Worry.
Doubt.
Neglect.
Apathy.
I've struggled with every single one of the things listed above. I have with every single one at some point in my life. Some I still struggle with. I notice again and again that each one brings me away from Christ. I will venture to say that every person reading this has struggled with all of these things as well. The thing about these feelings is that they are so incredibly hard to get rid of. I worry on a consistent basis. I worry about my health, my future, my relationships. It really is dehabilitating to my spirit. Every one of those things are. They like to chip away at you piece by piece until you just don't know what to do with yourself. Over the next four days, I'm going to address all of these, one at a time, and send you a little encouragement and Scripture to keep with you along your way.
"And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
-Luke 12:29-31
What do we do with this verse? Most of you are saying, "Well, I never worry about what/when I'm going to eat next, at least not to the point of stressing about it." Well, try to broaden your mind and apply other topics to it. Do you worry about grades? I do. Do you worry about your boyfriend/girlfriend and your relationship? I do. Do you worry about your parents at home? I do. Do you worry about siblings? I do. Do you worry about your future? I do. I could go on and on and on about what I worry about. But look back at the verse. The earthly things we worry about in this life are pagan things, according to the verse. That's not saying that God ignores them and considers them ridiculous, but it is saying those things are of the sinful world and not of spiritual gain. The next segment says that He knows we need those things. Does that make you feel better? That certainly makes me feel better. Knowing that God realizes we need things on earth brings a certain amount of relief. The petty worries don't apply to this, obviously. God is not worried about your next shopping spree or if you will be able to attend your favorite team's baseball game. But those big things - your future, your destiny, and the sins you struggle with on a daily basis - God knows you need guidance and peace about it. So, what do we do with that? The last part of the verse gives us our answer. Seek Christ in everything, in every worry, and the solution will be given to you. All we have to do is seek Christ, and He will answer us in His own way. The Bible doesn't lie. It may not be the answer we want, but those worries will be resolved through Christ. Whew. Okay, moving on.
What do we do with this verse? Most of you are saying, "Well, I never worry about what/when I'm going to eat next, at least not to the point of stressing about it." Well, try to broaden your mind and apply other topics to it. Do you worry about grades? I do. Do you worry about your boyfriend/girlfriend and your relationship? I do. Do you worry about your parents at home? I do. Do you worry about siblings? I do. Do you worry about your future? I do. I could go on and on and on about what I worry about. But look back at the verse. The earthly things we worry about in this life are pagan things, according to the verse. That's not saying that God ignores them and considers them ridiculous, but it is saying those things are of the sinful world and not of spiritual gain. The next segment says that He knows we need those things. Does that make you feel better? That certainly makes me feel better. Knowing that God realizes we need things on earth brings a certain amount of relief. The petty worries don't apply to this, obviously. God is not worried about your next shopping spree or if you will be able to attend your favorite team's baseball game. But those big things - your future, your destiny, and the sins you struggle with on a daily basis - God knows you need guidance and peace about it. So, what do we do with that? The last part of the verse gives us our answer. Seek Christ in everything, in every worry, and the solution will be given to you. All we have to do is seek Christ, and He will answer us in His own way. The Bible doesn't lie. It may not be the answer we want, but those worries will be resolved through Christ. Whew. Okay, moving on.
"Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."
-Mark 4:18-19
This verse brings me to my second point. Worry brings you away from God. Boy, don't I know it. Don't you feel it when you worry about something all the time? Lo and behold, your mind is not focused on Christ any longer. Your mind is focused on the issue at hand. So, getting to the verse. Even if you know the word, if you hear God's word, the worries that you have in your life "choke the word". I love this phrase because it puts a visual on what worry does to a person. It makes you lose sight of what is important, it makes you lose sight of God's promises. The word all of a sudden is unproductive in your spirit and, as a result, in your relationships. When I get super worried about something, I don't know about you guys, but I get quiet and stop interacting with friends as much. I smile and laugh less. Those worries have your spirit and mind in chains, so much so that you cannot concentrate on Christ any longer. Worry brings you away from God, it brings you away from joy, it takes away the reality of God's promises. Well, gee, I don't want that, do you? I didn't think so. Next time, when you have incessant worries about something, remember this verse and convict yourself. Back to the first verse, seek Christ. And I certainly have to take my own advice! I'm by no means exempt from any of this. Now, onto the next verse!
