I Will Not Be Anxious!: Overcoming the Fear of Abandonment, Part 2

And then finally notice, "He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." So, He meets our spiritual needs.

Yes, we feel inadequate. Yes, we have needs. Yes, we feel like I can't do that. And Jesus says: I am with you always. I am the good shepherd. My sheep hear my voice. Remember that same chapter in John chapter 10? He says that: I am not only the good shepherd, but I came that you might have life, and you might have it abundantly. He's not saying there won't be difficulty and tragedy. He's not going to just take away cancer or car wrecks. He's not going to say there aren't difficulties in the world. What He's saying is we will all go through very challenging times at one point or another. And he's saying: And you'll never go through them alone.

To this day, I still do something every single morning and I'm always disappointed when it's not there.

But my little routine is, I get up early because I like to get up early. It's my special time with the Lord. And so, I put on the coffee, I feed the dog, but when the dog has to go outside, right, and he's my buddy. And so, I go outside and every day I stop and I look up. You know, it's usually around 5:00 or so and the sky is filled with stars. I mean, brilliant, brilliant stars. And I just pause and I think, "The God that made every one of those. The God that spoke those stars into existence, He's my Shepherd. He cares about me. His Spirit lives inside of me. I don't know what His plans are for today, but He knows what's going to happen. He knows who I'm going to meet.

He knows what the challenges are going to be." And, you know, I talked about how important God's Word is? The reason after I feed my dog and get my cup of coffee, that I go find a little special corner for me, and I open this book, not because I need to read four chapters to keep the devil away, but I open this book to say, "Shepherd of my soul, You know all my needs. You know what's coming up today. I am inadequate, I'm sure of that, in and of myself. And so, would You help me?"

And so, this is where I'm reading right now, and I'm reading over here as well. Is there a promise? Is there something to obey? Is there some encouragement? Or is it just enjoying Your presence and being reminded that I matter?" The Lord is not the shepherd. Notice my, my, my, my, my. The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie down. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me. You know, if you want to maybe have a moment that would be helpful, change that first paragraph and just put your name in it. Especially if you're struggling, especially if you're saying, “Oh, brother, you’re telling me you can actually say, ‘I will not worry?’"

I'm not saying that, God is. But you'll worry if you're your shepherd. You'll worry if your job is your shepherd. You'll worry if your circumstances are your shepherd. You'll worry if you're leaning or depending on some person or some group or some account to be your shepherd because none of them can come through 100% of the time. But Jesus would say, how about this, "The Lord is," and put your name in. The Lord Yahweh is Chip's shepherd. Chip shall not be in need. He makes Chip lie down in green pastures. He leads Chip beside quiet waters. He restores Chip's soul. He guides Chip in paths of righteousness. Why? For His name's sake, for His honor.

God is way more committed to you living a life and blessing you and causing your life to go in a way that would honor Him than you are. If you're open, He's just looking for ordinary people with all the fears and inadequacies and anxieties that say, "I just want to do life Your way." And He says, "You don't have to worry, because I will meet, I will provide for all your needs."

The second area where we get inadequate is when evil comes at us, right? There's bad stuff out there. You know, you watch the news. And I, I told Teresa once, you know, we were watching the news and watching the news and, and I said, "You know, we can change stations, but it's the same story every night with just different names. There's lots of evil everywhere. And it can just overwhelm you. And by the way, it's not just outward and physical. There are times where the evil is relational.

There are times, because of where we've ministered and especially some things around the world, the evil has been, actual demonic activity. And some of you have experienced that as well. So, how can you not worry when there are invisible forces trying to take you down, when there's physical forces, when there's whole systems that literally are corrupt? Here's what he says: I will fear no evil because the shepherd protects me from all evil. This phrase, first he says in the shadow of death, literally it's in dark times of crisis, he promises, "I'll be with you" - God's presence. And that's why, yes, there's a Holy Spirit manifestation of His presence, but a big part of God's presence is being in His Word.

