Concerns

           Everyone has concerns in their life. The dictionary’s definition of concern is worry; anxiety. We all face concerns and anxiety in our lives. I wish that we could all live a life without concerns or worry, but that will only happen when we are in heaven. We all worry and can sometimes respond with negative thoughts, actions, outbursts of anger, depression, thoughts of hurting oneself/others and or tearfulness. But there is one advantage that believers have over non-believers, we have Jesus Christ.  

March marks 1 year anniversary with the start of Covid-19 or at least the awareness of this new virus in the world. Never did the medical community or the world think, something invisible and microscopic in size could shut down the entire world. This is exactly how sin works. Your first sin could just be a small one, that leads to another, then another and by the time your realize it, sin has infected your entire body. It could be invisible, and no one knows that you are carrying this sin (addiction/pornography/molestation, etc.) as you may be hiding it. Jesus says sin comes from within, from the heart and no one knows your heart except God. All our actions and sins will be accounted for at the day of judgement.  

A light has been shined on Mental Health now more than ever. So many adults, teenagers and children have lost the support that they may have leaned on to stabilize their mental health. Isolation and restrictions on socializing has caused many to turn to suicide. Social media is just a high light reel of all the best parts of someone’s life that they want the world to see. But it is not the truth! Social media only worsens your mental health, adds on to the lies and the weight of depression and anxiety. The devil uses it to make you feel worthless when you try to compare your life to the fabulous life you see on social media. The first solution to the problem is that many do not Know Christ and rely on others for support. Once you Know God then you can begin Trusting in Him. Once Trust has been built then you can understand his Purpose for you in this life. When all three pieces are part of your life, then you will realize the importance of Fearing God. 

 

1.      Know: 

Matthew 6:25-34, Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life-span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you – you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, “What will we eat? or What will we drink? or What will we wear? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble on its own. This passage spoken by Jesus is the exact opposite of what Social media represents and what drives it. Social media wants you to compare your house, cars, money, fame, fancy clothing labels and makes you feel inferior/worthless when you don’t measure up. Our worth to Christ is not based on material things and the emptiness you have inside without him in your life can never be filled by any worldly possession. Getting to know him is the first step and that you are in his capable hands.  

King Solomon, the wisest and probably richest king that ever lived, had multiple wives, servants and everything his heart could desire, wrote Ecclesiastes. He speaks about all his experiences, wealth and he would probably have a Billion followers on Social Media if he was living now. In the end he made this realization of this life and all its experience, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity (empty or valueless) and vexation (annoyed/frustrated/worried) of the spirit (Ecclesiastes 1:14).” “For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow (1:18).” He continues on about all his achievements and in the end just calls it worthless. Ecclesiastes 3:14, I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. We are to know Christ and not focus on things that bring no value or real happiness. Social media promotes vanity and promotes lies that the world sometimes can’t differentiate it from truth. We do not want Jesus to say, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers (Matthew 7:23),” at the time of judgement. 

If you break down the human body it is one of the greatest marvel, creation, functioning organism that only God could have designed. We have been created in his image to worship and fear him. We can’t start doing that until we know about Christ himself. The way we first get to know him is through his word, The Bible. I believe Jesus used parables because he wants us to understand and build a relationship with him. It’s not complicated, simply accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, believe he is the Messiah, repent with a true heart, take water baptism, read the Bible, have faith, pray, fast and lean on his word. God didn’t say we are perfect or that we won’t have worries or concerns/anxiety, but because God is perfect he wants us to have faith in him and his plans for each of us. God did not give Scripture to scare us, but he gave it to prepare us to face the world by knowing who he is. Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him and he will make your paths straight.  

 

2.      Trust: 

The next step after Knowing is to Trust in God. We continue to try and face the world by ourselves and that is exactly what the devil wants. We are to surrender our hearts and trust that God is in charge. This is one of the most difficult things for a person to do in their lives. We think our value in life is based on how many followers, status, appearance and likes we get on social media platforms. To some their status in this world is their life and that they feel superior to others. Once that balloon is popped it leads to mental health issues, anxiety and worries. Isn’t it funny that Jesus told his disciples “Follow Me,” and the devil has created a button that says “Follow,” on social media platforms. He will do whatever it takes to distract you and make you trust in earthly things over your heavenly Father. Jeremiah 17:5, Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind. He makes human flesh his strength and his heart turns from the Lord. When we trust on our own abilities and strengths we will surely fail. That does not mean that life will be perfect and easy, it means that God is there to get you through whatever comes your way. It is what builds trust and a relationship with God. I don’t know many people who truly trust in God ever go back to a life of unbelief. Jeremiah 17:7, The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is in the Lord, is blessed.  

