1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,720 I mean I search for. Peace. 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:09,880 I search for hope, I search for love and one day for release. 3 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:16,480 God give me strength to accept the things that I just cannot 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:23,880 know, that even when I lose control, I will not let you go. 5 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:31,080 Excuse me? It's OK, Todd, you can leave 6 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:32,520 your wallet here. I'll just give you the 5 bucks 7 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,040 back later. That's all right. 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,600 Say I'm Justin Emanuel and I said morning. 9 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:40,600 There we go. That's Pastor Dave. 10 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,240 So I served on staff here at Rez as the production director and 11 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,200 as part of our preaching team. You know, I felt a little cold 12 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,560 out in the worship when she was like, you're going to forget 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:51,960 everything that I'm going to say, but you're going to 14 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,320 remember that song. But you are going to forget 15 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,680 everything I say, and you are going to remember that song. 16 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,720 But today as we talk about sound mind where it's the intersection 17 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:09,240 of faith and mental well-being, my journey for a sound mind 18 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:14,080 where my faith and my mental well-being intersected started 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,040 eight years ago back in New York. 20 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,200 Picture this with me for a few moments. 21 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:27,000 It's March 21st, 2017, the start of spring to bomb me. 57° 22 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,360 practical heat wave in New York compared to the bitter February 23 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:35,440 temperatures. I'm in my office, but I'm not 24 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,800 getting any work done in the church that day because my body 25 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,880 is vibrating from anxiety. Why? 26 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,240 Because tomorrow's my birthday. Then I got the text that I've 27 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,720 been dreading all day. It was from my pastor. 28 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,560 Hey buddy, want to do anything this week for your birthday? 29 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,720 I stared at that text and it put me in a Free State. 30 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,240 I wanted to say no, but if I said no then I'm probably going 31 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,160 to have to explain why I want said no and why I want to want 32 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,680 to do it. But if I said yes, then I'd have 33 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,560 to go and deal with it anyway. And trying to process it put me 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,320 in this catatonic state where eventually I couldn't even sit 35 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,760 in the chair anymore. I slid out of my chair and 36 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:26,560 started laying on the floor of my office, bawling my eyes out 37 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:32,280 and crying out to God. Why do I hate my birthday? 38 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,240 After not hearing from God in the time I wanted to hear from 39 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:43,000 Him, I did what we tend to do. I went to Google. 40 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,800 I took on my phone. One of the responses that hit me 41 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,600 is that birthdays are a milestone day to time you take 42 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,880 stock in your life. Where was I in my life? 43 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,400 I was trapped in my mind, full of perfectionism and self 44 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:05,000 hatred. Any thought in my mind was 45 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:10,360 saying that I'm worthless, that I'm a failure, calling myself a 46 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,640 jerk to get it together. This was emotional trauma being 47 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:18,240 inflicted on me all day, every day of my life. 48 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,920 The harder I fought, the stronger it got. 49 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,720 The more I tried to silence these thoughts, the more they 50 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,480 spiraled in my head in what I call a misery go round of doom. 51 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,600 Soon I was convinced that everyone I encountered believed 52 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:44,360 that I was the failure, That I believed I was, so say, anxious. 53 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,120 Does it not even begin to explain the state I was in? 54 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:52,760 It was utter hopelessness. Hopelessness to the point that 55 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:57,280 many nights in my office, thoughts of suicide would be in 56 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,760 my head. I was already on the top floor. 57 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:06,000 All I had to do was walk to the ladder, climb up it, step up 58 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:14,840 onto the ledge, and jump. But my thoughts were so 59 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:19,279 distorted that what prevented me from jumping off of that ledge 60 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,840 was that I didn't think the building was tall enough. 61 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,840 That I would be the moron who would try to end myself and live 62 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,800 and become an even bigger failure at that. 63 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:38,760 So here I am, the day before my 33rd birthday, lying on the 64 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,120 floor asking why do I hate my birthday. 65 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,960 Later that night I finally started to think that this isn't 66 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:52,480 right, something's got to change that I can't keep going like 67 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:56,640 this. Anxiety was ruining my life to 68 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:02,800 the point that I almost took it. Lying on the floor crying my 69 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,920 eyes out. It was the darkest place I've 70 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:11,360 been, but I had no idea that God would take that moment and use 71 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,360 it as a catalyst for the transformation that He began in 72 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,720 my life that day. And He's continued in eight 73 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,360 years since. That gives me a hope for my 74 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:26,160 anxiety. Perhaps you're not even sure why 75 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:31,560 you're here because your anxiousness and your anxiety has 76 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,840 said that it's hopeless too. Maybe you're at the point I was 77 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:38,880 where suicidal thoughts are dancing in your head. 78 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:42,760 Maybe you're skeptical about this whole God thing. 79 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,960 But sure, at the end of your rope, the good news is that 80 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:52,960 you're in the right place today. It's the same God that took me 81 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:57,960 off that literal ledge is the same God that could bring hope 82 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:05,320 and transformation to you today. Now, if you're like me, you've 83 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,280 seen how the church has a tradition of distorting anxiety. 84 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:13,120 They'll take verses like if you had faith, like a mustard seed, 85 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,480 you could say to the mountain move and it'll move. 86 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:21,240 And they preach this myth that if you have more faith, your 87 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,400 anxiety will go away. But if you pray more, if you do 88 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,720 the Christian things, your anxiety will go away. 89 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:31,160 And that if you can't get rid of your anxiety, if you're stuck in 90 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,520 it, well that's a sin that you need to get rid in your life. 91 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,280 Or maybe you've heard my favorite Bible says don't be 92 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:40,280 anxious. So don't be anxious. 93 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:43,760 To which my brain usually reprise. 