Weaponize Your Thanksgiving
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What if there was a super-weapon that could defeat the enemy that surrounded your town?
Think of the destruction of your family and friends.
What if you cold stop it?
What if it was a song? Would you sing it?
How often?
The Problem: Deception and darkness
The Problem: Deception and darkness
I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
It is dangerous to blow past Thanksgiving and into the “Holidays.”
Which leads to a lack of power over problems
Deception and darkness leads to uncontrolled words.
Deception and darkness leads to depression and anxiety
It is dangerous to blow right past Thanksgiving and into the “Holidays.”
Danger: Blow right past thanksgiving
In the stores, Christmas season begins this week!
The depression of the season.
Where does this come from?
Seasonal
Chemical
Spiritual-from the father of lies
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Satan wants to destroy your faith.
Satan wants to destroy your faith.
He does not play fair-he attacks when you and I are the most vulnerable, when we are already struggling.
Our own sinful nature is our enemy too. It sympathizes with Satan to help destroy us.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Deception and darkness lead to a lack of prayer.
Which leads to a lack of power over problems
Deception and darkness leads to uncontrolled words.
Deception and darkness leads to depression and anxiety
We need a weapon to combat Satan and our sinful selves.
We need a weapon to combat Satan and our sinful selves.
So what I would like to do in this message is persuade you from Scripture that God has appointed gratitude as the one of the essential guardians of your soul, and to kindle in you a deep feeling of thankfulness to the Lord as we approach this Thanksgiving holiday.
Thanksgiving is essentially a Christian holiday because gratitude is not a natural human instinct.
I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Deception and darkness lead to a lack of prayer.
,
Which leads to a lack of power over problems
Deception and darkness leads to uncontrolled words.
Deception and darkness leads to depression and anxiety
The Solution: Thankful hearts
The Solution: Thankful hearts
Paul is writing this from prison, yet he is thankful for other believers.
If anyone had cause to be dark, anxious or depressed, it was Paul.
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Paul wants us to live our lives “in Him” (christ). Which means to live our lives in the manner Christ lived his…overflowing with thanksgiving.
Paul wants us to live our lives “in Him” (christ). Which means to live our lives in the manner Christ lived his…overflowing with thanksgiving.
Paul is writing this from prison, yet he is thankful for other believers.
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
WARNING: It is possible to be encouraged and not thankful.
WARNING: It is possible to be encouraged and not thankful. All of us have had that experience: something good happens to us and we feel a new hope and joy, but we don't even give a thought to the Source of the encouragement, to thank him.
All of us have had that experience: something good happens to us and we feel a new hope and joy, but we don't even give a thought to the Source of the encouragement, to thank him.
I once heard a person say something like, “I love Thanksgiving! It’s a time to focus on the three effs! Food, family and football!”
;
I once heard a person say something like, “I love Thanksgiving! It’s a time to focus on the three effs! Food, family and football!”
You may even hear someone say something like that. If you do, don’t judge them, get on your knees and pray for them. Because they are acting like all humans without Christ: Taking the benefits God gives without acknowledging Him as the source of these benefits.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
And when Christ-followers fail to be thankful, they are guilty of ingratitude as well.
The reason for this series on thanksgiving is to help us focus. Not on the holiday and all that Thursday, November 23rd entails: food, family and football [and black Friday deals] but on the act, the heart attitude-gratitude to God.
In this passage in Colossians (2:1-8) we find that thankfulness guards our souls from deception, darkness and depression.
Thanksgiving is my weapon against:
Thanksgiving is my weapon against:
Thanksgiving is my weapon against:
Thanksgiving is my weapon against:
My lack of prayer.
My lack of prayer.
My lack of prayer.
My lack of prayer.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Notice the connection between watchfulness and gratitude. Paul is telling us that the way we remain vigilant and alert in prayer is by being thankful to God.
The more we thank him, the more we will pray.
Think about it: if we are regularly thanking him for who he is and what he has done, wont be more likely to go to him in prayer sooner rather than later?
When Satan attack us, he focuses on our prayer life by distraction and disillusionment.
We must be watchful over our prayer time-and thanksgiving is how we stay alert in prayer.
My uncontrolled words.
My uncontrolled words.
Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
How do we guard against becoming critical, bitter, blaming, defensiveness, resentment, sarcasm and disrespect? We fill our mouths with thanksgiving.
When we get together with a group and the first people to speak, speak words of gratitude, the conversation seldom degenerates into gossip and muck-raking. The group is guarded from sin with thanksgiving.
My depression and anxiety
My depression and anxiety
My anxiety.
My anxiety.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Did you know that depression and anxiety disorders now out number any other causes of high school and college drop-out rates?
According to studies conducted in 2016 by the Department of Medicine at New York University in NYC, anxiety, depression and suicide are at all time highs in america, affecting more than 8.3 million adults or 3.4% of the US population. The previous rate was less than 3%.
Causes are attributed, to the economic downturn in 2008, Obamacare, wars, and lack of education opportunities.
As Christ-followers we know that prayer is the powerful weapon used to combat these disorders.
But prayer is empowered by gratitude, among other things.
With thanksgiving, peace will guard our hearts and minds against the spiraling darkness of depression and anxiety.
We are also encouraged by the testimonies of others.
Take this with you...
Take this with you...
Thanksgiving testimonies encourage us because they remind us of God’s goodness and power.
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving testimonies encourage others because they display God’s goodness and power.
Share your thanksgiving testimonies on video this holiday season by signing up in the lobby to film yours.
