Overcoming the Anxieties of Christmas (Chantilly)
December 1, 2024
Philippians 4:6 CSB – Don’t worry about anything…
1 Peter 5:7 CSB – Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Celebrate God’s Goodness
Philippians 4:4 CSB – Rejoice in the Lord, always. I will say it again, rejoice.
Psalm 122:1 CSB – I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Luke 1:29 CSB – But she was deeply troubled…
Psalm 23:4 CSB – Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger, for you are with me;
Psalm 27:1 CSB – The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
Psalm 56:3-4 CSB – When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
Matthew 14:27-29 CSB – Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Matthew 14:30 CSB – But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Psalm 56:3 CSB – When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,…
Psalm 27:1 CSB – The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?
Appeal to God
Philippians 4:6 CSB – Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Psalm 50:15 CSB – Call on me in a day of trouble;
I will rescue you
Matthew 7:7 CSB – “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.
1 John 5:14 CSB – This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.
Psalm 34:4 CSB – I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and rescued me from all my fears.
Philippians 4:6 CSB – in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving…
Daniel 6:10 CSB – When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house…. got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Leave Your Anxieties with God
Philippians 4:7 CSB – And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 40:21-31 CSB –
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?…
22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers….
23 He reduces princes to nothing
and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth….
29 He gives strength to the faint
and strengthens the powerless…
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
John 14:27 CSB – “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.
Meditate: Fill Your Mind with God’s Thoughts
Surrender your thoughts to God
Philippians 4:8 CSB – Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.
Romans 8:5-6 CSB – those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.
Memorize the Bible
Philippians 4:8 CSB – … if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. (meditate on)
Psalm 119:11 CSB – I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
Face Your Distress—don’t fear it
Philippians 4:8 CSB – whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
John 16:33 CSB – I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
Job 13:15 CSB – Even if he kills me, I will hope in him.
Daniel 3:17-18 CSB – If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”)
Keep Your Mind in the Moment
Philippians 4:4 CSB – Rejoice in the Lord, always. I’ll say it again, rejoice
Fix Your Mind on Eternity
Philippians 4:8 CSB – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.
Colossians 3:2 CSB – Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Psalm 90:12 CSB – Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts
Ecclesiastes 7:12 CSB – It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.
Colossians 3:2 CSB – Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
