I want to speak a message entitled "Putting the freeze on frenzy". How many of you have found that your life is pretty hectic? In the Book of Daniel, chapter 12, verse 4 it says, "But you Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase".
Father, we thank you today for your word, we thank you for being present today. Lord, we love you so much, we appreciate you being in this place. Holy Spirit, as the word is brought, I thank you God that the enemy is a loser and that we stand as more than conquerors in Christ. Father, I pray right now that you would bind everything that would hinder from hearing your word and that we would receive it deeply. May we decrease and may you increase in Jesus name. Amen.
To say that people are busy today I think would be an absolute understatement. Truly we are an unsettled society. We run in a flurry of activity, running from one activity and one appt to the next. There is so much on our minds and when we try to even rest our mind is filled with activity. Very few of us know how to just sit in a room and be quiet. Very few of us know how to even get in a car and just enjoy the journey without listening to something on the radio, whether it be another talk show or more music. There is always something going on in our mind. As a matter of fact there are probably some in this room that hate the quiet so much that at night you even leave the radio on so you've got some background noise going on.
Our entertainment is such a flurry of colors, the internet and movies, so much so that many people are getting sick just from the very fact that they're always watching movement. My sons, since they have the summer off, we usually limit their video game, tv and computer intake, so the other day we were at the church and we were busy and how many know sometimes you just want your kid to be quiet? It was raining, I said, "I don't care, play your video games today to your heart's content". Well, about 7:00 at night, my son comes to me and said, "Dad, I'm feeling sick". His poor eyes were crossed, he was sitting by the computer. He had been from the video game to the tv set to a movie to the computer and he was ready to just throw up all over the place. I looked at him and said, "It's time to turn it all off. Put your glasses on and be quiet". The truth is we do so much that we need to keep ourselves alive with energy drinks. We've got "Extreme adrenaline rush" so you can drink it and stay on the go. As a matter of fact we're so hooked on motion, you could even say that we're addicted to being busy".
In the Book of Daniel it shows us a picture of what will take place in the end times. It says that "men and women will run to and fro and that knowledge will increase". Many times when we look at this portion of scripture we say that travel will be all over the place. We'll be able to ride planes, trains and automobiles and move from one place to another real quick. But the truth is when you look at that verse, not only does it talk about information increasing, it talks about the pace of the way that we'll live. Men will run to and fro, going here and there in their everyday living. I want you to hear me, this is a sign of the end times, that business that keeps us so distracted from everything else. We are trained to fit as much as we can into every bit of our time.
As a matter of fact, I listened to one man who said "Don't waste a moment, you don't have to waste a second, make the most of your day, even if you need to take some reading material into the bathroom with you and it will help you out". Listen, it's one thing if you need that and it makes you happy. It's another thing if you think you need to extend your college education. I couldn't believe what the man was saying, "Stay busy, make every moment count". The pace has left us tired, stressed, we're short tempered and left with the feeling that we're doing so much but accomplishing very little. I believe God is saying that we need to stop, to put a freeze on the frenzy, to recognize what the enemy is doing and as believers to make sure that we are living Godly lives not only in what we do with our life but even the pace of our life.
I want you to listen, I believe the enemy uses the fast pace to his advantage. God is never in a hurry. How many have ever waited on God for something? God says, "Listen, it's in my time". In Revelations 1:8, Jesus said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is, who was and who is to come". God is over time. He doesn't have to work overtime, he's over the whole thing. When we're in a hurry, we mess things up. I believe that one of the reasons why so many Christians are struggling with their lives today and saying, "I serve God, I obey the Lord, but I don't understand why certain things aren't happening, why things are wrong". It's because many times we are moving so fast that we are missing the very things that God has for us. When we move fast people get hurt. When we move fast we get careless and we miss things. We pay less attention to detail and many times we forget to spend time doing the things that make the difference. The truth is we get in our car, we talk on the phone, we listen to the radio and even text messaging while we're driving. Listen, on behalf of everyone else in society I would like to ask you to please stop it. Christian, it can wait.
