THE OPEN SECRET OF A WORRY-FREE LIFE

Hello friends, I’m glad to yet bring another life-transforming message to you today. It is my prayer and desire that this message will cause a mental shift in your life, and the power in the Word will affect you for good.

This message is coming to you in the memory of our late second president, Dr. Joshua Ihemelem Uhiara who commenced The Healing Words for The Master.

The topic of our message today is, The Open Secret of A Worry-Free Life.

The Open Secret of A Worry-Free Life

Our text will be taken from The Book of Matthew

Matthew 6:25-32

²⁵“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what

you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  ²⁷Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the

oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly

Father knows that you need all these things.

Let us pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly FATHER, The Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR Word is powerful; YOUR Word is quick and alive. We bring YOUR Word to YOUR People. The entrance of the Word will give them light. We pray, Mighty FATHER, that through the Word YOU will cause a mental shift in the lives of our hearers…in JESUS’ Mighty Name we pray. AMEN!

The Open Secret of A Worry-Free Life

Worry-free living is a secret to many people. The reason why it is a secret is that they do not know what the bible says about it. But for those who will open the bible to themselves and open their hearts to GOD, worry-free living is not a secret. Worry or anxiety is part and parcel of human existence. It comes with living in a broken world full of uncertainties. And even in our country now we are so prone to worry or anxiety. But we don’t have to succumb to it.

Worry could be good or bad, just as there are good fears and bad fears. Worry or concern is good when it is for others. The bible says that, but God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

The body should have the same care for one another. You find this in 1 Corinthians 12:24-25

Paul enumerates the troubles and the pains he experienced in his service for Christ, and added this, besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

Apostle Paul was bothered – was worried about the churches: the churches he had opened. That’s when worry or concern can be good. This kind of worry, having concern for people, especially those in the family of GOD is what William Barclay calls enabling foresight, as against disabling worry, which is the bad worry. It is the disabling worry that we need to be free from; and this is what this message is addressing today.

How do we identify bad or disabling worry which Jesus warns us against? How do we identify the worry that is bad or disabling which is what JESUS warns us not to have?

1. When worry or anxiety comes from the expenditure of time, energy and resources on non-essential things.

This was the problem that Martha had in St. Luke 10:40 and 42

Luke 10:40-42

⁴⁰But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve

alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” ⁴¹And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴²But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Why would you term her service to JESUS CHRIST nonessential? You may ask. It was Jesus who said that. Jesus said she was distracted, drawn about in all different directions, worried about nonessential things. Jesus did not need a big and an elaborate meal, but a quiet rest. How essential are the things you claim to be doing for God or for people in the name of God?

Sometimes you visit people in order to have fellowship with them, and they leave you by yourself, and they leave you by yourself, and they busy themselves with preparing an elaborate entertainment. Is that right?

2. Worry that stems from too much involvement in the things of this world.

Hear what the bible says is Matthew Mathew 13:22.

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares, [emphasis is mine, but it is there in the scriptures], the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

Are you so involved in the things of the world that you do not have time for any other things or the things of eternity; so involved in the things of this world that you do not have time for the things of heaven? Some Christians spend so much energy and money on things that are not even remotely related to Christianity; but become agitated when we talk of money for the work of God.

Commenting on the person who has too much involvement in the things of this life, William Barclay says, ‘his engagement in the world may be with things which in themselves are not bad things, but the second best can often be the worst enemy of the best.’

3. Worrying about pleasing the wrong people.

The Apostle Paul raises this issue in:

1 Corinthians 7:32-34

³²But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. ³³But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. ³⁴There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

Our primary concern always should be to please God; and when we do, we will never fear the face of men – and those who fear GOD will be pleased also.

4. Worrying about the future.

Which our main text addresses, in Mathew 6:25-32. And this brings us back to our text. In it we see why disabling worry or anxiety is bad.

