Our Dependence on God
From Matthew 6
It has been a truly enormous blessing to be able to get to know my heavenly Father so deeply through His Word. The Bible preserved for us (KJV) is very rich; but also very deeply challenging. We always tend to say that we believe God at His Word; but to actually apply it faithfully in daily living will cause us to be confronted with the reality of our verbal profession.
Even as I am now beginning this article, I am being greatly challenged in areas of the teachings in Matthew chapter 6. We have seen the Lord do much, but still need Him to do much more. Our dependence on Him grows greatly, and without Him we will surely fall. For our lives this is not only in theory, but is quite literally true. I am not bragging! It is a humbling walk to engage in; we could not have come here without the Lord, and we certainly will not be able to go forth from here without Him. Our God is leading us away from hypocrisy, and to actually live the faith we have professed to others; the lives of faith, of the type we read of in scripture. Modern culture tends to promote trust in man, though God is often credited. We are believing God to save us, according to the rich promises of His Word.
For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; II Corinthians 1:8-10
Matthew 6 has played a big part in our spiritual growth. This chapter is incredibly rich in instruction; and in promises. Some of the Lord’s teachings here are very profound; not only are individual Christians not practicing them (in general), but the organized churches usually contradict them by policy. In other words, many foundational practices within organized churches exist in conflict with the preserved Word of God! Do you disagree? Look at what George Mueller wrote about this 180 years ago. If he was seeing this at that time, consider how much worse things must be today, so much closer to the end. This was written in about the year 1830; “I had other objections to being connected with any state church or national religious establishment, which arose from the increased light which I had obtained through the reception of this truth, that the word of God is our only standard, and the Holy Spirit our only teacher. For as I now began to compare what I knew of the establishment in England and those on the Continent with this only true standard, the word of God, I found that all establishments, even because they are establishments, i.e., the world and the church mixed up together, not only contain in them the principles which necessarily must lead to departure from the word of God; but also, as long as they remain establishments, entirely preclude the acting throughout according to the Holy Scriptures.”
Brethren, we need to come back to the pure Word of God, trusting only in the Lord (not in others, in circumstances, or in our own cunning) to care for us according to His promises.
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. II Corinthians 1:20
As we proceed into Matthew 6, you will find the repeated theme of dependence on God alone. It is about a very personal, private walk of faith, not of one outwardly visible and approved by men. Walking with God in this way brings Him much glory, as we discover the very nearness and helpfulness of our creator.
The first 4 verses of Matthew 6 render instruction for the giving of alms. My Webster’s Dictionary defines alms “anything given gratuitously to relieve the poor, such as money, food, or clothing.” It also can be “a deed (act) of mercy.” Today this reasonably could be said to include giving in church offerings, as many times these donations might be used for relief of the poor. Churches and their pastors are often generally considered to be among the “poor,” since their only sustenance would come by congregational donations; believers are admonished to provide for church leadership (It was so for the Levitical priesthood in Israel, and is so for the New Testament clergy as well. See I Corinthians 9:6-14.). In light of the definition, any good “deed of mercy” could also be considered; helping someone with a workload, giving a ride in a car, etc. God asks us to give of what we have (Deuteronomy 16:17), and that is not always money! Let’s look at these first 4 verses right now;
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:1-4
The giving of alms is, in itself, taken as a given fact. These verses are not really talking about what to give, and how much. Instead, it is about the stewardship responsibility (Luke 16:10-12) that each of us has through Christ our Lord. Jesus made it clear that what may seem to be a large or small amount in man’s eyes, is not significant in the way God views it (Mark 12:42-44, Luke 16:15).
What these verses talk about, instead, is about giving alms in a way that is pleasing to God. Our giving should be but a mere extension of the new life we have received through Christ Jesus our savior (II Corinthians 5:17). It is giving from a genuine heart of charity, and meant in no way to draw attention and praise from people around us. “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor…and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”—from I Corinthians 13:3. Each of these verses encourages us to keep our giving as private as possible.
Verse 1: What a verse! It is saying that if we do our alms before men, “to be seen of them” we will have no reward from God! The wording in this verse tells me that this would be an act to deliberately draw attention to our giving, rather than if someone simply finds out about it accidentally.
If your alms are placed in the offering plate at church, do not place large amounts of cash into it, in view of numerous others; find another way! If your offering is in an envelope with the amount written on the outside, place it face down in the plate. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5); He’ll show you how!