We're so busy that we don't even have time to hear the Lord when he's speaking. We don't have time to be compassionate, let alone notice a hurt. We get rude and irritable. My daughter was telling me how last night a man in the restaurant, a grouchy old man was giving everyone in that place the hardest time. Not one person stopped to think maybe there's something wrong with him, because we're so busy. There's a reason people hurt, there's a reason why things are going on, then we begin to get rude and irritable. Christian, we should never be so busy that we forget to show and shine the light of Jesus. In the rush of a fast pace the enemy gets things into our mind without us knowing because we're so busy that we don't pay attention.
Years ago I was watching something about movies and I don't know if you've noticed this. How many have noticed that whenever you get into the movie theatre that you just want to eat and drink? If you'll look on the righthand side when they're showing that film, there are little blips that come through. The movie industry purposely puts them there, it says "drink coke, you're hungry, eat popcorn, yummy hotdogs and pretzels". The truth is in the midst of our busyness we're so tired and wore out, even when we sit down to be entertained the enemy is pouring out stuff and we're not even picking up on what's happening. The enemy can sneak things in, can begin to program our minds and program our society without us even paying attention.
He's sneaking things into our schools. We're so busy we don't talk to our kids to know what they're being taught. Our workpace is such that we don't even notice what's going on in people's lives. 2nd Corinthians 2:11 says, "Lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices". Let me ask you Christian, In what ways do you see the enemy gaining a tactical advantage in your life because of the busyness of your lifestyle? What do you see happening with your children? Are you making time to spend with them? I don't care if they're little kids in school or if they're grown up. How many know our kids still need our attention? How many Mom's and Dad's have found out that you've never stopped being Mom and Dad? But the truth is that's ok, it's supposed to be that way. We get so busy, what's happening with marriage? How's the enemy taking advantage of our health? So many times we're so busy keeping up with others and what we think we need to have that we wind up taking God's resources and squandering them when God has given us great blessing.
So what is one of the ways that you put the freeze on frenzy? Everything that God desires to do in our life will take a little bit of time for him to do it. How many believe in God to do some things in this church that we've never seen before? It's going to take time. It takes time to pray, it takes time to seek the face of God. It takes times to go out and do the witnessing, it takes time to go out and love on people. For your family if you want to see them come together, if you feel like you're losing your kids, it takes time to prepare a good meal and have everyone sit down every night for dinner. That's a good thing. Take the time to be with each other. take the time to talk even if you've got kids that come home late for work, just sit down and spend a few minutes in their life.
One of the ways to put the freeze on frenzy is to remember that God has given us the fruit of the spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23 it says "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law". Fruit takes time to grow and because of our pace many of our lives are not living in that fruit. Listen, Nothing will steal the fruit of the spirit faster than frenzy. How many know it takes time to truly love people? It takes time to have peace. How many of you have found that if you're in a frenzy all the time you get all churned up, turned up and stirred up. The enemy has been stealing Christian's joy. We talk about peace being stolen, we talk about things being taken away but we can stop the frenzy by seeking to cultivate God's type of love and life in our daily living. To do that we just need to slow down.
Hebrews 10:26 says, "For you have need of patience so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise". But the truth is sometimes we have been so busy we didn't have time to enjoy the fruit, we just rushed right past it. God said, "Be careful". Christian, how many of you have been living for Jesus and doing his will and waiting for the Harvest? But you have to take time to enjoy it. I love those old songs, "Stop and smell the Roses", "Tiptoe through the Tulips", sometimes you've got to take the time to do it. God says, "take time to slow down, let me work in you. Don't be in such a hurry that you don't have time to enjoy the blessing that I've given you". Some of us have worked so hard for the house that we live in but we're never home to enjoy it. We're always doing something else or going somewhere else. Take time to enjoy the blessing that the Lord has allowed you to work hard for, the things that he's given.
Watch this, we put a freeze on frenzy by redeeming the ability and our desire to quiet ourselves before God. It's by regaining our ability and by renewing our desire to quiet ourselves before the Lord. True revelation and inspiration comes in our quiet times. "Lord, I want to know you, I want to seek you. God, I desire to know the fullness of all that you are. I want to become all that you said I could be. Father, I long to know you and to seek your face". Listen, that takes time. We must not only seek from activity but we need to get to a place where our thoughts are on God and our intent is to listen. Unless we quiet ourself we'll never hear. Very rarely does God shout but He'll do it if you need it. As a matter of fact I have found that the most effective way to get a hold of my children when they are in a frenzy of activity, when they are hyper and hanging from the ceiling, if I yell it seems like they keep going. But if I stop, "How many believe God is wise?"Very rarely does he shout. The still small voice of the Lord. So many times we grow in a frantic panic and only in emergencies do we cry out to the Lord.
