Tuesday Shorts: Shifting Focus: From Anxiety to God's Provision

In this conversation, Garrett discusses the topic of anxiety and stress, drawing insights from the passage in Luke chapter 12 verses 22 to 31. He shares personal experiences and biblical references to highlight the importance of focusing on the goodness and provision of the Lord in times of anxiety. Garrett emphasizes the faithfulness of the Lord and encourages listeners to shift their attention from worldly concerns to the kindness of God.

Takeaways

• Anxiety and stress are common challenges faced by individuals, including real estate agents, and it's important to address these issues.
• Focusing on the faithfulness and provision of the Lord can bring peace and comfort in times of anxiety and stress.
• The passage in Luke chapter 12 verses 22 to 31 serves as a reminder to trust in the goodness and kindness of God, who knows our needs and has promised to provide for us.

Chapters

00:00
Understanding Anxiety and Stress

03:19
The Faithfulness of the Lord

08:34
God's Promise of Provision

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Transcript

0:02

And he said to his disciples, therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens. They neither sow nor reap. They have neither storehouse nor barn. And yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do a smaller thing as that, Why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. for all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you." Luke chapter 12 verses 22 to 31. Welcome back, faithful agents, to another episode of the Faithful Agent Tuesday Shorts. Today we're going to talk about anxiety, and this passage that I just read is something that I've been reading literally every day for about the last week and a half. because this is a season where honestly there's a lot of anxiety and stress in the market. We had our group coaching call this morning and every single agent pretty much on the call all said that this is something that they're dealing with right now. It's just the anxiety of what's going on in the market. So I thought we would talk about it today. But before we do, let's share the chat GPT Christian story of the week. One Sunday, little Johnny was in church squirming in the pew as the pastor gave a particularly long sermon. Finally, the service ended and the congregation started to leave. As Johnny and his family were walking out, Johnny stopped at the offering box. He pulled out an envelope from his pocket, which caught the attention of the pastor. Curious, the pastor asked, Johnny, did you put that envelope in the offering box? Johnny nodded enthusiastically. Yes, sir, I did. The pastor, touched by Johnny's generosity, said, that's wonderful, but tell me, Johnny, why did you put it in the offering box? Johnny looked up with wide, innocent eyes and replied, Well, you see, pastor, my dad says you're the poorest preacher we've ever had. So I thought I'd help you out. I guess that's kind of funny. You know, one of the ways to overcome anxiety and stress is to laugh a little bit. And you can laugh at me. It's OK, because sometimes I say things and you're like, that's not funny. And that's OK. I get it. But I don't know how to transition. Here's the reality though, I want to dive into this topic just for a few minutes on anxiety and stress because like I said, I've been reading Luke chapter 12 verses 22 to 31 many, many times over and over the last few days because no matter how strong your business is, no matter how well it's going, no matter how poorly it's going, we often just doubt the goodness and the provision of the Lord. Let's just be real. I do that sadly all the time. you know i use the example this morning in our in our coaching group is all sharing a little my heart on on luke but twelve is the reality of the israelites i think that to the israelites in the old testament and here's what was going on right hit this group of people is rescue out of egypt they've literally walk through the red sea you know these these waves on the each side of them this massive amount of water as they just walk through on dry land and then they see that the egyptians get get killed because the water falls back on top of them and not a single Israelite is killed and then they get into the desert and the Lord literally is dropping manna from heaven and they get up one day and they're like, yeah, but what have you done for me lately, Lord? Right? They so quickly doubt the Lord's provision. They so quickly doubt the kindness and faithfulness of the Lord. And we're like that too, right? The Old Testament is constantly a reminder to these Israelites, hey, remember how faithful the Lord has been. This is who He is. This is His character. He's not faithful sometimes and unfaithful the other times. He is faithful. That's His character. He can't be anything but faithful. So Israel, remember the faithfulness of the Lord and what He has done. for you, because what He has done for you is what He will continue to do for us. So when we're in this place of anxiety, and I totally get it, right? Anxiety, not let me say this, anxiety is not a gift from the Lord. It is a sin, a result of our sin and our lack of trust in the Father's provision. But the reality is just like the Israelites, what we need to do in those seasons is just to look back through the faithfulness that the Lord has shown us. in our lives because He is faithful and He will continue to be faithful. So if you're struggling with anxiety and stress right now, look back on the times in your life where you've seen the Lord's faithfulness come through. That could be in small ways, that could be in big ways, right? I'm constantly blown away by... I was sharing with my group this morning. I wrote an offer this past weekend for a good friend of mine at church. and he jumped from a two hundred thousand dollar house or three hundred thousand dollar house to all of a sudden