94 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:53,960 Don't be stupid. Anxiety is not a moral failure, 95 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,480 it's not a spiritual failure, it's not a character defect or 96 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:04,280 anything of the like. Jesus himself experienced 97 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:07,960 anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane hours before he went 98 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:12,640 to the cross, and he lived a perfect, sinless life. 99 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,680 So when it comes to the mountain, it's not about moving 100 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:22,280 the mountain, it's about the work God wants to do in you on 101 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,000 that mountain. And this is our big idea. 102 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,440 Write this down. God doesn't always move the 103 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:29,680 mountain. He pulls you up it. 104 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:35,280 It could be that the mountain you so desperately want to get 105 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,720 off of is the mountain that God wants to transform you on if you 106 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:44,000 would persevere. And if you have anxiety, it's an 107 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,960 uphill climb. It takes time, it takes work, 108 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:53,880 but if you persevere, God takes your suffering and He transforms 109 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:59,920 it into hope. So I'm in the right room who 110 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:04,120 hear battles with anxiety, Who had anxiety today? 111 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,240 Who has anxiety right now? Who got more anxiety because I'm 112 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,320 asking questions about anxiety and you don't want to raise your 113 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:15,520 hands. It's safe to say anxiety affects 114 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,960 us all. None of us are immune. 115 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:24,680 Whether your anxiety is wrecking your life like it was for me or 116 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:29,480 it's a low simmer, that mountain that you face is the mountain 117 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:34,200 that God does his best work in. So let's keep this in mind as we 118 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,720 go to our passage for day first Peter 5. 119 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,480 We're going to start in verse 5. It says this clothe yourselves, 120 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:42,960 all of you with humility toward one another. 121 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,680 For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 122 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:52,280 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God. 123 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:57,280 So here we see the importance of humility in our relationships 124 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:00,720 with one another. Whether you're young or old, 125 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,000 whether you're a guest or an elder, whether you've been in 126 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,400 this room for 10 minutes or you were holding the hammer when 127 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,680 they built this building. The same is true for us all is 128 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:13,440 that we are to have an attitude of humility towards one another 129 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,320 and to clothe yourself. That phrase literally means an 130 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,800 apron that a servant wears. So to clothe ourselves in 131 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:25,000 humility is to put on the apron of service and put others needs 132 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,920 above our own. Who am I wear to go people? 133 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:29,640 Our volunteers from wear to go. Red's Mania. 134 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,440 You guys all put on the apron of service last year for our 10 135 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:39,560 minute window and all 900 people who came right this year. 136 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:42,520 You have an opportunity right now to put on that apron and 137 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:46,360 sign up for camps and volunteer and give up of your time to 138 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:50,200 think of their salvations and their health and their needs 139 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:53,960 above your own. This is an opportunity for you. 140 00:09:55,560 --> 00:09:58,480 So now this humility, it's an attitude to have. 141 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:02,160 And now Peter UPS the stakes in verse 6 because now it says be 142 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:04,800 humble. So now humility is not just an 143 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:08,280 attitude to have, it's an action to take. 144 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,240 You can be humble, but until you sign up for something, until you 145 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,920 actually be humble, you're not taking action. 146 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:18,840 This is your opportunity. And this isn't because God is a 147 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,320 tyrant. Look at the promise, as Proverbs 148 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:28,080 334 is quoted. Be humble, because God's grace 149 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:30,520 is found on the other side of humility. 150 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:36,320 God's grace, it's his power, His love, His compassion, His care, 151 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:40,200 His unmerited and unworthy love for you. 152 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,560 And it's on the other side of humility. 153 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:49,520 Now, humility sounds good in theory, right? 154 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,120 Let's be honest, what do we crave? 155 00:10:54,760 --> 00:11:00,600 We crave honor, right? The pride inside of us, he goes, 156 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:01,960 look at me. Look what I've done. 157 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:04,040 Did. Did you see what I did when I 158 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,800 put it on Facebook? All right. 159 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,080 And sometimes in our pain and our anxiety, we still have those 160 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,400 same desires. But instead we call it sympathy. 161 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,280 Oh, man, look. Look at how horrible my life is. 162 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:16,600 You see what's going on in my life. 163 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:19,840 What do you mean? You didn't know stuff was going 164 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:20,840 on? Did you see my tweet? 165 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:24,680 Right. We want that recognition. 166 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,480 We want that honor. And even humility has become 167 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,000 distorted. Humility has become #humblebrag 168 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:34,160 and picture. It didn't happen. 169 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:38,560 You know, we can so easily turn even our own blessings into 170 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:40,560 opportunities for self promotion. 171 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:45,800 But here's the danger, especially with suffering and 172 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:50,600 with struggles, is that our anxiety can be so high that we 173 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:55,000 are drowning on the inside. But we are so busy presenting 174 00:11:55,000 --> 00:12:01,360 ourselves as a selfie worthy person on the outside, we want 175 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,720 to look like we've got it all together even though you're 176 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,280 silently suffering beneath the surface. 177 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,000 So write this first principle down when it comes to your 178 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,440 anxiety. The mountain is for taking 179 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:19,040 X-rays, not selfies. Mountain is for taking X-rays, 180 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,520 not selfies. The mountain isn't about taking 181 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,880 selfies to show off how good you are when you're going through 182 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,600 something. The mountain is to let God take 183 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,360 his X-rays so that he can take what's inside of you, bring it 184 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,880 to the light so that he can transform it and He can heal it. 185 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,800 When it comes to anxiety, and as you find yourself facing that 186 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,840 uphill climb of the mountain, the best thing you can do is 187 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,480 invite God in to take his X-rays. 188 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,280 They, like the psalmist says in Psalm 139, cry out to God and 189 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,960 say, Search me, O God, and know my heart. 