Latest / The Higher Pursuit Podcast / Stop Worrying About Tomorrow: What Jesus Says About Anxiety | Matt. 6:16-34

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Stop Worrying About Tomorrow: What Jesus Says About Anxiety | Matt. 6:16-34 · The Higher Pursuit Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: And worry doesn't just seem natural, it actually feels inevitable.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: And it almost feels self-protection or like I am going to come up with a solution.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: If I worry long enough, I might think of an answer to help solve the problem.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, my life hasn't gotten to the point where thoughts in my life has gotten to the point where thoughts can flood in faster than I can keep up with evicting them.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I have had to develop these lightning fast reflexes in recognizing these anxious thoughts.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: So in tonight's live stream, we're gonna talk about how not to worry and what we're told by Jesus to do instead of letting worry and anxiety crush us.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because one thing I learned years ago.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: For more content, check out our ministry website at HigherPursuit Ministries.com.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: You can also find me on YouTube at Cecily LaChapelle with Higher Pursuit Ministries.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, now let's dive into the podcast.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Hey everybody, welcome to the Higher Pursuit Live Stream and Podcast.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: You know, guys, we are a community of women and men who are pursuing more of the Lord together, more understanding from God's word, more intimacy with him in our private lives, more consistency and deepening revelation of who Jesus is.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're new or if you're returning to this live stream and podcast, I am so glad you're here.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Cecily LaChapelle and I'm your host.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: In this episode, we're gonna finish Matthew 6, and we're gonna spend most of our time on one of Jesus' most practical and probably maybe one of his most challenging, at least to me, commands.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: Don't be anxious.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Easier said than done, Jesus.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: But Jesus doesn't just simply tell us not to worry, He tells us why we don't have to worry and what we're supposed to do with our minds instead.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: So in the chat, I had asked you to tell me what is the hardest area for you not to worry about?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I've already gotten a couple answers for those of you who had just joined.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Feel free to throw your answers in the chat.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: But the two answers I've seen so far right now are my kids and my grandbabies.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: I bear witness with that.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: I totally get that.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: As a parent, man, I don't care how old our kids are, it is still so easy to worry about them.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: And then they start having children of their own, and that's a whole nother level of lack of control and all of that.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then another one of my friends says, missing God's direction and my kids.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, that is real.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: If you have ever been concerned or worried about God, am I am I hearing from you?
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: Am I doing what you want with my life?
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, I can raise my hand on that.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: I completely worried about that.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: And we judge that by the fruit that we see, right?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: We think, well, I don't, it does things don't look like I'm in God's will.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: So what if I'm not?
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: What if I'm missing it?
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: What if I get I'm not hearing from God?
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: So wow, those are really great answers.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: And all of y'all, you can just jump in.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Don't be afraid.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: No, this is a judgment-free zone.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: We just want to know like, what are those areas that you have a trouble not feeling anxious or worried about?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: And before we get started, I'm gonna share a personal story about worry.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, for those of you who don't know, I have a son who has struggled with addiction.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And when you're the parent of an adult child who struggles with addiction, they don't live in your home, so you can't keep tabs on them.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: You really don't know how things are going, but you just don't get your texts answered, your calls aren't being answered.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know that they're sabotaging their own life, you know that they're doing things that are pushing them closer and closer to the edge, whether it's the edge of unstuff.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, Stephanie Hall just answered.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: She gets anxious about uncertainty.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, totally.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: So, speaking of uncertainty, that's the life of being a parent of an addict that you just don't know.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: You don't know what you don't know.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: And worry doesn't just seem natural, it actually feels inevitable.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it almost feels like self-protection or like I am going to come up with a solution.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: If I worry long enough, I might think up an answer to help solve the problem.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, my life hasn't gotten to the point where thoughts, you know, my life has gotten to the point where thoughts can flood in faster than I can keep up with evicting them.