“And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! 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. Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”- {Luke 12:22-32 }
Anxiety comes from two Greek words which mean “to divide,” “and “mind,” God’s purpose for the mind is that we may love Him. A double minded person is unstable and a mind divided causes anxiety. Our English word, worry comes from a German word which means -” to strangle.” And isn’t that the truth, worry cuts off the air of faith towards God! ANXIETIES GOAL; The goal of anxiety is to distract and divide the mind from devotion to loving God, the attack is on the mind and believers must know when the temptation to be anxious come to mind, we must IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE THE PURPOSE OF THE TEMPTATION; it is an attack on the character of God that He neither cares for you or capable of being faithful to you in your present trial!
GOD’S 4 WITNESS’S AGAINST THE FUTILITY OF ANXIETY;
Jesus address’s some of His followers and gives 4 Witness’s against the futility And sin of Anxiety and why it is incompatible with the believers Position ” In Christ.”
1.- THE BIRDS TESTIFY; – The birds of the air testify to the care and faithfulness of God to them! The birds mentioned are Ravens, which were considered “unclean,” in Leviticus. NOTE; these birds DO NOT reap or sow. They are not farmers and have no way of providing for the present or future. They DO NOT have storehouses or barns to store away or stock pile for a ” rainy day,” they are helpless, they have No where to store,” But God…” The birds who fly in the expanse of the heavens whose funerals God attends as not one falls without His knowing it, cares and provides for them! Indeed for years over the centuries man has seen great strides forward on development (not of his sinful nature ) but in the development of societies , air travel, technologies etc . Wars have devastated nations, men and women have advanced in education , understanding , transportation, technologies, and yet anxieties have been part of each generation, but above all in the skies, birds fly, and God testifies I CARE AND I AM FAITHFUL!
2.-THE FLOWERS TESTIFY; In the Spring time the fields are decorated in brilliant and splendid colors decorating the landscape under God’s sky. And if man will not look up and ” CONSIDER…” Then God has wild flowers decorate the landscape on all their beauty and says to the anxious, “CONSIDER…” Solomon in all his wisdom, wealth and the best of the best available to him was but a poor second in his clothing in comparison to God’s masterpiece on the landscape, beautiful flowers. They sprout they TESTIFY to God’s care and faithfulness to provide good soil, oxygen, sunlight and rain to nourish and cause them to grow. NOTE; they do not groan, stress as they grow and show forth their Creator’s beauty . They TESTIFY ” CONSIDER US..,” God cares, God is faithful!
3.- JESUS TESTIFIES; Jesus Cares, The Son of God gave His life to redeem you and save you from sin. He sent His Holy Spirit to in -dwell and empower you and seal you until the day of redemption. While we were yet sinners, He died for the ungodly! He cares and He is Faithful.
4.-YOUR PAST TESTIFIES; You testify. You have experienced God provide for you in the past you have seen His care . You have story after story of His care from saving you from God ‘s wrath and sins consequences to save you for Himself! And what about how He has provided practically for you, as Jesus says concerning His care and faithfulness to birds and flowers,
” HOW MUCH MORE VALUABLE ARE YOU!”
He argues from the lesser – birds and flowers to the greater – You, who are made for His eternal glory!
In your present predicament God s 4 Witness’s Testify to you, HE CARES, HE IS FAITHFUL!
THE PROBLEM? ” oh men of LITTLE FAITH.” Jesus tells them this is the heart of the problem – faith! So He gives the illustrations of birds, even ravens who were unclean and the least of the “hierarchy” of the birds, even “they,” were CARED for, God is faithful, they too TESTIFY to the ANXIOUS!
Anxiety is not necessary, nor honoring to God, for it says He does not Care nor is He Faithful! God TESTIFIES to the anxious with these 4 Witness’s; Birds, Flowers, Jesus and You have a history that TESTIFIES HE CARES AND HE IS FAITHFUL! To Know He cares and is Faithful enables you to be able to continually…“Seek as the priority of your life the Kingdom of God.” Anxiety makes it impossible to do so. Beware and hate the temptation to anxiety… and “Consider…” GOD’S 4 Witness’s to you and please share with others, the GREAT NEWS for those tempted to sin against God with anxiety!
How wonderful you do not have to yield to anxiety, and God’s 4 Witness’s at here to remind you, HE CARES. HE IS FAITHFUL!
You testify. You have experienced God provide for you in the past you have seen His care . You have story after story of His care from saving you from God ‘s wrath and sins consequences to save you for Himself! And what about how He has provided practically for you, as Jesus says concerning His care and faithfulness to birds and flowers,
” HOW MUCH MORE VALUABLE ARE YOU!”
He argues from the lesser – birds and flowers to the greater – You, who are made for His eternal glory!
In your present predicament, God s 4 Witness’s Testify to you,.. HE CARES, HE IS FAITHFUL!
“Seek and keep on pursuing as the priority of your life the Kingdom of God.”