Jeremiah
32:27 -
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is there any thing
too hard for Me?
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~ WAIT TO WORRY! ~
Notice that these, like 99% of the other things we worry about are things that haven't even happened yet. I can't think of a single problem that has been solved by worrying about it. Action solves problems, worry does not! (Prayer is an action) Now, I'll tell you a secret. When it comes to worrying, nobody does it better than women! Guys, lets face it, we're amateurs in this department. Women have got this right down to the point where you would almost think they like to worry. I'll warn you guys, when your wife comes to you worrying about bills or any other thing, the four words you "never" want to say to them is "Don't worry about it". The minute you utter those 4 words, they get this wild and crazed look (and sometimes even their hair looks wild and crazed and their eyes glow red), Don't say I didn't warn you. If you say those 4 words, you might as well have said: Gee hon, you sure sweat a lot since you gained all that weight!" Okay, that's all I have to say about that! We all tend worry sometimes, but I would give you the same advice I give my wife and that is “Wait to worry”. Also, “Wait to get stressed”, “Wait to get angry” etc… Think about it! Being “happy” is usually something we have no control over. It is something that comes over us as a reaction to something someone else has said or done, or a particular circumstance. (Someone paid you a complement, someone did something nice, you won the lottery etc, etc . . ) Worry and anger are a choice. You can choose to be angry or worry over something someone has said or done, or “not”. The best way to handle it when someone says something insulting to you is to “Wait to get angry”, then take what they said to God! (He probably doesn’t like what they said or did to you either) Give God a chance to deal with that person or situation. If you don’t believe God can deal with that person or situation, “That is your problem”. If you want God to deal with your enemies or people who mistreat you, you have to get out of the way and let God do it! (God does not need your help) Just remember, when someone says or does something unpleasant to you, the moment you “fire back”, God steps out of the situation and you’re on your own. So, as I said, “Wait to worry”, “Wait to get angry”, and “Wait to get stressed”. It “is” a choice! Matthew 6:27 - "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? Read "HOW TO DEAL WITH ENEMIES" at http://www.powerofaith.com/enemies.htm ~ YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND WEALTH ~ What do people worry about the most these days? It usually has to do with money! What is one of the main things married couples argue about? Money! What is one of the main causes of divorce? (You guessed it!)
Matthew 6:25 - "For this reason I say
to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or
what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is
not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? The interesting thing about these scriptures above is, just before Jesus said this, he was telling us that we cannot serve both God and money! Matthew 6:24 - "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.Is it a coincidence that today, over 2000 years later, it is still money that is the main focus of worry for most people? ~ IS IT A SIN TO WORRY? ~ Luke 21:34 - "Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;Isn't it interesting that when Jesus told us not to be weighted down with drunkenness and dissipation (dissolute way of living), that he also included the "Worries of Life"? Jesus did not proclaim one to be any worse than the others. However, if sister Edna from Church walks into a restaurant and notices that you have a glass of beer sitting on the table with your lunch, she'll clutch her heart and stagger through the restaurant, maybe even knocking over a table or two, because sister Edna has been taught all her life that "drinking is a sin"! Once sister Edna regains her composure, she will then go home and worry and be angry because the preacher mentioned how wonderful sister Bernice's apple pie was at the Church picnic, but didn't say a word about Edna's famous cherry cobbler. Sister Edna relates having a beer with "drunkenness" (though it is not), but has no problem with worrying about trivial matters at Church. It's interesting how we pick and choose which of the words of Jesus are relevant to our lives, and which are not! If you are sitting in a restaurant having a beer with your lunch, it hardly constitutes "drunkenness", and you are simply guilty of having a pleasant lunch. Sister Edna on the other hand is way to overwhelmed with the "worries of life", and is weighted down with them, to the point where she is even worried about what "you" are doing. The truth is, we're not supposed to worry, we're supposed to take our problems to the Lord and ask him to deal with them, and then have faith that he will do it. Worrying about health problems, marriage problems, financial problems or legal problems will not help solve the problem. Take your problem to God, then "Wait to Worry". Luke 12:31 - "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. ~ DON'T CREATE PROBLEMS ~ During the course of your life, you will have enough things to deal with, without creating new ones, or worrying about what your neighbor is doing. God did not appoint you (or anyone) to be a policeman over what your neighbor does. It is not your place to patrol the Church (or the restaurant, or neighborhood) with a big stick to beat your neighbor with whenever you catch them sinning. Worry about your own standing with God instead. Years ago, I was sitting in a restaurant having dinner. It was a Sunday afternoon, so there were many people from different Churches there. The room was separated by a glass wall. One side was the smoking section, the other was not. "I" was sitting in the smoking section. Sitting at the table directly next to me, but on the other side of the glass wall were Church people. Mainly, the infamous "Church Lady". (The gaudy dress, the big hat that blocks everyone's view of the pulpit etc...) I was right where I was supposed to be (the smoking section) and having a cigarette while waiting for dinner to arrive at our table. Somehow this bothered the Church lady and she complained. A manager came over and asked me to put out my cigarette. (Note: I "was" in the smoking section) This woman could not smell the cigarette smoke, and there is no possible way it could have physically bothered her. Just the fact that she could "see" me smoking, bothered her to the point that she had to complain and raise a fuss. I can tell you matter of fact, there are no scriptures that condemn smoking, but there are many that condemn people who are trouble makers and gossips! We worry too much about what our neighbor is doing, when our own life is in serious need of repair. Matthew 7:3 - "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?Matthew 7:4 - "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? Matthew 7:5 - "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. When problems pop up in your life, give them to God and "Wait to Worry". If you are meddlesome, a busybody, a gossip or think you were appointed by God to police everyone else, your problem is obvious. It is some of the so called "holiest" people within the Church, that pray often, but their prayers don't reach God's ear! Mark 7:6 - And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.~ FEAR AND WORRY IS NOT FROM GOD ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.Dan Douglass ~ HELP SPREAD THE WORD ~ Make checks or money orders payable to:
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