
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- up to earthquake level, it's almost impossible not to let
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- other people know it.
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- When somebody says to you, "You're wearing your feelings on
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- your sleeves," what they're really saying is it's so obvious
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- how you feel, you can't hide it.
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- Everybody knows it.
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- And learning how to handle our emotions is crucial, not just
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- for our emotional health, but our physical health.
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- As I started doing my research on this series, it blew me away
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- to know medically how much the mind and body are linked, and
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- that how you and I feel emotionally can influence how we
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- feel physically.
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- Now, I thought, "Why is that?"
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- Well, here's what we now know.
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- Certain emotions, whether it's anger, depression, bitterness,
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- fear, whatever, they release hormones into the body that can
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- lead to the development of diseases.
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- So researchers now tell us there's a direct connection
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- between the persistence of certain emotions and
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- hypertension, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders,
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- chronic pain syndromes.
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- Research has now linked emotions such as depression to an
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- increase in developing cancer and heart disease.
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- If you deal with anxiety or you deal with fear, there's a direct
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- correlation to irregular heartbeats, irritable bowel
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- syndrome, and tension headaches.
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- So as we begin this series, because I am the pastor, I get
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- to choose which goes first, I'm choosing my Achilles' heel.
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- I'm going to deal with the one today that has been the biggest
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- problem in my life that I've dealt with all of my life.
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- Many of you may be able to relate to it.
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- It's called worry.
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- I'm being very honest.
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- My mother was a worrier and I'm just like my mom.
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- I'm a worrywart.
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- I'll just tell you.
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- I'm a--listen, I get worried when I'm not worried because I
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- think I should be.
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- I just--I'm just a worrier.
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- But that's a common emotion that afflicts more people than just
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- me, because I guarantee you this.
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- If I ask you right now, if I could talk to you watching me
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- right now through this camera, if I could talk to you in this
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- room, and if I were to ask you a question, "What are you
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- worried about?"
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- I guarantee you 99% of you could think of something you're
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- worried about.
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- Maybe a big worry, maybe a little worry, but every one of
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- you'd say, "Yeah, I'm worried about this, or I'm worried
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- about that."
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- Well, fortunately, Jesus had a lot to say about worry.
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- As a matter of fact, in the greatest sermon that's ever been
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- preached in the history of the world, he devoted a big part of
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- that sermon to worry.
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- So if you brought a copy of God's Word or you want to look
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- on in your iPhone, or your pad, or whatever, go to the gospel
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- of Matthew.
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- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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- It's the first Gospel of the New Testament.
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- Go to Matthew chapter 6.
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- Now, before we talk about worry, let
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- me just make one thing very clear 'cause I don't want you to
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- misunderstand what we're talking about.
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- Worry is not concern.
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- Get that down.
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- Worry's not concern.
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- There are certain things we all should always be
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- concerned about.
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- Are you concerned about the spiritual condition of
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- our nation?
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- You better be.
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- Are you concerned about the safety and the welfare of
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- your children?
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- You better be.
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- Are you concerned what your kids are being taught in schools?
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- You should be.
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- Are you could concerned about where our culture seems to be
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- heading further and further away from God?
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- You should be.
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- Are you concerned about saving money for your retirement or for
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- a rainy day?
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- You better be.
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- But there's a difference between concern and worry.
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- It might help you to think of it this way.
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- A worried person sees a problem, but a concerned person solves
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- a problem.
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- If you could possibly solve it, you do it.
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- So Jesus is going to tell us how to conquer this problem
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- of worry.
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- Now, before I get into it, I gotta tell you this.
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- You're gonna see this in almost every message that I preach.
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- Jesus was the master psychiatrist.
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- Jesus was the greatest psychologist.
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- Jesus knew how to pinpoint every emotional problem that we have
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- and Jesus knew exactly what to tell us in how to deal with it.
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- God's Word does it.
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- So this is gonna blow your mind.
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- If you're a worrywart like me, and I am, Jesus said the way to
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- tackle worry and the way to handle worry is simply to do one
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- simple thing.
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- He said make sure that you just take care of three days in
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- your life.
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- If you will take care of three days in your life, you won't
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- have a problem with worry.
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- Here's what those days are: yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
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- That's what he's going to tell us.
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- He said if you just take care of three days, yesterday, today,
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- tomorrow, you won't worry.
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- So we're gonna take those three things.
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- Number one, Jesus said, "Put yesterday's worry in its
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- proper place."
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- Put yesterday's worry in its proper place.
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- Now, three times in this passage in Matthew 6, Jesus repeats
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- three words.
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- Watch them.
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- "Therefore, I tell you--" say that out loud.
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- "So--" "Therefore--" Over and over, "Do not worry, do not
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- worry, do not worry."
