We stand firm in the Lord by realizing that God is in control and He will take care of us. Our confidence needs to be in the Lord alone. While we are living this life, we need to cast off anything that does not follow God's plan. The Bible does not say, do not feel anxious, it says, do not be anxious. Likewise, the Bible does not say, do not feel fear, it says, do not be afraid. We can always find a reason to rejoice. If people imitate us, what will they be doing? We need to imitate the good things that we see others doing.
In this passage, Jacob is an old man and he made a difficult journey because of the famine. God knew the famine would be severe and He was not surprised. God knows everything. Not everything that happens to us is good, but everything is used for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Jacob had to go to Egypt because he was out of food. It is not wrong to cry/weep. It is not okay to cry because of whining, tantrums, etc. Every year we live seems shorter and we need to make the most of our days. Just because life can be difficult, we are not to give up.
Program for 07/31/17 Camp Arrowwood: Day 1, Who is Really Happy?
Program for 03/02/17 "Best Of" Covenant Community Church: Hebrews 12, part 2
Program for 12/09/16 Jim Wood: Lisa Radmore, Through the Fire