God will Meet your Needs

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Transcript
Handout
Right now we are living in a time like no other in our life times, nor in the life of our nation. We have stopped our economy and the Government is infusing money to people for survival, but even with that… jobs are being lost every day. Some businesses may not come back when this is over… whenever that is.
People are fearful and filled with worry.
One thing I know is that God is a good God and that he loves you like you can’t even imagine… not just for your salvation, but he is interested in and cares about every detail of your life.
Here are 3 facts about God’s goodness.

1. God is the source of everything You need to live.

Psalm 23:1 NLT
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
You don’t have to look to your job… he got you the one you have or had and he will get you another.
Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV
18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
You don’t have to look to the Government…
God is the source of everything you need. He is who we need to place our trust in!
Don’t trust things that can be taken away. Jobs, money, houses, relationships, savings, investments, Gov. money, health, looks… All of that can be taken away. Your relationship with God cannot be taken away. He is our Good shepherd.
A shepherd leads, feeds and meets needs
That’s what a shepherd does. In this Psalm, God says he is your shepherd.
Your needs are varied… discipline, protection, comfort, encouragement… Parents you are a shpeherd to your kids…
As your pastor, I am your shepherd… lead, feed and meet needs.

2. There is nothing You need that God cannot supply.

Philippians 4:19 NLT
19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
God’s provision is not based on your goodness, but on His goodness. God is good to you because of what Jesus did for you in the cross.

3. God doesn’t want you to worry about anything

Philippians 4:6 NLT
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
He says not to worry but to pray… about everything… including this virus, your job loss…
You can either pray or you can panic.

Why doesn’t God want you to worry?

1. Worry is irrational

It just doesn’t make sense to worry. Look what Jesus says…
Matthew 6:25 NLT
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
It’s useless to worry because it will not fix anything or prevent anything. To worry about something you cannot change is irrational.
It’s also irrational because when you worry about something, it gets bigger in your mind. Someone makes a tiny comment that you take wrong about your appearance… you worry about it all day long. It gets bigger and bigger. Pretty soon, you are thinking that everyone hates you… is out to get you or doesn’t think you look good.

2. Worry is contrary to nature.

Nothing in all of nature worries… but humans. You were not made to worry.
Matthew 6:26 NLT
26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
If God takes care of the birds, don’t you think he can take care of you? if he can do that he can take care of the Corona virus and all of the devastation that has come with it.
Matthew 6:28–29 The Living Bible
28 “And why worry about your clothes? Look at the field lilies! They don’t worry about theirs. 29 Yet King Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as beautifully as they.
Flowers are beautiful, but they don’t worry about how the look. Stop worrying.
God takes care of nature, he will take care of you. Worry is simply not natural.
Worry is a learned behavior. You learned to worry by watching others so you can unlearn how to worry. Anything that’s learned can be unlearned. You don't have to go the rest of your life being a worrywart, being so uptight, that you cannot enjoy life.
These verses show that God sees the needs of nature and that he also see what you need. You are made in God’s image… you are his child and have a relationship with him… He will take care of you.

3. Worry doesn’t fix anything

It just doesn’t work… doesn’t fix anything.
Matthew 6:27 NLT
27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Worry will not make you live longer… or grow any taller. Actually, worry will shorten your life. It will eventually cause you health problems and will not fix anything.
Proverbs 12:25 NLT
25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.
When you worry, it’s like carrying a weight. It will cause discouragement and depression and eventually despair.
Worry causes more fatigue than work. If you spend your day at work worrying, you won’t just come home tired, you will come home “drop dead tired.”
Proverbs 14:30 NLT
30 A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.
If you want to be healthier… stop worrying.

4. We don’t need to worry

There is no need to worry because God has promised to take care of you. He is your shepherd who feeds, leads and meets your needs. We tend to worry about things that are God’s responsibility and he never intended for you to take on His responsibility.
Matthew 6:30 The Living Bible
30 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you, O men of little faith?
God says, I will take the responsibility of taking care of you. He loves and cares about you because you are valuable to him. That’s why he sent Jesus to die for your sins and then resurrected Him to prove we can overcome…

5. Worry shows a lack of belief

Every time you worry, you are acting like an unbeliever..
Philippians 4:19 The Living Bible
19 And it is he who will supply all your needs from his riches in glory because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.
God will take care of everything you need. He meets your needs because He is good and he loves you… not because you deserve it.
When you worry you are acting like you don’t know God.
Matthew 6:32 NLT
32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
If you have never accepted Jesus as your Shepherd, you probably should worry. You are dependiong on your own strength and that won’t work.
John 14:1 GNB
1 “Do not be worried and upset,” Jesus told them. “Believe in God and believe also in me.
Instead of worrying, we need to believe in God.

How do we Get Rid of Worry?

