Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
WEEK 1
On the Edge of Uncertainty
Facing Our Fears
Joshua 1
Memory Verse
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
(Joshua 1:9 ESV)
On a scale of 1–10, how would you rate your current level of worry? One article reported that the average person spends 55 minutes per day worrying, and that persons struggling with generalized anxiety disorder worry about 310 minutes per day.
For years, I felt like I was buried underneath the oppressive weight of worry. King Solomon's observation in Proverbs 12:25 described my life then so well! He wrote, "Worry weighs a person down; / [but] an encouraging word cheers a person up." I was truly weighed down by worry. Many people live with this reality every day. One woman told me that she has had to manage anxiety all of her life and is now seeing a medical doctor about it because she is having panic attacks in her sleep that are waking her up at night. Most of her worry, she says, is unfounded. She is not alone in that regard. In fact, five hundred years ago Michel de Montaigne said, "My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened."
I can relate. One day I stood in my kitchen, swiping at the tears rolling down my face. Was I worried after a difficult phone call or a fight with a friend? No, I was sobbing over a horrible "mental movie" playing in my mind about one of my girls getting into a car accident while driving to her friend's house.
Have you ever cried over a horrible mental movie that you made up in your mind? In my case, the mental imagery seemed so real! I could see the accident scene and myself running and screaming toward a mangled car with hazy smoke rising from the wreckage. In my mind's eye, I could see the EMTs pulling me away from my child as they said, "Ma'am, she's gone. Let her go, ma'am." I could hear my screams and feel my heart pounding as tears streamed down my face. Then, I snapped back to reality.
Do you ever get caught up in a mental movie of a worst case scario? Perhaps right now you're worried about a family member, a friend, or your job situation. Whenever we're not sure what will happen or we're afraid of what might happen, it's easy for us to jump to the worst case scenario and let it play in our minds over and over again. Each time we play that mental movie, we end up worn out and drained.
Maybe mental movies aren't your issue, but you spend your days on pins-and-needles, believing that bad news is around every corner. Most of us have spent time worrying about the bad things that could happen — whether they involve our families, jobs, finances, health, or futures. By definition, the word worry means to torment yourself with, or suffer from, disturbing thoughts. This week we will explore the "what if" game we all play and how the first step toward victory over worry is facing our fears and turning our focus to God and His promises. And by the end of the week, you'll have a three-step plan that will help to jump-start you toward your own personal victory!
DAY 1: EIGHT-LEGGED WORRY
I've spent most of my life being afraid of spiders — big ones, little ones, hairy ones, even fake ones that people post on my Facebook page because they think it's funny to share them with me. Haters.
When I was nine years old, I saw a spider in my parents' bathroom while brushing my teeth. I called for one of my parents to come and get it for me.
Even now, I remember that it was a little black spider on a wall not bothering anyone at all. My parents told me that I needed to kill it, and they wouldn't let me run away from the challenge. I knew that spider was going to get me, but it never did. It was probably laughing at the scared little girl wearing pop bottle glasses and holding a toothbrush.
Through the years, I've battled the persistent worry that any spider that sees me will try to chase me and bite me. In fact, even a contained spider makes me jittery. Two of my children had the same teacher when they were in second grade, and this teacher kept a tarantula as a classroom pet. Though the furry creature lived in a glass enclosure with a lid on the top, that wasn't enough to keep the lid on my rampant imagination.
What if one of the kids left the lid ajar?
What if the spider pushes the lid off on its own?
What if the spider gets out, crawls into my daughter's backpack, and makes it to my house?
What if my girl volunteers to bring the spider home for the weekend?
And that's only a few of the "what if" worries that were on my list.
Do you have your own "eight-legged worry"? What are you afraid of, and what are the related "what if" worries that you're struggling to deal with?
Extra Insight
One report indicates that 38 percent of people worry every day, most often in the early morning or late evening.
Write one of your fears inside the spider and some of the related "what if" worries on the legs.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I avoided the girls' classroom for both of those school years. And, of course, nothing that I worried about actually came true!
The origin of the word worry is an Old English word meaning "strangle." Have you ever felt that a worry was strangling the life right out of you? Another word for "worry" is "anxiety," which is derived from a word related to a tightening feeling in the chest or throat. Notice how the words themselves indicate that a thought in your mind can create real physical reactions in your body. So, it's not just your mind that worries; your body worries, too.
