Don't worry about anything

Luke, chapter 12, and we're going to read from verses 22 to 34. Luke 12:22 onwards. Excuse me, Maria, I forgot to pass the... I don't know if you already had them because of Marlene who had them at 9. God calls us not to worry about anything. Tell your brother, don't worry about anything. Tell someone or turn to someone. Easier said than done, say the Americans, easier said than done, but God has a call to us so that we are not anxious. The Apostle Paul also says, "Be anxious for nothing." And I want to think about that this morning. The Lord Jesus Christ says to us, "He said to his disciples, therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, not about the body, what you will wear, life is more than food and the body is more than the body." dress. Consider the crows…” – he is saying, think about the crows, observe, look at the crows. There is nothing less attractive than a raven, brothers, that is the truth. But he says, “Look at the crows that neither sow nor reap, they don't even have a pantry to store their food, they don't have a barn, and God feeds them. Are you not worth much more than birds?"

That is true, if the Lord attends to those beings as unattractive as crows, why not to us who are infinitely more valuable and attractive than them. “And which of you by toiling can add one cubit to his stature? – that's 18 inches - Who will be able to do it? Then, if you can't even do the least, why do you worry about the rest? and the Lord Jesus Christ adds another way of looking at this, He says, "Look at the lilies how they grow, they do not work, nor do they spin, but I tell you that not even Solomon - the richest man that has ever existed - with all his glory dressed as one of them. And so God clothes the grass that today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more to you, men and women of little faith. That is a slight rebuke from the Lord, very loving to us. "You, then, do not worry about what you will eat or what you will drink, nor be anxious because all these things are sought by the people of the world, - that is, those who do not know the Lord, those who do not know the word of God. They worry about all these things. "But your Father knows that you have need of these things." And what is the conclusion of all this? “More seek the Kingdom of God…,” another passage says first the Kingdom of God, and adds elsewhere, and his justice. "More seek the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." Amen.

What a blessed promise from the Lord. Last night I was reflecting on what to share with you this morning and I got into prayer and this call came clearly to me to share with you about worry and anxiety. Thank God I overcame that a long time ago and I don't suffer from it at all, but I remember. Lie. I deal with anxiety, I fight with eagerness, the tendency to believe that the world depends on me and that if I'm not there it won't happen. And I've learned a few lessons over the years about how to deal with this demon called anxiety, anxiety, fear, and all these things that we all experience in one way or another, if we're being honest. I felt that the Lord was calling me, especially in this time that we are living where the serpent rears its head again, this one, from Covid 19 with a different variant that fills the world with fear once again. Now when everything seemed to have happened and people were happy to go to the movies and the restaurants were full and the parks, for now again. It's like the monster in the movie that seems to have been killed and when the movie is about to end it appears again. Or the villain that can never be defeated. And so is this.

And again our hearts are filled with fear, with anguish, once again we are consulting the media to hear anything that might give us an advantage over the neighbor, about how to deal with this situation and we are filled with a sense of conspiracies, of manipulation about the virus etc And people are filled with anxiety again, especially as you let your guard down and then they come again to coax you out of peace and quiet. And this is a time when as God's people we need to meditate again on the promises of the word, the call of the word to maintain a position of equanimity and tranquility in the Lord. The word has a lot to tell us about how to keep the peace. There are passages everywhere about the call not to fear, to trust in the Lord, to look at our God. And once again it is important to listen to the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ who tells us, do not be afraid, do not worry about your life, your survival, your body, your food, your home. The Lord has control and care of all these things. And this chapter 12 of Luke speaks to us, from the very beginning the Lord is speaking about it. In verse 4, for example, he talks about not fearing those who kill the body but afterward can't do anything else, fearing those who can kill the body and kill the soul, yes, but be careful . Later in verse 8 he talks about how important it is to confess Christ as Lord and savior and not to worry when we are brought before magistrates and authorities because the Lord will provide the words we need to say in our own defense. Again, fear not.

When I say that, I say for example, pastors sometimes fear what we are going to preach about. I tell them that one always fights, I have the message, that is the task of all the preachers during the week. I already preached the sermon on Sunday, now again fire to the can for next Sunday. And one has to rest. I understand that learning to rest in the Lord, saying, "Lord, you know, you have everything in your hands, you know what you want me to preach, you will give it to me at the appropriate time." Later in verse 13 through verse 21, he talks about the rich fool who cared too much about money, wealth, became so obsessed with money that he forgot his eternal destiny and death surprised him and he was not prepared for it. eternity, because he became too obsessed with material things. And now he goes into this call, in verse 22 about not worrying so much about our life, not worrying, not obsessing so much about the things of matter and the things of this world. And the Lord turns the gaze of his disciples towards the need to maintain peace and how to maintain equanimity in life.