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I have had to develop these lightning fast reflexes in recognizing these anxious thoughts.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because one thing I learned years ago is that addiction in the family and in the loved ones of addicts, it you it can make the family as sick as the addict if they don't cut the thoughts of worry, fear, anxiety, helplessness, and hopelessness off at the pass.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Give me a thumbs up if you have had to walk that walk with an addict or with a loved one that is engaging in unhealthy behavior, and you know exactly what it's like to get sucked down the vortex of their life choices.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: And it feels like their life choices are now making you an anxious ball of nerves.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: But I realized that me going down into that bottomless pit of worry isn't going to help my son, but it is going to stop me from living my life.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I got a thumbs up on that.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: There's someone in the chat here who has experienced that.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: So in tonight's live stream, we're going to talk about how not to worry and what we're told by Jesus to do instead of letting worry and anxiety crush us.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: So grab your Bibles or your Bible app.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Also, grab the handout that I linked in the comments and let's get started.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: But before we jump in, I do want to remind you that I have an email list.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're on the email list, you're not only going to get that 60-minute reminder for the live stream that has the YouTube link and the link for the handout in it, but you're also going to receive a monthly note from me.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: So uh let me just show you how you're going to get on that.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: That is gonna be right here.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: So the Cecily Lachappelle.substack.com.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's where you're gonna subscribe.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: And don't just follow me, subscribe there, because that's how you will um you'll give me your email address, and then I'll be able to put you on my email list.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that's how you're gonna join it.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: All right, well, let's get started.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: So turn with me now to Matthew 6, 16 to 18.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: And my Bible reads, and when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so that their fasting may be seen by others.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your father who is in secret.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: And your father who sees in secret will reward you.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not going to dive into fasting.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: That is a whole nother topic that I'm actually not going to touch in this live stream because it could be a live stream all of its own.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: I have like three teachings on fasting on my website, um, on YouTube, Cecily La Chappelle with Higher Pursuit Ministries on YouTube.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: So if you have any questions about that, uh, you can find those on prayer and fasting.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: But I do want to tell you fun facts that I learned when I was studying this, when it says anoint your head and wash your face, they used to actually put oil on their skin because they didn't have bars of soap like we have in like a hot shower or bath and all of that.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: So then they would take almost like a razor-like instrument and they would kind of scrape the oil off and it would remove the dirt and the grime and the dust from their skin.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: Very interesting.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, but my friends, we're here to learn tips and tricks for studying the word.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's the goal of this Word Alive series.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: My goal is to help you learn how to navigate and study your Bible, also get more out of your reading.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: I've gradually been introducing to you some tools, some resources, tips, tricks that I use in my Bible study.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: I got that little fun fact from my historical cultural Bible that I have shared with you.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so one of the things that I want to share with you right now is this little Bible marking system.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: I probably learned it from somewhere, I don't remember where, but I've been doing it for years.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: I take three colored pens that I keep where I study my Bible, and I put a red circle around the number of verse number for anything that is a command.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I put a blue star on any verse number that indicates there's a prophecy there.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: And then I put a green triangle where there's a promise.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that's something that I've been doing for years.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: I've got command, prophecy, and promise.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I just thought I would share that with you because right here in this verse, I put two marks.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: I put the red circle for command around where Jesus said, when you fast.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Jesus isn't, I don't want to make it, it's technically not a command in and of itself, but notice Jesus' assumption.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't say if you fast, he does say when you fast.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: So he expects fasting to have a place in the lives of his disciples in the same way that, like we studied last week, he expects prayer and communion with God to be.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I did put a red circle around that verse.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then we need to put a green triangle around the number 18 for the verse 18 to signify a promise.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: And what is the promise in that verse?
