Trusting God: Overcoming Worry and Embracing His Kingdom

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God Over Worry

Jesus calls us to trust God with our needs rather than being consumed by worry about daily necessities. He reminds us that life is more than food and clothing, and that our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need. When we focus on God and His kingdom, we are freed from the anxiety that comes from trying to control every aspect of our lives. Instead of letting worry dominate our thoughts, we are invited to rest in the assurance that God cares for us and will provide for us as we seek Him first. [15:50]

Matthew 6:25-27 (ESV)
“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? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

Reflection: What is one specific worry about your daily needs that you can hand over to God today, trusting Him to provide?

Day 2: You Are Deeply Valued by God

God’s care for creation is a powerful reminder of how much He values each of us. If He provides for the birds and clothes the flowers in splendor, how much more will He care for those made in His image? You are not forgotten or overlooked; you are precious to God, and He knows your needs intimately. Let this truth sink in: your worth is not determined by your possessions or achievements, but by the love and attention of your Heavenly Father who delights in providing for you. [18:30]

Matthew 6:28-30 (ESV)
“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

Reflection: In what ways do you need to be reminded today of your value in God’s eyes, and how might that change the way you approach your needs?

Day 3: Seek First the Kingdom

The antidote to anxiety is not to ignore our needs, but to reorder our priorities by seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness above all else. When we put God first, He promises to provide everything we truly need. This means making a conscious choice each day to align our hearts with God’s purposes, trusting that as we pursue Him, He will take care of the rest. Seeking the kingdom is a daily act of allegiance, a declaration that our trust is in God, not in our own ability to secure our future. [21:45]

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Reflection: What is one practical way you can seek God’s kingdom first in your schedule or decisions today?

Day 4: Living in the Present with God

Worrying about tomorrow robs us of the joy and opportunities God has for us today. Jesus acknowledges that each day has its own challenges, but He invites us to live in the present, trusting Him for tomorrow. By focusing on God’s presence and activity in the here and now, we open ourselves to His peace and guidance. Instead of being distracted by future anxieties, we can experience the fullness of life God offers us in each moment. [23:16]

Matthew 6:34 (ESV)
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Reflection: How can you intentionally focus on God’s presence and activity in your life today, rather than being preoccupied with what might happen tomorrow?

Day 5: Practicing Kingdom Habits

Training our hearts and minds to live non-anxiously requires intentional practices that center us on God’s presence and priorities. Simple habits like starting the day with centering prayer, fasting from a meal to focus on God, or pausing before meetings to ask how God wants to use us, help us become more aware of His activity in our daily lives. These practices reshape our perspective, helping us to invest in what truly matters and to experience the freedom and peace Jesus offers. [36:24]

Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Reflection: Which of the suggested practices—centering prayer, fasting, or pausing to pray before meetings—will you try this week to help you seek God’s kingdom and experience His peace?

Sermon Summary

Today’s focus is on what it truly means to live as citizens of God’s kingdom, especially when it comes to our worries and anxieties about daily needs. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, calls us to a radically different way of living—one that is marked by trust in God’s provision and a reordering of our priorities. Instead of being consumed by concerns over money, food, clothing, or the uncertainties of tomorrow, we are invited to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, trusting that everything else will be provided.

Jesus uses the examples of birds and flowers to remind us of God’s care for all creation. If God provides for them, how much more will He provide for us, His image-bearers? The issue isn’t whether our needs matter—they do—but whether we allow those needs to dominate our hearts and minds. Worry, or “merimnao” in Greek, isn’t always bad; concern can be loving and appropriate. But when it tips into anxiety and distracts us from God’s presence and purpose, it becomes a spiritual problem.

We are challenged to examine where our security truly lies. Is it in our resources, our plans, or in the God who knows and loves us? Jesus acknowledges the reality of trouble and uncertainty, but He also points us to a better way: living in the present, attentive to God’s activity, and trusting Him with our tomorrows. This isn’t about ignoring real needs or failing to plan, but about refusing to let anxiety rob us of today’s joy and God’s presence.

