Let me say this, friends, affliction is part of the Christian life, just like it was part of the life of Christ, the man of sorrows.

And any Christianity that doesn't teach you how to deal with affliction isn't that faithful to the totality of God's Word.

And so what happens is, when affliction comes, you have two choices and these are very significant.

You can choose fear or you can choose joy.

Let me explain this to you. The new brain science is telling us that the two strongest motivators in life are fear and joy.

The people will endure incredible amounts of difficulty if they're afraid or if they believe that there is joy on the other side.

What happens when affliction comes, you're going to have anxiety and fear.

Because as we look into the future, we wonder what is going to happen.

And if you choose fear in affliction, fear comes with a spirit and it's demonic and it becomes oppressive.

The Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear.

And so in your affliction, if you choose fear, a demonic spirit is going to come.

Now this is going to be the most anxious, the most tepid, and the worst version of you.

Instead, you can choose joy in, he says, the Holy Spirit.

And what happens is, when affliction comes, if you choose fear, the counselors will say, you're dysregulated.

You're not doing good, you're not yourself.

When you invite the Holy Spirit, you become regulated.

All of a sudden, you get time with the Lord. This is casting your cares on him. This is transferring your burdens to him.

This is verbal processing with him. This is shedding tears with him.

I'll be honest with you, I was very bad at this for many years in my Christian life.

My wife Grace is good at it. And she would get back to joy and I would still be in fear.

And so I would have anxiety about the future that would cause me unhealth and struggle in the present.

And what I've learned by God's grace, I need to go for walks with Jesus usually in the woods.

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