WEBVTT 00:00:00.780 --> 00:00:03.799 Actually, don't turn yet. Actually, we're not 00:00:03.799 --> 00:00:06.360 going to have a title slide yet. I'm not going 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:08.839 to get you to turn to the passage. Let me ask 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:14.960 you a couple of questions. Matthew 6 .33 is one 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:18.579 of the most well -known verses about the kingdom 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:23.179 of heaven. Can anyone quote for me Matthew 6 00:00:23.179 --> 00:00:26.839 .33? Alright, raise your hand. You can quote 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:28.579 Matthew. Okay, Michelle, you're the first hand 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:31.000 I saw. Could you stand up and quote loudly to 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:42.380 the best of your ability? Boom. Great job. For 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:44.259 those of you online who didn't pick that up, 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:47.420 Matthew 6, 33, but seek ye first the kingdom 00:00:47.420 --> 00:00:49.740 of God and His righteousness, and all these things 00:00:49.740 --> 00:00:52.299 will be added to you. One of the most primary 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:57.490 verses about the kingdom, In my opinion, and 00:00:57.490 --> 00:00:59.850 this is just my opinion, it's one of the top 00:00:59.850 --> 00:01:03.289 four commands of the New Testament. In my opinion, 00:01:03.350 --> 00:01:06.650 these are the top four. Jesus said, the greatest 00:01:06.650 --> 00:01:08.769 command is love the Lord your God with all your 00:01:08.769 --> 00:01:10.469 heart, soul, mind, and strength. That's number 00:01:10.469 --> 00:01:12.730 one. Number two is like it, love your neighbor 00:01:12.730 --> 00:01:16.480 as yourself. then I believe this command on seek 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:20.079 first, because Jesus is describing a primary 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:23.280 focus of our life. Seek first the kingdom of 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:25.379 God and His righteousness. And then in my opinion, 00:01:25.379 --> 00:01:29.000 fourth is the last words Jesus left on the earth. 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:32.560 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:34.060 them in the name of the Father, the Son, and 00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:36.439 the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey my 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:40.739 commands. These four things are so primary in 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:43.760 the life of the believers. And if you are just 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:45.780 kind of coming in contact with the gathering. 00:01:45.819 --> 00:01:49.099 You may not know, but we've spent at least five 00:01:49.099 --> 00:01:52.079 years allowing God through the Scriptures to 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:56.840 build in us a kingdom identity in which we are 00:01:56.840 --> 00:02:00.359 becoming kingdom people with the king in our 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:03.920 focus and the purpose of our lives, no matter 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:06.480 what our career is, family life, all those things 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:09.909 are mere tools. to advance the kingdom of heaven 00:02:09.909 --> 00:02:12.189 on the earth, so that the whole world may know 00:02:12.189 --> 00:02:16.169 Him as Savior. Amen? And this is our reason for 00:02:16.169 --> 00:02:19.990 existence. I am absolutely convinced why Jesus 00:02:19.990 --> 00:02:24.289 talks so much about the kingdom. Because it is 00:02:24.289 --> 00:02:26.870 the reason of our existence as the New Testament 00:02:26.870 --> 00:02:33.129 church to represent the King. And to let the 00:02:33.129 --> 00:02:35.449 kingdom of heaven flow out of us everywhere we 00:02:35.449 --> 00:02:40.150 go. Alright, so back to Matthew 6 .33. But, seek 00:02:40.150 --> 00:02:44.430 ye first. Alright, who can tell me the context 00:02:44.430 --> 00:02:48.650 of Matthew 6 .33? What is Jesus talking about 00:02:48.650 --> 00:02:51.409 just before that passage? And what is He talking 00:02:51.409 --> 00:02:53.650 about directly after that passage? Does anyone 00:02:53.650 --> 00:02:56.990 know? Raise your hand. Without cheating, don't 00:02:56.990 --> 00:03:00.740 look. Okay, well, you're a pastor, so we're going 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:03.860 to disqualify you. Alright, Tim, go for it. What's 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:11.400 the context of this kingdom verse? Worry. That's 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:14.979 the context of the kingdom verse. Jesus before 00:03:14.979 --> 00:03:18.240 and after is talking about worry. Talking about 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:21.599 you worry about all these things. You worry about 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:25.370 all these things. He says the pagan world chases 00:03:25.370 --> 00:03:28.430 after these things, and in the midst of his teaching 00:03:28.430 --> 00:03:34.210 about worry, he says, but you seek first the 00:03:34.210 --> 00:03:37.330 kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all 00:03:37.330 --> 00:03:39.469 this will be added to you. And then the next 00:03:39.469 --> 00:03:42.110 words out of his mouth are, so do not worry. 00:03:42.729 --> 00:03:46.009 So I want you to know that one of the most primary 00:03:46.009 --> 00:03:48.430 verses, well -known verses about the kingdom 00:03:48.430 --> 00:03:51.990 of heaven, and rightly so, is in the context 00:03:51.990 --> 00:03:57.789 of Jesus exhorting the church not to worry. Now, 00:03:57.789 --> 00:03:59.949 would you turn with me to Philippians chapter 00:03:59.949 --> 00:04:03.610 4? We're going to spend at least the next two 00:04:03.610 --> 00:04:06.389 weeks here, because I want to be sensitive to 00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:09.430 the time today, and I want to be sensitive to 00:04:09.430 --> 00:04:12.090 the children. They're wonderful and patient, 00:04:12.289 --> 00:04:16.290 and we want to keep them that way. Philippians 00:04:16.290 --> 00:04:22.620 chapter 4. And let's read together verse 4 through 00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:25.920 9, and then we're going to focus on 6 and 7. 