I had an opportunity to speak at Mosaic Pasadena this past weekend. Here are notes from the message:
Have you ever felt pressure to have a great vacation only to have your trip undermined by your own actions? We went to where the highway ends and paradise begins…, and we had a fight. Sometimes we lose paradise when we operate in our default patterns of anxiety or attempting to control others.
God promises peace (Philippians 4:7, 9b), so what is our part?
1. Agree every time you can (Phil. 4:1-3). We allow our anger with others to get in the way of experiencing peace. We may think we are the oppressed, but in reality we are the oppressors. Have the humility to say “I’m sorry” or “I forgive you.”
2. Rejoice every time you can (Phil. 4:4). We allow our anger with God to get in the way of experiencing peace. We should be grateful for what we have and not mad about what we don’t have. We can trust that God can bring good out of our painful moments. God is perfect, but He doesn’t try to control us. We are far from perfect, yet we try to do so. We should try to be more like God and help bring good out of the bad.
3. Pray every time you can (Phil 4:6). Sometimes we allow our lack of trust in God to keep us from experiencing peace. Stop worrying that you are going to worry and take your needs to God.
4. Think wisely every time you can (Phil 4:8). We allow our thoughts to keep us from experiencing peace. We need to sow good thoughts in our mind so that we can reap and experience peace. Our mind is a like a P.L.A.N.T.E.R.. We should keep our minds focused on those things which are Praiseworthy, Lovely, Admirable, Noble, True, Excellent, and Right.
Snorkeling is an odd experience since you are breathing while you are looking under water, yet once we are willing to try it, we see the entire world differently! We miss so much when we are not experiencing peace!
To watch this message search for “Controlling Control Issues” or my name at www.mosaic.org/podcast in the videocast sections.
What has helped you to overcome anxiety or control issues?
[…] In a fast-moving world with lots of responsibilities, it is easy to get stressed out and even anxious. I come from a long line of worriers and have shared about my own struggles with worry in a talk called “Controlling Control Issues.” […]
Eric, you are right on with this. Conflict can suck the energy right out of us. You have outlined a great way to handle it.
“Snorkeling is an odd experience since you are breathing while you are looking under water, yet once we are willing to try it, we see the entire world differently! We miss so much when we are not experiencing peace!”
…that is a rich quote.