And it is important for the Lord that these men and women who are going to be their teachers and their disciples [sic] and their preachers, have that teaching well mastered in their hearts, on how to deal with anxiety because they too are going to be lashed by anxiety and fear of material things and excessive attention to material things. And the Lord uses a verb that is translated here not to worry so much, the verb is merimnao in the original Greek that the New Testament was written. And merimnao refers to worrying about something excessively, paying too much attention to something, being anxious about something, excessively focusing on some event, some issue, some process, some dimension of life. Not giving it adequate attention but giving it too much attention, that's the idea of worrying, being afraid, trying so hard. The Lord warns the disciples that worry and eagerness are not a suitable attitude for those who know God, those who know well the way in which our God works. And the Lord knows that even his disciples are going to be plagued by worry and anxiety, even we who know the Lord, who listen to sermons like these continuously, it is difficult to turn off the aspect of worry and anxiety. That is something that is inscribed in our neurology. I believe that the eagerness, the anxiety, the fear, come from that survival instinct that we all have. Our biology has a mechanism called the survival instinct, which is to survive, to keep ourselves against any threat, any situation that represents danger. And there are in us a number of mechanisms, adrenaline and other things that arise in reaction to when we find ourselves in danger. And anxiety is generally a reaction to something that threatens our well-being, that subtly or very strongly endangers our survival, our stability, the stability that we need for life. So it's something that's there.

I think of the Apostle Paul who wrote one of the most beautiful passages about anxiety in Philippians 4, “Be anxious for nothing, but rather let all your requests be made known in all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.” Be anxious for nothing, however, the Apostle Paul in Second Corinthians, in chapter 11, talks about the anxieties and concerns that he continually has because they stray from the faith, because they are offended in some way in the Gospel, for those who do not remain It says, "The burden I have for the churches continually." If he had taken his own medicine he would be calm. He wouldn't worry because he would know that all this happens in the Kingdom of God and people come in and out, but the Lord has control of everything. But no, he says that the eagerness, the concern for my brothers often overwhelms me.

That is, even when we know these things intellectually, there is something in our spirit that leads us to anxiety. That is to say, knowing Christ does not prevent us from being prey to anxiety at times either. Think of the disciples when the storm seizes them in the middle of the lake, in the sea and whips them and their boat threatens to sink, and they shout and look at the Lord and He is there sleeping like a dormouse, snoring freely in the prow of the boat, not worried about anything. And they say, “Lord, don't you mind that we perish? Do something." The Lord stands up, squeezes his eyes and says, “What is the concern? Be quiet,” he tells the storm, and the storm is silent. The sea becomes placid. Everything stabilizes and the Lord says, "Why were you afraid, why were you frightened, O you of little faith?" He knew who He was. He knew that while He was in that boat, that boat was not going to sink for nothing. What's more, the safest place that has been in the universe and in all of human history was that boat in the middle of the storm. But they feared, even when the Lord was with them.

And much of what has to do with anxiety, eagerness, fear, fear, occurs in the realm of the mind, here between these few inches of tissue, which is called the human brain and human neurology. That is the territory where the battle of anxiety takes place and that is why we have to go there to the mind, guided by the spirit in order to understand how to defend ourselves against anxiety. And the first thing that the Lord does is invites the disciples to observe nature and He uses eminently simple and primitive things to show how God takes care of those little things and by extension He is saying to them, "Look, if God's providence it manifests itself in those insignificant things, how much more will it manifest itself in you who are the peak of your creation.” So, He tells them, “Look at the ravens, they don't work, they don't do anything, and yet the Lord takes care of them, gives them food. Look at the little flowers in the field, so small, so simple, but not even Solomon, with all his money, could design a dress that compares with the dress of those flowers." And of course, the Lord is putting a little poetic here, but the idea is that, if the Lord attends to the smallest things in life and maintains them and if the Lord establishes ways to give them food and maintain them, how can he not? do with us too. And above all, how can he not do it with you and me who are now in Christ Jesus. Because if I were just a pagan who doesn't know Christ, look, maybe I would have a little reason to fear, but brother, when you enter the Christian economy, the Kingdom of God, God is more committed than ever to you, bless you and provide you.

I remember, I always say when my mother in the Dominican Republic met the Lord, I was about 4 or 5 years old, about 25, 30 years ago more or less. [Laughs] Why are you laughing? Our family had been quite poor, we had been through many jobs, I remember difficult times even in my small childhood. And my mother met the Lord Jesus Christ, she converted to the Pentecostal church in a town called Alma Rosa, which is now a fairly large city, but at that time it was an extension of a little field over there. And my mom met the Lord and brothers, let me tell you that I think I have shared this with you before, it was like from heaven to earth. Someone turned on a light, God's blessing entered our life. We never lacked for anything from then on. It was wonderful. God's provision…we weren't rich but we did have everything we needed. And I could tell you how the Lord provided, but it was a wonderful thing. Since the blessing entered our life and from there that blessing from God has followed me and my entire family through the years. God has allowed us to live well because God is a provider God. He cares about us.

