"KEEPING YOUR SANITY IN A CRAZY INSIDE OUT WORLD"

April 27  Keeping Your Sanity In A Crazy Inside Out World  Philippians 4:1-9
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:1-9)  There is no doubt that this world has turned crazy beyond anything we could have ever imagined. Things that were right years ago are now wrong. Things that were wrong not too long ago are suddenly promoted as right. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”  So how do we keep our sanity in these changing and crazy times?  For the Christian, this should not be a hard thing to do. We ought to be able to grab hold of what God teaches us to do, in His Word, and simply do it!  Doing what God wants us to do should give us joy and satisfaction in this life. The scripture, today tells us to “Stand Fast in the Lord!”  As believers, we share the same spiritual goals and desires and we are eligible for the same blessings and because of that, we ought to get along and be about the Father’s Business!   We need to “Trust in the Lord!”  We need to “Rejoice in the Lord!”  We TRUST GOD and REJOICE in His Name because we believe He will do as He has promised.  The scripture also says that we should, “As much as is possible, be at peace with all men.”  To deal with this crazy world, we should, “love one another,” and “treat others kindly, and they will see goodness from you and they might recognize the goodness of Christ in you.” Don’t Worry, Be Happy!  My Great Aunt Beulah used to say that, regardless of the situation.  I asked her why she always said that, and her answer has stayed with me all of these years.  She said, “Well, God says to not worry and when I don’t worry, I am happy!”  So, replace your worry with confident ASSURANCE that comes from God. Think on good things, Keep God’s words in your heart and live so that you are an example to others. There is an advantage to being a faithful Christian. God will be with you. God will protect your soul. God will welcome you into heaven. Yes the world is crazy around us. In fact, we may need to be a little crazy from time to time to keep our own sanity. But we consider it is crazy to try to go through life without God and His guidelines. These keys will help us cope in this world and the craziness that it brings. Are you in a right relationship with God?  If not, the answer is simple.  ADMIT YOU ARE A SINNER ("All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23): BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS, ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND THAT YOU TRUST IN HIM ALONE FOR YOUR SALVATION. ("Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." Acts 16:31): CONFESS YOUR SINS ("If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins." 1 John 1:9)…If you would like to invite Jesus into your life, pray this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I understand that I am a sinner and I ask You for forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins so that I could receive Your forgiveness and have eternal life. I ask You to come into my life right now and become my personal Savior. From this day forward, Lord, I give you control of my life. Make me a new person and help me to live for You. Amen… If you prayed to receive Jesus, I would like to know about it. You can contact me through this Facebook page. Praise God! Stay Strong, Stay Focused… Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!