Do Not Be Anxious

Welcome to leading the way with pastor and International Bible teacher, Dr. Michael used to in recent weeks and months people found themselves in places thing ever thought of before.

Shelter in place orders have come and gone someplace's come back again. Life was once comfortably in sort of predictable but now it's become chaotic for many people, and anxiety is rooting itself in many lives today and leading the way. Dr. Michael Yousef tackles this new reality with the message he's called.

Do not be anxious to guide you to the comforting words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 will worry and fear is looked at from God's perspective. Do remember that you can listen to this and other messages by Dr. Yousef when you subscribe to the leading the way podcast. Subscribe to whatever podcast app or platform you use if you're new to podcasting. We have a link to get you started.

Just go to LTW.org listen with us now as Dr. Michael Yousef began leading the way. This from them at this crisis we have seen human nature at its best seen people giving of themselves sharing sacrificing, but were also have seen human nature of its worst recent pictures of people fighting over thought of papers and some other goods and food items we have seen obscene stockpiling out of fear and anxiety with seeing irrational boarding in the land of plenty and that is why Matthew 625 to 36.

Jesus is speaking to his all remember those who speak into his own newest saying there is no need for you to be anxious and worried like those who don't know me. Now, whether rich or poor.

Everyone in between our attitude toward material possessions is the clearest indication of our spiritual temperature. Did you get that our attitude to possessions is our clearest indication our spiritual temperature.

Our greatest distinction between those who know and love Jesus and those who don't is the level of anxiety that we have the level worry that we have about life. Of course I'm talking about those who know and love Jesus au naturel. Those who try to express some sort of bravado attitude on the word. I am those numbers loose. Mostly I found one that happened is a smokescreen.

But when those who love Jesus become anxious and worried and we all do at some point I can tell you where I give you the timing on when that takes place is because we have have a temporary amnesia as to who our heavenly father is. It is because, for that moment. We have forgotten who is our heavenly father. There are the moments when we forget the privileges that we have as children of the King of the universe, the very heart of Jesus's message here in this passage of Matthew six. This is more about the necessities of life. In fact, in those few verses there are 3×3 times where our Lord Jesus gives us a command.

These three times were not suggestions. There are not recommendations. They are not nice things to do. They command.

This command is found in verse 2531 and 34 Michelle you for things I'm not going to expound on them. But I want to come back and show them to you in the biblical context. First of all he's saying. Worrying is wrong because it indicates this trust in the nature of God is saying that war is totally unnecessary because of who your heavenly father is an flatly hearsay worry does not make sense. Why because it is inconsistent with faith and forth.

The final decision worrying is very unwise because of our certain future.

Our known future. I don't want to make the mistake that I often tell you not to make and that is not to put the text back in its context is very important. And so, in the few verses before 27 Jesus talks about the source of anxiety, the very source of worry Matthew 619 to 24 Jesus says if money is the accumulation of worldly possession. Is your God when you worry you will worry you will be anxious if your net worth is your master. In fact, you will never have a worry free day in your life. If that's the case, the first thing you need to know if you are in the situation I can tell you one thing for sure, Satan will eat your lunch every day may view them as well. Similar at this point.

At this point. If you have made not to be your God. All the sermons in the world will not help you all the preaching in the world will not relieve your anxieties, all of the books on the subject that you can read will not deliver you from that anxiety. All of the counseling in the world will not help you worry why because the God of Mammon is a very merciless God because that God isn't enslaving God because that God is an all dominating God because that God is in all controlling God because that God is all possessive God because that God is a cruel slave master. That is why please please please please do not get me wrong I don't want you to get me wrong, I beg you not to get me wrong there is nothing wrong with money and possession did you get that nothing wrong with money and position. Nothing wrong with money and wealth, I have some very dear friends, whom I know personally. They literally live and work so that they can make money in order that may give that money to the work of the kingdom as a friend of mine said you cannot serve God of Mammon, but you can serve God with Mammon and therefore the question is not the possessions. The question is are your possessions possessing you when that happens you will never have a worry free day you will always live in worry and anxiety. So the question is what is the antidote to worry.

