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Trap No. 5 - Chasing Happiness

Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
Psalms 112:1

One day two cats were talking when one of them asked the other why he always chased his tail. "Because my mum says happiness lies in your tail, so I'm trying to catch it." His friend replied, "But if you just kept walking, wouldn't it follow you" Do you know what? When you pursue happiness it eludes you; when you walk with God it follows you. The Bible says, "Happy are those who delight in doing what He commands." (Psalm 112:1) When we focus on doing God's will, there's no room for unhappiness.

But true happiness also involves: 1) Monitoring your self-talk! Listen: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). Your words have power, they really do! They create the environment you live in. So, instead of saying what you see, try seeing what God's Word says, for He has good things in store for you (See Jeremiah 29:11)

2) Being appreciative! It's virtually impossible to be grateful and fearful at the same time. Gratitude is not just the answer to fear, it's also one of the purest forms of love; the selfless kind that gives, seeks nothing in return, yet always finishes up with more than enough!

3) Exercising your options! Thinking you've no options can leave you feeling trapped, angry and depressed. But with God you always have options, for: "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). Based on that, you can restart and re-chart your life. Happy people, truly happy ones, know that!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me follow your will, your path, your commands - because in them I will be happy! In Jesus' Name, Amen