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- Now, once is enough, but when Jesus says something three
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- times, what he's saying to you is, "I mean what I say.
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- Do not worry."
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- Well, here's the problem.
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- Some of us worry about yesterday.
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- So they took a biopsy yesterday.
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- You're worried about it.
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- You were involved in a fender bender yesterday.
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- You're worried about it.
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- You made a big mistake at work yesterday and you're worried
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- about it.
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- Here's what Jesus does.
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- Here's what I wanna do.
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- I want you to consider how you can use the past to help you
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- face the present and look to the future.
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- Let me give you just one example.
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- There was a prophet by the name of Isaiah.
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- He was the prophet of the nation of Israel and they were facing
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- dark, terrible days.
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- I mean, things were not going well.
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- They were facing an enemy that was far more powerful than they
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- were, that would eventually defeat them, that would take
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- them into captivity.
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- So both their today and their tomorrow didn't look too great,
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- but listen to these words that he says to them.
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- "Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the
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- people of Israel."
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- Now, what--listen.
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- "You whom I have upheld since your birth, and I have carried
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- since you were born."
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- God said, "Look, from the moment you were conceived in the womb,
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- I took care of you.
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- When you came out of your mother's womb, I took care
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- of you.
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- You wouldn't be here right now if I wasn't taking care of you.
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- When you didn't even know I existed, when you didn't even
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- know my name, when you didn't even know your own name," God
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- said, "I was taking care of you."
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- Then listen to what Isaiah goes on to say in the next verse.
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- "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he who will
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- sustain you.
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- I have made you, I will carry you; I will sustain you and I
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- will rescue you."
- 00:09:24.089 --> 00:09:25.423
- God fast-forwards to the end of life and here's what he says.
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- "Look, before you were born, I took care of you.
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- Now that you're alive, I'm taking care of you.
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- When you come to the end of your life, I'll take care of you."
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- See, our life, your life has two bookends.
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- From the moment you're conceived to the moment you die, God says,
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- "I'll take care of you."
- 00:09:51.182 --> 00:09:52.917
- God said, "Yesterday, I was there.
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- Today, I am here.
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- Tomorrow, I will be there."
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- Because if he hadn't taken care of us today, I wouldn't be
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- talking to you.
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- You wouldn't be listening to me.
- 00:10:06.931 --> 00:10:08.566
- So if you're in a situation right now where you'd say, "But
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- you don't know what I'm facing.
- 00:10:11.002 --> 00:10:12.337
- You don't know what I'm going through," if you're one of those
- 00:10:12.337 --> 00:10:14.039
- situations where you feel like there's an Egyptian army behind
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- you and a Red Sea before you and you're really worried, here's
- 00:10:16.675 --> 00:10:20.445
- the first thing I would say to you.
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- This is the first thing Jesus would say.
- 00:10:21.780 --> 00:10:24.115
- Put yesterday's worry in its proper place.
- 00:10:24.115 --> 00:10:28.386
- What about today?
- 00:10:28.386 --> 00:10:29.988
- Well, Jesus says, "Put today's worry in its proper position."
- 00:10:29.988 --> 00:10:34.826
- Put it in its proper position.
- 00:10:34.826 --> 00:10:36.561
- So now let's go back and focus on the very first thing that
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- Jesus says about worrywarts.
- 00:10:38.663 --> 00:10:39.998
- This is so good.
- 00:10:39.998 --> 00:10:41.366
- He has such a great sight.
- 00:10:41.366 --> 00:10:42.701
- What a counselor he is.
- 00:10:42.701 --> 00:10:44.069
- He says, "Look, therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
- 00:10:44.069 --> 00:10:47.172
- life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
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- you will wear.
- 00:10:51.076 --> 00:10:52.410
- Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?"
- 00:10:52.410 --> 00:10:58.149
- All right, now let's think about this.
- 00:10:58.149 --> 00:10:59.751
- When Jesus is talking about worry, he's always talking
- 00:10:59.751 --> 00:11:03.922
- about today.
- 00:11:03.922 --> 00:11:05.924
- He's not talkin' about yesterday because yesterday is gone.
- 00:11:05.924 --> 00:11:09.861
- He's not talkin' about tomorrow because tomorrow isn't here yet.
- 00:11:09.861 --> 00:11:14.432
- Now, you obviously can worry about yesterday, but you can't
- 00:11:14.432 --> 00:11:19.204
- worry yesterday.
- 00:11:19.204 --> 00:11:21.172
- You can worry about tomorrow, but you can't worry tomorrow.
- 00:11:21.172 --> 00:11:25.210
- You can only worry today.
- 00:11:25.210 --> 00:11:27.445
- So here's the question now Jesus is going to answer.
