Eventually he started a church next door in the house of Crispus, a ruler of the synagogue. He must have been fearful of his safety because he received a vision from the Lord encouraging him to keep on speaking. "Do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack you or harm you, because I have many people in this city." (Acts 18:10) So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

Years later, at age 51, he wrote of his teenage experience: 'All of a sudden I experience the sensation people talk about who have been through an earthquake, when the ground shakes under their feet, as do the walls around them, the ceilings over their heads, the furniture beneath their hands, all of nature before their eyes. I was seized by the blackest melancholy, then by an extreme disgust with life.'

How do we deal with this emotional pain? Phil.4:6-9 is St. Paul's prescription to cope with anxiety. First of all, in the midst of whatever troubles us, pray with thanksgiving. The story of Jonah illustrates this. From inside the fish that swallowed him Jonah prayed (2:1-9) "But I, with a song of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you."

We must see what Jesus says in its proper context. He is talking about worshipping Money rather than God, being so preoccupied with making money, and taking care of ourselves, that we forget that God gives us that ability, and fail to give God the credit. We can be so focused on taking care of ourselves, so proud of our independence, that we think that what we have is due solely to our own efforts, and not the result of God's blessings.