Practically, this means cultivating habits that center us on God—starting each day with prayer and scripture, fasting to expose our false securities, and entering every interaction with a prayerful openness to how God might use us. When we do this, we begin to experience the freedom and peace that Jesus promises, even in an anxious world. We are deeply loved by a Father who delights to provide for us, and our value is secure in Him. As we seek His kingdom first, we find that not only are our needs met, but we are also freed to live with joy, generosity, and purpose today.

Key Takeaways

1. True security is found in God, not in our resources or plans. When we place our trust in God’s provision rather than our own ability to control outcomes, we are freed from the tyranny of anxiety and can live with open hands and hearts. This shift in allegiance—from wealth and worry to God and His kingdom—reshapes our entire approach to life. [10:12]
2. Worry is a distortion of healthy concern; it arises when our focus shifts from God’s faithfulness to our own fears about the future. Jesus invites us to recognize the difference and to let go of the kind of anxiety that paralyzes us, reminding us that our Heavenly Father knows our needs and is already at work on our behalf. [15:50]
3. Living in the present is a spiritual discipline. When we are preoccupied with tomorrow’s troubles, we miss the opportunities and blessings God has for us today. By seeking God’s kingdom in the here and now, we become more attentive to His presence and more available to be used by Him in the lives of others. [23:16]
4. Jesus Himself modeled a life of radical trust and presence, even in the face of real insecurity and suffering. He knew what it was to lack and to face uncertainty, yet He remained rooted in the Father’s love and provision. We are called to follow His example, trusting that God will meet us in our need, both today and tomorrow. [30:34]
5. Practical spiritual habits—such as centering prayer, fasting, and prayerful attentiveness—help retrain our hearts and minds to seek God first. These practices expose our false securities and open us to the peace and joy that come from living in God’s presence, allowing us to experience the freedom Jesus offers from anxiety about the future. [36:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:38] - Introduction: Faith That Works
[02:10] - Recap: Treasures in Heaven vs. Earth
[04:45] - The Danger of Serving Two Masters
[07:20] - Jesus’ Command: Do Not Worry
[10:12] - Understanding “Worry” (Merimnao)
[13:30] - God’s Provision for Creation
[15:50] - Our Value in God’s Eyes
[18:40] - The Foundation of Trust
[20:12] - Facing Real Needs and Real Tension
[23:16] - The Cost of Worrying About Tomorrow
[28:55] - Personal Story: God’s Provision in Uncertainty
[30:34] - Jesus’ Example of Trust
[32:18] - Practicing God’s Presence Daily
[33:44] - Three Practical Challenges
[36:24] - Fasting and Exposing False Securities
[38:31] - Living Non-Anxiously in an Anxious World
[40:31] - Knowing Your Value and Trusting God
[41:26] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:25–34 (ESV) — > “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? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Observation Questions

What examples does Jesus use to illustrate God’s care for creation, and what point is He making with these examples? ([15:50])
According to Jesus, what is the difference between healthy concern and the kind of worry He warns against? ([10:12])
What does Jesus say is the result of seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first? ([18:40])
How does Jesus acknowledge the reality of trouble and uncertainty in our lives? ([20:12])

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus connect the issue of worry to the idea of serving two masters? How does this relate to where we find our security? ([07:20])
In what ways does worry distract us from experiencing God’s presence and purpose in the present moment? ([23:16])
How does Jesus’ own life model the kind of trust and presence He calls us to have, especially in the face of real needs and insecurity? ([30:34])
What does it mean to “seek first the kingdom of God” in practical, everyday terms? ([18:40])