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:30.180 Verse 4 of Philippians chapter 4. Do you mind 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:33.860 following along as I read? Rejoice in the Lord 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:38.220 always. I say it again, rejoice! Exclamation 00:04:38.220 --> 00:04:41.980 point. Let your gentleness be evident to all. 00:04:42.139 --> 00:04:46.959 The Lord is near. And do not be anxious about 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:51.250 anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition, 00:04:51.449 --> 00:04:54.730 with thanksgiving, present your request to God. 00:04:55.550 --> 00:04:59.670 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 00:05:00.110 --> 00:05:04.170 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ 00:05:04.170 --> 00:05:08.870 Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever 00:05:08.870 --> 00:05:11.790 is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, 00:05:12.089 --> 00:05:15.699 whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, If 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:18.920 anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:22.500 about such things. And whatever you have learned 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:24.980 or received or heard from me, this is the Apostle 00:05:24.980 --> 00:05:28.139 Paul saying, or seen in me, put it into practice, 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:32.939 and the God of peace will be with you. Alright? 00:05:33.579 --> 00:05:36.339 Now let's go back to just verse 6 and 7, our 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:39.779 focus for the next few minutes. Do not be anxious 00:05:39.779 --> 00:05:43.829 about anything. But in everything, by prayer 00:05:43.829 --> 00:05:46.290 and petition, with thanksgiving, present your 00:05:46.290 --> 00:05:50.029 request to God, and the peace of God, which transcends 00:05:50.029 --> 00:05:53.410 all understanding, will guard your hearts and 00:05:53.410 --> 00:05:59.250 your minds in Christ Jesus. Okay, with that being 00:05:59.250 --> 00:06:02.050 said, let's go ahead and, if we can just put 00:06:02.050 --> 00:06:08.189 up our title slide today. Okay, so maybe we don't 00:06:08.189 --> 00:06:09.930 have, so here is the title if you're taking notes. 00:06:11.149 --> 00:06:17.649 How to have complete and total victory over anxiety, 00:06:18.050 --> 00:06:23.569 worry, and the cares of this world. How to have 00:06:23.569 --> 00:06:26.430 complete and total victory, might I add, for 00:06:26.430 --> 00:06:32.069 the rest of your life, over anxiety, worry, and 00:06:32.069 --> 00:06:37.410 the cares of this world. Do you think this is 00:06:37.410 --> 00:06:44.980 a big deal for the kingdom's sake? There's a 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:47.459 reason why this kingdom statement is in the middle 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:52.300 of the teaching about worry. In my, you know, 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:56.180 few short years in ministry and being about the 00:06:56.180 --> 00:06:58.519 church and being in Christian life and working 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:01.579 outside the church and the world, I don't know 00:07:01.579 --> 00:07:08.420 about you, but anxiety, worry, and this whole 00:07:08.420 --> 00:07:11.060 distraction by the cares of the world taking 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:15.779 over our lives, has become an epidemic in the 00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:20.519 culture in such a way that if we're not allowing 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:22.819 the correction of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:28.480 of heaven can be neutralized in the church. In 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.879 fact, when Jesus is teaching about the kingdom 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:33.660 in Matthew 13, remember, we went through this 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:36.600 for several weeks, the seed and the sower. And 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:39.920 Jesus said, and the seed is the seed of the kingdom. 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:42.980 It's the kingdom seed. And he said, this seed 00:07:42.980 --> 00:07:45.259 is thrown out. You remember when it talks about 00:07:45.259 --> 00:07:50.819 that the seed falls on rocky soil, right? And 00:07:50.819 --> 00:07:54.639 it says the seed quickly sprouts up. But what 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:59.420 robs the kingdom seed of fruit? Does anybody 00:07:59.420 --> 00:08:07.139 remember? The cares of the world. And there's 00:08:07.139 --> 00:08:12.120 a tendency in our lives For the kingdom of heaven, 00:08:12.199 --> 00:08:16.420 I think most of us have this inward desire. Yes, 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:19.100 I want to be a kingdom person. Yes, I want the 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:22.000 kingdom of heaven to flow out of my life. And 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:24.259 that's our intention, our desire. But when we 00:08:24.259 --> 00:08:28.160 get into actually living life, anxiety, cares 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:32.000 of this world, worry tend to choke out the fruit 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:36.980 of the kingdom in our lives. I can't tell you 00:08:36.980 --> 00:08:39.860 how many times I have this conversation with 00:08:39.860 --> 00:08:42.940 Christians over and over about this exchange 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:47.639 with God of worry for the peace of Christ. And 00:08:47.639 --> 00:08:51.159 so over the next couple of weeks, I want to lay 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:55.179 out a biblical understanding of how we can have 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:57.820 complete and total victory for the rest of our 00:08:57.820 --> 00:09:00.600 lives. For those of you who are thinking, hey, 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:02.679 Jesse, I'm just going to check out for the next 00:09:02.679 --> 00:09:05.200 two Sundays because I'm not a worrier. It's not 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.039 my deal. I'm not an anxious person. I'm not a 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:11.639 worrier. I would say that that's not really who 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:14.960 I am as a person either. Worry, anxiety, fear, 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:17.700 things like that. But could we just for a second 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:20.460 look at the Greek word here used in the passage, 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:26.500 merom nao? The word here used in both Matthew 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:31.509 6, 33. And several times here in Philippians 00:09:31.509 --> 00:09:34.450 chapter 4 about being anxious and worried is 00:09:34.450 --> 00:09:37.309 the same word. And listen to these definitions. 