Not to worry!
I don't even know who coined the "Not to worry!" phrase but it sure is biblical. Mt 6:24-34 is a great read where we are encouraged "Do not be anxious...." Maybe a little bit easier to say than to do?
This past weekend, I kept getting what I am about to say in so many different ways.... impressions during my morning time with the Lord, scriptures I read, my daily devotional readings I do, impressions from within and without....it was just there all the time.
We had some old friends visiting with us for the weekend......and I kept getting this stuff, at the same time feeling it was very specifically for them. I am very careful about any "thus saith the Lord" proclamations but teased them about a word for them as they left. It kept cooking. I brought it up at the little house church gathering we host on Sunday afternoons and it became the focus of our sharing with one another. I feel what I saw is terribly important to help us guard our hearts and is not only a specific word for them but a challenge to all of us to keep our eye on this.
I'll bring you back to that War I keep talking about. The enemy is very serious about that steal/kill/destroy thing.....it does not get more serious....especially when it has to do with our hearts. Our hearts need to not be anxious...... the way we keep from being anxious is pretty simple....it is to seek first the Kingdom of God.....the King of that Kingdom is Jesus....when our hearts are focused on the King, we rest in Him, have peace from Him and discover as we grow in Him that He supplies absolutely everything we will ever need in our journey. Enter the enemy!
Satan does not want us to ever get to the place of peace and trust. He diligently works at throwing stuff at us from every direction, especially at our weaknesses, and all kinds of stuff begins to hit the fan in our lives. We begin to fret and worry and stew because we don't have any money and then we fret and worry and stew when we are successful because we have all kinds of money and what on earth will happen if the market goes south and I lose all my stuff. He will throw stuff at you from every direction to take us to seeking first something else, anything else but the King!
We had lightning strike the house two summers ago and then a tornado like storm last summer that brought down our 100 year old maples going out thru the fence and blocking the street, cancellations came in at the B&B, had to move my Mom into the local nursing home, deal with a brother who had a "lost weekend", his hospitalization for a week and then nursing care for a month. My sister's husband died leaving an unbelievable mess we helped her with....running his business for 6 months and selling it for her. Welcome to the family!
Distraction after distraction on every front.....but it did not distract us from seeking the King, praying against the enemies attack and watching Him take every single thing and turn it to good. Because I know Him and have learned to trust Him I was able to stay focused and not become anxious in any of it......does not happen over night....but it can happen by seeking first the Kingdom.
Each of us has a call from God on our lives. He gives us gifts to fulfill that calling. He places us where he wants us and gives us the things to do (the work we do, the careers we have, the family and friends) and while we do all that, we exercise His call on our lives. When we plug into that there is absolutely nothing we have to do in all that except what He tells us to do, which He will provide for. It means getting His agenda and throwing my agenda away.
So......not to worry! His plan is so much better than mine. Somehow, my plan always kept me so busy doing things and worrying that there was never enough time left for my wife, my kids, my family, my friends, my call or....... my King.
:)
This past weekend, I kept getting what I am about to say in so many different ways.... impressions during my morning time with the Lord, scriptures I read, my daily devotional readings I do, impressions from within and without....it was just there all the time.
We had some old friends visiting with us for the weekend......and I kept getting this stuff, at the same time feeling it was very specifically for them. I am very careful about any "thus saith the Lord" proclamations but teased them about a word for them as they left. It kept cooking. I brought it up at the little house church gathering we host on Sunday afternoons and it became the focus of our sharing with one another. I feel what I saw is terribly important to help us guard our hearts and is not only a specific word for them but a challenge to all of us to keep our eye on this.
I'll bring you back to that War I keep talking about. The enemy is very serious about that steal/kill/destroy thing.....it does not get more serious....especially when it has to do with our hearts. Our hearts need to not be anxious...... the way we keep from being anxious is pretty simple....it is to seek first the Kingdom of God.....the King of that Kingdom is Jesus....when our hearts are focused on the King, we rest in Him, have peace from Him and discover as we grow in Him that He supplies absolutely everything we will ever need in our journey. Enter the enemy!
Satan does not want us to ever get to the place of peace and trust. He diligently works at throwing stuff at us from every direction, especially at our weaknesses, and all kinds of stuff begins to hit the fan in our lives. We begin to fret and worry and stew because we don't have any money and then we fret and worry and stew when we are successful because we have all kinds of money and what on earth will happen if the market goes south and I lose all my stuff. He will throw stuff at you from every direction to take us to seeking first something else, anything else but the King!
We had lightning strike the house two summers ago and then a tornado like storm last summer that brought down our 100 year old maples going out thru the fence and blocking the street, cancellations came in at the B&B, had to move my Mom into the local nursing home, deal with a brother who had a "lost weekend", his hospitalization for a week and then nursing care for a month. My sister's husband died leaving an unbelievable mess we helped her with....running his business for 6 months and selling it for her. Welcome to the family!
Distraction after distraction on every front.....but it did not distract us from seeking the King, praying against the enemies attack and watching Him take every single thing and turn it to good. Because I know Him and have learned to trust Him I was able to stay focused and not become anxious in any of it......does not happen over night....but it can happen by seeking first the Kingdom.
Each of us has a call from God on our lives. He gives us gifts to fulfill that calling. He places us where he wants us and gives us the things to do (the work we do, the careers we have, the family and friends) and while we do all that, we exercise His call on our lives. When we plug into that there is absolutely nothing we have to do in all that except what He tells us to do, which He will provide for. It means getting His agenda and throwing my agenda away.
So......not to worry! His plan is so much better than mine. Somehow, my plan always kept me so busy doing things and worrying that there was never enough time left for my wife, my kids, my family, my friends, my call or....... my King.
:)
