This message was delivered recently at a congregation in Central Alabama…

When It Is Godly To Worry

Most of the messages you’ve heard on worry are different from tonight’s. What I’d like to talk w/ you about is my own personal journey to u’stand worry from Scripture. Spoiler alert: I’ve found there ARE some things it is RIGHT to worry about. We’ll get to that in a few minutes…

Copied quote: “Nothing is important until it’s personal.” We worry & get serious about prayer when stress enters OUR life. Till then, many pray sporadically. But lose a job, have a serious medical issue, or any of 1,000 life pressures take place & THEN we get serious about prayer AND asking others to pray. Right? And we should! But know GOD may be drawing you to His side more than the Adversary attacking you.

Q: In our Wed prayer meetings & Sunday School, what are 90% of the requests? Sickness… surgery… death… loss of job… etc. And those requests are important. But are they what we should be praying about 90%+ of the time?

2nd Q: What about US? What are our prayers about? A: What concerns us most! As Jesus said in Luke 12:34, “Where where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Whatever dominates our heart, concerns us… what we worry about… THAT is what we will pray most about.

In the New Testament it is written “Do not fear” 25 times, “Do not be anxious” 11 times, & “Do not worry” once. God does NOT want us to be anxious, worry, or fear… certain things. Most preachers address worry, but I suggest we modify what to worry about most & therefore to dominate our prayer life.

I pray for my family’s health, jobs, & life issues like everyone else. But recently I realized my prayers were, to a degree, misdirected. When I once again ran into Romans 8:26… (Turn there)…

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness (Re: prayer!). For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

“We don’t know what to pray for AS WE OUGHT.” Think James 4:3, “You ask (Pray) & do not receive, b/c you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” We all, without exception… to some degree… pray improperly. Our prayers are what we’re anxious over & worry about. James’ point is that we often pray selfishly. That bothers me! So I did some more research…

In Mt 6:25-34 Jesus said important things about worry, anxiety, & by extension prayer…

Christ commanded NOT to be anxious about: Life, food, or health! He said life was MORE than those things. Anxiety can’t extend life. He said we’re more important than the flowers He made & birds He feeds. POINT: God knows what we need… will provide it… so don’t worry. However…

There is one thing we are to be consumed with (Mt 6:33): Seeking God’s Kingdom… His rule & reign in our heart & life. We are to be obsessed w/ the quality of our r’ship to God/Jesus. God provides everything else as we keep HIS priority our priorities. Note that! It’s important…

I want God’s will to be MY priority in prayer. Now to define priority. For Paul in Phil 3:7-10 these were the important things: Knowing Christ; being found in Him; Sharing in His sufferings; & becoming like Him in death.Paul wanted everything in the way of those things to be removed from his life! House… career… recognition… life… Everything! And that’s where the rub comes in for us…

Too often we’re concerned about things that really don’t matter. Things consume our energy that are meaningless compared to what is eternally important. So what would GOD have us to be consumed about FIRST… before the things of lesser importance (Life, food, health, clothes).

Ps 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, & He will give you the desires of your heart.” When we delight in God… He fills us. Paul’s desire is expressed in Ps 37:4 & affirmed in Mt 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness…” The Kingdom of God is His rule & reign in our life…

We should be most concerned with (Worried about) what God is most concerned with. And that is being more like Jesus… AKA: Godliness, Holiness, Christ-likeness.

When we “seek first the kingdom of God” that will be our prayer. We know God answers those  prayer requests because they ARE God’s will! What should first dominate our prayer life is what God is most concerned about, & temporal matters are way down the list!

The things GOD cares about more than temporal matters are what we should worry about, be concerned about so much they dominate our prayers. These are the things pertain to holiness, godliness, & Christ-likeness (God’s FIRST concern!). Since God is love, well… Turn to 1 Cor 13:4

Love is patient & kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

Do we pray about being patient, kind, not envying or boasting? Not being arrogant or rude? Do we ask God to grow the characteristics of love in us? Are we consumed w/ being more loving than food, clothes, children’s career, money, & physical health? Think with me…

Because God is love… & love defines His children… we will be most consumed with being the kind of person GOD calls us to be. We will be most concerned (Worried) about reflecting traits of holiness & godliness. We will be WORRIED when we fall short in Christian character. Turn to Gal 5:22…

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Jesus said we’ll know his own by their fruit (Mt 12:33), Paul described fruit in Gal 5:22! When a person is saved, God conforms them to the image of His son. God is so consumed w/ this that He will not fail… thus Ro 8:29! Ro 8:29 is NOT about salvation, but sanctification!!

What should concern (worry!) us most about family, friends, & church family is being loving… joyful… peaceful… patient… kind… good… faithful… gentle… & self-controlled (Gal 5:22!).

But are we concerned (worried) that we or our loved ones aren’t growing in those things? Do we ask God specifically to work in us & our loved ones to MAKE us more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, etc? Does it bother… concern… or worry us when those things are lacking?

Now, are we concerned (Worried?) enough to DO something about it? 2 Pet 1:3…

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life & godliness, thru the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory & excellence, 4 by which He has granted to us His precious & very great promises, so that thru them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world b/c of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith w/ virtue, & virtue w/ knowledge, 6 & knowledge w/ self-control, & self-control w/ steadfastness, & steadfastness w/ godliness, 7 & godliness w/ brotherly affection, & brotherly affection w/ love. 8 For IF these qualities are yours & are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who are in Christ WILL grow in godliness. It is a foregone conclusion because God works in us to will & accomplish His good pleasure (Ro 8:29; Phil 1:6 & 2:13).

What we are most worried about is what we pray about most! Now… there are some things we AREN’T to worry about, because God has them (Mt 6), life, food, clothes, & health. What we ARE to worry, be concerned about… is our r’ship to God thru Christ (Mt 6:33). Time’s up… let me close…

Evaluate your own prayer life. When you pray for yourself, spouse, children, family, church… what are you FIRST & MOST praying for? Holiness… godliness… Christ likeness… fruit of the Spirit, or the more temporal matters?

Don’t forget, we SHOULD pray about health, comfort for hurting, all those things… but not MORE THAN or LONGER THAN the things that matter eternally. After all, whatever is the treasure of our heart is, is also what we pray most about. I’m prayer our worries/concerns are the things that are eternal in scope: Holiness, Godliness, Kindness, Forgiveness, Compassion, Love… etc.

So what now? First… if you aren’t a believer in Christ, know that Jesus died so that You could be saved. If you will confess your sin, God will save you (Where you sit)… Second… some here need to make your church home. If God is calling you here, you need to respond and unite with this group of believers. Last… Christians. Go home to night & ask God to reveal to you the treasures of your heart… what you pray about most b/c that is what you are most worried about. AND… if your greatest concerns (worries) aren’t what God is most concerned about (Holiness), ask Him to do HIS work in your life.

Pray.