Series: Be Different “Making
Transformative Moves” Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind.
Opening
Thoughts: What does it mean to be a non-anxious presence in
your home, work and in the world? Is it even possible? Learn how the voice of
chronic anxiety can be stilled by the truth of the gospel.
vNewly discovered asteroid may collide with the
earth.
4 Rejoice in the
Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!5 Let your gentleness be
evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be
anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayerand petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is
true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think
about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be
with you.
Summarize the main
story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.
vReview and
retell the story.
Reflections
for applications:
vAnxiety
(Acute
Anxiety vs. Chronic Anxiety)
vPhilippians
4:4-9
oRejoice
(Celebrate)
Be joyful.
oAnxious
(Pull
apart)
vJesus used the same word in Matthew 6:25, 31-34 “Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or
about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body
more than clothes? … 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek
first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to
you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
vHelpful Insights and suggestions:
oBe
present – don’t worry about tomorrow.
§Worry doesn’t change the past or the future.
§How long have you lived?
oBe
prayerful – Prayer is the faith response to worry.
oBe
thankful – You can choose to focus on what’s best.
oBe
at peace – Be at peace with God and one another.
§Worry
doesn’t remove tomorrow’s PAIN, it just removes today’s PEACE.
§Anxiety
is often generated by false beliefs & false needs as well as assumptions
& expectations. – Steve Cuss
§Peace
is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.
Digging
Questions:
·How
will you respond in being different? What transformative move needs to be made?
·What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·What is God calling us to do?
Take Away
Challenges
·What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in
this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
·Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
·What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What
beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is a very creative approach to Christian psychology. The letters are an imaginary correspondence
between Screwtape, an experienced demon tempter, and his nephew, Wormwood, a novice demon recently assigned to tempt a man in order to win him over to the devil. Frequently Screwtape suggests subtle temptations to subtle sins.
Screwtape also suggests that a certain amount religious practice is not bad for the devil's cause, as long as it is done in an outward way with little or no influence over the man's will. At one point Screwtape writes to Wormwood
about moderation:
Talk to him about "moderation in all things." If you can once get him to the point of thinking that "religion is
all very well up to a point," you can feel quite happy about his soul. A moderated religion is as good for us [devils] as no religion at all and more amusing.
If Jesus had taught a religion of "moderation in all things," he would have been welcomed by the Sadducees and could have
avoided the cross. Not only were the claims of Jesus about himself extravagant, but also the demands he laid upon others were pervasive.
“Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment...every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery...If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away...If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away...Do not swear at all...Do not resist one who is evil...Love your enemies...You
must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect...Judge not...Enter by the narrow gate...whoever would save his life will lose it...Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
This does not sound much like "moderation in all things."
==============
HELP ME PRAY
October 16 , 2018
Dr. Joe Pettigrew
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6
When you pray, how much of your prayer is spent praising and thanking God, and how much is spent making requests?
We should take advantage of every opportunity we get to say “Thank You” to God in prayer. If we’re happy, our joy will be multiplied by sharing our
gratitude with the One who made it possible. If we’re down, we’ll feel better when we focus on the good things God is doing in our life.
Too often my prayers, even during my devotional time, sound like a fast-food order. The problem with that approach is that it’s one-sided. Shouldn’t
prayer be a conversation, a way of exercising and celebrating our relationship with God?
Constant asking may not make for a good relationship.
If we’re serious about having a relationship with God, a good rule of thumb may be to begin our prayers with praise and thanksgiving. That way, if we
run out of time, we will have gotten to the critical, relationship-building part. God will take care of our needs and honor our requests. He proves that every day.
Thought of the Day: Ask God to forgive you for the times you forget to tell Him how much you appreciate what He has done for you.
=======================
August 31, 2009
What Are You Worried About?
by Rick Warren“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6–7
MSG).
Two businessmen were talking about the economy:
Jack: “I’m about to lose my job and our house is in foreclosure,
but I don’t worry about it.”
Bob: “How can you not be worried?”
Jack: “I’ve hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying
for me. That way I don’t have to think about it!”
Bob: “That’s a fantastic idea. How much does it cost to hire a professional
worrier?”
Jack: “$50,000 a year.”
Bob: “$50,000! Where are you going to get that kind of money?”
Jack: “I don’t know. That’s HIS worry!”
Worry is something you learn to do.
There is no such thing as a “born worrier.” It is a learned response to life. You learned to worry from two sources:
1. You learned to worry from experience. After years of mistakes, failures, and unfulfilled expectations, you’ve discovered that things don’t always turn out right. Out of these experiences, you formed the habit
of worrying.
2. You learned to worry from examples. There are many models around you. Studies show that children usually pick up their parent’s worries. Anxious parents raise anxious kids.
Since worry is a learned response to life, it can be unlearned!
The starting point for overcoming worry is to realize it is useless. It does you no good to worry. It is “stewing without doing.” Worry has never changed
anything. Worry cannot change the past. Worry cannot control the future. Worry only makes you miserable today.
Worry has never solved a problem, never paid a bill, and never cured an illness. It only paralyzes you so you can’t work on the solution. Worry is like
racing a car when its engine is in neutral; it doesn’t get you anywhere, it just uses up gas.
The Bible teaches, “An anxious heart weighs a man down” (Proverbs 12:25 NIV).
On top of that, worry exaggerates the problem. It plays on your imagination. Have you ever noticed that when you worry about a problem it gets bigger? Every time you repeat if over and over in your mind you
tend to add details, amplifying it so you feel worse.
What’s the solution? Instead of worrying, talk to God about what’s worrying you. He is someone who can do something about it.
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you
know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6–7 MSG).
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