One of the things that are on the top of God's list of don'ts is worrying. God makes it clear that He does not want us to be anxious about anything, but instead desires that we be empowered to trust and believe that Jesus will be more than enough for us to be confident that He will come through in every situation.
In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells a crowd, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." All throughout the sermon, Jesus justifies all claims for us to trust in Him. He shares how obviously God cares for flowers and birds and how we are more valuable to God than the prettiest flower or the neediest bird.
It can be very easy to slip into a state of internal panic. When we see our bank accounts shrinking, our companies garnering rumors of closure or lay-offs, our ministries not getting as many volunteers as they once did, anxiety starts creeping into our hearts.
Why does God dislike the idea of worry? I'd bet all my cards on the likelihood that your worries are some of your primary sources of stress. God doesn't want you stressed because stress makes Him look like He doesn't care about us or that He's unable to take care of us.
But we look all around us, and it's pretty undeniable that all our needs have been met by Christ. If you're alive that means God -- in all His grace -- provides you with food, shelter, oxygen and everything else that you need to live life abundantly. Not only that, God doesn't just cause us to live but bestows upon us a purpose for living (Jeremiah 29:11).
Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." The scripture goes on to promise that as we do so God grants us a peace that surpasses all understanding.
The biggest declaration of God's goodness that proves to us that there is nothing to worry about and that He has us always on His mind is the fact that He gave Jesus -- His one and only son -- to free us from every curse, chain and consequence so that we may freely pursue Him.
If God did not even withhold His best from us, what makes us think that He will withhold anything else to give us good things? God's grace does not bring worry, but instead demolishes any sign of it by granting us the peace that comes only from Christ.