190 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:02,240 Try me and know my anxieties and see if there is any wicked way 191 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,600 in me. Know my anxieties God, because 192 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,520 my anxieties are signaling me that something is off and I need 193 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:13,200 you to show it to me. Reveal my wicked ways because 194 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,480 that phrase wicked ways, it actually means hurtful ways of a 195 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,680 wicked habit. We need God to reveal our sins 196 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:25,520 to us because our sins are what is hurting us and He needs to 197 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:30,200 bring it to our attention. So in that love, God will use 198 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,040 His X-rays to reveal what needs to be changed. 199 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:38,520 Now. Anxiety is not a punishment by 200 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:44,040 God, but God will use anxiety that gets you to look up to Him, 201 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:48,400 to signal you that it's time to look up, that there is a hurt in 202 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:51,600 your life that He needs to heal, that there is a sin in your life 203 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,120 that is hurting you and it needs to be dealt with. 204 00:13:55,280 --> 00:14:00,440 And as anxiety signals us, if we continue to ignore the anxiety, 205 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,560 God may turn up that pain of the anxiety and He's going to keep 206 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:10,160 turning it up until we finally humble ourselves before Him and 207 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:15,560 say, God, I hear you, search me. Take your X-ray. 208 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:21,480 You know, if you're on the mountain and you want to ignore 209 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,760 anxiety signals and you want to take selfies of showing off how 210 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:29,320 good you are and all of these things despite the pain that is 211 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,280 ravaging you on the inside, then you're in danger of being a 212 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:39,800 statistic to death by selfie. Do you know selfie related 213 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,560 deaths are a thing now? 2018, they did a study. 214 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:50,560 Across six years, 250 people died in selfie related 215 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,360 incidents. The top cause was falling from a 216 00:14:54,360 --> 00:15:01,160 Cliff or a height, followed up by fire, animals and water. 217 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,520 Their final moments were spent focused on how good they look to 218 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,920 everybody else, and they were ignoring the danger that was 219 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:17,600 about to take them out. My friends, some of you are 220 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:23,960 standing on the edge of the Cliff and your focus is on 221 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,640 trying to capture a selfie of your life to show off how good 222 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:31,720 you are and you're ignoring the danger that you're about to 223 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:37,720 encounter. The mountain is for taking 224 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:43,640 X-rays, not selfies. The mountain is a selfie free 225 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:49,920 zone. Put up a sign that day in my 226 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:57,000 office in 2017 was me standing on the cliffs edge but God 227 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:03,080 pulled me up the mountain enough that I cried out and said I need 228 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,960 help. I can't fix this on my own. 229 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,400 My pastor had been suggesting counseling to me for months and 230 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,960 I refused. I instead would answer him 231 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:17,280 here's my 10 point plan of how I'm going to fix this and when 232 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,680 that failed I said here's my next 10 point plan. 233 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,240 And when that failed I said here's my next 10 point plan. 234 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,480 Have you ever been there? Here's my plan, I'm going to fix 235 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:27,440 this. I'm going to work on it. 236 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:32,680 But no, now things are exploding, my own life 237 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,000 exploding. Everyone around me is being 238 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:38,520 covered in the shrapnel that is my anxiety that I'm trying to 239 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,400 fix myself. So I'm not one for taking 240 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:46,520 selfies personally, but I was working overtime to look as good 241 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:48,680 as I could, that I could handle this on my own. 242 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,480 My pride of I can fix this. Do you know where it got me? 243 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:59,920 The edge of suicide selfie time was over. 244 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:05,359 It was time for God's X-rays because anxiety had ripped 245 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,880 through me like shrapnel and I desperately needed healing. 246 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,720 My pastor connected me with the counseling center and for six 247 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,280 months, every week, I went to talk therapy. 248 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:22,560 We began to unpack my thoughts, my distorted view of God and my 249 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:27,960 fear of failure was killing me. The next step led me to get my 250 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:33,000 brain scanned and now they find attention deficit hyperactivity 251 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:37,520 disorder, they find obsessive compulsive thoughts, they find a 252 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,080 mood disorder and past emotional trauma. 253 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:47,400 These 4 heavy hitters were the contributing factors to my toxic 254 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:52,840 thought life for 33 years of struggling. 255 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:58,200 I finally had some answers. I wasn't crazy, I had brain 256 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:02,440 dysfunction. When I stopped trying to be 257 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:07,880 selfie worthy and I allowed God to X-ray me, that's when he 258 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:10,320 moved me further up the mountain. 259 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:20,760 How about you and your mountain? Is it X-rays or is it selfies? 260 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,280 Have you been trying to fix it on your own without letting 261 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,800 anyone in? Is it time to drop the facade 262 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:35,240 and finally tell someone I need help? 263 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,240 You know who that person is who's asking you how you're 264 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:43,000 doing and you keep saying fine, take out your phone, text him 265 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:49,200 right now and say I need help. You're on the mountain for a 266 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,600 reason. But remember this God doesn't 267 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,320 always move the mountain. He pulls you up it. 268 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:59,720 If you're ready to trade your selfies for X-rays, you're ready 269 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,440 trade them. Let's continue on. 270 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,520 In our text, we're going to verse 7, verse first. 271 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:11,800 Peter 57 says this, casting all your anxieties on him because he 272 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,720 cares for you. The word casting literally means 273 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,840 to throw upon the visual. We can think of as a fisherman 274 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:21,720 casting his net out into the sea to catch fish. 275 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,040 The detail here is that in order to cast, you have to fully let 276 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,680 go of the net. You can't hold onto the corner 277 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,000 until you can pull it back later when you get a little lazy. 278 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:37,840 And here it says to cast all your anxieties on God because he 279 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:43,160 cares for you. It's to humble ourselves before 280 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,880 God, taking our anxieties, our burdens, our worries, our 281 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:51,320 stresses, our addictions, and throwing them at God, fully 282 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:55,560 holding nothing back. This means there's no hiding. 