Do Not Fret

Three times in the first eight verses of Psalms 37 David writes, "Do not fret."
Why? What is it about fret that is so destructive?

Verse 8 gives us the answer:

"...it leads only to evil." (Ps 37:8)

Have you ever experienced a time when fretting over a situation resulted only in evil? Maybe a better question to ask is if there has ever been a situation that changed for the better as a result of fret! Probably not. Fretting can't change anything about our situation. It only puts us in a very negative, anti-faith frame of mind that, if camped out in too long, "leads only to evil."

So how do we not fret?
Psalms 37 gives us four responses to combat fret when facing difficult situations.

1. Trust in the Lord and do good (v. 3)
This is deciding ahead of time our course of action no matter what the situation looks like. There will be many things about our situation that we have no control of, but we do have the ability to trust in the Lord and to do good. That is always a decision we can make regardless of what's happening around us.

2. Take delight in the Lord...(v.4)
Amazing things happen when we shift the focus from what we don't have and what we think we need to what we do have and who the Lord is! Make Jesus your delight. Begin to thank Him for all He has done and who He is in your life. Worship Him and let His goodness reframe your struggles.

3. Commit your way to the Lord...(v.5)
Continually commit yourself to doing life God's way, according to His Word. Give your "way" to Him and let Him be your direction. None of us can predict what will happen tomorrow or next week or next year. We don't know the future, but we do know the One who holds the future. Have you committed your way--your decisions, ambitions, attitudes, direction--to the Lord?

4. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him...(v.7)
Finally, be still. Wait patiently. This is not passively refusing to take action nor ignoring the reality of your problem. It is persistent patience, diligent stillness to hear the voice of God and to take each step as He reveals it.

Whatever your facing, make a decision today to trust in the Lord and do good, delight in Jesus, commit your way to Him, and be still, waiting patiently for Him.

And do not fret.

Strength For the Spiritual Battle

Exodus 17:8-16
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven."

In Exodus 17 we find a familiar Old Testament story, and I love the picture presented here that illustrates the absolute necessity of godly relationships when fighting to move forward in our God-destiny. Victory was a team effort, and each had a part to play. I think there are a few powerful lessons we can learn.

1. Always remember we are in a spiritual battle.

Anytime we attempt to move forward into the "promised land" of our high calling in God there is an enemy coming against us to attack. Moses, Joshua, and the rest of God's people had very real battles to fight, and we too can be sure that the spiritual battle against our lives, families, minds, and calling is every bit as real. How do we fight this battle? It's fought in our minds--our thoughts and attitudes. This is why the Bible tells us to use God's Word as our weapon (Ephesians 6:10-17) and to be diligent in watching over our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

2. Strength for the battle comes from godly relationships.

Joshua and the army needed Moses' raised arms. Moses needed Aaron and Hur to support his tired, outstretched hands. Likewise, all of us need those in our lives who are stretching their hands in our direction, believing with us for victory, as well as, those who support our tired hands in the midst of the battle.

I also love what happens next.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven."

God had something to say and He wanted Moses to be sure that Joshua heard it. Why not just tell Joshua Himself? God certainly could have and did speak directly with Joshua at other times in his life, but He chose to use a relationship on this occasion. God uses people, and He wants to use you to speak to some Joshuas in your life.

What spiritual battle are you facing right now? Think about. Name it.

Who is holding up your arms in the battle? Do you have some trusted people around you who you can count on to fight for God's best in your life?

Whose arms do you need to support? Who are the Joshuas in your life that you need to speak to? It could be your spouse, your kids, a co-worker, or a friend.

Don't try to fight a spiritual battle alone when you have an army behind you!