- 00:11:27.445 --> 00:11:30.715
- Well, why shouldn't I worry today?
- 00:11:30.715 --> 00:11:34.219
- You don't know what I'm going through.
- 00:11:34.219 --> 00:11:36.087
- You don't know what I'm facing.
- 00:11:36.087 --> 00:11:37.889
- You don't know the odds that are against me.
- 00:11:37.889 --> 00:11:39.824
- You don't know how high that Red Sea is.
- 00:11:39.824 --> 00:11:42.127
- You don't know how powerful that Egyptian army is.
- 00:11:42.127 --> 00:11:44.596
- You don't know the hounds I've got trailing me and coming
- 00:11:44.596 --> 00:11:47.065
- after me.
- 00:11:47.065 --> 00:11:48.433
- Why should I not worry today?
- 00:11:48.433 --> 00:11:49.968
- Well, Jesus knew that just saying, "Don't worry," won't
- 00:11:49.968 --> 00:11:53.238
- stop you from worrying.
- 00:11:53.238 --> 00:11:54.572
- As a matter of fact, have you ever had somebody, when you
- 00:11:54.572 --> 00:11:55.940
- say--you know, when somebody says--and I've had this happen
- 00:11:55.940 --> 00:11:58.276
- to me.
- 00:11:58.276 --> 00:11:59.611
- "Man, I'm just so worried about that," and they'll say, "Well,
- 00:11:59.611 --> 00:12:00.979
- just quit worrying."
- 00:12:00.979 --> 00:12:02.313
- You just want to shoot somebody.
- 00:12:02.313 --> 00:12:03.681
- I mean, if it was that easy, you'd quit.
- 00:12:03.681 --> 00:12:05.183
- Well, Jesus knew that.
- 00:12:05.183 --> 00:12:06.551
- He knew just saying, "Don't worry," wasn't going to stop you
- 00:12:06.551 --> 00:12:08.953
- from worrying, so here's what he does.
- 00:12:08.953 --> 00:12:10.355
- He is so unbelievable.
- 00:12:10.355 --> 00:12:12.857
- He doesn't go all Freud.
- 00:12:12.857 --> 00:12:14.526
- He doesn't try to come up with all these abstract reasons why,
- 00:12:14.526 --> 00:12:17.462
- you know, you shouldn't do it.
- 00:12:17.462 --> 00:12:19.364
- He says, "Let me just give you two simple illustrations to
- 00:12:19.364 --> 00:12:23.902
- prove that God will take care of you today."
- 00:12:23.902 --> 00:12:27.639
- You know what he says?
- 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:28.973
- Here's his therapy.
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- You ready?
- 00:12:30.341 --> 00:12:31.676
- He said, "Just look outside your window."
- 00:12:31.676 --> 00:12:34.746
- What?
- 00:12:34.746 --> 00:12:36.114
- Just look outside your window.
- 00:12:36.114 --> 00:12:38.483
- So here's what he says, "Look at the birds of the air; they don't
- 00:12:38.483 --> 00:12:43.221
- sow or reap, store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly
- 00:12:43.221 --> 00:12:46.925
- Father feeds them.
- 00:12:46.925 --> 00:12:48.293
- Are you not much more valuable than they?"
- 00:12:48.293 --> 00:12:52.730
- So here's the question.
- 00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:54.966
- Have you ever seen a worried bird?
- 00:12:54.966 --> 00:12:59.537
- I mean, seriously.
- 00:12:59.537 --> 00:13:02.207
- Did you know this?
- 00:13:02.207 --> 00:13:03.575
- I did my homework, by the way.
- 00:13:03.575 --> 00:13:04.909
- Did you know that in medical history there's never been a
- 00:13:04.909 --> 00:13:09.781
- bird treated for high blood pressure.
- 00:13:09.781 --> 00:13:12.517
- Never.
- 00:13:12.517 --> 00:13:17.055
- No bird's ever died from a stroke.
- 00:13:13.985 --> 00:13:20.325
- No bird's ever died of hypertension.
- 00:13:20.325 --> 00:13:22.961
- I mean, think about it.
- 00:13:22.961 --> 00:13:24.295
- Here's what Jesus is saying.
- 00:13:24.295 --> 00:13:25.663
- You ready for this?
- 00:13:25.663 --> 00:13:26.998
- Jesus is saying, "Worthless-- worry is so worthless, it's not
- 00:13:26.998 --> 00:13:29.634
- even for the birds."
- 00:13:29.634 --> 00:13:31.803
- They don't even worry.
