No Need to Worry

Matthew 6: 24 - 33, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. "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? 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? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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? "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. NKJV

Faith believes, but doubt worries. Anytime we struggle in our hearts with doubt concerning God's ability or availability to meet our needs, we are giving Satan an open door to speak into our lives. While faith will listen only to God and will stand on His promises as the final authority over our lives, doubt will cause us to listen to the lies of Satan and cause us to be filled with fear.

Perhaps you already know this to be true. Nevertheless, sometimes it helps us to hear truths repeated, so that we're reassured in our hearts. Worry will NEVER change your situation or solve a problem that you face. Nonetheless, many Christians fall prey to the spirit of worry, and then hope that things will get better anyway. Jesus teaches us in today's scriptures that we're not to worry about our needs. Instead, He tells us to seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Jesus is telling us not to be concerned about what we will eat or what we will wear, but rather to seek the will of our heavenly Father.

Why would Jesus tell us to focus on God's needs and not on ours? When we put God first, He will cause the enemy of distraction to be silenced, thus putting a stop to worry. Do you want to be free from worry? Are you constantly tormented by Satan because of the threat of trouble that looms over the horizon? By obeying Jesus' command to seek first the kingdom of God, we are inviting the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds. When we seek God first, we are putting God's needs before our own; this will cause the blessings of God to follow us daily. 

Let me ask you to do something that can help you break free from worry and doubt. For one month, shut out every voice and influence that causes you to doubt God and to worry about your well-being. Begin, instead, to invest your time and effort in prayer and seeking God's will for your life. Keep a journal, so that you're able to chronicle the change that your heart and mind will undergo during the month. At the end of the month, if you have been faithful to keep the "bad influence" out of your ears, thoughts, and actions, you will be liberated from fear and doubt, which cause worry.

At first, you will probably find it very difficult to ignore the "need to worry" because it has been such a big part of your life, even as a child of God. Literally, you are breaking the habit of worry and overcoming the spirit that causes it. It's really not natural (in the Spirit) for a Christian to worry; therefore, don't feel bad because you've gone all day and haven't fretted over anything. It only means that you're getting your life back and can focus more on God and His kingdom. I want to walk with you on this one-month journey to freedom. You can keep me updated by emailing me at passion30@whcnorth.org. When the month is over, please send me your victory report so that we can share your testimony with others. How can I be so certain that this plan will work? It has worked very effectively for me. 

The Truth You Know Shall Make You Free,
Pastor Asa Dockery