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: The promise is, and your father who sees in secret will reward you.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: That is such a great promise.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, guys, having consistent time with God is not easy.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, everybody.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: While I hate to interrupt a good discussion, I do want to tell you about my book, Repurpose Your Pain: Moving from Pain to Purpose and from Instability to Firm Faith.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: In the book, I share 10 pain points that are common to most people, and I share my personal stories, my experiences with those pain points, and how I repurposed that pain.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Then we dive into what the Word of God has to say about how we repurpose that pain.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: You need to know that this book is really two books in one because it includes workbook activations to help you apply the truth that you've learned to your life.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: So grab your copy today on Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, or any place books are sold.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's not easy in any part of your life.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: It should be super easy for me now because I don't have to check into a corporate job and I don't have all the kids at home, but it is not any easier now.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: So don't think that a season is coming when meeting with God in the secret place is all of a sudden going to be easy peasy.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: There will always be distractions.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: There will always be reasons not to show up, other things that feel more urgent in that moment.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I love the fact that when I shut the door to my office and I create that sacred space, God has made a promise that He sees in secret.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody needs to know that I shut the door and what happens there.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: Only God, my father, needs to know.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: And it says that he rewards openly.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a great promise.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: So then after discussing fasting, Jesus moves on to some important teaching on how children of God should do life.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: We are called to live very differently from the world.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: And he's gonna go bullet point by bullet point through a number of really important, what I call rules of life for Christians.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: And the first one is lay up treasure in heaven.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: The next one is don't be anxious.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: We're talking about that tonight.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: We're not gonna have time to get to the rest, but they we'll get to them next week.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: Don't judge others.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Ask and it will be given.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: We kind of talked about that in the last live stream.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: Do unto others what you want to have done to you.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: What do we call that?
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: The golden rule, right?
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then be a healthy tree that bears good fruit.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: We want to see that.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: We want to see that good fruit.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: So, guys, there is so much beauty in these passages, but unfortunately, we're gonna have to be like tourists that are only in Paris for a long weekend.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: When my husband and I went to Paris, we got to be there for five days.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: So we were able to see not just the highlights like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, but I was able to take him to some of the little spots that I had discovered the last time that I was in Paris.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then we discovered things just walking around together.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: But that's also nothing like if you lived in Paris where you'd be able to find little cafes and gardens and side streets because you live there.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: So right now, we're going to be hitting this section of the Sermon of the Mount like long weekend Taurus.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: We're only going to be able to hit the highlights.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I want you to come back and take your time.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to take those word study guides, commentary, strong concordance, go back to the original Greek and Hebrew, check out the Old Testament references.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: But for this episode, I'm only going to be able to bring out a few interesting things that I found in the first couple Kingdom of Life rules.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: So, first of all, I want to talk to you guys about why translations differ.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: Because before I dive into those kingdom life rules, I do want to answer a question that I get asked a lot.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: People say to me, What kind of Bible do you have?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: And what kind of Bible should I get?
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a hard question to answer because I have quite a few Bibles and I use them for different purposes.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: For instance, the Bible that I'm using right now, it's pretty big and kind of heavy.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's this Bible.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: Well, let me see.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: Let me get it in the camera view.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, jeez.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and this is an ESV interleaved Bible.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: So as you can see, my notes are here.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: So every other page is blank.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I can write my notes on these pages.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then I can also, let me find, I can also put like note papers in here that I slide in.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: I like the ESV translation because when I go back to the Greek and the Hebrew, most of the time, I'm going to say like 95% of the time, the ESV translation is the closest, if not exactly, to what the Hebrew and the Greek is.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: And here's another question that I get asked all the time: why don't all Bible translations use exactly the same words?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now, here's the simple answer: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic and English words don't line up word for word.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: A word in the original language can have a range of meanings.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: So translators have to look at the context and decide which English word best communicates what the biblical writer is saying.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: So let me show you what I'm talking about.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: I am going to share my screen and find.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I guess I must have shut the tab off.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Hold on, let me get there through my notes.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: Stand by.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is why you put the link in your notes.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Just in case.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so now I can get you all there.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for hanging with me.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: Share screen.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: And we're going to Oz.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: We actually are going to Oz.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now you can see we are in Oz.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I took you guys to Bible Hub.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: And when you go to Bible Hub and you are you look up a word, you uh let me just start from the very beginning.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: We'll go, let me see.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: This is where am I gonna find this?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Exodus 15, 2.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: So you start a Bible hub in the very beginning on your on the very first page, and it tells you all of the things that you can find in Bible Hub.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: Here are all your Bible study tools down here.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll go to the Bible, and I said that was in Exodus 15, too.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna scroll to Exodus.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: Now over here, we're gonna pick chapter 15.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: Now I'm gonna pick a verse 2.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: And now right here on this line, right here, this gray line, I'm gonna hit Hebrew, and I'm going to go down to the word strength.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Here we go.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Strength.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it's that word that I wanted to bring you to, Oz.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: And that word means strength, might, power, and refuge.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: And in the NASB, they can it can be translated as strength, strong, power, mighty, might, stronghold, loud.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Over here on the right hand side, if you look at the Englishman's concordance, you see all of the various ways that it has been translated in your strength of power, strength, but there was strong with all his might.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: So, and then down here you look at the BDB, the Brown Driver Briggs, and that gives you from the original language all the ways this word was translated, and how that is gets translated into English.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: So, what I want you to see, guys, from this is that this word strength can mean so many different things.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: So when a word is being shared or being translated by the Bible translators, they're going to choose the word that they think makes the most sense in the uh context of the verse.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: But there could be a number of maybe two or three different ways.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: And those aren't always identical ideas.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: They're related, but each gives us a slightly different shade of meaning.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: So imagine you're translating a verse containing that word oz.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: Do you choose strength, might, power, stronghold?