- 00:13:31.803 --> 00:13:35.073
- By the way, when I was studying this, I thought to myself,
- 00:13:35.073 --> 00:13:37.809
- "Jesus, you're so brilliant," but I thought to myself, "Why
- 00:13:37.809 --> 00:13:41.212
- would you, of all the things you could pick on, of all the things
- 00:13:41.212 --> 00:13:43.948
- you could use to illustrate, why did you talk about birds?"
- 00:13:43.948 --> 00:13:47.385
- Well, guess what I learned?
- 00:13:47.385 --> 00:13:48.753
- There's a scientific reason Jesus even knew what he was
- 00:13:48.753 --> 00:13:51.389
- doing when he said, "Hey, let's just take the birds."
- 00:13:51.389 --> 00:13:53.324
- Let me tell you why.
- 00:13:53.324 --> 00:13:54.792
- You know what an ornithologist is, right?
- 00:13:54.792 --> 00:13:56.594
- An ornithologist is somebody who study birds--studies birds.
- 00:13:56.594 --> 00:14:00.798
- All right, by the way, if you're an ornithologist, I know one
- 00:14:00.798 --> 00:14:03.735
- thing about your life.
- 00:14:03.735 --> 00:14:05.069
- You are a boring person, alright?
- 00:14:05.069 --> 00:14:06.471
- But anyway, ornithologists just study birds.
- 00:14:06.471 --> 00:14:09.674
- Now, listen to this.
- 00:14:09.674 --> 00:14:11.009
- This blew my mind.
- 00:14:11.009 --> 00:14:12.844
- Do you know how many species of birds there are in the world?
- 00:14:12.844 --> 00:14:16.581
- There are 18.000 different species of birds in the world.
- 00:14:16.581 --> 00:14:22.720
- Do you don't how many birds there are in the world?
- 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:25.857
- There are over 400 billion birds in the world.
- 00:14:25.857 --> 00:14:30.061
- Now, think about that.
- 00:14:30.061 --> 00:14:31.396
- Here's what that means.
- 00:14:31.396 --> 00:14:32.764
- That means that for every one person on planet earth, there's
- 00:14:32.764 --> 00:14:35.967
- between 40 to 60 birds.
- 00:14:35.967 --> 00:14:39.337
- In other words, if you're into bird watching, if you were to
- 00:14:39.337 --> 00:14:42.273
- see one new species of bird every day, just one, it'd take
- 00:14:42.273 --> 00:14:46.177
- you 50 years to see every species of birds.
- 00:14:46.177 --> 00:14:49.247
- Now, you say, "Why all those stats?"
- 00:14:49.247 --> 00:14:51.449
- I think this is what Jesus was saying.
- 00:14:51.449 --> 00:14:54.686
- If every day of the--that we live, every day, if God can take
- 00:14:54.686 --> 00:15:01.993
- care of 18.000 species of birds, and 400.000 birds, don't you
- 00:15:01.993 --> 00:15:07.899
- think he can take care of you?
- 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.735
- Can I get a witness?
- 00:15:10.735 --> 00:15:12.203
- Don't you think he can take care of you?
- 00:15:12.203 --> 00:15:14.572
- He says, "Look, just look to the birds."
- 00:15:14.572 --> 00:15:17.475
- Well, if you aren't into birds, he said, "Okay, let's
- 00:15:17.475 --> 00:15:19.444
- try flowers."
- 00:15:19.444 --> 00:15:20.778
- So he says this, "Why do you worry about clothes?
- 00:15:20.778 --> 00:15:23.514
- See how the flowers of the field grow.
- 00:15:23.514 --> 00:15:24.983
- They don't labor or spin.
- 00:15:24.983 --> 00:15:26.351
- Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was
- 00:15:26.351 --> 00:15:28.252
- dressed like one of these.
- 00:15:28.252 --> 00:15:30.288
- If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is
- 00:15:30.288 --> 00:15:32.757
- here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he
- 00:15:32.757 --> 00:15:35.159
- not much more clothe you--you of little faith?"
- 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:40.832
- So again, I'm sure most of you have some flowers in your
- 00:15:40.832 --> 00:15:44.769
- yard somewhere.
- 00:15:44.769 --> 00:15:47.071
- Have you ever seen a flower break into a sweat?
- 00:15:47.071 --> 00:15:51.776
- Have you ever seen a flower pacing the flower bed, wondering
- 00:15:51.776 --> 00:15:55.747
- how he's going to be clothed?
- 00:15:55.747 --> 00:15:58.316
- By the way, speaking of flowers, did you know that there are not
- 00:15:58.316 --> 00:16:01.419
- only 90 different species of lilies, no two of them are
- 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:04.389
- exactly alike?
- 00:16:04.389 --> 00:16:05.723
- Did you know that all totaled, would you like to know how many
- 00:16:05.723 --> 00:16:08.393
- different species of flowers there are in the world?
