The most repeated phrase in Scripture is, \u201cDo not be afraid.\u201d Some variation of it is mentioned over 350 times. God said it to Gideon when calling him to lead Israel (Judges 6:23). God said it to Jeremiah when calling him to be a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:8). Christ said it to the women at his resurrection (Matt 28:10). Philippians 4:6 says, \u201cDo not be anxious about anything.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
When Adam sinned in the garden, a new word entered his vocabulary. He said, \u201cI was \u2018afraid.\u2019\u201d Now man continually lives with fear\u2014fear of failure, fear of success, fear of death. Fear became the norm because there was an absence of love. John says, \u201cperfect love drives out fear\u201d (1 John 4:18). People\u2019s relationships with God and others are fractured. Therefore, people are constantly plagued by fears, which often inhibit their ability to love and receive love.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Here in Matthew 6:25-34, Christ commands his disciples to not worry about their needs\u2014what they will eat, drink, or wear. Previously, in Matthew 6:19-24, Christ taught the disciples to not store up treasures on earth. Believers should not store up wealth like the rest of the world, but they also should not be consumed with worry about their needs, as God will provide for them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Some might say, \u201cAren\u2019t some forms of worry healthy?\u201d Certainly, we should be concerned. Concern helps us to be diligent and prudent. In 2 Corinthians 11:28, Paul says, \u201cApart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches.\u201d He had a constant concern over the welfare of the churches. We should be concerned about our spiritual lives and that of others, and many other things. But we should not worry. Worry negatively affects us and is rooted in our lack of trust in God.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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The most repeated phrase in Scripture is, \u201cDo not be afraid.\u201d Some variation of it is mentioned over 350 times. God said it to Gideon when calling him to lead Israel (Judges 6:23). God said it to Jeremiah when calling him to be a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:8). Christ said it to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1241,"parent":0,"template":"","books-of-the-bible":[504],"type-of-passage":[464],"topic":[383],"passage-topics":[220,360,359],"language":[51],"yoast_head":"\n