In Psalms 46:10 it says this, "Be still and know that I am God".
I believe that God is going to be breaking down strongholds that have gripped some people's lives hard. You have been in a panic and a flurry of activity because spiritually we have heard these things that if we would just pray harder or shout louder but sometimes you just need to be still. I love it when people say to me, "Pastor, I've prayed as hard as I can pray. I'm in this situation and I can't even pray anymore, I don't know what to say". I used to think that was an unspiritual thing but that is probably the coolest place to be in the world because now you stop doing it on your own.
There is a place for tears, there is a place for crying out to God. There is also that place where God is saying, "Just be still and I will do a work in you so deep and so powerfully". God spoke the world into existence. I don't believe he yelled "Let there be light". He spoke "Let there be light, let's separate the earth from the sky". "I want to heal that cancer in your body. I want to take away that sin that's been holding you so deep but you've got to know that I love you so much and that I am powerful enough to break that. Just be still and know I am the Lord. You've been trying to do it on your own but if you'll just be still for a moment I will drop something into your spirit man to let you know that I am God. You have doubted me, you have struggled with me but I am the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord's and until you know that you will never have victory over that. Be still".
Isaiah 30:15 says, "In returning and in rest you shall be saved. In quietness and confidence shall be your strength". Some of you have been away from God and you've been struggling so much and what God says is, "You need to come to me and rest in me. You just need to know that I am your Savior and I am your Lord. There will be things that you need to do, there will be things that you need to stop but return to me first. You want to do all these things but what I want is for you to come to me and when you do that you will have the confidence that I am God". I want to tell you church, if you are losing your confidence in the things of life and things are a mess, if you will just take the time to be still and return to the Lord your strength will return. If you will rest in God and be quiet you will see him begin to restore to you those things that you've been hoping for. It is in the solitude of prayer and in the wilderness that the great men of God found strength and godliness but today we find those times boring.
I love an old fashioned prayer meeting. There's a reason why on those first Friday prayers we play soft music. We don't bring in the guitars because many Christians want to turn it into a worship service. Worship is good in prayer but prayer is about getting down to business with God and just sitting and seeking his face. It's in that quietness that the godliness comes.
I believe that we've forgotten how spiritual warfare is won, through fasting and intercession. It is not flashy but that's the way things get done and it is powerful. It may not be popular but it's powerful. God's design is for us to enjoy life and frenzy is designed to steal the joy right out of life. How many of you have lost your joy when you didn't have 2 minutes to rub together in a day? John 10:10 says, "The thief does not come except to steal, to kill and to destroy. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly".
I believe that God wants us to enjoy the life that he gave us once he saved us. I have found so many Christians that are miserable and they're not enjoying a thing and sometimes the only place that they need to look, if they've gotten the sin out of their life and they're not living in a way that is unpleasing to the Lord, sometimes we just need to check our pace. Sometimes that may mean a change in venue, the Lord will lead you in that. It may mean a change in a job or the way you run your family. It may mean that your kids spend a little less time in sports or maybe they just choose one. Slow life down so that the world isn't controlling the schedule, so the enemy isn't stealing what God has for us. The truth is many times we don't take the time to rest and I want to declare to you this morning the beauty of a nap. Ronald Reagan said, "I am so busy I need to take a nap". People would laugh at the man. I thought Ronald Reagan was wise. Sometimes things just need to wait so you can rest.
The other day I was so busy going on with the day and my mind was going so fast, I couldn't focus on anything. My eyes were so crossed I couldn't do a thing. I had dealt with so many issues, I walked out of my office and the Lord and I had a little fellowship right here in the front row for just about 10 minutes. It's amazing how quickly we can learn to rest. As a matter of fact there is a word in Psalms called "Selah" which means stop, take a break, think about it. How many of you are thankful for what God has done for you? Some of you are in the turmoil of your life. How many have found God to be so faithful in the past? The truth is you're going to hit those times when life is putting you through the trials again and I have found one of the greatest things to do is to stop and reflect on what God has done in the past. If he did it before he will do it again.
