What Is It That You Seek?

Pastor Mitch has been mentioning Matthew 6:31 a lot, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”  

We have learned that this verse is a commandment from God instructing us not to concern ourselves with these things.  We know that this is instruction from God because Jesus said it, and Jesus says what he hears his Father say.  

Not only is this verse instruction to the believer, but it is also comfort.  Without reading any further, Matthew 6:31 is comfort because by telling us to not concern ourselves with food, drink, and clothes, He is telling us that he will take care of them.  We don’t have to do anything other than believe that God’s word is true.  Think about it, there is no way that our God, who loves us more than we could ever know, would ever allow us to go without these things, especially after telling us not to concern ourselves with them.

Matthew 6:32 reads “(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”  

This confirms what the believer should take away from the previous verse.  Jesus is confirming to us that our Father is aware of our needs, and if this was not enough, the second half of verse 33 says “and all these things shall be added unto you.”  So even though the believer should be able to deduct from verse 31 that God will take care of these things, Jesus goes on to spell it out for us in verse 33.

There are a couple of additional points to take away from verses 32 and 33.  

Verse 32 starts out with “(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)”.  

Here, Jesus is pointing out that there should be a difference between believers and non-believers.  If we are seeking the same things that gentiles are seeking, then there are no differences between us.  If there is no difference between the believer and the gentiles, God will not be seen in His people.  

In the beginning of verse 33 Jesus tells the believer how they should be different and what they should be seeking.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”  So here, Jesus tells us what should consume our thoughts.  Not only do we believe God to provide those things that we need, but we seek our God’s kingdom and righteousness in place of those other Earthly needs.

The second, but equally as important point to take away from verses 32 and 33 is that there is a cause/effect relationship between what a person seeks and what God will provide.  The second half of verse 33 is conditional upon obeying his command in the first half of the same verse.

 If you seek His kingdom and righteousness, these things (that the gentiles seek) will be added unto you.  Meaning, if you are seeking anything other than His kingdom and righteousness, you do not qualify for God to add food, drink and clothes to you.  Why would He add things to you when He will not get the credit for it because you were trying to achieve it yourself? 

Matthew 6:31 – 33 separates the believer from the non-believer.  The difference between the two can be found in what they seek.  The non-believer seeks food, drink, and clothes.  The believer seeks God’s kingdom and His righteousness.  What is it that you seek?

By Chris Carlisle

You Are Given Everything You Need To Live

One of my favorite verses (and I have many) J is Isaiah 54:17.

Is says in the KJV, “No weapon formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”

The AMP version states, “But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This (peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition) is the heritage of the servant of the Lord (those in whom the Servant of the Lord is reproduced); this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me (this is that which I impart to them as their justification), says the Lord."

We live in a fallen world. That means that even though God had originally intended it to be for mankind to dominate and rule, it was given over to satan when man fell in the garden. As a result, unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are subject to satan’s rule here on the earth.

As a believer in Christ you are given everything you need to live and overcome in this fallen world. Everything satan has to offer is through deception, but Jesus beat deception and showed us how to do the same. That excites me!!

So what are weapons that are formed against us? Sickness and disease, unforgiveness, depression, debt, strife, lust, pride, etc. are all weapons satan uses to bring you down and cause you to draw away from God.

The tongues that rise up against you are those that say things like…you will never get out of this situation, you only have 3 months to live, certain things in the Word of God don’t apply today, you are worthless, you are never going to amount to anything, etc.

But, you know what? If you read that verse carefully it says those weapons will not prosper and you will prove those wrong who speak against you!

Isn’t that Good News??

I will go on to say that there is a choice that you have to make - to believe God and His Word and to trust Him in every situation. If you give in to these weapons and tongues that rise up against you, then you are ALLOWING satan to have reign in your life rather than God. And trust me it does not go well with you when you do that.

I want to encourage you that the SECOND something comes against you, let’s just say a cold for instance, you recognize that it is not from God and you use the Word against it, just as Jesus did when He was tempted of the devil. I actually use this verse and say: “No weapon of sickness formed against me shall prosper because I am a saint of God and am under His covenant of healing, for that is my heritage!” Guess what? It leaves immediately!! Praise the Lord!

Find the promises of God and write them down, study them and hide them away in your heart so that when the storms of life and the affairs of this world come against you, you will have a foundation to stand upon and to fight with.

Have a Great Day in Him!

Pastor Kathy Mosier

The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children

If you are in the Indianapolis, Indiana or surrounding areas, please mark your calendars for this awesome study on praying for your adult children.

'The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children" by Stormie Omartian

The following is a report on the practical applications of Stormie Omartian's new book, The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children (Harvest House, 2009).

You want to continue to support your adult children while still giving them the freedom to make their own choices. But where do you draw the line between helping them to build their own lives well and enabling them to remain dependent on you? And how do you deal with all of your many concerns about them – from their friendships and romantic partnerships, to their career pursuits and financial management?

We will begin this study on June 11th, Saturday, at 10:30am and meet every other week.

We will meet at LIFE Church and Training Center, 5895 E. Thompson Rd., Suite D, Indianapolis, IN 46237

Our website ) www.lcindy.com