00:09:37.730 --> 00:09:40.529 Number one, it means to be anxious. We get that. 00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:45.370 Number two, to be troubled with cares. Number 00:09:45.370 --> 00:09:49.350 three, you ready for this? To seek to promote 00:09:49.350 --> 00:09:52.990 one's self -interest. Now that's an interesting 00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:59.149 definition. The word used for anxiety or worry 00:09:59.149 --> 00:10:02.929 is the cares of the world, being anxious, but 00:10:02.929 --> 00:10:06.730 it's also this tendency to desire to promote 00:10:06.730 --> 00:10:10.590 our own interest. And with that being an understanding 00:10:10.590 --> 00:10:13.450 of what Jesus is teaching against, Paul is teaching 00:10:13.450 --> 00:10:16.350 against, that hits all of us. Raise your hand 00:10:16.350 --> 00:10:18.250 if you never struggle with promoting what you 00:10:18.250 --> 00:10:23.779 want in your life. All right, we got one. I mean, 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:26.539 for the majority of us, we have a heart that 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:28.759 desires to follow the Lord. We struggle with 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:32.019 the application of His kingdom being the primary 00:10:32.019 --> 00:10:36.399 focus of our lives. So this is important. So 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:39.820 this message over the next couple of weeks is 00:10:39.820 --> 00:10:42.940 not just for those who feel crippled by anxiety 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:46.600 or fear, but I absolutely believe God's going 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:49.360 to do an amazing work in you through His Word. 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:53.480 But it's also for those of us who tend to let 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:57.220 life choke out kingdom fruitfulness, or we long 00:10:57.220 --> 00:11:01.059 for increased fruitfulness for the kingdom. Alright, 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:04.679 does that make sense? Alright, number one. It's 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:09.419 got a couple of truths here. Number one, do not 00:11:09.419 --> 00:11:13.519 water down the eternal holy word of God. God 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:19.360 clearly commands, do not be anxious about anything. 00:11:21.769 --> 00:11:30.289 Are you with me? Do not be anxious about anything. 00:11:31.029 --> 00:11:36.110 I was on my, you know, Blue Letter Bible app 00:11:36.110 --> 00:11:39.029 and I was looking up, you know, just in the studying 00:11:39.029 --> 00:11:45.230 and I did a Bible comparison with, let me bring 00:11:45.230 --> 00:11:48.600 it up here, Bible comparison with all the The 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:50.440 popular versions of the Bible because I wanted 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:52.879 to see how this is spelled out in all the different 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.919 versions. You ready? NIV. Do not be anxious about 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:00.279 anything. Coleman Standard Bible. Is that right? 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:03.639 Christian Standard Bible. I'm sorry. Don't worry 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:07.500 about anything. King James Version. Be careful 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:10.899 for nothing. New King James Version. Be anxious 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:14.700 for nothing. ESV. Do not be anxious about anything. 00:12:15.309 --> 00:12:18.289 New Living Translation, don't worry about anything. 00:12:18.690 --> 00:12:23.250 Spanish Translation, por nada estes afansansos. 00:12:23.909 --> 00:12:26.889 I'm assuming that means don't worry about anything. 00:12:27.330 --> 00:12:32.070 What I'm saying is like, we tend to think, oh 00:12:32.070 --> 00:12:38.679 man, this is... this is god's word i know he 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:41.200 doesn't want me to be an anxious person or to 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:44.879 be a person who worries but i mean come on jesse 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:48.600 this is real life this is part of our world and 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:51.879 what i would like to do is be sobered would you 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:55.460 allow the holy spirit to take these words pierce 00:12:55.460 --> 00:12:58.960 into our hearts and the holy eternal word of 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:03.639 god says do not be anxious about anything period 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:09.620 And it kind of takes a little bit of the compromise 00:13:09.620 --> 00:13:15.580 that we tend to sway with. And let it sober us. 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:19.580 And how do you know that when God commands something 00:13:19.580 --> 00:13:22.679 so important about His kingdom like this, there 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:25.379 is no doubt that He provides everything you'll 00:13:25.379 --> 00:13:29.220 ever need to be obedient to it. If today you're 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:31.720 struggling with worry, anxiety, or the cares 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:33.539 of the world choking out the fruit of the kingdom 00:13:33.539 --> 00:13:36.759 in your life, I want you to hear the very voice 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:41.940 of God to you say, do not be anxious about anything. 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:46.059 And don't let it drive you into some kind of 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:50.899 condemnation or shame. Let it be an empowering 00:13:50.899 --> 00:13:54.519 work of God's grace that if He says, Jesse, don't 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:56.879 be anxious about anything, this is the life I 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:00.480 can live. I'm inviting you into a lifestyle with 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:06.299 no anxiety, no worry, no fear, no being overcome 00:14:06.299 --> 00:14:08.480 by the cares of the world. And if that's not 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:10.860 the truth, then the Word of God is not true. 