Scriptures:
Philippians 4:6-8
Psalms 94:19
Isaiah 26:3-4
1 Peter 5:5-7
Proverbs 12:25
Proverbs 29:25
2 Corinthians 2:9
Philippians 4:6-9
Philippians 4:6-7
Matthew 14: 26-31
Outline:
Intro
Review
Seeking Wholeness
Emotional Triggers
What is Anxiety?
Symptoms of Anxiety
Causes of Anxiety
You Want to be in Control
Your Pride
Fear
People Pleasing
Solutions
Prayer
Thanksgiving
Focus
Get Closer to God
Summary of Practical Steps
Return to the Garden of Eden
If you think about:
Past > low mood, depression
Future > Anxiety
Trying to control that future
Philippians 4:6-8
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.
Usage: peace, peace of mind; invocation of peace a common Jewish farewell, in the Hebraistic sense of the health (welfare) of an individual.
1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, "to join, tie together into a whole") – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God's gift of wholeness).
--HELPS Word-studies
^integrated
Review
Seeking Wholeness
We are in our series called Seeking Wholeness
How can we be _______ healthy
spiritually
emotionally
mentally
Dealing with life’s current stresses and also being healed from past experiences/wounds
We’re not just supposed to get eternal life
We’re supposed to have: joy, peace, patience and self control here on earth
Traits of Wholeness
Authenticity
Honesty
Kindness
Not seeking external approval / validation
Living by values and principles
Setting Boundaries
Taking ownership of your responsibilities
Living with purpose and passion
Optimism
Confidence
Healthy relationships with both genders
Not losing control of your emotions
Free from addictions
Addressing Conflict
Vulnerability
Not critical or Judgmental
Not jealous
Genuinely applaud the success of others
Forgive those who have wronged you in the past
Know that you’re worthy of receiving love
Not afraid to fail
Able to manage irrational fear, worry, and anxiety
Selfless encounters with others
Not manipulating others trying to control their actions/reactions
You care about how others feel
Patient
Don’t give into peer/social pressure
Can communicate directly
Emotional Triggers Review
Emotional trigger is when something happens and you have an emotional response that is disproportionate to what is happening
You blow up at a small thing
You overreact
Overthink
Overstressed
Over obsess
It’s usually because whatever happened hit a deeper wound or a deeper insecurity
You are reacting to the past
Something inside of you is feeling deeply threatened
The Source
We get triggered because of a bad experience
first time
Traumatic time
First time someone:
embarrasses you
reject
Laughs at
Yelled at
violate your trust
Called you stupid
Ignores
Gives you the silent treatment
cheated
Makes fun
gives you a certain look
Talked down
Touched you inappropriately
Withdraws love
Physical Reaction
Heart beating fast
breathing is heavy
Clenched fist
The Triggering Experience
You’re triggered when someone
embarrasses you
reject you
Laughs at you
Yelled at you
You make the same facial expression
Same hand gesture
Same tone of voice
Transference
Yes you are mad at the person standing in front of you
Also mad at the person who did it the first time
And you’re taking it out on the person who is in front of you
Unforgiveness
You feel the hurt when
you think about the person
someone sounds like the person
someone walks like them
Someone acts like him
You smell their cologne
Other Points
Own Your Reaction
The Story You Tell Yourself about the other person
Tinted Glasses
Triggering reveals something about you
Areas of your emotions that need healing
What you have pride in
What your ego is tied to
What you are seeking validation from
What is Anxiety?
What is anxiety?
Psalms 94:19
19When anxiety overwhelms me,
Your consolation delights my soul.
Anxiety is an emotion that we all get when we are in stressful situations
apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill
1 in 14 people have an anxiety disorder
Each year it cost over $42 billion to treat anxiety disorders
90% of all illness is stress related
Causes things like
Depression
School dropout
Suicide
Difficulty focusing and holding down a job
Relationship breakdown
Helpful Worry
Can worry be good?
Helpful worry
Thinking ahead
Anticipating problems and trying to solve them
Unhelpful worry
Focusing on things you can’t change
Or things that may not come to pass
Separate real worries from hypothetical worries
Hypothetical worries of worrying about things that might happen later
Example: students cramming
Anxiety Disorder
People with general anxiety disorder worry excessively and constantly about everything that’s going on in their lives and they find it difficult to control this
When you have high anxiety over things that don’t cause a threat
Worry excessively and constantly about everything that’s going on in their lives
Difficulty controlling it
Restlessness
Fear
In ability to sleep at night
Can’t concentrate on tasks
Catastrophizing is focusing on the worst case scenario
Symptoms of Anxiety
Traits of Anxiety
Thinking people are secretly judging you
Avoiding eye contact
Being unable to say “no” and feeling overcommitted
Thinking you need to be perfect so people won’t judge you
Constantly worrying too much about your word choice
Pros and Cons
Detail oriented
overthinking
Helpful
Trouble saying “no”
Outgoing
People pleasing
Hard working
Fear of failure
Performs well under pressure
procrastinate
Procrastination
Why we procrastinate
You have a strong drive for success but a bigger fear of failure
You believe your performance says something about your self worth
Procrastination is self-protection
--- Causes of Anxiety ---
You Want to be in Control
Isaiah 26:3-4
3 “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 “Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.
