About this week’s movie:

"Bridge of Spies" is a historical film set during the Cold War and revolves around the real-life events surrounding the exchange of captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. The film focuses on James B. Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer who is tasked with negotiating the exchange. The title "Bridge of Spies" refers to the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin, where the exchange takes place. The movie not only explores the tense negotiations during the Cold War but also delves into Donovan's commitment to upholding the principle of justice.

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Message Notes

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• We get the opportunity to talk about one of the most important aspects of our faith: choosing not to worry and instead trusting God in all things.
• In our movie, Abel has everything in the world to be worried about, so why isn’t he? In his mind, it would serve no purpose, and has no value. Donovan is amazed at how calm Colonel Abel is and asks him, “are you not worried?” And Colonel Abel responds… ”Would it help?”
• “Worry” means to give way to anxiety or unease; to allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. So, will giving way to anxiety or unease and dwelling on the difficulty of troubles help?
• Luke 12:25-26 - “Does worry add anything to your life? Can it add one more year, or even one day? So if worrying adds nothing, but actually subtracts from your life, why would you worry about God’s care of you?”  
• When we are faced with challenging or unexpected situations, we have 2 choices: We can either allow ourselves to be consumed by worry, indulging every worst-case scenario, or we can refuse to worry and trust God to guide us on the right path.
• Abel says, “I’m not afraid to die, but it wouldn’t be my first choice.” He does not allow himself to be paralyzed with fear, anxiety, and worry.
• What do we do if we aren’t supposed to worry? Well, we should stand firm in our convictions, so we can get back up every time. But what do we do with our worry? You cannot just “not worry” just like you cannot just avoid sin. You have to fill that space with something.
• Philippians 4:8-9 - “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you.”
• Replacing your thoughts with God’s thoughts and God’s ways that gives you peace and the ability to keep getting back up.
• When we put our attention on God, instead of the circumstances, that’s when He has an opportunity to deliver us from fear and worry and give us peace.
• There are times where nothing goes our way. In our movie, it sure appeared that there was absolutely no hope. We need to have a place to turn when we’re faced with moments like this.
• Psalm 118:6–8 - “The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me… It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.”
• The root of worry is a lack of faith in our Heavenly Father. Our job is to trust Him and that requires faith.
• Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not yet see.”
• Faith in God increases the hope inside of us, even when we can’t see it yet.
• There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem.
• How can we have the courage to see problems as opportunities? We need to remember who is with us even in our darkest moments.
• Psalm 23:1, 4 - “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”
• We can see the danger or we can see our shepherd who provides all we need.
• Isaiah 41:10 - “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• We don’t have to wait and wonder if God is on our side or if He will show up. We can know that God is there for us in every circumstance.
• Think about how much you have worried over the past year. Has that added anything positive to your life? Imagine if you had spent all that energy you wasted in worry, instead praising God and building a deeper relationship with Him. How much more confident would you be? How different would you see your future? How different would your life look if we chose to focus on the Lord instead of worrying?
• Every time you are tempted to worry, ask yourself, would it help? And shift your focus from worry to God, who is with you, for you, and ready to help you.

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