How Are We Doing, Part 3

How Are We Doing, Part 3
Thursday, January 2, 2025 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Contemporary issues / Encouraging words / Scripture discussion / Spiritual deception / The church / Thought for Today / Truth telling

“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.” Isaiah 8:12, NAU.

As Christians, what those in the world call conspiracy, we are not to call conspiracy; what the world fears, we are not to fear. It has been said that “do not fear” is found in the Scriptures about 365 times. Just maybe, God is telling us something?

Why should we not be afraid? Why shouldn’t we worry?

First, worry and fear don’t do us any good, but rather, hurt us.

Luke 12:24–26 (NAU): “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?”

Our worrying doesn’t change anything. Through worry, we can’t even add an hour to our life, although one might argue that worry can contribute to shortening it. If we can’t even do that little thing through worry, why do we spend time worrying about big world problems?

Matthew 13:22 (NAU): “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

The verse is from Jesus’s Parable of the Sower, and what happens to the third seed. It doesn’t bear fruit. Why not? Worry and care chokes it out. In that parable, the first seed never comes to faith in Christ, while the second and third seeds profess faith for a time, but neither of the two have a genuine faith. Both fall away: the second from trouble or persecution, the third, as mentioned here, from worry, cares, and the deceitfulness of wealth. Instead of benefiting our faith, worry is one of the tools that is used to destroy it.

When we are worried, what is our focus? Is our focus on Christ, or on our problems and fears? It is on the latter, isn’t it? One thinks of Peter’s walking on the water. As long as he was looking at Jesus, he did fine. The moment he started to look at his circumstances instead of Jesus, he began to sink.

Jesus tells us repeatedly to not worry. A few examples:

Matthew 6:31 (NAU): “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’

God knows we have need of those things, and we can trust Him to provide them.

Matthew 6:34 (NAU): “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Each day has enough issues for us to deal with that require our attention. Why spend time worrying about what might or might not happen? Worry always tends to focus on the “what if?”. We end up trying to formulate all sorts of possible plans to counter those worries. We end up getting off track and off focus.

Luke 12:11 (NAU): When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Even when being persecuted, when being brought before authorities, even in life or death situations, we aren’t to worry. God will give us the wisdom to say what needs to be said at that them. We prefer to know everything in advance. But, that isn’t faith. One of the hallmarks of worry is that it hinders us from trusting God.

So the question is, how do we overcome fear and worry? We’ll address that question in the next post.

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