When His Word begins to saturate your soul, He says: I'll be with you. He'll bring passages to your mind. He'll bring promises to your mind. There are times where we all get very, very afraid. And he says: I won't worry. I won't be afraid and I won't fear because God will protect me. “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

The rod was for predators. It was sort of a pole and had a little ball on the end. And they got really good at it. So, I mean, David talked about a lion and a bear. They could throw this thing and, I mean, take out big stuff. When he says God's rod, he says, when evil comes at you and it can be a person, it can be demonic activity, he says, your shepherd, Jesus Christ has power and He'll protect you. And then the staff was a, it's long and has a crook at the end. He would tap the sheep or if they fell in a little gully, he would take that and lift them out.

What he's saying is, "God's presence and God's protection and God's direction is going to take me through the evil that's in the world." And as you think about that, I'd like you to ponder what's the evil that you experience in your world? What's going on in your family or what, what are some challenges or issues that cause you to worry and get uptight and be anxious because there is a lot of evil.

And could I just, take a quick aside? You need to guard what you allow in your mind. I stay up on the news in general. I don't watch it anymore. I'm aware of what's happening in the world. I take some time, especially if it's a big news story or big things are happening. I'm going to tell you the way God has made our minds, if you watch lots of news, and you hear how terrible that political party is, or how that other political party is, or all the people that are getting abducted, or all the people that are getting cancer, or what, I mean, you will unconsciously, the research is in, you will start to believe those things will happen to you. And you will begin to act and behave accordingly.

And those actions and those behaviors, will not be strong or courageous. They will be inward, they'll be anxious, and there'll be you being the kind of person that people can't find Jesus because you're just worried and uptight like everybody else. I'm not saying that, you know, we don't stay connected to the world. What I'm saying is a steady diet of the news, a steady diet of how difficult and painful everything is. Here's the deal. Go around the world, millions, hundreds of millions of acts of kindness, love, encouragement, ministries doing things, people being kind to neighbors, none of that makes the news.

And when we live in a world where this one thing that happened this morning is on my news tonight, and now I hear all the evil of all the places of all the world, no one was ever designed to absorb all that.

And so, he says: I will guard you, I will protect you, I will direct you with My presence, with the power of My Spirit, and with My promises. I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Here's what I want you to remember. God does not promise that we're not going to go through things. He promises you'll never go through them alone. He says, "I will fear no evil." Why? Because, “You are with me." Again, application point. Do you experience the presence of God with you?

Now, maybe you read the Bible at some point in the day, but are you practicing the presence of God? Do you find yourself in the car sharing some prayers? Are you, during the day, kind of looking around and, "God, what are you up to?" Are you kind of asking those questions, "Lord, where are You directing me? In other words, the signals can come, but you have to have an antenna up. And if your antenna isn't up, if you're not focusing on God's Word, if you're not kind of asking some questions…

See, God wants you to practice and experience His presence. But can I tell you something what I observe, and I'm fighting it myself? I'll walk into a bank, I'll walk into a restaurant. Or one time, this was crazy, I was in China doing some ministry and it's the largest train station I've ever seen. I bet there are 8 or 10,000 people. And I'm telling you, 98.7% of them were like this on their phone. Where's your focus? Are you present where you're present?

By the way, I look at my phone as well, but can you stick it in your pocket? But to have some time where I don't want a device, I don't want a notification, I want to be able to focus on the person I'm talking to. I want to focus on what happened in my day. I want to process, "God, what are you up to in my life?" Here's the thing, He'll speak; I don't have to worry… that He's with me and I'll be okay.

And then finally he gives us this last picture. And it's the picture of a big battle has occurred and the enemy has been subdued and there's a big banquet of celebration. And he says in the presence of your enemies, in the midst of the battles. He says what? "I am going to prepare a table - a table in the presence of your enemies. You have the victory."

And then he says in this passage, "He anoints his head with oil. If you were in a very fancy dinner in the Old Testament, ancient near Eastern time, [of] course they would wash your feet and then they would have a cup of oil and they would anoint you. And basically, it would be like getting ready for the really big party. And it would have a fragrance and an aroma and it would probably be pretty expensive. Remember when the lady did that for Jesus? And [they] were like, "Don't do that, that costs so much." And he said, "No, you don't understand what she's doing."

