Worry Less, Live More: God's Prescription for a Better Life

by Robert J. Morgan

Overview

How do you bury worry before it buries you?

Worry, which is essentially a strain of fear, is a rational response to real pressures and problems. Life is harder than we expect, and even the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace Himself, admitted, “Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). He said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). On one occasion, He even said, “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?” (John 12:27). Our souls are easily troubled. The world and its trials seem to only increase. 

In nearly forty years of pastoral counseling, Rob Morgan has seen a lot of changes in our culture. People are anxious, and everyone seems increasingly tense and taunt. We’re overextended, running on empty, and often running late. We’re worried and we’re weary. One moment we’re alarmed about global politics and the next we’re frustrated with a clogged commode or a cranky boss. Stress can have a way of keeping us on pins and needles from dawn to darkness. 

In this book Pastor Morgan leads the way through the investigation of the Bible’s premier passage on the subject of anxiety. Philippians 4:4–9 is God’s most definitive word about overcoming anxiety and experiencing His overwhelming peace. Dissecting the following eight practices this vital passage promotes will help you to wage war on worry:

• The Practice of Rejoicing
• The Practice of Gentleness
• The Practice of Nearness
• The Practice of Prayer
• The Practice of Thanksgiving
• The Practice of Thinking
• The Practice of Discipleship
• The Practice of Peace

When we study and employ these practices effectively, we have the power to erase anxious thoughts and compose our minds with peace in any situation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718074302
Publisher:	HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Publication date:	08/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	199
Sales rank:	295,705
File size:	532 KB

About the Author

Robert J. Morgan teaches the Bible each week on his podcast, The Robert J. Morgan Podcast, and through his speaking engagements and his books, including: The Red Sea Rules, The Strength You Need, 100 Bible Verses That Made America, The 50 Final Events in World History, and Then Sings My Soul.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

THE PRACTICE OF REJOICING

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

-PHILIPPIANS 4:4

Several years ago, a religious teacher in India named Meher Baba gained a global audience with his odd brand of Eastern mysticism. He claimed to be God in human form and thought of himself as the "avatar of the age," yet he had nothing to say — at least not verbally. He was renowned for his silence. So far as we know, Baba didn't speak a single word for forty years. He communicated using an alphabet board and with hand gestures or by sending cables to his followers. He believed the universe was an illusion, that we're simply figments of the imagination of some higher power. Since nothing is real, he surmised, there is really nothing to trouble us. His most famous saying was short and simple: "Don't Worry. Be Happy." Life is essentially a mirage, he taught, so why worry about it? Have fun while it lasts and just be happy.

In America, Baba's message struck a cord with aging baby boomers and coming-of-age Gen Xers. One of his devotees, Bobby McFerrin, turned Baba's slogan into a popular 1980s song: "Don't Worry Be Happy." McFerrin sang in a breezy style with a playful Caribbean accent and dubbed in the instrumental parts with sounds made with his voice. It became the first a cappella hit to reach Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and it showed up everywhere — in presidential campaigns, in films and television shows, in video games, and in performances ranging from musical superstars to middle school glee clubs. It became an unofficial anthem in Jamaica as survivors recovered from the aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert. In the troubled final years of the twentieth century, it conveyed a simple philosophy and a workable strategy for life in four little words — don't worry, be happy.

If only it were that easy!

Imagine! What if a four-word slogan could transport us to a Caribbean beach with no shirt, no shoes, and no problems? What if we could live in a world where Bobby McFerrin met Kenny Chesney, and we all joined in the chorus! If only a mantra could produce a life of cool drinks, lapping waters, tropical breezes, and orange sunsets.

But life isn't an illusion and worry cannot be managed so easily. It takes more than four words of a song. It takes the fourth chapter of Philippians and the solid truths it contains. The slogan "Don't worry, be happy" may express the reality we want, but it provides no roadmap for getting there. It has no compass. It has no doctrine and no theology. It has no foundation in reality. It has pep all right, but no promise.

