Calm Down Honey

Calm Down Honey

James 1:19

Me:

1. Just calm down honey – take a chill pill

a. That never works

i. I would recommend a different approach

ii. A key to having a healthy marriage is “good” communication

b. One key to effective communication in marriage

i. Be intentional about spending time together.

1. On average, couples spend only 20 minutes a week talking with each other.

ii. If you never talk with each other…

iii. I would imagine some marriages the only communication would be yelling

iv. Maybe a little bible advice would be good.

v. James 1:19 (NLT) — 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

c. How can good communication in our marriages and our relationship with God have anything in common?

i. Maybe a little advice from James 1:19

We:

2. Putting verse 19 in context

a. What do we know?

i. The trials of life are part of life

ii. Count it joy

iii. This makes us mature

iv. Seek wisdom don’t be like the waves of the sea

v. Temptation will come

vi. Give in and it will be death

b. But every good gift

i. Is from above

ii. What is that gift?

iii. James 1:18 (NLT) — 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

iv. Then God says this

God:

3. Be quick to listen

a. The average marriage

i. They talk less than 20 minutes a week

ii. Why?

iii. Too busy – come home exhausted

iv. We talk when a crisis hits – when are forced too

b. Sound familiar?

i. Friday morning

ii. I got to bed late woke up late

iii. Rushed off to work

iv. Got home late rushed off to bed because I was so exhausted.

v. 10 minutes catching up on Facebook – “Why not the bible?”

vi. Goodnight honey

c. The quiet time suffered

i. God speaks in the quiet still moments of our lives

ii. Hurry is the death of a relationship

iii. Psalm 37:7 (NLT) — 7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.

iv.

You:

4. Quick to listen

a. There’s a problem on a deeper level

i. In the hurry of our lives…

ii. We end up telling God what we need Him to do

iii. Instead James 1:19

iv. James 1:19 (NLT) — 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

v. Underline: Understand this

vi. Quote: Ultimately the key both to responding to trials and resisting temptation is to be found in one’s reaction to God’s Word

b. You come to God in crisis and you tell God what you need

i. It’s like saying “calm down honey”

ii. James 1:22 (NLT) — 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

iii.

We:

5. My sheep know my voice

a. Here’s what we should do

i. I’m listening

ii. Are you listening or telling?

iii. John 10:3–5 (NLT) — 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

iv.

b. Want to get through your crisis

i. Listen and don’t tell

ii. Being mad about your circumstances only makes it worst