HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Summary: We have to make a choice to worry about NOTHING...and be willing

to PRAY about EVERYTHING....THANKING and Trusting God in advance
knowing that He is able..and that's all we need to know...

Happiness is a choice...

The story is told of a man and woman who had been married for over 60 years.
They had shared everything, except there was one secret in their marriage.

The wife had a shoe box in the top of her closet, and she had cautioned her
husband never to open it and never to ask about it. He Never did.

But one day his wife got sick. It was determined that she would not recover. As
they began to sort out her affairs, the husband took down the shoe box and took it
to his wife.

They agreed that it was time that she should explain the box. When he opened it,
he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $25,000. He lovingly
asked her about the contents.

She responded by saying “Just before we got married, my grandmother told me

that the secret of a happy marriage was never to argue. She told me that if I ever
got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.

The husband was moved to tears, as he looked at the two dolls lying in the box.
Only twice in all those years had his darling wife been angry with him.

He said, “But what about all this money? How did you manage to save all of this
money?” “Oh” she answered, “that is the money I made from selling the dolls.”

The world does a lot of looking for happiness...people are constantly looking for
things to make them feel better,there is a lot of money spent by people to make
themselves happy...there is a lot of money spent by other people making them
happy.

Type in ‘happiness’ on Amazon.com and you’ll find 2,000 books on happiness.”

If everybody wants to be happy…how come here are so many people that aren't
happy?
The world has even created its own version of happy...it's called Happy Hour

A created time slot in the day when you just put off the cares and responsibilities
of life and get happy...

you simply just forget about life for awhile.

You know some people...in fact a lot of people, even Christians could use an hour
just like that at church...

a time where you let go of everything else and forget about all the

stuff on all of our minds and simply focus on Jesus,

Wouldn't that be something if we all came to church with one thing in mind to just
simply focus on and praise the name of Jesus…

to many times, we bring what’s going on in our lives to church with us...

its not enough that we carry it with us every other place else we go....

The burdens of this world will suck the oxygen right out of you, they will take the
wind right out of your sail, if you let them.

God knew there would be burdens in this world… That's why He made a way of
escape for us in advance..

Matthew 11:29-30

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

When we come into the Lords presence and it should be numerous times
throughout the week...even numerous times daily each time...it should be a time of
refreshment for our soul, spirit, body and mind.

Only the devil and the world, could come up with an idea...

1. That the things offered by his world will not make you happy.
Paul said there were 9 gifts of the spirit…

I would add there are all those plus one more…

The gift of worrying... and while its certainly not a gift

Far too many people are way to fluent in the operation of it...

Somebody once said; I am worried about the economy, my hair is in a recession,

my waist is in an inflation, and I am in a depression.

How do we define worry; to be or make anxious: to feel anxious about something

unpleasant that may have happened or may happen...and I would add may never
happen

Worry is when you think the problem is bigger than the promises and power of
God...which is never the case and could never be the case...

You see… It's not about his ability, rather it's all about our ability

God never panics...

He never stresses...

He is never surprised...

He never gets rattled...

so why should we?

Can anyone even remember what they were worried about

a month ago...a yr. ago... last week... or even yesterday?

Its kind of funny...but do you ever think twice about a situation after its been
resolved?

So… Sometimes we have the gift of worry and sometimes we don't?

You mean we have the ability to turn it on and off?

One things for sure… When we worry, it tends to override the power of the gift of
happiness!

2. The joy of the Lord is our Strength!!

And I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

We should Be anxious for nothing

1 Pet 5:7 NASB casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

The bible tells us how we can achieve that.

Mat 6:25-26..34 Msg

25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you
don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your
closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your
stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless
in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get
worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal
with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

So many people miss out on happiness in their life...because they are so consumed
with everything about their life....instead of realizing how much thoughtand care
God put in to creating the life that they're living...

There is not one need that will ever rise in someone's life...

that God has not already created the provision to meet that need! Amen??