Does Your Leaf Stay Green?

This series begins looking at Psalm 1:2-3 “His delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted on streams of water, which bears fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (NIV)

One characteristic of prospering is to not let your leaf wither. Psalm 1 has a companion scripture found in Jeremiah 17. Let’s take a look.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

If we are going to prosper we can’t allow ourselves to be in fear when the heat comes. When the pressures of life come on us we cannot afford to worry.  We must overcome anxiety.

To get beyond fear we need to understand where fear comes from. The word tells us that fear does not come from God. Therefore, it comes from the deceiver, the oppressor, Satan.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

Knowing where fear comes from will help us prevail over that fear. The opposite of fear is faith. I have faith in God.

Many times our worry comes from contemplating the future, according to our present circumstances. Refocus your thinking about the future and just concentrate on the day at hand.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

What is the prescription for overcoming anxiety? Think on things that are of good report. Look for the good in the day at hand. It’s there if you look for it.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:6-8

The word then gives us one of the characteristics for those that operate in true prosperity.

1. They conquer fear. Know that fear does not come from God.
2. They triumph over worry. They focus is on this day. They don’t spend time worrying about things they can’t do anything about.
3. They prevail over anxiety by focusing on the good around them.
4. Their leaves do not wither.

Post in the comment section how you deal with fear and worry and anxiety?

How do we keep our leaves from withering? Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t let fear overcome you. Look for the good. Concentrate on bearing fruit.

Bearing fruit? Come back for the next of this series on “Whatever he does prospers.”

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Whatever He Does Prospers

What Does “Prosper” Mean?

Over What Aspects of Your Life Would You Like To Prosper?

Next
Yielding Fruit In Season
Is Your Water Fresh Or Salty?
What Are You Meditating On?