Circle the physical symptoms that tend to accompany your worries:
Headache
Racing heartbeat
Sleep Issues
Short temper
Trembling
Over/Under eating
Nausea/ fluttery stomach
Inability to concentrate
Excessive crying
I've never met a person who says, "I'm so glad that I'm a worrier. Being a worrier is the best thing that has ever happened to me!" In fact, the question that I'm asked most often is, "How can I stop worrying so much?"
But before we get to that question, I want to ask a different question: How does worrying begin?
Worrying begins when you face unpredictable situations and you don't know what will happen next. I don't like it when I can't see what's coming. I'm not comfortable when I can't name or prevent the dangers that lurk down the street and around the corner. All of those unknown events in my life and yours are what we call uncertainty.
Uncertainty is defined by "what if" questions. Uncertainty invites insecurity. When we are uncertain, our hope is that if we can fill in the answers to the "what if" questions, then we'll feel safe and stable.
Are you dealing with an area of uncertainty in your life? If so, what feels open-ended and unknown?
Over the next six weeks, you're going to learn from the Israelites how God will empower you to win over worry, and you don't have to be a chronic worrier to benefit from our study. There's a Chinese proverb that advises, "Dig the well before you are thirsty." If you don't have many worries, then use this time to dig your well. Uncertainty can find us at anytime, so now is the time to prepare for it.
To prime the pump, let's look at Jesus' words in Matthew 6. This is one of the best known teachings on worry and a great place to begin our study. Jesus' timeless words are relevant to our lives today and would have encouraged the Israelites during Joshua's time, too, if they could have heard them.
Read Matthew 6:25-27 in the margin. What three things does Jesus tell us not to worry about?
1. _____________________________________
2. _____________________________________
3. _____________________________________
What do His words about the birds tell us about God's desire to take care of us?
Look at verse 27. How productive is worry?
How do Jesus' words apply to your life right now?
25 "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"
(Matthew 6:25-27)
Jesus taught on a hillside to a crowd of people from all walks of life. But everyone in the crowd had something in common: they worried. How do we know they worried? Because Jesus was teaching on it!
If you've been feeling guilty because you worry too much, I encourage you to let go of that guilt. Jesus taught on worry because He knew that it would be a struggle for us. You aren't alone in your struggle.
In the remaining verses of Matthew 6, Jesus continues talking about worry as well as the solution for worry. We'll talk about that solution throughout the weeks of our study. Today I just want to reassure you that you don't have to worry because God will take care of you, no matter where you are or what you are going through.
Now, are you ready for more encouragement?
You don't have to worry because God will take care of you, no matter where you are or what you are going through.
Apply It: Monday Motivation
Today you may have a long list of items on your to-do list or a lot on your mind. Regardless of your personal schedule, begin working to memorize this week's memory verse. You'll encounter the main message of this verse in many ways throughout our study, but I hope this message will encourage you today.
Look up the verse and fill in the blanks:
"Have I not commanded you? Be ________________________ and _____________________________________. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the ____________ your __________ is with you _______________________ you go."
(Joshua 1:9 ESV)
2. Repeat this verse aloud two times, letting it settle into your heart.
3. Rewrite the verse substituting your name for everyyou:
"Have I not commanded ___________________________? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with __________________________________ wherever ___________________________________ go[es]."
(Joshua 1:9 ESV)
4. If God is with you wherever you go, how should that change your perspective on the unknowns and uncertainties of your life today?
5. What hope does this verse bring to your life this week?
Today's Takeaway
Even if today is unknown, I know that God is with me.
Prayer
Dear God, I am grateful that I can be strong and courageous with You by my side. There is nothing that I will encounter today on my own, because You are with me. I pray that the words of Joshua 1:9 will sink deep into my heart and mind. Remind me of these words if I begin to worry today. Thank You for being with me wherever I go. In Jesus' name, Amen.
DAY 2: ARE WE THERE YET?
