Worry Is the Devil's Chief Weapon: Living Carefree Before God
Dr RJ Sing, 1 December 2019, 33 min
This is the whole service. The video opens where he begins, at 29:53.
Originally preached as “Living a Carefree Life”
Sermon outline
Humble yourself under God's mighty hand and cast every care on Him, because He cares for you, and worry is the devil's chief weapon to pull you out of faith.
Main text
- 1 Peter 5:6-7
Opening
He says he will be brief because a book launch follows the service, but this word is just for them: living a carefree life. He reads 1 Peter 5:6-7 in five translations (NIV, Amplified, Message, New Living and New King James), dwelling on the Amplified's 'cares about you watchfully' and the Message's 'live carefree before God. He is most careful with you.'
Jesus cares for you
Pastoring is hard because the calls never stop: a wedding in one home and a funeral in another, a promotion here and a retrenchment there, someone with plenty and someone who can't pay rent. When you go through things you can feel alone and that no one cares, but Jesus cares; the pastor can't always be with you, but the Holy Spirit is, and God will never leave you nor forsake you. He doesn't handle you haphazardly; He has your welfare at hand.
“When people fail you, you know that he's got your back.”
- 1 Peter 5:7
- Acts 20:32
- Matthew 28:20
- Hebrews 13:5
There is a due time: stay your course
If you humble yourself under God's mighty hand, He will lift you up in due time, and your due time is coming. Don't be hasty or lean on the arm of flesh; when things are rough, just stay your course and hang in there. We are not saved by works, so fasting and praying harder is not the answer to every rough time; remind yourself that this too shall pass.
“Just put on your seatbelt.”
- 1 Peter 5:6
- Ephesians 2:8-10
Worry is the devil's chief weapon
Carrying cares on your own is dangerous because worry is the devil's strategy: if your mind and heart are on what you're worrying about, you are separated from God's Word and promises, and he drains you spiritually. Worry produces a deadly force called fear, and if you walk into fear you walk out of faith. Even worrying is a sin. Pastors face the same challenges, often bigger ones, and must stand on the promises rather than slip into fear.
“If you walk into fear, you walk out of faith.”
- Romans 14:23
You do have faith: fear not
No one present lacks faith: you have never seen God, yet you believe in Him in your heart. Faith may be little or great, weak or strong, but mustard-seed faith is all you need to put into action. Faith activates everything, and your Commander-in-Chief, Jesus, has said 'fear not'.
“There's no one here present that does not have faith.”
- Matthew 17:20
Commit your children to God
Parents worry about their children because they haven't committed them to God, and nowhere does the Bible say parents are to be their children's God. School fees, lifts, aftercare and homework put huge pressure on parents, but if you start worrying now, you'll be on a treadmill of worry through university, relationships and marriage. Pray for your children and grandchildren, ask God's angels to go with them, and commit them to Him.
“When you play God to your children, then that means you take up worry and stress and anxiety.”
Stop carrying the news; pray instead
Some people are walking news channels who know every story, but you can't change what the newspapers report. What you can do is pray for the government and those in charge, because we don't want any government or country to fail in a global economy. Stop debating whether you are in the right place: you are exactly where God wants you to be, and He will watch over you.
Illustration: He lived and worked in Johannesburg for almost ten years and found that when you earn more, you spend more, and you're back to square one.
“You are exactly where God wants you to be.”
- 1 Timothy 2:1-2
- Philippians 4:6
Live by the Word: it is written
Jesus said the prince of this world had nothing in Him. When the devil puts pressure on you, say 'it is written' and wield the Word like a sword; cast down imaginations and bring every thought captive to Christ. Healing sometimes takes longer than we want, but we still walk in faith, because God makes our feet like hinds' feet.
Illustration: Springbok run as if they're running in the air, with no struggle and no pressure; that is what God does for you.
“I may have come here this morning to church worrying about something, but I'm leaving church not worrying about it.”
- John 14:30
- Matthew 4:4
- Ephesians 6:17
- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
- John 14:10
- 2 Corinthians 4:13
- Psalm 18:33
Putting it into practice
- Humble yourself under God's hand and wait for your due time.
- Cast every specific care on God by name.
- Refuse fear, because fear walks you out of faith.
- Commit your children and grandchildren to God in prayer.
- Pray for those in authority instead of carrying the news.
Closing
He has the church stand and read confessions from the screen, naming their own cares as they cast them on God, then say 'I don't have a care' and 'I'm worry free and I'm carefree'. He says it was a simple word, but it is the little foxes like worry, fretfulness and tension that spoil the vine. He invites anyone who does not know Jesus, or who walked away through disappointment, to raise a hand and come forward, and hands over to Pastor Adrian.
Declarations he led
- I'm a believer, I'm not a doubter.
- The Word works in me, and at this moment I humble myself under the mighty hand of God.
- I cast the care of everything I'm carrying over on Him.
- From this moment forward I refuse to worry. Instead I will pray, I will use my faith, and He will exalt me over the problem and over the devil, for I belong to Jesus.
- He's made me to sit with Him in heavenly places.
- I've put on the whole armour of God.
- From this very moment, with Jesus as my helper, I'm carefree.
- He has my cares. He'll work them out. He'll do it. He'll finish the work.
- Thank God I don't have a care.
- From this moment I'm casting my care upon Him, for He careth for me.
- I'm worry free and I'm carefree.
In his words
- “Live carefree before God. He is most careful with you.”
- “Worry is the chief weapons of his warfare against you.”
- “If you walk into fear, you walk out of faith.”
- “Where does it say that in the Bible, where does it say that mom and dad, you are to be your children's God?”
- “I refuse to worry. Now I'm preaching to myself.”
Every scripture in this message
- 1 Peter 5:6-7
- Acts 20:32
- Matthew 28:20
- Hebrews 13:5
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- Romans 14:23
- Matthew 17:20
- 1 Timothy 2:1-2
- Philippians 4:6
- John 14:30
- Matthew 4:4
- Ephesians 6:17
- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
- John 14:10
- 2 Corinthians 4:13
- Psalm 18:33
- Ephesians 2:6
- Ephesians 6:11
- Song of Solomon 2:15