There is a difference between the one who does not know God and does not have the divine blessing and the person who knows Christ and then has all the resources of the Kingdom of God and heaven to enjoy them. That is why he says, "Fear not, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom." Hallelujah! Once you enter Christ, you have access to all the goods of the Father and if you do not enjoy them it is because of your bad head, I add that, because there is the son of the father who... the story of the prodigal son. The good son who behaved well, who stayed at home, who did everything well, says to his father, "Look, this one who wasted all your money, made you feel ashamed, now he comes all sorry and you restore him again." and you kill the fat lamb and put a ring on it, and I have served you well all my life, and you have not even given me a kid to celebrate with my friends.” And the father says, "But son, everything I have is yours." Amen. “Why didn't you take one but 10 kids and enjoy life? If you are my son." Wow! He put his hand on his head, how is it possible. And so many of us live worried, fearful, anxious, saving the last bit of money, when God tells us, “Hey, once in a while enjoy life. Go to a good restaurant and have a 4 inch thick rib steak and enjoy and celebrate.”

Boston restaurants should now tip me because I know many of you are now going to a good restaurant to eat that. This is good. Just as you receive that advice, receive another one from me as well. Brothers, many times God wants us to live like children of a king, to enjoy the blessings, the condition we have as children of the Lord. If God cares about insignificant things of his creation, how can he not worry about something as important as the apple of his eye, those who have received Christ as Lord and savior? You have to live that way, as a son of the king, a daughter of Almighty God, your Father. And that is why the Lord focuses in a certain way, "It has pleased your Father to give you the Kingdom, to give you all things." It's Dad you're talking about. And it is very important that we have that idea.

I was saying this morning that when God creates something, he also provides for its maintenance. Write that there because that's cool. God also provides for their upkeep. And I used a story, here in Boston there is a social center called the Kroc Center, which is not far from here, from the Salvation Army, the Salvation Army. That is a huge place that is a recreation center, it has a culinary school, they have a swimming pool, a number of things, a fairly large center, given to bless the people who live in the inner city, in the central city of Boston . And the lady who provided that center is the widow, or was she, I don't know if she has already passed away, the widow of the founder of Burger King, I think she is, or McDonald's, one of the two. McDonald's, okay, thanks, we have experts on that. And that lady donated, I think it was 40 or 50 million dollars for the construction of that center. And that would be admirable, because it is a very large center. But look at the admiration of that woman who not only provided money for the center, but also provided a few million extra dollars for the future maintenance of that center. Because she knew that a physical plant of that size was going to need periodic repairs and other things and that if she gave them just the center, it would create a long-term problem for them because maintaining a center like that requires hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. year. So, she had the foresight to also provide in her gift, money for long-term maintenance.

Now, I ask if a woman has the understanding to do that, how much more did God when he created the world? Wow! If God created you, if God has given you children, if he has made a beautiful painting of your life, how can he not also provide the blessing so that it is maintained? God is a logical God and God is committed to you for the long haul. He didn't bring you into the kingdom just to tell you, "Now bandage it however you can." No, He commits himself day by day to be with you, bless you, strengthen you, advise you. What is the Holy Spirit without the paracletos? The one who stands beside us and guides us through life. The one that God has sent to encourage us, advise us and guide us towards all truth. The Holy Spirit is in our lives to see us through all of life's crises and provide for and bless us. If we only understood this. So the Lord tells us, look, I created the ravens, the different birds, the flowers, and I keep them, so why can't I keep you too? So, in this time, brothers, of great fears, let us remember that God who not only creates but also maintains. The Lord is aware, He is informed of everything that happens in our life and He has a plan to sustain us. Sometimes it seems that it is not like that, and that is one of the problems, that many times we enter times of crisis in our life and difficulties in which it seems as if God forgot about us, that God neglected himself for a moment, that the devil gained supremacy, that something happened that calls into question the goodness and the power and the faithfulness of God. And even in those moments, God wants us to remember that He knows and that He is in control and that He is doing things that may seem a little complex and difficult to understand, but in the long run He does it to bless us in the end, he says the word of the Lord.

When Martha, after her brother Lazarus has died, approaches Jesus and meets him on the road, that Jesus comes to her house from another place after the death of her brother, Martha says to him, "Lord, if you had come to time, if you had been there, my brother wouldn't have passed away,” he tells her as a mild accusation. If you had taken a taxi instead of walking, maybe my brother wouldn't have… Do you know what the Lord said to him? "Marta, have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" Marta did not know that there was a drama behind all this, that the Lord, once he knew that Lazarus was sick, decided to stay for a while before going to his rescue because He wanted to glorify himself. He wanted Lazarus to die and stink, so that he could heal him and give him life, so that his glory would be greater, his power would be more manifest. He was working, He knew, He loved Lazarus, He loved Martha and Mary, He had a plan but took the most complicated path to get there. And if Martha had known that the Lord was going to raise Lazarus, wow! I would have had a quiet time. It would be cool as a lettuce. But many times the desire is like that. Sometimes God is doing things in our life, he is taking time, he took a rough path that terrifies us, and it stretches out more than we would like and we are there suffering the fat drop. And the Lord is preparing everything to bless us, to bear witness to his greatness and his faithfulness so that that blessing is eminently clear to many others, apart from us as well. Because sometimes God is caring not only for you, but also for those around you. Says the psalmist, "Many will see this and fear and trust in the Lord."

