Matthew 6:25–34
25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Focused Thinking: Focused on Interactive Prayer today.
Personal Application: Review yesterday’s application.
I need to simplify what it looks like to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
I need to “Love God, Love People and Make Disciples.”
I need to “Make God Priority.”
I need to “Make Discipleship Priority.”
I need to “Make Mission Priority.”
I need to obey God and trust God with the results.
Interactive Prayer:
Thank you for being a God who tells me not to worry. What an incredible gift! I don’t want my children to worry and God doesn’t want me to worry. I would never consider letting my children go without food, drink or clothing and that is God’s heart toward us. Father, thank you for loving us so completely. Thank you for being a perfect Father. I’m sorry that I come across as ungrateful at times. I’m sorry that I don’t see You as abundant all the time. Forgive me for believing the lies of the devil. Forgive me for focusing on my wants instead of my needs. Forgive me for taking Your provision for granted.
Father, forgive me for focusing on my kingdom too much and Your kingdom too little. Forgive me for seeking my kingdom first instead of Your kingdom first. Father, I pray that Your kingdom will be my focus. I pray that Your kingdom will be my passion. I pray that Your kingdom will be my life pursuit. Father, I pray that I will see the emptiness of this kingdom and quit being tempted by it. Give me the ability to see Your kingdom and to bring it into reality through Your Spirit. Give me the ability to be used my You in my life, in my family, and in my leadership to bring heaven to earth. Give me the ability to pursue righteousness and to help others pursue righteousness. Father, help me simplify and clarify the kingdom to be a kingdom of loving God, loving people, and making disciples. Father, forgive us from making it too complicated. Father, free us from the idol of ourselves. Free us from the idols of money and materialism. Free us from the idols of this earth instead of seeking first Your kingdom and Your righteousness.
Father, show us what it truly means to seek You FIRST! Father, increase our desire to follow You, to deny ourselves daily, and to pick up our cross daily. Father, I pray that You will increase and that we will decrease. Father, give us the desire, determination, and discipline to truly know You and make You known.
Father, bless the seeds that we are planting. I pray that You will water those seeds and give us a harvest. Father, give us the wisdom and leadership needed to start quality connect groups. Help us get people connected. I pray for people to truly build godly friendships in and through our church. Father, there is no other way for people to be loved and to love apart from friendships. Make us a church that makes You priority, that makes discipleship priority, and that makes mission priority. Father, give us favor with the unchurched community. Give us the ability to reach the prodigals. Father, also give us favor with believers who don’t have a church home or need a place to serve. Give us the leaders that we need to make disciples.
Father, we don’t want to be a consumer church. We don’t want to be church that is full of fans. We want to be a church that is full of players. Father, help us abandon the Western definition of church and of Christianity and enable us to go back to the essence of Christianity. Give us the ability to be courageous followers of You. Father, help us as a church identify people’s strengths and skills and place them in places of service. Father, please anoint my teaching, Andy’s teaching, and all the teaching that goes on through this church and cause the seeds of the Word of God to produce 100-fold. Father, we desperately need Your anointing. Cause the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow through our church. Give us the ability to do what only we can do and to trust You to do what we cannot do. AMEN!
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