WEBVTT 00:00:00.762 --> 00:00:01.705 Amen, amen. 00:00:01.705 --> 00:00:03.847 We're going to be in Philippians, chapter 4 this morning. 00:00:03.847 --> 00:00:04.924 Philippians, chapter 4. 00:00:04.924 --> 00:00:09.512 And the message is entitled Winning the War with Worry. 00:00:09.512 --> 00:00:12.487 Winning the War with Worry. 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:15.227 How many of you ever worry about things? 00:00:15.227 --> 00:00:17.532 Sometimes, every now and again, raise up your hand. 00:00:17.532 --> 00:00:22.382 Ok, we have about seven honest people in the room this morning Now. 00:00:22.382 --> 00:00:26.987 I think we all worry about things, and I'm no different than any of you. 00:00:26.987 --> 00:00:37.209 Pastor Cody was just talking about just how exciting it is for us to go to a three-service schedule next week and to help more people know Jesus than ever before. 00:00:38.972 --> 00:00:43.587 But, if I'm honest, I have some worries as a leader. 00:00:43.587 --> 00:00:54.981 I do not lead a small church anymore and I wonder, do I have what it takes to lead a church that isn't small, am I? 00:00:54.981 --> 00:00:56.365 And I appreciate it. 00:00:56.365 --> 00:00:58.011 Y'all are so affirming of my leadership. 00:00:58.011 --> 00:01:02.990 I was going to say that, but it's just like a real worry that I still have sometimes. 00:01:02.990 --> 00:01:08.341 Say that, but it's just like a real worry that I still have sometimes. 00:01:08.361 --> 00:01:18.944 Sometimes I worry about my future and God has given me an incredible life as a single person at 35 years old and I think, man, do I not want to be single anymore? 00:01:18.944 --> 00:01:29.796 But then I think, like, do I want to be sick and I just like worry like what's my life going to look like in 5, 10, 15 years down the road? 00:01:29.796 --> 00:01:42.471 Sometimes I worry and I know that I'm not alone when it comes to worry and some of our worries they're rational, like they make sense, but aren't some of our worries also very irrational? 00:01:42.471 --> 00:01:47.590 You ever worry about something that is completely irrational? 00:01:47.590 --> 00:01:57.311 For example, I was doing a workout the other day and it was really hard and I was thinking is this what it feels like right before you die? 00:01:57.311 --> 00:02:04.628 Am I actually on the brink of death right now? 00:02:04.628 --> 00:02:05.950 And I don't even realize it. 00:02:05.950 --> 00:02:14.387 And then I look around and I'm thinking I wonder if there's any people that work in the medical field that can revive me. 00:02:14.387 --> 00:02:17.954 Would they? 00:02:17.954 --> 00:02:25.709 Maybe he could revive me, thank you, I'm thinking would they call an ambulance? 00:02:25.709 --> 00:02:27.481 How long would it take for an ambulance to get here? 00:02:27.481 --> 00:02:30.811 No, don't call an ambulance. 00:02:30.811 --> 00:02:31.733 They're really expensive. 00:02:31.733 --> 00:02:38.681 And I'm having this irrational worry and it's like, dude, what are you even thinking about right now? 00:02:39.342 --> 00:02:47.467 I think we all kind of have worries that are irrational, and what I want us to do for a second is I want to hear from you to talk about things that we worry about. 00:02:47.467 --> 00:02:52.254 In fact, to help us do this, I brought out the whiteboard. 00:02:52.254 --> 00:02:55.627 Everybody say ooh, yeah, that's right. 00:02:55.627 --> 00:02:57.612 The teachers in the room love the whiteboards. 00:02:57.612 --> 00:02:59.781 The students in the room were like I saw that all last week. 00:02:59.781 --> 00:03:00.961 I didn't expect to see it on Sunday. 00:03:00.961 --> 00:03:08.288 And the red marker the red Ooh, that's right, this is dangerous, dangerous, okay. 00:03:08.848 --> 00:03:16.913 So seriously, though, tell me something that people worry about just in general Kids, yep, kids, that's a big one. 00:03:16.913 --> 00:03:17.534 Let's say this. 00:03:17.534 --> 00:03:18.294 Let's say family. 00:03:18.294 --> 00:03:26.681 Family, as you guys can tell, I got a major in penmanship in college. 00:03:26.681 --> 00:03:27.544 As you can tell, my handwriting is amazing. 00:03:27.544 --> 00:03:27.843 Family. 00:03:27.843 --> 00:03:28.445 What's something else? 00:03:28.445 --> 00:03:30.711 I heard Finance oh my goodness. 00:03:30.751 --> 00:03:31.992 Finances, that's so real. 00:03:31.992 --> 00:03:34.024 We're just going to do a little money. 00:03:34.024 --> 00:03:34.626 Sign there. 00:03:34.626 --> 00:03:35.306 Finances. 00:03:35.306 --> 00:03:38.052 Health oh my gosh, health is so real. 00:03:38.052 --> 00:03:40.222 Health, let's put that down. 00:03:40.222 --> 00:03:42.745 We got health. 00:03:42.745 --> 00:03:44.146 What else? 00:03:44.146 --> 00:03:47.110 We got Pets Okay, yeah, pets. 00:03:47.110 --> 00:03:48.872 Yeah, pet lovers in the room. 00:03:48.872 --> 00:03:51.074 Okay, all right, that's all right. 