Hi there, my lovely brethren in the Lord. The following scripture has been locked in mind for a few days now, so I just felt to share on it.  

1 Corinthians 7:29-35 (NIV)

29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

Let me say first off, this is a heavy piece of scripture, which I might not be able to explain in terms of it’s depth of expression of requirement. So, I would simply try to expound on the aspect which was lodged in my head,  which is, “I would like you to be free of concern”.

Question: Who among us does not have some kind of concern at the point in time of reading this blog? If you don’t, then please message me and share your secret to success. My ears will be attentive to you!

Concern, and even one level up (worry) seems to grip and paralyze us all in one form or another. It has a way of weighting us down and clouding our judgement and prospective. It consumes our mind and bit by bit it pushes out the thoughts of God. It blinds us from seeing the future and bounds us to only the present.

The present, a state that can change and will change, becomes all we know and accept. Oh how sad, so much life and living ahead of us, but we accept the fleeting moment of the present and think that it will be the state of our entire life (i.e. Recency Bias). I SAY NO, I SAY NO! I refuse to believe this, the present state and future state are always to different things. The pendulum always swings to both sides and never remains on one side inevitably.

I remember times in my life where I was up all hours of the night processing, analyzing, dissecting, and contemplating how to navigate the concerns that plagued my life. God wanted me to see Him in the moment, but “cloudy minded” I was, only seeing my problem. I was bound, so I could not have looked heaven bound. Has any of you been there? Well, if you were, you have company with me (Hi Birds of a feather 😊 ).

So, while I was holding unto concern, what was God saying, God was saying, “I want you to be free of concern”. Like kryptonite in the bosom of Superman, we hold unto things that sap our strength and poison our souls. Be it concern, worry, unforgiveness, dislike for others, the list can go on. What is your Kryptonite today?

We have new liberties in God and He would like us to be free. He sent His son to free us from sin, death, hell and the grave, so what is worry compared to these things that are harder to break free from.

“Who the Son sets free is free indeed” – John 8:36

Jesus’ life and blood was shed to free us, yet still we want to hold onto temporal, fleeting things like worry. Our problems are here today, then gone tomorrow or maybe the day after that, but gone they will be. So, for the duration of the problem/issue, are you going to keep sulking, quarreling and complaining? Let me ask you, how is that working out for you? Tell the truth.

Today, the Heavenly Father would like someone to free themselves from the self-inflicted burden of worry. Remove the kryptonite and replace it with the peace that passes all understanding; and this starts by freeing yourself of concern.

This scripture might be long but I must put it in as a strong reminder. This is what Jesus told us about worrying.

Matthew 6:25-34

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, 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, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

It is quite clear that God wants us free from concern and worry. On the Israelites’ journey to the promise land, He wanted them to be free from the concern of food, so He gave them manna from Heaven (Exodus 16:4). He wanted them to be free from the concern of where He was leading them, so he gave them a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). What has changed since then? Nothing has changed! The fire and cloud have been replaced by the Holy Spirit, and as noted in Matthew above, God still wants to alleviate the concern of basic necessities in our lives. Please stop worrying and leave it up to the Father, to be Fatherly.

My friends I close by sharing these two quotes.

“The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude to the problem,”–Jack Sparrow

“Every Problem is an opportunity to Learn”–Dane Miller

PS: Dane Miller was last seen handing over something to the Lord. Some say it was something he was worried about.

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller | Author

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