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:17.340 And there's part of this compromising lifestyle 00:14:17.340 --> 00:14:21.919 that we have to be sobered back to the truth. 00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:25.720 I think you're going to love this. The word that 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:29.340 is translated anything or nothing in the Greek, 00:14:29.419 --> 00:14:32.700 medais, you ready? It's extremely complicated. 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:40.840 Nobody, no one, no thing. When God says don't 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:43.299 be anxious about anything, that's exactly what 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:48.179 He means. There's not one thing that it's okay 00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:51.720 for us to play around with fear and anxiety. 00:14:54.479 --> 00:14:57.059 Worry. I have this statement up there. I just 00:14:57.059 --> 00:14:59.759 felt like the Holy Spirit put it in my heart, 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:04.320 so I wrote it down. The devil has suddenly whispered 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:08.500 lies about worry and distraction for so long 00:15:08.500 --> 00:15:12.960 about so many things, this is the key, uncontested 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:17.159 by the Christ follower, that we have become convinced 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:21.000 that it's a natural and inevitable part of the 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:28.789 Christian life. No. It's not true. I get it, 00:15:28.809 --> 00:15:33.289 man. There's all kinds of whispers and lies going 00:15:33.289 --> 00:15:40.909 on. And the devil, he's consistent. He's consistent 00:15:40.909 --> 00:15:44.429 in those lies. And if we're not careful, we come 00:15:44.429 --> 00:15:48.990 to think of worry and anxiety and fear in a distracted 00:15:48.990 --> 00:15:53.919 lifestyle as just the inevitable, natural, lifestyle 00:15:53.919 --> 00:16:03.679 of a Christ follower and it is not true let me 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:10.019 ask um all right I need a child I'm going to 00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:14.399 go with 10 years or younger 10 years or younger 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:16.679 raise your hand and tell me all right you might 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:18.279 want to listen to the question before you raise 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:21.659 your hand all right I want you to tell me one 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:26.200 thing that you find yourself anxious or worrisome 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:34.539 about? Oh, it's no longer raising a hand. One 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:37.620 child, 10 -year -olds or younger, that says, 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:39.919 this is something that I'm scared about or I'm 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:43.379 worried about or I have anxiety about. No one? 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:52.519 All right. Ford, I'm not putting you on the spot. 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:55.039 I'm coming back to Gus. He raised his hand. It 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:56.899 doesn't count if your dad raises his hand for 00:16:56.899 --> 00:17:00.059 you. Gus, what's one thing that you might have 00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:03.039 some worry about sometimes? My new church. All 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:06.099 right. His new church. All right. So if you didn't 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:08.480 know, Tiffany Bronson are heading out in August 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:13.140 to plant a new church in Mineral Wells. And Gus 00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:17.500 is saying, hey, it's kind of a big deal. I'm 00:17:17.500 --> 00:17:20.440 tempted, right, to be worried and concerned about 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:24.539 that. All right, I need an adult above the age 00:17:24.539 --> 00:17:28.980 of 10 years old. Any adult above the age of 10 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:30.680 years old that would raise your hand and just 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:35.400 give me something that you worry about, that 00:17:35.400 --> 00:17:38.400 you have anxiety about. The point of the message 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:41.359 is not that none of us struggle, okay? All right, 00:17:41.420 --> 00:17:44.859 so raising your hand for yourself and not your 00:17:44.859 --> 00:17:49.869 son. Okay, that what? You're not leading? I'm 00:17:49.869 --> 00:17:54.369 not leading my family well enough. Man, definitely 00:17:54.369 --> 00:17:56.829 struggle with that one. Anybody else? Yeah, we 00:17:56.829 --> 00:17:58.470 don't need this. Just want to throw something 00:17:58.470 --> 00:18:02.450 out that you struggle with anxiety about or it 00:18:02.450 --> 00:18:04.930 kind of tends to get you wrapped up and chokes 00:18:04.930 --> 00:18:13.589 kingdom out of you. Finances. Okay. Yes. Bad 00:18:13.589 --> 00:18:21.359 habits. Anxious about being a good friend? Yeah. 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:31.759 New school year? Ford? Yeah. What's that? When 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:34.359 things don't go the way I want them to. Amen. 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:42.500 Out of the mouths of babes. Can I just exhort 00:18:42.500 --> 00:18:46.059 you according to the Word of God, these things... 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:51.559 Some big, some small, some unique, some very 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:56.519 common to mankind. It is the will of God by the 00:18:56.519 --> 00:19:02.079 Holy Word of God that we be anxious about nothing. 