And many times God is seasoning his dramas, he is seasoning his interventions. She's cooking them over low heat so they'll taste better when we enjoy them. Sometimes God is preparing something else for many around us and we have to patiently wait for Jehovah. As the psalmist says, “I waited patiently for the Lord and he leaned down to me and heard my cry and brought me out of the pit of despair, out of the miry mud, placed my feet on rock, straightened my steps and then put a song in my mouth. again, praise our God. Many will see this and fear and trust in the Lord.” Sometimes you have to wait patiently for God's solutions and know that He is in control, that He knows what we need, that He is preparing a glorious deliverance, and that we just have to be calm. "Be still and know that I am God." Hallelujah! That is one of the antidotes to anxiety. You have to say to the soul, “Soul, be still. Soul, trust in the Lord. He knows what he's doing." If your children are not walking where they should walk at this time and you have been praying for them for a long time, entrust them to the Lord. Let the Lord fulfill. Let them season well. The Lord sometimes gives children a rope so that they can go around and jump and then pull them again, already chastened, taught, and then He does the work. Meanwhile, pray and cry out to the Lord, and give the divine hound to chase him. Chúbale is a Caribbean word, it means throw it on the divine hound. And the Lord will take care of them in a moment, because God has a plan for each one of us. And sometimes his plans are more complex than we think.

There comes a time when one has to say, “Lord, I'll stop... I'm going to stop toiling, fighting, agonizing, I give it to you. I release it to you Take care of him." When you can't deal with something, leave it to the Lord and that will help you be at peace. You are, as I say, it is important that you remember that your God is aware of your need. There is something else that also helps me to deal with anxiety and that is knowing that I am not condemned for the rest of my days to be a slave to anxiety. Remember that. There is an alternative. Why am I saying this? Because many times I believe that one of the most serious problems for those of us who suffer from anxiety or depression, or whatever, is that we think, look, I am condemned for the rest of my life to deal with this and to be under its domain, because the days go by and we cannot get out of it and the desire dominates us. And we kind of think anxiety is a condition that can't be controlled. And I believe that part of the solution is simply to understand that no, that is not the case, that there are alternatives, that I can take control of my anxiety and my depression, that there are ways that the Holy Spirit can help me. There are teachings from the word of God that anxiety is not dominant. It's like sin too. The Bible says that God has freed us from slavery to sin, it does not mean that we do not have to deal with it, but from being enslaved to it, the Lord frees us and gives us agency, gives us dominion, gives us control, not help each day to learn how to keep it under the dominion of the Lord and the Holy Spirit. And knowing that only helps a lot because that indicates then, that you can do things.

For example, one of the things that helps me deal with anxiety is taking my eyes off the problem and forcing my mind to turn to God's solution. Take your eyes off the threat and tell your mind, now, leave that behind and focus on the divine promise, what God says. Because anxiety is like a snake that wants to hypnotize you with its eyes. She wants you to focus on her eyes and then you have no power to get out of her gaze. And God tells you, “Look, when you are anxious, use your freedom and start thinking about positive things, start thinking about my promises.” For example, I love when I am in situations of anxiety, one of the verses that has helped me the most is simple, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." So, I force myself to stop looking at the snake and look at the Lord and declare his promises, I declare his fidelity. Then I get into the effort to generate positive energy mentally. I go into worship. Immediately I look for a refuge, a place and I sit down and focus on the Lord and I pray and declare the goodness of the Lord, his faithfulness. I spend 3, 4, 5 minutes in a place that is like a refuge. And there I feel that my soul is renewed and little by little that negative energy is decaying and hope enters again, and peace enters, simply because I took my eyes off the problem and put it on the promise of the Lord. And that helps me because I know that as soon as this anxiety comes in, it can also go away if I do what I have to do.

And that leads us to this idea that it is important that we focus on God before the things of the world, the problems of the world, the cares of the world. Just thinking about the Lord, his love, his faithfulness, his compassion, his mercy, his patience with us, his commitment to us, that generates, I would say, in our organism chemical substances that promote well-being. You know that there are substances in your body, endorphins for example, but there are chemical substances that generate peace of mind. It is like a natural pill that you take and the way to generate the substance is through thought. Thought generates that substance that brings you peace. And that's why it's so important to focus on God. The word says, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on you." Look at that, if your thought perseveres. What does it mean to persevere? It means staying focused, it is making a decision, it is determining, I am going to think about God, I am not going to think about the devil who is trying to destroy me. I am going to think about my Father who loves me, I am going to think about the things of the realm of the spirit and I am going to think about that God who has so many good things for me, who has promised to be with me every day until the end of the world. , who has told me that in the world I will find affliction but that I trust because He has already overcome the world. He destroyed it. They threw at Him all the missiles ever and ever and He hit the devil home run, including the cross and death. And since He won in my substitute, now I can win through Him, identifying myself in Him. Because the key is in that, if you identify with Christ, then, what He achieved you can also achieve if you focus in it.

