Staff Writer - Carol Cato
…Do not worry about tomorrow… Matthew 6:34
To prosper in tough times: 1) Resist greed. ‘”You shall not covet”‘ (Exodus 20:17 NIV). The drive to keep up with the Joneses enslaves us and stresses us out. Jesus identified the law of diminishing returns in coveting. ‘…Be on your guard against…greed …a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’ (Luke 12:15 NIV). The bottom line is: your selfworth cannot be built on your net worth, especially in this economy. John says: ‘These…desires…to buy everything that appeals to you…are not from God’ (1John 2:16 TLB). Sharing, not owning things, brings lasting satisfaction and joy! 2) Don’t co-sign.
‘Don’t…guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for someone else. If you can’t pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you’ (Proverbs 22:26-27 NLT). This isn’t just good advice; it’s a divine directive. Your friends who got ‘burned’ by countersigning debts will all say, ‘Amen!’ God isn’t saying don’t help others. He blesses those who help the needy. But His way of helping is by prayer, giving, lending without expecting a return, offering wise counsel, but not taking on their debt. 3) Work hard. ‘Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich’ (Proverbs 10:4 NLT). ‘Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labour increases it’ (Proverbs 13:11 NAS). ‘A man skilled in his work…will stand before kings…not…before obscure men’ (Proverbs 22:29 NAS). Even in a tough economy God will promote the honest, skilled, hard worker to higher places and greater prosperity!
Dr Jay Adams tells the story of a man who decided to give up worry. When a friend noticed how relaxed he looked and asked how he’d conquered worry, he said, ‘It’s simple; I just hired a guy to do my worrying for me.’ Asked how much that cost, he replied, ‘$10,000 a month.’ ‘Where will you get the money?’ his anxious friend queried. He replied calmly, ‘That’s his worry, not mine!’ Jesus tells us to hand our worries over to Him! He understands that we’re anxious about our finances and worried we won’t be able to afford the things we need. So He instructs us, ‘Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (Matthew 6:31 NIV).
Notice, it’s the combination of ‘worrying’ and ‘saying’ that brings on anxiety. Your self-talk, plus your words to others about your fears, are negative reinforcers, distorting your perceptions, magnifying your fear and making you feel helpless and hopeless about your circumstances and your future. Don’t do that! Claim the ‘much more’ passages Jesus gave us in (Matthew 6. NIV) ‘Look at the birds…your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?’ (v. 26). ‘…God clothes the grass of the field…will he not much more clothe you?…’ (v. 30). Worry belongs to unbelievers, not to kingdom citizens. ‘For the pagans (unbelievers) run after (exert great effort, pursue apprehensively, are anxiously preoccupied with) all these things…’-food, drink and clothing. (v. 32). Make ‘…his kingdom and his righteousness…’ your focus, not the unpredictable economy, and ‘…all these things will be given to you as well…’ (v. 33).
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