Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.
Proverbs 12:25 AMP
The Context and Focus:
For those who think money is the answer to all things, reflect on the life of the man who wrote the words of today's verse. This was Solomon, one -time king of Israel. He was blessed by God so much that the Bible records that in his time, silver was as common as stones. Imagine how rich a man could be for him to make drinking utensils from pure gold. Here was a man whose daily feeding costs would have been the GDP of many nations today. To make matters even more complex, he would give his eyes anything they wanted. He had possessions and property in excess, and then also amassed women too; at a point, he had 1,000 women in a mix of wives and concubines. At some point in his life, when the reality of his existence dawned on him, he uttered those evergreen words: "All is vanity". I wonder what could have made a man this rich to be so bothered about the emptiness of things? Could it be that he realised that possessions, position, power or privilege can never replace the presence of God? Could it be that he now knew that having wealth does not equate to having peace, at least, the kind God supplies? This is what drives men to anxiety, worry and depression.
The Message:
Men spend their whole lives pursuing a false image of success, not sure what the image looks like, but running all the same, until most run themselves into the ground. Men will sacrifice a stable family life for a fat bank account balance, and whilst holding on to the fact that you can actually have both legitimately, one must not sacrifice a healthy and God-focused life for any other thing. The reason why there is so much sickness and disease could be attributed to the pursuit of a life without God as the focus. Worry and anxiety cannot cohabit with the presence of God at the same time. Yes indeed, the devil will try to threaten our peace by highlighting the problems, but it will be best if those problems meet God sitting on the throne of our hearts. Then he can deal with the worry and anxiety the best way. I cannot be in control of my life, and then wonder why nothing works the way God has promised. God does not force Himself on anyone; it is a surrender that must come from my heart and of my own freewill. Of course, this means that God sits on the throne of my heart, as I have surrendered to Him. He is able to provide the right supply that meets the present need in my life.
The Conclusion:
All He is and does are laid out in His Word, and he will never act contrary to his word. If my life will make an impact the right way, it must take out of that which is true. I cannot trust in and promote a lie, expecting it to lead to God's perfect will. I have to trust in, depend on and promote the truth of God's Word and His standards. It means that if I am to promote it, I have to know it. How can I speak the right word in the right situation, if I don't know the One who is the Word? You can only take from that which you have, to impact the lives of other people, so that they too can come to know the truth that you have. The Word has power to replicate its life-giving flow to as many as submit their lives to Him. The one who will speak the right word must know the Word. The right word can make the difference between giving up and pressing on. Can God depend on me to be His voice to the lost and dying world? Can my mouth speak life to that which is dead or dying? Is my life the platform on which God is able to reach out with His power and change people? Can he count on you? God's time of favour is here.
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