Last week I was talking to a man who was really stressed out. He was concerned about his past and worried about his future. Every word out of his mouth was negative. Everything in his life worried him. The bad things worried him because they were bad. And the good things worried him because they might get bad. With him, everything was a “no win” situation.
Worry is a sin. It is not of God and we should not do it. Let me explain.
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus preached His famous “Sermon on the Mount.” This sermon has a tremendous amount of teaching in it, but one thing is often overlooked and that is this: Jesus commanded us, over and over again, to not worry.
Jesus said in verse 25, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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?” I can guarantee you that you will not see this verse on a plaque in the clothing stores in the shopping malls.
Then in verse 27, Jesus said, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” And in verse 28 He says, “So why do you worry…?” In verse 31 He says it again, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?'”
Then we come to the verse we all know so well, Matthew 6:33, where Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Usually when we read this verse we stop there, but we shouldn’t.
In the original Greek language, there is no punctuation. The periods, commas and other punctuation marks were added by the translators. With that in mind, let’s not quit reading with verse 33. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you, therefore do not worry.”
Here in Matthew 6, Jesus said over and over again, “Do not worry.” Was Jesus trying to make a point? I think so.
Some people feel that they have no control over worry. I have actually had people tell me that the only way that they could quit worrying would be if God would just take it away. Well, don’t expect God to do it. It’s your responsibility.
Some things are spiritual and some things are the flesh. And, of course, they must be dealt with accordingly. However, let me say this. Worry is almost always the flesh. What I mean is, Jesus did not tell us to cast out worry. He said, don’t do it. He said to quit worrying. He told us to take care of it.
Let me ask you something. Would Jesus command us to do something that we had no control over? Would He tell us to do something that was impossible for us to do? No! Of course not. That would be cruel and is not the nature of our Lord.
So, if Jesus told us to quit worrying, then we must be able to stop. And if He told us to quit worrying and we continue, that must be sin. Anytime we are commanded to do something and we do not do it, or we are commanded to quit doing something and we continue, that’s disobedience and disobedience is sin.
So, today, remember, don’t worry!
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.