I ready to hear it. The cure-all for worry is using of one's possessions to serve the living God, the real worry free life is only possible when the resources that God gave you would make no mistake about it, God gave you are used for reaching the lost. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 624.

He's a use of translation.

If you are a slave to accumulation and stacking up of more and more and more more stuff then you can be sure that slavery to worry is not a part-time hobby for you slavery to worry is not a partially controlling the view that slavery to worry will not have only a temporary effect over you never know why because a slave is at his masters beckon call as slave service. The Masters will and whim. The slave was fully owned and controlled by his master as slave is totally obligated to his master and slave is totally obedient to his master and Jesus said you cannot be a slave to Mammon and the servant of God at the same time.

It's an impossibility. It's just an impossibility if accumulation and more and more and more is your master, then worry is your lot in life. If materialism is your master then you can be assured that anxiety is going to be a permanent companion if all of your treasure is on this earth, not in heaven. Then you can be assured that worry is going to be a bosom buddy Jesus said these are two masters to the third just to and he says these are diametrically opposed and they cannot coexist but don't shoot the messenger so Jesus said, there is the one that commands us to walk by faith and fully trust him. And then there's the other who demands that we walk by sight.

What we see, there is the one who calls us to acknowledge God and only God as the source and then there is the other who pumps our pride and give ourselves credit for all of God's blessings. There is the one who tells us to set your mind on things that are above and things that are in heaven, where Jesus is. And then there's the other who says you loosely security your networks is all that matters.

What is the one who calls us to see the things that are seen by the rest of the work world and the things that are eternal.

And then there's the other who wants us to focus all of artifact forces us to focus our attention on what is seen was temporal, who is my master who is my must address the question asking yourself the question, who is my master is one of the most important questions that you can ask in life. Why, because answering that question will determine the level of anxiety and worry in life. Verse 25 Matthew six Jesus said, for this reason I say that you do not be anxious is that what reason was he talking about what reason. The reason of knowing who your master is right.

Please when it comes to worry and anxiety.

It makes no difference whether you are poor or rich did you get that repeater when it comes to worry and anxiety.

It makes no difference with a person is poor or rich. Why because your attitude toward material possessions, which is the accurate measurements of your spiritual condition is your attitude is how you react to it as a problem when you think that you are self-made over here a lot about self-management.

When you think you made it all yourself then you gonna worry because you feel that's up to you to protect what you may everything that you're the one who did it when you don't have to worry about protecting it. In reality, God is the one who gave it to you know where they have not is not God's also can take it away in a heartbeat. I've seen people literally lost millions overnight like a man who had a large real estate holdings in this pastoral setting our progress. God. God did it all in God owns it all and he took the pastor out and he pointed out to this incredibly fast real estate and he said you need to tell me that I don't own this the pastor said I tell you what, asked me that question 100 years from now and I'll answer you at asked me hundred years from now, but when you know that God gave you everything God gave you everything and that you are using it for his glory, you will be at peace. Peace. Why, because just as God gave it to you. He will multiply it to you multiply it to you so that you can keep multiply in the work of God and he will multiply it to you so you can multiply to the work of God. I have seen this too many times the data with my own eyes.

Many many many times God is not looking for a puddle where the water comes in and stays that is looking for conduits. As I pointed out to you earlier from Matthew chapter 6, he commanded in those few verses commands three times. Verse 2531 and 34. Remember the four reasons I gave you earlier is why worry is a sin. Why worry is wrong and then repeat those ones from the Scripture. All four of them in verse 25 of Matthew six. Worrying is I distrusting of the intentions of God toward you.

Did you get verse 25. Second, in verse 26 to 30 worrying is that this belief in the sovereignty of God firmly in verses 31 to 33 worry is a distortion of the character of God said distortion of the character of God. And finally, verse 34 worry is that distrust in the promises of God. Here's another problem about worry worry is like a baby. How does a baby grow by nursing the baby okay what is the same way is going to get bigger and bigger.

