In this episode of the In Touch Podcast, listeners are invited to explore the profound spiritual guidance offered by Charles Stanley as he delves into the pervasive issue of anxiety. Discover how anxiety acts as a thief in our lives, robbing us of joy and peace, and learn to recognize its root causes, including fear, unbelief, and attempts to control our circumstances. With insightful biblical references, Stanley encourages listeners to find true contentment through a renewed relationship with Christ and the relinquishment of self-reliance.
Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, January 28th. Do you wrestle with feelings of anxiety, restlessness, or worry? Learn about the Bible’s remedy for our desperate feelings in part one of The Key to Contentment.
SPEAKER 02 :
Would you say in a given day that most of your day you experience contentment, or would you say that most of your day you experience anxiety? anxiety is not what God gives us to enjoy. Anxiety is what we bring upon ourselves, and it is an obstacle to our contentment. Now, there are two parts to this message, and today I want to deal with the obstacle to our contentment, and then I want to share with you the key to real contentment, the key to real peace in our life, which God has intended for all of us to enjoy. So I want you to turn, if you will, to Philippians chapter 4. And there are two verses in this passage that oftentimes we’ve read, but so many times we miss the real key to what God is trying to say to us. And in this passage is that key. Paul says, for example, “…be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now, contentment is the ability to cope with the circumstances of life. Contentment is the feeling… that you can cope. Contentment is the sense of sufficiency that you and I find in our sufficiency in Christ Jesus. Whereas anxiety is a state of mind of uneasiness and uncertainty about future conditions anxiety says I’m not in control anxiety says I’m not sure about what is going to happen anxiety is that uneasy restless feeling that uptight feeling that comes as a result of feeling that we no longer control our circumstances now when you think of anxiety and its effect upon your life probably all of us could come up with something that is an indication of what we feel when we suddenly get anxious. But let me say several things about anxiety as far as the nature of it, very practical things that you and I have to deal with. And the first is this, that anxiety is a thief in the life of the believer. That is, anxious moments steal from us moments of joy. Anxious moments steal from us the peace that God intends for us to have. So that no matter what you possess as far as material possessions are concerned, no matter how well things may be going with you today, no matter how well the future or how bright the future may look, if you are anxious, you cannot enjoy your possessions, you cannot enjoy your well-being, and you cannot enjoy the brightness of your future. You cannot enjoy the blessings of God and be anxious at the same time. So, first of all, anxiety is a thief. Secondly, anxiety can become a stronghold in a person’s life. Now, a stronghold is an area within our life in which Satan is able to plant himself in in such a fashion that this thing keeps cropping up in our life and so a stronghold is something that keeps cropping up in our life that after a while becomes so strong we definitely have difficulty dealing with it friend if you’re living in the spirit of anxiety and you feel that a cloud of anxiety just continuously hovers over you remember this More than likely, Satan has so worked in your life to get a foothold and now a stronghold that he’s clouded your life with these unsettled feelings, these uneasy feelings, these foreboding feelings, these feelings that you’re not quite in control. You see, contentment says, I’m able. Contentment says, I am sufficient in the sufficiency of Christ to deal with this circumstance and any and all circumstances that come my way. Contentment is an inner peace, an inner resting, an inner sense of quietness that is undisturbed by outward circumstances. God never intended for us to live on the basis of outward circumstances. So you see, for the believer, our contentment is based upon a person, not upon our circumstances. Anxiety is the result of of looking outwardly for my sense of peace. When you never find it without, you find it within. So anxiety can be a thief in your life. It can become a stronghold. It is also a detriment to your decision-making process. You see, with anxiety, there’s always fear. What does fear do? Unless it is dealt with properly, fear can paralyze. So a person who is anxious says, well, I know I should make a decision. I think on the one hand I should do this. But then when I think about it, I probably should do this. But sometimes I think, no, I should do this. And so what happens is they can’t make a decision. Anxiety paralyzes us from making wise decisions in our life. God never intended for us to live under a cloud of anxiety. Then also, it is a health hazard. When a person is anxious, what happens? Their anxiety tenses up their muscles. Their muscles put pressure on their nerves. and cut off the flow of energy before long, there’s an energy drain in the life of that person. And you and I know that tension and stress built up as a result of anxiety can affect all the major organs of the body. So that anxiety is a health hazard to anyone. Living under the cloud of anxiety is a health hazard. Not only that, it is a sin. Now listen to what Paul said. He says, stop being anxious about anything. The truth is, as a believer, you don’t have any real grounds for being anxious. You see, anxiety is a sin. Anxiety is a sin against God, and it is a sin against their own selves. But not only that, I think as you and I examine this passage here in Philippians, I