Blog – June 3, 2015
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34
Worry is not a good thing for us. It has serious consequences that include damaging our health, consuming our thoughts, diminishing our productivity, and it can cause us to be irritable with people around us. The biggest problem with worry, however, is that it shows a lack of trust in God. The amount we worry can be directly related to the depth of our faith.
Whenever I read this verse, it always stabs me in the heart because worry is something I’m really good at! I handle day-to-day situations with my family fairly well, but when it comes to this ministry and the reality of where I am versus where my dreams want me to go, too often the gap has been filled with worry. When I’ve hit roadblocks or closed doors, instead of trusting completely that God put them there for a reason, I’ve let worry creep in and start its annoying conversation in my head. It usually goes something like this, “What are you going to do, Jill? How are you going to pay your bills if you don’t get out there? Maybe you really should get a ‘real job’ and just do this crazy music thing on the side.”
Lately, however, as I’ve been speaking against that voice more and more firmly (yes, I DO talk to myself and sometimes out loud!), God has been replacing my fear with a confidence that can only come from His Spirit of truth. He has been revealing to me more and more how worry truly is a lack of faith. God doesn’t want us to be timid, but He has called us to be warriors…ready for battle! “The people of Israel will become like mighty warriors, and their hearts will be made happy as if by wine. Their children, too, will see it and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord,” Zechariah 10:7 (NLT).
Warriors are fighters, people ready to stand up for what they believe in. It doesn’t have to be a physical stance of power, but spiritually that’s a great image for us to have. We may feel physically small and weak, but our faith can be mighty when we stop that voice of worry and replace it with the confidence that we can all have in Christ. Christ is the ultimate warrior, and he has already won the battle for our souls. He stood in the gap for each of us, and we can draw on His strength when we are willing to let go of our weaknesses.
The first part of Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” When we can keep our eyes on God’s glory, His truth, His plan and will for our lives, I believe worry will have less and less of a hold on us. And when those annoying voices start talking in your head, go ahead and tell them to be quiet! Tell them that you are mighty in Christ, and nothing in this world can stop you! Shout it out if you have to, although I wouldn’t recommend doing that in a room full of people because they might think you’re nuts!
Little by little, battle after battle, stronghold by stronghold, we can make steps to become warriors instead of worriers. We can choose to replace the “what if’s” with the “why not’s.” Remember, God has called us to enter the battle, and He is with us every step of the way. He is our true source of strength.
My prayer is that Butterfly Nation becomes filled with people who are transformed from worriers to mighty warriors for Christ!
~ Jill
