Finding Contentment: Trusting God's Promises Over Anxiety

Devotional

Day 1: Transforming Feelings Through Divine Assurance

Our feelings of anxiety and the love for money can be transformed by deeply believing in God's promise to never leave us. This belief shifts our focus from earthly securities to divine assurance, fostering genuine contentment. When we internalize the promise that God will never forsake us, we begin to see our circumstances through a lens of faith rather than fear. This transformation is not just about changing our actions but about allowing God's truth to reshape our emotions and desires. By trusting in His unchanging presence, we find a peace that transcends our understanding and a contentment that is not dependent on material wealth. [04:02]

Hebrews 13:5-6 (ESV): "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'"

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle with anxiety or the love of money? How can you remind yourself of God's promise to never leave you today?

Day 2: The Power of Proclamation

Actively proclaiming God's promises to ourselves is a vital practice. By saying, "The Lord is my helper," we reinforce our faith and diminish the power of fear and anxiety in our lives. This practice of self-proclamation is not merely a mental exercise but a spiritual discipline that aligns our hearts with God's truth. When we speak His promises over our lives, we are reminded of His faithfulness and our identity as His children. This proclamation empowers us to face challenges with confidence, knowing that we are not alone and that God is our ever-present help in times of trouble. [05:34]

Psalm 118:6-7 (ESV): "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me."

Reflection: What specific promise of God can you proclaim over your life today to combat fear and anxiety? How can you make this a daily habit?

Day 3: Freedom from Fear and Covetousness

Understanding that man cannot ultimately ruin us liberates us from fear and the craving for money. This freedom is rooted in the assurance that God is always working for our good. When we grasp this truth, we are no longer enslaved by the fear of human threats or the relentless pursuit of wealth as a means of security. Instead, we find our security in God's unchanging nature and His commitment to our well-being. This liberation allows us to live with a sense of peace and purpose, knowing that our lives are in the hands of a loving and sovereign God. [08:33]

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV): "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Reflection: In what ways have you allowed fear or the love of money to control your decisions? How can you trust in God's protection and provision today?

Day 4: Contentment as a Byproduct of Faith

True contentment arises when we trust in God's presence and provision. This trust frees us from the relentless pursuit of wealth as a means of security. When we place our faith in God's promises, we experience a deep sense of satisfaction that is not dependent on our circumstances. This contentment is a byproduct of a heart that is anchored in the assurance of God's love and faithfulness. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we learn to rely on His provision and find joy in His presence, regardless of our material possessions. [09:31]

1 Timothy 6:6-8 (ESV): "But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to find contentment? How can you practice trusting in God's provision today?

Day 5: Preaching to Ourselves

Regularly reminding ourselves of God's promises is crucial for spiritual growth. By preaching these truths to our hearts, we cultivate a mindset of faith and contentment. This practice involves intentionally speaking God's Word over our lives and allowing it to shape our thoughts and actions. As we preach to ourselves, we reinforce our identity in Christ and our dependence on His grace. This ongoing dialogue with God's truth helps us to remain steadfast in our faith and to experience the peace and joy that come from living in alignment with His will. [10:11]

Colossians 3:16 (ESV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Reflection: How can you incorporate the practice of preaching God's promises to yourself into your daily routine? What specific promise will you focus on this week?

Sermon Summary

In today's reflection, we delve into the profound struggle many of us face with anxiety, fear, and the love of money. Hebrews 13:5-6 offers a powerful antidote to these challenges by urging us to keep our lives free from the love of money and to be content with what we have. This is not merely a command to change our actions but a call to transform our feelings, which can often seem beyond our control. The text provides a divine promise as the foundation for this transformation: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." This promise, originally given to Joshua, is applicable to us as believers because all of God's promises are affirmed in Jesus Christ.

The key to overcoming our anxieties and misplaced affections lies in believing and internalizing this promise. When we truly grasp that God is our ever-present helper, we can confidently declare, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" This confidence is not just a mental assent but a heartfelt assurance that liberates us from the fear of human threats and the craving for money as a false security. By preaching this truth to ourselves, we align our hearts with God's promises, leading to genuine contentment and freedom from the love of money.

This journey requires active engagement with God's Word, believing His promises, and speaking them into our lives. It's about moving from a place of passive hope to active proclamation, allowing God's truth to reshape our emotions and desires. As we do this, we find that our security is not in our possessions or circumstances but in the unchanging presence of God, who is our ultimate helper and provider.

