Overcoming Anxiety In 2023

Sermon: Overcoming Anxiety in 2023

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Introduction: Why are we so tempted to worry and what do we tend to worry about? What will change for you in 2023? The author, Earl Nightingale says, the potential of our minds is unlimited, yet many people choose to use their mind in unproductive worries. Reliable estimates say on an average, that People spend 40% of time worrying about things that will never happen. 30% of their time worrying about things in the past that can never be changed. 12% of their time worrying needlessly worrying about our health. 12% of their time in miscellaneous worries about the weather, the seasons, the economy, etc. 10% of their time real concerns that need their attention. So, about 92% of all worries are useless, needless, and unproductive. Our worries can be divided into two groups, those problems we can solve ourselves and those problems beyond our ability to personally solve. But most of our challenges fall into the first group, problems we can solve, if we learn how. Some feel trapped by challenges that seem to great, or more than they can bear, yet most people have the same kind of problems as they are experiencing. Life rains on the just and the unjust.

Wouldn’t be great to leave all your worries behind as you enter the New Year? Wouldn’t it be good to be free 2023! The good news is that you can be! 1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Many people may be all tied up in knots of anxiety about what others think of you, or about your finances, your health, or your job performance, your parenting skills or all the above and more. Yet Jesus said, “Don’t be anxious!” While Jesus gives that command three times in this passage, he offers more than a command. He also gives loving counsel that helps us begin to make progress in dealing with our anxieties. To combat worry, Jesus had given three wonderful pictures of the Father’s love and care for His children. Besides that, in Matthew 6:25-34. Jesus gives several pictures from nature for us to consider that will help us deal with the worries of life.

Have you ever thought about the reasons believers worry? Jesus begins by acknowledging common reasons for worry. His disciples then, and most people now, are prone to worry. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

The way anxiety works is that it takes us out of the present and carries us into the future, and then traps us in the future with things that may not even happen. Anxiety is a false prophet of future doom. We are locked into worries about future things. It may be anxiety about what people will think of me. Or anxiety about relationships. Will I ever find a husband or wife? It may be a financial anxiety (how will I ever get out of debt?) It may be anxiety about health, bodily well-being. There’s been a lot in the news lately about social media anxiety, specifically with teen girls on Instagram. Anxiety about conflict, job performance. Some people are anxious about anxiety.

In Matthew 6:26-34, Jesus gives several reasons for you to not be anxious. And the wonderful thing about this is that you can pick the one that most resonates with you. Maybe it’s the beautiful imagery of the birds and the lilies and how God cares for them. Or maybe it’s the logical realization that you can’t add a single hour to the span of your life by worrying. There are two main images here, the birds and the lilies. But we could count many more reasons. He doesn’t just give us a cold command, but Jesus seeks to warmly persuades our hearts to embrace God’s promises as we face the mess of life. As you get ready for the new year, listen to his promises, his reasons not to worry, consider which one best fits for you. Which one do you think would most change your life in this New year? So, here are several considerations from Jesus on Overcoming Anxiety! He teaches how handle the cares of your heart.