WORRY NOT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY DECEMBER 27, 2021.

SUBJECT: WORRY NOT!

Memory verse: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4 vs 6).

READ: Matthew 6 vs 25 - 33:

6:25: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

6:26: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

6:27: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

6:28: So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

6:29: And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

6:30: Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

6:31: Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' Or 'What shall we wear?'

6:32: For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you needs all these things.

6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

INTIMATION:

Worry or anxiety is being uneasy with fear, crave or desire regarding something, In our memory verse, the Scripture tells us not to be anxious about anything. Imagine not being anxious for anything. It seems like an impossibility because we all have worries; on the job, in our homes, in our business, at school, etc. The reason we worry or burn with anxiety is because we have not trusted God and His promises enough. 

God has given us His promises in all things; in "all" not "some." God is a God of Promise, and we, His children, are children of promise, and heirs of the promises of God. The Bible, in Hebrews 6 vs 17 - 18, indicated clearly that God's promises are unchanging and trustworthy because God is unchanging and trustworthy:

"Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." 

These two immutable things are God's Nature and His promise, and God swore an oath by them! God embodies all truth, therefore, cannot lie. Because God is truth you can be secured in His promises, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (Second Corinthians 1 vs 20). 

Therefore, turn all your worries into prayers, locating in the Scriptures the promise of God relevant to your situation, and put Him into remembrance (Isaiah 43 vs 26), for He watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1 vs 12). Whenever you start to worry, you stop to pray, and if you start to pray, you stop to worry.

In the passage we read today, Jesus tells us to stop worrying about those needs that God promises to supply. Worry has its negative effects on us; it may damage your health, cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts, disrupt your productivity, negatively affect the way you treat others, reduce your ability to trust in God. Worry immobilizes, but genuine concern moves you to action.

Worry is distinct from planning. Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God's guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, in contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.

Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares. Many a time we run away from God because of our sin, thinking that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight even of those struggles. Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passively. Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls circumstances.

The Scripture, in verse 33 of our passage today, asks us to first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. That is; to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. After you have done this, all other things the world is dying for will be added unto you. 

Please note carefully that all other things, apart from seeking God’s kingdom, are just additions, and not the main substance. The main thing that matters to God is your relationship with Him. What is really important to you? What do you really seek after? It is noteworthy that earthly concerns and desires, all compete for priority with seeking God. Any of these can quickly bump God out of your life; out of first place if you don't actively choose to give Him first place in every area of your life.

Prayers: Abba Father, I will forever trust in Your promises. Daily You have loaded me with benefits. All that is within me bless Your Holy Name! My soul blesses, and rejoices in You. Thank You Lord for I know You will never leave me nor forsake me. I put my cares upon You, knowing You care for me. Help me to put away any anxieties in my life, but rather turn any worries to prayer and supplication, giving thanks in all things, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!