You may be going through serious challenges right now and it may appear as though the world is crashing on your head. In spite of such a situation, Dr. Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase says, “Do not give worry any chance.” In article below which was first published in Success Digest on June 24, 2008, he shares how he was able to deal with worry and sail through the storms of life that confronted him on his way to success. A whole of a truth is revealed in this article, and we believe you will be empowered by it today. Enjoy it!
Did I hear you say, “Really?” Well, it’s true. Someone who was very close to me once remarked that I never seemed to be troubled by anything; that I was always calm no matter the situation that I was confronting. He was right! But the truth is that I have not always been like that. I had to train myself to quit worrying; to keep my cool; to change my perspective about life and to take things easy. It wasn’t easy, I have to admit. There was a period in my life when I would have won the Olympic Gold Medal for worrying if it was an Olympic sport. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, I realized before it was too late that I would cut my life short if I didn’t quit worrying and take things easy. That would sound as if I have lost my drive to achieve and to accomplish for those who don’t understand what I am saying.
Nothing is further from the truth; I am as ambitious as the next guy. It’s just that I have found a less stressful way of reaching my lofty goals and if you stay with me I will reveal the secret to you. Now, I kid you not; anyone can be as cool as cucumber. By this I mean you can remain calm and unperturbed in the face of serious disturbing news. You can refuse to be agitated even when you are facing a situation that offers no easy solutions. For most people, that is next to impossible. As a matter of fact, if anyone exhibits that kind of calmness, he is thought of as strange, unemotional or maybe even heartless.
Let Me Prove to You
First, what cause people to lose their poise? The answer is anxiety. Anxiety has been described by a dictionary as a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some [Usually ill-defined] misfortune.” Read that definition again and underline “vague unpleasant emotion”, “in anticipation of” and “some [usually ill-defined] misfortune.”A careful analysis of the group of words you underlined will expose what anxiety is to you. Let’s go over them together.
“Vague Unpleasant Emotion”
This thing that is causing you to lose your cool is vague, even though unpleasant. You can’t put your finger on it. It’s like a moving target. Before you can take aim at it and press the trigger, it’s on the move again. If anyone asks you what it is that is biting you, you will not be able to give a specific answer. All you know is that you are troubled. Now, let’s look at the next one.
“In Anticipation Of”
To anticipate is to expect. What you are anticipating determines the emotion it evokes. If you are anticipating something evil to happen, then you will be afraid. But if you are anticipating something good; say a promotion or someone bringing you money, for example, you are in good spirits; you are filled with joy. Now, examine the third group of words.
“Some [Usually Ill-Defined] Misfortune”
As I explained in the last paragraph, it has to be a misfortune for it to be anxiety causing. But notice that it is usually “ ill-defined”. So it’s clear that anxiety has its root cause in anticipation, whether of a good or bad thing. And when anxiety kicks in, you are distracted, afraid, restless. In order to counter this emotional imbalance, all you have to do is to control your expectation. Cut out all the negative expectations and feed your imagination with exciting movie of great things you are looking forward to happening to you. Easier said than done, you say. I agree. That’s where the training comes in. Years ago when I was the undisputed worrying champion of the world, my mind seemed to be loaded with all sorts of catastrophic events of earth shaking proportions about to explode. You know what I mean; the Molue bus you are inside will dive into a logoon the next minute; robbers will snatch your pay packet on your way home on the day you receive your pay; your son who is late from school is probably in a morgue somewhere; you will not be able to meet the next pay roll or settle your suppliers’ due to invoices because sales will be down, and on and on like that.
You get the drift?
When such thoughts were running riot in my mind, you could be talking to me and I would appear to be listening but I would be far away from you. The nod of my head, which you thought was a response to what you have just said was a reaction to something else going on in my head. It was absolutely crazy! But thank God, the Holy Spirit led me to my Spiritual Guides, namely Pastor E.A Adeboye [Daddy G.O]; Bishop David Oyedepo; Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. Due mainly to the teachings of these generals of God, I got to have a better understanding of what was going on in my mind. Napolean Hill exposed me to some of these things much earlier in his run-away best seller, Think and Grow Rich. I didn’t quite grasp it. I guess I was so interested in turning my ideas into money to bother about this side of things.
In a nutshell, here is what I discovered. Your mind is a battle ground. It’s the place where the devil works very hard to control, if you allow it, it will completely destroy you.
So what are you to do?
Guard it vigilantly. Fill it with the Word of God. I have discovered that this works better than any other thing else. Yes, God’s word. When the devil flashes a picture of accident in your mind, toss it out and tell yourself: “My father has given his angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways.” (Psalms 91:11). When the devil says you will not be able to settle that next bill that is due, cancel the thought and declare: “My Father always supplies my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus: [Philippians 4: 19]. When you get a signal from the devil saying you might be getting flu, toss it back to it and say: “By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed.” [ 1 Peter 2:24]: Or ‘ Jesus took away my infirmities so I cannot be sick.” [Matthew 8:17].
When you do this every secondly, not daily, not hourly, not even minutely, but every time the devil comes with those negative images or suggestions, you will begin to experience a strange kind of peace which is not common among the people around you.
It works; I know it does because I have relinquished that infamous title: Undisputed Worrying Champion of the World.
Article published on Page 3 of Success Digest on Monday, June 3, 2013