In Philippians chapter 4 verse 8 and 9 there is a great blessing for us about that, to focus. And the question is for you, what are you focusing on? What are you concentrating your attention on? And the Apostle Paul says there, in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, If there is any virtue, if there is something worthy of value and praise, think about this, think about this.” In other words, try to keep your mind focused on the good, noble things, which incline you towards the positive, the eternal, which generates blessing in your life. He thinks about those things because he then says in verse 9, “what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, this do – and look at the conclusion here – and the God of peace will be with you.” Why doesn't it say the God of power, the God of grace? No, the God of peace. Because when you focus your life and your energies on things that abound for blessing and respect, admiration, virtue, that will generate in you the positive energy that will keep you at peace.

I try as much as possible before going to bed, an hour or half an hour before, not to be on the internet. How many people on a Saturday night the first thing they see or the last thing they see is a horror movie, or an adventure movie, a scare movie, a car race in the street, whatever, and their system is already electrical, and so they want to lie down and sleep well. When what you should do is calm down. If before going to bed you go to Google and hear the latest news about the pandemic, don't be surprised if there are nightmares and devils in your sleep and you don't sleep well. And then you wonder why I'm not sleeping well. It is that you filled yourself with negative things. According to what you think so you are. According to what you spend time doing, that is what you are going to be and what you are going to feel. How much better is one to meditate and concentrate on things of the spirit rather. And if you go to see a movie, go to Bambi, see something like Fred Flintstones from the 70s, I wasn't alive at the time but I'm told it was good. Lately I've been consuming Star Trek, the Jean Luc Picard version, and Meche laughs at me because that's what I'm consuming lately, a man who has consumed so many other films that he shouldn't be watching, but in This time of my life I have wanted to see Star Trek, because good Star Trek always wins. And those evil aliens get embarrassed and lose and the Star Trek officers are generous and faithful and loyal and they have a lot of courage and they're skilled at defending the universe, and that gives me good feelings and good energy. Because in this time of my life I need good energy. If I start consuming Wonder Woman or whatever, or Van Damme or whatever, forget I'm going to go crazy.

So, let's think about the good things. Let us think about the goodness of God, the purposes of God, his commitment to our life, the things of the Kingdom of God and that will help us. Get into the word and if there is any virtue in something, think about those things. Control what your mouth says, what you confess. There are people who are always confessing bad things. How are you? Oh, I'm fine, but I know that soon that's not going to be true. Think of good things. Confess that God is good, that God is with you even if you don't believe it yourself. Only confess it until you believe it, until it becomes something positive. Does he know that according to your confession, that's how your life will be? There are times when we have had so many terrible experiences in life that our conversation becomes negative, and then we have to retrain our brains for the things we confess, because at least you can control what your mouth says and you can say things good even if you don't believe it, and little by little that will reprogram your brain and then, little by little your brain will start thinking in a positive way. This is real. Any psychologist will tell you that conditioning is a very important thing that changes the brain. Perhaps you cannot put your fingers in the neurons of your brain and change it, but you can through your word and what you say and speak, begin to manipulate the neurons of your brain. So speak positively. Confess positively, think about positive things. Have positive conversations, consume positive entertainment. In this time the devil wants us to get on the internet and see all the negative news we can about Covid, the thousand ways that Covid is going to reach our noses. And at some point we have to say, no, no, no. There are brothers who are experts in sending me messages of destruction and cataclysms.

There are some people who specialize, I don't know when they find the time, but they are always sending threats, terror, death, Covid, how it can destroy us in a thousand exquisite ways. And it is because we are consuming all the negative, we are the latest from Fauci or what Biden said or whoever. If we are from the right, we are thinking that these liberals are trying to manipulate life and to do… and then, our life is continuously… Look, I have been on a news diet for a long time. Unfortunately, I'm paying for the New York Times and I haven't read it for months now, because he said, I'm not going to make life difficult for myself. And I, who was up to my nose in the news a few months ago, decided, I'm going to take a news fast. And look, I sleep much better. Because I already realized that look, this is going to be long and it will be better for me to enjoy life for a bit, I have quite a few problems with what you have given me to attend to, so I am not going to add… So, I have decided to go on a news diet. I read the essentials. I read the news headlines sometimes so I'm not totally ignorant either. But I have left the result of all this to the Lord.