Verse 2: This verse is re-emphasizing to keep your gift private; but it is also showing that what God really opposes is the deliberate drawing of attention to yourself for your giving. People may find out about it, certainly; but they shouldn’t hear it from you!
Verse 3: Much has been spread in humor regarding “the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.” Obviously, this verse is not literally applied to the individual. This reference is meant to be applied to the body of Christ and its members. One brother need not tell another brother how the Lord has led him to give! A similar directive is found in Matthew 5:29 & 30, regarding instructions that are not to be literally applied to each individual. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”—I Corinthians 12:12.
Verse 4: We see here, then, the “payoff.” God sees in secret, but He will reward openly. This is proof then, that we serve a living God, and not one whose power was only seen long ago; among those who are now deceased. Such is a key element in the growth of our faith.
One further note about alms; all of the admonitions you have just read of do not apply to paying, on-the-job services. A job is what you have been hired to do, for money; it is not charitable giving! It is alright to make your supervisors aware of the work you are doing for them. Sharing lunch with a co-worker who has none would be alms that shouldn’t be broadcast to others!
The next section of this chapter deals with prayer, and is found in verses 5-15. The Lord’s prayer is in verses 9-13; verses 14 & 15 expound a bit on that prayer; while verses 5-8 give us some important guidelines in approaching prayer. Here is our section;
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:5-15
Verse 5: Does this instruction seem familiar? Even as we are not to give alms to be seen by men, so are we not to pray to be seen by men. You can tell from the description that this is talking about insincere prayers which are really being directed toward men, and not God. Any prayers of a public nature should really be kept as short as possible. Perhaps you have experienced what I call, “sermon” prayers? Such prayers sound as if the speaker is still preaching, when he should be praying to the Lord! This is not what God the Father wants, and Jesus tells us this. In terms of our own individual spiritual lives, each of us has much to learn about prayer.
Verse 6: How do your prayers get answered? When you need cash, do you pray, and then broadcast that need to family and friends? This is not what we are told to do! God wants to provide that need for us, and doesn’t instruct us to broadly share about it. Depending on circumstances, it may be well to share completely with someone who really needs to know (such as a spouse, business partner). Yet even then, not always! This is about our personal relationship with the Living God; trusting only in Him, and not in the arm of flesh (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Let the Holy Spirit do His work in “broadcasting” your need. Micah 7:5-7 echoes the same theme.
Verse 7: In leading up to what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus tells us not to use vain repetitions; and then declares that this is a heathen practice! Here again, we run into a significant alteration in the NIV Bible. Brethren, every word, every punctuation mark that God has preserved for us is vitally important! Let’s look more closely at the Lord’s precise language. In the King James Bible we find; “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, (note the comma) as the heathen do:” This is the important part of the verse which has been altered, so I’ll focus on this part only.
First, we are told not to use vain repetitions. Many, many organized churches do just this! Second, the comma inserted after the word repetitions marks the end of a thought. It could have been said, “use not vain repetitions” with a period! That is the truth being conveyed when you place the comma after the word “repetitions.” Jesus had another observations which went along with that instruction, and therefore added, “like the heathen do:”. Our Lord is then first telling us not to pray using vain repetitions, and then identifying such a thing as a heathen (the unsaved) practice! Yes, plenty of praying people are yet unsaved!
Now look at the difference in the NIV; “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,”. This altered Bible version eliminates the comma, and changes the phrase vain repetitions into the word “babbling.” This verse then, as you find it in the NIV, easily allows for repetitions in prayer, and long-winded prayers. Christians could easily justify themselves in this verse by saying, “Well, I don’t babble like a pagan!” In this way, the KJV is warning against all repetitions (The Lord considers them vain), while the NIV is warning only against babbling like pagans.
Verse 8: Really a continuation of the instructions from verse 7. We are encouraged not to be like the heathen, in using repetitions and long-winded prayers, which are vain in God’s eyes. The Lord assures us, that even before we pray, our Father knows what things we have need of. This is also a key phrasing, because at times, what we pray for is not the same as what we actually need!
