Don't Let the Latest News Muddy the Greatest News

Today’s headlines seem like they could panic even a person as calm as Mother Teresa.

A global pandemic. Financial distress. Churches shuttered. Businesses struggling.

Walls and fences wrapped around the Capitol building that now looks more like a police state than the shining beacon of a free society.

The brutal truths of our present day can be stressful. But let me point you to the surest way to decrease the stresses of today’s multiple problems.

Regardless of what you read in your news feed today, God is the surest source of truth. In fact, when Jesus came to earth, he was called the "Way," and the "Truth," and the "Life."

So don’t let the latest news muddy the oldest news, because the oldest news is also the greatest news:

God loves you, and he can handle whatever you have on your plate.

You might wonder about the relevance of such "truth" when there are waves of change sweeping our world.

Yesterday’s digital breakthroughs created today’s digital natives.

Young people don’t understand dialing a phone or know what to do with a floppy disk.

Yet God is always relevant because he is the one unchanging element in all of world history.

Regardless of political upheaval, shifting migration of peoples, increased violence, or decreased food supply, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In the bible, James 1:17 states that, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Sure, a lot of cold facts stare us in the face each morning; but still, God never changes. And God is a giver of gifts to us. That means God is bedrock for us.

In fact, one of Jesus’ best friends, John, wrote, "the world is upheld by the word of Jesus’ power." 

If God can hold the universe, he can uphold you.

To de-stress yourself from the calamities of this world, don’t begin the day by absorbing new headlines and information.

Instead, try starting your morning by confessing the truth right out loud. State that you believe God is faithful, that every perfect gift comes from him, that he keeps his promises, and he can be trusted.

The ancient prophet Isaiah said about God that he "creates the fruit of your lips."

That means, when you start confessing out of your mouth what God says, things start to change.

Remember, God created the earth simply by speaking words.

I think there’s a powerful lesson for us in this.

He could have merely thought it, or written it. But he was demonstrating the power of words by actually speaking life into the formless void.

And when God made us in his image, he gave us creative power in our words too.

Here’s a little example.

Have you ever said about a task, "I’ll probably just mess it up," and then you mess it up?

Your words created an atmosphere that led what you said.

Speak out the words that you want God to hear.

Don’t repeat the same negative headlines or the doctor’s diagnosis.

Speak the truth that God is a good God, that he is faithful, and he will be faithful to you.

One way that God is faithful is that he is concerned with both our smallest and our largest worries. He is concerned enough to get involved.

He said, "Cast all your cares on me, because I care for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

After you’ve stated out loud that you believe God, throw every worry right to God, and he’ll always be there to catch it.

At first it might seem awkward to talk to God. But understand that God never gets tired of hearing you.

God’s compassion is brand new every morning.

Picture in your mind the biggest lake you have ever seen.

If that were God’s mercy and compassion, then even if you were to drain all that water out, the next day it would be full.

That’s what God’s love is like for you. It’s endless and always refills, no matter how much you use.

Even those of us who have always believed God is good, and believe he wants the best for us, can sometimes let circumstances weigh us down.

It’s like when you’re online and a webpage freezes; so you have to refresh your browser. In a similar way, we sometimes need to refresh our minds to get unstuck.

So, here’s your reboot, your refresh, and your new morning routine. Start the day confessing right out loud that God is a good God and will keep his promises. Next, throw every worry right to God, and ask for what you need. Then keep doing that every single day.

Perhaps it sounds crazy to think that any of this would matter. The truth is though, God is listening for you right now. And the habits you begin today will lead to the peace you hope to experience tomorrow.

Pastor Jentezen Franklin is the Senior Pastor of Free Chapel, a multi-campus church. Each week his television program "Kingdom Connection" is broadcast on major networks all over the world. A New York Times best-selling author, Jentezen has written nine books including his most recent, "Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt," the groundbreaking "Fasting" and "Right People-Right Place-Right Plan." Jentezen and his wife Cherise have been married 31 years, have five children and four grandchildren, and make their home in Gainesville, Georgia. To read more of his articles — Click Here Now.