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The Benefit Of Worry!

According to the dictionary: Worry is giving way to anxiety or unease; allowing one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. Most all of us know worry up close and personal. At some point in our life and living, we have met and started an on again, off again relationship that comes and goes. For some folks it is frequently and for others it is seldom, but for all of us, it is reality.

Worry is actually a lack of faith, which is why the Scriptures teach us not to do it. Yes, I know that’s heavy, so go back and read it again: WORRY IS A LACK OF FAITH! Faith/Trust/Belief is what allow us to have and grow in a meaningful relationship with God our Creator. The Scriptures teaches us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. So worry is a lack of the thing that we need to please God, because it is by faith that we are saved and have relationship with God.

I know this is a strong statement and I know it stings, because I have been stung by it many times in my life, but the truth is: Worry Is The Result Of Not Trusting God! We either believe what we say we believe or we don’t. There will be times that this requires us to do battle with ourselves, because our spirit is believing and pushing for one thing, while our flesh and mind are believing and pushing for something else.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are doing battle with worry:

1.) God does not promise happiness, but he does promise joy! We are not always going to be happy and not everything in this life is going to go the picture perfect way that we think it should. We will have good days and bad days. I once heard an Army Chaplin say: “All sunshine and no rain produce a desert!” Some days, life is exactly as you hoped it would be and other days you feel like you are bailing water on a sinking ship. On the good and bad days, especially the bad days, we need to look for and embrace the JOY of the LORD. If you can discover the joy of the Lord in your relationship with Him, then that joy will lead you back to happiness by teaching you that God’s ways are higher than your ways. The joy of the Lord ultimately leads to happiness, if we are paying attention…

2.) Remember: You Have A Choice: Your Way Or God’s Way? The Scriptures teach that the joy of the Lord is our strength to live life God’s way, but God never forces His way on us, we always have a choice. The problem with the choice is allowing the wrong part of ourselves to make it. We basically have two competing forces within us and often they are contrary to one another. Our head tells us one thing and our heart tells us another. Which one do we listen to? Both and neither! What we really need to be looking for is: WHAT IS GOD UP TO? God is always working to bless us, grow us and mature us, but we often get in the way of the great things he has in store for us, because things are not the way we think they should be. The good news is that because God loves you, God gives you the power of choice and you get to decide for you!

3.) Joy is choosing to trust that God is faithful no matter what! No matter what choice you make, right or wrong, God is with you and He has a plan, even when we wander off of the path that He has marked out for us. It would be easier in the long run to stay on His path, but He gives us the flexibility of learning the hard way if that is our choice.

So what is the benefit of worry? When I am worrying, it is a sure sign that I am not exercising my faith/trust/belief. It is a reminder that I need to get my attention and focus back on God and the amazing love He has for me. So the next time you find yourself in a battle with worry, let that be a reminder to you to get the focus off of self and onto God…

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Above My Pay Grade!

I remember in college working with a guy and anytime he would encounter something that negative, to much of a challenge or going to be overly frustrating, he would simply respond: “That is above my pay grade!” It was his way of saying: “They don’t pay me enough money to deal with those kinds of issues, they belong to the higher ups!” The thing that was really cool about this guy is that he did not let anything rattle his cage or get him shook up. He really rolled with the punches and made the best of most every situation that ever came his way.

So many times in my life, I have wished that I could be more like that, but I have always told myself that I just care way too much. The truth is: I have often cared about the wrong things and have ended up way above my pay grade, which just ended up costing me even more.

Life has this way of throwing us curve balls. Truth be told: Life has a way of beaming us up side the head with the ball. When life gets to be more than we can handle or more than we signed up for, we don’t need to sweat it. We just need to admit to ourselves and everyone else:
That’s above my pay grade!” There is no shame in being honest, real and down to earth when it comes to things that are bigger than we are.