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: You have to determine from the context which English word best communicates the author's meaning.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: And that is one major reason why different Bible translations can use different English words without necessarily communicating a different message.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: And it's also why I am always encouraging you to take that extra step and look up important words in a concordance.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: Because sometimes I will look at the range of meanings behind a word and I will suddenly see another dimension of what the writer is communicating, but I will also get my own personal private message from God in that moment.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: Because there will be something in one of the other meanings that God says, that is what I want to say to you today.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: And it was hidden, it was a secret.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_01: I had to dig for it, but in the secret place, the Lord loves to pull back the covers and give us a unique and a special message that's just for us.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: So tell me in the chat, what is your favorite Bible translation?
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: And do you have a study Bible?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: And Lac in God's grace said her biggest anxiety is her mom, who is 88 and lives with her.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, that is a lot, my friend.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: My mom is 93 and she lives a half hour away.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it Can be really nerve-wracking because believe it or not, 30 minutes feels like forever to just get there.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: But it's a lot when you have your elderly mom in your home and you're seeing, you're just seeing it all.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're just seeing the wheels fall off the bus and you have to be the one there day and night.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's a lot.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: We're just going to be praying at the end for you for God's grace upon you.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: And while you are typing what your favorite Bible translation is, and if you have a studied Bible, um, I just do want to make one more important distinction between a translation and a paraphrase.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: How many of you have heard of a certain Bible translation?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: But then how many of you have heard that of Bibles that are a paraphrase and been confused by the difference?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: So let me explain.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Translations like the ESV, the NASB, the NIV, or the NKJV are produced by translating the ancient biblical texts, which I was actually going to go into the Masoretic text and all of that.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: And then I was like, ah, it's just, that's just way too much.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: But just trust me, there are ancient biblical texts that everybody agrees on, and that's what they are drawing the ancient language from.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so the translations translate those texts into English.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: A paraphrase takes the meaning of the passage and expresses it much more freely in contemporary language.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: So the message is a really good example of a paraphrase.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: So the paraphrase is really somebody else's poetic regurgitation of a passage, what it means to them.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: Now, that doesn't mean that a paraphrase can't be helpful or beautiful.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: I sometimes enjoy one for reflection or worship because some of the people, like the writer of the message Bible, has found beautiful ways to express scripture.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: But when I'm seriously studying scripture, I will always use a translation and investigate the original language for myself because I don't want someone else's interpretation of what they heard to cloud what I'm going to discover in that verse for myself.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to slow down, I want to dig into the text and discover what is there for myself.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: So Linda says she uses the NKJV and it is a study Bible.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: Study Bibles can be so helpful.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: They really can.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: When I was first getting into studying the Bible, not just reading it, uh, the first study Bible I got was um a King James Dakes Bible.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: If you've ever read a Dakes Bible, the notes are extensive.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I would be in that Bible for hours because you just start going rabbit trails.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: One note leads to another, leads to another.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just like, oh my gosh, this is so cool.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: I can't believe this is actually in the Bible.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I love study Bibles.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: I really do.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, now let's look at Matthew 6, 19 to 24.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, yes.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: So my Bible says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: The eye is the lamp of the body.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: So if your eye is healthy, some translations say if your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness?