If you keep on noticing it. In fact worry comes from the German word meaning to strangle her to choke and that's exactly what worry does is the kind of mental and emotional strangling. I am told by some physicians. Friends of mine people I trust completely that they have had patients in their clinics who are in physical pain and the run all the tests known from MRI. All the other tests is nothing wrong physically with them, but then pain the Bible would diagnose this as worry or strangling of your emotions, listen to me, just as the wind blows unless you stop it. Just as the water flows unless you impeded just as light will grow unless you buffeted you and I and yeah including me on the preaching of your comforting myself as well. You are not going to worry unless we deal with it unless we deal with it.

Here's something I hope you'll never forget.

Worry is the opposite of contentment. Contentment is with Jesus calling all of his children to have.

Why, because God has peace in himself and he wants us to have it because God has tranquility surrounding his throne in heaven and he wants us to have it because God has serenity filling the courts of heaven and he wants us to have it wants you to have it was me that his peace cannot be fabricated already tried, they cannot fabricated his peace cannot be duplicated. His peace cannot be falsified. This piece is above and beyond explanation and someone miasma Michael is there a falsified, fabricated type of peace that is not the peace of God, yes, absolutely, I hear about it all the time in the media with these of Band-Aids and tumor. So the question is do you know what the number one cause for worry and anxiety losing what you have someone losing a what I'm talking about health, wealth, whatever they believe in life and going with her. That's the biggest anxiety because fact so they naturally grow for more and more and more, but the source of contentment is seeking the praise and the honor and the glory and the things of God.

The secret of contentment is being generous and giving of yourself and sharing Christ with others. On the other hand, the cause of worry is misplaced priority instead of being focused on Christ is focused on who what's going on around me was the latest in the news what's gonna happen. How many people did this and how many people went there and how many I seen it even among God's people. The source of contentment is losing yourself in obedience to the Lord, the source of worry is focusing on how dangerous this world is the secret of contentment is how I can share Christ with the lost. The cause of worry focuses on what I don't have and how do I get it. The secret of contentment focuses on bringing glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. I hear people all the time. I'm worried about how dangerous this world is well. I see the world is dangerous but I want to challenge every believer to do some soul-searching wherever you are, whatever you are.

Start today do some soul-searching asked the question, anxious and worried if the answer is yes and why am I worried when my God promised when all of the promises in the word of God for me would you do that, let's do that together right now. Father, each of us deal with different areas just because we are different and even you deal with us differently and you don't deal with two of us in the same way as our primary and I come against the spirit of worry and fear and anxiety. And I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ that they will experience victory like nothing before in this life and that they will build their eternal future. Now father I pray for every person who is worried and anxious at you. Give them the Holy Spirit.

Right now, to lift up their eyes from the conditions and what they experience to look up to the great day that is coming when regarding rain room with you.

I thank you that the moment those of us who love you close our eyes, and death are going to be with you.

What a deal the father I pray that you might bless your servants. My brothers and sisters in Christ. In Jesus name, amen Dr. Michael you sent with encouragement to relinquish worry and fear to God because this message. Do not be anxious. You're listening to leading the way. Today's words from Dr. yourself have brought up some questions and you'd like to begin a conversation. We invite you to speak to one of our staff members fill out a short form and LTW.org/GSS 11 the course of more than 30 years of ministry position leading the way to have a powerful gospel influence in your neighborhood and all around the world recently and note came to our office that was encouraging for our team and we hope that it will be for you as well.

Let me summarize a 22-year-old shared that she recently opened her heart to Jesus. She was unsure of what to do next. She came across the radio program in her community, and shares how much it helped her learn more about God and come to understand what it means to live as a Christian. He shared that tend to use text messages helped her to make decisions without negative social pressures is very painful for her church and for the daily encouragement she gets from leading pray with us for this young lady and for many others who really rely on leading way and other Bible teachers on the radio as part of the new spiritual giant and in addition to praying. I hope that you consider partnering financially today. It's a great way to join in the joy with guide monies doing around the world. Here's how to get in touch with us. Call 866-626-4356 866-626-4356 and online. LTW.org L team W.I want to thank you for listening today you plan to join us again next time right here when Dr. Michael passionately proclaims uncompromising on leading