eight hundred thousand dollar house i didn't know that he had that money i didn't know he had that cash i didn't know he was in that position i mean he's a good friend so i knew about his jobs and all those things but what i was blown away by right i i hope we win this offer we're competing like everyone seems to be competing but what i was blown away by was the Lord who knows the situation of my family who has promised to provide that should this offer go through right for example and that commission check come in here is the Lord who in in only the way the Lord can there's no way I could work this out he has equipped my friend his name is Logan he has equipped my friend to have a better job to have income coming in from the military he was medically discharged got injured unfortunately but he's got this money coming in as well. He's got this really good job that he is working right now, and the Lord has been working through that and navigating his own life and gotten him to a position to get a better place for his family, to grow his two kids, and for them hopefully to fill it with more children. He has provided that for them. The Lord has done that and... And only the way the Lord can, he has orchestrated that he's also a good friend of mine. It happens to fall in a spot where I could use the business. And now we went out and wrote an offer on a really nice house that would be a great commission check and be a huge blessing to me and my family. This is how the Lord works. Look at the faithfulness of the Lord that even before I knew I even needed this or that I would need this commission check or these pieces that would need to come through, the Lord was orchestrating all of that happening without my knowledge. And what did he do? He brought that together. So while the Lord is providing for my friend, he's also using that same instance, that same home, that same growth for his family. He's using it to provide. my family, and that's the kind of God that we serve. If you actually think about all the pieces that work together and how the Lord brings them together to provide for us as agents, we will be blown away. We will never stop thanking Him for His kindness in doing that. Now, here's the truth. We forget that all the time. We so often think that it was all my work, it was all my activity, it was all the things that I did and that's what resulted in X, Y, and Z. Now you certainly can't be lazy. You are called to be excellent in your work, but let's be honest, at the end of the day, it is the Lord who is the provider. No matter what we do, how hard I work, how little I work, all of those things. Again, we cannot be lazy. We cannot not work hard because that is sinful and that's not a way we honor the Lord. But no matter what the Lord... will provide what we need. We're reminded that in Luke 12. Keep reading that over and over and over again. That's who the Lord is. As I was reading and as I've been reading it, one of the pieces that I love is that it says in verse 30, for all the nations of the world seek after these things, but specifically, and your Father knows that you need them. Your Father knows that you need them. All these things that we need. to provide for ourselves, provide for our families, provide for whomever we're providing for, your father knows that you need them. You all have heard me, if you've listened to any podcasts, talk about my four little kids. There's seven, five, two, and almost one. And the reality is no matter if my kids are obedient or disobedient, daddy is still gonna give them dinner that night, right? No matter what's going on with my kiddos. daddy, me, their daddy knows that they need new shoes and daddy's gonna provide those. Their daddy knows that they need to have breakfast in the morning. So daddy's going to provide that. Daddy knows that they need a house and a roof over their head. So daddy's going to provide that. I know the needs that my children have and I'm going to provide them because I love my kids and I want to be a good father. Well, how much more? our Heavenly Father who is far greater than I could ever fathom and is a much, much greater perfect example of what a Father is. He knows what we need and as a good Father, He will provide those things. I think the anxiety comes, if I'm honest, the anxiety comes when I stop focusing on the goodness and kindness of the Lord and I start focusing on me. being the provider for myself and for my family. I get anxious when I look at the pipeline and say, why is it not as full as it could be? I get anxious when a deal starts to fall apart and think, my gosh, I need this deal to go through. There's no way I'm going to take care of my family. I get anxious when I look at things that I don't control anyways, but I find peace and comfort and I find a calm for my soul. When I look at the Lord and I look and say, you are a good father and just like I am a father. I know what my kids need and I want to provide those for them. I'm going to do my best to provide those for them. But you father, you Lord can provide all that I need. Nothing is outside of your capabilities. Anything that I could possibly need, you can provide and you are a good father. You know exactly what I need. So friends, as we go through and wrestle with anxiety and stress, here's the question that I have for me, for you. Where is your attention? Is your attention on all of these things that are, that you think you control, like your business, like your pipeline, like the deals, like all the stuff, and it's going to cause worry and stress and all the anxiety, or is your focus on the goodness and kindness of God, the Father in heaven, who knows what you need and has promised that He will provide? It's tough, but that's what we need to do as followers of Jesus, as real estate agents who love Jesus. Let us fix our eyes on the Lord. in His kindness He will provide. I love you, faithful agents, and I will see you next week.