Time to Quit Fretting

Please read Psalm 37:1-40 Psalm 37:1-9 form comforting thoughts, characterized by exhortations to trust and assurances of victory. David cautions us not to worry about the prosperity of the wicked. He writes: Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. . . . Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way. . . . Do not fret—it only causes harm. (vv. 1, 7-8). The tendency to murmur when the wicked flaunt their wrong doing must be repressed if we are going to develop trust in the Lord. The question is why should our hearts burn with (righteous?) indignation when so much hotter a glow will burn up the cut grass? Let it (the wicked) wave in brief glory, without interference, the scythe and the sunshine will soon make an end of their wicked, miserable lives. Jesus includes this point in the Sermon on the Mount, telling us not to worry about our life, our food and clothing, and the troubles of tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-34). The Lord says calm down! Don’t get all worked up over it! The blessed results of trust and active holiness are stable dwelling in the land, and nourishment that only comes from God. We who take God as our portion will always have a safe place to live. The fact is no man will commit his way to the Lord unless he delights in Him. When we fully commit our ways to His sovereignty we can then find absolute rest in the Lord. For us to delight in the Lord is to possess our hearts delight, and find fulfilled in Him our desires and abiding joys. “Commit your way unto Him” (v. 5), or roll it upon Him, this is the exercise of trust, and, He will do all that is desired. We find in walking with the Lord that faith and trust are two sides of the same coin. As our faith in the Lord grows, so does our trust. We must “walk by faith and not by sight,” for we do not see all that He sees, and we certainly don’t know all that He knows. Our Sovereign Master has it all under His control. David describes the character of the wicked: The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. . . . The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. . . . The wicked borrows and does not repay. . . . The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. (Verses 12, 14, 21, 32. These portions of Scripture sketch in vivid detail the fury of “the wicked” toward “the Just” and the grim retribution that turns their own weapons into agents of the wicked’s self destruction. Their evil is obvious to all, especially God. We can be certain that the wicked have not fooled Him. For in essence He is the One they are sinning against. David contrasts the character of the wicked to the righteous: But the righteous shows mercy and gives. . . . He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed. . . . The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. (Verses 21, 26, 30-31). Silently, the Goodman sits wrapped in his faith. All around are raging, armed foes. Above, the laughter of God rolls thunderous, and from the throne the obedient “day” is winging its flight like an eagle with lightning bolts in its claws. The difference in their characters is sharply defined, and we can rest assured that character is what dictates the outcome of our lives. David shows the end of the wicked: [Evildoers] shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. . . . For evildoers shall be cut off. . . . For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look diligently for his place, but it shall be no more. . . . The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. . . . But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. . . . The descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. . . . I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree, yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. . . . But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. (Verses 2, 9-10, 13, 20, 28, 35-36, 38). Here the destruction of those who plot evil and the vindications of the righteous are contrasted. Those who wait on the Lord are promised the sight of the destruction of the wicked. Divine judgments minister occasion for praise from the purest hearts before the throne of God. We can know for certain that the unrighteous will get what is coming to them. God always gives the correct punishment at exactly the right time. It is out of our hands, so we need not concern ourselves over it. If we were as wise, loving, and all knowing as God, we would mete out the exact punishment, at the exact time, as He will. David proclaims the reward of the upright: He shall give you the desires of your heart. . . He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. . . . But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. . . . But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. . . . Their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. . . . For those who are blessed by Him shall inherit the earth. . . . They are preserved forever. . . . The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever. . . . He shall exalt you to inherit the land. . . . But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. (Verses 4, 6, 9, 11, 18-19, 22, 28-29, 34, 39). If God is on our side, we have nothing to fear from the wicked, and we can look forward to blessings beyond anything we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20)! David