00:03:51.074 --> 00:03:55.966 Pets Some of you that don't care about pets you're like I ain't never worried about a pet in my life. 00:03:56.246 --> 00:03:58.953 You're like my worry is that I'm going to get one one day. 00:03:59.020 --> 00:03:59.360 That's my worry. 00:03:59.360 --> 00:03:59.820 Okay, we got pets. 00:03:59.820 --> 00:04:00.401 Mortgage what color are? 00:04:00.401 --> 00:04:03.742 Okay, we got pets mortgage. 00:04:03.742 --> 00:04:05.264 We'll call that finances the world. 00:04:05.264 --> 00:04:06.004 Oh my gosh. 00:04:06.004 --> 00:04:06.824 Yes, the world. 00:04:06.824 --> 00:04:07.485 That's a big one. 00:04:07.485 --> 00:04:13.150 World Politics yeah, thank you. 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:15.010 Election we got some honest people in the room. 00:04:15.010 --> 00:04:17.992 Election don't say anything else about that election guys. 00:04:17.992 --> 00:04:18.834 There's a whole bunch of things. 00:04:18.834 --> 00:04:20.894 We have family money, health, pets, election, the world. 00:04:20.894 --> 00:04:22.175 There could be a whole bunch of things. 00:04:22.175 --> 00:04:25.257 We have family money, health, pets, election, the world. 00:04:25.257 --> 00:04:28.802 There could be a whole host of things. 00:04:28.822 --> 00:04:31.269 Now, here's what I want you to do for a second. 00:04:31.269 --> 00:04:41.951 I want you to think of something that you personally worry about, or something you have worried about in the past. 00:04:41.951 --> 00:04:50.408 I want you to think about it and, in fact, for some of you, I actually want you to take another step and I actually want you to write it down. 00:04:50.408 --> 00:04:53.281 So, maybe take out your phone notes. 00:04:53.281 --> 00:05:03.810 Maybe, if you're taking notes in the message, I want you to write down that thing that you worry about, because here's what we're going to see today. 00:05:03.810 --> 00:05:40.805 We're going to see how you can win the war with worry and how, when that thing that you just wrote down or you're thinking about, when that thing creeps up, we're going to see how you can allow that worry to not control you and to not overpower you and the way we're going to see it is from a prescription that God gives us in Philippians, chapter number four, which is a passage of scripture that we go to every couple years here, because I think we need to be reminded of what God's prescription says about worry. 00:05:40.805 --> 00:05:48.608 So let's pick this up in Philippians, chapter number four as we learn about how you can overcome the thing that you were just thinking about. 00:05:48.608 --> 00:05:50.321 If you're ready for God's word, would you say amen? 00:05:51.483 --> 00:05:56.874 In Philippians, chapter four, verse five, it says this it says rejoice in the Lord. 00:05:56.874 --> 00:05:57.461 What's that word? 00:05:57.461 --> 00:05:58.461 Rejoice in the Lord? 00:05:58.461 --> 00:06:05.314 You know how often always is Always. 00:06:05.314 --> 00:06:08.428 I will say it again rejoice. 00:06:08.428 --> 00:06:09.781 Now. 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:12.326 When I read that verse, I noticed something right off the get-go. 00:06:12.326 --> 00:06:20.406 I noticed that it doesn't just say rejoice in the Lord one time, it says it twice. 00:06:20.406 --> 00:06:21.048 I'll say it again. 00:06:21.048 --> 00:06:25.552 You ever tell somebody something one time, but you're like I'm just gonna say it again one. 00:06:25.552 --> 00:06:28.990 You ever tell somebody something one time, but you're like I'm just going to say it again one more time just to make sure they got it. 00:06:28.990 --> 00:06:33.584 Take out the trash, remember? 00:06:33.584 --> 00:06:36.810 I said take out the trash, clean up your room. 00:06:36.810 --> 00:06:39.802 Clean up your room before you play video games. 00:06:40.382 --> 00:06:49.442 Right, repeating this and he says here he says rejoice in the Lord, but to rejoice in the Lord you have to know the Lord. 00:06:49.442 --> 00:06:55.213 You can't rejoice in someone that you don't personally know. 00:06:55.213 --> 00:07:01.153 And rejoicing in the Lord and knowing the Lord begins with knowing him as our Lord and Savior. 00:07:01.153 --> 00:07:09.208 And what that means is that means that that that doesn't mean that you're a spiritual person or you're a moral person or you're even a religious person. 00:07:09.208 --> 00:07:17.100 What that means is that we realize that we're a sinner, we realize that we're separated from God and that we need a Savior. 00:07:17.100 --> 00:07:20.348 And this is why Jesus came and died on the cross for us. 00:07:20.348 --> 00:07:25.468 And Jesus didn't just die in a general way because he was a really loving person. 00:07:25.468 --> 00:07:30.290 He died in a specific way and that way was for your sin, because you needed a savior. 