- 00:16:08.393 --> 00:16:10.895
- You ready for this?
- 00:16:10.895 --> 00:16:12.230
- There are 369.000 species of flowers all over the world.
- 00:16:12.230 --> 00:16:18.403
- And what Jesus is saying is, "Listen, if God knows not only
- 00:16:18.403 --> 00:16:23.741
- how to make sure that every flower has just the perfect
- 00:16:23.741 --> 00:16:27.378
- clothes to wear and they all match, don't you think he knows
- 00:16:27.378 --> 00:16:32.717
- how to take care of you?"
- 00:16:32.717 --> 00:16:36.154
- So practically speaking, that raises a question.
- 00:16:36.154 --> 00:16:40.525
- So if I'm wasting all of my time, and I'm wasting all of my
- 00:16:40.525 --> 00:16:44.262
- energy, and I'm wasting all of my emotional vitality on worry,
- 00:16:44.262 --> 00:16:49.233
- what do I need to do to reinvest that in something that
- 00:16:49.233 --> 00:16:52.270
- is productive?
- 00:16:52.270 --> 00:16:53.604
- Jesus says, "I'm glad you asked," and he shares this
- 00:16:53.604 --> 00:16:55.440
- next verse.
- 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:56.808
- "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
- 00:16:56.808 --> 00:17:02.480
- things--" what things?
- 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:03.815
- All the things you're worried about.
- 00:17:03.815 --> 00:17:05.183
- Your mortgage payment, your next paycheck, your job, your health,
- 00:17:05.183 --> 00:17:09.654
- your family.
- 00:17:09.654 --> 00:17:11.022
- "All these things," he said, "will be given to you as well."
- 00:17:11.022 --> 00:17:16.994
- Well, what does that mean to seek first God's kingdom and
- 00:17:16.994 --> 00:17:18.863
- his righteousness?
- 00:17:18.863 --> 00:17:20.198
- What does that mean?
- 00:17:20.198 --> 00:17:21.532
- Here's what it means.
- 00:17:21.532 --> 00:17:22.900
- It simply means you put God above everything else.
- 00:17:22.900 --> 00:17:25.803
- It means you put God above anyone else and you do it
- 00:17:25.803 --> 00:17:28.473
- everywhere all the time.
- 00:17:28.473 --> 00:17:29.807
- 'Cause let me tell you now what worry really is.
- 00:17:29.807 --> 00:17:31.309
- You ready for this?
- 00:17:31.309 --> 00:17:32.643
- This is when you are worried.
- 00:17:32.643 --> 00:17:34.011
- This is when I worry.
- 00:17:34.011 --> 00:17:36.013
- The moment you put anything ahead of God, you'll be worried.
- 00:17:36.013 --> 00:17:40.551
- See, God says--listen, here's what God says, "If you will make
- 00:17:40.551 --> 00:17:44.689
- me your number one priority, if you'll seek my rule over you, if
- 00:17:44.689 --> 00:17:49.260
- you'll surrender to me, if you'll seek to be righteous
- 00:17:49.260 --> 00:17:51.696
- before me, I'll take care of everything else."
- 00:17:51.696 --> 00:17:56.801
- So this is the simple advice Jesus gives us.
- 00:17:56.801 --> 00:17:58.903
- You ready?
- 00:17:58.903 --> 00:18:00.238
- You ready for this?
- 00:18:00.238 --> 00:18:02.140
- God says, "If you'll take care of my business, I'll take care
- 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:07.712
- of yours."
- 00:18:07.712 --> 00:18:09.313
- Isn't that good?
- 00:18:09.313 --> 00:18:10.681
- If you take care of my business, I'll take care of yours.
- 00:18:10.681 --> 00:18:15.186
- Put today's worry in its proper position.
- 00:18:15.186 --> 00:18:19.790
- Put yesterday's worry in its proper place.
- 00:18:19.790 --> 00:18:23.694
- But Jesus isn't finished.
- 00:18:23.694 --> 00:18:26.097
- He says, "Put tomorrow's worry in its proper perspective."
- 00:18:26.097 --> 00:18:30.601
- So he covers it perfectly.
- 00:18:30.601 --> 00:18:32.904
- Here's what he says at the end of the day, "Therefore do not
- 00:18:32.904 --> 00:18:37.808
- worry about tomorrow, for worry will worry--for tomorrow will
- 00:18:37.808 --> 00:18:42.413
- worry about itself.
- 00:18:42.413 --> 00:18:44.515
- Each day has enough trouble on its own."
- 00:18:44.515 --> 00:18:49.854
- There are two days you should never, ever, ever worry about:
- 00:18:49.854 --> 00:18:54.125
- yesterday and tomorrow.
