--Most Things I Worry About Never Happen

-BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" Matthew 6:27 -

-DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The best thing you can say about worry is that it does no good. The worst thing is that it does much harm.

I'm reminded of the little lady who said, "Don't tell me worry doesn't do any good. Most of the things I worry about never happen."

Worry is absolutely useless. It doesn't cure any problems. It doesn't lift any burdens. It doesn't wipe away any tears. It never has; it never can; it never will! Worry can't make you any taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner. It is so senseless, and it is therefore useless. But even worse, it is faithless. Worry is just the opposite of faith.

-ACTION POINT:
-When we worry, we make God out to be a liar when God has said He will take care of us.

--Adrian Rogers

--Overcoming Worry
--Read | Psalm 37
--
Once we comprehend how worry undermines trust in our Father and how willing He is to remove it from us, we need to seek out ways to cooperate with Him. So let’s look at some common sources of worry that we can avoid.

One thing we can do is learn not to pay attention to the wrong people. There are many purveyors of doom and gloom all around us. I’m sure we all can think of various sources of such negative thinking, and steps we can take to avoid them, whether it’s a neighbor or newscast that plunges us into despair. We don’t have to listen to something evil just because it is making a lot of noise.

Storing up treasures on earth is another thing to avoid. The more we stockpile worldly goods, the more we are tempted to worry about what might happen to our possessions.

We will be mastered by either the material or the spiritual. The Lord put it this way: “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24). To avoid serving the wrong master, we must deliberately choose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (v. 33). This means we must willingly pursue obedience and submission to God’s ways as He conforms us to the image of Christ.

Anxiety can be overcome. Our loving heavenly Father understands the human propensity to worry. And He has promised that putting His interests first will always result in our needs being met. The more we prioritize Him, the less apprehension will have a foothold in our lives.

--In Touch
-"Cast your worries on the Lord because He cares for you."~

--DEALING WITH DOUBT
--By: David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011]

If you do not deal with your doubts, you will be given over to a spirit of murmuring and complaining. You will live that way and die that way. Your doubts cannot simply be suppressed, they must be pulled out by the roots.

Look at Israel just three days after their deliverance from Egypt. They had been singing, shaking their tambourines and testifying to the power and strength of a mighty God, boasting that He was leading and protecting them. Then they arrived at Marah, which means "waters of bitterness." This was to be testing place for them.

God just keeps allowing crisis after crisis until we finally get the lesson. If we keep refusing to learn it, a time comes when He gives us over to our own bitterness and murmuring. "And they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. . . . And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?" (Exodus 15:22, 24).

On Sunday, the Israelites were having a great time—singing, dancing and praising. Then Wednesday came and they were in trouble. Another crisis—and they were falling apart!

How could a people lose their confidence so quickly? Because they never had any. They never had that foundation built under them. So again they failed the test. They had learned absolutely nothing from their previous crisis and again they missed an opportunity to shine forth the greatness of their God.

From that day on, Israel was beyond learning anything from God. They even began to take His goodness for granted. They had no food, so He sent them manna from heaven. He dropped quails out of the sky, piling them three feet high outside the camp. But not a word of thanksgiving was heard! Instead, the people turned to greed, hoarding all that God gave them. Israel became stiff-necked!

Oh, what a shame it is to go from crisis to crisis and learn nothing in the process. It carries with it a curse that you will be given over to a spirit of murmuring.~~~

--WORRY~~

'Rick Majerus, men's basketball coach at the University of Utah, recently captured a common concern:

"Everyone's worried about the economy this year. Hey, my hairline is in recession, my waistline is in inflation, and altogether, I'm in the dumps."'

--Arizona Republic