Do You Fear Your Future? ~ blog

Going through the very challenging last month, having surgery, and now being in recovery has reminded me of an ability I think I have had my whole life and that is fearing the future.

I imagine that a lot of us live that way for any number of reasons.  Having a secret life of sexual brokenness will certainly do that.  We choose to live with the fear of exposure and yet we do not take the steps to find freedom from sexual sin.  We settle in and grow comfortable enough to not do anything as we sink deeper and deeper into darkness.

For the past few days … from Thursday – Monday morning I lived with a bag strapped to my leg to hold my urine.  Not a very appealing thing to see and it made living life difficult and somewhat painful.  Thank God that was removed yesterday and life has returned to somewhat normal.  Still recovering from the surgery but things seem to be improving.

My favorite song to sing in my head is now from the Disney movie “Frozen” with a minor change of lyrics from …

Let it Snow … let it Snow …

To

Let it Flow … Let it Flow!

Do you live in fear of the future?  I used to do that all the time.  If there was not something in my day that was causing fear, I would begin to try crossing bridges that I have not come to yet and worry about that.  Now being able to anticipate the future so we can be prepared for it is a very useful skill.  However, if we just are doing it to worry about something then it becomes a driving force leading to more anxiety and even depression.

I have been doing that somewhat over the last 24 hours.  There is a man in my brain I like to call Mr. What If???  He loves moments like these where he can whisper into my thoughts what if this happens or what if that happens.  His purpose is to cause me fear and anxiety. He wants to take me away from the importance of the moment I am in now and get me into worry mode, where nothing gets accomplished and everything looks dark and gloomy.

Jesus spoke to this in Matthew 6:25-26;

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

 We know these verses … right? But we struggle to live in them.  It sounds so simple and yet perhaps we do not fully believe them.  Much of our fear that our Father will not take care of us is because we fear our sexual sin has destroyed that relationship.  That is a lie.

Listen, we cannot choose to live in sin and expect the blessings of God. There is a very important command in this passage that we might ignore. There is something Jesus tells us we need to be doing in the here and now instead of fearing what tomorrow might bring. It is a call to action.  Instead of being immobilized by fear of what may or may not happen Jesus tells us to do something about it.

He does not say; “Get off your butt and get a job!”  Proverbs tells us that a lot.  No, He says;

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you as well.

This is not some requirement we must fulfill so that we will not have to worry.  It is a promise from the lips of Jesus.  It is what is called an “if … then” statement.

Seeking first His kingdom means having Jesus in charge of your life by being filled with the Holy Spirit.  It means seeing every day as an opportunity to accomplish something to further His Kingdom instead of our own.  It is understanding that God owns our bodies because He has paid for our sins and He has things for us to accomplish for His kingdom for each and every one of us.

This is why I believe it is so important to begin our day offering our body to God as a living sacrifice as we are commanded to do in Romans 12:1. It is living with an attitude that I am here on earth because He created me and He has a will for my life.  He has works for all of us to do.

I am not saying leave everything you have behind and stand on a street corner preaching at people. This can start right now.  You start where you are but seeing your life as more of a mission from God instead of grinding out another week of work.

It means working on being a godly man.  It means loving your wife as Christ loves the church.  It means caring for and loving your family by serving them and providing for them. It means asking Him each morning; “Lord, what can I accomplish for You today in my life?”  And then doing it.

And if you begin doing that … seeking first His Kingdom and His Righteousness in the things you think, do, and say today He will provide for your needs.

 

1 thought on “Do You Fear Your Future? ~ blog”

  1. Hi John, Glad to hear that your operation went well and that you’ve had your catheter removed.
    I’ve had a catheter a couple of times and they r awkward things to have.
    I pray that your health will continue to improve.
    Kevin

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