00:07:30.290 --> 00:07:41.629 In the moment you come to Jesus by faith and you turn from your sin and you put your faith and trust in Jesus, that's how you begin a relationship with God and you begin to know the Lord. 00:07:42.831 --> 00:07:51.411 And once we make that decision to have what the Bible calls salvation, we want to grow in our relationship with him and getting to know him better. 00:07:51.411 --> 00:07:55.903 This is one reason why personal Bible study is so important. 00:07:55.903 --> 00:08:00.192 This is one of the reasons why growth groups are so important. 00:08:00.192 --> 00:08:00.494 Why? 00:08:00.494 --> 00:08:03.766 So we can learn the word and get in the word. 00:08:03.766 --> 00:08:09.348 Something that's really cool that we have this growth group semester is during the nine o'clock service. 00:08:09.348 --> 00:08:14.427 I think we have 18 or 19 people in a growth group that meets here walking through. 00:08:14.427 --> 00:08:16.151 What does it mean to follow Jesus? 00:08:16.151 --> 00:08:17.093 Who is God? 00:08:17.093 --> 00:08:18.281 How do we study the Bible? 00:08:18.281 --> 00:08:25.728 And we got a bunch of people learning about that and that is amazing and we want to get to know him better. 00:08:25.728 --> 00:08:31.711 It says in verse 5, we want to let our graciousness be known to everyone because the Lord is near. 00:08:31.711 --> 00:08:36.667 So we want to be gracious to people because God is with us. 00:08:38.610 --> 00:08:45.192 And then he gets to verse 6, and he says something that some of you are going to think that's impossible. 00:08:45.192 --> 00:08:53.673 He says don't worry. 00:08:53.673 --> 00:08:57.830 Some of y'all are like my middle name is worry. 00:08:57.830 --> 00:09:02.028 You're like don't worry, that's impossible. 00:09:02.028 --> 00:09:08.750 He says don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 00:09:08.750 --> 00:09:11.326 And this is what he does. 00:09:11.326 --> 00:09:19.365 He gives us his prescription to win the war with worry Once we have the foundation of rejoicing in the Lord. 00:09:19.365 --> 00:09:20.789 He gives the prescription. 00:09:20.789 --> 00:09:21.652 Here's the prescription. 00:09:21.672 --> 00:09:25.628 It begins with this Pray about everything. 00:09:25.628 --> 00:09:27.081 Can we say that? 00:09:27.081 --> 00:09:32.292 Together, those three words, together, ready, pray about everything, everything. 00:09:32.292 --> 00:09:33.741 Now he uses two words. 00:09:33.741 --> 00:09:37.188 He uses the word prayer and the word petition. 00:09:37.188 --> 00:09:39.594 What does those words mean? 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:43.832 Prayer, generally, is any form of communication with God. 00:09:43.832 --> 00:09:46.883 Sometimes people come to me and they're like I don't know how to pray. 00:09:46.883 --> 00:09:48.467 Here's what prayer is. 00:09:48.467 --> 00:09:49.671 Prayer is just talking to God. 00:09:49.671 --> 00:09:51.442 It's all prayers. 00:09:51.442 --> 00:09:56.183 You don't have to know a magic religious word Like if you just you have to say this, just this. 00:09:56.183 --> 00:09:57.970 Oh, you said the wrong word, that's not a prayer. 00:09:57.970 --> 00:10:01.967 Prayer is any type of general communication with God. 00:10:01.967 --> 00:10:03.873 Now, petition, it's a specific type of general communication with God. 00:10:03.873 --> 00:10:08.886 Now, petition is a specific type of prayer where you are petitioning God for a specific need. 00:10:08.886 --> 00:10:15.702 So I have this need and I'm asking God for this specific need, whatever that is. 00:10:15.702 --> 00:10:22.363 Now some of you think my needs are small, like my worries are small and they're irrational. 00:10:22.363 --> 00:10:24.227 Should I even pray about it? 00:10:24.227 --> 00:10:31.472 Should I really pray about my worries? 00:10:31.472 --> 00:10:41.091 Yes, here's why, if it's big enough for you to worry about, it's big enough for you to pray about, you think, oh, it's so small. 00:10:41.091 --> 00:10:41.974 Does God even care? 00:10:41.974 --> 00:10:47.652 He cares, he cares about the details of your life. 00:10:47.652 --> 00:10:51.104 He cares about your worries. 00:10:51.765 --> 00:10:57.501 And what's really fascinating is science is starting in these new studies of the brain. 00:10:57.501 --> 00:11:04.380 They're starting to realize the impact that praying actually has on our brain and how our brain works. 00:11:04.380 --> 00:11:05.982 So let me give you an example. 00:11:05.982 --> 00:11:11.309 There's this lady named Dr Caroline Leaf who wrote the book Switch on your Brain. 00:11:11.309 --> 00:11:16.176 I want to read her title because it's pretty impressive. 00:11:16.176 --> 00:11:26.490 She's a cognitive neuroscientist with a PhD in communication pathology and has a BSc in legopedics. 00:11:26.490 --> 00:11:29.884 Anybody know what that means I don't either, but she's smart. 