How To Stay In Control Eric L. Frazier, Minister March 12, 2006

How To Stay In Control Philippians 4:6 - Philippians 4:9(TMNT) 6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Content Whatever the Circumstances

How To Stay In Control Purpose: To examine the impact that worrying can have on mind and body – especially our behavior Objective: To understand that worrying can closes our mind to the word of God and makes us capable of doing or saying anything.

How To Stay In Control Key Verses: Philippians 4:6 - Philippians 4:9(TMNT) 6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

How To Stay In Control This is a personal letter to the Church in Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony located in northern Greece (called Macedonia in Paul’s time). Alexander the Great, who founded the city 386 year B.C. named it after his son Philip. The church consisted on mainly of Gentiles. Paul wanted to thank the church for helping him and explain his joy despite his imprisonment and upcoming trial.

How To Stay IN Control Paul found Joy in Prison! The Philippians’ were the source of that Joy when he prayed. Ask yourself if the relationships you have in the church bring you Joy? –When others think of you are you a source of Joy for them? –Can they pray about you with a smile on their face? The Philippians had a special relationship with Paul, and brought him great Joy.

How To Stay In Control The concept of rejoicing or joy appears sixteen times in this letter and the pages radiate this positive message, culminating in the exhortation to “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice (4:4). When you look at Paul’s life – you can’t help but be amazed. He faced serious poverty, religious persecution and everything else in between

How To Stay In Control (2 Cor 11:23 NIV) "Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.“ (2 Cor 11:24 NIV) "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.“ (2 Cor 11:25 NIV) "Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,“ (2 Cor 11:26 NIV) "I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers." (2 Cor 11:27 NIV) "I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked." (2 Cor 11:28 NIV) "Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."(2 Cor 11:29 NIV) "Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?"(2 Cor 11:30 NIV) "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." (2 Cor 11:31 NIV) "The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying."

How To Stay In Contol Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray: –This seem like an unreasonable request especially if you are married with Children. We all have worries about our jobs, or families, or health. So many worries seem to preoccupy or mind. Why the instruction from Paul? A. A. –Worrying steals away our prayer life and diminishes our faith in God. –It also shows a lack of gratitude for what God has already done –It also shows and lack of faith in what God is doing and going to do in our lives.

How To Stay In Contol Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray: B. – Worrying robs us of our faith and replaces it with negative physical manifestation and medical problem – Webster defines worrying as to: feel uneasy (anxiety), to pull or tear at an object with the teeth, to shake, mangle or bite an object with the teeth (finger nails or toe nails), to aggravated or snap at the sight of trouble and be unable to function or sleep at night. –High blood pressure, and stress are physical manifestations My point is that it can affect the body, mind and spirit.

How To Stay In Control Purpose: To examine the impact that worrying can have on mind and body – especially our behavior Objective: To understand that worrying can closes our mind to the word of God and makes us capable of doing or saying anything.

How To Stay In Control part II Eric L. Frazier, Minister March 19, 2006

How To Stay In Control Philippians 4:6 - Philippians 4:9(TMNT) 6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Content Whatever the Circumstances

How To Stay In Control Purpose: To examine the impact that worrying can have on mind and body – especially our behavior Objective: To understand that worrying can closes our mind to the word of God and makes us capable of doing or saying anything.

How To Stay In Control Key Verse: Philippians 4:8 - Philippians 4:9(TMNT) 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Content Whatever the Circumstances

How To Stay In Control Outline: 1.Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet 2.Meditating on things that benefit your life 3.Practices makes better not perfect 4.God makes everything work together for your benefit 5.Learning contentment in spite of our circumstances

How To Stay In Control 1. Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet

How To Stay In Control 1.Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet Metaphorically, your mind is nothing more than a big file cabinet similar to what you find in a home or office. All information that comes in is labeled and filed in folders so that it’s easy to retrieve to help you survive. In every situation you go to the file of your mind to determine how to respond

How To Stay In Control 1.Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet –For example: If you’re considering a financial opportunity. You automatically go to your file labeled money and from there decide what to do. The only thoughts you can have about money will be what are stored in your money file. –That’s all you can think about because that is all that is in your mind under that category. You decide based on what you believe is logical and sensible and appropriate for you at the time. –You make what you think is the right choice.

