Why Am I Worried? Finding Peace in God’s Plan

Devotional

Day 1: We Are Christ’s Ambassadors—Living Out God’s Appeal

God has called every believer to be an ambassador for Christ, not just in word but in action. This means actively inviting others to experience God’s love, grace, and truth, and recognizing that our lives are the means through which God makes His appeal to the world. When we step out in faith, partner with God, and invite others into His presence, we become living testimonies of His power and love. Our church is not just a place to gather, but a movement of people who plead, “Come back to God,” and celebrate every life transformed by Jesus. [00:35]

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT)
“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’”

Reflection: Who is one person in your life you can intentionally reach out to this week and invite to experience God’s love—either through a conversation, an invitation to church, or a simple act of kindness?

Day 2: Consuming the Tree of Life—What You Consume Will Consume You

God placed Adam and Eve in a garden full of abundance, yet warned them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The things we consistently consume—whether information, media, or relationships—shape us deeply. When we focus on what God provides for our good, we find life and freedom; but when we fixate on distractions or forbidden things, we open ourselves to shame, anxiety, and spiritual death. The challenge is to recognize what we are feeding our hearts and minds, and to choose the life-giving presence and wisdom of God over the empty promises of the world. [09:40]

Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17 (NLT)
“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, ‘You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.’”

Reflection: What is one thing you are consistently consuming—online, in conversation, or in thought—that is pulling you away from God’s life-giving presence, and how can you replace it with something that draws you closer to Him?

Day 3: Exchange Worry for Worship and Wisdom

Jesus teaches that worry cannot add a single moment to our lives, and that our Heavenly Father knows all our needs. Worry is often misplaced worship—giving our attention, energy, and affection to things we cannot control. Instead, Jesus invites us to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that He will provide for us. When we exchange worry for worship and wisdom, we experience the fullness of life Jesus promised, and our faith becomes a testimony to those around us. [20:10]

Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT)
“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? 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? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? … So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Reflection: What is one specific worry you can surrender to God today, and how can you intentionally turn that worry into an act of worship or prayer?

Day 4: Intimacy with God Is Greater Than Information

In a world obsessed with knowledge, opinions, and information, it’s easy to let our understanding of good and evil overshadow our relationship with God and others. True wisdom comes not from knowing more facts, but from walking closely with God and allowing His Spirit to shape our hearts. When we prioritize intimacy with God, we gain empathy for others, resist the urge to judge or demonize, and become agents of reconciliation and love in a divided world. [29:57]

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NLT)
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Reflection: Is there someone you have written off or judged based on information or opinion rather than relationship? How can you take a step toward intimacy—with God or with that person—this week?

Day 5: Eternity Matters More—Letting Go of Temporary Distractions

When we allow temporary issues, offenses, or cultural anxieties to dominate our thoughts, we lose sight of what matters most: eternity and the call to love others as Christ loves us. God calls us to focus on the tree of life, to find our satisfaction and security in Him, and to let eternal priorities shape our relationships and decisions. Reconciliation, forgiveness, and a passion for the lost should outweigh our frustrations with people or circumstances, because eternity matters more than anything else. [45:28]

Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Reflection: What temporary distraction, offense, or anxiety is keeping you from pursuing reconciliation or sharing Christ’s love, and what would it look like to let eternity matter more in that area today?

Sermon Summary

God is doing something powerful among us, and I am so proud of this community for not just quoting scripture but living it out. We are a 2 Corinthians 5:20 church—Christ’s ambassadors, pleading with the world, “Come back to God.” Last week, we saw the fruit of that: hundreds of you invited friends, family, and even strangers, and as a result, we witnessed supernatural transformation—dozens choosing Jesus and many baptized. This is not a special event; this is what it means to be the church, not just attend it. Heaven is proud, not because we’re perfect, but because we’re willing to step out in faith and live the Word.

But as we celebrate, we also wrestle with hard questions. One that many of us face is, “God, why am I worried?” To answer this, we went back to the garden in Genesis. God placed Adam and Eve among abundance, but warned them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The issue wasn’t about keeping them ignorant, but keeping them safe. What we consistently consume will eventually consume us. The enemy distracts us with what looks “delicious,” and we often focus on the one thing we lack, missing the abundance God has already given.

When Adam and Eve ate, their eyes were opened, but instead of feeling empowered, they felt shame and fear. Omniscience—knowing everything—overwhelms us. We were never meant to carry the weight of knowing good and evil for everyone and everything. Our culture, obsessed with information, has become more anxious and less trusting. The more we know, the less we trust, and the more fear shapes our lives. Jesus didn’t come to give us more knowledge of good and evil; He came to give us life to the full.

Worry is misplaced worship. When we give our attention and energy to things we can’t control, we rob ourselves of the life Jesus offers. We often judge others based on partial knowledge, justifying our own “good” and demonizing others’ “evil.” But intimacy with God is greater than information about the world. When we walk closely with Him, we gain wisdom, empathy, and the ability to love people beyond our biases.