The Bible says little about being happy, because happiness is an emotion that comes and goes depending on happenings. The Bible speaks of something deeper — joy and rejoicing, which are dispositions of the heart. That's why joy and sorrow are not mutually exclusive. Jesus was anointed with the oil of joy, yet He wept (Hebrews 1:9; John 11:35). The apostle Paul spoke of being sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Happiness is an emotion; joy is an attitude. Attitudes are deeper; they are richer; and the right attitudes provide the soil for healthier emotions as we mature. Emotions come and go, but attitudes come and grow. According to Philippians 4:4, the first step toward overcoming anxiety is cultivating the attitude of rejoicing.

It's not Don't worry; be happy.

It's Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

It's possible for you to be joyful today. According to the apostle Paul, waging war on worry begins with choosing to tap into the Lord Himself as the fountainhead of hope and as our reservoir of joy. Look at the emphatic nature of Philippians 4:4.

• Rejoice!

• Rejoice in the Lord!

• Rejoice in the Lord always!

• Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again ...

• Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again — rejoice!

Paul repeated the phrase because we need a double dose of it. But what does it actually mean to "rejoice in the Lord always"? After considering this for many years, I've come to see it in four dimensions.

A COMMAND WE OBEY

First, rejoicing is a command to obey. The grammar suggests this, because verse 4 is written as an imperative. It's what God expects us to do. Think again of the apostle Paul's own struggle with anxiety. Based on hints in his writings (like 2 Corinthians 2:12-13), I believe he was a man of nervous energy who battled periodic bouts of stress.

I have a touch of the same affliction, and when I have an attack of nerves nothing helps me more than sitting down with my Bible and searching out verses, promises, and truths from God appropriate to my need at the moment. I assume Paul did the same. Though he had little or none of the New Testament, he had the totality of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), which, he said, were "God-breathed" and "useful" (2 Timothy 3:16). We know he poured over the scrolls and the parchments (2 Timothy 4:13), and he told the Romans, "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

Since we know how to go into the Bible and find verses that help us at our points of weakness and need, we can logically assume Paul did the same. Like us, he simply couldn't do without the passages, phrases, verses, truths, promises, and commands of God's Word. I believe his study of the Hebrew Scriptures gave him the phrase he highlighted in Philippians — rejoice in the Lord.

This is an Old Testament expression. In fact, except for Paul's quoting it in Philippians 3:1 and 4:4, it's found nowhere in the New Testament. On the other hand, we come across it eleven times in the Old Testament.

Beginning in the book of 1 Samuel and continuing through the prophet Zechariah, we're told to rejoice in the Lord, and the references convey as much authority as the Ten Commandments. When we read the words "Rejoice in the Lord," we can preface them with the words "Thou shalt ..." This is something God expects, a command to obey. It's a part of obedience and righteousness, and neglecting it is a sin.

Let's quickly trace the eleven-fold use of this phrase in the Old Testament.

• The first person to have uttered the words "Rejoice in the Lord" was Hannah, a woman who had battled extreme anxiety because of severe struggles in her home. But in 1 Samuel 2, the Lord bestowed grace amid her troubles, and, as she worshipped with her little boy, Samuel, in the tabernacle in Shiloh, she exclaimed, "My heart rejoices in the Lord" She had found the secret of converting her pain into praise.

• The next time we see this phrase is from the pen of David, after he repented of devastating sin. He found God's forgiveness, got a new start, brought himself back into the will of the Lord, and exclaimed in Psalm 32:11: "Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!"

• We also come across this phrase in Psalm 35, when David was fighting off an attack by his enemies. He prayed for deliverance and pledged to "rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation." He declared, "My whole being will exclaim, 'Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them'" (vv. 9-10).

• Psalm 64:10 tells us to rejoice in the Lord, take refuge in Him, and glory in His name.

• Psalm 97:12 commands, "Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."

• In Psalm 104:33-34, the writer said, "I will sing to the Lord all my life May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord."

• Isaiah 29:19 says, "Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."