This is a picture of your heavenly Father knowing all about you. Knowing the challenges, knowing the struggles. Saying, "I've got the victory. Not only do I have the victory, but I want you to have a life of abundance." And after you're anointed with oil, it says, "My cup overflows."

It's just, in other words, you know some of those places where you go, like the buffets, and you can keep refilling your plate or, you know, you get something to drink, and you look, and the waiter, they keep, they keep refilling it? He says, "It's abundance. I got you covered. I'm for you. I love you. You don't have to worry. And probably the greatest fear most of us have at some stage in your life is, "What happens when I die?" Or if you're a parent, the fears you have for worrying about your child at school or a terrorist attack.

And as he closes out this, he says: There will be tragedies in a fallen world. But I want you to know that I've got you covered now. And I've got you covered forever and ever. Instead of, "When's the other shoe going to drop?” mentality, I wonder if this is going to happen to me? I'm really afraid. I need to be overprotective. I need to be a helicopter parent. I've got to watch this. I got to watch that. We can't do that. We can't do that. Last year we found that if you drink too much coffee you're going to get cancer. Then we found that if you drink more coffee you don't get cancer and …. blah blah blah. Right? You can drive yourself nuts.

Here's what he says, "Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life." God is pursuing you. If you would just stop long enough and not get so distracted, become aware of His presence. Understand His Word will bring new life. Get in relationship with other believers so you do this together and say: God has a great and wonderful plan. I don't have to worry because 90% of it's not going to happen and the other is, I'll never go through it alone.

And if the absolute worst thing that could ever happen happens as a follower of Jesus, “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones.” We don't really think about this, are you ready? This is not all there is. There is a life after this that goes on forever and ever and ever and ever and it is good and it is wonderful for those who've trusted Christ and it is good and it is wonderful for those who walk with Him.

And he says, "In my every day, God wants to bring about good in my life." And we learn from Psalm 15, I need to be positioned and living the kind of life so his blessings can pour in. And then he says, "Even If I die, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." At some point in time, you have to ask, and I have to ask, at a practical level, where's my hope? Is it that my career will be great? Is it that I'm single and I'll finally get married? Well then after I'm married, do we finally have kids? Is it that, all my kids turn out right? It goes on and on and on and on. And those are good desires.

But at some point, you have to say, "My hope is in God. His power, His presence, His promises. And I'm going to be bold and courageous even in the midst of all the chaos that we all see around us, because I don't have to worry. I really don't." The fact of the matter is that we are all sheep. But all of us, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned, everyone, to our own way, but the Lord has laid upon Him, Jesus, the iniquities of us all.

If by chance that you've never received Jesus to be your Shepherd, can I encourage you, turn from your sin, confess to God who is perfect that you don't measure up, that you are inadequate, and that you believe and put your trust on Christ's death and resurrection to pay for your sin and invite Him to come into your life. And I would say to those of us that are followers of Jesus, every sheep needs a shepherd. Are you letting Him shepherd your life? You know, shepherds don't drive the sheep, they lead the sheep. Jesus is saying to you and to me, "Look, here's the way. Here's the way, walk in it. Let Me give you direction. Here's how relationships work. Follow Me. I want to give you what's good. I want relationships to be deep and genuine. I want you to have peace. I don't want you to worry." In the words of what we say to one another, right? Someone's struggling with something and they try, what do we say to them? "You got this."

Can I tell you something? Here's what Jesus is saying to you. He's saying: I got this. You don't have to worry. I got this. You don't have to project because whatever comes into your life, whoever comes into your life, whatever comes into your life, no matter how difficult, how hard, how painful, how evil, I am with you. I will protect you and I'm pursuing you. And in worst case scenario, you will be with Me forever and ever and ever. Jesus wants to be your shepherd, today. I'd like to ask you what would that look like and what's your first baby step to say, "I will not worry. I'm declaring that. Jesus, here's where I'm not letting You be my shepherd. And so, I'm going to take this baby step of submission to believe that what You said is true." And you watch how God will work.