Word: "Whoever believes will not act hastily." Isaiah 28:16
Wisdom: Take a permanent vacation from hurrying. On my vacation, I really learned something about myself. It's not that I wasn't aware of the problem for a long time, it's just that the Holy Spirit put His finger on it as never before and I sensed in my spirit that it was time at last to once and for all deal with it. This problem was my natural tendency to hurry and be stressed about getting things done as quickly as possible. This life-long tendency of mine especially manifests itself in long lines of people or long lines of cars (and there were plenty of those in Orlando and at Disney World). I kept finding myself looking at my watch, wanting to honk, wanting to run to beat a few people into the next line. I had done that all my life. But, this past week, I was painfully aware of it throughout the vacation. God was teaching me something, so that I could in turn teach you.
Now, just as a doctor doesn't have to have had cancer and overcome it to teach people how to deal with their own cancer, I don't have to have perfectly overcome every tendency to hurry before I can pass on helpful information to my readers. Just be assured that I am not a "hypocrite" about this. I am indeed preaching to myself, but God is my witness that I am also diligently learning to apply the appropriate scriptural principles to this problem.
For many years I have known that I was a Type A personality. According to Wikipedia, "The Type A and Type B personality theory is a personality type theory that describes a pattern of behaviors that were once considered to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Type A individuals can be described as impatient, time-conscious, concerned about their status, highly competitive, ambitious, business-like, aggressive, having difficulty relaxing; and are sometimes disliked by individuals with Type B personalities for the way that they're always rushing. They are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about delays. Because of these characteristics, Type A individuals are often described as "stress junkies." Type B individuals, in contrast, are described as patient, relaxed, and easy-going under-achievers, generally lacking any sense of urgency."
If ever there was a Type A, it is Dea Warford. Of course, the Holy Spirit through the years had helped me to mitigate and sanctify some of the negatives of these natural tendencies. However, I still had a problem with always "rushing." The problem with rushing is the fact that "Speed kills". Speeding, for instance, kills approximately 50% of all traffic fatalities. Think of it! If many fathers had just driven 10 MPH slower, their children might be alive today. You often read of people trying to beat trains and paying for it with their lives . . . just to save 5 minutes! If you are driving 55 MPH and are in an accident, the odds of dying (last time I read) are 1 out of 22. However, if you are driving just 15 MPH faster (at 70 MPH), the odds of being killed are 1 out of 2! Speed kills.
Well, that's theory. But, what does the Word of God say about the subject?
Isaiah 52:12 (NLT): "You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind." If the people of God don't have to hurry even to run for their own lives, then how much less do we need to hurry when our lives aren't at stake?
1 Timothy 5:22 (NLT): "Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader." This is a warning to not make quick decisions when it involves other people, especially before you know them well enough to trust. Trust is never given freely, even to fellow believers. Trust is only earned, by time and by tests.
Proverbs 21:5: "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." This verse warns us that we need to be very slow to make career decisions. In today's economy, what major you choose in college or what company you choose to work for could make the difference in being blessed or being broke.
Ecclesiastes 8:3: "Do not be hasty to go from his presence." Perhaps the biggest mistake that Christians make is not hurrying down the highway, but rather "hurrying" away from a time of prayer. Martin Luther once had a very, very demanding and busy day ahead of him. He said, "I've got so much to do today, that I have to start it out with 2 hours of prayer." Perhaps this is what the Lord was talking about when He said, "Seek first (in time and in priority) the kingdom of God . . . And all these (material things; like jobs or careers) shall be added toyou." (Matt. 6:33)
Ecclesiastes 7:9 (KJV): "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." I know I have a "hasty spirit". The night before last, I wanted to honk my horn so badly at the ridiculous slowly creeping line of cars ahead of me (just to hurry them along). God wouldn't let me do it that night. And, I doubt He will ever again let me honk my horn at someone because they are making me mad or slowing me down. If I do, Solomon said in the above verse that that makes me a "fool".
Proverbs 28:20 (NLT): "The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble." Slowly, patiently seek God for where to invest your money. This verse reveals that it is more important for the Lord to be able to trust you with money, than for you to have lots of it. Maybe the fact that you haven't been proven trustworthy (to tithe, to give and share your successes generously, to continue to seek the Lord first in your life) is the very reason why the Lord hasn't given you more money!