Verse 9: In introducing what we now refer to as, “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus begins by instructing, “After this manner therefore pray ye…” A manner is by definition a style, or the way something is done. You’ll note that Jesus does not say to “use this prayer,” or to “pray these words,” or to “repeat His words” when we pray; it is to be “after this manner.” To then combine this instruction, along with the admonition from verse 7 to not use “vain repetitions,” plainly tells us that Jesus is not wanting us to make a recited prayer from what He is about to say. The Lutheran Church I attended as a boy, however, did exactly that! We prayed this prayer every Sunday. Now I realize that it was only a religious rite, of which God did not approve!
The prayer then begins by addressing our Heavenly Father, saying, “Hallowed be thy name.” This is worshipful and reverent, as hallowed means to be holy; God’s name is honored as sacred by the petitioner.
Verse 10: We pray that God will bring His kingdom to us. That His own will would be done on earth, even as it is in heaven. I’m sure that His will is done perfectly in heaven!
Verse 11: The request here for “daily bread” may also be considered for every material need that we have, not merely the food. The bread need, or food, is a basic requirement that everyone has. Beyond this, individual need varies greatly!
Verse 12: Every one of us needs God’s mercy; His forgiveness. It is only fitting that we, in turn, bestow such forgiveness toward others. The wording of this verse, in requesting the forgiveness we so desperately need, necessarily implies our need to forgive others; therefore we ask forgiveness for ourselves, “as we forgive our debtors.” Forgiveness is what a believer is required to do, should the offender repent.
Verse 13: The requests to “lead us not into temptation” and “deliver us from evil,” reflect spiritual warfare; and the need to live a holy life unto God.
This prayer is concluded by an acknowledgement of our Father’s omnipotence, and that He is truly sovereign over the entire universe. All glory and honor belong to Him alone; it is what we were created for by Him, and it is what we should live for.
Verses 14 & 15: Jesus mentions the importance of forgiveness in verse 12, and forthrightly expounds on it in these 2 verses. This theme must be important, for it is the only part of the prayer which the Lord explains in detail! In Matthew 18:21-35, an even longer story is provided to drive home this point. We may be forgiven of the Lord by His grace; but if we are not forgiving of others (who have asked our forgiveness), our own redemption will be revoked! No, it isn’t always easy—but the Lord will bring us conviction, and also the strength to achieve that which He has directed.
Our next section is a short 3 verses, and instructs us regarding fasting. These verses could really be considered an aspect of prayer; albeit considerably deeper.
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:16-18
Verses 16 & 17: Here again, our Lord’s instruction regards the outer appearance. Being hungry is really not pleasant! It would be easy to display what we are feeling; the result of this, however, draws attention to ourselves, and what we are doing. That is not the purpose of fasting, and the Lord does not approve!
Verse 18: If our fasting is sincere, it is between us and God. We are therefore to do it in secret, and our Father will reward us openly. This does not mean that we should lie to conceal our fasting, if we are confronted with it. It may also be appropriate to ask a close brother or sister in Christ for prayer support during your fast. I believe the message is these verses is to not broadcast this activity verbally, or to otherwise draw attention to yourself. It doesn’t seem to be implying absolute secrecy. See also our article on Spiritual Warfare, Fasting, and Prayer.
In truth, verses 19-34 could be listed as one section. The theme would be trusting God for our needs, while placing His values above material concerns (II Corinthians 4:18). For our purposes, we will separate these 16 verses into 2 sections. The first part is found in verses 19-23;
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Matthew 6:19-23
Verse 19: Jesus specifically tells us here not to “lay up” treasures here on earth; these are temporary, and will be lost. But what exactly is treasure, and the practice of “laying up”? We in America really do not understand these concepts! To “lay up” treasure doesn’t necessarily mean a “rich and famous” lifestyle. People are putting earthly concerns and existence first, rather than seeking the will of their Heavenly Father; trusting in Him for their needs. People make investments, seek jobs with pensions, accrue savings, and invest in retirement funds (like 401k) in order to “live long and prosper” here on the earth! I Timothy 6:17-19 echoes this same priority; that those who are rich should not trust in their riches, but in God. They should be rich in good works, and “ready to distribute.” By doing this they are providing themselves a good foundation, that they may “lay hold on eternal life.” Only the Lord can instruct you as to what is improper in the laying up of earthly treasures. But who are you trusting? See Jeremiah 17:5-8 for more on this.