William Barclay points out that this kind of worry is,

i. Blind – you see it in verses 25 – 28.

ii. This kind of worry is useless; rather than add anything to your life it subtracts.

iii. This kind of worry is heathenic. (A heathen is he who does not have GOD as his or her father – and has every right to worry: because he is not relying on GOD, neither does he trust GOD. But a child of GOD whose relationship is based on faith does not carry such level of anxiety and worry.

George Muller says that, ‘The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; and the beginning of true faith is the is the end of anxiety.’ Do you get that?

iv. The fourth thing this kind of worry does is that it incapacitates. Matthew 6:34. It incapacitates – it makes you ineffective. It grounds you – it locks you up.

v. Worry does not make us capable of handling the problems of today. But rather it makes us incapable. Someone has observed that worry is nothing but borrowed trouble. It borrows from tomorrow.

vi. Another says, worry does not relieve tomorrow of its stress. It merely empties toady of its strength and joy.

What is the secret of worry-free living? The secret of worry-free living is revealed by the LORD JESUS CHRIST in the text that we read, Matthew 6:9-20, 24&26, 30-33. I recommend that you find time to read again these passages.

We find that the secret lies in becoming a member of the kingdom of GOD, and a responsible member at that. Membership in the kingdom of God is through the new birth, without which one cannot enter or see or understand the kingdom of GOD. Those who accept the sacrifice JESUS CHRIST offered on their behalf become members of his kingdom. It is possible to become a member of GOD’s kingdom and yet not be a responsible citizen. Some people are citizens of The United States of America but are not responsible citizens, just as some people are citizens of Nigeria but they are not responsible citizens.  For you to become a responsible citizen of the Kingdom of GOD you need to go through the prescription of New Birth.

Note the association between the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and the child of God as it relates to worry-free living.

We were taught in elementary schools that, animals belong to animal kingdom; vegetation belongs to vegetable kingdom’ and minerals belong to mineral kingdom. We know that believers in Jesus CHRIST belong also to a kingdom: the kingdom of GOD. It will surprise you to know that animal kingdom, vegetable kingdom, mineral kingdom all come under the kingdom of God, for the word kingdom means, The domain of a king. And the bible teaches us that GOD is the great King. GOD, as the great and loving King, takes good care of the members of HIS kingdom.

When people live in obedience to GOD, they are free from anxiety. Nature behaves naturally. It lives in obedience to the law of GOD written within them by way of their instincts. JESUS says that, animals do not worry, for GOD provides for them as part of HIS kingdom. The redeemed man lives in obedience to the law of GOD written within him, though his obedience is not perfect. Yet GOD understands that. Remember Balam and his donkey.

An aspect of the boldness of the righteous is their confidence in GOD’s ability to provide for them. Notice that the unbelieving man is an alien to the kingdom of GOD, and has no claim to the privileges of The Kingdom of GOD.

Satan asked permission to enter into Peter; His demon asked permission to enter into even unclean animals such as pigs. But there is no evidence that he or his agent asks permission to enter into the unredeemed man – such as Judas.

Isn’t it terrible to live outside the kingdom of GOD? In Philippians 4:10-19 we find also that GOD provides for responsible member of HIS kingdom as the content shows. GOD provides for them. The assurance of HIS provision is what makes a believer to live a worry-free life.

In concluding this message, I want to say that, the secret of worry-free living is becoming a member of the Kingdom of GOD through The New Birth, and responding favourably to the responsibilities of such membership.

This conclusion is captured in the statement JESUS made in Matthew 6:33. But seek first The Kingdom of GOD and HIS righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Let us pray

PRAYER

Heavenly FATHER, The FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, we pray, Mighty FATHER, that today YOUR people have heard YOUR Word. We pray, O GOD our Father that we will aspire to become members of the Kingdom of GOD – The Universal Kingdom of GOD: where YOU rule, where YOU are the King – where YOU are The LORD. As they respond in faith to YOU, surrendering to YOU, LORD, receive them, so that they can be free from worry and from anxiety…in JESUS Mighty Name I pray. AMEN!