ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

Instead of worry, we must demonstrate faith.View faith as a verb as well as a noun. It’s like a muscle - the more we use it, the stronger it gets.As David pens, “Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3). Learn a lesson from nature. Matthew 6:26-29 shows that the birds didn’t sow, reap or gather, yet they ate regularly.The lilies didn’t toil and spin, yet they dressed beautifully. God did the work. The first flowers to emerge around our house in early spring are lovely red tulips.To think I spent only a few minutes burying the bulbs years ago and yet they grew beautifully. Likewise, we planted 44 Leland Cyprus trees in late 2000 that were no more than 18 inch- es tall.Today, they stand a towering 40 feet or more. I often say to my congregation, “You do your part and God will do His.” It’s not that you sit back and lazily do nothing, ex- pecting God to pour blessings in your lap. However, when a seed is planted, we don’t dig it up every day to see if it’s sprouting.We prepare and plant, then step aside and allow God to produce and provide.This principle applies in the spiritual realm as well. The Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord;And He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).When you delight in the Lord, you shine the light on Him rather than yourself, allowing worry to give way to worship. Avoid a materialistic mindset. Many believers can’t relate to Jesus’ words because they’ve prospered without depending on God for daily provisions.The question is, “Why are so many people agonizing when their closets are full of clothes and their cupboards are filled with food?” The answer is far too many have been captivated by material- ism and consumerism. For some, it’s not stuff they lack, but rather the money to pay for it or time to enjoy it. Others worry the life- styles they’ve grown accustomed to and all the stuff that goes along with it will be taken from them.

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