Verse 20: This verse completes our thoughts from verse 19; that our treasure ought to be in heaven! We should therefore seek the Lord diligently, for His kingdom to come—and His will to be done; “on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Verse 21: If your treasure is on earth, so is your heart! If your values are heavenly in nature, your heart (affections/commitment) will be with the things of God in heaven. As true followers of Christ, the latter of these conditions ought to be the case.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3
Verse 22: What does it mean to have your eye “single”? In short, it means that you will have a singular focus on the Lord. When the Lord is not the single purpose, carnal man is naturally double-minded in all his ways. Thus, the “single” eye will fill the body with light (Jesus—John 8:12).
Verse 23: It logically follows, that if your “eye” is not singularly focused on the things of God, that it will instead be duplicitous and evil. The supposed “light” that such a person lives by will then be darkness. This darkness is a spiritual blindness that cannot be overcome without God’s merciful intervention.
Verse 24 serves as a transition between two sections. It is somewhat a completion, and yet also a furtherance of the preceding 5 verses. Yet it also leads into the concluding verses of this chapter, which give us encouragement and guidelines concerning how we should handle the issue of earthly treasure and riches. Because of the importance and uniqueness of verse 24, I am listing it by itself for appropriate due emphasis.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24
Verse 24: We cannot truly and fairly serve 2 masters; our heart will really favor one or the other! To conclude who someone's master really is, follow the fruit (Matthew 7:20)! Satan is the author of confusion, and tries to convince us that we can be both worldly and Christian at the same time! God's Word says this is not possible.
Specifically, the competing "master" for our affections is money (I Timothy 6:10). This verse refers to it as mammon; this term is far stronger than just saying money, it is a reference to the false god of riches! It is when riches become an object of worship, or obsessive, greedy pursuit.
Brethren, most of the professing "church" today is really serving the false god of mammon! Perhaps it even started by a sincere attempt to "provide" for one's own, but eventually the focus became disproportionate. The Bible repeatedly warns us about the pitfalls of riches (Luke 6:24), but somehow we have come to believe that we are beyond this corruption! This happened to the Laodiceans, which many believe to be the final church "age" which we are now a part of (see Revelation 3:14-19). Look at the focus of your life. What takes up your time, your thoughts, and your energy? If Jesus Christ is your savior, He must also be your Lord. Seek Him diligently in prayer, to be certain that He holds His rightful place in your life.
Many of us defend our "workaholic" lifestyles by claiming that we are merely providing for our own basic needs, and it must be that way. Jesus says that it is not that way at all, and our priorities need to change! That's what these last 10 verses are all about. The Lord is giving us strong direction and encouragement to trust only in our heavenly Father.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:25-34
Verse 25: Jesus begins this section with the short but powerful phrase, "take no thought." He repeats this instruction also in verses 31 & 34—It is important, and altogether for our benefit. We are not to worry, plan, or overwork (see also Philippians 4:6,7). Our trust needs to be in our heavenly Father, who longs to care for us—if we will allow it.
In this section, Jesus lists the very basic needs of life as to what God will provide; things like food, water, and clothing. Yet God's supply will be for all our need, and not only these basic items (Philippians 4:19). Each person's needs can vary quite a bit, so He is only mentioning here the needs which everyone has in common.
The Lord also challenges us in this verse to consider what is really important. Mankind is primarily a spiritual being, temporarily held within a fleshly body. Our values, our focus in life needs to be spiritual, first (II Corinthians 4:18). God is promising us here that He will provide! We should not be compromising our Christian faith for food!
Verse 26: Jesus shows us here how God even takes care of the birds, though they do not work or "lay up" provision for themselves! Brethren, we are made in God's image, and are obviously much better than the birds. God does not help those who help themselves (Revelation 3:17), but loves to help those who trust in Him. Just be sure that your "work" doesn't create an unequal yoke (II Corinthians 6:14) with unbelief.
He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Psalms 147:9-11
Verse 27: My Bible provides a good cross reference to Psalms 39:5. Jesus here is speaking of earned merit before God and man. Jesus alone is the one who justifies (Romans 8:33)!
Verses 28, 29: The same thought brought forth by Jesus about food, is here applied to clothing. God cares for His creation on every level! Even king Solomon, once dearly loved by God, was not arrayed (clothed) like these short-lived flowers.
Verse 30: If we can so easily note God's loving care in the simplest of created things, should we not have faith that He will care for us? We can be greatly encouraged by what we readily behold on any given day; truly we serve an awesome God!
Verse 31: We see here again the admonition to "take not thought." Jesus is saying not to worry, not to strive. If we do, our focus will soon be on the mammon, and not on the Lord God Almighty.