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:14.119 Nothing. For some of you right now, anxiety and 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:17.039 worry and being consumed with the cares of the 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:23.440 world, are so much a part of your identity that 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:26.420 you are fearful of how you would exist without 00:19:26.420 --> 00:19:31.539 it. I see it all the time. And I'm believing 00:19:31.539 --> 00:19:35.079 by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word 00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:47.549 of God, there's some shifting going on. Can we 00:19:47.549 --> 00:19:50.089 just close out this part by asking the question, 00:19:50.329 --> 00:19:55.910 why is anxiety and worry and the cares of the 00:19:55.910 --> 00:19:58.769 world being distracted by that? Why is that so 00:19:58.769 --> 00:20:01.769 devastating to the kingdom of heaven on the earth? 00:20:02.789 --> 00:20:04.950 Like, alright, we're kingdom people. It's our 00:20:04.950 --> 00:20:09.210 goal. It's our desire. Why is this anxiety, worry 00:20:09.210 --> 00:20:12.069 being wrapped up in the cares of the world? Why 00:20:12.069 --> 00:20:16.619 is that so devastating? Okay? We're going to 00:20:16.619 --> 00:20:20.299 go on a backpacking trip for those of you who 00:20:20.299 --> 00:20:22.460 are brave enough to accept the mission. I think 00:20:22.460 --> 00:20:25.480 it's August 4th or 7th this year. A couple of 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:28.460 years ago we opened it up to moms who were complaining, 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.519 rightfully so, for several years that it was 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:34.660 men and children only. And so there's going to 00:20:34.660 --> 00:20:38.160 be a group of us. You're all invited. You might 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:40.079 want to be getting in shape for it. It's quite 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.619 a hike, but you're all invited. We're going to 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:45.900 put on backpacks. We're going to climb the mountain, 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:48.700 Elk Creek, Colorado. We're going to spend two, 00:20:48.779 --> 00:20:52.740 three, four days up on the mountain. And it's 00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:56.099 going to be a wonderful time. On our way to our 00:20:56.099 --> 00:20:59.220 camping site, when we're almost at our campsite, 00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:04.000 you come around this corner into one of the most 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:09.440 glorious, beautiful postcard pictures of this 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:14.220 meadow. And there is literally... a stream snaking 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:18.359 through the meadow. The mountains are sprayed 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:20.900 across the back of it. And if you pay attention, 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:23.960 in one mountain, there's a waterfall. And it's 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:25.920 like, you pause right there and you're like, 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:29.440 alright Jesus, I'm ready. I mean, it's just like, 00:21:29.559 --> 00:21:38.259 it is the most captivating beauty. And at some 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:42.230 point, usually one or two solid days in, we're 00:21:42.230 --> 00:21:46.390 going to hike to that waterfall. And as we hike 00:21:46.390 --> 00:21:50.430 to that waterfall, you're just captivated by 00:21:50.430 --> 00:21:54.690 the beauty of it. It's a tall one. It's a big 00:21:54.690 --> 00:21:56.890 one falling off a rock face. You can see it from 00:21:56.890 --> 00:22:01.930 way far away. But then as you get close to it, 00:22:02.029 --> 00:22:04.789 because it's starting to get hot, bugs, everything, 00:22:04.950 --> 00:22:07.970 as you start to get close to it, the spray from 00:22:07.970 --> 00:22:11.019 that waterfall changes the temperature. Like 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:13.460 you literally feel the temperature getting cooler. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:16.960 And then when you get close enough, all that 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:21.099 spray splashing on you, it's life -giving, it's 00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:23.559 water, it's what you drink, it's what you live 00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:27.380 in. And then for those brave enough, you will 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:30.259 climb up the mountain to the top of the waterfall, 00:22:30.420 --> 00:22:32.839 and before it falls off the cliff, there's a 00:22:32.839 --> 00:22:37.200 little two -man pool up there. And you will get 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:42.039 into the snow melt. With your child. And you 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.279 will bathe them because they will need it by 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:50.539 that point in time. And I'm saying, I want to 00:22:50.539 --> 00:22:56.000 make this comparison. When Jesus said, if anyone 00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:00.160 is thirsty, come to Me and drink. And out of 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:05.359 him will flow rivers of living water. There is 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:11.230 a destiny. On each of our lives. For us to be 00:23:11.230 --> 00:23:15.210 such a flow of the living water, the Holy Spirit 00:23:15.210 --> 00:23:18.690 of God, that one, people stagger at the beauty 00:23:18.690 --> 00:23:23.369 of God. But more importantly, as people come 00:23:23.369 --> 00:23:26.930 closer, that it refreshes them. And for those 00:23:26.930 --> 00:23:29.910 who are coming and experience Jesus, they're 00:23:29.910 --> 00:23:32.670 washed clean, they're given light. This is the 00:23:32.670 --> 00:23:36.569 reason that we exist to be this flow of living 00:23:36.569 --> 00:23:41.650 water. And why anxiety is so devastating is because 00:23:41.650 --> 00:23:45.569 what it does is it takes your eyes off the King 00:23:45.569 --> 00:23:48.809 and His kingdom and the people who deeply need 00:23:48.809 --> 00:23:51.210 the flow of the Spirit coming off of you, and 00:23:51.210 --> 00:23:54.869 it turns it on you. And when your eyes are on 00:23:54.869 --> 00:23:59.250 you, you cease to flow outward to all those that 00:23:59.250 --> 00:24:01.630 are in need of you. Does that make sense? Does 00:24:01.630 --> 00:24:05.930 anyone experience this? Alright. Let's just pause 00:24:05.930 --> 00:24:09.970 right here. Do not be anxious about anything. 