How To Stay In Control 1.Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet The problem: Your choice may not be a successful choice or the best choice. –In fact what makes perfect sense to you may consistently produce perfectly poor results. We make a lot of bad choices: Philippians 4:8 – 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

How To Stay In Control What needs to be in our file cabinet is: Christian Ethics and Character— We are going to have opportunities in which we will need to pull from this file: –Can we identify what is the will of God for a particular situation and do we have the will to carry it out? Paul was able to suggest to the Philippians‘ that they imitate his life-style. What they had seen, they should do. –Either we are being taught and filling our file cabinet or we are teaching and filling another person’s file cabinet. –Be careful – how you live, what you say and what you does has an impact on everyone around you.

How To Stay In Control Philippians 4:8 What’s in our file cabinet: –things true – honest –Things noble – your behavior having dignity and acting respectable –Being Authentic – keeping it real with everybody. –Being Compelling and –Being gracious – sincere and kind –Beautiful things, not ugly things; –Things to praise, not things to curse.

How To Stay In Control 1.Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet –Think on these things: the best, not the worst; –the beautiful, not the ugly; –things to praise, not things to curse. Thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to actions, and action lead to results Everything begins with your thoughts which are produced by your mind

How To Stay In Control 1.Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet 2.Meditating on things that benefit your life 3.Practices makes better not perfect 4.God makes everything work together for your benefit 5.Learning contentment in spite of our circumstances

How To Stay In Control part III Eric L. Frazier, Minister March 26, 2006

How To Stay In Control Philippians 4:6 - Philippians 4:9(TMNT) 6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Content Whatever the Circumstances

How To Stay In Control Purpose: –To examine the impact that worrying can have on our mind and body – especially our behavior Objective: –To understand that worrying can close our mind to the word of God and make us capable of doing or saying anything.

How To Stay In Control 1.Filling your minds – your mental file cabinet 2.Meditating on things that benefit your life 3.Practices makes better not perfect 4.God makes everything work together for your benefit 5.Learning contentment in spite of our circumstances

How To Stay In Control Outline: 2.Meditating on things that benefit your life

How To Stay In Control Key Verse: Philippians 4:8 (TMNT) 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

How To Stay In Control Philippians 4:8 We fill our file cabinent with: –things true – honest –Things noble – your behavior having dignity and acting respectable –Being Authentic – keeping it real with everybody. –Being Compelling and –Being gracious – sincere and kind –Beautiful things, not ugly things; –Things to praise, not things to curse.

How to Stay in Control It is one thing to know something But it is a completely different matter to meditate on things you know. How do we focus on what is good for us?

How to Stay in Control We meditate on it! What is meditation? Meditation in the Hebrew means to murmur or to have a deep tone. So, to meditate was to be signing and moaning : –Psa 49:3 - Psa 49:4(KJV) 3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. 4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

How to Stay in Control We meditate on it! What is meditation? Meditation in the Hebrew means to murmur or to have a deep tone. So, to meditate was to be praying: –Psa 5:1 - Psa 5:3(KJV) 1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

How to Stay in Control David said Psa 19:14 - Psa 19:14(KJV) 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. David said Psa 104:34 - Psa 104:34(KJV) 34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

How to Stay in Control 1 Tim 4:9 - 1 Tim 4:16(KJV) 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. 11 These things command and teach. 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 1 Tim 4:9 - 1 Tim 4:16(KJV) 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. 11 These things command and teach. 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

How to Stay in Control Col 3:2 - Col 3:5(KJV) 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Col 3:2 - Col 3:5(KJV) 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

How To Stay In Control Philippians 4:8 We fill our file cabinent and meditate on things that benefit your life: –things true – honest –Things noble – your behavior having dignity and acting respectable –Being Authentic – keeping it real with everybody. –Being Compelling and –Being gracious – sincere and kind –Beautiful things, not ugly things; –Things to praise, not things to curse.

How To Stay In Control Meditating on things that benefit your life In Two Weeks Practices makes better not perfect