A Good Plan to Combat Worry & Confusion

“Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain. If it does happen, you have to worry twice.”

1. Pray often. I can communicate with the Creator of the universe.
2. Read my Bible regularly. Find the time of day that works best for me. Read my Bible to get to know God more. Read to deepen my intimacy with the Creator of the universe. Am I obligated to read my Bible or do I want to read? Psalm 42:1-2
3. Confess my sin to God and others I have sinned against. I will be quick to admit mistakes and sinful words and actions to myself and those I have offended. The longer I wait to be painfully honest, the easier it is to rationalize and ignore the problem. 1 John 1:9
4. Attend church faithfully and get involved in serving others. Do I attend church to just get something for myself or to serve others?
5. Find and use my spiritual giftedness. Romans 12
6. God to bed on time.
7. Get up in time to start the day unrushed.
8. Say, “NO,” to projects that won’t fit into my time schedule or that will compromise my health (physical, mental). Set boundaries. Scheduling free time is part of my schedule.
9. Delegate tasks to others who are capable.
10. Tell my spouse that I love him/her and do something kind for him/her.
11. When there are a number of tasks to do and I am uncertain about what to do first, I will choose the task I see as the most difficult or distasteful and complete it first. Get the tough stuff out of the way. 🙂
12. Simplify and unclutter my life (K.I.S.S.).
13. Less is more. (one may see like not enough, but two are often too many). Philippians 4:11
14. Allow extra time to do things and get to places.
15. I will pace myself. I will extend big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t group all the hard things together.
16. Have hobbies and enjoy them.
17. Walk every chance I get.
18. Take one day at a time. Yesterday is passed and tomorrow is yet unborn.
19. Read widely. Never stop learning.
20. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God wants me to do and choose to let go of the anxiety. If I can’t do anything about the situation, I will do my best to forget it. Philippians 4:6
21. When I am really discourage and feeling sorry for myself, I will look for someone else to help and do what I can to encourage that person. Read the Psalms.
22. I will live within my budget. I will use a credit card for ordinary purchases only if I am certain I will pay it off within the month.
23. Have backups: an extra car key in my wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra postage stamps, etc.
24. Learn to play and instrument.
25. Eat right.
26. 5. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut) When in doubt I will not speak. This will spare me an enormous amount of conflict. Talk less; listen more. God gave me TWO ears and ONE mouth for a reason. My mouth closes, but my ears don’t. Engage brain before operating mouth.
27. Own a pet. A pet will help keep me from being selfish and remind me of the need of unconditional love.
28. Phone or e-mail my Pastor and tell him how much I appreciate him. Do something kind for his wife and children.
29. Instead of remaining frustrated while waiting in traffic or in a checkout line, I will use that feeling as a trigger to pray for friends and family or to quote Scripture.
    “Be still and know that I am God.”
30. Get enough rest. Sometimes taking a nap is the most spiritual thing I can do.
31. I will be honest about habits in my life. I will work at replacing negative, damaging, unproductive habits with positive, life-building habits.
32. Get organized so everything has its place – part of my contingency plan to combat stress.
33. While driving, listen to a CD that can help improve my relationship with God.
34. Write down thoughts and inspirations – journal.
35. Find someone who needs to hear the Gospel and share God’s plan of salvation with him/her.
36. Every day, find time to be alone and quiet (even just a few minutes).
37. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud so they don’t escalate. Waiting until it’s time to go to bed to pray may be too late.
38. Make friends with godly people.
39. Keep a folder or note cards of my favorite Scriptures on hand.
40. The shortest prayer between hope and despair is often, “Thank You, Jesus.”
41. Laugh . . .
42. Laugh some more . . . Look in the mirror . . .
43. I will take my work seriously, but not myself at all.
44. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
45. Be kind to unkind people; they probably need it the most.
46. Slow down.
47. I will sit on my ego and/or drive a bus over it regularly.
48. Do something for the “KID” in me every day . . . do something just for FUN.
49. I will remind myself that the difficulties in life are to draw me closer to God.
50. I will remind myself often that I am not the C.E.O of the universe, nor does the universe revolve around me (John 3:30).
51. Every night I will think of one thing I am grateful for that I have never thought of before.

GOD HAS UNEXPECTED WAYS OF TURNING SITUATIONS AROUND FOR HIS GLORY

“If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31
Heaven is just around the corner, only a breath away.