- 00:18:54.125 --> 00:18:57.228
- Never.
- 00:18:57.228 --> 00:18:58.563
- Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never get here.
- 00:18:58.563 --> 00:19:02.466
- Today--yesterday is in your imagination.
- 00:19:02.466 --> 00:19:07.605
- Tomorrow is in your dreams.
- 00:19:07.605 --> 00:19:09.674
- And oh, by the way, can I tell you something?
- 00:19:09.674 --> 00:19:11.442
- You know something interesting?
- 00:19:11.442 --> 00:19:12.777
- You read that book from beginning to end, you want me to
- 00:19:12.777 --> 00:19:14.412
- tell you what you're gonna find?
- 00:19:14.412 --> 00:19:15.913
- God never promises you strength for tomorrow.
- 00:19:15.913 --> 00:19:21.385
- He only promises you strength for today because today is the
- 00:19:21.385 --> 00:19:25.990
- only day you have.
- 00:19:25.990 --> 00:19:29.227
- He said, "Just be focused on today."
- 00:19:29.227 --> 00:19:32.597
- Because he says, "Look, it's got enough trouble of its own."
- 00:19:32.597 --> 00:19:36.133
- By the way, that word "worry," I don't know if you know this
- 00:19:36.133 --> 00:19:37.902
- or not.
- 00:19:37.902 --> 00:19:39.237
- It comes from the old English word "wyrgan," W-Y-R-G-A-N,
- 00:19:39.237 --> 00:19:42.306
- which is kind of related to a German word.
- 00:19:42.306 --> 00:19:44.242
- And you know what the word "worry" literally means?
- 00:19:44.242 --> 00:19:46.143
- It means to strangle.
- 00:19:46.143 --> 00:19:48.746
- Boy, that's such a good word because you know what
- 00:19:48.746 --> 00:19:50.414
- worry does?
- 00:19:50.414 --> 00:19:52.316
- Worry doesn't take the sorrow out of tomorrow, it just chokes
- 00:19:52.316 --> 00:19:56.120
- the joy out of today.
- 00:19:56.120 --> 00:19:58.456
- I'm gonna say that again.
- 00:19:58.456 --> 00:19:59.790
- Worry does not take the sorrow out of tomorrow, it just chokes
- 00:19:59.790 --> 00:20:03.060
- the joy out of today.
- 00:20:03.060 --> 00:20:05.296
- You cannot change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good
- 00:20:05.296 --> 00:20:08.299
- present by worrying about the future.
- 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:10.268
- Mark Twain once said this.
- 00:20:10.268 --> 00:20:12.203
- He said, "I've been through some terrible things in my life, most
- 00:20:12.203 --> 00:20:15.373
- of which never happened."
- 00:20:15.373 --> 00:20:16.707
- Jesus said not only is worry unnecessary, he said
- 00:20:16.707 --> 00:20:20.444
- it's unfruitful.
- 00:20:20.444 --> 00:20:22.413
- Because listen to what he says in verse 27, "Can any of you by
- 00:20:22.413 --> 00:20:26.183
- worrying add a single hour to your life?"
- 00:20:26.183 --> 00:20:32.523
- Here's the dirty little secret about worry.
- 00:20:32.523 --> 00:20:36.227
- Worry never changes anything.
- 00:20:36.227 --> 00:20:41.565
- Worry never makes things better.
- 00:20:41.565 --> 00:20:45.002
- Worry never solved a problem.
- 00:20:45.002 --> 00:20:48.673
- Worry never lifted a burden.
- 00:20:48.673 --> 00:20:51.542
- Worry never answered a question.
- 00:20:51.542 --> 00:20:53.944
- Worry never dried a tear.
- 00:20:53.944 --> 00:20:56.480
- So there are two things you should never worry about.
- 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:59.216
- Write this one down.
- 00:20:59.216 --> 00:21:00.584
- This will be good for you.
- 00:21:00.584 --> 00:21:01.919
- Ready?
- 00:21:01.919 --> 00:21:03.254
- Here's the two things you should never worry about.
- 00:21:03.254 --> 00:21:04.622
- Got it?
- 00:21:04.622 --> 00:21:05.956
- Never worry about things you can't change and never worry
- 00:21:05.956 --> 00:21:07.325
- about things you can.
- 00:21:07.325 --> 00:21:08.659
- Write that down, that's good stuff.
- 00:21:08.659 --> 00:21:11.395
- "Well, I can't change anything about that."
- 00:21:11.395 --> 00:21:13.264
- Then why worry about it?
- 00:21:13.264 --> 00:21:15.433
- "Well, I can change something about that."
- 00:21:15.433 --> 00:21:16.934
- Then quit worrying and change it.
