Imperial Valley Christian Center

… in a rather relieved fashion, “I thought you weren’t coming dad.” This shocked me a little so as we were driving to the barber’s I told him I was sorry for taking so long. Then Stevie said to me “I’m sorry I thought you weren’t coming dad.” Stevie recognized that it was wrong to doubt me, to question my integrity.

The children of Israel did not enter into the promised land the first time through because they doubted God's integrity. The Bible calls this doubt a sin:

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

The sin which kept them from entering the promised land and resulted in their "carcases" falling in the wilderness was unbelief. We’ll receive the benefits of what Christ has provided for us only if we continue in faith, if we keep from doubting. Worrying is just another form of doubting.

Christina, who’s six, takes after her dad. Sometimes when I'm taking her to the mall or to the show or somewhere and maybe not taking the route she prefers, she’ll look around and say something like, “Daddy, you said you were going to take us to the mall, this isn’t the way to the mall.” or “Daddy you said we were going to the show, this isn’t the way to the show.” She is ,in fact, worrying. She's worrying that I'm not really going to deliver. She's anxious that I might not keep my word. When Christina does that it upsets me. She’s questioning my integrity. She’s calling me a liar.

When we worry we’re saying that God and/or His word are not reliable, we’re doubting Him. Worry is unbelief. Worry is doubting God’s word. Worry is questioning His integrity. Worry is a sin.

God’s word tells us plainly and often not to worry.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

The King James language “Take no thought for you life…” doesn’t really register with us. So some have mistakenly taken this scripture to mean that we aren't supposed to make any plans, but that’s not what Jesus is talking about.  The modern translations make it a lot clearer:

NRSV "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

NIV "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

NASB "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?

Peter also tells us not to worry:

1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

I like the Amplified Bible’s take on this verse:

Ampl.: Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

If you’ve cast your cares upon him then you don’t have them anymore. “…once and for all…’

The apostle Paul tells us not to worry about anything.

Phillipians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Again the King James language doesn’t work with our modern ears, so here’s the New Revised Standard Version, all of the modern Bibles say something similar:

NRSV Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Great, Greg as if I didn’t have enough to worry about, now I have to worry about worrying!

God doesn’t just tell us not to worry He tells us why we don’t have to worry.

A lot of Christians, when they read verses like these, try and take a sort of Buddhist or perhaps fatalistic approach to not worrying. They think they're just supposed to twist their minds in some way so that they don’t worry. Sort of whistling as they pass the graveyard.

“Well, no matter how horrible I think this is God knows it’s for my best therefor I shouldn’t worry.” or  “I’m just going to deny my own desires for health or material needs and not worry about those things.”

 But God doesn't just tell us not to worry He tells us why we don't have to worry. Take Jesus admonition:

Matthew 6:25 NKJV 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?

The context here is contained in the previous verse:

Matthew 6:24 NKJV 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.

Jesus tells us we can’t serve God and mammon or money. It’s hard to have two jobs. When you have two jobs there will inevitably come a time when you have to choose between the two. Maybe your boss asks you to come in and work a little overtime which conflicts with the other job. At that point you’re going to have to make a decision; which job is most important to me. That’s what Jesus is saying here. If you try to serve God and money there will come a time when you will have to make a choice between them.

Maybe your job wants you to transfer to a new city with a raise and a promotion. From a financial standpoint it’s a no brainer. But God has just told you that he wants you to teach in the children’s ministry at your church. What to do? Unfortunately, for most Christians it’s not even an issue. Of course they’re going to take the new job. It means more money for their family and they can always teach in the children’s ministry of their new church. But that’s not what God told you to do. Most Christians don’t even think about consulting God when making financial decisions. Frankly, most Christians are serving mammon not God. (Okay, I better get off that subject before everybody leaves.)

So then Jesus tell us how to serve God and not serve mammon, “Don’t worry about money.” If you think about it in reverse, the way to serve mammon and not serve God is to constantly worry about money. You can see how this would work. If you’re constantly thinking, “What are we going to do?” “What are we going to eat?” “What are we going to wear?” then the decisions you make in life are more likely to effected by those worries than by any thoughts of what God asks of you. What you are constantly thinking about effects the choices you make in life.

When I used to read this verse I would think, ‘Great Jesus, so I’m not supposed to worry about money. I guess that means I need to go live naked in a cave, 'drinking branch water and eating wild onions,’as dad Hagin used to say. (Not a pretty picture.) But Jesus doesn’t just leave us there he tells us why we don’t have to worry about our financial needs. God feeds the birds He clothes the flowers He’s sure going to take care of you, knucklehead. Just put God first and he’ll take care of your financial needs. (You’ll have to read the rest of Matthew 6 to see that.)

My point is, that God tells us not to worry but He doesn't just stop there He also gives us reasons why we don’t have to be worry. Jesus tells us not to worry about money and then tells us that God will provide for our money needs, abundantly no less. Peter tells us to cast our cares upon God, and doesn’t just stop there but tells us why it is safe to do so, because God cares for us. Paul tells us to not worry about anything and then tells us why we can be carefree no matter the circumstance, because in every situation in life we can pray to God. The implication (Not to mention the Biblical context.) being that God will give us what we ask. We don’t have to worry because God cares for us, He’ll add all things unto us, He will answer our prayers.

So how do I keep from worrying?

In order to live the carefree life God wants you to have you’re going to have to take control of your thought life. There are some thoughts you shouldn’t be thinking. Just like Stevie knew that it was wrong for him to be thinking that I wasn’t going to come, it’s wrong for you to be thinking that God won’t come through. You need to reject those, “What are we going to do? What are we going to do? What are we going to do?”, thoughts and begin replacing them with thoughts about what God’s word says He's going to do.

Right after Paul tells us to be carefree he says this:

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Christians aren’t supposed to be thinking about just anything and there’s nothing on that list about worry, or anxiety or care, or God not answering your prayers, or your children doing without, or things going badly for you. God wants you to live carefree. Cast down those thoughts and imaginations and day dreams of bad things happening in your life and fill your thought life with God’s promises and His faithfulness to those promises.

God wants you to be carefree!