Don't Worry About It!

Luke 12:22
Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.

We are living in a time where everybody is anxious about the economy. I think the fear over our finances has taken over our anxiety over terrorism. People aren’t as concerned about Orange levels as they are their levels of income. We are more terrified of not being able to feed our families than we are with the next terrorists attack. Both are equally important but somehow what is going on in our homes has taken our focus and caused us to be anxious.

Like Jesus told Martha when she was bustling around in the kitchen mad at her sister for not helping, “Mary you are upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen it and it will not be taken from her.”

When we choose Jesus and God’s kingdom there are certain things we don’t have to be worried about. It is fundamentally understood that God takes care of his own. It is natural for us to be concerned about what we are going to eat and what we are going to wear these are part of the basics for every human according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is predetermined in order of importance.[5] It is often depicted as a pyramid consisting of five levels: the lowest level is associated with physiological needs, while the uppermost level is associated with self-actualization needs, particularly those related to identity and purpose. The higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus when the lower needs in the pyramid are met. Once an individual has moved upwards to the next level, needs in the lower level will no longer be prioritized. If a lower set of needs is no longer being met, the individual will temporarily re-prioritize those needs by focusing attention on the unfulfilled needs, but will not permanently regress to the lower level.

Five Levels of the Hierarchy of Needs
There are five different levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:

1. Physiological Needs

These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, including the need for water, air, food, and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met.

2. Security Needs

These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighborhoods, and shelter from the environment.

3. Social Needs

These include needs for belonging, love, and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community or religious groups.

4. Esteem Needs

After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment.

5. Self-actualizing Needs

This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their potential.

When you exchange your fear for faith that God will supply all your needs it frees you up to pursue a higher level of consciousness. Don’t worry about it!
Jesus says look at the birds of the air they don’t worry about where they will sleep or what they will eat but God provides. Are you not more valuable than the birds? Don’t worry about it!

In this chapter Jesus helps us to deal with our anxieties or tensions between the temporary and the eternal by saying:

1. Don’t fear the man that can kill your body (terrorism) but rather fear God who after ending your life can put you in Hell for eternity.

2. Don’t fear that you are forgotten about and that no one is concerned about your welfare, because God knows every hair on your head.

3. Do not fear about provision, food, clothing, or money. One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.

Don’t worry about it but seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be added. When we are busy fulfilling God’s righteousness through humility, social justice, and showing mercy to those in need, God will in turn provide what we need.

What God is saying today is: Don’t worry about it; I got the bill because you’re in my will!

Dear God, thank you for watching over me. Today, I want to be intentional about trusting you. Today, I’m freed up from worry so I can fulfill my righteous requirements of serving others. In helping others, I help myself, by storing up riches in heaven. I don’t want you to catch me with my work undone. Thank you for providing food, clothing and money to pay my bills. I ain't going to worry about it no more!

In Jesus Name.
Amen.