"Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body; what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25 NKJV
I can just hear people saying, 'Yes, that's ok but, what if...?' These two phrases are spoken many times over each day. 'You say everything will be all right, but...' Or 'What if God doesn't do this?' In the realm of everyday conversation, these words - spoken negatively - negate every positive statement that is spoken. People begin to use these words and begin to disbelieve much more.
In this dreadful time of the Covid Pandemic, some people can be heard saying, 'What if I get Covid, there's no way to avoid it. What about my family?' Some are concerned about the vaccine, 'But is it genuine, what if it gives me a bad reaction?' Or, 'It's been produced rather quickly, what if it's a con and they are trying to kill us because there are so many people in the world today?' Really there is enough paranoia in our world today with Covid, without adding to it.
If you have a conversation with someone who is having a difficult time, listen carefully to what they say when you try to bring about a solution. They nearly always come up with, 'Yes, I know I tried that but...' Or 'Yes but what if?' All over the place positive statements are negated by these negative responses. As we are praying or generally having a conversation with God, we too, can bring up these words -'But or What if?' They seem to be ingrained within us. It is linked to worry and fear and the opposite of what Jesus tells us to do.
Practice changing the meaning of these words into, 'What if God turns up, that will be amazing.' Or 'But, it could all change if we give it to God.' When I speak with someone who is in a negative frame of mind, I will often challenge them and point out these words and say something like, 'What if it doesn't happen the way you say it will. What if there is an amazing change?' The 'But' word is a readily used excuse word. It is used when people feel challenged to alter their behaviour or make a general change in their life. You often hear, 'Yes but'. I point this out to them and challenge their thinking, 'Why do you say that so quickly without considering it? Usually, it is just an excuse to avoid making the change, they've been used to this so long, it's a part of their life.
We can do this to ourselves too. When we talk to ourselves - which I do a lot - I can occasionally hear myself come out with the negative, 'But or What if?' I change this immediately and you should do the same. If we don't, we will continue to believe the lie.
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
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