Your Voice

Worry drains, distorts; prayer sustains faith

By Dan Britton
Chief field officer, Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Throughout history, we have encountered disease and sickness that ravage families, friends and community; however, there is a greater danger that threatens to kill us from the inside out. It attacks our minds and controls our behavior. We begin to listen to the lies we tell ourselves instead of speaking the truth to ourselves. This enemy is called worry.

Worry is the absolute faith that God is not in control. In Philippians, the Apostle Paul gives us a command: “Don’t worry about anything” (Phil. 4:6).

Worry is our greatest enemy, and it attacks everything. Worry has no redeeming value at all. It rots and destroys our minds. It drains and derails our emotions. It paralyzes and binds our present. It perverts and distorts our future.

Worry is derived from the German word “wurgen,” which means “to strangle, to choke.” Worry will choke out [our faith life] because our hearts and minds get strangled with the worries of the world.

Worry always asks the question, “What if?” The “what if?” question can plague us and keep us from living our lives with purpose, power, meaning and mission. What if I get sick? What if I can’t play sports again? What if I lose my job? What if my business fails? What if the results come back positive? What if I lose my friend?

We cannot control the future. If we knew with certainty what the future holds for us, we wouldn’t need to trust God.

The Apostle Paul also gives us the antidote to worry: “Pray about everything.” Prayer conquers worry and increases faith. Prayer reminds us that we cannot control the future, but we can trust the One who does. Prayer grounds us and gives us a rock-solid foundation.

No matter what the situation, we can turn to God with prayer! Prayer unlocks faith.

Whenever I travel to various countries, I am always challenged and stretched by our Fellowship of Christian Athletes leaders who rely on prayer — it’s as if their lives depend on it. They call upon the God of the universe to do the impossible and miraculously show up to transform lives. When I hear their prayers drenched in hope, deliverance and devotion, my faith grows.

Prayer and faith go hand in hand. How are we going to stop worrying?

Let’s cultivate a rich prayer life. Pull the weeds of worry. Plant seeds of faith through prayer in every part of your life: friends, teams, family, marriage, work, relationships and church.

Worry about nothing. Pray about everything. We don’t need to worry. God is in control.

What Would Jesus Do?

When considering what we as the Church and as Christians could and should be doing about the injustice on both sides of the bigotry issue and what is going on today, I can’t help but think of a saying from my teen years, “What Would Jesus Do?”

As a Church, we recognize Jesus is the head of the Church and as such should be the One to lead us in the right response to what is going on. As a Christian, we should be led in all we do by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Bigotry and hatred are not new and were certainly around when Jesus walked this earth.

So what did He do about it? He sat quietly with a Samaritan woman at a well and told her about living water. He used a Samaritan as the hero of one of His parables. I don’t remember Him joining a protest against the cruelty of the Roman soldiers. I don’t recall where He ever advocated the Samaritans stand up for their rights.

Yes, I know God’s word tells us to seek justice. We should always treat others, no matter who they are or what they have done or said, with the same justice we ourselves want. How to do this is the question we all must prayerfully answer.

I am not saying peaceful protests are wrong or we shouldn’t speak out against the injustices of our society. But is that what our main objective, as a Church is to be?

Protests, the calling for the removal of statues, the banning of movies and books, renaming places to more acceptable names — is this going to really change the heart of man?

Jesus is the only One who can change a man’s heart. He is the only One who can replace the hatred in a heart with love. All of us must pray and decide what our personal reaction to all this is to be, but for me, there is but one answer: Jesus.

Danny Cotton
Lincoln, Ala.

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Letters to the Editor

In the June 18 issue of TAB, you included an opinion column about dealing with sexual sin in the church.

The writer, William D. Jones, wrote about forgiveness and letting a known sex offender work with children as proof he or she is forgiven. The opposing article by psychologist Diane Langberg says an individual should not even be allowed in the church and suggests we should take the church to them.

If a brother was an alcoholic, would we put him into a room full of alcohol? If a sister was a kleptomaniac, would we put her in charge of counting the money? No! Then why would we put our repentant brother in a place where temptation has beat him so many times? We should love him enough to protect him and keep him from falling back into his former sins.

