Don't Let Anxiety Rule Your Life

Introduction

There's one thing that always brings a smile to the preacher's face on his walks near home: watching a green parakeet fly by. There are between 10,000 and 20,000 of them today in the Paris region, even though this bird was never built to survive our climate. Back in the 1970s, exotic bird collectors brought them over. Some escaped. And by God's grace, they survived, multiplied, and now live quietly in our parks.

The preacher sees in that a picture of his own life, and yours: we too were never built to survive spiritually in this world. And yet, by God's grace, we live. For this final step in the Our Relationship with God series, he opens Matthew 6:24-34 and puts his finger on a quiet enemy: anxiety. Two convictions run through this message. Jesus doesn't want anxiety ruling your life. And the Father already satisfies your soul. If you live that out, you no longer have to carry what you're carrying.

Message outline

1. Jesus doesn't want anxiety ruling your life

• The starting text: Matthew 6:24-30. "No one can serve two masters... You can't serve both God and Mammon." Then: "Don't be anxious for your life..." This isn't a self-help tip, it's a command from the Lord.
• The Greek word behind "be anxious" here really points to anxiety: that almost sickness-like shade of worry, the kind that invades your thoughts and destroys your peace of mind. It's not just being a bit concerned. It's being taken over.
• And this anxiety touches very concrete things: food, clothing, money. Clothing back then wasn't about fashion, it was protection when you slept outdoors, under the stars, while traveling. Today, it's the envelopes landing in your mailbox, your bank balance, the fear of not making it to the end of the month.
• This isn't a modern problem. According to research on mental health, roughly one in five adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. That should free you from shame: anxiety touches a lot of people, including inside the church. We want to hide it, we want no one else to know, when the church exists precisely to help people walking through this.
• One nuance worth noting: Jesus isn't talking here about a medical condition. In the Lord's common grace, there are doctors and mental health professionals, and you shouldn't deprive yourself of that help. The preacher is addressing everyday, general anxiety, not severe cases, which need proper care.

2. The exercise Jesus gives you: observe and think

• Jesus doesn't just say "calm down." He gives you an exercise: observe and think. First, observe the world God created. He set up natural laws, an ecosystem where everything finds its food. Nothing has been forgotten.
• "Look at the birds of the sky: they don't sow, they don't reap... yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than they?" "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow." That's a very concrete reminder that God takes care of his creatures, and so, all the more, of his children.
• For you who are in the faith, the reminder is even greater: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." This world is temporary, and yet he's given you the ability to know eternal life and to know that he's your God, that he takes care of you forever, and that he will never abandon you.
• Jesus even coins a phrase here: "you of little faith." If God cares about all these things, won't he also take care of you? The answer is already given in the question.

3. Faith is not a substitute for work

• This needs to be said clearly, because you sometimes hear, "I have faith, so I don't need to do anything." No. Jesus never promises anywhere that you won't face trials. Quite the opposite.
• John 16:33: "I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble, but cheer up! I have overcome the world." Trouble is coming. It will keep coming as long as this world lasts. What Jesus promises is his peace in the middle of it.
• Which is better: carrying worries while anxious, or going through the same difficulties in peace? Peace is already a great deal. And he also gives you hope: "I have overcome the world." How? Through his cross and his resurrection.
• Hebrews 11:1 defines what faith is: "the assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." There's an assurance inside: the confidence that God will act. And there's proof on the outside: action, choices, a life that gets moving. Faith sees a green parakeet and remembers God's providence. It sees a flower in a planter on the street corner and remembers the generosity and beauty of its Creator.
• Practically, this means learning to stop. To settle down. To really lay your doubts and worries before God in prayer, with your heart, not just a quick "Lord, provide for me, talk later."

4. The Father satisfies your soul: seek first the kingdom

• The second conviction of this message rests on Matthew 6:31-34: "Therefore don't be anxious... for the Gentiles seek after all these things... your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well."
• "The Gentiles" here isn't a criticism. It's an observation. Those who don't know God simply don't know anyone who provides for them. No Father in heaven in their worldview. So what's left for them? Fighting, working very hard for everything they have. That may have been your life too, before you knew Christ.
• Jesus doesn't want the Christian to act as if he had no Father. As if the Father didn't exist, or didn't love him. We don't see God, but we see the envelopes and the bank balance very clearly, and that's exactly where faith steps in.
• When you're going through a season of anguish, read Psalm 90. It ends with a powerful prayer: "Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands." This psalm is here for the one who no longer knows how to pray.
• The Father cares for you even in your failures. You might tell yourself, "It's my fault, I deserve this, God won't step in, let him strike me." That's not it at all. Jesus was judged in your place. God already knows you're going to make mistakes, that's exactly why he gave his Son. When you fall, you have a Father in heaven who loves you and takes care of you, even in your mistakes. Romans 8:28: "All things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose."

