Winning the war in our mind WK 4

Title: The age of anxiety

Story: Does everyone remember what happened March 11, 2020 (COVID offically broke out in the US at a rapid rate. Give my story on anxiety During that time.)

Here’s a look at the rates of mental health conditions across different populations.

Nationally: In 2020, 21% of U.S. adults (52.9 million) experienced a mental health condition[11].

Worldwide: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of anxiety and depressive disorders grew. Depressive symptoms grew from a base of about 193 million people worldwide to 246 million, which is about 28%. Anxiety disorders grew from about 298 million people affected to 374 million, which is about a 25% increase[12].

(Date gathered from Forbes health.)

Anxiety: Anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder are some of the most commonly diagnosed mental health conditions in the U.S., affecting 42.5 million adults

It’s obvious that post COVID the world entered a new age of anxiety that has been relentless. So for us here today and for those watching online, what do we do when anxiety wages war on our mind? What does scripture say, and how should we respond?

What does anxiety feel like? Explain

(Series Recap)

Matthew 6:25–34 NIV

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4:4–7 (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

One And Only Point: Proper alignment with God, gives us peace in the midst of anxiety.

Our alignment matters. (Give story of chiropractor saying my spine was really poorly aligned.)

Did you know as humans we consist of three parts? Spirit, Soul, and Body. (Invite Jacob, Wade, and Jo up to help illustrate.) (Also picture on the screen)

Now, notice the order I said them in, this order matters. But for many of us, including myself. The order is often this, Soul, body, and spirit. Our soul is our emotions and makeup of who we are, and often times this dictates the other two parts.

Galatians 5:16–17 NIV

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

Paul, lays out how we should live. When we are properly aligned, the spirit of God leads us. So it looks like Spirit, Soul, and Body.

I wanna give some practical truth to anxiety and also ways for us to align properly.

1.) Declare it to change it.

-God is a big God, and can handle our burdens and feelings, so cast them before Him.

-Paul in Philippians gives us the framework for this, He says, “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

-If anxiety is plaguing your mind, declare it to God and allow Him to speak truth. The most powerful force in our life is the Holy Spirit, and He longs to speak to us.

2.) Don’t believe the lie that you are alone.

-Tell some truth about mental health and the church. What I have personally witnessed.

(Demon behind every bush to you should not talk about it.) (Talk about seeking medical help.)

-I firmly believe we are on the verge of a new era in Christian community, where it’s time to let people know your not a lone in your struggles. There are people who are struggling with the same burden, and as brothers and sisters in the Lord we must lift each other up.

-Philippians 2:1-5

Philippians 2:1–5 NIV

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

-I think Jesus intended us to walk together and to share in each others burdens, that includes anxiety.

-Talk about personal battle with anxiety and how counseling and brothers and sisters in the Lord helped me.

3.) Prayer shapes our thought life.

-Not only does prayer move the heart of God, but prayer also changes the chemistry in your brain.

In fact, both anxiety and prayer shape the physical/ chemical structure of your brain.

-Jesus was modeling for His disciples how to be different in a culture that worried and had anxiety, and I think He’s calling us to do the same.

Simple Everyday prayer approach that shapes your thoughts:

-Gratitude

-Repent

-Ask

-Yield

Closing: If today you are here in person or on the live stream, I am going to ask you to be honest with yourself, with every head bowed and eye closed, if you are here today and battle anxiety I just want you to lift your hand up, so I know who I am praying for. I want to ask Jesus to give His peace to you.

Pray and close.