I did it this morning and I'm going to do it again because I'm reckless, and if I were a wiser man I wouldn't say this. Brothers, look, if you can, and I don't want you to feel bad about me, I'm not imposing anything on you. That is a matter of your conscience. But if you can and find freedom, get vaccinated. Total silence. Where is the amen, glory to God. No no. [Laughs] You know, I don't want to blame anyone, but right now this whole pandemic thing is causing quite a stir and a lot of it is because of people who haven't gotten vaccinated and a lot of people are dying needlessly right now and it's causing a amount of distortion in the human economy by refusing to get vaccinated, frankly. And as I say that, with great respect because I cannot violate the conscience of any brother here. If God has told you, or you think God has told you not to get vaccinated, that's fine, if there's any physical condition or whatever. But in reality, I believe that God is as powerful to defend me against the vaccine as he is against Covid, in both ways. If there is something wrong with the vaccine, the Lord takes care of it. And at least, I stop suffering and stop that and then I'm free to live my life. I like when they ask me, I'm going to a medical place or something, “Are you vaccinated?” "Yeah." [Laughter] I tell him, "I'm vaccinated and I have the card here if you want to see it." Because actually I know that some of us have serious reservations about that, but look, we live in a world so interconnected, interspersed, that we affect others without realizing it. And so, for me, it's the same. If God is going to defend me, he is going to defend me with or without a vaccine, and he is going to defend me from the vaccine or because of the vaccine. I don't know, so that gives me great freedom.

Because there is so much controversy in the world and I frankly believe, again, reckless as I am, that sometimes there is a matter of not giving in to us. And sometimes we have to humble ourselves and say, amen. I had a great time during the months without getting vaccinated and I felt free. I tell Meche, and we agree, we did not exempt ourselves from almost anything during the first months of Covid. We did everything we did. We enjoyed the restaurants more because we went there and they were empty. So, the waiters were more humble, they served us better, we didn't have to make reservations. We went to the parks and they were empty, we walked like kings, owners of the entire park. We did everything, we lived very calmly and we enjoyed life because we were trusting in the Lord. The vaccine came and I said, look, my public position is important and therefore, I am going to get vaccinated so that I can tell my brothers, don't worry, I'm fine. I know that there are other things that say no, that this and that, but therein lies the problem, that for every good thing you hear, you will hear 10 negative ones. For every person who tells you, don't worry, every doctor there is, "You've been vaccinated, you're fine," there will be 10 neurotic doctors who will tell you, "No, that's a lie because so-and-so died in such a state . In a jungle in Africa someone got vaccinated and caught Covid and died. A bird came and stung him and he died with Covid.” And then, there are 20,000 scenarios of evil, why? Because there are billions of human beings and if you take statistically one thousandth of one percent of all the things that can happen in human territory, there are going to be thousands of stories of terror and tragedy.

So if you want to find reasons to worry, you will find not one, but 100 thousand. So, it is better that you live in peace and that you entrust your life to the grace of the Lord and that you entrust yourself to his arms. If you want to get the vaccine, get it and if it's not right, may God be with you according to your faith it will be done to you. But it's important that, I don't know why I said that, but it's free, it's a treat for you. But I believe that all of that comes from trusting in the Lord and resting in his arms. God is with you in the mountains and in the valleys, wherever it is, the Lord is powerful in protecting and caring for you.

The last thing, among the many things, I think the next time I preach I'm going to talk a little more about this, because there is so much material. Divine control is something we must focus on. There are things you can control and there are things you can't control. They are out of your control. And then, you have to know when to give up control to the Lord and when there are things that, the more you strive to control them, the more problems you are going to have and you are going to suffer because they are not in your control. This pandemic is something like that. Viruses have been with us since the foundation of the world and years ago I read in certain medical publications where it said that the fear of many epidemiologists at the time that I read that, we are talking about 15, 20 years ago, that the great fear of modernity was that super viruses were going to emerge, viruses so resistant that they would not obey any vaccine and that they would mutate very quickly and have a very great capacity to change shape, so that no vaccine could catch and neutralize them. And today, we may be in that dimension.

I have to choose if I am going to go into a cave for the rest of my life or if I am going to live free in the Lord and entrust myself to the grace of the Lord, do what I can, yes, do what I can, and that's why I say, if you can get vaccinated, if you have to wear your mask somewhere, amen, if you feel better about it. But there comes a time when one has to abandon oneself into the arms of the Lord and know that there are things that are beyond our ability to control. And we have to live an abundant life. The Lord has called us to an abundant life. The Lord has not called me to be cornered in a house 24 hours a day in fear that the virus could enter through the crack of a half-open window. The Lord has called me to move with joy, freely and entrust myself to his mercy and goodness. Knowing what I can control and what I can't control is a great source of calm and peace. Releasing ourselves to divine provision, to the one in control of the universe and dying to control.