00:11:29.884 --> 00:11:35.003 So she wrote this book called Switch on your Brain, and this is what she said. 00:11:35.003 --> 00:11:52.211 After extensive scientific research about prayer, she says it's been found that 12 minutes of daily focused prayer over an eight-week period can change the brain to such an extent that it can be measured on a brain scan. 00:11:52.211 --> 00:12:05.881 This type of prayer increases activity in brain areas associated with social interaction, compassion and sensitivity to others. 00:12:05.881 --> 00:12:12.985 It also increases frontal lobe activity as focus and intentionality increase. 00:12:14.269 --> 00:12:16.054 Prayer is powerful. 00:12:16.054 --> 00:12:21.659 Prayer is powerful and in the face of worry, prayer can bring peace. 00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:28.605 And what worry is is worry needs to be an alarm bell that we need to pray when we have a worry. 00:12:28.605 --> 00:12:29.346 That's an alert. 00:12:29.346 --> 00:12:30.366 Time to pray. 00:12:30.366 --> 00:12:33.229 You know you get your cell phone alerts and cell phone notification. 00:12:33.229 --> 00:12:35.171 It's like oh, this is the score to the football game. 00:12:35.171 --> 00:12:36.772 Don't check the football game score right now. 00:12:36.772 --> 00:12:40.679 Oh, this is what's happening over here. 00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:42.163 Listen, this is what worries, worries and alert. 00:12:42.163 --> 00:12:42.986 Boop, I need to pray. 00:12:46.078 --> 00:12:48.806 You get some news your kid's having a hard time in school or something's going on. 00:12:48.806 --> 00:12:49.495 You're worried about it. 00:12:49.495 --> 00:12:50.356 Boop, time to pray. 00:12:50.356 --> 00:12:54.682 Your boss wants to meet with you and you're like oh, what does my boss want to talk to me about? 00:12:54.682 --> 00:12:55.543 Oh, I don't know. 00:12:55.543 --> 00:12:56.846 Am I going to get fired? 00:12:56.846 --> 00:12:57.827 Am I going to get let go? 00:12:57.827 --> 00:12:58.629 Am I in trouble? 00:12:58.629 --> 00:12:59.890 Time to pray. 00:12:59.890 --> 00:13:04.774 You know the doctor and you're worried about it and there's a test you have to take. 00:13:04.774 --> 00:13:05.756 You're not sure what's going to happen. 00:13:05.756 --> 00:13:06.860 I'm really worried about it. 00:13:07.442 --> 00:13:12.399 Time to pray and what we have to do is we have to cognitively choose to pray in the face of worry. 00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:15.644 This is what I find myself doing when I'm worried. 00:13:15.644 --> 00:13:20.750 I start like thinking, and sometimes overthinking and analyzing and like what are the odds? 00:13:20.750 --> 00:13:21.532 How do I do this? 00:13:21.532 --> 00:13:24.719 What's the odds that an ambulance is actually going to come in less than three minutes? 00:13:24.719 --> 00:13:25.841 What's the? 00:13:25.841 --> 00:13:26.263 You don't even like. 00:13:26.263 --> 00:13:27.575 It's like nope, that's all you do. 00:13:27.575 --> 00:13:28.956 I need to pray. 00:13:30.298 --> 00:13:34.464 And he says the way we pray is we pray with gratitude. 00:13:34.464 --> 00:13:38.389 In verse number seven we practice gratitude. 00:13:38.389 --> 00:13:41.677 And the rest of the verse he says when we pray, we pray with. 00:13:41.677 --> 00:13:42.578 What's that word? 00:13:42.578 --> 00:13:46.908 With Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 00:13:46.908 --> 00:13:59.928 There's all these interesting studies that's showing us that the exact same place in your brain where worry and anxiety exist is the exact same place in your brain where gratitude exists when you're grateful. 00:13:59.928 --> 00:14:05.748 So psychologically, it's actually impossible to worry and be grateful at the same time. 00:14:05.748 --> 00:14:10.484 It's like psychologically not possible to do that. 00:14:10.484 --> 00:14:15.405 And what gratitude is is gratitude allows us to see life as a gift. 00:14:15.405 --> 00:14:20.279 It allows us to see relationships as a gift. 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:21.783 It allows us to see relationships as a gift. 00:14:21.783 --> 00:14:31.304 It's not just a day that we put on the calendar in November to celebrate Thanksgiving, it's a lifestyle. 00:14:33.168 --> 00:14:43.089 Here's the challenge is that gratitude has an enemy, an enemy that will snuff gratitude out of your life. 00:14:43.089 --> 00:14:48.402 It's entitlement. 00:14:48.402 --> 00:15:00.764 So if worry and gratitude psychologically cannot exist in the same place, what's going to destroy your gratitude is entitlement. 00:15:00.764 --> 00:15:08.445 And if you're grateful, you won't worry, but if you're entitled, you won't be grateful. 00:15:08.445 --> 00:15:15.500 Because you want me to say it one more time? 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:16.121 I'll say it one more time. 00:15:16.121 --> 00:15:16.764 I got you, chantal. 00:15:16.764 --> 00:15:22.024 If you're grateful you won't worry, but if you're entitled, you won't be grateful. 