Proverbs 28:22 (NLT): "Greedy people try to get rich quick but don't realize they're headed for poverty." Many are saying that it was "greed" that caused the housing meltdown: speculators buying up homes right and left, convinced home values would continue to rapidly rise for get rich quick results. As Solomon wrote, they were just "headed for poverty".
Isaiah 28:16: "Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily." Every time we hurry; every time we honk our horn; every time we double our efforts because we think it won't get done without our hurried efforts: we are revealing our unbelief. Jesus never hurried: not once. Yet He could claim, "I have finished the work which you have given me to do." John 17:4. (I wonder if His praying all night at times or getting up "a great while before daylight" had anything to do with it?)
Stress is a direct result of hurrying and worrying that "it" will only happen if you "hurry it and worry it" along.
All my hurrying for 60 years, and guess what? I am not any further along than where I would have been if I hadn't hurried! I am sitting at a desk at 2121 Triador St. Corona, California. It's 3:18 PM. Had I relaxed and taken my time and enjoyed the journey, I'd still be sitting right here at 3:18 PM. Hurrying didn't change the clock one tick and didn't change my ultimate geographical location (but, it surely took its toll on my body, in my marriage, and on my impact on this planet). For some (now in heaven or hell) their hurrying did change their location at that moment of impact on the freeway.
If hurrying doesn't help, than why hurry? If stressing doesn't stretch, why stress at all? I am already a different person since I made the decision to at last obey the Word and obey the Holy Spirit's dealings about my "hasty spirit". My wife has commented a number of times already about the difference. She's happier. I am happier. The Lord is happier.
Now, I haven't "arrived yet", but I am committed to this patient journey. Accept my testimony and teaching. Slow Down: that way, we'll both live longer and enjoy it more.
Just remember this law of physics: Speed kills! And, remember the law of God, "Whoever believes will not act hastily." Isaiah 28:16.
Prayer: "Father, forgive me of my unbelief. I am not any further along in life because of my rushing. I am just more stressed because of it. Teach me to slow down."
Confession: "Speed kills. So, I will not act hastily anymore."
(Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural references are from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1981)
Wisdom: Take a permanent vacation from hurrying. On my vacation, I really learned something about myself. It's not that I wasn't aware of the problem for a long time, it's just that the Holy Spirit put His finger on it as never before and I sensed in my spirit that it was time at last to once and for all deal with it. This problem was my natural tendency to hurry and be stressed about getting things done as quickly as possible. This life-long tendency of mine especially manifests itself in long lines of people or long lines of cars (and there were plenty of those in Orlando and at Disney World). I kept finding myself looking at my watch, wanting to honk, wanting to run to beat a few people into the next line. I had done that all my life. But, this past week, I was painfully aware of it throughout the vacation. God was teaching me something, so that I could in turn teach you.
Now, just as a doctor doesn't have to have had cancer and overcome it to teach people how to deal with their own cancer, I don't have to have perfectly overcome every tendency to hurry before I can pass on helpful information to my readers. Just be assured that I am not a "hypocrite" about this. I am indeed preaching to myself, but God is my witness that I am also diligently learning to apply the appropriate scriptural principles to this problem.
For many years I have known that I was a Type A personality. According to Wikipedia, "The Type A and Type B personality theory is a personality type theory that describes a pattern of behaviors that were once considered to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Type A individuals can be described as impatient, time-conscious, concerned about their status, highly competitive, ambitious, business-like, aggressive, having difficulty relaxing; and are sometimes disliked by individuals with Type B personalities for the way that they're always rushing. They are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about delays. Because of these characteristics, Type A individuals are often described as "stress junkies." Type B individuals, in contrast, are described as patient, relaxed, and easy-going under-achievers, generally lacking any sense of urgency."
If ever there was a Type A, it is Dea Warford. Of course, the Holy Spirit through the years had helped me to mitigate and sanctify some of the negatives of these natural tendencies. However, I still had a problem with always "rushing." The problem with rushing is the fact that "Speed kills". Speeding, for instance, kills approximately 50% of all traffic fatalities. Think of it! If many fathers had just driven 10 MPH slower, their children might be alive today. You often read of people trying to beat trains and paying for it with their lives . . . just to save 5 minutes! If you are driving 55 MPH and are in an accident, the odds of dying (last time I read) are 1 out of 22. However, if you are driving just 15 MPH faster (at 70 MPH), the odds of being killed are 1 out of 2! Speed kills.
