Often when life gets really difficult, it can affect our mood and fill us with anxiety. All of us are familiar with worry and dread. Tony Evans lays out a biblical game plan to help us deal with anxiety and to encourage us with the knowledge that by seeking God first, we can move from worry to peace.

Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.

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on the highway of life it’s not uncommon

to find yourself going in the wrong

direction you made a poor decision you

followed some bad advice and before you

know it you’re off course in that moment

you have a decision to make do I ignore

the warning in my head and continue

driving down the road or do I find a way

to turn myself around and start moving

toward my true destination what you need

is a u-turn a place where you can get

off the wrong Highway reverse course and

get back on the right one the turn is

coming the question is what will you do

[Music]

we worry about our money we worry about

our health we worry about our

relationships worried about our jobs

they worried about our careers we worry

and so in my moments with you today by

the time we are finished you won’t have

to worry anymore I don’t care what it’s

about I don’t care what is provoking it

what is irritating exacerbating

frustrating we want to lift the burden

based on God’s Word of worry three times

we are commanded in this passage not to

worry verse 25 says for this reason I

say to you do not worry verse 31 says do

not worry then

verse 34 says so do not worry three

times there is a command not to worry

therefore to worry is sin if something

is a command and you disobey it

it’s called sin most people do not look

as weary as sin they look it as natural

look at something that is legit given

the circumstances that I am facing yet

the Lord in this passage gives a command

and he couples the command with this

statement oh ye of little faith you

believe I can take you to heaven you

just don’t believe I can cover you on

earth you believe I’m good for eternity

but I’m insufficient for time do not

worry the word worry anxiety means to be

torn into weary is concern on steroids

where is concern that’s gone haywire

there is a difference between concern

and worry concern is I have an issue in

my life that is trouble

me and I am setting forth a plan as best

I can to address it that is legitimate

concern but worry is where the concern

controls you it is where because of the

concern I can’t sleep because of the

concern I can’t control my temper

because of the concern I am losing my

ability to cope it is where concern has

now become the controlling factor

because of the issue whatever it is that

you face now let me give a clarification

here I am NOT talking about chemical and

balance where there is a physical

chemical reality that needs to be

addressed because that physical is

affecting that emotional and absolutely

that may need medication that is not –

what I am addressing what I am

addressing is where the circumstance in

and of itself is controlling you it is

dictating who you are where you are how

you function whether you function it

tells you if you can get up in the

morning and tells you you better go to

bed right now it owns you well he says

in introducing this section for this

reason and then he tells you don’t worry

for this reason so before he tells you

don’t worry he says there’s a reason so

you can’t understand not to worry unless

you understand the reason so he says for

this reason which means we have to back

up a few verses and in verse 22 this is

what he says the eye is the lamp of the

body so then if your eye is clear your

whole body will be full of light but if

your eye is bad your whole body will be

full of darkness if then the light that

is in you is darkness how great

the darkness no one can serve two

masters for either he will hate the one

and love the other or he will do be

devoted to the one and despise the other

you cannot serve God and wealth because

one of the big worries of life has to do

with resources he says if you want to

get over weary you got to get rid of one

of your masters where he will track you

down if you got more than one master he

says if you got God over here and

something else in control over there

since the definition of worry is to be

torn in two and you’ve got two different

masters going in two different

directions then they will keep you

worried because you they will keep you

torn

he says the light is in the eye if the

light is in the eye then the whole body

knows what to grab where to walk the

whole body can function because it’s

seeing things clearly but if the eyes

are dark everything else is in trouble

the hands are in trouble who doesn’t

know what it’s grabbing the feet are in

trouble it doesn’t know where it’s going

it says everything else is in trouble if

there’s darkness in the eye if there is

not clear sight because you have become

divided with masters one of the reasons

why we stay worried is we stay divided

between masters he says you cannot serve

two masters and when you do you will be

worried because you will be divided the

spiritual division creates or supports

the ongoing nature of worry and a master

is somebody who tells you what to do a

master somebody who controls the

priorities of life he says do not wear

oh ye of little faith he now says he

goes a little deeper he says if you are

consumed by worry if worry is your

middle name if you weren’t worrying you

wouldn’t know what to do with yourself

he says you don’t understand God you

don’t understand his nature and you

don’t understand his Providence and you

don’t understand his priorities notice

what he says in verse 25 he says I say

to you don’t worry about your life what

you will eat or drink or edge to your

body as to what you will put on is not

life more than food and body more than

raiment

he says forget worried about the wrong

thing you get worried about what you are

gonna eat you ought to be worried about

whether you’re gonna get up to eat