Application Questions

When you think about your daily worries—money, food, clothing, or the future—where do you most often find your sense of security? Is it in your resources, your plans, or in God? What would it look like to shift your trust more fully to God this week? ([10:12])
Can you identify a recent situation where worry or anxiety kept you from noticing or participating in what God was doing in the present? How might you respond differently next time? ([23:16])
The sermon suggested starting each day with a centering prayer and meditating on a single verse. What is one practical step you can take to make this a habit in your morning routine? ([33:44])
Fasting was mentioned as a way to expose false securities. Have you ever tried fasting, even for one meal? What do you think you might learn about your own sources of security if you tried this practice? ([36:24])
Before entering a meeting, class, or conversation, the pastor challenged us to pray, “God, what are you already doing here, and how can you use me in it?” How could this simple prayer change the way you approach your daily interactions this week? ([32:18])
The sermon talked about the difference between healthy concern and anxiety that paralyzes us. How can you tell when your concern has crossed the line into unhealthy worry? What is one thing you can do to catch yourself and refocus on God’s faithfulness? ([10:12])
Jesus says our value is secure in God. Are there areas in your life where you struggle to believe this? What would it look like to remind yourself of your value as God’s image-bearer this week? ([40:31])

Sermon Clips

We need to live our lives from the perspective of loving God and loving our neighbors. And here's why. Because the truth is, the reality is that our neighbors, well, they're made in God's image too. So all of this matters, right? If we want to reach them out there, guys, we got to sort it all out in here first, right? [00:09:21] (24 seconds) #LoveGodLoveNeighbors

You can have money and worship God, but you can't worship money and worship God at the same time. It doesn't work that way because wealth isn't benign. Like money is. Money is amoral. It is just a tool. It helps us do certain things, and we need it. We need it to survive, right? But wealth, on the other hand, that's something that's something far more. [00:11:00] (23 seconds) #WorshipGodNotWealth

But Jesus is basically reminding us of the beauty of his creation, right? And he's like, I created this. I made this. And because of that, it has value to me. And so, of course, I'm going to take care of the birds. Of course, I'm going to take care of the flowers in the field because they have value to me. I created them. [00:17:27] (22 seconds) #CreatorCaresForCreation

He was still able to live in the moment and trust that God would be there with him tomorrow. Why? Because he knew God. He knew his Father intimately, and he trusted in his presence with him. He knew God's love and trusted him to continue loving him tomorrow, to continue proving that he wouldn't leave him or forsake him. And this is what he's calling us to do as well, to know God's presence and to trust in his provision for tomorrow. Seek first God's kingdom. When we do that, we get to experience the joy of today while stealing the power from anxiety over tomorrow. [00:31:22] (42 seconds) #PresentWithGod

God is always active, right? He doesn't like set you and then walk away and do this thing over here and then go over there. Like God is always present with you and he's always active with you. He's always moving. [00:32:33] (15 seconds) #FreedomFromTomorrowWorries

That's living in the moment. That's being present with God Almighty and what he's trying to accomplish in and through you, that is reshaping our perspective from what am I getting, what am I looking forward to tomorrow, what am I needing for tomorrow, to what God is doing right here in the moment that I'm in, seeking the blessing in the here and now that God wants to give instead of demanding the one that we think we need for tomorrow. [00:33:44] (29 seconds) #JoyInGodsKingdom

Guys, Jesus is inviting us into a freedom, the kind of freedom that many of us have never experienced before. And where we break free from the worries about tomorrow and actually experience the joy, the peace that he has for us today. [00:38:23] (19 seconds) #NewCreationFreedom

But what if what if you could seek first God's kingdom and experience the joy of today while stealing the power that anxiety has over tomorrow? Can you imagine your life? Can you imagine your life if you engage God's kingdom in a way that gave you that kind of freedom? Freedom over anxiety that all of our stuff tends to cause. [00:39:02] (26 seconds) #DeeplyLovedByGod

You are so deeply loved by a loving Father who wants to give you blessings that you just can't even possibly imagine. He wants to give you everything that you could ever dream of. He loves you that much. And some of us just need to hear that this morning, right? That the God of the universe is also our Heavenly Father, is also a good, good Father who wants to bless us. So know your value. Know your value as an image -bearer of God Almighty. Know your value today. Hear that over your life. But once you understand that, trust in that. Trust in the love that He has for you. Trust that He will meet you tomorrow in your moment of need. And trust that He wants to bless you with something amazing today. [00:39:54] (51 seconds)

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