"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:34 NKJV)
How many of us have found ourselves worrying unnecessarily and getting stressed out over things that never actually happen? So many times we seem to delight in playing the "what ifs ... ", stewing and fretting when God tells us very clearly to get our minds on "what IS" instead. And, when properly understood, that underlying concept becomes something truly profound. Certainly the verses that precede the above passage deal with not worrying about our daily needs – e.g. the desire for a marriage partner, secure employment, affordable housing, having a family – but what IS, is so much more. As verse 33 emphasises, it also requires our mind be focused, day in day out, on the certainty of the coming kingdom of God, and the righteousness needed to be part of it:
Conversely, we can also find ourselves fretting over the past, thinking "what if I'd done this, that or the other?" Or NOT done so? I don't think there is anyone of us that hasn't regretted some of our past actions, or lack of them. Not one of us has been the perfect parent, for example, yet we can't "turn the clock back" for one second, but we can alter our future actions, by learning from the past. If there was one individual who would liked to have changed some things he'd been involved in, it could be the apostle Paul, who organised the imprisonment and possible murder of newly converted Christians. So how did he cope with this burden?
From the Genesis account of creation being accomplished in day-tight segments, to the command; "let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26) God reinforces our need as human beings to live our lives within realistic day-tight compartments. The very fact that we have time so usefully divided for us into these 24 hour segments at all should add weight to the truth of this – something further reinforced within the Scriptures themselves:
It's clear that Christ followed His own advice while here on earth to concentrate on what was for the day – rather than constantly playing "what if" for the future – by not allowing Himself to become distraught over what was about to occur until well after sunset on the Passover – a mere few hours before His crucifixion. And even then, His mind always returned to the coming kingdom of God, and all that that entailed for humanity – made possible by His impending sacrifice. This was a future focus that Paul expresses in Hebrews 12:2 as "the joy that was set before him" and that He Himself had prophesied He would possess within the closing verses of Psalm 22 – a prophetic psalm that deals extensively with events and His thoughts during the crucifixion:
Many of the daily rituals performed within the tabernacle and temple in ancient Israel also point in a similar direction and are clearly there to teach us, as firstfruits, spiritual lessons during this church age. We can see this very clearly when we examine the use of incense. Just before the trumpet plagues we are given a glimpse of the activity that is prophesied to take place before the throne of God at that time - in Revelation chapter 8. Note carefully how incense is given as the symbolism of prayer, and the way it is offered by burning it on the golden altar before the throne:
This altar of incense – overlaid with pure gold – was used on two occasions each day. This was when the lights, fuelled with olive oil, were tended – picturing the flow of God's Holy Spirit into us as we pray (Luke 1:10) to then become the very light of God seen within this world as it is used by His saints (holy ones) throughout the same day – very much a day-by-day occurrence (Matthew 5:14).
Unlike the rest of this world's "christianity" we understand that the reason for our very existence is to be part of the God family... no wonder Satan is pulling out all stops to muddy the waters as to what a family consists of, even to the extent of confusing the basic tenets of what is male and what is female! And in a vibrant family, the members talk often to one another, share experiences, hopes, dreams, even amusing incidents of everyday life. Should we not do that also with our heavenly Father?
And also, Jesus Christ, our compassionate High Priest, gladly fulfils his role in the process of enabling us to go before the Father - with all our worries, concerns, heartaches - in our daily prayers, not allowing them to multiply and grow out of all proportion:
In the outline prayer Jesus Christ gave us as a guide, He stressed "give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11), or as it says in Luke, "give us day by day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3) , or as the margin says, "give us for the day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3 margin) . The point to recognise is that the daily bread being asked for is only for that single day. Very much, "what IS" rather than needlessly worrying about future "what ifs".
Christ comments extensively on this "daily bread" that we all require in John chapter 6 – as being something that is profoundly multifaceted. One facet is certainly that of Christ Himself – the living Word of God; Emmanuel, God in the flesh; The One we all must emulate:
Another facet is the spiritual example found within the daily gathering of manna by the ancient Israelites (Exodus 16:21)
But the key facet of this "daily bread" is found within His private closing comments reserved for His disciples:
What needs to be gathered daily – in a similar fashion to the way the ancient Israelites gathered manna day by day – are the spirit inspired words of eternal life, eaten and digested in personal Bible study, until we too become a living breathing word of God in the flesh – as was Christ Himself. But the point is, this very much involves eating such spiritual bread DAILY.
And by this regular study of the word of God, we find that "What IS" for each one of us, is the most incredible future that any human mind can dream of. Not only the future though, but guidance through life, rescue from trials, protection from danger, blessings as well as our needs provided for. This is reality...this is what truly IS.