- 00:21:16.934 --> 00:21:19.603
- So don't worry about things you can't change and don't worry of
- 00:21:19.603 --> 00:21:21.672
- things you can.
- 00:21:21.672 --> 00:21:23.040
- If you can change it, do it.
- 00:21:23.040 --> 00:21:29.647
- If you can't change it, drop it.
- 00:21:29.647 --> 00:21:35.219
- Do you understand the mathematics of worry?
- 00:21:35.219 --> 00:21:37.488
- Everybody--I don't know if you learned this in school when you
- 00:21:37.488 --> 00:21:39.924
- learned math.
- 00:21:39.924 --> 00:21:41.258
- Let me teach you the mathematics of worry.
- 00:21:41.258 --> 00:21:44.428
- Worry divides the mind, multiplies misery, subtracts
- 00:21:44.428 --> 00:21:48.899
- from happiness, and adds distress.
- 00:21:48.899 --> 00:21:52.036
- That's all it does.
- 00:21:52.036 --> 00:21:53.404
- That's the mathematics worry.
- 00:21:53.404 --> 00:21:54.739
- It divides the mind, multiplies misery, subtracts from
- 00:21:54.739 --> 00:21:57.241
- happiness, and adds distress.
- 00:21:57.241 --> 00:21:59.343
- You see, if you're ever going to get a handle on worry with the
- 00:21:59.343 --> 00:22:03.881
- hands of faith, not the hands of fear, that means you gotta leave
- 00:22:03.881 --> 00:22:08.052
- tomorrow alone.
- 00:22:08.052 --> 00:22:09.620
- You've got to put the past in the rearview mirror and you
- 00:22:09.620 --> 00:22:11.989
- gotta put tomorrow in the trunk.
- 00:22:11.989 --> 00:22:14.225
- The reason why the calendar gives every day its own number
- 00:22:14.225 --> 00:22:17.194
- it's because you're supposed to live them in the order that God
- 00:22:17.194 --> 00:22:20.030
- has arranged them.
- 00:22:20.030 --> 00:22:22.032
- So God hasn't called you to worry about tomorrow.
- 00:22:22.032 --> 00:22:27.905
- God's called you to live for today.
- 00:22:27.905 --> 00:22:31.609
- These words came from an anonymous person, but they are
- 00:22:31.609 --> 00:22:33.878
- so true, "Better not trouble trouble until trouble troubles
- 00:22:33.878 --> 00:22:38.182
- you, for you only make your trouble double-trouble when
- 00:22:38.182 --> 00:22:40.451
- you do."
- 00:22:40.451 --> 00:22:42.086
- It's true.
- 00:22:42.086 --> 00:22:43.587
- Better not trouble trouble 'til trouble troubles you, for you
- 00:22:43.587 --> 00:22:46.023
- only make your trouble double-trouble when you do.
- 00:22:46.023 --> 00:22:50.928
- I've never seen a gravestone, I've seen a few of 'em.
- 00:22:50.928 --> 00:22:54.298
- I remember I saw one, I think it was up in New York, that said,
- 00:22:54.298 --> 00:22:56.801
- "I told you I was sick."
- 00:22:56.801 --> 00:22:59.870
- But you know, I've never seen a tombstone with these words on
- 00:22:59.870 --> 00:23:02.239
- it, "He died of worry."
- 00:23:02.239 --> 00:23:06.243
- I've never seen death certificate that said, "Cause of
- 00:23:06.243 --> 00:23:08.546
- death: worry."
- 00:23:08.546 --> 00:23:10.848
- And yet how many of us have heard of people or we've known
- 00:23:10.848 --> 00:23:13.684
- people who died from worry.
- 00:23:13.684 --> 00:23:16.754
- Worry takes years off your life.
- 00:23:16.754 --> 00:23:18.389
- It doesn't add life to your years.
- 00:23:18.389 --> 00:23:21.125
- We now know that medically and scientifically that's true.
- 00:23:21.125 --> 00:23:24.562
- So let me just tell you the bottom line of this whole
- 00:23:24.562 --> 00:23:26.564
- message, okay?
- 00:23:26.564 --> 00:23:27.932
- If I could summarize this message, here's what I would
- 00:23:27.932 --> 00:23:29.266
- tell you.
- 00:23:29.266 --> 00:23:30.634
- Do you know what worry really is?
- 00:23:30.634 --> 00:23:33.204
- It's an insult to God.
- 00:23:33.204 --> 00:23:36.373
- Worry is a slap in the face of God.
- 00:23:36.373 --> 00:23:40.311
- Worry is basically telling God, "I know you're a great God and I
- 00:23:40.311 --> 00:23:43.414
- know you can do a lot of things, but you can't handle this one."
- 00:23:43.414 --> 00:23:47.351
- It really is.