explains that we can expect these blessings and rewards, not because we are innately wonderful and good, but because God is faithful: The Lord upholds the righteous. The Lord knows the days of the upright. . . . The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. . . . For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints. . . . The Lord will not leave [the righteous] in [the wicked's] hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. . . . He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him. (Verses 17-18, 23-25, 28, 33, 39-40). The picture in verse 24 is very comforting. David describes God as a Father, holding His child by the hand. The child has just learned to walk and is not very steady. When he stumbles—and he will—he does not fall completely because the Father pulls him back upright. God perfectly fulfills all the obligations He placed on Himself to do on our behalf. This is another reason we have no need to fear or worry. Lastly, David provides us with solutions to this dilemma: Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord. . . . Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. . . . Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. . . . Depart from evil, and do well; and dwell forevermore. . . . Wait on the Lord, and keep His way. . . . Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. (Verses 3-8, 27, 34, 37). Trouble will come into our lives, but God will provide for us a fortress home, and out of it He will save us. These are David's instructions on how we should handle our envy of the wicked man's prosperity: Do good, trust God, and do not worry! If we patiently continue doing the things that God has commanded us to do—focusing on our own character, rather than complaining about another's—the scales of justice will come into their proper balance in God's time. “He makes all things beautiful in His time.” Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Prayer as a Weapon

The last piece of equipment for the successful soldier, and the second offensive weapon, is prayer. It's our only means to communicate with our commander-in-chief. Prayer is the means by which we put on the armor. Prayer is also the power that makes the armor work. Paul states that the Lord wants us to be "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18). Complete knowledge of the enemy and using the best of equipment have no value unless the soldier possesses the energy necessary to face the enemy and use the equipment. Prayer keeps us connected to God's power. People who drift away from God are never prayer warriors. In that sense, the armor offers no help to us unless we are living in a growing love relationship with Jesus Christ. Only as we walk in fellowship with Him do we receive strength and power from Him. Our prayer lives to a large extent define our Christian lives. A good case of this was Joey. He was plagued with anxiety about his two children. He was age thirty-two and worried constantly that one of them would be badly hurt or die. Only two years earlier, he had lost his only other son in an auto accident. After the death of this three-year-old, Joey's concern for his children became an obsession. The fact that one of his children had died two years earlier stoked his concern and turned it in an obsession. As Joey and I prayed together, the Lord brought to his mind the fact that he was believing a lie. The enemy's lie was "God really doesn't care for your son and daughter like you do. If you don't constantly have them in mind and worry about them, one of them might die again, or be severely injured-and it will be all your fault." When that lie was exposed. Joey's mind exploded with affirming Scriptures, such as "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?" (Psalm 27:1). Joey thought about another compelling verse: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). Joey knew these verses applied to his children as well as himself. He realized that he had not been taking to his Father in prayer the need of his children's safety. I reminded him that God, who created them, loves Joey's children-loves them so much that He could not take His eyes off them. Later Joey told me, "That day my life changed. I saw that through prayer I could take my children to the Lord and He would keep them safe in His arms. Each morning I rededicated my two children to the Lord, I asked Him to place a hedge of protection around them, and I have learned to trust Him in a whole new way. Since that day in your office, my anxiety is gone. My children truly belong to the Lord. "Through prayer I'm constantly reminded of this truth that God loves my children." He added. "My wife and I try to be wise stewards of these precious lives the Lord has trusted us with. But thanks to God; He is their protection." Author and speaker Warren Wiersbe has reminded Christians of the importance of wearing all the armor. Concerning the when and how of putting on the Christian armor, he wrote, "My own experience has been that the morning is the best time to put on the armor. After I have given God my body, mind, and will, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me, and then I, by faith, put on the pieces of the armor by prayer." The Strategy of Satan, 1985. I cannot think of a better pattern to follow. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Do We Really Have to Worry