Unlike the world that on the one hand sees this physical life as something they desperately need to hold onto at all costs, yet on the other hand it's viewed as entirely without meaning or purpose of any kind – those of us in God's church should be approaching the subject in almost an opposite way. The life we have now is merely a physical chemical existence – not real life at all – but on the other hand it has vital meaning and purpose. That purpose is to prepare each one of us for our future role in the kingdom of God as the firstfruits of God's harvest:
There is A REASON why we are the firstfruits. And I wish I could drive that home, but I fear that most of you just don’t get it. You don’t understand it at all. WHY? Why are we the firstfruits? I am going to try to make it plain this afternoon, and still I think you won’t get it. So much Protestantism has rubbed off on us we can’t get it out of our heads. They think God is trying to save the whole world; and then we think, “Well, He’s just saving us first.” And that is not the answer at all. We’re not saved just because God wants us to be His favorites and get us into His Kingdom ahead of others. We are saved for a very, very great purpose. We are the firstfruits of God’s harvest for His Kingdom. (Why the Firstfruits – 26th of May 1985)
That purpose should colour everything we do on a day by day basis. Not merely to "make it " into the Kingdom of God – but to have been trained throughout this temporary chemical existence, by the daily trials and problems we face, under the loving guidance of the Master Potter, until we are finally ready – fully prepared – to then teach God's Way of Life, His Lifestyle, throughout the millennium and eternity beyond.
... WE are NOT CALLED just for salvation; and, if it were for salvation, we wouldn’t have been called at all. You wouldn’t have been called at all just to get you into the Kingdom. THAT’S NOT WHY YOU WERE CALLED. You were called to become a student. You were called to learn how to save others when God’s Kingdom comes, when Jesus is sitting on the throne on this Earth. Brethren, YOU DON’T GET IT.
I’ve heard ministers speaking as if they never heard of that! I’ve said to some of them, “I don’t think our people understand that.” And they say, “Oh yes, they do, Mr. Armstrong.” Oh no, you don’t. Brethren, you just don’t understand that. We’re not called to just be the first ones to get into the Kingdom of God. We are called for a special mission—to become teachers. We are not called to become some to go out and convert the world now. We are called to learn how, in the resurrection, we can be rulers and teachers. (Why the Firstfruits – 26th of May 1985)
We find ourselves standing on the cusp of the end time tribulation with God's kingdom and its utopian rule just beyond our horizon. None of us like to think too deeply about the horrors that are shortly to overtake humanity, sadly necessary in order to get this world's attention. So the temptation to bury our heads in the sand – or conversely, worry needlessly by playing the "what ifs" – can at times be very great. But as Hebrews 12:1 encourages us, we have within the pages of Scripture many witnesses who have had to face similar circumstances in the past. They too faced an uncertain future at times: Abraham, Jacob, Jeremiah, Job, Elijah – all struggled to see God's hand with clarity on occasions. But with their lives recorded so faithfully in scripture, we can clearly seen how they were being trained, even if they themselves could not much of the time.
But let's take the example of Joseph:
Having been castigated for his dreams by the entire family he then finds himself sold into slavery by his brothers. As if that was not bad enough, having done absolutely nothing wrong he finds himself falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and ends up in prison, for the best part of 13 years, as far as we can tell, where according to Psalm 105:18 he became injured and disabled from the iron fetters he was forced to wear. But we know the reality. God's hand was both on him and guiding him throughout. No doubt he had his very dark moments....who wouldn't? but playing "what if" on a daily basis would have been futile for him. He had those dreams to fall back on....he must have re-visited them often to help him cope. It seemed God had a great job lined up for him! So, "What IS" – including an appreciation of the ongoing training God gives to all his servants (and future spirit born sons) – would have been the only way to handle the situation. So too for us! We must keep in mind that whatever we are facing, is part of our training. We've been assured by Christ in John 14 that He is preparing a place for us, in His coming government. We probably have no idea what that might be, but we can be assured we won't be square pegs in a round hole!
