Day 253
Matthew 13:22 NIV
"The one who receives the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful"
Jesus likened the worries of life to thorns, as He explained how the Word is choked out of the life of someone who has heard it. Like the deceitfulness of riches, the worries of this life can take over our attention subtly. We may not hear, "Here are some legitimate concerns that urgently need your attention."
Before we realize what is happening to us, numerous concerns tum into worry, as we attempt to be responsible and take care of things that confront us. It is human nature to proudly assume we can get anything solved if we try hard enough. Then, as we run into seemingly invincible obstacles, we begin to work overtime thinking of what can be done, while all along feeling hopeless. It takes us a long time to realize God is waiting to help. By the time we do remember, we are too absorbed in the problem to even pray in faith. The problem has far outgrown the Word in our spiritual visions, making the Word ineffective. If we are ever going to get out of the mess we have created, it will take someone else's prayers and faith operating on our behalf.
To keep the worries of life from choking the Word out of us, we must habitually meditate and confess God's Word to give it a stronghold in our lives. Then, we must deny distractions access to the time we spend in the Bible. We need to carefully evaluate whether or not something is urgent enough to interrupt us when we are devoting time to feed our spirits with the Word. Many times when we think something is urgent, if we will ponder it a little, we will find it can actually wait until we are finished. Sometimes we can be seduced into giving up devotional time to help people who have legitimate needs. We must remember we are not God. Only He is the source of everyone's supply. Unless God specifically tells us to meet a need immediately, we must have the ability to put if off or give it to someone else to handle when it is time for us to feed our hearts with the Word of God. It is dangerous to run out of spiritual strength and still try to minister to others before replenishing our supply. If we are interrupted legitimately, the time we would have spent in the Bible needs to be made up.
Aside from spending time in the Word, we need to praise and worship our Father. It is He who cares for us and provides for our every need. Because He is so great and loves us so much, if we praise and worship Him often enough, we will see challenges as powerless to overcome us. Instead of worrying, we will view every problem we face as simply another opportunity for God to show Himself strong in our lives.
Another thing we can do to overcome worries is to increase our love and respect for God. To worry is disrespectful, because it means we are placing more confidence in the power of the devil or the circumstance than in the power and love of God. Our love and respect is increased by fellowship with God and obedience to His Word.
It is important that we maintain a high Word level so worries that attempt to come in will be met by the Word in us and be chased away. It is so important that we praise and worship the Lord so He is magnified in our view, instead of the cares of this life. It is also important that we fellowship with and obey Him consistently, so we maintain respect for Him and refuse to insult Him by worrying. Let us guard against every attempt of the enemy to choke the Word out of us today by practicing preventative maintenance.
I will feed myself the Word of God today. I will confess His Word and praise and worship Him. I will love and obey Him. He will help me live above worry.