The reason you continue to worry about things that God has already worked out is due to your thought process. “…not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” But you stop right there. Church, that’s a comma. I feel like a multitasking preacher.

I talk about everything—fitness, English grammar, theology, parenting, recipes, even tomatoes. It all connects. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” If you stop here, you might start worrying because you’re trying to handle it on your own.

What trips me up when I feel overwhelmed isn’t just getting nervous or having butterflies. When I feel so overwhelmed that it shuts me down, I realize I’ve crossed a line. I might be working on something, but it feels cyclical, draining, and even sickening. If you’re feeling like that, read what comes next after the comma: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.”

That’s a powerful thought—God is at work within you. Don’t forget that while you’re working it out. Don’t become so focused on solving everything that you forget to let it unfold according to God’s purpose.

The Bible says that God works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. God starts with the purpose, not the person, and then finds the right person to fulfill that purpose, shaping them along the way. That’s why you can trust that God is working in you right now.

I remember sitting down to work on something significant once. I had the opportunity to interview Bishop T.D. Jakes at Elevation Church, and it was such an honor. He’s my preaching hero and now my friend, but when someone is your hero, even if they’re your friend, you get nervous. I was so anxious about doing a good job for him.

Weeks before the interview, I would work, but mostly I worried. By the time it came around, I had 75 note cards full of questions for him. People would ask, “Aren’t you excited to interview Bishop Jakes?” and I’d reply, “Yeah,” but excitement and anxiety can feel the same at times. When I look back, I regret the stress I felt over something that wasn’t even real.

The truth is, he could’ve chosen anyone for the interview. He didn’t go to Oprah or Dr. Phil; he came to me. But at the time, I couldn’t see it that way. I was thinking, “What am I going to ask him? He’s so smart.” The reason I was stressed was the exact reason I should have relaxed.

The moment we sat down for the interview, he took over. I still had 74 questions left after 20 minutes, and the interview was only 90 minutes long. In that moment, I realized: It wasn’t about me carrying the whole interview; it was about letting him speak. I had been stressing about all the wrong things—what if my questions were silly? What if I mispronounced a word? What if I made a mistake?

I see you stressing about something in your life today, and I don’t need to know what it is—God does. I see you replaying the situation over and over in your mind, thinking it’s preparation, but it’s really stealing your peace. You’re thinking, “When I get to that moment in three weeks…”