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  • The Bible tells us that we should not worry, but this is much esaier said than done. Some people struggle with chronic worry and anxiety disorders that are best helped by Christian counseling and an anxiety treatment plan based on biblical principles. But for many of us without an anxiety disorder, the worries of everyday life are still daunting and we need some help knowing how to stop worrying.

    This message teaches the prescription Paul gives in Philippians for turning worry into peace. It's a process we will need to do repeatedly throughout our lives.

    One of the tools mentioned in this message is the Philippians 4 card which you can download and print here. Keep them in your wallet, purse, car, or anywhere you will see one regularly. Give some to your friends! (Use this cutting guide if you need help trimming the cards.)

    Write out your eight positive things to think about on the back of the card. When you struggle with worry, pull out the card and follow the five steps. Then turn the card over and spend time thinking about all the positive things you wrote down.

    The great thing about this process is that, the more you do it, the more helpful it becomes in your life. Think of it like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it will grow. You will become more disciplined and consistent in handling your worries in a biblical way. Your troubles may not become easier, but your ability to deal with your worrying quickly will make them seem easier to handle.

  • Some lessons are easy to learn but hard to master. One that has been a constant help for me is to “pick my battles.” Some people think that every time someone upsets them they should make a formal accusation and, at all costs, win their argument. But God's Word has great principles for conflict resolution that fly in the face of those argumentative instincts.

    Matthew 18:15-17 (NLT)
    If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
    The Matthew 18 principle is a fantastic method for dealing with conflict. From it we learn that we should not gossip about an offense, rather, we should approach the offender one-on-one and address the problem with humility.

    But some Christians have interpreted this principle as their personal excuse to take up an offense with anything that bothers them. This is especially true in marriage where, the longer a couple is married, the more simple annoyances can fester into serious conflicts. Issues which would have seemed insignificant while dating, for instance, leaving crumbs on the table, neglecting to replace the toilet paper, or (cue gasp) neglecting to lower the toilet seat, can become category-five storms after years of pent up frustration.

    Picking your battles means learning to deal with these annoyances while not blowing them out of proportion. We have to learn when to take up our sword and when to simply let an offense slide. Proverbs 19:11 says, “A person’s wisdom makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense (NET).”

    The word for “overlook” literally means to “pass over.” In other words, it is glorious for us to “pass over” the offense of someone else. Like a runner clearing hurdles on a set path, we should seek to jump over the hurdles of minor annoyances inevitable when dealing with people.

    When a runner clears a hurdle, he does not look back to examine, reflect, or complain about the hurdle. He continues to run with his focus straight ahead. If we cannot “pass over” an offense and keep from looking back, the offense must be addressed according to the Matthew 18 principle. Here's a graphic to outline the process:
    Handling Offenses Gods Way


  • Materials to go along with Adam's teaching series on Leadership Pipeline.
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    The follow up conversations to the Undivided message have been encouraging! It is neat to see God working in people's hearts to recognize places of miscategorized beliefs and have open conversations about disagreements over convictions and preferences.

     

    One thing I did not have time to share in the message is a series of questions that help identify where a certain belief should fall in the categories. In the last week, many people have brought up various issues to ask where they should fall among the four buckets. This video is a way to share those questions a bit of context for each one that I hope will be a helpful follow up to the message on beliefs.

  • Materials to go along with Adam's teaching series on Vision Planning.

Adam Bowers Profile

Adam Bowers

Disciple of Jesus, husband of Jenny, father of 3 awesome kids, Senior Pastor at First Free Church, passionate about growing God's kingdom by developing influencers for Jesus.I still use parts of this site for various ministry purposes even though I haven't written a blog post in a long time!