“The one who received 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.”
“Worry is temporary atheism.”
Being able to breathe is a key to staying alive. No breath equals no life. There are few things that are worse than the feeling of not being able to take in a breath. I had severe asthma as a child. I can remember times when I would be gasping for air during a severe attack. No matter how hard I tried, I felt like I could not get enough oxygen into my lungs. Eventually, I got on some strong medicines that would let me breathe again. The medicine was my antidote to counteract the effects of the asthma.
Jesus said that the worries of life and the deceitfulness of riches can choke the life out of us. Worry can absolutely kill the work of God in our lives. Worry is the fear of what might happen. As the quote above indicates, a person that is prone to worry is acting as if they were were an atheist. Worry does not have to choke the life out of us, though.
Paul gave us a beautiful antidote against worry: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” These verses are worth memorizing and can help us defeat worry.
The next thing that Jesus said choked the life out of us was the “deceitfulness of riches.” Studies show that money is one of the top things that people worry about. It does not matter if a person is rich or poor; they still worry about their finances. This should come as no surprise. Money is a very important part of our lives. If you don’t believe this is true, try living without it! While money is very important, we can learn to trust God and not live worrying about finances. The best way to keep this from happening is learning what the Bible has to say about our finances.
We also need to learn to be generous. Generous people don’t seem to stress over money like other people do. Proverbs says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with the finest wine.”
A second important Biblical principle in regards to our money is learning to be disciplined in our spending. If we can limit our consumer debt, we will feel much less stress and worry in our lives. Minimal debt equals maximum freedom!
How is your breathing this week?
David and Annie are serving the Lord in the US, Africa, India, and South America. You can help them continue to have an impact in so many lives. Just click here to get involved. Thanks so much!