• Later on, Isaiah again told his hearers to "rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 41:16).

• Joel 2:23 says, "Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful."

• The next occurrence of this phrase comes at the end of the book of Habakkuk, in a passage that represents the most visual depiction of raw faith in God's Word: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (3:17-18). Even when everything else goes wrong, the Lord Himself stays upright, and we can rejoice in Him.

• The final reference is in Zechariah 10:7, where the Lord promises that the beleaguered Israelites will see better days, be lighthearted, and instinctively obey the injunction of rejoicing in the Lord.

In Philippians 4, the apostle Paul reached into his studies of these Scriptures, pulled out this powerful phrase, and used it as the first step in his formula for overcoming worry. This, he felt, was the starting point. This isn't the ending, but it's the beginning of the process of burying worry before worry buries us.

Rejoicing in the Lord demonstrates our willingness to trust God so much that our attitudes are affected. When we make up our minds to rely on Him in storm and sunshine, our burdens are lifted even if our circumstances, for the moment, are unchanged or deteriorating. When we stand on His promises, our spirits are elevated and our emotions lift upward as our perspective shifts Godward. Perhaps your spirits are low right now; mine often are. But it is unhelpful and even unholy to remain in such a condition.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was blessed with a spry and resilient spirit. When a collection of his letters was published, his friend, Samuel Bradburn, wrote an introduction to the volume and used the occasion to describe Wesley's uncanny ability to remain buoyant of spirit:

I never saw him low-spirited in my life, nor could he endure to be with a melancholy person. When speaking of any who imagined religion would make people morose or gloomy, I have heard him say in the pulpit, that "sour godliness is the devil's religion." In his answer to a letter I had written to him (in a time of strong temptation), he has these words: "(Your) melancholy turn is directly opposite to a Christian spirit. Every believer ought to enjoy life." He never suffered himself to be carried away by extreme grief. I heard him say, "I dare no more fret than curse and swear."

Wesley's natural enthusiasm was buttressed by a firm belief that worry was as wrong as cursing and swearing. He understood Philippians 4:4. Rejoicing isn't just a good idea, a pleasant suggestion, or a laudable quality. God's people are to enjoy life. God wants you to enjoy life, even today. We ought to have joy, and it's not optional. It is a command from the God of all joy who doesn't want His children doubting His providence, distrusting His promises, or discounting His sovereignty.

A CHOICE WE MAKE

That leads to the next dimension of verse 4. Rejoicing in the Lord is not only a command we obey; it's a choice we make. God doesn't give us commandments without providing the grace needed to fulfill them. I've learned the hard way that I must exercise control over my own attitudes. More accurately, I must let the Holy Spirit have control over them. I don't have to live at the mercy of my feelings. I can choose to smile, to get up off the ground, to cast a heavenward glance, and to decide I'm going to serve the Lord with gladness. Frankly, it's hard to do. I couldn't do it without the truth of Scripture and the grace of God. There comes a time when we say, "I'm tired of living in fear when God has told me to walk by faith and to rejoice in Him always. I'm going to change my outlook to an uplook, even if I have to force myself to adopt a better attitude."

We all battle discouragement. We struggle with anxiety. But with the power of Scripture and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to regulate our personalities. If I'm suddenly overcome with fear about my child's safety at school, I can pause, commit him or her into the Lord's keeping, and remind myself that the Lord is present with my child all the time, and I should rejoice in that right now. Perhaps we can't avoid being cast down, but we don't have to remain in that condition. We can say with the writer of Psalm 42, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God" (v. 5). We can't afford the luxury of staying depressed or angry or anxious or fearful. We must acclimatize our minds to a higher plain by learning to rejoice in the Lord.

But notice the prepositional phrase — in the Lord. Without it, the verse would be nonsensical. We can't always rejoice in our circumstances. We certainly can't delight in the people or problems that are plaguing us. We can't always rejoice in the state of the world or the status of our homes, marriages, jobs, health, or balance sheets. Those things are a poor basis for joy. But whatever the circumstances, we can always rejoice in our Lord.

