OCTOBER’S  THEME — “SEEING HOLINESS FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”

BEATS FROM YOUR PASTOR’S HEART

DON’T BORROW TROUBLE FROM TOMORROW

Matthew 6:34,  “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Negative thinking does not only drag us backward into yesterday. Sometimes it races ahead of us into tomorrow. “What if this happens?” “What if that doesn’t work?” “What if the report is bad?” “What if I don’t have enough?” “What if things get worse?” Nothing has actually happened yet, but in our minds we have already lived through twenty disasters. We have had conversations that have never taken place, received news that has never arrived, faced problems that do not yet exist, and suffered outcomes that may never happen. Jesus does not tell us to ignore tomorrow or refuse to prepare for it. He tells us not to carry tomorrow before tomorrow gets here. There is a tremendous difference between planning for tomorrow and worrying about tomorrow. Planning takes appropriate action and then trusts God. Worry keeps rehearsing everything that could go wrong after there is nothing more we can do. God gives us strength for today. When we borrow trouble from tomorrow, we are trying to carry tomorrow’s burden with today’s grace. No wonder we become exhausted.

“WHAT IF?” CAN BECOME A TERRIBLE MASTER

Fear specializes in possibilities. It rarely begins by saying, “This definitely will happen.” Instead, it whispers, “But what if?” What if the test comes back badly? What if my child makes the wrong decision? What if the money runs out? What if my marriage does not improve? What if I lose my job? What if something happens to someone I love? The problem is not that we recognize possibilities. Wisdom considers possibilities and makes reasonable preparation. The problem begins when a possibility becomes a mental certainty. We begin feeling the emotions of an event that has never occurred. Our heart races over imaginary conversations. We lose sleep over hypothetical outcomes. We become discouraged about a future we have never entered. Faith does not say, “Nothing difficult will ever happen to me.” Jesus never promised that. Faith says, “I refuse to suffer tomorrow’s trouble before God gives me tomorrow’s grace.” Think about how much emotional energy we have wasted worrying about things that never happened. Looking back over your own life, how many nights have you spent worrying about something that eventually turned out completely differently than you imagined? Fear asks, “What if?” Faith asks, “What has God said?” Do not allow an imagined tomorrow to steal the peace God wants you to experience today.

GOD GIVES GRACE WHEN GRACE IS NEEDED

One reason tomorrow can frighten us is that we imagine facing tomorrow’s difficulty with today’s strength. We look at something that might happen and say, “I could never handle that.” And perhaps you couldn’t handle it today. But if that day ever comes, you will not face it with today’s strength. You will face it with the grace God gives you then. Paul heard the Lord say, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9. God does not normally give us a lifetime supply of grace in advance. He gives us daily grace. Grace for today’s disappointment. Grace for today’s doctor’s appointment. Grace for today’s loneliness. Grace for today’s temptation. Grace for today’s responsibility. And when tomorrow becomes today, there will be fresh grace waiting for you there. Think about everything God has already brought you through. There were days when you said, “I don’t know how I am going to make it through this.” But somehow you did. You discovered strength you did not know you had because it really was not your strength at all. It was God’s grace meeting you at the moment of your need. Whatever tomorrow contains, if you belong to Christ, you will not arrive there alone. The God who is with you today will already be there tomorrow.

TURN “WHAT IF?” INTO “EVEN IF”

One of the most powerful changes we can make in our thinking is learning to replace “What if?” with “Even if.” Fear says, “What if something goes wrong?” Faith answers, “Even if it does, God will still be God.” What if the answer is not what I want? Even if it isn’t, God’s character has not changed. What if the situation does not improve immediately? Even if it doesn’t, His grace will still be sufficient. What if God allows something I do not understand? Even if He does, I will not face it without Him. This is the kind of faith demonstrated by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They believed God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, but they also declared, “But if not…” — Daniel 3:18. Their faith was not dependent upon receiving the outcome they wanted. God could deliver them, but even if He chose another path, He was still worthy of their trust. That is mature faith. It does not demand that God explain everything before we trust Him. It anchors our confidence in who God is rather than in what we hope will happen. The goal is not to convince yourself that nothing bad can ever happen. The goal is to become so convinced of God’s faithfulness that you can say, “Whatever tomorrow brings, Jesus Christ will still be enough.”

Imagine getting up tomorrow morning, pulling a large suitcase out of the closet, filling it until it is almost too heavy to carry, and dragging it everywhere you go. Someone finally asks, “Where are you going?” You answer, “I don’t know.” They ask, “When are you leaving?” You say, “I’m not even sure that I am.” Then why are you carrying the suitcase? That is what worry does. Worry is carrying baggage for a trip God has never told you that you are going to take. We pack that suitcase with “What if the report is bad?” “What if something happens to my family?” “What if I don’t have enough?” “What if everything changes?” Then we drag that heavy suitcase through an otherwise perfectly good day. Some of us are tired not because of what has happened, but because of everything we are afraid might happen. We have been carrying emotional baggage for journeys we may never make and fighting battles that may never occur. Set the suitcase down. If God ever calls you to make that journey, He will give you the grace to make it when you get there.

Jesus did not promise there would never be trouble tomorrow. He said, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Today’s trouble belongs to today. Tomorrow’s trouble belongs to tomorrow. And every day belongs to God. You have enough grace for today. Do not spend today’s strength fighting tomorrow’s imaginary battles. Do what God has placed before you today. Pray about what concerns you. Make whatever wise preparation you can. Then place tomorrow back into the hands of the One who is already there. When your mind says, “What if?” answer, “Even if.” Even if tomorrow is difficult, God will be faithful. Even if the answer is different from what I desire, God will still be good. Even if I am weaker than I thought, His grace will still be sufficient. And even if tomorrow contains something I never expected, I will not enter tomorrow without Jesus. Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow. Trust God with today.

WARFARE PRAYER

Father, in the name of Jesus, deliver my mind from the tyranny of “what if.” I refuse to allow fear to write tomorrow’s story before tomorrow arrives. Guard my thoughts when anxiety begins creating problems that do not yet exist. When fear tries to drag me into tomorrow, bring my heart back into Your presence today. I surrender my family, my health, my finances, my future, my unanswered questions, and every uncertainty into Your hands. I will not build my life around possibilities; I will stand upon Your promises. If tomorrow brings difficulty, Your grace will be there. If tomorrow brings disappointment, Your presence will remain. If tomorrow brings something I never expected, Your hand will still hold me. Teach me to replace “What if?” with “Even if.” Whatever comes, You are still God, Christ is still sufficient, and I am still Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Every time you catch yourself saying “What if?” today, stop and identify exactly what you are afraid might happen. Give that fear specifically to God, bring your mind back to what is actually happening today, and deliberately answer your fear with this declaration: “Even if that happens, I will trust God.” Do not carry tomorrow’s suitcase today. Today’s grace is for today’s journey. Tomorrow’s grace will be waiting when tomorrow comes.

WEDNESDAY’S PRAYER NEEDS

Rose Fuller-Chronic Back Pain

Paula Ferus – Hip Replacement

Britany Smith

Darlene Kelley

Darlene Thaxton

Ginny Ford

Susan Bankston

Kim’s McClain’s Mother & Sister

Rob Davis