You know, the doctors are going to say this, the psychiatrists, that one of the problems with anxiety is control. People who want to be in control of life are very prone to anxiety because when we lose control then we think the world is going to fall on us. And the more you adjust to the fluctuations of the world that are beyond you and to God's plans that are not your thoughts, and his plans are your plans, and you simply learn to live humbly, each day brings its own toil, each day bring its own evil, as the Lord says. Why are you going to worry about what will happen in 10 years, what happened 100 years ago, what you cannot control, about the virus that can catch you when you get off the bus or on the bus? There is a moment when you have to say, "Look, I have already done everything I could, and now, Father, I entrust my life to you, and I abandon myself to you." Because this world is going to continue with more problems. What we are seeing, I would say, is possibly little more than other things that can come, and we have to entrust our souls to the Lord and then let Him tell us each day, because each day will bring its own burden, as it says. the Lord here.

I have learned, brothers, that I am not the center of the universe and that the world depends on me less than I think or would like to think, that the world is fine without me. And that the best thing will be that I enjoy these few years that I have here on earth because after I die, something worse will come, or when I die, 10 better pastors than me will come to take control of the church, let me tell you . In my best moments I believe that. I go on vacation and when I return, as I say, people are happy that I left. [Laughter] I find that the church is better and I say, wow! I have to go more often then. The shepherds are happy because they don't have me watching over them. In the worship group they are happy. The people who are in the sound and in the projection say, oh, I can rest, the pastor is not here this Sunday. New leaders emerge, good things happen, the glory of God on earth and me there in Maine suffering because my brothers don't have me here to guard the world and protect it. [Laughter] I think that is why the Lord designed the Sabbath because He said, “you have to keep and rest because you are going to believe that the world revolves around you and that if you stop working the world is going to fall on top of you. . And when we take rest, we discover that no, that it is God who is in control and that the world follows.

Therefore, mother, do not kill yourself so much for your children. This is a free napita for the sisters who live sometimes suffering for their children and parents, and toiling away, and if I don't prepare that little scrambled egg for them in the morning they are going to starve. Boys are more resilient than you think. Take a break too, have a cup of coffee and let the boy yell a little, he's not going to die. Enjoy life, your son who is in trouble, pray for him, entrust him to the Lord, rest in the Lord. Delegate other things. Don't worry. The world was there before you were born and it will continue after you die. The wise Solomon says, “What is it? What it was. What will it be? What it is." Every day is the same. There's nothing, he says, that you can say, it's the first time it's happened. There is nothing original in the world. The world has existed for so many centuries that everything has already repeated itself. The world is cyclical, it is a circle, it goes and comes back, and goes and comes back, and we get into that wheel and believe that we are doing something new, different, that we are changing the world. The world is as it is and as it will be until Christ comes. So enjoy the ride, enjoy the ride. Hallelujah! Take a good little juice on the plane, not to mention other things. Have a coffee. Smile at the flight attendant and the person next to you and enjoy the ride, because once you're up there at 30,000 feet, you're not in control of anything. And the world will go on and we have to learn to flow with the world, to live creative lives, even as we try to make a difference because it's not like we're lazy either.

I believe that the person who can make a change in the world and be truly influential is the person who has given up, paradoxically. The person who has understood that it is not essential is the person who can do the most good in the world, because then he is free to do things and if he fails, he does not care because he already knows that it is so anyway. I say that when a person learns conformity, peace in the Lord, rest in the Lord, he becomes an imminently needed hero for others. The world needs people who have died to the need to make a change in the world, and then God frees them to make a change in the world. Think about that tonight before you go to bed. The only person free to do great and creative things in the world is the person who has stopped believing that he is the center of the universe and who has moments of stillness, resting in the Lord, taking time to meditate, to pray, to smell the lilies, enjoy a good coffee. Those are the people who end life fresh as a lettuce, while the rest are already completely dry. God tells us, enjoy the ride. We could be here until tonight, and thank God we won't.

The wise Solomon says, "Enjoy your vanity every day, your women, your youth, your family, your children, never lack ointment on your head, a white dress to wear, because God is pleased with you." How good it is to know, brothers, that. How good it is to know that the diploma is done, the study is simply because something needs to be done. But God already has your graduation diploma ready. The day you die they will give it to you, but meanwhile know that everything you do in this world, if you are in Christ, if you love the Lord with all your heart, if you trust in Christ Jesus, everything What happens in this world is mere theater and drama. Everything is already done. And therefore, enjoy the journey and don't be too busy wanting to change the structures of life because that is beyond your level. Try to do all the good you can and also take care of yourself and make sure that you enjoy what God has given you, this mystery of living this human reality for a while.

Brethren, God's call to us is to be still, “Know that I am God.” Amen. Let's lower our heads for a moment. I want to invite you now to deliver your burdens to the Lord, and I also want to invite, if there is someone this afternoon who wants to deliver above all the greatest burden that is you, your life to the Lord, surrender it to the Lord right now too. If there is someone who has not accepted Christ as Lord and savior, if you want to make your pact with God, because all this is for those who know Christ above all. If you know Christ, He plugs you into his economy and then you have access to the goods and blessings of the Kingdom of God. And if you have not taken that step and want to do it now, that we pray for you, you can raise your hand, come forward, as you wish. Amen, brother, come forward here. As you feel more comfortable. Alright. Glory to God. If there is anyone else who wants to give their life to the Lord this afternoon and plug into the divine realm, come this way or do it there, stand up. Because it is also good to invite the Lord in the midst of your relatives, to enter the university of life in a public way before the Lord.

