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	Don't Worry, Be Happy! © John Stemmons, Amazing Grace Church, Fujisawa, Japan - 101106 - rev. 110906
	"Don't worry, be happy" sounds irresponsible. The bible teaches that is is our responsibility toward God not to worry. Philippians 4:6In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. V.7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.(ASV) The peace that passes all understanding results from knowing God personally and understanding his ways. Jeremiah 9:23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: V24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. If God tells us to be anxious about nothing, then it must be possible to be "not anxious", or God is unjust to command it. God cannot be unjust, so it must be possible to be "not anxious". Being anxious is to be disobedient to God's command, and disobedience to God's commands is irresponsible. Therefore, worrying, or being anxious, is irresponsible. But how can we be "not anxious"? I had just been treated badly in a business deal. I was broke, unhappy, depressed, angry, and of course, being a "responsible" person, anxious about the future. I did not know Charlie well...he was the landlord over the business. When he heard about my situation, he walked up to me and shoved a considerable sum of money into my hands. "Take this", he said, "you're going to need it". Of course, I resisted, but there was no arguing with him, and I certainly needed the money. I was grateful to God and to Charlie. The next day, Charlie surprised me again with another rather large sum of money and said to "give half of that to Elisabeth", a missionary from South Africa. I wondered why he didn't give it to her himself, since they were friends. Later, I realized that he wanted to get a "flow of giving" going through my life. Charlie was not God, but he was God's ambassador to me. God gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. (2 CO 9:10) Charlie then said to me, "I have something that I want to teach you. Will you listen to me?" What would any responsible person say? Being a responsible person, I answered in the affirmative. Charlie taught me about the difference between depending on God and depending on myself, and showed me how to make these scriptures work for me like tools. He told me to memorize them and say each of them out of my mouth "at least 1,000 times". The first one was PHP 4:6-7, quoted above. Of course, I was confident that this could not solve my problems, but I was grateful to Charlie for taking such an interest in my well-being, and if this is what he wanted, I chose to agree with him, and did as he said. The results of this revelation were beyond description. I won't even try. But my life was changed forever, and I am grateful to God and to Charlie for what I was taught on that day. I began learning to walk by faith. Since that time I have tried to understand the mechanics of using scripture. I believe that it works on the same principle as a seed. In other words, the seed of an apple is contained in the apple itself, and the seed of God's promise is contained in the promise. The parable about the Sower and the seed in the bible shows us that the heart is compared to soil. (Mark 4:3-20) If a good seed is planted in good soil, then tended, watered, weeded, fertilized, etc., it will produce. Nobody knows how a seed produces, but even the simplest farmer knows that it will. Seeds are planted, because the farmer believes he will get a harvest. He is not trying to "support" the soil, or to "do his part" to help the soil out. He is looking for a harvest. If the soil is faulty, you may not get fruit, but the soil we describing is your heart, and therefore your responsibility. If the soil of your heart is faulty, you can change it! Spiritual seed is planted when you hear with your ears. This is why we need to speak it out our mouth. Romans 10: 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. "Watering" is done by saturating the mind with the Word of God; "weeding", by staying in an obedient attitude toward God. "Fertilization", by making what comes out of your mouth consistent with what you have planted in your heart. In other words, don't be "double-minded". James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. V.7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. V.8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. The faith that is produced is the very faith you need to receive God's promise. Just as the seed of an apple is contained in the apple, the seed for that promise is contained in the promise itself! This was a breakthrough for me, personally. Years of sitting under great bible teaching has also been a mighty factor for me, but without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, teaching alone can not change your life. There are thousands of promises in God's Words to cover every possible situation in life. My problem was that I needed money. Money cannot buy happiness, but I believe lack of money buys plenty of UN-happiness, don't you? God gave us plenty of scriptures promising finances, and nobody made him make the promises. They are seed for the use of his children. God supplies our needs in this way. Here's a few: Deuteronomy 8:18. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Psalms 35: 27. Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. 2 Corinthians 8: 9. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. You can not receive if you are double-minded. James 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. V8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Salvation of the soul requires that the mind and spirit being in agreement. You must learn to believe what God says, not just in your head, but also in your heart. Your actions tell whether or not you actually believe something in your heart. Believe it first, and get understanding later. Believe it by listening to yourself say it and pray it until you have made it yours. Mark 11:24 tells us to receive WHEN we pray. Almost everyone prays and then waits to see with their eyes if there are any results. But scripture tells us that anything that is seen is not faith. Believe it first, and then you will see it. The things of God will not submit to the human intellect for "approval", but God will abundantly satisfy even the most skeptical intellect if it is humbly submitted to him. There is coming a day when we will give an account to the one that bought us with his own blood. I do not want to tell him that I didn't think his promises would work. Believe, or don't believe, that is everyone's choice. Walking by faith is a higher kind of life, called in the Greek language, "Zoe" (Zo-ei). It is the life of God himself. As a child of God, you don't have to settle for less.
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