Imagine that you're flying to a foreign country you've never visited before. You have a lot of excitement while you're planning, applying for passports, and packing bags. Even parking in the long-term parking lot brings a sense of adventure as you head toward the terminal and your destination. Hours later, all of that excitement shifts to uncertainty when you hear the captain announce in multiple languages that the aircraft is making its final descent. When you look out the window while still thousands of feet in the air, everything across your visual landscape seems strange and new. Maybe the homes and highways look different. It's then that you lean over to your traveling companion to start making guesses about what things will be like in this unfamiliar place.
1 After the death of Moses the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant. 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them."
(Joshua 1:1-2)
Write below a few things you would wonder or worry about the first time you visited a foreign country:
Read Joshua 1:1-2 in the margin. What does God tell Joshua about Moses?
What does God instruct Joshua to do?
As the Book of Joshua opens, millions of Israelite men, women, and children stand clustered together east of the Jordan River. Before his death, their leader Moses had gathered all the people to tell them what to expect, what to do, and how to live. Even with all of that new knowledge, I'm sure there were a few people with some lingering worries or concerns. Now Moses has died, and their new leader, Joshua, stands before the people.
The Israelites have wandered in the desert for forty years, and a new home awaits them just on the other side of the Jordan River. Any journey that takes forty years is sure to be a fascinating story. In fact, the books of Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy convey the lively events of the Israelites' extended sojourn in the wilderness. We are going to dip into a few verses within these books in order to gather some important details that we should know as the Israelites finally arrive at the entrance of their new homeland.
Read Deuteronomy 1:1-5. How many days should it have taken for the Israelites to make their journey to the Promised Land?
After the Israelites fled from Egypt and Pharaoh's army through the Red Sea, they journeyed around and through the wilderness. Early in their journey, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, bringing them down to the people before they reached the edge of Canaan, the Promised Land, for the first time. Yes, the Israelites actually made it to the Promised Land decades before they finally were able to enter it. Unfortunately, they allowed uncontrolled fear and worry to control their actions and ultimately rob them of receiving God's promised blessing at that time.
We read in Numbers 13 and 14 that when they reached Canaan this first time, Moses sent twelve men out with a list of questions to answer as they checked out the land. The men returned after forty days to give their report. Ten spies told scary stories about giants in the land, but Joshua and a man named Caleb told a different story. Joshua countered the fear-inducing report of the other ten spies with a favorable report. In the following verses we see a powerful picture of who Joshua was and what he believed.
On the Map
The Israelites were gathered in Shittim (shi-teem) by the Jordan River across from the city of Jericho. Locate Shittim and circle it (page 11).
Read Numbers 14:6-9. What did Joshua and Caleb beg the people not to do in verse 9?
Now read verse 10. How did the people respond to the plea of these two men?
In the remaining verses of chapter 14, there's a pretty intense scene going down. Moses begs God not to destroy the people for their rebellion, and God doesn't destroy them but instead changes the trajectory of their lives. He does not change the promise but only the time line for receiving what was promised.
Read Numbers 14:29-34 and answer the following questions.
Why was God angry with the Israelites?
Who would die in the wilderness? Who were the two exceptions?
Who would God carry safely into the Promised Land?
Instead of a short journey, how long did God sentence the Israelites to stay in the wilderness?
The Israelites had justified their rebellion because they feared for their children's lives. "Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder!" they had cried (Numbers 14:3). In a sense, they were blaming their fear on their concern for their families. So, it's ironic that God would promise to carry their children safely into Canaan while allowing anyone older than twenty, except for Caleb and Joshua, to die in the wilderness over the next forty years.
I used to blame my problem with worry on certain issues in my life, especially motherhood. For many years, I felt trapped in worry because I was a mom. This meant that I was a pro at answering every "what if" question with a worst-case scenario. Author and journalist Lenore Skenazy calls it "'worst first' thinking." Instead of taking responsibility for my lack of trust in God when it came to my kids' lives, I blamed my worry on the media, rising crime, or any other handy issue that concerned me as a mother looking out for her kids.
What do you blame for your tendency to worry in one or more areas of your life?
What consequences to your worrying can you identify? In other words, how has worry impacted your faith, health, or relationships?
"Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."
(Luke 22:42)
In Luke 22, Jesus is preparing to be crucified. After celebrating a final Passover with the disciples, He walks to the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. It's in this moment that Jesus prays to God about what is to come.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Abingdon Press.
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