And God shows us also, through this real life example of Joseph, that what really is, is going to be so much more than we can even hope for. One day in prison and the next day second in command over the greatest nation on earth at that time? Truly, a God that goes over and above what we ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)
I remember talking at one time with a lady who had been recently widowed. I was trying to encourage her to begin to make a new life for herself when she cut me off with a statement that has stayed with me many years: she said, "I don't want to make a new life for myself. What I want, is my old life back!" And I think anyone of us, humanly, would have similar thoughts in such a situation – not only with the loss of a loved one, but other situations as well, such the "empty nest", when the last child leaves the family home for example, or when facing up to a serious medical condition. Yet playing "what if" remains futile. Taking no anxious thought for tomorrow and concentrating on "what is" is the approach in which we can best recognise the hand of God as He works with us through the trials and difficulties ahead. As the apostle Paul said – who certainly had his own set of trials to face:
Whatever trial we are facing today, or might do in the near future, we can be assured of our loving God walking us through each and every one, as He promises in so many places in the Bible. The "what ifs" tend to bring worry and stress – and most times just don't happen anyway, whereas focusing our minds on reality, the things not yet seen, – the what truly IS – will bring us that peace that passes all understanding.
While we were away, keeping God's Feast of Tabernacles, learning about God's coming government and a total outbreak of peace, prosperity and safety for all of mankind, this world continues to fall apart.
Sorry there isn't much good news - what did we expect? - this is the end of this age! This world is falling apart. But we know how this story ends!
Here are a few important news items we may have missed!
GERMANY - “Carsten Breuer has overseen the Bundeswehr’s rearmament as Berlin seeks to build Europe’s strongest conventional army. German General Carsten Breuer has been chosen as the next chair of the NATO Military Committee as European countries seek to strengthen their armed forces, citing the need to deter Russia. Breuer, inspector general of the Bundeswehr, will succeed Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, with his three-year term set to begin in the summer of 2027.” (rt.com)
GERMANY - “Occasionally, history does dish out poetic justice. It can also be exceedingly funny, if in a merciless way. Germany’s well-known tragedy – or let’s say, one of them – is that it suffers from a chronic deficiency of irony, so many Germans will fail to see the funny side of what has just happened. And yet, there is something very deserved as well as ironic about the recent catastrophe of the country’s establishment parties in three turning-point regional elections – in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin.
The stunning successes of the new-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in two of them (Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) have attracted most attention. And rightly so: For one thing, any remaining establishment delusions about marginalizing the AfD out of German politics using a ‘firewall’ are now where they have belonged for a very long time: on the trash heap of history.” (rt.com)
GERMANY - “The AfD’s latest gains are only part of the story as Germany’s postwar party system fractures and stable government becomes harder to sustain The latest state elections in Germany have confirmed a trend that is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss. The issue is no longer the occasional success of one party or failure of another, but the gradual dismantling of a political system that for decades appeared almost permanent. Germany isn’t particularly comfortable with political upheaval and when Germany becomes politically nervous, its neighbors have historically had reason to pay attention.” (rt.com)
GERMANY - “It appears that Germany is quite serious about getting ready for a war with Russia. Every 18-year-old in Germany is being sent a questionnaire that asks them if they are interested in joining the German military. Responding to the questionnaire is voluntary for women, but it is mandatory for men. For a nation that relentlessly preaches ‘equality’ among the sexes, that seems rather odd. Men that indicate that they have zero interest in joining the German military are not off the hook.
Under an ominous new law, all 18-year-old men in Germany must report for mandatory military medical exams to evaluate their fitness for military service. I realize that this sounds like something out of a dystopian novel. But this is actually happening. The German military has confirmed that ‘all men liable for military service who were born after 31 December 2007 must undergo mandatory military medical exams…’” (endoftheamericandream.com)
GERMANY - “From American Tomahawks to Israeli ballistic missiles, the Bundeswehr is building the ability to strike far beyond Germany’s borders. Over the past few months, there’s been a noticeable surge in reports regarding Germany’s interest in missiles – ranging from ballistic and cruise missiles to land- and sea-based systems. Various partners are involved in the initiative, including the US, Ukraine, Türkiye, and Israel. It looks like Germany intends to spend its entire budget on missiles, aiming to become the leading missile power in Western Europe.” (rt.com)
EUROPE - “500,000 Muslims in Europe in 2000 Have Grown to 46 MILLION and It's Supposed to Be Normal?” (rumble.com)
MIDDLE EAST - “Reza Pahlavi is the exiled Crown Prince of Iran and a prominent advocate for democracy and human rights in Iran. Pahlavi holds the title of Crown Prince, though Iran no longer has a monarchy. Currently, Reza Pahlavi is a leading figure in the Iranian opposition in exile. He advocates for democratic reforms and human rights in Iran rather than seeking to restore the monarchy. He is recognized as the leader of the National Lion and Sun Revolution, a movement promoting freedom and democracy for the Iranian people.
