Sermon Tone Analysis

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BEING THANKFUL IN STRESSFUL TIMES

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*Philippians 4:4-8*

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The other day I found a can that said, “Warning: Contents Under Pressure.”

I thought that should be a warning label I put on some people you meet.

I have never seen as many stressed out people in the last few months as I’ve ever seen.

I want to talk about *Being Thankful In Stressful Times*.

There’s a well known stress scale called the Holmes Stress Scale which lists the 100 most stressful events you can have in life – the death of a spouse, a divorce, death of a loved one, etc.  On that scale after much study they have discovered that the single most stressful time of the year is the period between Thanksgiving and New Years.

You start to worry about presents.

You start to worry about parties.

You start to worry about all kinds of problems that happen, gifts, finances.

Some of you worry about the relatives you’re going to have to see.

The stress level goes up significantly.

Someone has said “This is the season to be uptight.”

I had to go to Wal-Mart yesterday.

Nothing destroys the Christmas spirit faster than trying to find a parking spot.

You start worrying.

We’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving.

How do you be thankful in tough times?

When the economy is not good.

When things aren’t going your way.

How do you be thankful in tough times?

In Philippians 4, Paul says in verse 4, /“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.”/

Is that possible?

Is it always to be joyful, no matter what the circumstance?

Yes it is.

Last week at my church we observed the Lord’s Supper.

One of the words for the Lord’s Supper in Greek is the word Eucharist or /eucharistos/ which means, “I receive with Thanksgiving.”

I felt like I needed to share with you a couple of scriptures on a strategy for surviving seasonal stress.

I’d suggest you write these down and then tack them up to your refrigerator wall for the next month to help you make it through the pressured times of the holidays.

In Philippians 4:6-8 Paul says /“Don’t be anxious about anything but in everything 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 minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, 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.”/

In this very short passage we have the four keys to surviving stress.

They’re very simple to say, they’re a lot more difficult to apply.

Step One:  Worry about nothing

Step Two:  Pray about everything

Step Three:  Thank God in all things

Step Four:  Think about the right things/ / 

 

 

 

 

 

*1.

WORRY ABOUT NOTHING*

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*V*.

6 /“Don’t be anxious about anything.

Do not fret or have any anxiety.’/

That’s easier said than done.

It’s no sweat to say it…….

but as soon as you’re finished saying it,….

you start worrying about something.

*/The Smithsonian Institute/* magazine in a recent article says that we are in the *Golden Age of Anxiety*.

We not only have micro worries, which are your personal worries, but now you’re confronted with macro worries, worries of the world.

It’s no wonder people are uptight.

They get up in the morning to an alarm clock.

That sets you off in a negative mood in the first place.

It’s not a comfort clock, it’s an alarm clock.

Then the first thing you do is turn on Bad Morning, America.

It’s not enough to have your own problems; you’ve got to have Iraq, Afghanistan, and half a dozen other things happening too.

You set down to breakfast to eat your Wheaties and you read the newspaper, which is full of great news!?!     It’s no wonder you’re stressed out by the time you get to work.

You need to “worry about nothing.”

Facts about worry:  Dr.

Walter Calvert did a study and discovered that

 

40% of your worries never happen.

So there’s 40% of them that you don’t even have to worry about.

So out of your list of ten worries, pick out four and throw them out because they don’t count.

30% of your worries concern the past.

Worry cannot change the past and worry cannot control the future.

All worry does is mess up today.

You can worry about the past all you want to but it’s not going to change it.

The past is past.

It’s over.

It’s gone.

And it’s not going to control the future no matter how much you worry about it.

All worry does is mess you up right now.

So you can’t control the past, you can’t control the future and 40% aren’t even going to happen so 70% of your worries are worthless.

12% of your worries are needless health concerns.

Like the hypochondriac who had written on the tombstone, “I told you I was sick!”

 

10% of your worries are insignificant and petty issues.

Only 8% of your worries are actual, legitimate concerns.

What I suggest you do for those 8% is pick a worry time every day.

You decide.

“I’m going to worry between 4 and 4:15 every day.

That will be your worry time.

Then when a worry comes in your mind the rest of the day you say, “It’s not time to worry!  That’s at 4:00 when I have my worry session.”

Let’s bundle them all up; bunch them together during one period so it doesn’t ruin your whole day.

Pick one period of the day and say, “That’s when I’m going to worry.

That’s when I cover those 8% which are legitimate issues.”

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?

Notice what Jesus says.

Matthew 6:34 /“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough troubles of its own.”/

He’s saying don’t open your umbrella until it starts raining.

Don’t worry about tomorrow.

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Don’t do that.