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

AMP Youth Bible Study

AMP Bible Study

Pastor Benjamin Mosier

Every Monday starting at 6:30pm

5895 E. Thompson Road

Suite D

Indianapolis, IN 46237

317-786-5460

AMP is designed for high-school and college aged young adults to learn and grow in the knowledge of Christ.

Our vision is to teach them to reach their families, workplaces, communities and the world with the love, power and good news of Jesus Christ. (Mat. 28:19)

If you have questions, please email us at lifechurchandtraining@yahoo.com or call our office at 317-786-5460

Hope to see you at our next study!

--

Peace That Passes Understanding

">

Women Motivated 4 L.I.F.E.

Peace That Passes Understanding

Are you tired of letting the devil get you all stirred up? Do you easily get thrown into a panic or tizzy? When something seems to go wrong in your day, does a multitude of one thing after the next go wrong? Are you often losing things and spending needed time to locate it? Does something someone says or does throw you into a tizzy and you respond with words or actions you later regret?

If any of the above questions sound familiar there is hope! There is absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing worth losing your peace over!

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:7

Facts about Peace:

God gave us a supernatural peace, unlike the worldly peace offered to us. Peace came to earth on the very first Christmas in Luke 2:8-14. True peace was given and like all spiritual blessings, we must renew our mind to His Word about his peace.

It transcends, outdoes, surpasses, excels, rises above, and goes beyond and over the top of any other kind of peace.

Peace begins with trusting God and believing that His Word is true. By choosing to stay in peace we are expressing our faith in God.

Isaiah 26:3 “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You.”

The Hebrew word for peace in this scripture means “completion, safety, soundness, favor, healing, wholeness, prosperity, quietness, rest.” It is supernatural and is released only by a choice to believe in God.

Benefits of Perfect Peace

Peace is like a spiritual compass. It will give us a true north in all situations. If we keep this peace by disciplining ourselves not to lose it, then we will hear His voice successfully and walk in prosperity in not only the good times, but also the rough times. God will reveal answers and wisdom to us from the spiritual realm that we would never have known in the natural realm.

The mind which is the control center for the human being, determines the condition of a person’s life. From Isaiah 26:3 we see that this peace keeps our hearts and minds. The Greek word for “keep” is a military term expressing an idea of a soldier who stood faithfully at their post of the city gate to guard and control all who went in and out of the city. They were a gate monitor. No one entered or exited the city without their approval.

Therefore this peace, if allowed to work in our lives, will stand at the gates of our hearts and minds monitoring everything trying to enter our hearts, minds and emotions. When God’s peace is ruling us, nothing can get past that divine “guard” and slip into our hearts and minds without approval! It disables the devil’s ability to disturb us by preventing his attacks to slip into our minds.

Perfect peace protects, guards, keeps, and defends.

Facts About Fear:

The opposite of true peace is fear. Jesus always addressed fear in man, because He knew it would prevent man from tapping into the Divine supernatural realm. Mark 4:36-40 and Luke 8:41.

When we are in fear we cannot hear God speak to us. In the spiritual realm, fear literally opens the door, or attracts, negative things to come on us. The very thing we fear will come upon us. Proverbs 10:24 “The thing a wicked man fears will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.”

We must recognize when fear is in operation against us. We need to realize what initiates fear and how it effects us.

Feelings, thoughts, physical manifestations, or words of fear are:

• “I feel anxious, stressed, in a tizzy, uptight, and upset. I have so much to do. How am I going to get it all done?”
• You find yourself yelling at the kids and your husband. Even getting short and impatient with the people at the store. Wanting to just run away. Can’t wait until Christmas is over and things are back to normal.

You have a headache, making poor food choices for convenience, restless sleep, sweaty palms, adrenaline rush, or just freeze up.

Plan of Action:

We can refuse to allow the devil to access us, throw us in a panic and anxiety, or push any button inside us any longer!

Practice P.E.A.C.E.

Pause. Take a step back. Breathe.

Ear to the Lord. Be still before the Lord. Abide in Him.

Ask the Lord what to do.

Carry out His plan of action. Walk in obedience.

Exalt Him for His faithfulness in keeping your heart and mind in perfect peace.

Confession:

I confess that I am guarded and protected by the powerful peace of God that works in my life. It rises up and dominates my mind; it controls my thinking; and it determines the condition of my life and the environment where I live and work. I am unaffected by the circumstances that surround me, for this supernatural peace stands at the gate of my mind and emotions to monitor everything that tries to access me. Because no fretting, anxiety, panic, or worry is allowed to enter me. I remain free, calm, and peaceful, even in difficult situations that in the past would have upset me!