By Robert G. Wilkerson, D.Min.
Many people are living in fear today. Unemployment and home foreclosures have been extremely high. We have been fighting two wars against religious fanatics who are totally barbaric, and our nation has become the greatest debtor nation in the world. In the midst of all these fearful situations, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has a Word for us. The Word is “Don’t worry.”
Don’t Worry About Food. Jesus said learn from nature: “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” (Matthew 6:26). Then Jesus asked the question, “Are you not much more valuable then they?”
Don’t Worry About Clothing. Jesus said, “See how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown in the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30).
Don’t Worry About Housing. God knows our every need
. God promises that if we will “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things will be given to us as well” (Matthew 6:33). It is our duty to trust God and live for him. When we do that, it becomes God’s duty to provide for us, and he never fails in doing his duty.
Don’t Worry About Doing God’s Will. Some of us have been called of God to be ministers, missionaries, church planters, etc. When God calls us, he enables us. We shall not fail. God has said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8b).
Don’t Worry About Being Alone. Jesus promises to be with us: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). There is a distinct difference between feeling alone and being alone. At times, our feelings deceive us. We are like a sick child who wakes up crying, feeling frightened and alone when his parents have been by his bed all through the night. Rely on God’s Word, not your feelings. The fact is that God has promised us that he will never abandon us or leave us alone, and God never breaks his promise.
Don’t Worry About Your Salvation. If you have ever had the real thing, you have not lost it. God not only saves us—he keeps us saved. Listen to the words of Jesus as recorded in John’s Gospel, chapter 10, verse 27: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
Fear is the opposite of faith. If we exercise our faith instead of our fears, we may come to Paul’s persuasion: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38).
Dr. Robert Wilkerson is founder of People For the Christian Way, a ministry through Christian devotionals, books and articles, which encourage the practice of Christian principles in all activities and relationships. Email: drbobwilkerson@bellsouth.net