think we’ll understand something else Paul said now. You see, something else about anxiety you now need to remember. Anxiety breeds self-centeredness. For example… Here’s a person who is very anxious. So what happens? Their anxiety, they begin to share with others. As they begin to share with others their anxiety and the reasons for their anxiety, they get the pity of other people, the compassion of other people, the concern of other people. After a while, do you know what happens to a person who is continuously anxious? After a while, they enjoy the pity. They enjoy the self-pity. They enjoy the attention. They enjoy the visits. They enjoy the listening ear. Listen, sometimes there are people who are anxious, who have a problem with anxiety, who do not want to be delivered because, surely enough, if they were delivered from their anxiety, who would pay them any attention? And so a person who is anxious, self-centered, what’s happened is their whole life is wrapped up in themselves, how do I survive? God, how do I cope? The only way you’re going to learn to cope is to get to the root of the problem. So I want to give you a three-pronged root. Let’s say that there’s one root, but it has three prongs to it. The first one is something that you and I could possibly guess rather easily, and that is fear. Because behind all anxiety is fear. That is the fear of our inability to cope with circumstances, fear of the uncertainty of the unknown, fear of the future, fear of lack of control, fear that things are going to get out of your control and you’re not going to know what to do next. You may not be able to handle it, and so fear paralyzes us and grips us. So most of us would understand that one. But I want to deal with the two major areas of the root cause of our anxiety. And the first one is unbelief. Now, I’m not calling you an unbeliever, but I’m saying this. Let’s say, for example, that all of a sudden something happens in your life, a circumstance develops or erupts, and you suddenly are gripped by fear. What am I going to do about this? Maybe you’ve never dealt with a situation like that before. In our minds, every single one of us would confess that Almighty God is omnipotent. God is capable of doing all things. God can help me. But now watch this. When even though we know the truth, when our emotions of anxiety overwhelm the truth of what we know, what happens is our anxiety level rises. And when it rises, no matter what you know, The anxiety throws you into a state of fear. Now, what is it that causes that? Here’s what causes it. Unbelief is the root cause of all anxiety. And what we’re saying is, how are you going to handle this mess? How are you going to change my circumstances? God, what are you going to do? Let me ask you a question. Is there anything in the Bible that says He’s got to give you the facts? You see, God doesn’t have to tell us how He’s going to deal with our circumstances. The truth is, if I’m really going to live in peace and contentment, there are two things I’ve got to leave to God. Two things I must absolutely leave to God. When and what’s the other one? How. That’s exactly right. When and how I’ve got to leave to God. Do you know what causes anxiety? Even when I know that God can, even when I know He will, the thing that causes anxiety is God. But are you going to do this at the right time? And are you going to do this the way I think it ought to be done? If I’m going to live in contentment, I must separate myself from God’s winds and God’s hows. He is smarter about the winds and the hows than we are. So a major root cause is fear. A major root cause is unbelief. Now… Beneath that, there is a third root cause of our anxiety. What is it? Here’s what it is. It is attempting to play God. You say, what in the world do you mean by that? Haven’t you said to the Lord at times in your life, Father, I want to thank you for taking care of that situation. I think I can handle this one. Right? I think I can handle this one. What we are doing in those moments in our thinking is we’re separating ourselves from God as far as all practical reality in dealing with circumstances because, you see, when we say, well, God, I can handle this, from our viewpoint, it looks like we are capable within ourselves of taking care of the circumstance. So you see, playing God is feeling that we are capable and strong enough and able within ourselves to handle certain circumstances. Then all of a sudden, this circumstance that I had so well packaged over here, so well confined and so well controlled, all of a sudden the whole thing breaks loose, and what happens? It’s out of my control. Anxiety sets in. I can’t understand what’s going to happen, and I become fearful over my future. It’s the little things that we think we can handle that suddenly come out of control and we cannot deal with them. Playing God is the attempt to order my life according to my desire rather than the desire and the will of Almighty God. Apart from me, he says, you can do nothing. So, if you have a problem with anxiety, remember this, it stems from fear. of the future that you may not be able to handle it. From unbelief, not only can you not handle it, but you’re not sure that God either can or will the way you want Him to. And thirdly, that you are playing God in your life. You are dealing with an area over here that you think is one of those little nothings that you can handle. Well, I want to tell you, God isn’t about to allow you to become self-sufficient within yourself. Your circumstances are going to go wrong. in all directions and you’re going to feel yourself incapable of handling what you have faced and you’re going to experience anxiety. Now, that’s the root cause. How do you deal with this anxiety? How do you deal with this obstruction to your peace and your contentment? What is the first step to true genuine contentment? The