God is the controller of all things. 1 Timothy 6:15 PHPS

We all worry from time to time, but wise people have learned to avoid over-anxiety by following these guidelines.

(1) Define the situation clearly.  What exactly is it you are worrying about?  Be specific. Often when we take time to clarify the problem, a way to solve it will present itself.

(2) Face the worst that can happen. Would you lose your job?  Your relationship?  Your investment?  In most cases even if the worst did happen, chances are it would not ruin you.  It may be inconvenient or painful, but does it really warrant all the anxiety you are giving it?

(3) Resolve to accept the outcome, whatever it is.  Most of the stress of worry comes from denial, from not being willing to face the worst that could happen.  Once you make up your mind to accept whatever happens, you will find worry loses its power over you.

(4) Work to improve the situation.  Renowned neurologist James H Austin said, 'Chance favours those in motion.'  Do all you can to ensure the best possible outcome, and 'after you have done everything, stand' (Ephesians 6:13 NIV).  Stand on God's promises!

(5) Give the problem to God.  He is 'the controller of all things'.  The Psalmist said, 'Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you' (Psalm 9:10 NIV).  Remember, nothing can happen to you today, or any other day, that God is not aware of, in control of, and able to bring you through.

I have played the fool. 1 Samuel 26:21 NKJV

Your obituary says a lot about you.  King Saul's last words were: 'I have played the fool'(1 Samuel 26:21 NKJV).  Israel's first king was destined for greatness until he decided to do things his own way instead of God's way.

When the Philistines attacked Israel he tried to rally his troops, who were immobilized by fear.  He knew he should wait for the prophet Samuel to come and offer a burnt sacrifice as required by the law.  But he said, 'I will just do it myself.  Under the circumstances, God won't mind.'  That one act of disobedience ended his career.  He died by committing suicide on the battlefield; a life filled with promise, ended in disgrace.

You play the fool by:

(1) Disregarding God in little things.  Saul's fall didn't happen overnight.  Little sins morph into big ones.  Thinking, 'It's no big deal,' Saul took matters into his own hands.  He said, 'I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself' (1 Samuel 13:12 NLT).  Note the words, 'I felt.'  It can feel so right, yet be so wrong.  Only trust your feelings when they line up with God's Word.

(2) Trying to justify your behavior.  Saul rationalized, 'I saw my men scattering, you didn't arrive when you said, the Philistines are ready for battle' (1Samuel :13:11 NLT).  Stop rationalizing, repent, and obey God!

(3) Letting resentment control you.  Though he had the makings of a great leader, when David started to gain popularity, Saul's resentment ended up destroying him.

Most people learn from their own mistakes; wise people learn from other people's mistakes!  Learn from Saul; don't play the fool.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us. 1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT

One of the great benefits of finding and fulfilling your life's calling is that it settles the question of what constitutes true success.  Many of us have a faulty definition.  We have bought into the idea that success is measured by how well we do compared to how well others do.  That is a recipe for frustration!  No matter what you do, someone else will always do it better.  But when you define success in terms of God's purpose for your life, the standard changes completely.

True success is not what you have done compared to what others have done, but what you have done compared to what God assigned you to do: 'Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits' (1 Corinthians 12:4 TM).  Jesus said He was successful because He accomplished the work His Father had sent Him to do (John 17:4).  Paul could say at the end of his life, 'I have finished my course' (2 Timothy 4:7).  By this standard, success may mean leaving a lucrative job to follow God's call.  It may mean using your talents for His glory, instead of chasing fame and fortune. Whatever it is, once you know you are in your calling you can stop comparing yourself to others or wishing you were someone else.

The Bible says we are each given gifts 'for the common good' (1 Corinthians 12:7 NAS). Only when you are using your gifts to bless others will you experience true satisfaction. Pay checks and promotions are good, but they can't take the place of divine purpose.  Only in your calling will you experience lasting joy.

Then Pharaoh clothed him in garments of fine linen. Genesis 41:42 NKJV

To be used by God, you must wear the two coats Joseph wore namely, those of favor and integrity.

First, the coat of favor. 'Now [Jacob] loved Joseph and he made him a coat of many colors' (Genesis 37:3 KJV).