Psalms 118:8, It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humanity. Humanity is corrupt and sinful because they do not fear God or obey his commandments. The world has turned their back on God and his commandments. It is not until we admit to ourselves that we are sinners and truly repent, will we change our ways. We already have seen with COVID the true nature of humanity. Leaders rather choose money over life. Our Lord is the only one we can trust and he is perfect. Trust takes faith and again that only happens when you build a relationship with God. We must have a daily conversation and the more we talk to God, the more chances of him talking back to you in some way or form. No one would trust someone they just met, but it takes time, conversations, which is prayer and seeing its affect in your everyday life. Then you will begin to trust him completely. Don’t think you won’t have doubts in this walk, as even the disciples who walked with Jesus himself had doubts at times. That is when we have to go deeper into his Words and Prayer/Fasting which will only build more Trust. Philippians 4:6-7, Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He will guard our hearts from sin and concern/anxiety/worries. Isaiah 40:31, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.  

3. Purpose:

Our concerns in life must be on God’s purpose. Mark 8:31-33, Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and rise after three days. He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns. First off, I would be a little worried to rebuke Jesus like Peter did in the Bible. But Jesus himself was pointing out that his suffering and death was absolutely necessary because it was his Father’s plan and Jesus’s purpose on earth. He did suffer many things, was rejected by the religious leaders, was killed and was raised from the dead after three days. Peter was being selfish and was going against the entire purpose off God’s plan. Jesus wanted an extreme effect and it to be harsh when he rebuked Peter and called him Satan. To go against God’s plans was to behave like Satan and rebellious to God. God’s purpose is absolute/perfect and must be completed, which it was by Jesus on the cross. Peter was only concerned about earthly things and having Jesus remain with them. He was not concerned about God’s purpose, but mans. We must humble ourselves and not be prideful like Satan. Proverbs 19:21, Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the Lord’s decree (order or purpose) will prevail.  

Our purpose in life is to be like the image of Christ (Previous post). Our purpose is not to follow idols on social media or proclaim our own names, but to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ to the world. 2 Corinthians 4:5, For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. Sinners make their purpose in life about themselves and their name and status. How much money is enough? How much fame and power is enough? Those things will never satisfy our soul and it will just be an endless pit of anxiety and worry. I can guarantee most of these people do not sleep well and hide many of their insecurities. God doesn’t want us to hide anything from him and wants us to lean on him. His purpose for us is to be part of his flock and when they day of judgement comes, he will let us into eternity. We must read his words, searching to know him and understand what he wants from our lives. If we don’t we can’t build a relationship with him. 

4. Fear:

            This one is huge, as we can see the world has lost the fear of God. Sin has become acceptable because public opinion is more important than God’s truth/word. We must understand that even if man calls sin acceptable, God will never! Proverbs 1:7, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. When we begin to fear the Lord, we start to feel his power and protection around us. Psalms 118:6, The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortal do to me? You must remember when we have the Spirit of the Living Lord in us and on our side, there is nothing the world or Satan can do. 2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and sound judgement. We do not fear the world or all the walls it puts in front of us. When we fear God it gives us power to overcome addiction, depression, sickness, weakness, anger and any other force of sin trying to stop you from your purpose. Psalms 34:7-11, The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and rescues them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him! You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord, for those who fear him lack nothing. Young lions lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. We will lack nothing in our lives when we fear God. 

            We were not created for ourselves or our selfish desires. We were made in his image. This world does not fear God and because of it they are lost. When we fear God, his protects us and takes care of the things that we need in our lives. He knows every single thing that we need in our lives, even before we do. When we realize that God is completely in control, our anxieties are gone and we can focus on him. Ecclesiastes 12:13, Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. But pride has blinded so many to think that they can do it all on their own. Satan does not want you to fear the Lord, but only follow your own hearts. Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is more deceitful than anything else and incurable – who can understand it? Romans 3:11, There is no one righteous, not even one. The bible declares that our hearts are all evil and that we are all sinners. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We can not do it alone and the fear of God is the beginning of understanding. The world is lost and will never even realize it because they only want to follow their own hearts. 

            When you begin to Know God through his words and his effect on your life, then you will begin to Trust him. Once you Trust him, you will realize what his Purpose is for all those who believe. All three together make you realize the importance of Fearing God. Without the Fear of God in our hearts we will only follow our own selfish desires and heart. Our duty is to Fear God and when we do, there is nothing lacking in our lives. Without fear, it will only lead to failure and damnation. These steps will start your journey and help your mind, body and soul focus on the only thing that matters, Christ. Once that occurs your concerns/anxiety/worries begin to disappear and your spirit starts to have courage. The Lord protects you with his angels and we must declare his mighty name to all the nations. These 4 steps strengthen our Faith. Faith is the cornerstone of Christianity. Read Hebrews 11 to understand better. God will never fail you as long as you put him first in your life. The armor of God is real and protect you against the attacks of the world and Satan. But only you can decide to begin that journey with the help of these steps.