One of my favorite quotes is: “Don’t Tell God How Big Your Storm Is, Instead Tell Your Storm How Big Your God Is!” This is another way of saying that some things are above our pay grade, but we know the ONE Who can take care of it. We have been given amazing power and whatever comes our way that we do not have the power to take on and handle, God is willing to take on and handle for us, if we will get out of His way and trust Him.

We are trying to learn about our power and how to use it! We have each been born with amazing, incredible and supernatural power. Power that had the ability to open closed doors, move mountains and produce miracles, but we have to believe and if we really do believe then our life of faith will make the impossible, possible through Jesus.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. -Romans 5:3-5

We are learning that much of what we worry about is a waste! This is why we should not waste our energy and time worrying, but instead on trusting in God’s power and strength. Look back on your life and you will discover that most of the times you wasted time worrying was spent on things that you never ever really needed to worry about.

We are hopefully understanding the greater purposes to the challenges that God ALLOWS to come our way. God allows troubles and tribulations to come into our life to help us learn patience and trust in Him. As we begin to practice patience, we will discover that much of what happens to us is trying to change and grow something inside of us. The more we learn this most basic of lessons through the experiences of the ups and downs of life, the more we learn that so many times we deceive ourselves and rob ourselves of greater blessing than we could dream or imagine.

Next time there is something you can’t handle or shouldn’t handle, just admit that it is above your pay grade and trust the Master to take care of the rest…

Blogroll, change, choices, Enlightenment, faith, God, grace, Gratitude, Growing, Healing, journey, Lessons, life, love, peace, positive, scripture, spiritual enlightenment, Spititual Development

Don’t Worry – Be Happy!

In the late 80’s Bobby McFerrin came out with a catchy little tune with a great message that we couldn’t help but join in and sing a long to a great little reminder: “Don’t Worry Be Happy!

Don’t Worry Be Happy

Here’s a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry, be happy.

In every life we have some trouble. But when you worry you make it double. Don’t worry, be happy. Don’t worry, be happy now

Chorus:

Don’t worry! (Ooh, ooh ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) Be happy
(Ooh, ooh ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) don’t worry, be happy.
(Ooh, ooh ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) don’t worry
(Ooh, ooh ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) be happy.
(Ooh, ooh ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh) don’t worry, be happy…

We find this same message in the Scriptures and it is certainly a lesson worth learning. It is easier said than done, but it’s not impossible, because with God’s help, all things are possible. We just have to learn to get out of the way and allow His power and wisdom to flow to and through our lives.

“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6-7

In just two verses we find an incredible instructions with an amazing promise for those who are disciplined enough to put these Scriptures into practice.

BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING!

The first thing the Scriptures teach us, are to “Be anxious for nothing!” In other words: Don’t worry about anything. There is no need for us to get worked up about what is happening or not happening in life. We are not supposed to let anything, no matter it’s size or shape to wreck us with worry.

Anxiousness is worry generated by any thoughts, images, emotions, and/or actions of a negative nature that we allow to repeat themselves in uncontrollable ways that cause us to perform a continual risk analysis in order that we might avoid, solve or get rid of anticipated potential (real or unreal) threats and any consequences we think they might bring with them into our life and living.

So what are we supposed to be anxious about? NOTHING!

PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING!

The Second thing the Scriptures teach us: Is that in the place of being anxious about anything we should “In everything talk to God with an attitude of gratitude!” Just taking the time to have conversation with our Creator can and will make a difference. It is important to remember that a conversation is made up of talking and listening, so please make sure that you tell God whatever you have in your heart and on your mind, but then make sure that you also take the time to listen to whatever it is that He has to say to you, because often in what He says to you, you will find the power and wisdom to overcome and experience the freedom of victory and all the blessings that come with it.

PEACE IS YOUR REWARD!

The third thing the Scriptures teach us is that we will be rewarded with a PEACE that cannot be explained or understood. This peace does not mean that we will be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means that we can be in the midst of these things and still be calm in our heart knowing that God has got us…