Like Joseph's multicolored coat, the favor of God will cause you to stand out in the crowd; it will open doors, protect and promote you.  The Bible says, 'For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield' (Psalm 5:12 NKJV).

Second, the coat of integrity.  This is the coat Joseph left in the hands of Potiphar's wife when he refused her advances and stayed true to his convictions.  'When Joseph went into the house to do his work she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me."  But he left his garment in her hand, and fled' (Genesis 39:11-12 NKJV).

Your temptation may be different from Joseph's.  You may be tempted to gossip, cut corners on a job, lie to save face, or claim credit for something you didn't do; whatever it is, you will be tested.  And your character will be revealed.  Passing the test of integrity is what qualifies you to be used by God.

Dr Joseph Parker, the great English preacher and contemporary of Charles Spurgeon, said, 'An un-tempted minister will never do us any good, and an untried one will talk over our heads.'  When your hour of testing comes, the thing that will hold you steady and get you through is knowing, standing on, and speaking God's Word.  That's why the Psalmist wrote, 'Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You' (Psalm 119:11 NKJV).

God has come to test you. Exodus 20:20 NKJV

Do you remember your school days?  When you were being tested the teacher was silent.

The Bible says: 'Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him.  When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.  About the fourth watch of the night [just before the dawn] he went out to them, walking on the lake.  They cried out, because they  were terrified.  Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage!  It is I.  Don't be afraid."  Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.  They were completely amazed' (Mark 6:45-51 NIV).  This story teaches that:

(1) Being in the will of God requires you to go through storms.  'Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all' (Psalm 34:19KJV).

(2) When you can't see Him, His eye is still on you.  You are never out of His sight, His care or His reach.

(3) He will never give you an assignment you can complete without His help, so don't try it alone.

(4) If you let it, fear will cloud your thinking and keep you from recognizing Him when He comes to you.

(5) First He will speak to you, then to the circumstances that threaten you.  When He does, you will experience supernatural peace.

(6) When your boat is 'in the middle' of the storm, the best is yet to come!

(7) The darkest hour is just before the dawn.  Rejoice!  The sun will shine again; God won't fail you.

Let us examine our ways and test them. Lamentations 3:40 NIV

One child complains about the other: 'Mom, he hit me!' She's convinced it's her brother's fault, that he ought to be punished, that she should have Mom's sympathy and be absolved of all responsibility.  But her brother is equally certain: 'She started it. She took my toy.'

We grow older, but not always wiser!  It 'just happened', we say, then proceed to blame people and circumstances.  We dance to the tune but we don't want to pay the piper, so we complain about our consequences, saying it wasn't our fault.

This is not the way God does business, and it doesn't work.  'Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins?' (v. 39 NIV).  What works with God is this:

First, acknowledge your wrong behavior.  Someone else may have initiated it, but your part in it is your responsibility.  Plus, complaining offends God. 'The people complained in the hearing of the Lord, and his anger was aroused' (Numbers 11:1 NIV).  Leave other people's sin to God and deal with your own.

Second, look at your behaviors; 'Let us examine our ways.'  Look beyond this specific event to how you typically act in similar situations.  Learn from it, so you can change!

Third, determine whether your ways really work; 'Let us test them.'  Analyze, observe and judge how well your 'ways' have actually worked or not!

Finally, if they don't work, change them; 'Let us return to the Lord' (Lamentations 3:40 NIV).  Repeating wrong behaviors guarantees continued failure.  Returning to doing things God's way, brings the end of frustration and the beginning of joy and fulfilment!

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Psalm 23:5 NKJV

If you are going through a difficult time right now, read these words:  'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life' (vv. 5-6 NKJV).  Underline the word 'surely'.  It is God's guarantee!

When does God cause your cup to overflow with blessing?  When does He empower you to overcome?  When does He demonstrate His goodness and mercy?  In the presence of your enemies!  The odds and the opposition can't stop God from blessing you.  'But I am really struggling,' you say.  Struggle is proof that you haven't been conquered, that you refuse to surrender, that victory is still possible, and that you are growing.

As long as you keep walking with God and trusting Him, He will work on your behalf.  He will send His Spirit to guide you, His Word to illuminate your mind, and friends to strengthen you in your time of struggle.  If you are teachable, you are reachable.