283 00:19:56,360 --> 00:20:00,240 This means there's no corner of your life that you do not give 284 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:06,200 to God in your prayer life. Your prayers should be a no hold 285 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:08,920 barred event where nothing is off the table. 286 00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:14,800 But look, it's an active event. It's not passive. 287 00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:17,840 So if you find yourself sitting in your circumstances going, 288 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:21,280 there's nothing I can do, There is everything you can do, which 289 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,360 is getting on your knees, humbling yourself before God. 290 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:29,640 Giving them all to Him. Because these are not your 291 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:33,120 burdens to bear. Jesus is the one who bears them. 292 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:37,760 If you continue to candle your anxieties on your own, it will 293 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:42,920 consume you. Your anxiety is not your cross 294 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,440 to bear. That's meant to be carried by 295 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:49,000 Jesus. Because what happens is this. 296 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:53,360 What you choose to bear alone today will become your tombstone 297 00:20:53,640 --> 00:21:00,480 tomorrow. Let's be clear about what 298 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:05,280 anxiety is. So anxiety at its core, it's our 299 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,400 body's alarm system. It's when your brain detects 300 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,840 that there's danger and an alarm goes off. 301 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,440 But this alarm system, sometimes it can malfunction, whether it's 302 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,520 to a learned behaviour, A trauma, A substance abuse, a 303 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:24,360 body, or a brain dysfunction. Doctor Reed Wilson breaks this 304 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:29,080 down and he says that anxiety is either a signal or a noise. 305 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:33,600 Good anxiety is a signal. It is signaling you that 306 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:38,120 something needs your attention. It's the check engine light on 307 00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:42,680 your car's dashboard. It prompts you to take action to 308 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,960 identify and start resolving an issue. 309 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:49,000 When good anxiety comes, this is the anxiety to listen to, 310 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:54,680 address and bring it before God. Bad anxiety is noise. 311 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:57,080 It's like static from an old TV set. 312 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:03,040 Anxiety that is bad that is noisy is anxiety that wants you 313 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,240 to focus on the anxiety. It's thoughts that want to get 314 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:11,240 you to focus on your thoughts. And as that continues, you now 315 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,120 enter the misery go round of doom in your mind. 316 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,800 This is the anxiety that's destructive. 317 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,640 Doctor Wilson would say. Of this anxiety's best strategy 318 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:24,560 is to convince you to spend most of your energy worrying about 319 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:27,640 how to protect yourself or someone else against harm. 320 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:32,160 It scores points by getting you to worry and then step back 321 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,600 instead of step forward into the action. 322 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,800 If you organize your actions against only a defensive 323 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:43,520 strategy, you will continue to lose to this skilled tactician. 324 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,080 Maybe you're a sports fan. What's the best defense? 325 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,280 It's a good offense. You got it. 326 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:57,320 So when it comes to destructive anxiety and that noise, the 327 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:02,000 offensive is to start with. Second Corinthians 10/5 says 328 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,920 this. Take every thought captive to 329 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:09,160 obey Christ. The first step is to capture our 330 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:11,640 thoughts and hold them accountable. 331 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,760 Our thoughts lie to us, and just because you think it does not 332 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:17,680 mean you have to accept it as true. 333 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,040 Our minds. Can default to negativity. 334 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,160 Doctor Daniel Ayman, he calls these automatic negative 335 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:32,680 thoughts A&T. These are the ants of your life 336 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:37,360 and some of our thought lives are Ant infested. 337 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:41,760 Are you with me on this have? You had these or am I alone? 338 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,960 That as you think about this, your brain goes, you start to 339 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,640 mind read, you start to fortune tell. 340 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,440 I'll never get over this. I'll always mess this up, right? 341 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:55,920 So what have you tried? Have you tried techniques? 342 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:57,560 Have you tried to work through things? 343 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:02,560 What do we really need? We need Jesus. 344 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:05,080 That's always the answer, even if you wake up in class and 345 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:08,920 you're not sure what to say. But when your ants. 346 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:12,600 Come, have you thought about breaking out your Ant eater? 347 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,360 Anteater eats those ants. Here's the anteater that God has 348 00:24:17,360 --> 00:24:20,800 provided for us. And actually, I lied. 349 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,360 To you, before I even get to that, we're going to go over the 350 00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:27,520 worst kind of Ant there is because it's vital to your 351 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,880 health. There is one Ant automatic 352 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:34,000 negative thought that will destroy you if you allow it to 353 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:35,720 pervade in your life and that is this. 354 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:40,080 This is the aunt of blame. It's a victim. 355 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:43,040 Mentality. It's blaming someone or 356 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:46,160 something else for the problems you have. 357 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,760 It's. My parents. 358 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:53,640 Fault they raised me this way. I can't change. 359 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,360 I was Born This Way. God, you let. 360 00:24:57,360 --> 00:25:02,960 This happen to me. Blame. 361 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:08,040 Is the handcuffs we put on ourselves while complaining 362 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:14,000 about being restrained. This Ant. 363 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:20,320 Is deadly because it keeps us powerless by our own choosing. 364 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,440 So when you have this Ant, this is the Ant you break your Ant 365 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,600 eater out on immediately. And when those other negative 366 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,360 thoughts up, it comes out and here's your Ant eater. 367 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:37,600 It's Philippians 48. Whatever is true, whatever is 368 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:42,320 honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is 369 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:47,040 lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if 370 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:51,360 there is anything worthy of praise, think about these 371 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:55,800 things. This Ant eater verse eats ants 372 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,200 for breakfast. So you. 373 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,040 Take your thought, especially your blaming thoughts, and you 374 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:06,600 ask of it, is it true? Is it honorable? 375 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,040 Is it just? Is it pure? 376 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,560 Is it lovely? Is it commendable? 