00:15:22.024 --> 00:15:23.779 Because this is what entitlement does. 00:15:23.779 --> 00:15:27.426 It crushes any possibility of gratitude in your life. 00:15:27.426 --> 00:15:31.020 Entitlement says I'm owed this. 00:15:31.020 --> 00:15:33.261 Entitlement says I deserve this. 00:15:33.261 --> 00:15:44.740 Entitlement says because I'm in this position or because I have this experience, then you owe this to me. 00:15:44.740 --> 00:15:45.542 No, I'll give you a. 00:15:45.542 --> 00:15:47.546 I'm going to go ahead and say it. 00:15:47.966 --> 00:15:54.686 I'll like entitlement can even creep up into pastors and it can creep up into people that, um, that have positions. 00:15:54.686 --> 00:15:56.216 I've had some, some. 00:15:56.216 --> 00:15:58.322 Uh, you guys are so loving and gracious. 00:15:58.322 --> 00:15:59.466 You're like hey, you're the pastor here. 00:15:59.466 --> 00:16:04.524 We should put a reserve parking spot for pastor right In the front row of the parking. 00:16:04.524 --> 00:16:06.849 That's what we should do, and I know pastors do that. 00:16:06.849 --> 00:16:09.643 Great pastors have a loving heart, great churches, it's amazing. 00:16:09.643 --> 00:16:14.419 I totally respect that and I was like why would I get a front row parking spot? 00:16:14.419 --> 00:16:16.803 Like my goal every Sunday morning. 00:16:16.803 --> 00:16:19.086 Guys, you wanna know, I try to park furthest away from here. 00:16:19.086 --> 00:16:20.889 I wanna walk the furthest. 00:16:21.975 --> 00:16:28.403 Just because I'm in a role doesn't mean that I'm entitled to anything, and entitlement can creep up and entitlement can say I am owed this. 00:16:28.403 --> 00:16:40.407 And what we have to do is we have to choose, not entitlement, but we have to choose to look at life as a gift and we have to choose to look at what we have as something that God has blessed us with. 00:16:40.407 --> 00:16:51.244 And we choose to be grateful even when it's hard, especially when entitlement starts to creep in, and when we pray about everything and we practice gratitude. 00:16:51.244 --> 00:16:53.447 Look what happens in verse 7. 00:16:53.447 --> 00:17:17.200 It says says and the peace, peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:20.164 This is peace that cannot be explained. 00:17:20.164 --> 00:17:23.710 It can only be experienced. 00:17:23.710 --> 00:17:31.957 Maybe you walked in the room and maybe you're not a Jesus follower, maybe you're an atheist, it doesn't matter to us. 00:17:31.957 --> 00:17:38.284 We're just glad you're here and I want you to know that God can give a peace that surpasses all understanding. 00:17:38.284 --> 00:17:52.686 It's a supernatural peace, it's a peace in hardships, it's a peace in trials and difficulties, and when we know who the Lord is and when we're walking with him and when we're praying, we're practicing gratitude. 00:17:52.686 --> 00:17:54.375 God gives us this peace. 00:17:54.375 --> 00:17:55.737 He says in verse number eight. 00:17:55.737 --> 00:17:55.957 He goes on. 00:17:55.957 --> 00:17:57.479 He says peace, he says in verse number eight. 00:17:57.479 --> 00:17:58.058 He goes on. 00:17:58.058 --> 00:18:04.704 He says, finally, brothers and sisters, finally, brothers and sisters, he's about to give a list of things. 00:18:04.704 --> 00:18:06.905 He's about to let us know. 00:18:06.905 --> 00:18:08.867 Hey, this is what you should think about. 00:18:08.867 --> 00:18:34.917 He says, finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is, whatever is okay, whatever's just, whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever is, if there is any, if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things. 00:18:34.938 --> 00:18:39.244 How many of you, growing up, you like to take tests in school, or you're still in school? 00:18:39.244 --> 00:18:40.046 You like taking tests? 00:18:40.046 --> 00:18:41.509 We will pray for you. 00:18:41.509 --> 00:18:45.221 We'll pray for you, my brother, we'll pray for you. 00:18:45.221 --> 00:18:46.644 Both of us don't like taking tests. 00:18:46.644 --> 00:18:51.357 We've had a lot of tests given to us over the years. 00:18:51.357 --> 00:18:51.518 Right? 00:18:51.577 --> 00:19:02.420 Paul says what we have to do here is we have to put our thoughts, what we're dwelling on, through a test. 00:19:02.420 --> 00:19:07.847 And if it passes the test, then we should choose to dwell on it and think about it. 00:19:07.847 --> 00:19:14.536 What's the test, all those underlying words? 00:19:14.536 --> 00:19:15.959 Now, some of you might think well, I think about this and it is true. 00:19:15.959 --> 00:19:16.540 It's really true. 00:19:16.540 --> 00:19:18.384 Let me tell you it's true about that person. 00:19:18.384 --> 00:19:26.280 Okay, is it honorable, is it pure, is it commendable? 00:19:26.280 --> 00:19:42.509 And when it comes to what we dwell on and what we think about, it will change your mental health and allow you to win the war with worry if you purposely choose your thoughts. 