Now, watch beautiful France and its rich culture burn. Some media report that it didn’t begin with migrants. It was over GenZ’s discontent with overcrowded schools, mostly due to the invasion. Then the North African and Middle Eastern Islamists took over.” (independentsentinel.com)
MIDDLE EAST - “Saudi-backed forces are seeking to retake territory seized by the Iranian-backed group last month. Yemen’s civil war has intensified, with the internationally recognized government announcing a military operation aimed at retaking territory captured last month by the Iranian-backed Houthis. The Houthis, a Shiite armed group, continued their own offensive, reportedly seizing more towns in southwestern Taiz province near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.” (rt.com)
MIDDLE EAST - “The Great Middle East War has just entered a very dangerous new chapter. 100,000 troops under the control of the internationally-recognized government of Yemen are going to attempt to end the Houthi threat once and for all. Saudi Arabia will be assisting by conducting constant airstrikes on Houthi positions. In other words, all-out war is coming to the Arabian Peninsula. The United States will be providing intelligence and targeting data for this operation, but officials are telling us that the US military will not be directly involved at this time.
However, Axios is reporting that the US could join the operation at a later date ‘should it go south’. What this means is that there isn’t going to be an end to the Great Middle East war for a long time to come. One of Iran’s core demands has always been an end to the fighting on all fronts. Needless to say, what we are witnessing is the opposite of that.” (theeconomiccollapseblog.com)
MIDDLE EAST - “The United States military has finally withdrawn from Iraq after 12 years, with President Donald Trump criticizing the ‘very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place.’ The move marked the formal closure of another chapter of US occupation in the Middle Eastern country after troops previously left in 2011 after the Iraq War before returning to fight ISIS in 2014.” (breitbart.com)
FRANCE - “During Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit to France, he emphasized the Catholic Church’s teachings on such profound moral issues as abortion and ‘assisted’ suicide (more like ‘compelled’ in many cases). And the visual tableau of the Pope comforting the afflicted but beloved Marie-Garance Nöel is more powerful and eloquent than a thousand-million-billion words.
The Pope said in France, ‘The motto of the journey was that the world may have life, and these words characterize the Gospel-centered nature of my meetings throughout the visit.’ That doesn’t sound very political, and yet the word ‘life,’ alone, nevertheless does send a jolt. And the Pope knows it: ‘I came to preach the Gospel,’ he said, ‘if that’s politics, I did that.’
Still, the Pope is no pol. Refreshingly above the grubby world of backrooms and bureaucracies, he summons us to God’s higher purposes, not lowest-common-denominator compromises. As he puts it, ‘What is legal is not necessarily moral.’
Some US cities actually fund drug use and provide free housing for sex criminals. Moreover, if any locality is spending money, it’s likely that the federal government is chipping in. The feds spend a trillion dollars a year on various welfare programs, many of which subsidize destructive behavior. Which reminds us of the Pope’s wisdom: Legality isn’t the same as morality. Let’s add: A fully legal policy or program might be immoral.” (breitbart.com)
FRANCE - “Pope Leo XIV urged Europe to remember its Christian heritage and embrace it in a speech delivered in France’s northeastern city of Metz on Monday as he wound up the fourth and final day of his visit. France24 reports the Pope was keen to identify the unifying Christian background that has withstood the test of time and challenges from elsewhere right across Continental Europe as surging mass illegal migration across borders still troubles every nation. ‘One cannot speak of Europe without mentioning Christianity,’ he said, nodding to historians who record the faith has been present in Europe for nearly 2,000 years, arriving in the 1st century AD.” (breitbart.com)
World Problems Just Won't 'Go Away!'
“The Global Debt Crisis of 2026 has begun, and we are being warned that most people have ‘no idea what is about to happen’. The US government is $40,068,807,991,924.84 in debt, and all of a sudden the rest of the world has become a lot more hesitant to lend us money. Bond prices are crashing and rates are spiking. Now we find ourselves in the middle of a financial nightmare with no way out.
Meanwhile, rapidly rising interest rates could set off an unprecedented derivatives implosion. At this point, the total notional amount outstanding for global over-the-counter interest rate derivatives is well over 600 trillion dollars. As long as investors still had faith in the game, everything was going to be fine.
But now investors are losing faith in the US government, the Japanese government and governments all over Europe, because they have been borrowing money at insanely reckless levels. The bottom line is that we are perfectly primed for a stock market crash, and signs of trouble are already apparent. And now we are entering the pivotal month of October when some of the largest stock market crashes throughout history have occurred.” (theeconomiccollapseblog.com)
“This Is what A ‘Perfect Storm’ looks like: A Global Fertilizer Crisis, A Global Fuel Crisis, A Super El Niño And World War 3 All At The Same Time!
What a disaster 2026 has been.
