October 28th, 2024
By: Angie Drummonds
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34
It’s easy to grow concerned about the world around us. We see and hear the news and watch the chaos that is our world. We see families being destroyed and homes being broken up, and we see suicide rates increase, with kids as young as ten, making decisions to end their lives. That is absolutely heartbreaking!
The reports around us are alarming and troubling and if we look only at what we see happening, we could grow anxious and fearful. When we look to God, and seek Him, we can see the hope that Jesus gives to us, even in the darkest situations.
The enemy would love to make us doubt that God is with us, or that we can have hope in hard situations. The tactics of the enemy are to manipulate our feelings and emotions so that we feel alone and hopeless. The enemy wants to make us worry and fear that we won’t make it or that God won’t provide. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life! He came to save that which is lost, to heal that which is broken and to set the captives free.
My heart may be troubled at what I see and what I hear, but my hope is secure. Secure in the ONE who can calm the storms that rage and give me peace in the middle of it. Our hope in Jesus can overcome every tactic of the enemy, but we must learn to seek GOD above all else.
Our time with God must become more important than anything else. Being sure to study His word and spend time in worship and prayer. The only way to see change in the world around us, is to let it start with ourselves.
Jesus shows us in these verses in Matthew how we must do this…
Focus on the goal - God’s Kingdom.
Be in the present moment - one day’s trouble.
We are all, in fact, stuck in the present moment. There’s no fast-forward to get through the sad, scary parts of life. There’s no pause button to freeze the wonderful times. There's no rewind for the “if onlys” and “what if’s” that can flood us with regret.
Jesus tells us that we should not worry, because it doesn’t do us any good, and in fact it takes our focus OFF of the Lord, because we can only either focus on Him, or the worry, but not both. When things happen that would cause us to worry or to fear, we should focus on God and His word.
The enemy uses this tactic of fear to cause us NOT to seek God first. He wants to keep you and I from the power and peace that we have in Jesus. He wants our focus to be on the problem, instead of on the ONE who can solve the problem. We can’t fix every problem we face. We can’t take away all the pain, hurt or disappointments.
We CAN allow the peace of God to be our strength through the things we go through. Trusting in HIS plan and HIS purpose for our lives, and seeking HIM above all else. Knowing that He can and He will provide and meet every need and that HE WILL bring us through every test and give us a testimony.
"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.” Isaiah 41:10
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34
It’s easy to grow concerned about the world around us. We see and hear the news and watch the chaos that is our world. We see families being destroyed and homes being broken up, and we see suicide rates increase, with kids as young as ten, making decisions to end their lives. That is absolutely heartbreaking!
The reports around us are alarming and troubling and if we look only at what we see happening, we could grow anxious and fearful. When we look to God, and seek Him, we can see the hope that Jesus gives to us, even in the darkest situations.
The enemy would love to make us doubt that God is with us, or that we can have hope in hard situations. The tactics of the enemy are to manipulate our feelings and emotions so that we feel alone and hopeless. The enemy wants to make us worry and fear that we won’t make it or that God won’t provide. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life! He came to save that which is lost, to heal that which is broken and to set the captives free.
My heart may be troubled at what I see and what I hear, but my hope is secure. Secure in the ONE who can calm the storms that rage and give me peace in the middle of it. Our hope in Jesus can overcome every tactic of the enemy, but we must learn to seek GOD above all else.
Our time with God must become more important than anything else. Being sure to study His word and spend time in worship and prayer. The only way to see change in the world around us, is to let it start with ourselves.
Jesus shows us in these verses in Matthew how we must do this…
Focus on the goal - God’s Kingdom.
Be in the present moment - one day’s trouble.
We are all, in fact, stuck in the present moment. There’s no fast-forward to get through the sad, scary parts of life. There’s no pause button to freeze the wonderful times. There's no rewind for the “if onlys” and “what if’s” that can flood us with regret.
Jesus tells us that we should not worry, because it doesn’t do us any good, and in fact it takes our focus OFF of the Lord, because we can only either focus on Him, or the worry, but not both. When things happen that would cause us to worry or to fear, we should focus on God and His word.
The enemy uses this tactic of fear to cause us NOT to seek God first. He wants to keep you and I from the power and peace that we have in Jesus. He wants our focus to be on the problem, instead of on the ONE who can solve the problem. We can’t fix every problem we face. We can’t take away all the pain, hurt or disappointments.
We CAN allow the peace of God to be our strength through the things we go through. Trusting in HIS plan and HIS purpose for our lives, and seeking HIM above all else. Knowing that He can and He will provide and meet every need and that HE WILL bring us through every test and give us a testimony.
"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.” Isaiah 41:10
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