Holiday Survival Guide - 3

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1 Holiday Survival Guide - 3 Tis the season for Worry 20-40% of total sales for the year will happen from Nov-Dec So when those stores have those crazy sales 40% off That just means that we have been overpaying by 40% all year 55% of Americans have no budget going into the holiday 57% of parents say they will take on debt to buy toys for their kids Last year America s acquired $1,054 in debt per person When polled 74% said they did not have plans to pay off that in the immediate future. So Christmas gifts you bought in 2018 making the minimum payment you will finish paying off in 2024 after paying $500 in interest We have to be better than this We have to see through this trap We need to ask ourselves what s driving this? What s driving me to trade in my sanity for worry? Todays Title is this Tis the Season for Worry: Corrie Ten Boom said this Worry is a down payment on a problem you may never own. Corrie ten Boom

2 If you are new to Family Church or you are not too sure about me yet Here s something you need to know. We are NOT that church that pressures giving We are NOT going to promise things like send us $1 and God will repay thee 1000 fold return unto thee You are Not going to hear this church play those games I believe that s sinful But what you will hear is HOW to safe guard your life in order to keep you from self destruction You will hear how to honor God with your life and your calling So we are NOT going to pass the offering bucket 10 times today until we reach our budget. I am not on the side of Name and Claim it Blab it and Grab it But I m also NOT on the side that you need to be poor to prove you are humble in the sight of God. Read this with me today: (Ecclesiastes 4:4,8 ESV) 4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. Buying things you do not need with money you do not have to impress people you don t even like. Keeping up with the jones

3 I did that this week My neighbor bought their son a new Lego Set So I went down to Goshen and bought my son Lego Land There you go This also is vanity and a striving after wind 8 For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure? This also is vanity and an unhappy business. He says this is Vanity and Striving after Wind You can not own wind you can not capture it You are chasing after nothing. And who are you doing it for anyway? It will make you very unhappy Chasing after STUFF. (Ecclesiastes 2:18-23 ESV) 18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not work for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 1) Who am I working to please? (Proverbs 29:25 ESV) The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Are we trusting in the Lord and following his plan and provision for our lives or are we chasing the model of the world That is all stressed out.

4 2) What stuff do I need to satisfy my heart? (1 Timothy 6:9) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (Luke 12:15 ESV) And he said to them, Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Being the Mom and Dad that your kids brag about that will satisfy your heart. Hearing your kids say Mom and Dad are never around will not. Success is not measured by stuff, but by the people who get to share your time. Finding Your Why: When you lose your why you lose your way The difference in the Why You Are Here to the What You Are Doing = How You Are Feeling (Ecclesiastes 3:12 ESV) 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it The greatest tragedy of life is in becoming great at something that doesn t matter. To survive the holidays wherever I am I need to take the NEXT STEP

5 If Time = Money Then Money = Life How you manage your resources = How you Spend Your Life 1) Discover Your Divine Purpose The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Family this year is your Commitment to Christ and His cause. 2) Direct Your Resources to Your Purpose Your resources were always meant to help you fulfill your purpose not take the place of it. Send it on ahead (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV) 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 2) Guard your eyes (Matthew 6:22 ESV) 22 The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 3) Choose your boss 24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Serve= douleuo = The work of a slave Let s bring this full circle A wise man leaves an inheritance for His children s children

6 There is no greater inheritance than you leaving a legacy of Christianity. 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Does your family Know you love Jesus Beyond money Is the legacy behind you one of eternal importance? Pray