5. Seek the kingdom right where you are

• Seeking the kingdom doesn't mean becoming a missionary on the other side of the world. Unless God calls you to that explicitly, in which case, we'd be honored to support you. Otherwise, seeking the kingdom means letting Jesus reign in your life right now: in your thoughts, your emotions, your relationships, your work, your studies, your roommates, your finances, your worries.
• The preacher remembers a brother who made an impression on him in the very early days of their church: Jacques Barbereau, now with the Lord. He was a labor union organizer. After his conversion, he stayed in his own world and noticed that people around him had no Bible. He started an organization, A Bible for Every Household, that ended up covering the whole of France and continues even after his death. One man, touched by the gospel, seeking the kingdom right where he was.
• Seeking is concrete: prayer, reading the Word, putting it into practice, worship, a life lived with God at the center. What Jesus says isn't first "don't worry" but "seek." He gives you something to do. Be active in seeking the kingdom, you won't have time left for anxiety.
• "Don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient." Unlike the birds and the flowers, you have a Father in heaven who takes good care of you. And Jesus himself, the night before his crucifixion, knowing what was coming, didn't panic. He prayed. He asked for the cup to be taken from him, then he said, "Not my will, but yours be done." He endured all of that so he could then step into your worries, walk with you right where you are, and replace your anxiety with his joy.

Key takeaways

• Jesus doesn't want anxiety ruling your life. This isn't a nice wish, it's a command: "Don't be anxious."
• The word Jesus uses really targets anxiety that invades and takes over. Not a minor concern. An almost sickness-like shade that seizes control of your thoughts.
• The exercise Jesus gives you is to observe and think. Look at the birds, the lilies of the field, God's creativity all around you. He forgets nothing. He won't forget you either.
• Faith isn't passive. It's "the assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." It acts, it stops, it prays, it lays its worries before the Father.
• Seek first the kingdom, not on the other side of the world, but right where you are. Your work, your studies, your loved ones, your finances: let Jesus reign over all of it. And everything else will be added to you.

Personal application

1. What specific area has anxiety taken over in your life this week? Name it clearly before God, don't pretend.
2. When was the last time you actually stopped (really stopped), to observe creation and remind yourself that God cares for everything he's made?
3. Is your prayer life a real place where you lay down your worries, or is it a "Lord, provide, talk later"? Take ten minutes today to talk to God with your heart, not just your list.
4. Does your anxiety come from a real problem that needs a concrete action (an appointment, a budget, a phone call), or from simply refusing to trust the Father? Often it's both.
5. Where is Jesus calling you to "seek the kingdom" in your life right now, not somewhere else, not later, but today? Your work, your relationships, your building, your campus?

Scriptures cited

• Matthew 6:24-34 · "No one can serve two masters... But seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness."
• John 16:33 · "In the world you have trouble, but cheer up! I have overcome the world."
• Hebrews 11:1 · "Faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen."
• Psalm 90 · Moses' prayer in anguish. "Establish the work of our hands!"
• Romans 8:28 · "All things work together for good for those who love God."

Frequently asked questions

Does Jesus forbid caring about food, rent, or health?

No. Jesus doesn't forbid planning ahead or working. He's targeting anxiety that rules you: the kind that invades your thoughts, steals your peace, takes control. Planning your budget is healthy. Dwelling day and night on the fear of tomorrow is what the Father doesn't want for you.

What if my anxiety is a real medical condition, not just worry?

The preacher is explicit: this message isn't addressed to severe anxiety disorders. In God's common grace, there are doctors and mental health professionals. You shouldn't deprive yourself of that help, just as with any other medical need. Faith and medical care go hand in hand.

How do I "seek first the kingdom" when my life is already overflowing with urgent things?

Seeking the kingdom doesn't mean adding a new item to your calendar. It means letting Jesus reign over the items you already have, your work, your studies, your relationships, your finances. Practically: regular prayer, meditating on the Word, putting it into practice, a life lived with him at the center. The paradox is that when you seriously seek his kingdom, you no longer have the time or the room left for anxiety.