" Be Thankful Even in Tough Times "
“May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 TEV).
In Philippians 4, Paul says, “May you always be joyful in your life in the Lord.”
In Philippians 4, Paul says, “May you always be joyful in your life in the Lord.”
Can we really be joyful in all circumstances? The Bible suggests the following strategy:
Don’t worry about anything--Worrying doesn’t change anything. It’s stewing without doing.
There are no such things as born-worriers.
Don’t worry about anything--Worrying doesn’t change anything. It’s stewing without doing.
There are no such things as born-worriers.
Worry is a learned response.
You learned it from your parents.
You learned it from your peers.
You learned it from experience.
That’s good news.
The fact that worry is learned means it can also be unlearned.
How do you unlearn it? Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NIV).
You learned it from your parents.
You learned it from your peers.
You learned it from experience.
That’s good news.
The fact that worry is learned means it can also be unlearned.
How do you unlearn it? Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NIV).
He’s saying don’t open your umbrella until it starts raining.
Don’t worry about tomorrow. Live one day at a time.
Pray about everything--Next, instead of worrying, use your time for praying.
If you prayed as much as you worried, you’d have a whole lot less to worry about.
Pray about everything--Next, instead of worrying, use your time for praying.
If you prayed as much as you worried, you’d have a whole lot less to worry about.
Some people think God only cares about religious things, such as how many people I invite to church or my tithing.
Is God interested in car payments?
Yes. He’s interested in every detail of your life.
That means you can take any problem you face to God.
Thank God in all things--
Whenever you pray, you should always pray with thanksgiving.
The healthiest human emotion is not love but gratitude.
It actually increases your immunities.
It makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness.
Yes. He’s interested in every detail of your life.
That means you can take any problem you face to God.
Thank God in all things--
Whenever you pray, you should always pray with thanksgiving.
The healthiest human emotion is not love but gratitude.
It actually increases your immunities.
It makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness.
" People who are grateful are happy.
But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy.
They’re never satisfied.
It’s never good enough "
But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy.
They’re never satisfied.
It’s never good enough "
So if you cultivate the attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything, it reduces stress in your life.
Think about the right things--
If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life,
you must change the way you think because the way you think determines how you feel.
Think about the right things--
If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life,
you must change the way you think because the way you think determines how you feel.
And the way you feel determines how you act, which is why the Bible teaches that,
if you want to change your life, you need to change what you’re thinking about.
This involves a deliberate conscious choice where you change the channels.
You choose to think about the right things.
if you want to change your life, you need to change what you’re thinking about.
This involves a deliberate conscious choice where you change the channels.
You choose to think about the right things.
" . . . . .Because the root cause of stress is the way we choose to think,
we need to focus on the positive and on God’s word . . "
What is the result of not worrying, praying about everything, giving thanks, and focusing on the right things?
we need to focus on the positive and on God’s word . . "
What is the result of not worrying, praying about everything, giving thanks, and focusing on the right things?
Paul tells us the result is, “you will experience God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.
" . . . . . . . . . . . .His peace will keep your thoughts and your heart quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus . . .. . . . ..”
" What a guarantee ! "
A man was sitting by a lake. He was throwing small pebbles into it from time to time.
A young boy happened to cross by.
He was intrigued to see that after every few minutes or so, the man would toss a pebble into the lake.
The boy went up to the man and said, "Good pastime, this stone throwing, he?"
"Hmmm," said the man.
He seemed to be deep in thought and obviously did not wish to be disturbed.
Sometime later, the man said softly, "Look at the water, it is absolutely still."
The boy said, "Yeah, it is."
The man tossed a pebble into the water and continued,
"Only till I toss a pebble into it now do you see the ripples?"
"Yeah," said the boy, "they spread further and further."
"And soon, the water is still again," offered the man.
The boy said, "Sure, it becomes quiet, after a while."
The man continued, "What if we want to stop the ripples?
The root cause of the ripples is the stone.
Lets take the stone out. Go ahead and look for it."
The boy put his hand into the water and tried to take the stone out.
But he only succeeded in making more ripples.
He was able to take the stone out, but the number of ripples that were made in the process were a lot more than before.
The wise man said, "It is not possible to stop the movement of the water once a pebble has been thrown into it.
But if we can stop ourselves from throwing the pebble in the first place, the ripples can be avoided altogether!
So too, it is with our minds. If a thought enters into it, it creates ripples.
The only way to save the mind from getting disturbed is to block and
ban the entry of every superfluous thought that could be a potential cause for disturbance.
If a disturbance has entered into the mind, it will take its own time to die down.
Too many conflicting thoughts just cause more and more disturbances.
Once the disturbance has been caused it takes time to ebb out.
Even trying to forcibly remove the thought may further increase the turmoil in the mind.
Time surely is a great healer, but prevention is always better than cure."
Before you allow a thought or a piece of information to enter your mind,
put it through the triple filter test of authenticity, goodness and value.
" What a guarantee ! "
" It may be just a story but....."
A man was sitting by a lake. He was throwing small pebbles into it from time to time.
A young boy happened to cross by.
He was intrigued to see that after every few minutes or so, the man would toss a pebble into the lake.
The boy went up to the man and said, "Good pastime, this stone throwing, he?"
"Hmmm," said the man.
He seemed to be deep in thought and obviously did not wish to be disturbed.
Sometime later, the man said softly, "Look at the water, it is absolutely still."
The boy said, "Yeah, it is."
The man tossed a pebble into the water and continued,
"Only till I toss a pebble into it now do you see the ripples?"
"Yeah," said the boy, "they spread further and further."
"And soon, the water is still again," offered the man.
The boy said, "Sure, it becomes quiet, after a while."
The man continued, "What if we want to stop the ripples?
The root cause of the ripples is the stone.
Lets take the stone out. Go ahead and look for it."
The boy put his hand into the water and tried to take the stone out.
But he only succeeded in making more ripples.
He was able to take the stone out, but the number of ripples that were made in the process were a lot more than before.
The wise man said, "It is not possible to stop the movement of the water once a pebble has been thrown into it.
But if we can stop ourselves from throwing the pebble in the first place, the ripples can be avoided altogether!
So too, it is with our minds. If a thought enters into it, it creates ripples.
The only way to save the mind from getting disturbed is to block and
ban the entry of every superfluous thought that could be a potential cause for disturbance.
If a disturbance has entered into the mind, it will take its own time to die down.
Too many conflicting thoughts just cause more and more disturbances.
Once the disturbance has been caused it takes time to ebb out.
Even trying to forcibly remove the thought may further increase the turmoil in the mind.
Time surely is a great healer, but prevention is always better than cure."
Before you allow a thought or a piece of information to enter your mind,
put it through the triple filter test of authenticity, goodness and value.
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The way to bring about a change is to have the desire to change.
When there are excuses given not to bring about change,
then nothing can ever be changed.
There is always blame on others and situations and there is no desire to change.
Instead if there is the readiness to take up the responsibility of bringing about a change,
there is initiative & commitment.
Accordingly, effort is put in and there is success in the desired change.
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