1. Ask Jesus to be your shepherd every day

If you do that, he will feed, lead and meet your needs…
Get up and declare to the Lord that he is your shepherd and you need him to lead, feed and meet your needs. Declare to him that he is a good God. When you are faced with something at work, declare that he is your shepherd and will guide you through the meeting. If you are laid off, declare that he is your shepherd who meets you needs.
Repeat it… the Lord is my shepherd…
John 10:14–15 NLT
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.
Jesus is our shepherd and he is the good shepherd who knows us and sacrificed himself for us… He gave his life for you on the cross. If he loves you enough to die for you, he will certainly lead, feed and meet your needs.
We need to pray this every day...
Psalm 28:9 CEV
9 Come save us and bless us. Be our shepherd and always carry us in your arms.
ILL - like when you were little and you were walking with your parents and then you just ran out of gas… and your mama had to carry you… that’s what Jesus does.

2. Give Jesus first place in every area of your life

It’s important for each of us to give Jesus first place in every area of our lives… personal life, relationships, jobs, children…
Matthew 6:31–33 NLT
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
God already knows what you need. This virus and the stuff that has gone along with it is no surprise to the Lord. And he already knows what you need.
God allows needs to come into your life so that you will turn to him. When you call out to him, and he meets your needs, it builds your faith in him. Every time he meets a need, answers a prayer, your faith grows stronger and stronger.
When you worry, it’s like a warning light going off and it’s telling you that you have not put him first place in that area of your life and you need to make him number one in that area. money, job, health, relationships, children...
When you make Jesus first in every area of your life, it helps to clarify your priorities. It makes life simple… you want to please God in everything.
Everyday, ask Jesus to be your shepherd, then give him control of every area of your life… make him first… then

3. Give all of your worries to the Lord in prayer

Make a list of your worries. “I just feel anxious” Whatever the worries are, give them to the Lord.
1 Peter 5:7 NLT
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
He cares about everything in your life so give him your worries. Write them down and give them to Him.
You can’t just forget them or push them down, you have to give them to God. If you try to push them down, you will make yourself sick… it will eventually come out. You will say something or do something and go, where did that come from? It came from stuff you pushed down and did not give to the Lord.
Remember, Jesus said don’t worry about stuff because he will meet your needs. Right after that he said,
Matthew 6:32 NLT
32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
Unbelievers thoughts are dominated by worry about looks, jobs, kids, friends, how many likes they have, when will the Corona virus be gone...
Paul contrast that with this…
Philippians 4:6–7 The Living Bible
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
We are to give those worries to God in prayer and he will give us peace more wonderful that we can understand.

4. Trust God for one day at a time

Typically we worry about… our whole future which is useless. Trust him for one day at a time.
Matthew 6:34 NCV
34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Just like God provided one days supply of food to the Israelites, he will meet our needs one day at a time.
He is saying don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow. Don’t open your umbrella until it rains. You can’t change the future, or change the past, so work on today.
Two days per week you should never worry about… yesterday or tomorrow.
There's a couple reasons why you should only live one day at a time. First, when you worry about tomorrow's problems, you miss all the blessings of today. The other reason is you cannot solve tomorrow's problems with today's power. When you get there, tomorrow, God will give you the power and the perspective and the grace and the wisdom. He'll give you what you need when you need to get there.
It’s ok to plan for tomorrow. Proverbs talks about planning. Planning is good… worrying is bad. You can plan for tomorrow, but you can only live today.
Look at this in the Message…
Matthew 6:34 The Message
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
If you are hearing this and you suffer with chronic worry, you need a care team around you that includes a doctor. Your chemistry could be messed up, so make sure to get a good physical. You may need meds. Some people say they want to rely on god and not meds… maybe God gave the person who invented the meds, the idea to invent them… It’s ok.
You also need loving people around you and that’s why you need to be in a local church, and maybe a connect group.
Worrying just doesn’t work.
Here is one last principle. God is the Good Shepherd who will give you what you need, but…

What he gives to me, he wants to give through me

IOW, when God meets your needs, he meets them so you can go and help others who are going through the same thing.
God is always testing how much you trust him. In your everyday life, and certainly in this Pandemic, He is testing each one of us to see how much we trust him. One thing we are tested in over and over again is the area of finances. When you have a lot, you tend to trust in your bank accounts instead of God. When you are willing to meet other’s needs, you show that you trust God, not your account.
Isaiah 58:7–11 GNB
7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. 8 “Then my favour will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond. “If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. 11 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never runs dry.
Isaiah 58:7 NLT
7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Then he gives a promise
Isaiah 58:8–11 NLT
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. 9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! 10 Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
Promises - favor, wounds healed, always be with you, he will protect you, he will answer prayers,
Then he says if you put and end to oppression (hurting comments, put downs, prejudice, finger pointing) if you will feed the hungry ans satisfy those in need, the darkness around you will turn to light.
He promises that if you will do these things, he will do the things He promised.
Bow heads
… repeat, Jesus you are MY shepherd… give him forst place in every area of your life… give your worries to Him in prayer… trust Him for one day at a time… commit to help others like you have been helped…
Salvation
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