So, what are you consuming? Is it drawing you closer to God, or is it fueling worry and division? Let’s exchange worry for worship and wisdom. Let’s focus on eternity, rebuild relationships, and find our satisfaction and security in Christ alone. Eternity matters more than temporary opinions or divisions. Let’s be a people who love, live, and lead like Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. What You Consume Will Consume You The things we consistently focus on—whether information, opinions, or distractions—eventually shape our hearts and lives. God’s warning in the garden was not about keeping us ignorant, but about protecting us from being overwhelmed by knowledge we were never meant to carry. We must be intentional about what we allow into our minds and hearts, choosing the tree of life over the tree of knowledge of good and evil. [09:40]
2. Intimacy With God Is Greater Than Information We live in a world saturated with information, but information alone cannot produce wisdom, empathy, or transformation. True spiritual growth comes from intimacy with God, which enables us to see people as He does and respond with compassion rather than judgment. When our relationship with God is deep, we are less likely to be swayed by cultural biases or partial knowledge. [29:57]
3. Worry Is Misplaced Worship Worry diverts our attention and energy from God to things we cannot control. Jesus calls us to trust Him with our needs and concerns, reminding us that worry cannot add a single moment to our lives. Instead, we are invited to exchange worry for worship, focusing on God’s faithfulness and provision, and allowing His peace to guard our hearts. [23:29]
4. Eternity Matters More Than Temporary Divisions Temporary disagreements, opinions, or offenses should never outweigh the eternal value of a person’s soul. We are called to pursue reconciliation, rebuild relationships, and prioritize eternity over momentary frustrations. Our convictions should be rooted in the hope of Christ, not in the shifting sands of culture or politics. [45:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - Legacy Church: Living as Ambassadors
[01:45] - The Power of Invitation and Transformation
[03:01] - Making Revival the New Normal
[04:55] - Wrestling With “God, Why?”
[06:59] - The Origin of Worry in the Garden
[09:40] - What You Consume Will Consume You
[12:20] - The Enemy Distracts With “Delicious”
[15:44] - The Overwhelm of Omniscience
[17:46] - Knowledge, Fear, and Modern Anxiety
[22:50] - Worry as Misplaced Worship
[26:37] - Knowledge vs. Wisdom
[29:57] - Intimacy Is Greater Than Information
[33:48] - Empathy, Intimacy, and Judgment
[38:26] - Worry Is Contagious
[41:35] - When to Worry: Losing Satisfaction in God
[44:46] - Eternity Matters More
[47:12] - Invitation to Follow Jesus
[48:19] - Next Steps and Closing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17 (ESV) — 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV) — Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV) — 25 “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?
...
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Observation Questions

In Genesis 2, what two special trees did God place in the middle of the garden, and what command did He give Adam about them?
According to 2 Corinthians 5:20, what does it mean for us to be “ambassadors for Christ”?
In Matthew 6, what examples does Jesus use to show why we shouldn’t worry about our needs?
The sermon said, “Whatever you consistently consume will eventually consume you.” What are some things the pastor mentioned that people tend to “consume” today? [[09:40]]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God warned Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? What was He protecting them from? [[10:19]]
The pastor said, “Worry is misplaced worship.” What does that mean, and how does it connect to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6? [[22:50]]
The sermon talked about how “intimacy with God is greater than information.” Why is it so easy to focus on knowing more about the world instead of growing closer to God? [[29:57]]
The message said, “Eternity matters more than temporary divisions.” How does focusing on eternity change the way we see disagreements or broken relationships? [[45:28]]

Application Questions

The pastor challenged us to think about what we’re “consuming” in our daily lives—news, social media, opinions, or God’s Word. What is one thing you regularly consume that might be fueling worry or division in your heart? What would it look like to replace it with something that draws you closer to God? [[09:40]]
When you feel worried or anxious, what do you usually do with those feelings? How could you practice “exchanging worry for worship” this week, even in a small way? [[23:29]]
The sermon said we often judge others based on partial knowledge and justify our own “good” while demonizing others’ “evil.” Can you think of a recent time when you did this? How could intimacy with God help you respond differently next time? [[29:57]]
Jesus said to “seek first the kingdom of God.” What is one practical step you can take this week to put God’s kingdom first in your decisions, relationships, or schedule? [[44:06]]
The message encouraged us to rebuild relationships and pursue reconciliation, even with people we disagree with. Is there someone you’ve distanced yourself from because of a disagreement or offense? What would it look like to take a step toward reconciliation? [[45:28]]
The pastor asked, “What am I consuming that is killing my satisfaction or security in the word of God?” Take a moment to reflect: Is there something in your life that’s making Jesus feel “not enough” for you? What would it look like to find your satisfaction and security in Christ alone? [[46:05]]
As a church, we’re called to be Christ’s ambassadors, inviting others to “come back to God.” Who is one person in your life you could invite to church or share your faith with this month? What’s holding you back, and how can you step out in faith? [[01:45]]

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