Ben Greenfield advises listeners to remain alert to temptation while simultaneously cultivating trust in God. He cites Matthew 6:25–27 (the birds-of-the-air passage) to argue that worry is unnecessary, stressing that one should "expect evil, but trust God," and permitting restful relaxation and delight in creation rather than constant anxiety.
You have allies, strong allies in the form of God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and the heavenly host of mighty angels. The knowledge and the awareness of constant temptation must be paired with the peace and the faith of constant trust. After all, also in the Bible says in Matthew 6, 25, 27 Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you'll eat or drink, or about your body, what you'll wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life? So, yeah, be alert at all times for temptation, but don't worry so much about it that you can't sleep at night. You can never relax, and you have a difficult time trusting anyone. And you're constantly worrying what's going wrong. Next you see a demon flying out of her corner. I mean, trust God. See what I mean? Expect evil, but trust God. It's okay to relax, to let go and to lay on your back staring at the sunshine, smiling and basking in the glow of creation. It's okay to relax and to trust God.
The Solution to Aging Might Be Closer Than Anyone Realizes - With Ben Goertzel