Life is meant to be savored and not rushed through. One great evangelist said, "I am so busy I don't have time not to pray, I'm going to seek his face". Our kids are meant to be enjoyed not just tolerated. I'm proud of my kids, I like to watch them play, I love to spend time with them. There will be seasons of busyness where you can't always get it right. Yesterday we went out on the reef just over there on Jupiter Island. My boys and I went and did some snorkeling. How many know God's beauty is just under the water? It's awesome, it was fun. There were still things that needed to be done, people that needed to be called but how many know there will always be something else to do in life? Stop and enjoy what God has given you.
The pace we keep isn't God's design. Our pace leaves us stressed and tired. When we are like this we are under the enemy's attack. One thing that you'll watch when the lion's begin to chase their prey is that they will just run and run and run the herd until the weakest among them get so tired that they begin to lag behind. Lions really are pretty cowardly. They go after the weak and the sick, they go after the elderly and very rarely do they go after the healthy and if it is the healthy one they want they will run it and run it and the pride will harrass it until it's so wore out that it can't do anything else but just give up.
I want you to hear me, Christian, recognize the enemy's attack. Recognize his schemes, fatigue leaves us vulnerable. Normally stable people when they are wore out, just the least bit of criticism will break them down. In the midst of attack, healthy people will have a great mental clarity, their sanity is there but when they're wore out the enemy can work on their sanity. As a matter of fact there are so many right now who are losing their sense of purpose and they begin to wonder if anything really matters. Listen, you matter to God. What God has for your life is powerful. If you're beginning to lose your vision and your purpose, if you're beginning to lose that sense that God has put you here and you had great hopes for your life but are now feeling worn out then begin to look at your pace and don't give in to the enemy. God has a great plan for you and it's important that we realize that.
Numerous verses in the Bible tell us to be sober and this deals with sound judgement and perspective, not so much with getting drunk. "Be sober and vigilent, for your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion". God's not saying, don't get drunk because the enemy is coming after you. He's saying to keep a clear head, keep sound judgement. How many know that if you're going through stress you shouldn't be getting drunk anyway. Why get another spirit other than the spirit of God? Sound judgement and perspective, the fatigue of frenzy distorts our discernment and if we're not clear minded we become distracted in the battle.
Resting in the Lord begins to put things into perspective. We have the mind of Christ and we begin to renew our strength. It is in the rush that we begin to rely on our own strength. When Jesus instructed Mary and Martha he said, "Sit at my feet and do the better thing". It is easy to work but it is hard to pray. Sometimes it is easier to be busy than to stop and seek the face of God.
I want to close this morning with just a couple thoughts. Many today are doing alot of activity but seeing very little result. As a matter of fact Haggai chapter 1:6, 9 describes this. It says, "Now therefore thus says the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways. You have sown much and bring in little. You eat but do not have enough. You drink but you are not filled with drink. You clothe yourselves but no one is warm and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes. Verse 9 says "You looked for much but indeed it came to little and when you brought it home I blew it away". "Why? Says the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that is in ruins while everyone of you runs to his own house".
I believe one of the reasons many Christians are having a hard time receiving all that God has is because when we get overloaded something will take a back seat. Many times it's Jesus. Many times it's prayer time or coming to church and getting fed. Sometimes it's your spouse or the kids that take a back seat. We can get so busy that the things that need our attention get neglected and we must guard our time and prioritize God's purposes for our life. When things to do become more important than the people that we touch then things are out of order.
I believe that this is one of the strongholds that has ripped American life so hard that the people have missed out on the blessing of God. We are so busy that things take a back seat. I want to encourage you Christian, put a freeze on the frenzy. Take time to guard and prioritize God's purposes. Corey ten Boom said this, "Beware the barrenness of a busy life". To know the fullness of God, Jesus said in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him will bear much fruit. For without me you can do nothing". Listen, don't make the mistake of being so busy that you forget to stay plugged into Jesus. Without Him we're nothing but with Him we're everything.
Let me ask you, Christian, has anything taken a back seat? I can feel the Holy Spirit doing a work but I can also feel a little bit of a wall. There are strongholds coming down in Jesus name. Someone may have just looked at their watch thinking they have something else to do. Beware of the barrenness of a busy lifestyle but know the fullness of taking the time to rest in Christ and to allow him to heal and encourage and touch your life. Put the freeze on frenzy.