377 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,240 Is it excellent? Is it worthy of praise? 378 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:20,400 If your thoughts fail any of these tests, it's lying to you 379 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,640 and it's time to replace it with true and accurate thinking. 380 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,920 And this is how we. Start to steer our thoughts in 381 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,880 the right direction and starve anxiety of its power. 382 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,960 Now. I've just shared some anxiety 383 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:39,920 fighting tools with you, with the ants, with the verses, and 384 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,280 they're excellent. They're research backed. 385 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,120 It's from the Bible. These are tools. 386 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:52,000 But here's the raw truth. The tools weren't enough. 387 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,040 My counseling was from the best treatment center in New York and 388 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,520 across the world. I read all the books, all the 389 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,880 podcasts. I did the nutrition plan, the 390 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,400 supplement plan. I did all the mindfulness 391 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:13,760 exercises but I still couldn't do it my. 392 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,520 Inventory of. Mental health power tools could 393 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:22,360 stock a Home Depot and I still couldn't do it. 394 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,720 I know what to do. I know how to do it. 395 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:32,480 I just told you how to do it and I still couldn't do it. 396 00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:38,920 And maybe. You're with me on this. 397 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:43,200 Maybe you're not in because you know exactly what I'm talking 398 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:48,600 about, that you're doing everything right and still 399 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:53,000 losing the battle. Who's with me on this one? 400 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:58,320 Doing everything right and you're still losing the battle. 401 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,280 You and powerlessness have become so close that your 402 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,720 roommates and you're the one paying all the rent, right? 403 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:10,680 So I had. Everything I needed, but I was 404 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:16,440 still drowning in anxiety. But this was the. 405 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:20,360 Place where God was waiting for me. 406 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,200 This was the place I needed to get to for the real 407 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:29,120 transformation to begin. My thoughts continued to lie to 408 00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:32,040 me that I was a failure. You went to all the counseling, 409 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,800 you did all the work. You have your diagnosis and 410 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:39,880 you're still a failure. My prayer life became venting my 411 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:43,120 frustrations to God, blaming Him for everything. 412 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,320 God, if you've called me to serve in your church, preach the 413 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,280 word to your people, and do all these things, then why did you 414 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:52,760 allow me to have these brain disorders that keep me from 415 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,720 doing it? Why have you not taken this away 416 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,640 so I can have a normal brain and get things done? 417 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:07,520 Didn't happen instantly, but after many days. 418 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,320 Of pleading with him to take it away. 419 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:15,360 One of the passages he led me to was Second Corinthians 12, which 420 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:19,320 says this. So to keep me from becoming 421 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:25,480 proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan, 422 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:29,480 to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 423 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,520 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 424 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,000 Each time He said, My grace is all you need. 425 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:47,720 My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about 426 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:52,600 my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. 427 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:58,960 That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, for when I am weak, 428 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:04,600 then I am strong. What I thought. 429 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:09,160 Was the failure of having these brain disorders was actually the 430 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:13,320 fuel that God uses the power, his own power through me? 431 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:19,880 I had all the power tools to fight anxiety, but by refusing 432 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:23,880 to obey and move forward, I was disconnected from the power 433 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:29,840 source, the true power source. My false beliefs that mistakes 434 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,960 and failures were bad had crippled me from moving forward. 435 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,200 If you started believing that before, that mistakes and 436 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:40,760 failures are bad and letting that hold you back from moving 437 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:45,760 forward exactly where I was. Anxiety gains power when it gets 438 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:48,960 me to focus on believing that I was a failure who couldn't 439 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,440 figure it out. Anxiety increases the more you 440 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:57,400 try to do it on your own because you're working in your own 441 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:03,040 strength. You can't tap into. 442 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:07,360 The power that God has for you in your weaknesses and failures 443 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:12,560 until you bring them to Him, and you cast all of your anxieties 444 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:17,520 on Him because He loves you, and then you move forward relying on 445 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,160 His strength. Write this next principle. 446 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:25,080 Down the mountain is where your failures fuel your strength. 447 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:29,520 The mountain is where your failures fuel your strength. 448 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:33,960 The more failure and weakness you have, the more strength you 449 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:39,120 will find in God's power. Anxiety. 450 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,760 Gains power when it wants me to believe I'm a failure and try to 451 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:46,480 figure it out. Anxiety increases when I work in 452 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,720 my own strength. When I bring my failures. 453 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:54,040 To God, that is when I operate in strength, because it's not my 454 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,400 strength that God wants, it's my weaknesses. 455 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,640 Spurgeon says it this way. God does not need your strength. 456 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,240 He has more than enough power of his own. 457 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:09,360 He asks your weakness. He has none of that himself, and 458 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:13,560 He is longing therefore to take your weakness and use it as the 459 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:16,240 instrument in His own mighty hand. 460 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:22,560 Will you not leave your weakness to Him and receive His strength? 461 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,480 The more. Anxiety that you have, the more 462 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:31,400 fuel you have to give to God to work with. 463 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,080 That's how God. Works in His power in your life. 464 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:41,440 And what is the power of God? This is the power that raised 465 00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:45,040 Jesus from the dead. This is the power that created 466 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:49,480 time, the universe, the power that created you. 467 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,880 So if this is the power. You may be asking right now, 468 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,640 what does one do to tap into this power source? 