00:19:42.509 --> 00:19:46.502 Purposely choose your thoughts. 00:19:48.915 --> 00:19:57.265 Now, this idea of purposely choosing our thoughts that we see here he says dwell on these things is something that I did not believe. 00:19:57.265 --> 00:20:05.241 For the longest time I didn't think that I could choose what I think about. 00:20:05.241 --> 00:20:15.368 But here's what I've learned is we can't choose every thought that gets planted in our minds, but we can choose what thoughts we dwell on. 00:20:15.368 --> 00:20:23.887 You can't choose everything that gets planted in your mind. 00:20:23.887 --> 00:20:31.084 My dad used to say you can't choose whether a bird will fly over your head, but you can choose if you will let it build a nest on top of your head. 00:20:31.084 --> 00:20:35.760 That's some wisdom right there. 00:20:35.760 --> 00:20:39.122 We can choose our thoughts. 00:20:39.122 --> 00:20:43.477 Some of you, I understand you don't be like I don't know about that, you don't know me. 00:20:43.477 --> 00:20:45.421 That's just like pastor, church doc. 00:20:45.442 --> 00:20:55.641 I want to prove it to you in a very, very ridiculous way that a mental health and relationships expert, dr John Deloney, says in his book own your past, change your future. 00:20:55.641 --> 00:20:57.651 So he gives this really funny illustration. 00:20:57.651 --> 00:20:59.217 It takes about 20 seconds. 00:20:59.217 --> 00:21:02.905 If you want to play along and have some fun, let's do this. 00:21:02.905 --> 00:21:04.076 This is what you got to do. 00:21:04.076 --> 00:21:04.276 Okay. 00:21:04.276 --> 00:21:06.582 First thing nobody will bite you. 00:21:06.582 --> 00:21:08.146 Close your eyes. 00:21:09.770 --> 00:21:12.416 Think about a purple elephant in your mind right now. 00:21:12.416 --> 00:21:16.183 If you're thinking about the purple elephant, say yes. 00:21:16.183 --> 00:21:21.263 Now imagine the purple elephant with the little yellow hat on. 00:21:21.263 --> 00:21:22.529 Do you see the purple elephant with the little yellow hat on? 00:21:22.529 --> 00:21:25.259 Do you see the purple elephant with the little yellow hat on? 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:26.703 Now imagine. 00:21:26.703 --> 00:21:27.365 I love it. 00:21:27.365 --> 00:21:34.663 Now imagine the purple elephant with a yellow hat on sits down in a cute little red chair. 00:21:34.663 --> 00:21:37.430 Can you see it? 00:21:37.430 --> 00:21:40.016 Okay, you can open your eyes. 00:21:40.016 --> 00:21:41.941 You know what you just did. 00:21:41.941 --> 00:21:44.816 You just chose what you were going to think about. 00:21:44.816 --> 00:21:50.431 You weren't thinking about what you're going to do on Friday. 00:21:50.431 --> 00:21:53.819 You weren't thinking about what you were going to do on Tuesday afternoon. 00:21:53.819 --> 00:22:00.068 You were thinking about a ridiculous purple elephant with a little yellow hat on sitting on a red chair. 00:22:00.751 --> 00:22:05.387 Now, some of you that don't like to have fun and are a little boring, you thought I didn't think about that. 00:22:05.387 --> 00:22:06.432 Guess what? 00:22:06.432 --> 00:22:07.595 You chose your thoughts too. 00:22:07.595 --> 00:22:20.973 You chose that you weren't going to think about that, and it is vitally important vitally important when it comes to winning the war with worry that you embrace the truth. 00:22:20.973 --> 00:22:25.723 When it comes to winning the war with worry, that you embrace the truth that you can choose what you dwell on. 00:22:25.723 --> 00:22:30.862 You can choose what you dwell on. 00:22:31.704 --> 00:22:34.563 Now some of you are like you don't understand all the thoughts that I have. 00:22:34.563 --> 00:22:36.682 You don't like there's no possible way. 00:22:36.682 --> 00:22:45.746 Part of the reason is because a lot of our minds they just run on autopilot and we don't intentionally take thought, we don't intentionally think about what we're thinking about. 00:22:45.746 --> 00:22:49.943 We just think about all kinds of stuff all the time and we never consider what am I actually thinking about? 00:22:49.943 --> 00:22:59.296 Others of us we watch and read and follow things that are putting worrisome and fearful thoughts in our minds. 00:22:59.296 --> 00:23:11.806 Like all the time, the world out there and the echo chambers and our social media thing, like it's just producing like fear and fear and worry. 00:23:11.806 --> 00:23:15.280 And we are like Pastor Nate, like there's no way I can control my thoughts. 00:23:15.280 --> 00:23:17.165 I'm in like a constant state of worry. 00:23:17.165 --> 00:23:20.703 Well, look at what your algorithms are, look at what your feed is Like. 00:23:20.703 --> 00:23:21.326 What do you expect? 