Key Takeaways

1. Transforming Feelings Through God's Promises: Our feelings of anxiety and love for money can be transformed by deeply believing in God's promise to never leave us. This belief shifts our focus from earthly securities to divine assurance, fostering genuine contentment. [04:02]
2. The Power of Proclamation: Actively proclaiming God's promises to ourselves is a vital practice. By saying, "The Lord is my helper," we reinforce our faith and diminish the power of fear and anxiety in our lives. [05:34]
3. Freedom from Fear and Covetousness: Understanding that man cannot ultimately ruin us liberates us from fear and the craving for money. This freedom is rooted in the assurance that God is always working for our good. [08:33]
4. Contentment as a Byproduct of Faith: True contentment arises when we trust in God's presence and provision. This trust frees us from the relentless pursuit of wealth as a means of security. [09:31]
5. Preaching to Ourselves: Regularly reminding ourselves of God's promises is crucial for spiritual growth. By preaching these truths to our hearts, we cultivate a mindset of faith and contentment. [10:11]
** [10:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:27] - Introduction to Anxiety and Money
[00:54] - The Challenge of Controlling Feelings
[01:37] - Command to Be Free from Love of Money
[02:20] - Contentment Amidst Financial Uncertainty
[02:57] - The Biblical Basis for Contentment
[03:19] - God's Promise to Never Leave Us
[04:02] - Applying Joshua's Promise to Believers
[04:54] - Confidence in God's Help
[05:34] - The Importance of Self-Proclamation
[06:01] - Believing and Speaking God's Promises
[06:35] - Assembling the Pieces of Faith
[07:44] - Assurance Against Human Ruin
[08:59] - Freedom from Money's Grip
[09:31] - Experiencing True Contentment

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Hebrews 13:5-6
- Joshua 1:5
- 2 Corinthians 1:20

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Observation Questions:

What does Hebrews 13:5-6 instruct us to do regarding our relationship with money and contentment? How does this relate to our feelings of anxiety and fear? [01:37]
In the sermon, how is the promise "I will never leave you nor forsake you" from Joshua 1:5 applied to believers today? [04:02]
According to the sermon, what role does proclaiming "The Lord is my helper" play in overcoming fear and anxiety? [05:34]
How does the sermon describe the relationship between God's promises and our emotional responses, such as contentment and freedom from fear? [06:01]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the promise of God's presence in Hebrews 13:5-6 provide a foundation for contentment and freedom from the love of money? What does this suggest about the nature of true security? [04:54]
The sermon suggests that proclaiming God's promises to ourselves is crucial. Why might this practice be necessary for internalizing and believing these promises? [06:35]
In what ways does the assurance that "man cannot ultimately ruin us" change our perspective on fear and anxiety? How does this assurance relate to our trust in God's goodness? [08:33]
How does the sermon explain the connection between believing God's promises and experiencing emotional transformation, such as moving from anxiety to contentment? [09:31]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on your current relationship with money. Are there areas where you find yourself craving financial security over trusting in God's provision? How can you begin to shift your focus? [01:37]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of proclaiming God's promises. What specific promise from God can you start proclaiming to yourself daily to combat fear and anxiety? [05:34]
Consider a situation where you feel anxious or fearful. How can the assurance that "The Lord is my helper" change your approach to this situation? [05:09]
Identify a recent moment when you felt discontent. How might believing in God's promise to never leave you transform your feelings in similar situations? [04:54]
The sermon suggests that man cannot ultimately ruin us. How does this perspective influence the way you handle criticism or opposition from others? [08:33]
Think about a time when you relied on material possessions for security. How can you begin to find contentment in God's presence instead? [09:31]
What practical steps can you take this week to remind yourself of God's promises and preach them to your heart, especially in moments of doubt or fear? [10:11]

Sermon Clips

Keep your life free from the love of money well love here is a feeling there's not a commitment to money this is this is a craving of money this is a passion for money this is covetousness and and desire and longing it's this is craving money as a means of security as we'll see keep your life free from that so how do you obey man to be free from a feeling and to put it positively be content with what you have and contentment is of is a feeling so it's a command to have a certain feeling namely peace and contentment. [00:01:37]

What does Hebrews show us is the means by which God expects these commands to to feel and not to feel be obeyed and the answer is right here in this word for so keep your life free from the love of money don't and be content with what you have for here's the reason here's how I can happen here's the basis and if we say it doesn't work for me then we should not give up the the Bible is God's Word if it if it gives reasons for why we should not love and be on discontent then we shouldn't give up until we pursue and experience what it tells us to experience. [00:02:57]