469 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:07,160 How do I give? My weaknesses to God so he can 470 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,320 demonstrate his power through them. 471 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,680 You might not like the answer because I don't like it either. 472 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:20,040 It looks like obedience even when it feels impossible. 473 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,320 It's about actually doing what God is asking you to do in your 474 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:28,160 life. Let me ask you this. 475 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:32,360 What has God been calling you to do in your life that you've 476 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:36,120 refused to obey because you don't think you can do it? 477 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,320 On the other side. Of that obedience. 478 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,480 Is God's power. For your life. 479 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:51,280 So I'm not. Saying that the tools and the 480 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:53,560 knowledge to find anxiety are fruitless. 481 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:57,520 It's the exact opposite. Counseling, treatment, care, 482 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:01,200 books, podcast techniques, nutrition, supplements, 483 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:05,240 medications, they're all on the table when it comes for treating 484 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:07,240 anxiety. They have all been vital in 485 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:09,920 treating my anxiety. Here's. 486 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,600 What I am? Saying is that these tools can 487 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,880 help you, but it's only the power of God through the work of 488 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,199 the Holy Spirit that can transform you. 489 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:24,000 These are power. Tools. 490 00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:27,840 And when they're connected to the true power source, that's 491 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:31,280 when transformation happens. That's when they work together, 492 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:35,880 and that's when your failures that you bring to God turn your 493 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:41,080 anxieties into hope. So remember our. 494 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:43,400 Big idea. God doesn't always move the 495 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,560 mountain. He pulls you up it and he uses 496 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:50,719 your failures as fuel to strengthen you to climb higher. 497 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:53,800 As we head for a. Close. 498 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,120 Let's head back to first Peter verse 6. 499 00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:02,200 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so 500 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:05,320 that at the proper time He may exalt you. 501 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:09,520 So the scripture. Promises that at the proper time 502 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,680 he may exalt you. To be exalted means to be lifted 503 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:15,880 up with anxiety. It means to be freed and 504 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:18,800 released from the grip anxiety has on your life. 505 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:25,120 But. Notice the key phrase at the 506 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:31,480 proper time. How many of us want? 507 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:35,800 Exaltation right now. What does God? 508 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:40,000 Say to us in the verse. It's not about being exalted. 509 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:44,800 Right now, it's about being exalted at the right time. 510 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:49,560 We want our anxiety. To end immediately. 511 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:53,040 But God works on his timeline, not ours. 512 00:35:54,120 --> 00:35:57,160 Pastor Daniels preached on this many a Sunday that we want that 513 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,760 microwave transformation, right? We want to push it in, push that 514 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,200 button that we don't have to enter 30 seconds anymore. 515 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:05,800 We push that one button and it cooks it for 30 seconds for us 516 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:09,720 and we want to come out cooked. But no. 517 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:15,480 God's that slow heat, that long lasting heat of the crockpot. 518 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:19,520 And when there's anxiety? Involved that crockpot becomes a 519 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:23,280 pressure cooker, but it doesn't speed up the cook time, it just 520 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:27,960 increases the pressure. So when? 521 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,120 Is God's proper time to free us from anxiety? 522 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:36,400 The answer is only he. Knows his transformative work 523 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:39,240 will continue until the purpose in it is complete. 524 00:36:40,720 --> 00:36:43,560 For some. God's healing work will be 525 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,960 finished in this lifetime that He will guide you up the 526 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:49,600 mountain and you will reach the summit, or He will take that 527 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:52,840 mountain and move it in your life and anxiety will be healed 528 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:57,920 from you in this lifetime. For others like Paul with his 529 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:02,080 thorn in the flesh, like me asking God to take my disorders 530 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:07,360 away, His God's answer may continue to be, My grace is 531 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:10,960 sufficient. My power is made perfect in 532 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:14,440 weakness. Some of us won't. 533 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:19,400 Experience complete healing from anxiety or other burdens until 534 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:21,840 we're on the other side of heaven, which uses in eternity. 535 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:29,680 But either way, 2 constants remain. 1 Humble yourself under 536 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:34,840 God's mighty hand, because that is where the power is found, and 537 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:39,680 two is keep climbing the mountain, relying on His power 538 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:43,120 to pull you up. Write this third principle down. 539 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:47,840 As we close the mountain. Turn suffering to hope if you 540 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:52,400 persevere to the summit. The mountain turns suffering to 541 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:55,400 hope if you persevere to the summit. 542 00:37:56,240 --> 00:38:00,800 Yes, there is suffering, but because of Jesus it is suffering 543 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:07,080 with hope and a purpose. As you on that. 544 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:09,480 Mountain. Keep climbing the mountain, for 545 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:12,520 it is in the mountain that you will find that hope. 546 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:17,840 Romans 5 says it this way. We also glory in our sufferings 547 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,400 because we know that suffering produces perseverance, 548 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:25,680 perseverance, character, and character hope. 549 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:31,480 We glory in our sufferings because it is in them that God 550 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:35,600 does His work, and in His work there is glory to be had. 551 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:40,880 We give glory to God as He does His transforming work, and then 552 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,600 as we are exalted, we receive glory. 553 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:46,920 And then we take that glory and we bounce it right back to God, 554 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:50,320 because He is our mighty God. Do every ounce of glory. 555 00:38:53,240 --> 00:38:56,040 So as you stay on the. Mountain and let God pull you 556 00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:58,920 up. That suffering will start to 557 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:03,720 transform into perseverance, and that perseverance will transform 558 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,200 your character. And that character 559 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,680 transformation is what gives you hope. 560 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,840 Because now you're not just hearing about the power of God. 561 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,080 You're not just seeing it happen in someone else's life. 562 00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:18,600 You're not just theoretically now. 563 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:22,760 The power of God is happening in and through you, and that 564 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:26,800 undeniable power happening in you is lasting hope. 565 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:34,800 So reject the. Impulse to be finished now 566 00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:39,800 endure on the mountain until God's proper time. 567 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:46,280 You know when I play football, the coaches hammered into us to 568 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:49,840 always keep playing until you hear the referee blow the 569 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:52,480 whistle. Because if you stop playing 570 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,840 early, someone else is going to come and blind side you and take 571 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:59,280 you out and you might be out for the game, you might be out for 572 00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:02,400 the season, or it might end your career. 