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The best life is a God First life

Tag: anxiety

Turn it over to God God First

Turning It Over to God Is Not Trite—It’s Trust

October 23, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Sometimes, it sounds trite to say, “JUST TURN IT OVER TO GOD,” but this is where our trust in God, faith, and belief come into play. When Christians strive to follow Christ with obedient faith, we are striving towards righteousness. In (Mark 11:24) we are told, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” So, how do we turn it over to God? Well, we pray, we believe, and we trust in God’s answer, which allows us to let it go.

I once became so consumed by my concern for a loved one that it affected everything I did, including my marital relationship, until the day I realized that all my attempts to help this person were nothing more than temporary fading patches. Both I and my loved one needed to know that God was the answer, NOT ME or anything else. I asked myself, who would be there for them if I was gone? As I thought about my question, I realized God was the only answer! So, that night, I got on my knees and fervently prayed through heartfelt tears. I begged and pleaded in anguish and fear, asking God to help them, asking God to put people in their lives who could help them. I know that God’s will is the best will for all of us, so I took my cue from Christ’s example in the garden, and I asked that God’s will be done. I turned my cares over to Jesus.

My prayer that night wasn’t me giving up on that person in any way. I just realized, as never before, that God has complete control, and mine is extremely limited. That night, I literally felt a great invisible weight removed from my shoulders, replaced by a trusting calm.

After this prayer, when I heard from this person about self-inflicted difficulties, I limited my involvement and encouraged them to seek God’s will and pray; I offered to pray with them. To this day, I still pray for this person every day, and they have come a long way from those days and now include God in all that they do.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” In 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you.”
In summary, don’t allow yourself to be consumed by things you can’t control. Turn them over to God! Pray and seek help from the one who can help when no one else can, the one who created everything you see and know, the one who created you and loves you like no other – The God of Love, who is Love.

When Christians strive to follow Christ with obedient faith, we are striving towards righteousness. When we turn that which we cannot control over to God, it’s not trite; it’s where our trust, faith, and belief come into play and substantiate our trust in God. God is love and will carry us through. For Christians, this world is not our home. Christians look forward to the fact that there will be no tears in heaven. By putting God First in our lives, we make this world a better place by our loving actions.

God’s word tells us to hear, believe, repent, and confess the name of Jesus and be immersed in the watery grave of baptism for the forgiveness of our sins. In (Acts 2:38) we find in doing so, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Only by doing so and living righteously theirafter, can live knowing that heaven is now our eternal home.

Hearing: – Romans 10:17, John 8:32
Belief/Faith: – Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19
Repentance: – 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30
Confess: – Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9
Baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sin: – Matthew 16:15-16, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matt 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-39, Mark 1:9-10, John 3:23

God First!

Cast your cares on Him Write them out. Pray them through. He cares for you. God First

Write It Down, Cast It on Him

September 26, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I once found myself extremely stressed as multiple concerns snuck up, combined, and weighed me down. I remember feeling so distraught and so overwhelmed I knew not what to do. Then I decided to write down my thoughts. Not for the purpose of sharing them with others, but to take those muddy thoughts in my mind, organize them, and put them somewhere else—like on paper. For some reason, this helped me think more clearly in the following days. It helped me prioritize my thoughts and clear away the mud in my mind.

I still do this from time to time. In fact, if you’re reading this, you see that I share some thoughts on social media and web platforms, but certainly not all.

I have also found that it’s just as important to read those thoughts back later as it is to write them down, even if what I wrote looks like incoherent Babel. That can be embarrassing if I have shared it publicly, but that doesn’t matter.

What matters is this: writing my thoughts down and rereading them helped clear my mind. It helped me identify the issues and separate what I could control from what I could not.

If you’re struggling in some way, writing might help. Take a little time and write for yourself, even if no one else ever reads it. Writing may help you think more clearly, as it did for me. But remember, writing is only a tool. Paper holds words. Jesus carries the burden if we will pray, turn those cares over to Him, and trust Him to help.