00:24:10.970 --> 00:24:19.769 If you need to repent, which means just change 00:24:19.769 --> 00:24:21.710 the way you think and come into agreement with 00:24:21.710 --> 00:24:27.559 God, Let's just pause and do this. If maybe you've 00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:30.420 accepted anxiety or you've settled for these 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:32.960 things in your life and you're saying, I hear 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:35.920 Your Word, God. I want to change the way I think 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:44.240 regarding this. And could I pray for your heart 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:50.059 and mine? Lord, for those of us who can't even 00:24:50.059 --> 00:24:55.759 see it, It's become such a part of us that we 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:58.700 can't even point it out. I'm asking, Holy Spirit, 00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:02.119 would You come? And over this week, would You 00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:04.819 just begin pointing out areas in our life where 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:15.099 we've compromised? And Lord, we just ask that 00:25:15.099 --> 00:25:17.380 You would give us strength in our hearts to be 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:21.079 people that refuse to be anxious. Alright? Amen? 00:25:21.869 --> 00:25:28.609 Alright, number two. Number two, do not water 00:25:28.609 --> 00:25:31.950 down the eternal holy Word of God. Pray about 00:25:31.950 --> 00:25:39.730 everything. Pray about everything. Again, this 00:25:39.730 --> 00:25:43.430 word translated everything in the Greek. It's 00:25:43.430 --> 00:25:46.809 the Greek word pas. You're going to like this. 00:25:47.210 --> 00:25:50.900 Deeply, it's so intellectual. The word means 00:25:50.900 --> 00:25:56.480 each, every, any, all, everyone, all things, 00:25:56.559 --> 00:26:01.000 always. Pretty simple. The Scripture says don't 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:05.640 be anxious about anything. Nothing. But in everything, 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:11.019 bring your petitions to God. Are you with me? 00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:17.579 The holy, everlasting, eternal, heaven and earth 00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:19.809 is going to pass away. but His Word will never 00:26:19.809 --> 00:26:23.130 pass away. His Word says, do not be anxious about 00:26:23.130 --> 00:26:26.230 anything and pray about everything. You want 00:26:26.230 --> 00:26:29.289 to be set free from a lifestyle of worry, fear, 00:26:29.390 --> 00:26:34.150 and anxiety? Learn to develop a lifestyle of 00:26:34.150 --> 00:26:37.089 communion with God through prayer about everything. 00:26:37.630 --> 00:26:42.069 Everything. This is revolutionizing my life. 00:26:42.130 --> 00:26:44.730 I'm in a discipleship relationship with one of 00:26:44.730 --> 00:26:48.700 my good friends right now. And he actually, was 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:52.380 reading this book and he recommended it to me. 00:26:52.460 --> 00:26:54.660 And I was like, man, I get recommended a lot 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:57.480 of books. I try to read them all. It's the never 00:26:57.480 --> 00:27:00.000 -ending list that I never get to. But he was 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:03.039 so impacted that I kind of put it at the top 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:05.519 of my list. And the book's called Praying Like 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:10.059 Monks, Living Like Fools. Praying Like Monks, 00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:16.279 Living Like Fools by Tyler Statton. I would highly 00:27:16.279 --> 00:27:22.430 recommend it. It has been such a blessing in 00:27:22.430 --> 00:27:24.809 my life right now because what He does is He 00:27:24.809 --> 00:27:27.450 goes through the Scripture and He's teaching 00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:32.710 about a lifestyle of never -ending prayer. Did 00:27:32.710 --> 00:27:36.349 you know that the Bible commands us in 1 Thessalonians 00:27:36.349 --> 00:27:40.690 5 .17 to pray continually? To never stop praying? 00:27:41.329 --> 00:27:43.490 I mean, I know we've all read it. We know it. 00:27:43.569 --> 00:27:47.430 But who here is going to spend the next 24 hours 00:27:47.430 --> 00:27:49.930 in the prayer closet? I mean, it would change 00:27:49.930 --> 00:27:53.529 your life. I highly recommend it. When's the 00:27:53.529 --> 00:27:55.630 last time you spent 24 hours in a prayer closet? 00:27:55.690 --> 00:27:58.650 It will radically change your life. But most 00:27:58.650 --> 00:28:01.250 of us can't do that every day, 24 hours a day, 00:28:01.309 --> 00:28:03.829 365 days for the rest of our life, right? Because 00:28:03.829 --> 00:28:09.430 we've got things God's called us to do. But isn't 00:28:09.430 --> 00:28:15.609 it interesting that the antidote that God gives 00:28:15.609 --> 00:28:23.380 us for anxiety is intimacy. Don't be anxious 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:27.740 about anything, but instead, talk to Me about 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:32.059 everything. That's His invitation. Talk to Me 00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:39.579 about everything. Do not worry about a single 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:44.059 solitary thing, big or small. Instead, talk to 00:28:44.059 --> 00:28:48.519 Me about it. That's what God is instructing us 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:54.299 to do. I think it's interesting that right before 00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:56.720 this, I don't know about you, but this is one 00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:59.380 of the most powerful and helpful and practical 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:02.559 promises in Scripture in my mind, this whole 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:07.000 exchange of worry for peace through prayer and 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:09.559 thanksgiving. We're going to get real practical 00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:13.940 about it in the next week or two. But what's 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:17.779 interesting is What is the phrase right before 00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:20.799 this passage? Right before this verse? Right 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:22.900 before it says, do not be anxious about anything, 00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:29.640 what does it say? The Lord is near. The Lord 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:33.000 is near, so don't be anxious about anything. 