Sermon On The Mount: Worry
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; 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?
Matthew 6:25-30 (NKJV)
In my B.C. years, happiness was like a butterfly: beautiful to see, but beyond my reach. I admired it. I took pictures of it, but they were relics that brought me no joy. Why?
I was a prisoner, bound by worry. I now believe Worry is a demon: an officer in the army of hell, with millions of troops under his command. He kept me shackled for many decades.
I wanted him gone, thinking… if I could control this, that, him, her (or something else)– worry would be gone! I was wrong, because…
'Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places' (Ephesians 6:12).
Now as a Christian… I still fight worry. But I know who he is and how to fight. I pray on war gear: the armor of God.* I pull out 'The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God' (Ephesians 6:17).
That’s what our own heroic Captain did in His wilderness trial with Satan. He fought the devil with the Word of God, leaving one unassailable choice: he was forced to flee!!
Worry also acts as a diversion: anyone or thing that stops our progress in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.
NOTE: If Satan can’t have our souls (he can’t), then he tries to keep us undercover: to diminish our witness and our light.
God says: 'Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus' (Philippians 4:6-7).
God says: 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding' (Proverbs 3:5).
God says: 'Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right Hand' (Isaiah 41:10).
The abandoned, beleaguered, tormented, and one day victorious King David said:
'Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved' (Psalm 55:22).
Also: 'The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped' (Psalm 28:7).
'I will lift up my eyes to the hills--From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made Heaven and Earth' (Psalm 121:1-2).
'I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them' (Psalm 34:4-7).
Therefore, speak God's Word. 'Resist Satan, and he will flee from you' (James 4:7).
Sermon On The Mount: Worry (Part 22)
* The Armor of God: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%206:10-18&version=NKJV
* Scriptures that will fight worry for you:
NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2013 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.