573 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:06,680 Same is true when it. Comes to being on the mountain. 574 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:11,920 Never stop climbing. Never stop letting God pull you 575 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:16,440 up, because if you slow down and stop climbing. 576 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:19,440 It is so easy to. Get taken out. 577 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:23,960 I can say this. Because somewhere along the way 578 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:27,800 I stopped bringing my weaknesses before God and allowing Him to 579 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:32,040 turn them to strength. I got blindsided. 580 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:36,320 Without even realizing it. And it took the love of the men 581 00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:38,480 in my mentorship group to snap me out of it. 582 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:41,120 A. Few weeks ago. 583 00:40:41,240 --> 00:40:44,440 I walked into my mentorship group and I took a seat. 584 00:40:46,040 --> 00:40:47,320 Then all eyes looked to. Me and. 585 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:51,360 They said today's going to be a. Little different. 586 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:56,560 We're going to have a little intervention for me. 587 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,320 Somewhere. Along the way, I stopped 588 00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:06,160 climbing the mountain. God's transforming. 589 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:10,840 Work in my life came to a halt. I stopped pursuing my goals. 590 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:13,280 I stopped working on personal growth. 591 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,680 I neglected. All my mental health care that I 592 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:24,160 needed to do to be healthy. I had become a. 593 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:29,640 Victim of my disorders. I can't do this I. 594 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,240 Have ADHD. I failed at this because. 595 00:41:33,240 --> 00:41:37,120 Of my OCD. I became a. 596 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,520 Prisoner to them of my own choosing. 597 00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,720 My speech. Became a complaint factory. 598 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:48,400 And all of this just. Intensified my anxiety. 599 00:41:49,240 --> 00:41:52,080 It turned because what had happened is I turned my 600 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:59,040 conditions into my identity. I let that story. 601 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:01,840 Play on repeat in my head and I started to believe it again. 602 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:07,080 My mind and. My body recognized the danger 603 00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:11,200 and started sounding the alarms of anxiety, but. 604 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,720 I kept hitting the. Snooze button retreating into 605 00:42:13,720 --> 00:42:17,000 the comfort zone of distraction and isolation. 606 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:20,960 The more I ignored, the more. The warning signals got louder 607 00:42:21,720 --> 00:42:27,960 and the more I would try to shut them down and let my victimizing 608 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:36,720 mentality silence me. But God does not relent in His 609 00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:42,240 love for us, nor for me. Since I was silencing my 610 00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:47,320 anxiety, He raised the anxiety of the men in my group that I 611 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:50,120 had something I needed to deal with and I wasn't dealing with 612 00:42:50,120 --> 00:42:56,200 it. So as I sat down and they 613 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:59,680 confronted me on it, they looked me in the eyes and said, dude, 614 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:04,400 this is a problem. What's the plan? 615 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:08,760 For two months I've been dragging my feet. 616 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:12,680 I'm going to counseling. I realized I needed to go back, 617 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:13,960 but I didn't make the phone call. 618 00:43:14,760 --> 00:43:17,400 Kept telling myself I don't want to deal with this, but I don't 619 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:18,920 want to go through a new therapist. 620 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:22,120 I went through all of this in New York and now I got to meet a 621 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:23,960 new therapist. And what if they don't work out 622 00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:27,200 right and they don't understand me and all these lies I kept 623 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:29,000 telling myself, believing them is truth? 624 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:33,200 And so when I told them. That counseling was my next 625 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:35,400 step. They didn't leave it at that. 626 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:37,200 They looked me in the eyes and they said good. 627 00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:41,120 Call them today and text us when you did. 628 00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:49,720 That was 5. 30 in the morning on Friday 9 AMI called and they 629 00:43:49,720 --> 00:43:53,440 said oh that's great, we have a 10 AM would you like it? 630 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:57,800 Yes. Please. 631 00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:05,640 Within. 4 hours. God had used the men of my 632 00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:09,440 mentorship group to become literal faces of anxiety that I 633 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:15,560 could not ignore. And from there the. 634 00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:20,240 Transformation began again. Three years of being off the 635 00:44:20,240 --> 00:44:23,240 mountain. Now my hiking boots are back on. 636 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:29,520 When you find yourself. Struggling with anxiety? 637 00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:34,000 It's time to make a choice. It's decision time. 638 00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:38,800 John Maxwell says adversity is a crossroads, which makes a person 639 00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:44,080 choose one of two paths, character or compromise. 640 00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:49,160 Anxiety itself is not a character flaw, but your 641 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:52,000 character needs to be transformed in order to 642 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:55,920 experience the hope that overcomes anxiety. 643 00:44:58,320 --> 00:44:59,680 And as you weigh your. Decision. 644 00:44:59,920 --> 00:45:03,520 You must determine each day if you're going to be an owner of 645 00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:07,400 your life who is committed to staying on the mountain, or if 646 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:10,400 you're a victim of your life who's going to retreat to the 647 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:13,640 comfort zone of base camp and eat bon bons all day and blame 648 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:16,960 the world. Steve Chandler puts. 649 00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:20,440 It this way, an owner will change his personality on the 650 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:22,920 spot in order to keep his commitment. 651 00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:27,120 A victim will break any commitment to keep his 652 00:45:27,120 --> 00:45:31,680 personality. I started as an. 653 00:45:31,680 --> 00:45:34,000 Owner. Somehow. 654 00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:37,120 I traded my commitment for the comfort zone. 655 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:43,360 I chose to be a victim. Instead, I was letting the voice 656 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:48,680 of God and His truth be drowned out by owning my limitations 657 00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:52,760 instead of owning my identity in Christ as a child of God under 658 00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:57,600 the care of God who has experienced the power of God. 659 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:05,240 I had all the. Tools and all the knowledge, but 660 00:46:05,240 --> 00:46:07,520 I was disconnected from the power. 661 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:13,960 How about you? Are you connected or 662 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:18,720 disconnected from God's power? Are you on the mountain? 663 00:46:18,720 --> 00:46:21,600 Persevering. Or have you fallen? 664 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:26,160 Back into the comfort zone are. You taking? 