That means we rejoice in His presence, for in His presence is fullness of joy.

We rejoice in His precepts and promises, for there is a God-given promise in the Bible to counteract every anxious thought or stressful spot in life. Psalm 19:8 says, "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart."

We can rejoice in His providence, for we know that all things work together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

We can rejoice in His pardon, for with His forgiveness comes restoration of His joy. We can rejoice in His paths and purposes for us. We can rejoice in His provision, for our God will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19).

We can rejoice in His protection, for He will never leave us or forsake us. We can rejoice in His paradise, for to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).

In any and every situation, even when we can find few other reasons for happiness, we can rejoice in our Lord and in His attributes and in His infinite fellowship and grace. The best way to generate joy in your life is to cultivate a relationship with Jesus and let Him transform your personality by renewing your thoughts (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

A CONDITION WE CULTIVATE

Rejoicing in the Lord, then, is a command to obey, a choice to make, and a condition to cultivate. Just as we train a vine to form a topiary, we have to train our minds and our moods to follow the trellis of joy.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, everything had gone wrong for him. He probably wrote this epistle, as I said, about the year AD 62, in a Roman prison. I don't know if you've been to Italy in the summer, but the heat can be unbearable. In the winter it can dip below freezing. Paul was in an unheated and un-air-conditioned cell, in chains, facing a tense legal challenge for his freedom. He was older and unwell. He had hoped to be engaged in a fourth evangelistic mission; he dreamed of evangelizing Spain. Instead, iron chains rattled whenever he moved, and he had limited sanitation or sustenance.

We might expect him to be anxious. We might think he'd be frustrated or depressed as he wrote to the Philippians. Somewhere in his words, we would expect to hear a tone of self-pity, worry, or grievance. But, no! Philippians is the Epistle of Joy. Recently I read through this little letter with a red pencil and shaded in all the references to joy and rejoicing.

In his opening prayer, he prayed for the Philippians with joy (1:4). He considered his imprisonment to be something God allowed, and he had already seen some benefits from it, saying, "and because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice" (1:18).

He wanted to continue ministering to the Philippians for their progress and joy in the faith (1:25), and he longed for them to make him joyful in return (2:2). He was glad and rejoiced in them, and he wanted them to be glad and rejoice with him (2:17-18). He told them to welcome back Epaphroditus with joy (2:29).

In Philippians 3:1, he told them to "rejoice in the Lord," and a chapter later he repeated himself: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (4:4).

He closed his letter to the Philippians by telling them how he had "rejoiced greatly" because they had sent a financial gift to support his ministry and how he had learned to be content in any and every situation (4:10-11).

The apostle Paul could have interpreted his misfortunes negatively, but he viewed them through the lens of the providence and sovereignty of God, and he chose to sustain a joyful attitude. Because joy was a commandment to obey, he considered it a choice to make, so he cultivated it as the tenor of his soul. He learned to be joyful despite the heat, despite the cold, despite the chains, despite the limitations, despite everything. His attitude was: "Praise the Lord anyway!"

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Worry Less, Live More"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Robert J. Morgan.
Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

PREFACE: HOW TO BURY WORRY BEFORE WORRY BURIES YOU, xiii,
INTRODUCTION: "IN EVERY SITUATION", xvii,
1. THE PRACTICE OF REJOICING, 1,
2. THE PRACTICE OF GENTLENESS, 17,
3. THE PRACTICE OF NEARNESS, 33,
4. THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER, 49,
5. THE PRACTICE OF THANKSGIVING, 69,
6. THE PRACTICE OF THINKING, 83,
7. THE PRACTICE OF DISCIPLESHIP, 99,
8. THE PRACTICE OF PEACE, 115,
CONCLUSION: "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!", 133,
A CLOSING THOUGHT, 139,
ANOTHER CLOSING THOUGHT, 141,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, 143,
STUDY GUIDE FOR INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP USE, 145,
NOTES, 171,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, 179,