This verse brings me to my second point. Worry brings you away from God. Boy, don't I know it. Don't you feel it when you worry about something all the time? Lo and behold, your mind is not focused on Christ any longer. Your mind is focused on the issue at hand. So, getting to the verse. Even if you know the word, if you hear God's word, the worries that you have in your life "choke the word". I love this phrase because it puts a visual on what worry does to a person. It makes you lose sight of what is important, it makes you lose sight of God's promises. The word all of a sudden is unproductive in your spirit and, as a result, in your relationships. When I get super worried about something, I don't know about you guys, but I get quiet and stop interacting with friends as much. I smile and laugh less. Those worries have your spirit and mind in chains, so much so that you cannot concentrate on Christ any longer. Worry brings you away from God, it brings you away from joy, it takes away the reality of God's promises. Well, gee, I don't want that, do you? I didn't think so. Next time, when you have incessant worries about something, remember this verse and convict yourself. Back to the first verse, seek Christ. And I certainly have to take my own advice! I'm by no means exempt from any of this. Now, onto the next verse!
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
-1 Peter 5:7
Yeah, okay, so mostly everybody knows this verse. You could probably recite it in your sleep. But, I wanted to end with this one just because of the concept of God caring for us. The god of the universe cares for us mere mortals. If you care about someone, don't you want them to tell you what they're worried about if they're acting different around you? I find myself asking that to people I really care about - "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about anything with me? I'm here for you if you ever need it, you know that, right?" God says the exact same thing to us. If we have worries, if we have issues that we need to talk to somebody about, who better to talk to than the God of the universe? The funny thing is, is that He already knows what you're worried about. So, if you're embarrassed about worrying over something that seems trivial, God already knows you're worried about it. Sometimes I don't tell people what I'm worried about because it seem so stupid to me. But you can't hide from God. You can't hide your thoughts from the Lord. So, the logical solution is to cast that anxiety on God because He is the one that can ultimately take it away. If you worry about sins you can't seem to break free from, tell God. If you worry about what's going on at home, tell God. If you worry about getting into graduate school, tell God. If you worry about finding your place somewhere, tell God. He listens, He cares, and if you only seek Him, He will give you peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and you will draw closer to Him. I hope this helped some of you, I know I certainly need to keep all this in mind. Thanks for reading.
Yeah, okay, so mostly everybody knows this verse. You could probably recite it in your sleep. But, I wanted to end with this one just because of the concept of God caring for us. The god of the universe cares for us mere mortals. If you care about someone, don't you want them to tell you what they're worried about if they're acting different around you? I find myself asking that to people I really care about - "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about anything with me? I'm here for you if you ever need it, you know that, right?" God says the exact same thing to us. If we have worries, if we have issues that we need to talk to somebody about, who better to talk to than the God of the universe? The funny thing is, is that He already knows what you're worried about. So, if you're embarrassed about worrying over something that seems trivial, God already knows you're worried about it. Sometimes I don't tell people what I'm worried about because it seem so stupid to me. But you can't hide from God. You can't hide your thoughts from the Lord. So, the logical solution is to cast that anxiety on God because He is the one that can ultimately take it away. If you worry about sins you can't seem to break free from, tell God. If you worry about what's going on at home, tell God. If you worry about getting into graduate school, tell God. If you worry about finding your place somewhere, tell God. He listens, He cares, and if you only seek Him, He will give you peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and you will draw closer to Him. I hope this helped some of you, I know I certainly need to keep all this in mind. Thanks for reading.
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