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: You cannot serve God and money.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: So Jesus' audience understood how fragile possessions were.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: So moths got in and destroyed clothing, and they didn't have a lot of backups in their wardrobe like we do in our modern age.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: And thieves could break in and steal by simply digging into the wall of somebody's house.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: Political circumstances changed.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing they owned was completely secure.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: But guys, neither is ours.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: I know in our modern American culture, we have so many technologies, medicines, and resources that it's easy for us to live in a very false sense of security, isn't it?
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Even though we, like the Jews of Jesus' day, live in a precarious position as Christians, because Christians are more and more under attack, and as Americans, with mounting hostility in the world toward us, I believe, on both fronts, um, as Christians and as Americans.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: Nevertheless, overall, we I feel like we live in a false sense of security.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: And it's probably because of the peace and the stability that we've all grown up with here in the US.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: But are we really as safe and as invulnerable as we think we are?
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think so.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think so.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: And as somebody who is praying for our nation, I feel much more um heaviness every month that goes by about our security.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: To the point that one night last week, as I was praying with my husband before we got into bed, I just started in prayer rehearsing all of the blessings of my life, down to having two healthy cats and a peaceful neighborhood.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: I thanked God for every single one of my blessings.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, Lord, all of these blessings could be gone in a moment.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: I would be a fool to believe that any of this is guaranteed.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: So help me live with a grateful heart every day that I'm allowed to walk in freedom, in safety, in health, that I'm allowed to have my family and friends around me, that I'm allowed to have a Bible in my house.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then I ask God to help me leverage the years that I have left so that I lay up treasure in my heavenly IRA.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because, guys, full disclosure, I know I have spent so many years focused on myself, focused on getting more stuff down here, more security down here.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I daily have to repent for that.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: I want to spend the rest of my life pouring God's love into the people he places in and around my life.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to share the good news about God's scandalous grace until he calls me home.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_01: Can any of you relate to that prayer?
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me in the chat if you have ever considered how fragile your life and blessings are.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: Give me a thumbs up if you have ever considered that.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, friends, we are to trust that God will hold us no matter what comes.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Whether there's war, whether there's peace, whether there's famine, whether there's plenty, whether there's a pandemic, or we're all just doing life out in the open.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: We don't live in fear, waiting for tragedy to strike.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: But we have to live with open hands and open hearts, not clinging to our stuff and our people so tightly.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: In these verses, Jesus isn't telling us not to enjoy what he's given us, he's teaching us not to build our security on something we cannot keep.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_01: I got a thumbs up about realizing that our life is fragile.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: So here's a question that I want you to write down and think about this week.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_01: What am I holding on to so tightly that the thought of losing it steals my peace?
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: What am I holding on to so tightly that the thought of losing it steals my peace?
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: So now back to our verses.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: You probably noticed that smack in the middle of verses 19 to 24, where Jesus is talking about money and earthly possessions, there's this weird little comment about eyes.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: Did you catch that?
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: Where Jesus said, if your eye is healthy, or your eye, some translations say, you know, if your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: Have you ever wondered what in the world does that even mean?
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: If your eye is good, well, what you need to know is that that's a Jewish idiom that refers to someone who is generous as having a good eye, and someone who is stingy as having a bad eye or an evil eye.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I guess the thought process behind that was if you look at your life as blessed and abundant and you see your future through the lens of my future is bright, you're probably going to live with open hands and be generous.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: But if your lens and your perspective is always negative, you're going to expect disaster, you're going to anticipate loss, you're going to live constantly, you know, self-protecting, in which case, you're probably going to be stingy.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: So understanding that idiom causes this insertion about the healthy eye and the evil eye and having light in your whole being, it causes it to make a lot more sense because the two the verse before it and the verse after it are talking about our worldly goods and money.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: So understanding that phrase makes it not seem like some weird diversion in the middle of his train of thought about how we handle and look at our worldly goods and money.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: And then we get to Matthew 624, where he says, you can't serve God and money.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Here's what I want you to notice: Jesus has been talking about treasure, about possessions, about money.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: He's talking about what we trust and what we serve.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then look at the very next word in verse 25.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: What is that word?