first step is this. We are born into a position of contentment. We are born into it. It isn’t something you manufacture. We are born into it. Jesus says, except a man be born again, he cannot see nor can he enter the kingdom of God. The first step… to contentment is what? It is a transformation of the inner man. That is, when a person is saved, here’s what happens. Recognizing their inability to deal with their sin, recognizing their inability to deal with their guilt, they recognize that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross is all-sufficient. sacrificial, atoning, death on the cross, was payment for our sin, and the moment I receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior for the forgiveness of my sin, He comes into my life, and the Bible says that Christ becomes our life. So what happens? We have a whole change of nature. Now we have Christ living within us. Now we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. The Spirit of the living God is living in us and through us. Now we have the life of Christ. Now we have an entirely different new nature. Now, my friend, listen to me carefully. If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, I want you to listen to this verse. In the last verse of the 48th chapter of Isaiah… The Bible says there is no peace or contentment. There is no peace or contentment for the wicked, says the Lord. Well, you can just turn over to the 57th chapter of Isaiah in the last verse, and what does it say? There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. Now, somebody says, well, wicked, I can understand that, but I’m not wicked. Let me ask you a question. What does the word wicked mean? Does the word wicked mean a person who… Murders, who lies, steals, cheats, commits adultery. Is that what a wicked person is? Not necessarily. A person may do all of those things, indeed be wicked at heart, but wickedness, my friend, is best described like this. When a person willfully and knowingly rejects, defies God’s right to to forgive him of his sins god’s right of lordship in his life and says no to jesus christ when jesus christ god’s only begotten son came They put a thorn crown on his head. They drove spikes through his hands and his feet. They drove a spear in his side and crucified him. The greatest expression of love in the history of humanity in time past and time future, the greatest expression of love, the only hope of forgiveness, and for a man to say, I want none of that, I want no part of that, I don’t need that, I defy that, I reject that, is far greater wickedness than any of those other things I mentioned. And he says there is no peace for the wicked. Here’s what he’s saying. If you’re not a believer, you will never be able to experience contentment. Now let me show you why. Contentment is the overflow of what God does in the human heart. You may have moments when you do not feel consternation. You may have moments when you do not feel conflict. But you cannot enjoy that inner sense of peace and quiet and rest on an ongoing basis until Jesus Christ becomes your Savior, listen to me, and forgives you of your sins because otherwise you’re living under a lifetime of guilt. You’re living under a load of sin. You’re living under the threat of the judgment of God. You’re living under the threat that the moment you die, you stand before Almighty God and give account for your life. Where in the world would you be? There is absolutely no possibility of genuine contentment for anyone who has deliberately and willfully rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior, their Lord. That is the first step toward contentment. So, here’s what I’m asking you. If you’ve never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I know that you’re not contented. Or you’re trying and you keep amassing things and doing things and experiencing more, trying to fill up what? Trying to fill up that empty void. Trying to do what? Trying to splinter out and to sift out and to spread out your anxiety so fine and so thin that after a while you think you won’t have to deal with it. I want to tell you, my friend, you cannot escape anxiety apart from the person of Jesus Christ. There’s no way. And until you’re willing to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins, until you’re willing to ask Him to come into your life, until you’re willing to surrender yourself to Him, until you’re willing to receive Him as your Savior, your Lord, and your life, you may have moments of fleeting, fleeting happiness, but you will never know what it means to live with wonderful, peaceful, restful contentment. And is that not really what you want? Don’t you really want to know what it means to get up in the morning and say, Thank you, Lord. You’ve got today under control. It’s under absolute control. And I want to thank you for everything that’s going to happen, the way it’s going to happen, the time it’s going to happen, because you are God. And I’m asking you to lay down your imitation, fake, useless, wasteful deity, which will get you nothing but judgment. And to pick up what? Pick up the love and the forgiveness and the joy and the peace that God has to give to anyone and everyone who is willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. That’s the first step. That’s only the first step. Don’t dare miss this next message. When we deal with the details of having trusted Christ as your Savior, how do I grasp this contentment on an ongoing, continuous basis in my life? And the message, my friend, will clear it up. And if you will trust what you’re going to hear, God will free you and release you from the tension, anxiety, and the stress that you live under day by day. And it is yours for the asking.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to The Key to Contentment. If you’d like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