There is something meritorious about when one confesses Christ in such a sacrificial way that it costs us something. That is where the blessing begins. If anyone else wants to take that step this afternoon, welcome. We will pray for you. And the other thing is, then, while we wait a moment longer, that you too… I will be here with you, if you want to stand up or whatever, give your burden to the Lord this afternoon. If you have been in a hurry, overwhelmed by Covid and the fear of what will happen to your health, if there is a struggle in your life, a burden or something, and you want to make a sign of surrender and work with the call of God, you can stand up or come forward, as you wish, or be there quietly. But say, Lord, I give you my burden. I give you my anxiety, I give you my problem, I give you my character, I give you my fight. I abandon myself to you. I recognize that I can't do it myself, that this is too serious and big and troublesome for my life and I turn it over to you. Take control. I give you my anxiety, I give you my depression, I give you my fear, I give you this situation that is too serious for me, but I recognize that you are merciful and kind. Brethren, there is beauty in that, in surrendering to the Lord and trusting in Him. God is kinder than any of us can imagine. And sometimes it requires heroic gestures of saying to the Lord, I give myself to you.

If somebody else wants to do it, however they want, you can stand up there in your seat like some of them are doing or kneel down or raise your hand or whatever. surrender. I surrender. I am there with you right now giving the Lord my fear, my anxiety, my tendency to push myself more than necessary, and to believe that I am going to die if God does not intervene right now, which I am yelling at him to do. How good it is to know that your Father has a mesh of protection under you. No matter how many somersaults you do in life, 40 feet high, 50 feet high, no matter how many things are going on in your life, your Father has a safety net that if you fall, what are you going to do? it is to bounce slightly on the mesh and you will not hurt yourself. Those leggings are the eternal arms of God, the capable and incredibly powerful hands of your Dad. I thank God because he has brought me lately to a point where I have said, Lord, if I don't break my head it is because you will have been in control. How good it is when we abandon ourselves to Him and drop all weapons and let Him be the one to take control. Father, by this word, Lord, which is being proclaimed in faith in you, in life in you, this word is alive, Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that the living energy of your word enter the hearts of my brothers, of this community, of this spiritual family called the Lion of Judah, their marriages, their children, their adults, their leaders, those who are in their homes right now, by this word that is alive and effective, its content is move within the soul of my brothers, breaking everything that hinders, every interruption in their neurology, everything that prevents your life from flowing freely through its conductors, Father, all in the name of Jesus.

You do the work in this community, Father, may your word be something wonderfully alive and effective in the lives of my brothers. Receive the peace of Christ now, receive the peace that passes all understanding. My peace I leave you, says the Lord, peace I give you. I do not give it as the world gives it. Not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Send your peace. We get rest. We bind every spirit of fear, every devil that wants to bring anxiety to our minds, to our hearts, everything that stands between your promise and our lives. Remove all obstacles, Father, that this town can sleep peacefully. This town loves you, Lord. This town serves you, this town gives and you have called us to be calm and confident. Let that come true. Take away the fear, Father, take away the anguish, oh God. Help us die to the world and then resurrect the God who is in control. Hallelujah! We confess that we cannot by ourselves and that we need the God of all power and enter, flood the most hidden places of being, Father. I ask that this afternoon lives be impacted, changed, transformed, penetrated by your divine energy, Holy Spirit. Receive my brother, receive the grace of the Lord right now. Open your chest, open your heart, open your inner being, visualize the floodgates of your being opening wide and the King of Glory will enter. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah. Hallelujah! The strong and brave. Jehovah who is committed to you to defend you from all evil. Your Father who loves you and who knows you.

Enter peace abundantly into the lives of my brothers. We banish fear. We banish anguish, we banish everything bad from the fall of this sinful world. Life, life, life, health, rest, trust in the Lord, aggressive joy to serve your God, provision of all needs. I bless my brothers, Father, this afternoon. You know their hearts, you know why they are here in front. They are your property, Lord, because they have confessed Christ as Lord and Savior and they know that you are their provider and forgiver. My brothers here in front, receive grace from the Lord. God gives his church the power to forgive all sin, so says the word. Not for us but for the Christ who died for you and who has transferred his authority to the church. So, we declare over you also with reconciliation and peace in the Lord, rest in the Lord, justification, eternal life, I declare you property of the Kingdom of God under the seal of Christ Jesus and his precious blood. Thanks thanks. We adore you. Thank the Lord. Receive. Thank God. God is with us. God is with us. Hallelujah! We bless the name of Jesus. Go home and celebrate, my brother, my sister, or go to the best place you know of over there. Enjoy and celebrate your status as a child of God. God bless you. Grace of the Lord upon you.