Scripture tells us to humble ourselves by casting our anxieties on God. So pray first, or pray as you write. You may even write out the prayer itself, telling God what is on your mind. That helps you recognize the anxieties you cannot control so you can turn them over to the One who can: Jesus. Then trust Him to carry that load.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6–7

See also: 1 Samuel 1:10–18; Psalm 13:1–6; Psalm 42:5; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 62:8; Proverbs 3:5–6; Lamentations 3:19–24; Matthew 6:25–34; Matthew 11:28–30; Luke 12:22–31; Philippians 4:4–7; Hebrews 4:14–16; 1 Peter 5:5–9.

God First!

Worry Changes Nothing God's peace guards the heart in Christ Matthew 6:34, Philippians 4:6-7

Worry changes nothing!

September 12, 2026 / / 0 Comments

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27, ESV) While we need to prepare and be as prepared as possible, it does us “no good” to worry. WORRY CHANGES NOTHING (and it may harm our health). Worry cannot add an hour to life. The Father’s care, not our anxiety, sustains us. With or without worry, we still have to meet each day’s trouble on that day. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34, ESV)

While this seems easier said than done, God is able to guard what we cannot control. The key is to be “in Christ” and allow the God of all comfort to be with us in every trial. Pray without ceasing.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, with 5:6)

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

Blessed be “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4, ESV)

Jesus’ answer is not merely “stop worrying.” It is to put God first:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

The peace that surpasses understanding is promised to those who are in Christ Jesus. Peace is God’s gift, not something we manufacture.

The following Scripture tells us how we become “in Christ.”

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:3–11) We are saved by grace through faith, we can’t earn God’s peace.

The gospel does call us to respond:

Hear the Gospel: Romans 10:17; John 8:32
Belief/Faith: Hebrews 11:1; John 8:24; Romans 10:17
Repentance: 2 Corinthians 7:9–10; Luke 13:3–5; Acts 17:30; Acts 3:19
Confess: Romans 10:9–10; Matthew 10:32–33; Luke 12:8–9
Baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins: 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38; John 3:5; Matthew 28:18–20; Ephesians 4:5; Romans 6:3–4; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:36–39; Mark 1:9–10; John 3:23

Additional references: Matthew 6:25–34; Luke 12:22–32; Philippians 4:4–7; Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 56:3–4; Psalm 94:19; Proverbs 3:5–6; Proverbs 12:25; John 14:27; John 16:33; Colossians 3:15; Hebrews 13:5–6; 2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 8:31–32; Ephesians 2:8–9.

God First!

TURN IT OVER TO GOD; LET JESUS CARRY YOUR BURDENS Matthew 11:28–30 Psalm 55:22

We Control Nothing — God Controls Everything

August 3, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Dear Christians, there are times when we feel overwhelmed with concern for others or ourselves, when nothing seems within our control. Have you remembered to pray? Are you drawing closer to God (James 4:8), pleading, begging, and relentlessly asking our Heavenly Father for help? We need to go to Him in Fervent Prayer, and most of all, be willing to “Turn It Over”

These are such simple words, but for some reason they seem to be so hard to do, at least until we realize we control nothing and God controls everything.

We must understand that when we are no longer in this world, God still answers prayers within it. Trust in God and let Jesus carry the burden. It’s foolish not to rely on the greatest power we have as Christians. God is the God of all comfort, so let Jesus carry your burdens and lift the weights from our shoulders; don’t try carrying them alone. This does not mean we stop doing our part; it does mean we should not worry but rather trust. Could it be a test? If so, let’s do well and show our trust. (1 Peter 1:6–7, 1 Thessalonians 2:4)

God tells us in James 5:16: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” This verse tells us how our prayers can be powerful and effective by pursuing righteousness!

  • The Persistent Widow – Luke 18:1–8
  • The Friend at Midnight – Luke 11:5–8
  • Ask, Seek, Knock – Matthew 7:7–8
  • The Canaanite Woman – Matthew 15:22–28
  • Blind Bartimaeus – Mark 10:47–48
  • Paul’s Persistent Pleading – 2 Corinthians 12:8
  • Jesus Himself in Gethsemane – Matthew 26:39, 42, 44
  • Jesus’ Intense Prayers – Hebrews 5:7
  • Matthew 11:28–30
  • Psalm 55:22
  • 2nd Corinthians 1:3     
  • Philippians 4:6–7
  • 1 Peter 5:7
  • Proverbs 3:5–6
  • Matthew 6:31–34                     

God First!

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