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: And if you go to my church, you know what I'm about to say, because I have to do a pastoronism, and he stole it from somebody else, but it's he's made it his now.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: He'll always say, if you see a therefore, you better check and see what it's there for.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: So, in other words, what Jesus is about to talk about, what he's about to say about anxiety, is connected to what he just said about treasure.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: And here's why.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: What I treasure, I hold on to tightly.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: What I hold on to tightly, I'm afraid of losing.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_01: And what I'm afraid of losing, I worry about.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's what he says.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_01: He says, Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you'll drink, nor about your body, what you'll put on.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_01: Look at the birds of the air.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_01: They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: Are you not of more value than they?
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_01: And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to the span of his life?
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: Or back to what I was talking about in the beginning about having a child that's an addict.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: Which of you can worry about, which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to the span of your child's life or to the quality of their life?
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: You can't.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_01: Verse 28, and why are you anxious about clothing?
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_01: Consider or look at the lilies of the field, how they grow.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_01: They neither toil nor spin.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_01: And yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed, arrayed like one of these.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_01: But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not more much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat?
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: What shall we drink?
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_01: What shall we wear?
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_01: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_01: Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so remember what I've been teaching you.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: Slow down, follow the clues, look for repetition.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me in the chat, how many times does Jesus use the word anxious?
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_01: How many can you count?
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: And while you're doing that, we're going to go to the word anxious.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to share my screen and I know I actually have this one up.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it is the word merimnao.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: And this word means to be anxious, to worry, to care for, to be concerned.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: But I want to scroll down a little bit because when I got here, I thought to myself, that's interesting.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: Look down here into their helps word studies.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_01: 3309 is the word merimnau, which comes from marimna, a part, as opposed to the whole.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: So drawn in opposite directions, divided into parts.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: Now going down here, 3809 is also marimnao, and it is an old verb for worry and anxiety, literally to be divided or distracted.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_01: Guys, distraction is the new pandemic.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_01: It is literally the new COVID.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it was, it's incredible that when we are anxious, our mind is divided.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: Have you experienced this?
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: You're doing the dishes, and you realized you unloaded the dishwasher and loaded it, and you have no memory of doing it because you your brain was somewhere else worrying about something.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: Or you had a conversation with somebody and you walk away from that conversation and you think, oh, Snapple.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think I remember really anything they said.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_01: Why?
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because your brain, your mind was divided.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: It was somewhere else, worrying, anxious about a situation.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: Our mind can be divided in anxiety and worry.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: Incredible.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: So that's another thing that I that you'll discover on Bible Hub.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_01: You can find all these helps word studies, going back to the original language.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: It really helps you slow down and think about what you're reading and take that whole concept of what God is saying to a deeper level of thought.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then you can journal about those things that you find.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like I journaled about that when I said, Lord, I'm asking that you would point out to me when my mind is divided, when I'm sitting in a conversation, or I'm watching a movie with my husband, or I'm trying to read a book, and my mind is anxiously pursuing another rabbit trail.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_01: Please help me have a single focus, especially when I'm reading your word, especially when I'm trying to pray.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want my mind spinning off into, well, what about this and what about that?
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_01: What am I doing later?
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: And how am I going to have time to do all of this?
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_01: Anxiety takes a mind that is physically living today and sends it emotionally into tomorrow.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_01: My body is sitting here on Tuesday, but my mind can be living next Friday.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus gives us four reasons not to worry.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm going to give you four things that you can write down if you're taking notes.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_01: So, first of all, he says, look at the birds your father provides.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_01: We have to look at that.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: Your heavenly father feeds them.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: Then Jesus questioned, are you not of more value than they?
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_01: So think this week.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_00: I have a father who provides.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then we're looking at how I do this one.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: Look at worry.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, there we are.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_00: Look at worry.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_01: It accomplishes nothing.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: Verse 27.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_01: And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to the span of his life?