In the same manner we should also love our children enough to protect them from the danger of a forgiven predator. The church is a place full of forgiven sinners, but we should love each other and keep each other from the sins that so quickly entangle us. Jesus would protect the children and protect the forgiven sinner.

Sethany Hagel
Wetumpka, Ala.

Jennifer Davis Rash, your gift of writing is refreshing and such a joy to read. Prayers for each article you craft to share. May you feel His presence through every word.

Gayle Glenn
Trussville, Ala.

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“Worry weighs a person down.”
Proverbs 12:25

We will continue to seek an America where vulnerable persons, including unborn children and their mothers, are seen as precious, not disposable.

Russell Moore
President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Parents, the dinner-table conversation … needs to instill in the hearts and minds of our children the glorious truth now denied by the dogma of our society: they have a Creator, transcendent purpose, a high calling.

James White
via Twitter

In student ministry, our entire ministry is built around the concept of transitions. … [Our] job is to transition students from one age range, one group to the next. … We want to see them seeking out church community when they begin to connect to their college campuses.

Cleve Mallory
Student pastor, Eastmont Baptist Church, Montgomery

Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.

Corrie Ten Boom
Dutch Christian whose family became famous for its heroic efforts during the Holocaust

The “will of God” to which Peter refers in 1 Peter 4:2 is not some mysterious set of things someone is supposed to do (buy that house or marry this person), but God’s moral and missional will: those things God has spelled out as the guiding values, commitments and priorities of those who follow Christ.

Roy Ciampa
Sunday School lesson commentary
The Alabama Baptist

Many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day defined righteousness only by the book. They never exceeded the speed limit, never took incorrect change and never watched a lewd show. They wore proper clothing, damned cussing, put down sinners, accused the younger generation of gross immorality and preached against all those corrupt politicians.

These leaders of the faith kept the rules and kept them well, but their relationships were full of empty arrogance and toxic judgments. They could precisely define sin but redemptive love was far from them.

Love is the well spring of true righteousness. Only as we move in unselfish love can we be truly holy, actually righteous.

Bob Adams
Retired pastor

Suffering shame for Jesus (whether the milder version of simple embarrassment or the deadly variety of intense persecution) is never an end in itself. When the Lord asks His children to stand up under such a barrage from the enemy, He always has something big in mind — something, which we need to add with emphasis, He rarely tells to the faithful one suffering for His name. We will do it by faith or not at all.

Joe McKeever
Pastor and author

Every child deserves a family. Our states and communities have both a legal obligation, and the privilege, to care for our nation’s most vulnerable children. The best foster care system is one that is not needed in the first place.

White House Executive Order on Strengthening the Child Welfare System for America’s Children

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From the Twitterverse

@johnnymhunt

“They who pray in the family do well. They who read and pray do better. But they who sing and read and pray do best of all.” — @MatthewHenry

@micahfries

We are soon to enter what will almost certainly be a stressful, divisive and at times anger-filled presidential election season. Christian, let’s commit to have convictional opinions but ones that are shared with grace, a commitment to truth and love for those we disagree with.

@brocraigc

“We live on promises not explanations.” — Warren Wiersbe

@drtonyevans

Don’t try to change others if God can’t even change your heart. Unity starts with you. Each of us plays a part in healing our racial divide.

@davesnyder82

It’s not too late today to spend time with the Lord. Before your head hits your pillow, open up the Word, enjoy the privilege of prayer and remind your soul of the treasure of Jesus.

@MichaelCatt

I want to: Love God without question. Love my neighbor without conditions. Be Kingdom minded, gospel centered and biblically faithful. I want to pray more, witness more and serve more. I want to be prophetic without being arrogant. I want to be true to my calling.

@lecrae

Prayer is power.

@PaulTripp

God will tear down what you’ve built, not because He’s angry at you, but because He loves you and is laying down a better foundation upon which to build.

@bellevuepastor

Christian, you don’t have to defend yourself. You have the Almighty Protector.