This is part of our newest devotional book release Extinguishing the Spirit of Fear — 30 Devotions to Battle Fear and Anxiety. Click to download a sample or purchase the full devotion.
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25
Worry is always sinful
Yes, I said it; worry is a sin. Worry is a sinful expression of fear, and a severe problem of the heart. It is a sin that many people struggle with on a day to day basis. It is a serious problem.
But what is worry?
Worry and anxiety are ultimately different forms of fear rooted in a lack of understanding of Who God is and in a self-centered outlook on one’s life and potential troubles. This then begs the question, “What is the Biblical solution to my worry?” Well, the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about worry, and one of the primary passages that deals with the issue of worry is here in Matthew 6:25–34. There are two major truths in this passage that will better equip you to deal with worry.
First, God is the sovereign provider
In verses 25–31, Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about their body, food, or clothes, but to instead consider how God provides for even the smallest and most insignificant of creatures. Essentially Jesus is making a greater than–less than comparison here. If God will feed the birds and clothe the flowers of the field, then why would He not provide for you who are made in His image and bought by the blood of His Son? God is the sovereign provider Who is working all things out for His glory and the good of those who love Him. Yet, it is important to remember that this does not mean the Christian is exempt from suffering, persecution, sorrow, or loss. In fact, much of the New Testament promises that living for Christ will lead to suffering.
Even Paul says in Philippians that part of the Christian experience is to fellowship in Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10). You will face hardship and yet God still provides, though often in ways unexpected. For example, trials are an instrument for growth according to James 1:2–4. God often provides for you in ways that are least expected and sometimes even most undesired. Rest assured that God is sovereign and that He is working for your good and His glory. Even when it doesn’t feel that way!
Second, Jesus equips us to battle worry by setting our eyes on the Kingdom and not ourselves
Worry is rooted in a constant desire for the well-being and benefit of self, and it expresses itself in concern for the future and desperate thoughts that plead, “What if?” Worry is often irrational and erratic self-centeredness that has the ability to consume the soul and cloud the mind. That is why Jesus says in verse 33 to seek God’s kingdom first. He wants us, He wants you, to reroute the desire of your heart from you to His kingdom. Paul echoes this very idea in Philippians 2 where he tells the Philippian believers to consider others more highly than themselves and to do nothing out of selfish ambition, but to look out for each other’s interests (Philippians 2:3–4).
The antidote to your worry is to put the work of the kingdom before you and your needs and to put others first.
To be selfless and to concern yourself not with your problems but with Christ’s gospel. Know that God is your provider and seek first His Kingdom, not yours.
Written By Corbin Henderson
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