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: Worry feels productive because my mind is busy.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's working overtime.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_01: But Jesus says it's producing nothing.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: And we know it produces nothing.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: We know it.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_01: But yet our brain slips into this deception that anxiety is productive.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's helping us somehow.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's helping us figure out an answer.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's helping us come to solutions.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_01: If I think hard enough about this problem, I can help people.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_01: I can help myself.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_01: And anxiety in those cases feels unavoidable.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_01: But Jesus is challenging that logic right here with truth of his own.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_01: He says, anxiety and worry produce nothing.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_01: They change nothing.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: And they actually can't protect us from the very thing that we fear.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_01: So why do we do it?
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: Next, third, he says, look at the flowers.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: Your father cares for them.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's verses 28 to 30.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then he goes on to say, will he not much more clothe you?
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_01: If God cares for grass, how much more does he care for his child?
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then lastly, look at your father.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_01: He already knows.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_01: Before you worried about it, he knew about it.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_01: Before you prayed about it, he knew about it.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_01: Before you told your friend about it, he knew about it.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_01: Before you stressed yourself out and lost sleep over it, he knew about it.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: Before you even figured out there was a problem, your father knew about it.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus doesn't ground our freedom from anxiety in the promise that nothing difficult will happen.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't ground it in the fact that we're going to eventually be able to figure it out.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_01: He grounds our freedom from anxiety in the character and care of our Father.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_01: So now let's go to verse 33.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_01: What is the antidote?
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_01: Because we have got to have an antidote to this toxic pandemic of anxiety and worry.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_01: And here it is.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_01: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_00: And all these things will be added to you.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_01: Circle the word but because Jesus is giving us an alternative.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, we can't control what enters into our mind, but we can decide where our mind stays.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_01: I used to have a pastor from Texas who would say, you can't stop a bird from landing on your head, but you can stop her from building a nest in your hair.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it's the truth.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_01: When thoughts land on our head or in our head, sometimes we can't stop that from happening, but we can stop if they stay.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_01: So when our thoughts run out of control, towards what if and how and what are we going to do?
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_01: The question we need to replace those thoughts with is who is God?
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's the better question.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: What has He promised?
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_00: What has He already done?
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: What is true today?
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: So then I love this one.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_01: Let your request be known unto God.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_01: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's Philippians 4, 6 and 7.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_01: Look at Paul's flow here.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_01: Anxiety to prayer need to petition fear to thanksgiving result to peace.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_01: We see from the Apostle Paul, who had plenty of things to be anxious about that the biblical answer to an anxious mind isn't merely an empty mind, it's a redirected mind.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_01: Redirected to seek first.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_01: So the antidote to anxiety and worry is seek first.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_01: Don't live tomorrow today.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_01: Verse 34 says, Therefore, don't be anxious about tomorrow.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_01: Guys, this is where everything lands, right here.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: Some of us are exhausted today because we have already lived tomorrow 15 times.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_01: We've imagined the conversation, the diagnosis, the phone call, uh, what our child might do, the financial crisis, how we'll feel if we lose someone.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_01: We've imagined everything falling apart, and none of it has happened.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_01: And then Jesus says, sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, as a mother of an adult child who battles addiction, I can tell you that that is 1000% true.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, my friends, Jesus never promised us a trouble-free tomorrow, did he?
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_01: He promised us a father who already knows what tomorrow holds.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't need tomorrow's answers today.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need tomorrow's provision today.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need tomorrow's strength today.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_01: I need today's grace for today's trouble.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_01: Put that in the chat.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_01: Put that in the chat.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_01: I need today's grace for tomorrow for today's trouble.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_01: I need today's grace for today's trouble.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_01: Because when tomorrow becomes today, the Father who met me here will already be there.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe tonight, obedience to Jesus looks like this.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_01: Stop trying to live in tomorrow.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_01: Open your hands, release what you're desperately trying to protect, and turn your attention back toward your Father.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_01: My friends, I don't want to close out this live stream without giving you an opportunity to put your anxiety prayer needs into the chat.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: So while I make a comment to our replay listeners, I want you to start typing your prayer needs in the chat if you feel comfortable doing that.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I just want to quickly pause here while they are typing, while everyone is typing, and to say if you're on a journey to find deeper intimacy with Jesus and greater understanding from your Bible, please subscribe to this YouTube channel, Cecily LaChappelle with Higher Pursuit Ministries, or to this Higher Pursuit podcast and let's pursue him together.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_01: I know you want to grow in your walk with Jesus.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I'd be honored if you'd become a member of this Higher Pursuit community by subscribing, liking the videos that speak to you, and leaving comments.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're listening to this as an audio podcast, could you take 30 seconds and follow the show, rate it, and if you're feeling generous, could you please leave a comment?
