Treasures in Trials - Amy Sapp
Anxiety or Depression or Stress….
Do you or someone you know have any of these 3 things or maybe even all 3?
Let’s look at how the pilgrims handled stress... They prayed..
Congress said in 1775 as the nation SANK into war…
“In circumstances as dark as these... It becomes us as men and Christians to reflect that while every prudent measure should be taken to wart off impending judgements.”
May 11th set aside for public prayer and fasting. Call to revival.
Some of us are still praying! We still NEED prayer.
How to fight a fierce battle of anxiety and HOW to overcome it!
You CAN win the battle in your own life.
Many times this starts and becomes a reality when you have circumstance after circumstance happen right in a row in your life... Could be major things all around you, could be major things in your own life. One thing after another. It will cause you to be hurt with anxiety.
DO NOT isolate yourself. Sound the alarm.. Run to a Christian friend or adult. NOT just any Christian but someone that walks with Christ. Someone that you KNOW walks with the Lord.
Mark 14:32-42... Take time… Read the Resurrection story.
Put yourself in Jesus' shoes. He took Peter, James & John. His friends. His inner circle.
Be honest, about what you are thinking.
There are big anxieties… There are small anxieties.
Many times you are creating things or imagining things that haven't even happened, then attaching emotional ties to those things that are not even reality. Grieving losses that haven't even occurred. (For instance, having a heart attack is scary but doesn't necessarily mean death.) It can cause a fear of something that is in the future. God helps us go through ALL things. He never leaves us or forsakes us. His grace is sufficient for us.
Anxiety is when you imagine a future without God's strength, love, and grace. Which is NOT the truth.
The Bible says.
Numbers 11:7-9
“And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.”
God provides manna for THAT day.
I am - His mercies are new every morning.
We are equipped right now for this moment for this task. He does that for us!
Here are some “Practical Tools”.
They can help bring us to the present moment. Anxiety tends to love to steal time.
Count backwards from 10 to get you back to the present moment.
Exercise. Cleaning. Yes, I said cleaning!
Do not be self-consumed. In that moment, start praying for someone else. A specific person. For a need or salvation.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Phil 4:6-7
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Don't worry, don't be anxious. If God's word says it, there IS a way.
It is possible to find more freedom. One step towards something that will help. One step at a time.
Truth will set you FREE.
If you read it like a command, you will feel ashamed.. But read it as a promise... A process. A tool, everytime anxiety hits.
Pick a song. Make it your song. Sing it!
Anxiety.. Stress.. Depression... These things are NOT just your personality.
Read Luke Chapter 1
The lie... That I cannot control my emotions.
Check out this stat…..Girls Ages 8-12 (Tweens)
Today’s normal average girl - back in 1957 would have put a woman in a in treatment mental health facility.
What is more scary?
That many girls are struggling with their emotions or that many teens or adult Christian women have not grown up out of that?
People are not sleeping, because we can't turn the anxiety off.
Suicide rates are up. It is not normal.. It may be common, but it is not ok. And definitely not normal.
We need a good night’s sleep to function and think properly!
God created our emotions.... He created them good.
Think of emotions as messengers. They are telling you something is not right in the world.
Grief is something we experience when something devastating happens. It is a sinless perfect response.
And very normal! Grief can strike at any time, and everyone deals with it differently and that is 100% ok!
Look at your schedule. Are you taking on too much. Rearrange. When you do that the anxiety / stress should slow down, because the messenger has done its job.
If you are sitting on a beach eating bon bons, and you are still stressed and not enjoying it and relaxed. You are probably believing some type of lie. Identify the lie, and figure out what God's truth is.
There is a truth for every lie.
What needs to be addressed in your life? Go to God's word. You can know the truth and the truth will set you free. Live in freedom.
John 8:31 but don't forget verse 30!
“As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;”
** In some circumstances it may be a time that you made need to seek medical advice, if this is the case and you feel that need… Please do not hesitate to get medical help. This is not something to be ashamed of at all. There is a reason that the Lord gave us good medical professionals.