Be Careful for Nothing

 

 

Central Thought: The LORD cares: cast your cares on Him.

 

Hymn: What a friend we have in Jesus

Text: Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 6:25-34, Proverbs 3:5-8

 

 

Worry, feeling uneasy or troubled, plagues multitudes of people in our world today. It’s human nature to be concerned about the bad situations in our world and in our personal lives, but if we’re not on the watch, the devil will cause us to worry beyond what’s reasonable.  When we feel that things are out of our control and we are worrying, we need to know that we have the GOD that cares.

We should understand that worrying never helps a situation get better. Worrying sends a message to ourselves and those around us that we are helpless and have nowhere to turn.  However, as a Christian, we believe that God has everything under His control.  Since He does, and we really believe that, when we have nothing to worry about.  We only need to trust that God will take care of everything according to His plan.

 

Lesson Objectives:

1. To understand what it means to ‘be careful for nothing’.
2. To know what the natural man troubles himself about and why God enjoins us to ‘be careful for nothing’.
3. To learn the consequences of anxiety and what it does to believers in Christ Jesus.
4. To proffer some solutions from a biblical view on how to overcome anxiety.

1. What do you understand by the expression ‘be careful for nothing?

It means not to be anxious for anything. Or rephrasing this according to the text is not to be troubled with cares.  When we are born into God’s kingdom, we have the assurance that God cares for our needs and God has a plan for us.  The Bible says that God fashioned the days for me before I was born, Jeremiah 1:5.  When I surrender to Christ, that surrender includes giving God the control of my life and letting Him lead me into the life He has fashioned for me.  Therefore, I should not trouble myself over the cares of this world.

It also means not to worry about anything in life or be disturbed or troubled with life’s challenges. Worrying or anxiety, tears the individual apart. The result is that the individual lives with tension; cannot sleep and cannot enjoy the present moment.

 

2. What is the attitude of the natural man to the issues of life? Matthew 6:25-34

The natural man troubles himself/herself about life’s issues: what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, because he does not trust in God’s care. Worry is a refusal of God’s love to man, it is refusing Him and carrying the burden we do not need to bear.  So don’t worry, be hopeful and trust in Him.

Rather than worry about thins, let us commit everything to God in prayer.

 

3. Why are we enjoined not to worry?

When speaking to His disciples, the Lord Jesus gave us three reasons form Matthew 6:25-32, to why we should not worry.

First, He says that we should not worry because of who we are. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?”, Matthew 6:26.  If He takes care of the birds, will He not take care of us? When we worry, we diminish our value.

Second, we should not worry because it is unnecessary. “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”, v. 27.  Worry is like putting on the brakes of an automobile and stepping on the throttle simultaneously.  It would be worth it if it added to the length of our life; but in fact, it diminishes it.

Third, we should not worry because of our testimony. “For pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.”, v. 32.  When we worry we act like the pagans or unbelievers who do not trust in the Heavenly Father’s ability to care for us.

 

4. What are some of the consequences of anxiety or worry?

• Anxiety or worrying can damage our health. Proverbs 12:25 (NAS) says, “Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down…”  Medical experts tell us that prolonged worrying or anxiety can lead to physical problems, such as ulcers, headaches, backaches, change of blood pressure, heart attacks, and depression. Worrying can become crippling if it is not controlled.
• Anxiety or worrying can disrupt our spiritual productivity.  When worries consume our thoughts, we tend to focus only on those worries. By doing this, we tend to leave the Lord and His will out of our lives. We find little time for prayer; less time for Bible study; and less interest in church worship services. By worrying the individual becomes less productive generally.
• Worrying affects the way we treat others.We get so wrapped up in our worries that we lash out at those we love the most.  You see, worrying doesn’t accomplish much. It is said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but won’t get you anywhere.”  When we worry a lot, we tend to be harsh towards our family, friends, and co-workers.

 

5. What are some of the remedies for anxiety? Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7

• We must learn to Pray: Our worries are intensified by the neglect of constant prayer. In the popular song, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” Joseph Scriven wrote:

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and grief to bear,

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer.

O, what peace we often forfeit;

O, what needless pain we bear;

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

• We must learn to live a life of Thanksgiving: Our requests should be accompanied with thanksgiving. Paul emphasized that prayer should be made with thanksgiving. The Lord Jesus taught on gratitude when he healed the ten lepers and only one returned to express thanks, Luke 17:12-19.There is another aspect of thanksgiving which recognizes and accepts one’s circumstances in life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
• We must learn to live one day at a time: Matthew 6:34 (NIV) says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Jesus tells us to live one day at a time, because each day has enough problems to face.
• We must also learn to put our worries or burdens on the Lord and trust Him to help us: 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” But after we give our worries to God, we must leave it in His hands. We should not start worrying about it again as God will take care of it.
• We must also learn to think on good things. Philippians 4:8, Just after Paul’s comments about worry he says that we should think on good, Godly things.

 

 

 

Daily Living Application:

Anxiety cannot add a single inch to our stature; neither will it supply our needs. God knows all that we need.  He is able and willing to provide them all.  What we need do is seek first His kingdom and its righteousness and all other things shall be added to us.

 

Memory Verse:

Philippians 4:6 – “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God.”