STOP YOUR WORRY AND YOUR FEAR

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I want to revisit the words of Jesus as recorded by Matthew and Luke and unpack the two universal problems you can get rid of, as you seek after the Kingdom of God.
In Matthew's record Jesus offers the seeking of the Kingdom of God as an alternative to worry. He says, "You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles (or the rest of the world) eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:31-34)

NOTE there are two ways of living your life. Let's designate these two ways as earthly-the way the rest of the world lives-and heavenly-the way Jesus urges his followers to live. You could say the earthly way is the kingdom of man on earth and the heavenly way is the way of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus clearly describes the earthly kingdom of man as being filled with two dynamics. One-the nations of the world without faith eagerly seek after temporal things, such as eating, drinking, and clothing. Two-they continually worry about what they will eat, what they will drink and what they will wear. The earthly kingdom of man focuses itself on this kind of stressing out; they spend their time worrying! Essentially, this is worrying about your life, literally your life's breath.

The Kingdom of God people of faith are given three instructions. One-know that God knows your needs and wants, so don't spend your time worrying about these things. Two-keep on seeking after the Kingdom of God and God will add these temporal things to your life. Three-don't worry about tomorrow either.
So, do you tend to spend your time worrying about the temporal things of life or about what's going to happen in your future? Jesus gives you the two step answer to your worries right here. Step #1-"Stop your worrying, because God cares more than you do about your needs!" Step #2-"Spend your time seeking after the Kingdom!" Focus your life and time on what it means for you to trust in Jesus enough to follow him. Focus your life and time on getting into that Kingdom state of mind we discussed yesterday. Look for the divine appointments God is setting up for you each day and do your best to show up!

There is a watching, waiting and worn-out world around you. They are in desperate need of answers and solutions that only Jesus can give them.
So, if you want to follow Jesus more closely and experience the Kingdom state of mind, (1) stop spending your time worrying about things the rest of the world is worrying about. (2) Keep on seeking after the Kingdom 24/7.

In Luke's record Jesus offers the seeking of the Kingdom of God as an alternative to living a life of worry and fear. Jesus says, "And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:29-32)

Jesus repeats the same theme by saying, "Do not keep on worrying." Then, Jesus warns of another problem that goes along with worry-FEAR. Jesus says, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." Worry and fear are destructive bedfellows. Fear is the opposite of everything you are in your Creator, and therefore it has a negative effect on your mental and physical health. Fear is worry magnified.

My dad used to say to me, "There's no use putting up your umbrella, until it rains." I've also advised my friends, "Wait to worry!" Most things we worry about never, ever happen!

If you find yourself eagerly holding on to either or both of these, you are living an earthly life without the benefit of God and His Kingdom. Jesus prayed, "May your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus' answer to your worries and fears is: That's no way to live, so stop it and seek after the Kingdom state of mind.