Be Careful For Nothing
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 08/25/2024
Foundation Scripture:
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6 KJV
1. Careful for Nothing.
a. Be careful for nothing.
b. Careful (Greek merimnaō) –– care; be careful; have care; take thought; to be anxious; to be troubled with cares.
c. Philippians 4:6a AMPC –– Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything…
d. Paul exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord (vs 4) and be careful for nothing.
e. In other words, not to fret, worry, or have anxiety about anything.
f. What should you do instead?
g. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV –– Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting
all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
h. Whatever you are going through, the Lord has the answer to your problem.
i. You can try to take care of it yourself, and be full of care and worry, but it will be unproductive and even detrimental to your situation and your health.
j. Jesus reminds us that cares and worries are a waste of time and effort and will not accomplish anything worthwhile (Matt. 6:25-34).
k. Trying to manage your life by yourself is prideful!
l. So, humble yourself to ask for God’s help because He cares about you, and about every aspect of your life.
2. Cast the Care.
a. Psalms 55:22 NKJV –– Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
b. Burdens are heavy weights, and worrying makes them heavier.
c. Cast your burden on the Lord—releasing the weight of it over onto Him.
d. Either you, or the Lord, are going to be carrying your burdens—it is up to you.
e. If you need and want His help, then you are going to have to roll the whole weight of your cares over onto Him—and not take it back again.
f. If worry is a sin, we must be vigilant to not allow the enemy to trip us up with cares and worries.
g. The devil wants you to be focused on the problem—your circumstances—rather than the answer—Jesus.
h. If you worry, you have taken your eyes off God and His Word.
i. You are no longer living by faith, but by what you feel and see.
j. If you cast your cares on the Lord, He will support and sustain you.
k. He will never allow the righteous to be moved, or made to slip, fall, or fail.
3. He Cares for You.
a. 1 Peter 5:7 AMPC –– Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
b. Once and for all, cast ALL your cares, anxieties, worries, and concerns over on the Lord.
c. He loves you—He affectionately cares for you.
d. He watches over you, faithfully taking care of everything concerning you.
4. Rejoice and Pray.
a. Philippians 4:4 KJV –– Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
b. The antidote for worry is to make a conscious decision to rejoice and to pray.
c. Philippians 4:6 AMPC –– Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer
and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
d. We have not because we ask not—or because we ask incorrectly (un-scripturally), or with wrong motives (James 4:2-3).
e. Instead of worrying, PRAY!
f. In ANY, and ALL, circumstances—PRAY!
g. Find the promise in the Word of God that covers your need.
h. Come to the Father in faith, and in Jesus’ Name.
i. Approach Him with praise and thanksgiving.
j. By faith, ask in expectation of an answer.
k. Present your case and make a definite request.
l. Thank Him that it is done when you prayed.
m. Continue to thank Him for the answer, even until your request is fulfilled.
5. Prioritize God’s Word.
a. Luke 10:38-42 AMPC –– Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named
Martha received and welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and
was listening to His teaching. 40 But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to
Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do
her part along with me]! 41 But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42
There is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not
be taken away from her.
b. Like Martha, we all have responsibilities in life that need to be taken care of.
c. Martha was right to take the responsibility to serve Jesus and those with Him.
d. But she allowed it to become a greater burden by worrying.
e. Mary chose to focus on Jesus and His Word, which has both temporal and eternal value.
f. Jesus’ response to Martha is a reminder to all of us, to prioritize God’s Word, to hide it in our hearts, and to rely on His help in everything that we do.
g. If we give Him our heavy burdens, He will give us rest (Matt. 11:28- 30).