Verse 32: When we see the reproach of "for after all these things do the Gentiles seek," we can take the term Gentile to mean the Godless or unsaved. The Messiah was sent first to the Jews, God's first-chosen people. So at this time when speaking, Jesus referred to those who were not His as "Gentiles." Today, believers in Christ are the spiritual Israel, and the Gentiles are the unsaved. Please see our article, The Israel of God for more information.
While it may greatly concern us to have food, clothing, and shelter for us and our loved ones, God already knows about it! Think about this for a moment. You may not know where tomorrow's provision will come from, and the need may seem to be desperate. Yet our God knew well in advance about the situation we would be in, and has repeatedly promised to take care of us. Shouldn't we have faith, and confidence? Our God who routinely feeds the birds, has our own concerns well in hand!
Even though these things are known far ahead of time, we must seek the Lord diligently in prayer. He expects us to turn to Him, believing in faith for the provision He has certainly promised! We do not take our God for granted, but instead learn to trust Him in a growing relationship.
Verse 33: Here it is; the promise we've been waiting for! If we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, all the things we need will be given to us! It is not a supply according to our own preconceived notions; it is a supply from the Lord for our real needs, in His way and time. God knows what we actually need better than we do—and He also knows that which would hurt us more than help.
Our God loves us so much, that He gave the life of His only Son, to save us for all eternity. Surely this is a God who deserves our total faith and trust (Romans 8:32).
Yet it is not only God's kingdom that we must seek first; it is His righteousness. We are continually warned, throughout scripture, to beware of false prophets, and those who hold to a form of godliness—but deny His power! Even for the seemingly sincere, all too often the leaning is only toward the wisdom of men. Submission to the Lord in faith will naturally follow with those who seek first God's righteousness. The Bible (KJV only) will provide or support the course we should follow.
Verse 34: We are again admonished, in conclusion, to not worry (take no thought); God will take care of us! Jesus wants us to be free of stress and worry—isn’t that great?
The Lord knows that each day we will have plenty of trouble (Ecclesiastes 9:12, John 16:33). By knowing and trusting our heavenly Father, we can be free from the common worries about our needs. Call upon the Lord; He hears you. He will provide.
My wife and I have been blessed with suffering hunger in God’s service. When we are not under the power of food, we see the Lord’s power much more clearly (John 6:27). During such a time, I brought our food concerns before the Lord. While I thanked Him for all of His sustaining provision, I reminded Him that hunger was still with us—and how good it would be to just have a hamburger (protein was especially lacking at this time).
The next day, I was returning from prayer just after lunchtime (not that we had eaten!). Directly in front of my walking course (on the road) was an open bag from a fast food establishment. In the bottom of that bag was a quarter pound hamburger, completely wrapped and untouched! It was a cold winter day, so there were no bugs, and it was well-preserved! Does God answer prayers, or what?!? The other great thing was that this hamburger had no cheese. My wife doesn’t care for cheese, and this enabled her to share and enjoy this blessing of food with me. Events like this bring to mind the words of Psalm 34:15; “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” Remember, I didn’t actually ask for a hamburger—but God gave it in love, anyway. Bold type in Psalm 34:15 was added to emphasize how it prompted my thoughts.
Matthew 6 is incredibly rich with instruction and promise. Lean hard upon these words as true, for God has preserved them directly for you. If you have received Christ as your savior, He needs to be also the Lord in each area of your life! Brethren, He wants to be the one to take care of you—His way is always the best. Join with Jamie and I, as we learn to prayerfully submit every area of our lives to Him. Let Him “order your steps” in every way, whether great or small; to God alone belongs the glory!
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5
Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalms 37:4,5
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Psalms 9:9,10
WARNING: To avoid Satan’s snares and deceptions, return to the pure Word of God; which is the King James Bible. Revised translations are not small word alterations meant to bring clarity! Major doctrinal changes have occurred, which will tend to bring doubt and destroy your faith. To follow these new “versions” of the truth, is to build your spiritual house upon sand, and become as the ones reflected in Matthew 7:21-23. Please use this entire passage, Matthew 7:21-27.
Satan means to deceive you into sincerely following his alternate “truth.” You are really being set up to fall, and serve the antichrist.
Pray and seek God diligently in this matter; for time is short. See also our Word of God section and the section on A Sure Salvation vs. Eternal Security.