00:23:21.326 --> 00:23:21.976 It's like this. 00:23:21.976 --> 00:23:29.096 It'd be like me injecting cancer into my pancreas and like I wonder why I don't feel very well today, why do I feel sick? 00:23:30.838 --> 00:23:47.019 So we have to be aware of what we're thinking about and to win the war with worry, we have to aggressively put worrisome thoughts through the Philippians 4, 8 test and then choose whether we will dwell on those thoughts or not. 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:50.484 And then what we do is we rely on the Holy Spirit. 00:23:50.484 --> 00:24:04.736 We don't rely on our willpower, we rely on the Holy Spirit to give us strength to think about things that line up with Philippians 4, verse number eight, and I don't do it as much as I want to, but so often I'll be like Lord, I am thinking about this so much. 00:24:04.736 --> 00:24:06.419 It's not true. 00:24:06.419 --> 00:24:12.395 Help me think, help me like, change this part of me, like, change this thought. 00:24:12.395 --> 00:24:18.747 And going through this list will allow us to give our thoughts a test. 00:24:20.088 --> 00:24:29.207 And then, in Philippians, chapter four, he gives one more thing that we'll wrap up with when it comes to winning the war with worry, and it's getting in the presence of godly people. 00:24:29.207 --> 00:24:39.199 He says do what you have learned and received and heard from me and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. 00:24:39.199 --> 00:24:58.676 Paul went to these people and these people had chosen to put themselves in proximity, in relationship with Paul, so he could tell them hey, look at what you've learned from me, what you've seen in me, what you've heard of me, like look at these things, what you've heard me talk about. 00:24:58.676 --> 00:25:05.157 And there's this relational principle that you cannot get around, no matter how young you are or how old you are. 00:25:05.157 --> 00:25:10.167 Here's the principle who you walk with is who you'll be like. 00:25:10.167 --> 00:25:15.381 Yeah, I see some of y'all getting your cell phones out. 00:25:15.381 --> 00:25:15.742 That's right. 00:25:15.742 --> 00:25:16.474 Girls, take it out right. 00:25:16.474 --> 00:25:19.039 Who you walk with is who you'll be like. 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:19.480 That's good. 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:36.875 So if your friend group is filled with people that always talk about sports and watch sports and I don't know who would do that, by the way you're probably going to find yourself, like all good Jesus followers, watching a football game on a Sunday afternoon. 00:25:36.875 --> 00:25:39.961 Come on, we'll pray about you, bro. 00:25:39.961 --> 00:25:45.849 You'll find yourself maybe a little interested in sports. 00:25:45.849 --> 00:26:00.676 If a majority of your friends are always pushing the line with alcohol and everything has to have alcohol with it, then that's going to influence you too, because who you walk with is who you'll be like. 00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:05.567 Paul had showed these people how to be a godly person. 00:26:05.567 --> 00:26:10.462 Paul had showed these people how to have compassion and how to maintain Christian convictions. 00:26:10.462 --> 00:26:15.622 Paul had shown these people how the peace of God can allow them to overcome worries. 00:26:15.622 --> 00:26:17.259 Paul didn't just talk about it. 00:26:17.259 --> 00:26:20.761 Paul's like listen, like we are friends, like look at my life. 00:26:20.761 --> 00:26:25.183 And the people had put themselves in proximity with Paul. 00:26:25.183 --> 00:26:45.096 So Paul could say that and if you will put yourself in proximity with godly people, it's going to influence you, it's going to form you and it's up to each of us to intentionally form those relationships with godly people. 00:26:45.096 --> 00:26:48.567 You cannot form them for me and I cannot form them for you. 00:26:48.567 --> 00:26:51.583 I cannot choose if you're going to have good godly friends. 00:26:51.583 --> 00:26:53.517 You can't choose if I'm going to have good godly friends. 00:26:53.517 --> 00:26:57.704 But we can intentionally choose to do this. 00:26:57.704 --> 00:27:01.317 And a great place to do that right here at FCC. 00:27:06.894 --> 00:27:10.785 So what I want to do real quick is I want to give you a really simple way where you could meet and form friendships here at FCC. 00:27:10.785 --> 00:27:16.145 Here's the first thing you can do Try and meet one to three new people each Sunday. 00:27:16.145 --> 00:27:19.896 My introverts in the room just had a slight panic. 00:27:19.896 --> 00:27:24.181 It's okay, we don't bite. 00:27:24.181 --> 00:27:28.144 Just try to meet one person each week. 00:27:28.144 --> 00:27:35.551 Now, not every person is going to be your best friend, but if you meet one person every week, that's four people a month, eight people every two months, 12 people every three months. 00:27:35.551 --> 00:27:41.817 One of those people. 