anything cuz life is more than food you

worried about food but you are alive cuz

if you don’t have life you don’t have to

worry about food so if you have life you

can assume food he says the body is more

than raiment the body is more than

clothes we worry about old clothes new

clothes torn clothes sewed up clothes we

worry about clothes he says you worried

about the wrong thing you need to worry

about whether your body’s intact to put

your arms through those sleeves messed

up priorities he says he says the rest

26 have you ever paid attention to

nature he says have you ever studied

nature cuz he says in verse 26 look at

the birds look at the birds

pay attention when you leave church

today and look at the birds because he

says they don’t sow nor reap or gather

in the bonds and your heavenly Father

feeds them I’m not their heavenly father

you have a father are you not worth much

more than they he says clothing he said

Solomon was not arrayed like the lilies

of the field with all of his billion

dollars the lilies of the field they

neither toil nor spin you’ve never seen

a lily using a sewing machine calling on

singer to keep my petal on you don’t see

that he says because God works it out in

nature they don’t oil they don’t spend

but your heavenly father supplies what

they need and it’s all it’s assumed that

all of nature operates by God’s natural

supply see the thing is we don’t know

who we dealing with

and so we find ourselves under the

strain hole of weary and yet he says

don’t do it it’s a sin and when you do

it you elevate the natural over the

supernatural man over God and you’re

telling me you are your God and you live

divided and torn so it shouldn’t

surprise us that Isaiah 26 verses 3 & 4

I will keep him in perfect peace whose

mind is stayed on me it shouldn’t

surprise us that 2nd Thessalonians 3

verses 6 to 8 says God gets peace in

every circumstance now don’t get me

wrong I am NOT suggesting that life does

not get home

I am NOT suggesting that we all know

better than that Jesus said in John

16:33 in this world you will have

tribulation but then he can bounce right

off of that and say be of good cheer say

what you just told me I’m going I can

expect trouble and then you’re gonna

tell me cheer up and sing when we

understand when God allows trouble in

our lives I’m not talking about trouble

we create now I’m talking about trouble

that he allows that would create the

insecurity that drives us from concern

to worry that what he is creating in

your situation is an opportunity to see

that he’s God okay okay so the next time

you are tempted to worry

beyond concern concern is where you have

a real issue and you are seeking a way

to resolve it where we is where it has

taken over the concern and it is a

controlling you the next time you are

tempted to weary you must now look at

that as an opportunity for God to let

you see how much God he is verse 32 for

the Gentiles eagerly seek all these

things for your heavenly Father knows

that you need all these things okay this

is a little embarrassing because what he

says is when you worry you have now

joined the ranks of pagans the Gentiles

the non-believers the pagans

he says they break their necks mismanage

their priorities because they got to

make it happen themselves they seek they

seem to control it why because they are

their own gods but you got a day

your heavenly father God gets insulted

when we question his capacity his

ability and his intentionality to cover

the needs of his people

now I’m not talk about everyone I’m not

about every desire he’s talking about he

knows you need these things he’s talking

about the needs of life he says stop

being pagans because he says I’m talking

about your daddy but your daddy has also

got to be your master he says no no

daddy knows where you are how you got

there what you need he knows how to

arrange things rearrange things flip

things Twix things trip things he knows

how to do it so you can see is God he

said stop acting like the heathen so

what do I have to do verse 33 but seek

first his kingdom and his righteousness

and all these things will be added to

you the key word is first you seek you

first the kingdom the kingdom it’s

divine rule that I’m in charge here

righteousness is divine standard that

you’re living to please me based on the

standards is revealed in my word so my

rule my standard that’s first then

you’ve got my attention and one of the

reasons why we’re not seeing more of God

is he’s somewhere down the line when we

get to him when I have enough time when

I have enough money when I have enough

patience when I have enough this but I

have enough we get around to it later

and worry all along the way but to be

able to take a chill pill

and to say after I’ve done all that I’m

supposed to do as a bird

a bird doesn’t go out on a on a limb and

open up its beak and wait for worms just

to drop from heaven oh he goes worm

hunting but he knows that worms to hunt

have been supplied so it doesn’t mean

fulfilling your personal responsibility

but with expectation of God’s provision

seek ye first primacy priority the rule

and the standards of God as your

priority and then he closes with this

zinger he says in verse 34 so do not

worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will

take care of itself each day has enough

trouble of its own well yeah God you can

say all that you got okay we are

troubled by the problems of the past we

are troubled by the struggles of the

present and we are troubled by the

uncertainty of the future all those and

sometimes we trouble about all three at

the same time he says I need to teach

you the Lord says how to manage time

most of us are crucified between two

thieves yesterday and tomorrow today is

the tomorrow you worried about yesterday

can I know I miss somebody with that one

today is the tomorrow that you worried

about yesterday so yesterday you were

worried about today but you’re making it

today even though you’re worried about

it

yesterday which is the tomorrow that you

