Therefore don't be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?', 'What will we drink?' or, 'With what will we be clothed?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient. Matthew 6:31-34 WEB.

When you begin to dig too deep into the "Thou shall" and "shall nots" of the Bible and compare it to your own life, it will soon overwhelm you. You may spiral into an attitude of defeat. "This is too much. I can't do this. Why bother?" The enemy wants you to give up and will quickly point out your flaws to discourage you from trying.

If you start looking for excuses, you will find a bottomless list of things that need to be done before you can feel "right with God." Before you can pray for someone else, speak something in faith, or begin to encourage others. After dwelling on the "list" for a while, many people give it up as a lost cause. It's just too much, too confusing.

There is a better solution to this problem:
* Forget the to-do list and take small steps.
* Involve the Lord in whatever you are doing each day.
* Don't focus inward on yourself. Instead, focus on Jesus.

You will soon find yourself automatically fulfilling His will in your life, and it will bring His Kingdom power into your environment. I am not saying that we should ignore the Lord's commandments, but we should focus more on loving God and loving others instead of legalism.

Yes, we have many problems, but this life is the only one we have, so let's make the best of it. Even if you take baby steps, you will still move forward a little each day. Besides, the Lord is more concerned about who you are as a person than about what you can do for Him.

If you don't change your direction, you will end up where you're headed. You can do this and be successful if you keep a positive attitude and keep pressing forward. Don't get overwhelmed, and don't turn back. God loves you, and He is so proud of the progress that you have made so far. Let go of the do's and don'ts and say, "Lord, just as I am, I give myself to You. Please help me."

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for sometimes taking my eyes off You and getting overwhelmed with rules that I don't understand. Make Your love simple to me and reveal it to me transparently. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is Thankful Thursday at the Ministry Events group! This event gives us an opportunity encourage each other by posting thoughts, moments, and prayers of gratitude for Him, His creation and all that He does in our lives. All our welcome! To join, just click on the group name and then the join link on the page that will follow. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.