Are You Following Jesus, or Just Trying Not to Worry?

[David]

A lot of people say they believe in God, but their life shows they are still trying to carry everything themselves. They worry, they fear, they stress, and when trouble comes, God becomes the last place they run instead of the first.​

I am not saying that every person who worries is lost. Real Christians can struggle with worry. Jesus did not waste words when He said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself” ~Matthew 6:34. He said that because He knows how easily our hearts get pulled into tomorrow before tomorrow even gets here.

But there is a deeper issue that needs to be said plainly. Some people do not take following Jesus Christ seriously. They want peace, comfort, blessings, and help in hard times, but they do not really want Christ to have first place. They want Jesus near enough to help them, but not Lord enough to rule them.

That is not biblical Christianity.

Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” ~Luke 9:23. That is not casual religion. That is not checking in with God when life gets hard. That is surrender. That is a life turned toward Christ.

There are also many people who go to church, but church is just something they do. It makes them feel better. It gives them a sense of religion. It may ease their conscience for a little while. But they are not truly seeking Christ, they are not spending time in God’s Word, and they are not letting Scripture correct how they live.

Going to church does not make a person born again. Hearing sermons does not mean the heart has been changed. Being around Christian people does not mean a person belongs to Christ. A person can sit in a church building for years and still not know the Lord.

Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” ~Luke 6:46. That is a serious question. It exposes the difference between words and surrender. A person can call Jesus Lord with their mouth while refusing Him with their life.

James wrote, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” ~James 1:22. That means a person can hear truth and still deceive themselves if they never receive it, believe it, and obey it. Listening to preaching is not the same as walking with Christ. Being around the Bible is not the same as letting the Bible govern your heart.

That is where a lot of people are. They want enough church to feel better, but not enough Scripture to be changed. They want a comforting thought, but not a crucified life. They want God to calm their worries, but they do not want His Word to correct their sin, expose their pride, or change their direction.

The Bible does not present Christianity as a weekly religious habit. It presents it as a new birth, a new life, and a real walk with Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” ~John 3:3. That is not optional. That is not religious language. That is the dividing line. A person is either born again or they are not.

He also warned, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” ~Matthew 7:21. That should sober us. Not scare us into despair, but sober us enough to stop playing games with God.

Some people worry about whether they are saved because deep down they know they have never truly come to Christ. They may believe facts about God. They may have grown up around Christian words. They may attend church. They may even pray when they are in trouble. But they have never truly repented and trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Others may truly be saved, but they are weak because they have not been in the Word of God for themselves. They have lived on sermons, opinions, social media posts, family religion, or feelings, but they have not opened the Bible asking God to teach them, correct them, and lead them.

David prayed, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” ~Psalm 119:18. That ought to be the cry of every person who wants truth. Not, “Lord, confirm what I already think,” but “Lord, open my eyes to what You have actually said.”

The Holy Spirit does not lead a person away from Scripture. He opens the truth of Scripture. Paul wrote, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” ~1 Corinthians 2:12. Then he says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” ~1 Corinthians 2:14.

That means spiritual truth is not just information. A person needs the Spirit of God to understand and receive the things of God. That is why a person can hear the Bible and still miss Christ if their heart is not right before God.

Now here is the part many people need to hear. You do not get assurance by staring at yourself all day. You do not get peace by asking over and over, “Am I really saved?” while refusing to go to Christ. Assurance comes from looking to what God has said and coming honestly to Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves” ~2 Corinthians 13:5. That is not a call to panic. It is a call to be honest before God.

Do you believe the gospel? Do you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for your sins, that He rose again, and that salvation is by grace through faith in Him, not by your own works? Scripture says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” ~Ephesians 2:8-9.

Have you come to Him in repentance and faith? Paul preached “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” ~Acts 20:21. Real faith is not just believing God exists. James says, “the devils also believe, and tremble” ~James 2:19. Saving faith comes to Christ, trusts Christ, and follows Christ.

Do you desire to obey Him? Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” ~John 14:15. Obedience does not save us, but a heart that has no concern for obeying Christ has no biblical reason to claim confidence in Christ.

This is where many people get confused. They think assurance means pretending everything is fine. It does not. If you are living in rebellion, do not comfort yourself with empty words. Repent and come to Christ. But if you have truly trusted Christ, and your heart grieves over sin, and you desire to follow Him, then stop letting your feelings overrule the Word of God.

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life” ~John 5:24. He did not say might have it. He said hath everlasting life.

John wrote, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” ~1 John 5:13. God does not want His people living in endless confusion. He gave His Word so believers may know.

That does not mean we become careless. It means we rest where God tells us to rest. Not in our emotions. Not in our performance. Not in our church background. Not in a prayer we repeated years ago while having no desire for Christ now. We rest in Jesus Christ and what He has promised.

Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” ~Matthew 11:28. That is the answer. Come to Christ. Not casually. Not halfway. Not only when life hurts. Come to Him as Lord and Savior.

If you are not sure you are saved, do not try to fix that by worrying harder. Go to Christ. Confess your sin. Believe the gospel. Ask God to open your eyes. Get into the Bible. Read it with a surrendered heart. Do not just ask God to make your life easier. Ask Him to make you His.

And if you are saved, but worry has been choking your faith, bring that to Him too. The Bible says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” ~1 Peter 5:7. That is not a one-time act for many of us. Sometimes we have to bring the same burden back to Him again and again.

The Christian life is not casual. Jesus does not ask for a small corner of your heart. He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” ~Matthew 6:33.

That is where peace begins. Not by trying harder to stop worrying, but by giving Christ the place He deserves.

If you are lost, come to Christ.

If you are saved, follow Him seriously.

If your eyes have been closed, ask God to open them through His Word.

And stop treating Jesus like an emergency contact. He is Lord.