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_01: That not only blesses me and tells me that the hours that I spend preparing content for you all is landing and making a difference, but it also helps YouTube and podcast algorithms know that this content should be made this visible to people who are looking for deeper Bible content, just like you.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_01: And one more thing, if you are looking for a speaker for an upcoming conference, women's event, retreat, or Sunday service, I would love to start a conversation with you.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm passionate about helping people go deeper in the Word of God, grow in their relationship with Him, and live out their faith with greater purpose and confidence.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_01: So if you think that I, what I could carry, could serve your church, your ministry, your audience, head over to my website and click the contact tab.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me a little bit about your event, and let's start a conversation to see how I can best serve you and your people.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_01: So before we pray, um, I have a quick prophetic word for someone who is either watching this live stream in real time or someone who's watching the replay.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I when I was praying for you before I started this podcast, I felt that there is someone who tuned in and this was completely speaking to you because you are overburdened by worry that you feel helpless to stop.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_01: You're worried about a child and it is consuming you.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_01: No one knows how your mind is freaking out all the time, but the Lord hears every thought and he wants you to know that he has got your child.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: Don't look at the surface, at the external.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_01: Just as there are thoughts going on in your own head that nobody knows about, the Lord wants you to know that there are thoughts that are turning toward the Lord in your child's head that you aren't aware of.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: Questions that he's asking about God, that God is answering.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_01: Just pray.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's where your position of influence is, not in the nagging, the control, the crying, or the sleepless nights.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_01: Your power and authority are in the secret place.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_01: Go there and know that the Lord says he will contend with those who contend with you.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, we're gonna pray.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't see any specific prayer requests in the chat.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm just gonna pray for us.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_01: Heavenly Father, we come to you right now, humbly repenting for holding on to things and people so tightly, and for allowing distractions to keep our focus from the main thing, to keep our mind divided and keep our mind off of you, Jesus, off of Heavenly Father and the pursuits of the kingdom.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_01: Father, we're asking that the Holy Spirit will help us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and to meditate on his goodness and on his love, on who you are, what you have done, who you have always been, and the strength of the covenant that you have cut with us that will always hold us.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_01: Help us remember that we're not promised tomorrow, but we are promised that we'll be held, that we'll be secure and safe in your everlasting arms, and that those who hope in the Lord will never be put to shame.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_01: Father God, pour out a grace upon us to pursue you and not to chase after answers that aren't ours to have yet, not to chase or run after solutions for tomorrow's problems today, that we're called to fix our eyes on you so that you can keep us in perfect peace.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_01: We pray all this in the mighty name of Jesus.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_01: Well, friends, as we close tonight, remember this.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to carry tomorrow today.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_01: Your father knows what you need, he knows what you're facing, he knows what tomorrow holds, and he will be there with you when tomorrow arrives.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_01: So, your personal application point for this episode is to journal your anxieties and worries, then one by one, repent, change your mind for not trusting God as your heavenly father, if that's been the case, and for trying to take control over things you can't control.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then in prayer, see yourself putting each situation and person and person in God's hands.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_01: See yourself climbing up onto his lap and letting his enormous arms wrap around you.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_01: This sound might sound ridiculous to so many people, but I'm telling you, it disconnects me from the cycle of anxiety when I start to get looped in.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_01: Seek first the kingdom, keep your eyes on the king.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for joining me in this episode of the Higher Pursuit and the Word Alive series.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_01: This has been the Higher Pursuit podcast, nurturing your faith, sharpening your endurance.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_01: Keep pursuing him, and I can't wait to see you next time.
• 52:45
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, family, I pray that you were blessed and encouraged by that episode, and that you took away something you can use in your walk with the Lord starting today.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I thank you for making me a part of your pursuit.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, abide in Him.