Live By Faith

Life is more important than physical things

For well over a decade I placed physical things as more valuable than God. I was born into the church, many have this same story. We’ve all heard of or maybe know the guy or gal who were born and raised into Christianity. You know, they attended church Sunday morning as well as Sunday evening. They were there on Wednesdays for mid-week. They attended prayer meetings and community outreach events on Saturdays. But as soon as I could, at the age of 17, I ran far away from all of it. I dove straight into a deep addiction to drugs and alcohol. When I picked up the bottle, I was not interested in socializing. Picking up a girl at the party was not my first thought either. Although it did lead to this sort of thing, I was more interested in blacking out. Blacking out and blocking out…attempting to numb myself of my hurts and struggles. I was physically abused by my step-father and I also witnessed him physically torture my mother. I had a deep rooted hatred for him that only God could heal. If you have a Bible, go with me to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 25-34. The heading might read “The Cure for Anxiety” in your version of the Bible, I am reading from the NASB.

This passage seeks to ask and answer the question, “if a person is occupied with the things of God, the true Master, how will they care for their ordinary needs in life such as food, clothing, and shelter?”

Concern Yourselves about the things of God

To put this passage into context, consider verse 24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth...... For this reason … Jesus says… “do not be worried about your life.” That seems like a strange thing to say coming from Jesus right? But then Jesus cites several illustrations to prove His point. The birds of the air are fed by the heavenly Father. The lilies of the field grow in such a way that their splendor is greater than even Solomon’s.

After many years of living for myself. Living as if what I ate or drank would be suffice to satisfy. Now through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit I surrender to the sufficiency of Christ!

Our Heavenly Father Cares for our needs

Read verse 32 again. “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” Not only does worrying about carnal things not add any amount of time to your life, but worrying shows that one has “little faith” in what God can do (c.f v. 30.)

In the fall of 2018 God broke down the stronghold of alcoholism. I got serious about pursing Him a deeper way. Allowing Him to care for my needs rather than being concerned about all the things I was “missing.” He place godly men in my life. People who could guide me in wise council. He places you right were you need to be, at the perfect time and place for Him to do His sovereign work in us. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Eph 1:5.

Let’s pray. Father, thank you for your Son Jesus. What He has done on the cross for us God. Thank you that according to the kind intention of Your will you have chosen us to be set apart for Him. Your Word says that you have found us holy and blameless before Him. We surrender our lives to you Father. Do as you will.. in and through us…by the power of your Holy Spirit Guide us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.