How to Win the War With Worry

Matthew 5:38-42

Adrian Rogers


Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Matthew 5:38-42

There is nothing more destabilizing than worry, yet all of us worry more than we should. In Matthew 6:31-32, Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry… For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

It’s important to recognize the cause of our worry.

Matthew 6 addresses things we all tend to worry about: food and fashion (v. 25), fitness (v. 27), and the future (v. 34).

We must also understand the cost of worry.

Worrying never solves the problem or lifts the burden. But perhaps most importantly, our worry is a wound in the heart of God; we insult Him if we do not consider Him to be trustworthy.

Adrian Rogers says, “We’re not to reach out into tomorrow and borrow trouble. We’re not to pull tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine.”

We can win the war with worry, if we learn to fully trust in God.

God is a Good Father, and He provides for His children; He does not bring a child into this world that He is not prepared to care for.

We must resolve to focus on the will of God.

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

Worry can be a signal to us that we are not focusing on what we ought to. God will not work in second place to our other concerns. He knows what we need and He can take care of the things in our lives better than we can; we must put Him first and put our trust in Him.

We must surrender our concerns about the future.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

God is in complete control over our lives. He has engineered difficulty for each day—enough trouble to cause us to turn to Him and receive His grace. But if we borrow tomorrow’s trouble by worrying, we’ll find that it buries our blessings, steals our strength, and produces problems.

God knows our frame, and He promises strength for what we will carry today.


Apply it to your life

If you begin to worry today, remember your Father in Heaven, who knows your needs. Focus on seeking the Kingdom of God, and leave the future in God’s hands.