- 00:23:47.351 --> 00:23:49.019
- It really is a slap in God's face.
- 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:52.957
- I was reading the other day.
- 00:23:52.957 --> 00:23:54.325
- I'll leave you with this.
- 00:23:54.325 --> 00:23:55.659
- I was reading about how ocean liners are designed.
- 00:23:55.659 --> 00:23:57.661
- This is kind of fascinating.
- 00:23:57.661 --> 00:23:59.630
- Ever since the Titanic, they went to work and said, "We gotta
- 00:23:59.630 --> 00:24:02.166
- do better on ocean liners.
- 00:24:02.166 --> 00:24:03.534
- We don't ever want that to happen again."
- 00:24:03.534 --> 00:24:04.869
- Have you ever noticed we've never had another problem since
- 00:24:04.869 --> 00:24:07.371
- the Titanic sank.
- 00:24:07.371 --> 00:24:09.874
- Well, here's what they done.
- 00:24:09.874 --> 00:24:11.242
- When the whole of a ship is pierced by, you know, a
- 00:24:11.242 --> 00:24:13.577
- collision, the steel doors of the hull can be lowered so only
- 00:24:13.577 --> 00:24:17.681
- a portion of the ship is flooded.
- 00:24:17.681 --> 00:24:20.484
- I thought about that and I thought, "Boy, that's a
- 00:24:20.484 --> 00:24:22.052
- great application."
- 00:24:22.052 --> 00:24:23.387
- So think about this.
- 00:24:23.387 --> 00:24:25.990
- You're sailing along in the ship of your life, and all of a
- 00:24:25.990 --> 00:24:29.193
- sudden without any warning at all, you hit this iceberg of
- 00:24:29.193 --> 00:24:34.565
- trials, and tribulations, and troubles unforeseen.
- 00:24:34.565 --> 00:24:40.471
- Here's what you do.
- 00:24:40.471 --> 00:24:43.274
- Lower the rear hull door of God's goodness
- 00:24:43.274 --> 00:24:46.243
- against yesterday.
- 00:24:46.243 --> 00:24:49.513
- Lower the forward hull door of God's promises against tomorrow.
- 00:24:49.513 --> 00:24:54.585
- And then live safe and dry in the compartment of
- 00:24:54.585 --> 00:24:57.388
- God's grace today.
- 00:24:57.388 --> 00:25:00.524
- male announcer: To watch an extended version of today's
- 00:25:02.059 --> 00:25:03.727
- message from Dr. James Merritt, go to touchinglives.org.
- 00:25:03.727 --> 00:25:09.867
- male announcer: Kick off your 2022 with Dr. James Merritt at
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- the Refresh Bible Conference in Orlando, Florida.
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- This unique event will give you the opportunity to explore the
- 00:25:19.810 --> 00:25:22.713
- Scriptures, and with over 40 years of biblical study,
- 00:25:22.713 --> 00:25:26.150
- Dr. James Merritt as your guide.
- 00:25:26.150 --> 00:25:28.085
- If you have ever wanted to deeply study the Scriptures with
- 00:25:28.085 --> 00:25:30.654
- one of America's most profound and insightful Bible scholars,
- 00:25:30.654 --> 00:25:33.891
- this is your chance.
- 00:25:33.891 --> 00:25:35.859
- Dr. Merritt will use his book, "52 Weeks with Jesus," as the
- 00:25:35.859 --> 00:25:38.762
- basis for this conference and each participant will receive a
- 00:25:38.762 --> 00:25:41.465
- free copy.
- 00:25:41.465 --> 00:25:42.800
- Sessions will include extensive teaching from Dr. Merritt,
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- expanded question and answer time, group interaction,
- 00:25:45.402 --> 00:25:48.372
- and more.
- 00:25:48.372 --> 00:25:49.707
- Reserve your spot today and be ready to start 2022 inspired,
- 00:25:49.707 --> 00:25:53.444
- encouraged, and equipped to represent the good news of Jesus
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- in your circle of influence.
- 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:58.882
- For more information and to reserve your spot today,
- 00:25:58.882 --> 00:26:01.418
- visit touchinglives.org.
- 00:26:01.418 --> 00:26:07.391
- ♪♪♪
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- ♪♪♪
- 00:26:28.979 --> 00:26:42.292
- ♪♪♪
- 00:26:45.629 --> 00:27:06.550
- male announcer: Touching the lives of the lost and enriching
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- the faith of the found.
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- This is "Touching Lives with Dr. James Merritt."
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- This broadcast is made possible by the grace of God and your
- 00:27:18.228 --> 00:27:21.565
- faithful prayers and gifts.
- 00:27:21.565 --> 00:27:27.104