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:39.440 Instead, pray about everything. The word near 00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:42.339 here means to be at hand, close to, ready, just 00:29:42.339 --> 00:29:46.180 what you expect. But it comes from a root word 00:29:46.180 --> 00:29:53.519 that means to squeeze. To squeeze. That's the 00:29:53.519 --> 00:29:55.839 root of this word to be near, to be at hand. 00:29:55.900 --> 00:30:00.359 To squeeze or to throttle in your hand. Can I 00:30:00.359 --> 00:30:03.640 have just real quick a man volunteer up here 00:30:03.640 --> 00:30:08.720 just quickly? Man volunteer. I promise you don't 00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:11.099 have to take off your shoes this time and I won't 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:13.970 touch your face. In any way, shape, or form, 00:30:14.029 --> 00:30:17.250 I know that really took it out of some of you. 00:30:17.670 --> 00:30:23.829 Alright. Okay. Thank you, Jimmy. She threatened 00:30:23.829 --> 00:30:26.650 you? Alright. Here's what I want to do. Are you 00:30:26.650 --> 00:30:44.319 okay if I give you a hug? Alright. Love you, 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:49.660 Jimmy. Thank you. Thank you. You did great. That 00:30:49.660 --> 00:31:03.319 was it. That's how near God wants to be. To squeeze. 00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:12.680 He is so far from a mystical being. that's just 00:31:12.680 --> 00:31:15.299 waiting to thrash you for being disobedient. 00:31:17.180 --> 00:31:24.119 He is a Father, a good Father, who wants to be 00:31:24.119 --> 00:31:28.319 near you, at hand, throttling you, squeezing 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:35.599 you. And honestly, the reason why anxiety and 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:37.720 fear and these things have become such an epidemic 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:40.700 is we've lost the understanding of intimacy. 00:31:42.250 --> 00:31:46.190 He's a God that we talk about on Sundays, but 00:31:46.190 --> 00:31:51.430 refuse to talk to as a lifestyle. Listen, He's 00:31:51.430 --> 00:31:58.710 not a deity to be kept at distance. That was 00:31:58.710 --> 00:32:02.130 the whole point of the cross. He is a Father 00:32:02.130 --> 00:32:06.650 to be embraced, to converse with. Let me tell 00:32:06.650 --> 00:32:10.910 you what, there is nothing that a good Father 00:32:11.779 --> 00:32:13.980 doesn't want to hear you talk about and want 00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:17.619 to talk about with you. And some of you struggle 00:32:17.619 --> 00:32:21.740 with that. Some of you struggle with the fact 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:25.740 that God wants to hear what's going on in every 00:32:25.740 --> 00:32:30.980 area of your life. He's deeply concerned. He 00:32:30.980 --> 00:32:34.259 wants to talk with you about it. Did anybody 00:32:34.259 --> 00:32:37.880 else have kids that talked so much when they 00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:41.000 were little? that you really struggled with staying 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:43.960 engaged, or is that just me? All right, so there's 00:32:43.960 --> 00:32:49.380 a few of us. When my children were small, honestly, 00:32:49.660 --> 00:32:53.200 they would go to a two -hour movie and then come 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:55.759 home and spend three hours telling me about a 00:32:55.759 --> 00:32:57.779 two -hour movie, everything that happened. Like, 00:32:57.779 --> 00:33:01.720 how is that possible? And to be honest, Adam, 00:33:01.839 --> 00:33:05.000 you know, who's a grown man now, but back in 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:08.720 the day, he was captivated by Minecraft. Game 00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:13.220 where they build stuff. And for Jill, is this 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:17.720 not true? Hours. He would just want to tell us 00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:19.900 about what's going on in Minecraft. And you're 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:22.680 like, be a good dad, be a good dad, be a good 00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:26.019 dad. And you're just trying to engage and like 00:33:26.019 --> 00:33:28.460 10 ,000 other things are in your mind and they're 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:30.339 talking about it. And then I built this and they're 00:33:30.339 --> 00:33:33.599 like, no, no, stay here. Be a good dad, be a 00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:37.359 good dad. You know? If you don't have children 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:40.160 yet, you will, and you'll know what I'm talking 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:46.900 about. But you know, now that my son has grown 00:33:46.900 --> 00:33:50.400 up and has left the house and gone into the world, 00:33:50.519 --> 00:33:56.160 he has a special ringtone on my phone. And it's 00:33:56.160 --> 00:33:58.319 the kind that breaks through no matter what. 00:33:58.730 --> 00:34:00.410 You know, if you have your phone on silent or 00:34:00.410 --> 00:34:05.089 whatever, it just goes as loud as you can possibly 00:34:05.089 --> 00:34:10.670 get it. Because when he calls in these days, 00:34:10.690 --> 00:34:17.269 I want to answer. And I want to hear everything 00:34:17.269 --> 00:34:22.909 about his life. There's something about he went 00:34:22.909 --> 00:34:26.130 from being a kid in my house to my best friend 00:34:26.130 --> 00:34:31.389 and then left. And now, as His Father, I want 00:34:31.389 --> 00:34:36.489 to hear every detail of His existence. And if 00:34:36.489 --> 00:34:41.989 the Bible compares me as an evil father in comparison 00:34:41.989 --> 00:34:46.909 to how good my heavenly Father is, there's nothing 00:34:46.909 --> 00:34:49.369 going on in your world that He doesn't want to 00:34:49.369 --> 00:34:53.929 talk about. That He doesn't want to hear about. 00:34:54.289 --> 00:34:58.280 The problem is, we've gotten so religious, that 00:34:58.280 --> 00:35:01.500 we think He's only concerned about the spiritual 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:09.500 things. It's not true. Pray about everything. 