He has said and then he quotes Joshua 1:5 where God says to Joshua I'll never leave you and I'll never forsake you and he has no problem with us Christians applying that to ourselves because in 2nd Corinthians 1:20 it says all the promises of God are yes in Jesus and in Roman 8:32 it says that he who did not spare his son but gave him up for us all will he not with him freely give us all things and so if he's bought us at the price of his son's blood then surely a promise made to mere mere Joshua would be applied to the very children the blood-bought children of God. [00:03:19]

This is my promise as a Christian even though it was made in Joshua 1:5 to Joshua God says I'll never leave you or forsake you that's the ground for not loving money and and being content and then he he shows how it works here's what you can here's what you can say here's what you can confidently that's a feeling so now you have a because you've you've heard this promise I'll never leave you I'll never forsake you you say confidently now why didn't he just say so we believe or we trust this promise and the Lord now now we know the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me man can't ruin me at all. [00:04:54]

Instead he goes ahead and says say he so we can confidently say and do you think it's over doing it - to say he expects us to preach to ourselves here in other words yes this assumes believe you have to believe this promise I'll never leave you or forsake you for any of these emotional effects to come but believing is is so elusive at times I have read the Bible so many times and I've I've even cried out to God for freedom from anxiety at times and I and I get up and I walk away from my prayer kind of feeling well I hope that happens to me instead of saying no say those promises believe those promises right exert your mind to put your hope in those promises and maybe saying it is one of God's appointed means. [00:05:34]

Let's put the pieces together we've got we've got a bunch of pieces here we've got the promise of God has what color should we use we've got the promise of God here and we've got there for the Lord is my helper here and therefore we've got the assurance that man can't ruin us here and therefore we are not going to be afraid here and therefore we are going to be free from the craving of the love of money as our security and therefore we're going to be be content. [00:06:35]

God's promised presence and then two is the Lord is my helper and he he draws that out from the presence he assumes from the context of Joshua that to say I'm with you means I'm your helper so we know he's our helper and he won't ever leave us and so man can't ruin us and I draw that out from this statement what can man do to me what can man do to me that's a rhetorical question that assumes an answer nothing well he can kill you and he can cause the take away your money can steal things but he can't he can't ultimately ruin you God is always going to never let anything happen to you but what he considers good for you so no ruin coming from man therefore I won't we won't fear. [00:07:44]

Therefore not fearing we are freed from love the craving for money as the ground of our security we have a wonderful freedom from that now and six therefore I enjoy contentment now right here right there is a different color right here is the key isn't it because that's where the four happened or the therefore God's promised presence is promised to me let's get rid of that therefore all of these happen if I believe that promise and say say these things and so I would call all of your attention to God's promise presence believe that say it preach it to yourself he's my helper man can't ruin me I won't be afraid I am free from the love of money I now know contentment that's how you obey a command to feel in the Bible. [00:08:59]

The Bible says don't be it says be content not anxious with what you have and don't love money in such a way that you are craving it in a way that ruins your contentment. [00:02:20]

The answer is right here in this word for so keep your life free from the love of money don't and be content with what you have for here's the reason here's how I can happen here's the basis and if we say it doesn't work for me then we should not give up the the Bible is God's Word if it if it gives reasons for why we should not love and be on discontent then we shouldn't give up until we pursue and experience what it tells us to experience. [00:02:57]

He has said and then he quotes Joshua 1:5 where God says to Joshua I'll never leave you and I'll never forsake you and he has no problem with us Christians applying that to ourselves because in 2nd Corinthians 1:20 it says all the promises of God are yes in Jesus and in Roman 8:32 it says that he who did not spare his son but gave him up for us all will he not with him freely give us all things and so if he's bought us at the price of his son's blood then surely a promise made to mere mere Joshua would be applied to the very children the blood-bought children of God. [00:03:19]

This is my promise as a Christian even though it was made in Joshua 1:5 to Joshua God says I'll never leave you or forsake you that's the ground for not loving money and and being content and then he he shows how it works here's what you can here's what you can say here's what you can confidently that's a feeling so now you have a because you've you've heard this promise I'll never leave you I'll never forsake you you say confidently now why didn't he just say so we believe or we trust this promise and the Lord now now we know the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me man can't ruin me at all. [00:04:54]

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Finding Contentment: Trusting God's Promises Over Anxiety

Devotional

Day 1: Transforming Feelings Through Divine Assurance

Day 2: The Power of Proclamation

Day 3: Freedom from Fear and Covetousness

Day 4: Contentment as a Byproduct of Faith

Day 5: Preaching to Ourselves

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Finding Contentment: Trusting God's Promises Over Anxiety

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