Jesus does not want us to build our lives in worry, anxiety, or taking anxious care. He wants us to build them in righteousness, peace, and joy—one thought at a time.
Thoughts build connections in our brains and move us to action. Over time, they become a way of life. You’re building your life one thought at a time.
Jesus faced the earth thinking reality of worry, anxiety, and taking anxious care and offered a different, Kingdom way to think.
He spoke of free little birds and lovely flowers which abound on the earth and have their needs met without worrying or being anxious. Then, He pointed out that so we, too, will have our needs for food and clothes taken care of by our Heavenly Father.
It is a good relief to realize that our Heavenly Father does understand the strain of living in our physical bodies on this physical earth. In fact, He’s the one who sent Jesus in order to walk in our shoes and be a faithful and compassionate high priest—none other would be accepted by Him (Hebrews 2:17-18).
Jesus told us—your Heavenly Father knows you need these things (food, clothes, and necessities of life). Then, He shifted into telling us how to operate from Kingdom thinking.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” (NIV, Matthew 6:33)
Seeking implies going beyond a fleeting thought. It means that there is intentional thought and action applied.
In contrast, there is thought and action involved in worry, anxiety, and taking anxious care—but most of it is not mindful. Jesus exhorted us to be mindful to think about and take action on His Kingdom—in our thoughts first.
The Kingdom has a King—and that’s where we start.
in the first part of the day (as you go to sleep and wake up)
in the first part of a situation
in the first part of a phone call
in the first part or on the way to a conversation
in the first part of a project
in the first part of a relationship–
invite the King in!
His Kingdom is inside. Yes, the paths to the heavenly Zion are in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). His Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (NIV, Romans 14:17). That’s the plumbline.
Jesus exhorted us to shift our thoughts from earth thinking to Kingdom thinking.
It’s a difference, that’s for sure. To begin to recognize those earth thought patterns of worry, anxiety, and taking anxious care is a good place to start.
Because we are building our lives, one thought at a time, we often have to do inner demolition work. It turns out that most everyone has built with worry, anxiety, and taking anxious care. What’s been built that’s faulty, earth building has to be demolished.
With Father, however, He tears down and builds up at the same time. So, there’s no lost time!
In places where you’ve been worried or anxious because harm has come to you from a person or place before, that’s not right. Father’s Kingdom is built in what is right (righteousness), peace and joy. You can come confidently to Him and express the pain you’ve had and the worry or anxiety you may have over what you’ve endured. It’s important to repent for personal and generational action and agreement with worry, anxiety, and taking anxious care–it cleans the slate and removes fodder that feeds Father’s ancient enemy’s minions.
As you keep demolishing those inner structures and building Kingdom thought patterns, place intentional thought and corresponding effort to put Him and His ways—what is right, peace and joy—first. First in your times of day (evening and morning), first in situations, first in thought.
It’s the way of earth, our humanity, to put our needs, our worries, and our anxieties first. But it doesn’t lead to any favorable outcomes!
Furthermore, Father’s ancient enemy will always manage to put up some distraction or disruption to cause you to constantly be worried, anxious, or taking anxious concern regarding some situation in your life—and especially with your needs. That alone, if left on auto-pilot, causes us to miss out on the significant and eternally important daily moments to bring the Kingdom to bear on earth by our “seeking it first.”
The worries, anxieties, and taking anxious concern are both: 1. earthly way of thinking and 2. a sure-fire distraction plan from destiny by His ancient enemy.
What leads to favorable—and eternally significant–outcomes is to make the effort to “seek first the Kingdom,” and He will cause all these things to be added to you. That includes all you need, no matter what the geo-political, socio-economics look like—to be added to you.
You’re building your Kingdom life on the rock—one thought at a time!
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Hope Streams
Featured Image by Oimheidi from Pixabay
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