Got Problems? Make a Trade with God
by Joyce Meyer
Did you know that God wants to make a trade with you? He has a standing offer every minute of every day, and it's amazing how few of us actually take Him up on it. He wants you to give Him all your cares, problems and failures. In return, He'll give you His peace and joy. On top of that, He promises to protect and take care of you.
Let Go of Your Worry...
God really does want to take care of us, but in order to let Him, we've got to stop trying to take care of ourselves and worrying about every little thing we can't control. Many people would like for God to take care of them, but they insist on worrying or trying to figure out an answer on their own instead of waiting for His direction. They wallow around in puddles of their own worry, wondering why God doesn’t give them peace. God will give us peace, but we must first give Him our worries.
We give God our worries by trusting that He can and will take care of us. By trusting God, we're able to rest in Him, knowing that He has the situation well under control. Worry, on the other hand, is the opposite of trust. Worry steals our peace, wears us out physically, and can even make us sick. If we're worrying, we're not fully trusting God, and we'll never be able to experience His peace.
...and Pick Up God’s Peace! What a great trade! We give God our worry, and He gives us His peace. We give Him all our cares and concerns, and He gives us His protection, stability and joy. That's the privilege of being cared for by Him.
Because He cares for us, He wants us to live in peace and not be all tied up in knots of worry. He has ways of guiding us toward peace if we're alert enough to sense His direction.
Read the Signs
Imagine that you're driving down a road. Along the way, there are signs that provide direction or give warning. If you pay attention to the signs and follow their instructions, you will safely reach your destination.
In the same way, on the road of life there are spiritual signs along the way. In order to stay under God's protection, you must obey these signs that tell you to trust Him and not worry. Don't be afraid; have courage. If you'll pay attention to these signs, you'll find it's easy to stay on course. You'll experience the protection, peace and joy that only God can provide.
However, if you fail to heed the signs, you may notice that the road seems a little bumpier than usual, and you aren't as confident in your ability as you once were. You may become anxious about the unknown things waiting around the corner, and even veer off the road.
Focus on Today
Anxiety is like putting on a heavy coat on a hot summer day. It weighs you down. It’s difficult to move and stifling to wear. According to Webster's Dictionary, anxiety is "a state of being uneasy, apprehensive or worried..." Sometimes this uneasiness is really vague—something we just can't put our finger on. All we know is that we're uneasy.
You and I don't need to be anxious about tomorrow when we have all we can handle today. Even if we manage to solve all our problems today, we'll just have more to deal with tomorrow...and more the next day.
Why waste time worrying when it's not going to solve anything? Why be anxious about yesterday, which is gone, or tomorrow, which hasn't arrived yet? Trade in your worries today for God's peace.
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