665 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:31,880 Ownership of your life or are you choosing to be a victim of 666 00:46:31,880 --> 00:46:35,400 your life? Here's what I learned. 667 00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:39,200 From Mark Clark, When you're born, you look like your 668 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:43,680 parents, but when you die, you look like your choices. 669 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:56,800 What are you choosing that's? Right, it's March 20. 1st 2017 670 00:46:57,760 --> 00:47:02,240 It's spring. It's a balmy 57° outside 671 00:47:03,240 --> 00:47:06,480 practical heat wave in New York compared to the bitter February 672 00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:09,560 temperatures. And there I am. 673 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:15,920 Lying on the floor of my office, riddled with anxiety, days 674 00:47:15,920 --> 00:47:20,840 removed from suicidal thoughts, asking why I hate my birthday. 675 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:25,160 Except this time. It's not 2017. 676 00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:29,080 It's three weeks ago, and I'm not on the floor. 677 00:47:29,280 --> 00:47:33,560 I'm in the chair of my apartment with my counselor on the other 678 00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:37,080 side of the video call, and we're working through that 679 00:47:37,080 --> 00:47:42,360 moment in my life. That moment in 20. 17 was the 680 00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:47,560 darkest moment of my life, but God took that as the catalyst to 681 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:49,480 begin His transformative work in me. 682 00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:54,040 And now, three weeks ago, He took that same moment, and He 683 00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:59,560 began again His transformation in me because I cast my 684 00:47:59,560 --> 00:48:04,520 anxieties on Him. Because He cares for you. 685 00:48:07,520 --> 00:48:09,200 If you're suffering from. Anxiety. 686 00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:13,480 The good news is that you can make the choice to get on the 687 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:16,240 mountain and allow God to pull you up. 688 00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:20,080 If you've fallen. Off the mountain. 689 00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:24,640 We're all here today to talk. To you because this is your 690 00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:28,000 intervention. It's time to let go. 691 00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:32,360 Of the victim mentality, of the blame the world mentality and 692 00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:37,160 blame everything else. If you choose. 693 00:48:37,160 --> 00:48:42,040 To persevere, then God will transform your character and 694 00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:46,360 that character transformation is what will give you a lasting 695 00:48:46,720 --> 00:48:52,680 hope because you are working under the care of an almighty, 696 00:48:52,680 --> 00:48:56,480 all caring, all loving, all powerful God. 697 00:48:59,080 --> 00:49:02,000 So today. Is the day that things can begin 698 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:07,080 to change, and that starts not just by having hope, but by 699 00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:11,240 knowing hope, because hope is not a concept. 700 00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:15,880 Hope is a person. That person has a name, and his 701 00:49:15,880 --> 00:49:22,040 name is Jesus Christ. And he loves you. 702 00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:24,840 Too much to leave you there, he says. 703 00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:29,640 Cast your anxieties on him because he cares for you and he 704 00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:31,840 does not want to leave you in suffering. 705 00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:35,320 He wants to bring you to a place of hope. 706 00:49:36,480 --> 00:49:37,280 So. Today. 707 00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:44,040 It's decision time because all have sinned and the penalty of 708 00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:49,000 sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus. 709 00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:53,800 That while you were a Sinner, Jesus, in his love for you died 710 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:56,680 on the cross and paid the penalty for you. 711 00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:01,480 That if you declare. With your mouth that Jesus is 712 00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:05,360 Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the 713 00:50:05,360 --> 00:50:10,520 dead, then you would be saved if this. 714 00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:13,880 Is you. With every eye closed and with 715 00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:17,640 every head bowed. Would you repeat this? 716 00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:21,120 Prayer silently or quietly or something like it after me. 717 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:29,360 Jesus, I know I am a Sinner. I'm lost on my own and I can't 718 00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:33,680 save myself. I know I'm incapable of living 719 00:50:33,680 --> 00:50:36,360 perfectly. I want you. 720 00:50:36,720 --> 00:50:42,040 To save me, I surrender everything to you in full 721 00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:44,880 confidence. I receive your promise of 722 00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:50,760 relationship, of the forgiveness of sin, of the Holy Spirit, and 723 00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:55,280 of eternal life. Be my Lord and my Savior. 724 00:50:55,320 --> 00:50:59,480 Please, Jesus. Now, while we keep our. 725 00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:03,520 Eyes closed, if you prayed that prayer for the first time right 726 00:51:03,520 --> 00:51:07,040 now, would you be brave enough to raise your hand for me to 727 00:51:07,040 --> 00:51:08,680 see? Amen. 728 00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:14,240 Amen. Amen. 729 00:51:14,320 --> 00:51:14,880 Thank. You. 730 00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:20,760 All right, everyone, let's look. Up here, if you said that prayer 731 00:51:21,720 --> 00:51:25,880 and if you raised your hand, welcome to the family of God. 732 00:51:31,320 --> 00:51:33,400 And this is a family, so you're not alone. 733 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:37,240 In the back are two tables that say, I raised my hand. 734 00:51:37,880 --> 00:51:41,240 We want to celebrate with you. We want to help you get started. 735 00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:48,840 And for all of us, anxiety was never meant to be carried alone. 736 00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:53,600 As you've heard, God used the people in my life who love me to 737 00:51:53,600 --> 00:51:58,560 work through them to quite literally save my life over and 738 00:51:58,560 --> 00:52:01,960 over again. So here are your big practical 739 00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:06,800 takeaways for today. One, it's time to have the 740 00:52:06,800 --> 00:52:10,280 conversation. If anxiety or any. 741 00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:12,360 Burden is crushing you in secret. 742 00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:17,000 It's time to tell someone. It's time to talk to your group. 743 00:52:17,480 --> 00:52:20,920 Call them, text them. And if you don't have a group, 744 00:52:20,920 --> 00:52:24,680 if you don't have someone you can trust, our prayer team, our 745 00:52:24,680 --> 00:52:28,000 staff, our elders, our pastors, they're coming up right now and 746 00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:30,760 they're going to be up here for you to pray with. 747 00:52:31,160 --> 00:52:35,480 It's for you to talk to. And for you in. 748 00:52:35,480 --> 00:52:37,720 Groups. If there's someone in your 749 00:52:37,720 --> 00:52:42,360 group, in your social circle, who you see suffering and they 750 00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:44,080 don't want to admit it and they need help. 751 00:52:45,480 --> 00:52:47,520 Time to have a conversation. With them is now. 752 00:52:49,240 --> 00:52:53,080 Talk to them. And if someone sits you down and 753 00:52:53,080 --> 00:52:56,640 in love tells you dude, there's a problem, what's the plan? 754 00:52:56,640 --> 00:52:59,800 It's. Time to make a plan. 755 00:53:02,400 --> 00:53:05,880 Secondly. Counseling, treatment, medicine, 756 00:53:05,880 --> 00:53:08,680 or medical intervention might be your next step. 757 00:53:09,960 --> 00:53:12,040 For some of your next step is professional help. 758 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:16,280 It's not failure. It's wisdom to seek counsel, 759 00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:20,120 whether it's here at res, through res counseling, or 760 00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:23,080 through a professional service. It could be you need to talk to 761 00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:26,680 a psychologist or a doctor. These are all tools that 762 00:53:26,680 --> 00:53:29,960 connected with God. God's power can transform your 763 00:53:29,960 --> 00:53:32,560 life. Now let's all stand together. 764 00:53:33,680 --> 00:53:36,200 The last thing for today is this. 765 00:53:37,280 --> 00:53:38,120 Don't. Leave. 766 00:53:38,120 --> 00:53:43,480 Here, with the burdens you walked in with today, the 767 00:53:43,480 --> 00:53:46,960 burdens you are carrying are the burdens that will become your 768 00:53:46,960 --> 00:53:49,080 tombstone if you do not release them. 769 00:53:50,280 --> 00:53:53,880 So come forward. Today, talk to our prayer team. 770 00:53:54,360 --> 00:53:58,000 They will pray for you. They will guide you and if you 771 00:53:58,000 --> 00:54:01,360 raise your hands, head back to those tables now and we want to 772 00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:02,760 celebrate your new life with you. 773 00:54:03,520 --> 00:54:05,000 You move as the Lord leads church.