Coming into this year, there was no war with Iran.
Coming into this year, the Strait of Hormuz was still open.
Coming into this year, there was no Super El Niño.
Coming into this year, the price of diesel was actually quite
low.
Coming into this year, we didn’t have a global fertilizer crisis
which appears to be having a ‘catastrophic impact’ on global food
production…” (theeconomiccollapseblog.com)
“Power is shifting East, old hierarchies are cracking, and technology is accelerating the breakdown of the Western-led order. The ’profound changes unseen in a century’ often mentioned by Xi Jinping are no longer merely abstract concepts found in books; they represent the systemic collapse and restructuring currently experienced by the global system.
For centuries, the world operated under a singular order – dominated by the West, characterized by linear development and a hegemonic steady state – which established fixed power structures, rules of engagement, and development paradigms. As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, this long-standing old order has reached a critical juncture marked by runaway entropy, the collapse of paradigms, and a civilizational transition.” (rt.com)
UK - “For the past ten days, villagers near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire have felt as if they've been living through their own high-octane movie. That at least is how district councillor Tristan Wilkinson sums up their mood. Few would accuse him of being melodramatic.
'This feels like another plot twist,' he says, referring to America's decision on Sunday to suddenly withdraw its £3.6 billion fleet of B-1 bombers from the base to prevent them being wiped out in a fiendish Iranian drone attack. Villagers evacuated from their homes, police swooping on terror suspects, secret agents deployed across Europe to name but a few. And the question locals keep asking is – what's going to happen next?
A local farmer driving home in the early hours of the morning from a party, came across three seemingly abandoned white vans blocking a quiet country road. When she dialled 999, police were already rushing to the scene because someone tipped them off – one of the masked men who would soon be arrested.
That wasn't the only curious aspect of this case. The Daily Mail's security editor Rebecca Camber revealed that the vans did not contain explosives after all, which is why the five were so swiftly released.
So what on earth was going on? One theory is that it may have all been an Iranian-backed hoax designed to spread panic and send a message to the US about how easy it would be to carry out a bomb attack at the base. Or was it a sinister decoy or dummy run? Questions that will no doubt be answered if the case reaches court.
It was also reported that such was the urgency to withdraw that the B-1s took off while refuelling aircraft were still being arranged to support the flights.
British and American officials said the plot was modelled on the audacious drone attack Ukraine launched last year that wiped out at least 40 aircraft at five Russian bases. That blitz – described as Russia's Pearl Harbor – was estimated to have cost Putin's war machine £5.2 billion and had cut the country's cruise missile power by more than a third. The complex mission involved transporting high-tech First Person View (FPV) drones concealed inside wooden pre-fab housing units loaded on to trucks. Their retractable roofs were opened remotely when the order was given to attack.
General Sir Richard Barrons defended the move saying it was the ‘prudent thing to do …The whole of UK civil society is now a target in the world we live in and our civil resilience is pretty poor.’ It appears then that, even with the bombers gone, the drama for the good people of Whelford will continue.” (dailymail.co.uk)
To Quote The Article:
“So what on earth was going on?”
“…Villagers evacuated from their homes, police swooping on terror suspects, secret agents deployed across Europe.”
“…Someone tipped them off – one of the masked men who would soon be arrested.”
“…The vans did not contain explosives after all.”
“…Was it an Iranian-backed hoax designed to spread panic and send a message to the US about how easy it would be to carry out a bomb attack at the base. Or was it a sinister decoy or dummy run?”
It would seem obvious that there is a lot more to this event - this was a very sudden decision - carried out with great speed! It's hard to believe that there wasn't a credible threat! The B-1 bombers took off so suddenly that the authorities were still trying to organise mid-air refuelling aircraft …
“…Was America's decision on Sunday to suddenly withdraw its £3.6 billion fleet of B-1 bombers from the base to prevent them being wiped out in a fiendish Iranian drone attack?”
“…The B-1s took off while refuelling aircraft were still being arranged to support the flights.”
Now we are entering the pivotal month of October when some of the largest stock market crashes throughout history have occurred.
The war with Iran looks like dragging on… and on… pushing the price of oil to new highs… and ruining this world’s economic structure. The world wide financial collapse that we were warned to watch for might just be closer than we think!
The Super El Niño is just starting to impact world weather - it peaks in mid 2027!
Western nations have started to use some of their emergency supplies of diesel…
Sorry there isn't much good news - what did we expect? - this is the end of this age! This world is falling apart.
6,000 years of man's rule is about to end - Jesus Christ is going to return to rule - as King of kings!
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” (Revelation 19:7-8)
WATCH - And Be READY!