God has died!

The great German Reformer, Martin Luther, was a worrier. He was prone to worry and anxiety.

One day when he was in his usual worried mood, his wife appeared in black mourning clothes. He was surprised and asked if someone had died.

"Yes, God has died .... God is dead !" responded Martin Luther's wife.

"Don't be ridiculous, " Luther retorted, "how can such a thing be?"

His wife explained that in the way Luther was behaving and showing so much worry, he was showing that God has died. Luther saw her point and from then on, he began to praise God for all the good things that were happening in his life instead of being anxious and worried frequently.

Worry and anxiety are heavy loads that Satan puts on our back. He knows that worry is the opposite of faith, anxiety demonstrates our lack of trust in God's ability and goodness. He knows. Do you?

It is for a good reason that the Apostle Peter wrote the following instruction in 1 Peter 5:7-9 :-

⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Selwyn Hughes wrote that his father penned the following lines in one of his bibles:

Worry is an old man with bended head,
Carrying a load of feathers he thinks is lead.

As we begin on a journey of Blessed Assurance this season, let us determine to resist the Enemy's attack on our emotional life. Resist his lies, overcome worry and anxiety by being assured of God's love and promises for the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. Don't carry the feathers as if they were lead.

God bless.

Steven