I have to do what? When? As I looked at my calendar, I saw the commitment made a month ago that had slipped my mind. As if I didn’t already have enough to do, now I needed to prepare a lesson for the coming Wednesday night. Then I chuckled to myself—How like God to give me the opportunity to practice what I taught.

Last week I blogged about viewing my to-do list as a to-eventually-do list and how I would ask God what He wanted me to do next. This week, I woke up Monday morning and made a list which included four lessons to write, two chapters to edit, social media posts to make, a flyer to design, and videos to compose and practice. I already felt completely overwhelmed, but then I looked at my calendar and realized one of those lessons was for THIS Wednesday, not next!

The panic of feeling like I have too much to do threatened to steal my day. Instead of jumping on the next tasks, like I just instructed readers to do. I wanted to bury my head in the covers and cry. I expressed how I felt overwhelmed to a friend and ministry partner who immediately called me for a pep-talk and to pray for me. She reminded me of what I already knew I need to do—Just do the next thing God tells me to do and trust Him with the results. (Read her encouragement in my post from last week – It’s Time to Stop and Be Unstoppable by Bille Sue Corley)

So, I received her encouragement and reminded myself of the points from my last blog entitled Do the Next Thing. Then I came up with an action plan.

1. Tell my anxiety to calm down. Anxiety paralyzes. If I give in to it, I will get nothing done. God provides peace as I obey.

2. Remind myself God is in control. I can and I will accomplish what He wants as I apply the ‘do the next thing God says’ principle.

3. Leave the results to God. If I do everything God instructs me to do, I will accomplish His will for my day and be pleased with what I finish.

4. Thank God for every opportunity. My natural mind wants to see tasks as things ‘I’ have to get done. I can remind myself—I am His servant, and He will help me do all He calls me to do.

5. Seek to glorify God in each task. How I complete my tasks may be more important than getting them done. When I view them as opportunities to glorify God and trust Him to help me do them, I will have peace.

Anxiety and feeling overwhelmed are not from God. He never panics. I can confidently expect to accomplish all the items on my to-do list if they are His plan. If not, I can eliminate them.

Thank you, God, for this lesson of applying what I teach. When I have done Your task, help me have the attitude You taught in Luke 17:10 (NIV). “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

In what area could you apply these five steps?

Has God recently given you the opportunity to practice what you teach? If so, I’d love to hear about it.