Keep your heart open, keep listening to God, keep obeying Him and you will see that your problem is just a platform for Him to 'show himself strong on your behalf' (2 Chronicles 16:9).  You will also discover that His strength comes when you are at your weakest point (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

Finally, you will be able to thank God for your enemies, because He has promised to bless you right there in front of them.  People and circumstances don't decide your future, God does, so look to Him!

He was faithful to God, who appointed him. Hebrews 3:2 NLT

Faithfulness is more than just a nice concept; you must be faithful to something or someone. Actually, it's in making and keeping commitments to others that we demonstrate our faithfulness to God.  'Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord' (Colossians 3:17 KJV).

That means, to be seen by Him, to bring glory to Him, and to be rewarded by Him.  If you don't love those around you, you don't really love God.  Jesus put it this way: 'Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me' (Matthew 25:40 NKJV).

The Greek word for faithful means 'to be trustworthy and reliable'.  When you give your word, can you be trusted to keep it?  Many of us just aren't reliable.  We can't be counted on to do what we say.  It doesn't matter how gifted you are, if you are not trustworthy God cannot use you.  And God will test you!  How?  By assigning you to do something for a period of time that you don't want to do, something that's not fun or exciting, something that may require you to submit to someone else's authority, something you chafe under. Then He will say to you, 'Just be faithful.'  And faithfulness is not merely showing up day after day, it's showing up with a good attitude.

God rewards that kind of faithfulness.  Jesus said, 'If you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?' (Luke 16:12 NIV).

Simply stated, if you want to be successful, you must be faithful.

Having loved His own, He loved them to the end. John 13:1 [3] NKJV

On a busy morning, a nurse in the crowded emergency room seated an elderly 
gentleman who had come to have stitches removed from his hand. He said, 'I'm 
in a hurry, nurse.  I have an appointment in an hour.'  As the line of patients 
ahead of him moved slowly he kept looking anxiously at his watch.  Knowing 
he would never make his appointment, the nurse led him to an examination room, 
checked his vital signs and evaluated the condition of his wound.  Seeing it 
was well healed, she consulted with one of the doctors and got clearance to 
remove his sutures and re-dress his wound.  She asked, 'Are you hurrying to 
another doctor's appointment?'  He said, 'No, I'm on my way to have breakfast 
with my wife at the nursing home.'  She asked about his wife's health and 
learned she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease.  'Will she be upset if you are 
late?'  The old man told her she hadn't recognized him in five years. 
Surprised, the nurse asked, 'And you still go to see her every morning, 
although she doesn't know who you are?'  The old man smiled, patted her hand 
and replied, 'Oh, yes.  She doesn't know who I am, but I still know who she 
is!'

Loving 'for better or for worse' means being committed to each other in 
every season and circumstance of life.  It's how Christ loves us: 'Having 
loved His own, He loved them to the end.'  And it is why He said, 'A new 
command I give you, As I have loved you, so you must love one another' 
(John 13:34 [4] NIV).

A quick-tempered man acts foolishly. Proverbs 14:17 NKJV

It's normal to get angry, but uncontrolled anger can cost you dearly.  When Nabal refused to feed King David and his soldiers, David's anger almost drove him to murder.  Only Abigail, Nabal's wife, saved David from the destructive potential of his own unchecked emotions. Looking back, David told Abigail, 'Blessed is your advice because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed' (1 Samuel 25:33 NKJV).

Our anger is often rooted in pride.  Naaman the leper felt insulted when Elisha told him to dip seven times in the muddy Jordan River.  'Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed," I said to myself, "He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy"' (2 Kings 5:11 NKJV).

The Arizona Republic, a USA newspaper, reported that when Steve Tran of Westminster, California, closed the door on 25 activated bug bombs, he thought he had seen the last of the cockroaches that shared his apartment.  But when the spray reached the pilot light of the stove, it ignited, blasting his screen door across the street, breaking all his windows and setting his furniture ablaze.  'I wanted to kill all of them,' he said.  'I thought if I used a lot more, it would last longer.'  According to the label, just two canisters of the pesticide would have solved Tran's roach problem.  The blast caused over $10,000 damage to the apartment building.  And the cockroaches?  Tran reported, 'By Sunday, I saw them walking around.'  Yes, 'A quick-tempered man acts foolishly'.