00:27:41.817 --> 00:27:44.749 There could be a connection with them and they can encourage you in your faith. 00:27:44.769 --> 00:27:45.471 Number two how about this? 00:27:45.471 --> 00:27:49.076 Get in a group. 00:27:49.076 --> 00:27:49.518 We are better than me. 00:27:49.518 --> 00:27:51.125 The best place to form friendships is in our growth groups or community groups. 00:27:51.125 --> 00:27:51.426 Get in a group. 00:27:51.426 --> 00:27:51.868 Here's the next one. 00:27:51.868 --> 00:27:53.675 And this kind of is a secret sauce, right here. 00:27:53.675 --> 00:27:59.228 Okay, come 10 minutes early to service, which for some of y'all would be a miracle. 00:27:59.228 --> 00:28:03.422 You're like bro, if you knew my kids. 00:28:03.422 --> 00:28:05.942 Okay, right, come 10 minutes early for service. 00:28:05.942 --> 00:28:12.845 Some of you guys are like you're a single person, easy for you to say right, 10 minutes early for service and stay 10 minutes after service. 00:28:12.845 --> 00:28:16.864 Some of y'all, after service, y'all are like ninjas. 00:28:16.864 --> 00:28:21.685 I never seen people move so fast in my life, right? 00:28:21.685 --> 00:28:24.480 Others, I mean, it's so funny. 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:25.182 It's so funny. 00:28:25.295 --> 00:28:29.702 I love being a pastor most of the time, especially when people think I have the cooties or something. 00:28:29.702 --> 00:28:34.544 It's like they just walk past me and like I'm not making eye contact with pastor and he stands at this door. 00:28:34.544 --> 00:28:35.478 I'm walking out that door. 00:28:35.478 --> 00:28:37.625 Okay, it's like, stay away. 00:28:37.625 --> 00:28:45.088 But like come a little early and meet somebody and get to know somebody, because here's what's going to happen. 00:28:45.088 --> 00:28:53.779 Who you walk with is who you'll be like and if we will intentionally get ourselves around godly people, it's going to change things about us. 00:28:53.779 --> 00:28:59.703 It's going to make a difference in our lives and honestly, I don't say this as the pastor of FCC. 00:28:59.703 --> 00:29:25.688 I say this as somebody that's just a part of the body of Christ here at FCC is I personally have healed and spiritually grown and been comforted and been encouraged and been challenged at times because of the community I have here, like there's been power for me to be in proximity with people and you have to choose. 00:29:25.688 --> 00:29:39.670 If you're going to be in proximity with people and when you do that, what's going to happen is you are going to be like the people you're with and it's going to encourage you and challenge you, and some of you are one godly friendship away from your future changing. 00:29:39.670 --> 00:29:44.486 You are one godly friendship away from the trajectory of your life going in a different direction. 00:29:44.486 --> 00:29:55.141 There are some people that are on the other side of what you're struggling with right now and if you would meet them, they can encourage you and show you how to get through what you're going through, because they have gone through that. 00:29:55.141 --> 00:30:07.424 There are people that are on the like you can follow Jesus in greater ways and take steps of faith and grow, but you have to spend some time with people that have done that, and it's going to make a difference in your life. 00:30:07.444 --> 00:30:08.556 Now, here's how I want to wrap. 00:30:08.556 --> 00:30:13.086 All this up is we've talked a lot today about winning the war with worry. 00:30:13.086 --> 00:30:14.696 We've talked about four things. 00:30:14.696 --> 00:30:15.881 We've talked about God's prescription. 00:30:15.881 --> 00:30:23.287 We've said pray about everything, practice gratitude purposely, choose our thoughts and get in the presence of godly people. 00:30:23.287 --> 00:30:26.323 And what I'm about to say is going to surprise some of you. 00:30:26.323 --> 00:30:29.980 I do not want you to do all four of these. 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:35.317 I don't, no matter how many hours I just spent preparing for this message this morning. 00:30:35.317 --> 00:30:37.262 Here's what I want you to do. 00:30:37.262 --> 00:30:46.107 I want you to do one of them, just one, and I'm going to give you some space in just a minute to do it. 00:30:46.107 --> 00:30:49.515 Of them, just one, and I'm going to give you some space in just a minute to do it. 00:30:51.375 --> 00:30:53.821 For some of you, what you need to do is that worrisome thing that you thought about in the beginning of the message. 00:30:53.821 --> 00:30:55.405 You need to take some time and just pray about it. 00:30:55.405 --> 00:30:58.920 It might be on this list. 00:30:58.920 --> 00:31:02.746 It might be family, finances, health, pets, election the world. 00:31:02.746 --> 00:31:04.323 It might be something really different, whatever it is. 00:31:04.323 --> 00:31:06.355