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LanaG 
12:06am, July 27, 2009
November 08, 2009
Be Thankful Even in Tough Times
by Rick Warren
"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." 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? 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!
Today on PurposeDriven.com
Be Thankful Even in Tough Times
by Rick Warren
"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." 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? 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!
Today on PurposeDriven.com
Comments
thank you, so nice to hear from you. i have missed your entries lately. hope you are doing all right. take care my friend. love, donna
misshimsooo
Thank you for this post....I have been uplifted lately and quieted by reading books by Charles Spurgeon...you may want to check him out. Believe me...the last eight months I have not wanted to read the Bible or go to church...the fog is beginning to lift and I am receiving His word...God has granted me peace today and I am thankful...He is GOOD....love to you....Dale, Brandon's Mom
Kingsdaughter
thank you for sharing this. It is food for thought and certainly helps to uplift. Love, Belinda
BinkyH
Thank you for sharing the positive messages in God's word. That is exactly what the service was about Sunday. Instead of preaching, the preacher turned the service over to a man that was lead to testify. He is 38 years old, with 2 small children. He has an inoperable brain tumor. He shared the same scriptures. His attitude and humor, even though he knows he is facing death, is amazing.
Hugs, Barbara
doxylady
I love your inspirational journals. Thank you so much for sharing them. They always lift my spirits. Love, Julia
JulsMarie
Thank you Lana for sharing this and for this reminder. I always pray with Thanks but this reminds me...everytime I start to worry, I just need to change it to prayer. Hugs, Kim
KimRW
A good philosophy and I like the phrase, "stewing without doing". We do indeed have some choices about what we do in life and I for one am trying to remind myself of all I still have to be grateful for and what I want to make of the rest of my life and the choices I can make. Thanks for sharing. Good luck and take care.
pneylan
I try to remind myself every day of my blessings despite my tragedy. While I am all alone now, I have a good roof over my head, plenty of food, my sweet little animals, and my very precious friends. Many people do not have that...and I thank God that I am truly blessed. This life is short and we will be with our loved ones again....very shortly. in the meantime, we need to acknowledge our blessings...even though we would give ALL of that up to have our loved one back with us. Hugging you all tightly!! love, lana
LanaG
thank Lana! sometimes i 4get 2 pray instead of worring. it is the most wonderful feeling 2 have the peace of God flow thru my body. God promises us that He is with those who thank & praise Him. He just wants us 2 give Him the glory & honor & keep blessing us. hugs & lol. bess
Bess2