worry

December 23, 2024

by Zeke Flores It needles you, pokes you, deflates you, and distracts you. It causes more questions than answers because you spend more time discouraged about the obstacle than looking for a solution around it. It makes you expend wheel-spinning energy that, in the end, makes no progress. Then, it makes you want to give…

The Things I Can Control

July 2, 2023

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-Things-I-Can-Control.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 6:25-34 I. People spend a lot of anxious time over things that are really out of their control A. A lot of teenagers worry about how tall they will be as an adult – Matthew 6:27 B. Older adults begin to worry whether gray hairs are appearing – Matthew 5:36…

Beyond Our Strength

June 21, 2022

by Doy Moyer There’s a principle Paul expresses in II Corinthians 1:8-11 that we need to learn well. We may feel overwhelmed by what is going on. We may feel in despair about many things. We may see that things are happening that are “beyond our strength.” What, then, is the lesson to learn? Here…

Do I have a reprobate mind?

December 5, 2020

Question: Hi, I have a few questions I hope you can answer. I will give you some background information first. My family went to a Nazarene church where I was saved and baptized around age 11 along with my sister. My parents left that church after my sister was removed from our home due to…

I’m worried about selling my soul

July 4, 2020

Question: I have a question for you. Over the past couple of weeks I have these thoughts that keep coming into my mind about selling my soul. I would never do that because I love Jesus and I want to live through him. Yesterday, I had these thoughts and said “Nobody will never sell their…

Don’t Pile on Trouble

April 13, 2020

by Terry Wane Benton Sufficient for today is its own trouble (Matthew 6:34). Deal one day at a time. Don’t fill your day with more than is necessary. Trying to carry worries about today and tomorrow is too much stress for today. Deal with one day at a time. One foot in front of the other,…

I Quit!

March 1, 2020

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/I-Quit.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Mark 10:35-45 I. We’ve all seen people frustrated with a task. “I quit!” they yell as they storm off. A. Funny thing … Do you remember who it was? Neither does anyone else. B. However, there are times I ought to quit. 1. I can allow myself to get into a rut.…

What does it mean to give your problems to the Lord?

March 13, 2017

Question: What does it mean to give your problems to the Lord? Does it come down to the fact that things on earth are temporary and we should be looking at the bigger picture? Answer: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your…

Worry, Worry, Worry

December 28, 2016

by Joshua V. Best Everyone knows the signs: sleepless nights, sick stomachs, mental breakdowns, deep depression, hiding away, high blood pressure. turning to drugs and alcohol, etc… These are indicators an individual has fallen victim to his own worry. Worry eats people alive, and Christians are not immune. It touches the lives of virtually every…

Fret Not

February 21, 2016

by Dennis Stackhouse In Psalm 37:1-6, the writer had some good advice for all of us when he said: “Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land…

What do you consider to be worry?

January 26, 2016

Question: What do you consider to be worry? I mean, I worry about losing interest in God and not having that same feeling I get when I desire to read a story in the Bible or I just get scared I’m doing something wrong because sometimes I don’t feel close to Him and my feelings…

When I learn about the Bible, I get anxious that I’m not doing well enough

December 6, 2014

Question: Hi, I’ve been reading through a lot of these questions and answers looking for some guidance, but I continue to feel a little lost. I’ve always struggled with anxiety, and when I pray to God asking Him to forgive me, guide me, and tell Him that I have faith in Him and all that…

How can I stop worrying about my two children who are doing hard drugs?

April 3, 2013

Question: How can I stop worrying about my two adult kids doing hard drugs every day? I know a lot of kids died from this. We are all in the church of Christ and Christians. Answer: I’m sorry to hear that your children have fallen away and are caught up in the trap of drugs.…

Is survival preparation sinful?

October 23, 2012

Question: First of all let me thank you, brother Hamilton, for maintaining such a wonderful, informative, godly website for these past years. I can personally attest to how your advice has helped me to understand, more clearly, the Word of our Lord and apply it to my life, not only for my benefit but for…

Any suggestions for obsessive worrying?

August 21, 2011

Question: I am a member of the Lord’s church and have been since my teenage years. I am now middle-aged and have kids and a husband. For many years I have dealt with unwanted and compulsive thoughts in which they have all been pretty much related to worry and fear. I know we ought not…

I still worry about the unforgivable sin. What do I do?

January 27, 2011

Question: Again I have been worrying about the possibility of my having committed a sin that I can never be forgiven of. In Matthew 12 besides using the word “blasphemy,” it uses “speaks against” as well. If a person speaks anything bad about God, how can they be forgiven? What if there really is a…

God Is Able

December 1, 2009

by David Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 12, March 20, 2009. Times are hard right now. The economy is in a major recession, with no end in sight as I write this. Many people are facing factory layoffs. Many are looking at foreclosures and still others are thinking of bankruptcy. Maybe you are not…

I’m worried that my son will be too short

April 25, 2009

Question: I don’t know exactly what I need, but I definitely need help. Before getting back to obeying Christ and attending a church of Christ, I was out doing what I wanted to do and ended up pregnant. The baby’s father and I ended up getting married a few months after I had the baby.…

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

February 13, 2009

by David Padfield via padfield.com Photo by Will Bolding on Unsplash In Matthew 10 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles and “gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matthew 10:1). This commission was limited in that they were not allowed to…

How do I stop worrying about other people?

February 4, 2009

Question: I have an issue with worrying about other believers. I worry about their actions especially if I deem them inappropriate and possibly sinful, though I am also unsure about whether certain actions are really sinful or not, though I may disapprove of them. For example, recently I read about a young believer in the…

How do you seek first the kingdom of God?

July 13, 2008

Question: How do you seek first the kingdom of God? Answer: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of…

Could you explain the phrase, “consider the lilies?”

May 5, 2007

Question: Please explain to me exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “Consider the lilies.” Thank you. Answer: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where…

What am I going to do tomorrow?

February 16, 2007

Question: What am I going to do tomorrow? Answer: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

Notes on Anxiety

June 9, 2005

Psalms 46:10 Psalms 55:22 Psalms 94:19 Isaiah 26:3 Matthew 5:44 Matthew 6:25-34 Luke 6:28 Luke 10:38-42 Luke 12:22-31 John 14:27 II Corinthians 1:3-4 Philippians 4:6-7 I Peter 5:6-7