Week Five, 2026
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:25–27)
Well, one month down and eleven to go. We are already in February; the New Year’s holiday is behind us, along with many resolutions—some of which have already been broken. Now, we are asking what lies ahead for 2026. What have we planned? And are we prepared for what we have not planned?
A recent Cornell study found that 85 percent of what people worry about never happens, and 79 percent of their worries that came true were not as bad as they thought. The world says to stop worrying. It suggests techniques like scheduling “worry time,” practicing mindfulness to focus on the present, journaling to understand triggers, making action plans for controllable issues, and using distraction or relaxation (exercise, deep breaths, hobbies) for uncontrollable ones—while also ensuring good sleep and a healthy diet.
But in the Bible, worry or anxiety is seen as a lack of trust in God. It is a distracted mind focused on worldly, temporal things instead of eternal priorities, and an attempt to carry burdens that God wants to bear. Key teachings from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25–34) advise against worrying about food, clothing, and life’s necessities. He points to God’s care for creation as proof He will provide for His people, urging them to “seek first the kingdom of God.” Instead of worrying, believers are encouraged to pray, give thanks, and cast their anxieties on God, who promises peace (Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Peter 5:7).
In Philippians 4:6–7, we are commanded: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
The Bible doesn’t admonish us not to plan, but rather not to worry about the future. Worry assumes the worst will happen. When we fear what lies ahead, it represents a lack of trust in God; we are trying to micromanage the future through worry. Instead, we should have faith in God. Jesus is our Heavenly Father and, like all good fathers, He knows that we have basic needs in life that must be met.
What are some of the ways that you have seen God direct your plans?
Sometimes True Stories
It seems our society is becoming more and more divided along social and economic lines. Unfortunately, we do not seem to be storing knowledge and wisdom; instead, we are resorting to name-calling and violence. God’s Word should be the filter for our understanding. Our decisions, attitudes, values, and life principles should be built on the foundation of God’s Word. A wise person understands that Jesus is the foundation of life. —Tony Ferguson
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It’s time to study what the Bible predicts about the final days of history. Passages like those in the books of Daniel and Revelation were intended for consumption. God expects us to read and study these parts of Scripture, for He wants to prepare us for what’s to come. When we neglect biblical prophecy, we’re closing our eyes to the future—maybe to the immediate future! “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3). —David Jeremiah
Quotes You Can Use
In the face of fear and uncertainty, believe God, resist isolation, and worship the Lord. In seasons of uncertainty, resist isolation and pursue community. When God shows up in unexpected ways, let worship be your first response. —Edgar Aponte
Light and darkness are mutually exclusive. —Dan Shock
Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company. —George Washington
Many strokes, though with a little axe, hew down and fell the hardest-timbered oak. —William Shakespeare
Live in peace, not pieces.
The Sermon on the Mount will help remind us all just how much Pharisee is in all of us. —Dwight Short
Whether you like it or not, you are an influence to someone—for good or for bad. —Dan Shock
Traps can be dangerous places. The devil sets traps daily; only God can rescue us. —Tony Ferguson
The happiest of all Christians are those who never dare to doubt God but take His Word simply as it stands. —Charles Spurgeon
If we doubt God’s Word about one thing, we shall have small confidence in it upon another thing. Sincere faith in God must treat all of God’s Word alike; for the faith that accepts one word of God and rejects another is evidently not faith in God, but faith in our own taste. —Charles Spurgeon
The New Testament is absolutely clear that Jesus Christ is God. He is not a created being, He is not a man who became God, He is not a prophet, and He is not an angel. He is the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who took on human flesh and dwelt among us. —John MacArthur
O Christian, the world is not your friend. If it is, then you are not God’s friend. —Charles Spurgeon
One of the great failures in marriages has been the failure of men to give women a sense of value and appreciation. If more husbands would demonstrate full confidence in their wives, there would be more fulfilled wives and better marriages. —Tony Ferguson
Repentance without rejoicing will lead to despair. —Tim Keller
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