were worried about yesterday when you

were worried about today I know you got

to graduate from high school to get that

but you ever noticed when you worried

about tomorrow when you get to tomorrow

then you worried about the next tomorrow

he says when it comes to living you have

to learn to do it one day at a time

lamentations 3 22 and 23 His mercies are

new every day

let me put it this way he’s not going to

give you tomorrow’s mercy today today

he’s going to give you for today there

are people in countries you take Syria

you take Mosul in Iraq and they’re just

glad to make it one more day

they can’t be planning for the future

planning for retirement God believes in

planning he believes in planning for the

future inheritance and all that but you

got to live today and if God has been

faithful today you got something to sing

about even if you’re unsure about

tomorrow now what this means is that you

got to hang out with people who gonna

make the heavenly more important than

earthly

see well he is like hanging out whatever

worriers you know because it makes them

feel better about their worrying

in fact worry is like to hang out with

people who are more worried as than they

are so that they feel better about their

worried it’s like the guy or the woman

who took her husband to the psychiatrist

and she said my husband crazy he said

what’s wrong

he said he crazy and she said what’s

wrong the man thinks he’s the chicken

yeah uncle fixes the chicken he thinks

it’s the chicken well have you told him

he’s not a chicken no cuz I need the

eggs so you need to be talking to folk

who not as crazy as you are in other

words you need to talk to folk who are

going to Duncan come back come back you

need to deal with folk who are going to

take you to the spiritual you’ll need

folk who go just rehearse your worrying

with you you know one of the worst

phrases in the world is you worrying and

somebody call until you tell you stop

worrying well if I could do that we

wouldn’t even be having this

conversation you need somebody who will

take you higher so that you can see that

when you have one master and one father

and he’s first that worry does not have

to be the controlling element in your

life now hear this when you are tempted

to worry as we all are that is a very

natural thing to do if you get laid off

from a job they’re going to they’re

going to raise a question it’s going to

raise a question in your mind and yes

there will be concerned that is not

what’s being condemned here worrying is

where that concerns now owns you

so here it is whenever you are tempted

to worry that is an automatic immediate

invitation to pray on the spot when

weary shows up you have then got a

formal invitation in writing to pray if

you don’t believe me all you need to

read is Philippians four six and seven

be anxious for nothing but with prayer

supplication with Thanksgiving let your

requests be made known unto God this is

not a prayer in the morning only this is

a prayer whenever weary shows up its

ugly head God has just said you and I

need to have a conversation right now

excuse yourself go to the restroom close

your eyes and just have a mental

conversation with God drive along and

let people think you crazy

why are you talking to yourself but

whenever the temptation is to weary that

is the invitation to pray and guess what

he says and when you come to me come

with Thanksgiving come with Thanksgiving

I want you to give thanks in the midst

of your request and then he says I’m the

God of peace will meet you in that space

Psalm 55:22 says cast your cares on the

Lord and He will sustain you will meet

you in that place so here’s what I want

you to do all of us me you us we need to

change the place we put bu T bu T

because here’s what we normally do I

trust God but but you don’t know what

I’m going through girl I love the Lord

but

I don’t know imma pay these bills I know

he’s able but but you know I’m gonna

throw in the towel I know that’s wrong

no let’s start let’s try this again I

don’t know how I’m gonna make it but my

God said he would meet all my needs

according to his riches and glory

I’m sure struggling but he’s able to do

exceedingly abundantly more than I can

ask or think I am so frustrated but I’ve

never seen the righteous or this he

begging bread

you gotta put God in his rightful place

not reacting to you but you reacting to

him and when you start reacting to him

then you’ll see heaven visit earth

eternity visit time you’ll see God visit

you and you can toss worry aside while

you deal with your concern somebody

oughta praise him up in here up in here

[Applause]

[Music]

so many lives are being ravished by the

problem and worry we worry about what

has happened we worry about what is

happening and we also worry about what

could be happening tomorrow we’re

consumed by worry and to be honest in

our humanity there are a lot of things

going on in our lives and in our world

that gives us reason to worry all but

that’s some good news here and that is

that your relationship with Jesus Christ

can overrule your worry as our passage

says have you ever seen a weary bird a

bird with ulcers do you see flowers

worrying nothing no because God has

built into creation a system to take

away you’re wearing that key to that

system it’s found in verse 33 of Matthew

6 see key first the kingdom of God is

righteousness and all these things will

be added to you and it concludes with so

don’t worry when God is first where we

no longer is in a primary position in

your life in your mind and in your word

but when God has put on the back burner

and his ruling standard is no longer

governing how you function then where he

will seep in will fill in the void and

dominate the space in your life

but I am declaring based on God’s Word

that that day is over for you for me for

us why because we’re gonna put God first

and we will see God put us first I’m

gonna see him erase wipe away and

dismiss

[Music]

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