Teenside Daily Devotional
4/18/20
Read Matthew 6:25-34.
What does it mean to be anxious? The two words that always appear within or alongside the definition are “worried” and “nervous”. My guess is that you have experienced anxiety to some degree (some people have experienced a lot). Yet, Jesus tells us here not to be anxious. But how am I not supposed to worry about anything? If I have too much happening, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. And most of the time, they’re all good things! Is Jesus telling me that he wants me to give up even the good things in my life? Nope!
Everything that Jesus says in this passage points toward the source of most of our anxiety: a lack of faith that God will provide. This is seen through his examples of how God provides for His creation, the birds and the lillies, and is followed by the questions that we ask ourselves when we feel like we lack something we need. Jesus even adds on that the Gentiles seek after and worry about all of these things, but God knows what we need! He ends this passage by saying that tomorrow will worry about itself, so we should just focus on what is in front of us today.
This is all great, but how do we deal with anxiety and worry? There are a number of other verses in the Bible that give us one very important step to deal with our anxiety. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, Peter tells us to cast all of our anxieties on God “because he cares for you”. Don’t sit with your worries; share them with your Father in heaven! In Philippians 4:6, Paul echoes what Jesus has said, not to be anxious about anything, and what Peter says, to simply bring our requests to God. Finally, Jesus says in verse 33 to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. How do we do this? We speak to Him! We just have to commune with God and we are seeking His kingdom! If we are open with God about the worries in our life, He will equip us with whatever we need to deal with them. God didn’t create you to worry. He created you to trust Him with everything, and He will bless you, just like the birds and the lillies.
Questions:
*Take a moment to journal these questions. Write down your thoughts, questions, and concerns. Then date your entry. One of the coolest things is being able to look back and see how God came through for you.*
Prayer: Spend some time praying about the things you journaled. Pray out loud the verses that you found. Thank God for His peace that He freely gives to us when we choose to lay our burdens at His feet. Declare that the things you have been anxious about will no longer hold you in fear. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Release your thoughts and feelings to God and let His peace seep in. Ask that God would continue to show you how trustworthy He is. He longs to care for you even more than He cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.
Song: Peace Be Still- Lauren Daigle
Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/169Fs68hROYRdS362T8D9w
Read Matthew 6:25-34.
What does it mean to be anxious? The two words that always appear within or alongside the definition are “worried” and “nervous”. My guess is that you have experienced anxiety to some degree (some people have experienced a lot). Yet, Jesus tells us here not to be anxious. But how am I not supposed to worry about anything? If I have too much happening, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. And most of the time, they’re all good things! Is Jesus telling me that he wants me to give up even the good things in my life? Nope!
Everything that Jesus says in this passage points toward the source of most of our anxiety: a lack of faith that God will provide. This is seen through his examples of how God provides for His creation, the birds and the lillies, and is followed by the questions that we ask ourselves when we feel like we lack something we need. Jesus even adds on that the Gentiles seek after and worry about all of these things, but God knows what we need! He ends this passage by saying that tomorrow will worry about itself, so we should just focus on what is in front of us today.
This is all great, but how do we deal with anxiety and worry? There are a number of other verses in the Bible that give us one very important step to deal with our anxiety. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, Peter tells us to cast all of our anxieties on God “because he cares for you”. Don’t sit with your worries; share them with your Father in heaven! In Philippians 4:6, Paul echoes what Jesus has said, not to be anxious about anything, and what Peter says, to simply bring our requests to God. Finally, Jesus says in verse 33 to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. How do we do this? We speak to Him! We just have to commune with God and we are seeking His kingdom! If we are open with God about the worries in our life, He will equip us with whatever we need to deal with them. God didn’t create you to worry. He created you to trust Him with everything, and He will bless you, just like the birds and the lillies.
Questions:
*Take a moment to journal these questions. Write down your thoughts, questions, and concerns. Then date your entry. One of the coolest things is being able to look back and see how God came through for you.*
- These words are very timely for a world that is overwhelmed with anxiety about the future. Are there things that you have been worried about?
- Read 1 Peter 5:6-7 & Philippians 4:6-7. God does not fault us for becoming overwhelmed. He knows that some things are too much for us to handle. But nothing is too much for Him to handle. When we choose to give all of our burdens to Him, He floods these places in our heart with peace. What do you need to talk to God about letting go? Right now, do you trust that He can replace your anxiety with peace?
- Truth is the best remedy for an anxious heart.This is because anxiety is rooted in fear and fear is a liar. John 16:33 says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” You don’t have to be afraid because Jesus has already overcome; and the hope we have in his perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Spend some time looking up truth (verses) you can use to battle fear in your life. The enemy’s greatest weapons are fear and deceit. Choose to trust God and be filled with his truth.
Prayer: Spend some time praying about the things you journaled. Pray out loud the verses that you found. Thank God for His peace that He freely gives to us when we choose to lay our burdens at His feet. Declare that the things you have been anxious about will no longer hold you in fear. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Release your thoughts and feelings to God and let His peace seep in. Ask that God would continue to show you how trustworthy He is. He longs to care for you even more than He cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.
Song: Peace Be Still- Lauren Daigle
Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/169Fs68hROYRdS362T8D9w
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