Please read Philippians 4:1-9. Worry is assuming responsibility that does not belong to you. If anybody had an excuse for worrying Paul did. His Christian friends at Philippi were disagreeing with one another. There was division among the believers at Rome. Added to these burdens was the possibility of his own death. Paul did not worry, instead, he took time to explain to us the secret of victory over worry. What is worry? It means to be pulled in different directions. The Old English root means to strangle. Spiritually, worry is wrong thinking and wrong feeling. If we are to conquer worry and experience the secure mind, we must meet the conditions that God has laid down. First, right praying. Paul does not write, pray about it. He is too wise to do that. He uses three words to describe right praying. Prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. When we find ourselves worrying, we must get alone with God and worship Him. Adoration is what is needed. We must see the greatness and majesty of God. The bigger our God the smaller our problems. We must realize that He is big enough to solve our problems. We need to remember that "His ways are not our ways." There is supplication, an earnest sharing of our needs and problems. This leaves no place for half hearted, insincere prayer. It is not a matter of carnal energy but of spiritual intensity. There is appreciation, that is giving thanks to God. The Father enjoys hearing His children say thank you. Ten lepers were healed and one came back to say thanks. The percentage is no higher today. We must talk with God about everything that concerns us and Him. This is a major step toward victory over worry. Remember Daniel, he spent the night with the lions in peace when the King could not sleep. The first condition for victory over worry is right praying. Second, we must think right. Peace involves the heart and the mind. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isa. 26:3). Paul spells out in detail the things we ought to think about. We must think about whatever is true. Less than 10% of things people worry about are legitimate. Satan is a liar. He wants to corrupt our mind. The Holy Spirit controls our minds through truth. Whatever is honest and just. This means worthy of respect. We are not to let dishonorable things control our thoughts. Whatever is pure, lovely and of good report. Pure refers to moral purity. Lovely, is that which is beautiful and attractive. This is speaking of the Lord Jesus. Of good report means worth talking about. Whatever possesses virtue and praise, that which motivates us to do better. It will be worth commending to others. Right thinking is the result of daily meditation on the Word of God. Third, right living. We cannot separate outward action and inward attitude. Sin always results in unrest, and purity ought to result in peace. Paul balances four activities "Learned and received" and Heard and seen." It is one thing to learn truth. It is quite another to receive it inwardly and make it a part of your inner man. Facts are never enough, we must also have truth in the heart. Paul not only taught the Word but he lived it. We must learn the Word, receive it, hear it and do it. The peace of God is one test of whether or not we are in the will of God (Col. 3:15). If we walk with the Lord, then the peace of God exercises its influence over our hearts. When we disobey, we lose that peace. There is no need to worry, for worry is sin. With the peace of God to guard you and the God of peace to guide you, why worry? Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Anxiety and Prayer

We are living in a time of economic instability that I have not experienced in my lifetime. I visit with people daily who are genuinely anxious and fearful about the future. The Lord has some great encouragement for those who fear the future. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7). When Paul set forth the marks of a spiritual Christian he used words like joy, prayer, thanksgiving, peace. Such lives are further marked by gentle forbearance and no anxiety. We live in a post-Christian, postmodern world, which has generally lost its bearings because it has almost totally abandoned its God. Its in this culture that we have the key to effective evangelism. Our world is characterized by fear rather than joy and peace. We as believers should be characterized by joy. And as we are living out true peace and joy by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the privilege to point others to the source of this peace and joy. How can we live free of anxiety? We do so because the Lord is near. He indwells us by the Holy Spirit who turns our present circumstances into joy and peace. Have you noticed the Disciples experienced times of anxiety. They weathered more than one storm. However whenever Jesus showed up, their life circumstances came under the power of the Lord. He has the authority to say "Peace be still." The Spirit who indwells us also prompts our prayers and Thanksgiving. He teaches us to trust, pray and give thanks. Prayer and thanksgiving set up a guard (garrison) around our hearts and minds. This enables us to gaze on our Savior and only glance at our troubles. Why worry when you can pray is not a trite saying, its a biblical truth. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.