00:35:11.539 --> 00:35:15.159 Everything! You say, man, I don't think God wants 00:35:15.159 --> 00:35:20.760 to hear that. Yeah, He does. Newsflash. If you're 00:35:20.760 --> 00:35:23.739 thinking it, He's hearing it. Might as well talk 00:35:23.739 --> 00:35:27.219 to Him about it. You can either worry, And it 00:35:27.219 --> 00:35:29.699 accomplishes nothing and devastates the kingdom. 00:35:30.400 --> 00:35:33.760 Or instead, you can say, Father, I want to talk 00:35:33.760 --> 00:35:38.320 to You about this. And this is, I'm telling you 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:41.599 not as a theory, this is radically changing my 00:35:41.599 --> 00:35:45.099 personal intimacy with God because I'm talking 00:35:45.099 --> 00:35:49.159 to God more now than I have about anything and 00:35:49.159 --> 00:35:53.199 everything. in my life, and it develops a closeness, 00:35:53.260 --> 00:35:56.380 and I'm just thinking, you dummy, how long have 00:35:56.380 --> 00:35:59.559 you been in Christendom reading these things? 00:36:00.400 --> 00:36:07.219 I don't know, but I know this, I'm finding it 00:36:07.219 --> 00:36:11.239 more and more impossible to be wrapped up in 00:36:11.239 --> 00:36:13.579 the things of the world when I'm communicating 00:36:13.579 --> 00:36:17.360 with them about everything in my life. Let me 00:36:17.360 --> 00:36:19.760 ask you, Are you praying about everything? Because 00:36:19.760 --> 00:36:21.880 it's not a suggestion. It's the command of the 00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:24.139 Scriptures right here. Do not be anxious about 00:36:24.139 --> 00:36:28.880 anything. Instead, in everything, bring your 00:36:28.880 --> 00:36:40.239 petition to God. Alright. Raise your hand if 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:42.679 you're eight years old. If you're eight years 00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:45.940 old in this room today, raise your hand. Gus, 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:49.650 wow man, you're rocking it. I was about to say, 00:36:49.690 --> 00:36:52.230 you are a scrawny 8 -year -old. Alright, is there 00:36:52.230 --> 00:36:54.530 anybody that's actually 8? Alright, we've got 00:36:54.530 --> 00:36:57.349 8 right here. What is something that you're really 00:36:57.349 --> 00:36:59.610 excited about in your life right now? Something 00:36:59.610 --> 00:37:07.230 you love to do? Something fun? Can be anything. 00:37:10.949 --> 00:37:14.610 Playing baseball. Hey, I just want you to know 00:37:14.610 --> 00:37:18.590 that the God of Heaven wants to talk to you about 00:37:18.590 --> 00:37:23.690 baseball. And he wants to use baseball to change 00:37:23.690 --> 00:37:31.869 the world. Who here is six years old, Gus? Okay, 00:37:31.949 --> 00:37:36.070 six years old. What's something you don't like 00:37:36.070 --> 00:37:40.809 to do? And you can be honest. Your dad's going 00:37:40.809 --> 00:37:43.929 to give you a free pass. Something you don't 00:37:43.929 --> 00:37:54.099 like to do right now. We're not moving on until 00:37:54.099 --> 00:38:10.119 you come up with it. No pressure. All right. 00:38:10.300 --> 00:38:14.079 Something I don't like, 4 a .m. That's something 00:38:14.079 --> 00:38:19.820 I don't like. 4 a .m. All right, so we go through 00:38:19.820 --> 00:38:21.980 every child. We could go through every adult. 00:38:22.940 --> 00:38:25.659 Ask, what are you excited about right now? What 00:38:25.659 --> 00:38:27.940 are you not excited about? What are you most 00:38:27.940 --> 00:38:31.719 afraid of right now? And every one of those topics, 00:38:31.860 --> 00:38:36.539 the Father is longing to hear about and converse 00:38:36.539 --> 00:38:39.900 with us about. And what we want to do is develop 00:38:39.900 --> 00:38:43.079 a lifestyle in which we never stop talking to 00:38:43.079 --> 00:38:47.079 Him. Can you imagine how glorious that's going 00:38:47.079 --> 00:38:50.960 to be? When everything going on in our hearts 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:54.500 and our minds is becoming a conversation with 00:38:54.500 --> 00:39:00.260 a good Father. Yeah, I think that's enough on 00:39:00.260 --> 00:39:07.300 that. Man, we didn't even get to this part. We'll 00:39:07.300 --> 00:39:09.260 pick it up next week, but I wanted the kids. 00:39:09.980 --> 00:39:12.679 Kids, would you be excited if we made you come 00:39:12.679 --> 00:39:15.800 back into the entire service next week? Okay. 00:39:16.929 --> 00:39:20.690 Gotta know. Okay, well, maybe you can get your 00:39:20.690 --> 00:39:27.929 parents to relay some things for you. It's okay. 00:39:28.750 --> 00:39:31.050 I'll just talk to God about how my feelings are 00:39:31.050 --> 00:39:37.469 really hurt right now. We'll be okay. I love 00:39:37.469 --> 00:39:42.849 you. I honestly do. I love you. I give my life 00:39:42.849 --> 00:39:47.150 the best that I can to serve you. The last thing 00:39:47.150 --> 00:39:50.309 in the world that I want for you is to be kingdom 00:39:50.309 --> 00:39:54.130 ineffective because of anxiety, worry, and being 00:39:54.130 --> 00:39:57.250 wrapped up in the cares of this world. He deserves 00:39:57.250 --> 00:40:00.489 better, and He's provided for more. And we're 00:40:00.489 --> 00:40:03.210 going to go after it. Amen? So if you don't mind 00:40:03.210 --> 00:40:05.829 just standing up as we close today, if you desire 00:40:05.829 --> 00:40:09.849 just to continue to allow God to reveal and tear 00:40:09.849 --> 00:40:12.750 these things away from our heart, if you're saying, 00:40:12.769 --> 00:40:15.659 I would like... I would like Him to lead me into 00:40:15.659 --> 00:40:19.320 a more conversational lifestyle. This is really, 00:40:19.400 --> 00:40:21.920 I believe He's going to answer these prayers. 00:40:22.059 --> 00:40:25.599 So if that's you, do you just agree with my prayer 00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:29.440 for your heart? Lord, I love my friends so much. 00:40:29.480 --> 00:40:32.199 I'm so grateful for them. And Father, I believe 00:40:32.199 --> 00:40:35.420 that You're doing something through this passage 00:40:35.420 --> 00:40:39.719 in us over the next couple of weeks. And Lord, 00:40:39.739 --> 00:40:42.260 I just pray for each of us that You would begin 00:40:43.510 --> 00:40:46.369 highlighting areas in which this is touching 00:40:46.369 --> 00:40:49.070 us, in which we need to yield to You. Father, 00:40:49.150 --> 00:40:51.570 we're asking You to do something in our hearts 00:40:51.570 --> 00:40:56.869 that drives us into people of a prayer lifestyle 00:40:56.869 --> 00:41:00.550 of communion, of talking with You about everything. 00:41:01.030 --> 00:41:03.750 Father, I bless them right now in the name of 00:41:03.750 --> 00:41:07.050 Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. You bless 00:41:07.050 --> 00:41:09.750 them this week. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.