Well, that's theory. But, what does the Word of God say about the subject?
Isaiah 52:12 (NLT): "You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind." If the people of God don't have to hurry even to run for their own lives, then how much less do we need to hurry when our lives aren't at stake?
1 Timothy 5:22 (NLT): "Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader." This is a warning to not make quick decisions when it involves other people, especially before you know them well enough to trust. Trust is never given freely, even to fellow believers. Trust is only earned, by time and by tests.
Proverbs 21:5: "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." This verse warns us that we need to be very slow to make career decisions. In today's economy, what major you choose in college or what company you choose to work for could make the difference in being blessed or being broke.
Ecclesiastes 8:3: "Do not be hasty to go from his presence." Perhaps the biggest mistake that Christians make is not hurrying down the highway, but rather "hurrying" away from a time of prayer. Martin Luther once had a very, very demanding and busy day ahead of him. He said, "I've got so much to do today, that I have to start it out with 2 hours of prayer." Perhaps this is what the Lord was talking about when He said, "Seek first (in time and in priority) the kingdom of God . . . And all these (material things; like jobs or careers) shall be added toyou." (Matt. 6:33)
Ecclesiastes 7:9 (KJV): "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." I know I have a "hasty spirit". The night before last, I wanted to honk my horn so badly at the ridiculous slowly creeping line of cars ahead of me (just to hurry them along). God wouldn't let me do it that night. And, I doubt He will ever again let me honk my horn at someone because they are making me mad or slowing me down. If I do, Solomon said in the above verse that that makes me a "fool".
Proverbs 28:20 (NLT): "The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble." Slowly, patiently seek God for where to invest your money. This verse reveals that it is more important for the Lord to be able to trust you with money, than for you to have lots of it. Maybe the fact that you haven't been proven trustworthy (to tithe, to give and share your successes generously, to continue to seek the Lord first in your life) is the very reason why the Lord hasn't given you more money!
Proverbs 28:22 (NLT): "Greedy people try to get rich quick but don't realize they're headed for poverty." Many are saying that it was "greed" that caused the housing meltdown: speculators buying up homes right and left, convinced home values would continue to rapidly rise for get rich quick results. As Solomon wrote, they were just "headed for poverty".
Isaiah 28:16: "Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily." Every time we hurry; every time we honk our horn; every time we double our efforts because we think it won't get done without our hurried efforts: we are revealing our unbelief. Jesus never hurried: not once. Yet He could claim, "I have finished the work which you have given me to do." John 17:4. (I wonder if His praying all night at times or getting up "a great while before daylight" had anything to do with it?)
Stress is a direct result of hurrying and worrying that "it" will only happen if you "hurry it and worry it" along.
All my hurrying for 60 years, and guess what? I am not any further along than where I would have been if I hadn't hurried! I am sitting at a desk at 2121 Triador St. Corona, California. It's 3:18 PM. Had I relaxed and taken my time and enjoyed the journey, I'd still be sitting right here at 3:18 PM. Hurrying didn't change the clock one tick and didn't change my ultimate geographical location (but, it surely took its toll on my body, in my marriage, and on my impact on this planet). For some (now in heaven or hell) their hurrying did change their location at that moment of impact on the freeway.
If hurrying doesn't help, than why hurry? If stressing doesn't stretch, why stress at all? I am already a different person since I made the decision to at last obey the Word and obey the Holy Spirit's dealings about my "hasty spirit". My wife has commented a number of times already about the difference. She's happier. I am happier. The Lord is happier.
Now, I haven't "arrived yet", but I am committed to this patient journey. Accept my testimony and teaching. Slow Down: that way, we'll both live longer and enjoy it more.
Just remember this law of physics: Speed kills! And, remember the law of God, "Whoever believes will not act hastily." Isaiah 28:16.
Prayer: "Father, forgive me of my unbelief. I am not any further along in life because of my rushing. I am just more stressed because of it. Teach me to slow down."
Confession: "Speed kills. So, I will not act hastily anymore."
(Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural references are from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1981)
"Speed Kills"
By Evangelist Dea Warford
By Evangelist Dea Warford
Helping equip God's people to minister
more effectively to the lost in their community.
more effectively to the lost in their community.
Evangelist Dea Warford