Are you trusting in God to solve your problems or are you trusting in your own ability?
Peace is connected to trust
Planner
Who here is a planner?
Plan or predict what’s going to happen next week, next year
Two years from now
You are trying to predict an outcome that is uncertain
Leads to worry
Indecision
Does anyone have issues putting off starting something because you don’t feel ready enough?
You find it hard to make decisions
What to wear
What to eat
Who to date
Which job to take
Do you spend a lot of time deciding what you will do while nothing gets done?
Do it Badly
A way to overcome this indecision is to do it badly
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly the first time
– – GK Chesley
This speeds up your decision making and catapults you straight into action
We often aim for perfection and never end up doing anything because our standards are too high
Doing it badly allows you to
Take risks
Have more fun during the process
Remove the anxiety and replace it with excitement
Removes the high standards
Do it badly and you can improve as you go along
Ordering in a Restaurant
Different approaches
Study ahead of time
Order for me
“What are you thinking of getting?”
Just order quickly
Your Pride
1 Peter 5:5-7
5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Verse 6 and 7 are one sentence
Verse 7 assumes verse 6
You can’t cast your anxiety and keep your pride
The pride and the anxiety come in the same package
Anxiety
What’s in the center of the word anxiety?
Look at what is in the center of the word anxiety - “I”
You can’t spell anxiety without “I”
At the center of your anxiety is your pride
The reason you are so anxious is because you have you at the center
You have to realize that it’s not your throne
“ I don’t know if I have what it takes“
“I” is also in the middle of pride
The commander is to humble yourself under his mighty hand
And when you do the anxiety goes with the pride
Carrying the Weight
Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.
Maybe you are carrying anxiety that you can’t get rid of because you are wearing a weight that you weren’t meant to bear
It is not a command to cast your anxiety on God… It is a result
If you insist on doing it your way then expect to feel that the weight of the world is on your shoulders because it is
Example: the weight
I have flat feet
Got shin splints when I walk
Couldn’t ski or snowboard
Back hurts
High blood sugar
My parents had it
Medication
Sleep apnea
Breathing machine
Fasting
Walking
Lost 30 pounds
It wasn’t the flat feet it was the weight.
It wasn’t the genetic disposition of my parents having diabetes it was the wait.
It wasn’t the piece of skin in my throat it was the weight.
Anxiety is the fruit but your pride is the root
Get yourself out of the center
Issues
Focused on ourselves
We don’t trust God
Fear
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man brings a snare, But one who trusts in the LORD will be protected.
Fear of Man
The most powerful fear is the fear of Man
You know that you have fear of man when their opinion matters too much and your decision is based upon seeking to control their reaction.
False Prophet
Fear turns you into a false prophet. A false prophet is one who predicts the future that never comes.
Fear vs Faith
Fear causes us to look into the future and erase the presence of God. Faith causes us to look into the future and assume the presence of God.
Fear does not lead you into the will of God.
Only faith will lead you into the will of God
People Pleasing
How many of you know people that make you do things you don’t want to do?
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Story: Bob sees a counselor about his “honey-do” list
Who knows what a honey do list is?
Susie makes Bob work all weekend
You are choosing to do all of the tasks for her.
If you don’t do them you are choosing to take the tongue lashing that she gives.
It is her anger and she is responsible for it.
Bob wanted her to stop wanting instead of him learning to say no.
If you are willing to give her four hours a week of your time then tell her that.
Tell her that you understand that that may not be enough time for you to complete all the tasks that she wants you to complete and she is responsible for being creative and satisfying her wants.
She could earn extra money and hire someone
She can reduce her wants
She could learn how to do it herself
You should give as you choose and she is responsible for the rest.
Bob needs to take responsibility for his limits, not her wants.
You should not take responsibility for her wants.
He learned that the world does not exist for her.
The other person is not responsible for our limits… We are.
Only we know what we want and need to give.
And only we can be responsible for drawing that line.
We are responsible for our own
Wants
Limits
It is not manipulation when you allow the natural consequences to fall on the person who is responsible for it
--- Solutions ---
Philippians 4:6-9
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
Finally brothers and sisters whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything it’s excellent and praiseworthy – think about such things
And the God of peace will be with you
Pray
Thanksgiving
Focus on whatever is right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy
Prayer
“ All we can do is pray“
Prayer is never our last line of defense. It is our first line of defense.
Prayer
Moves the heart of God
Changes the chemistry in your brain
Moves the heart of God
Habakkuk praying against the wall
Moses during the golden calf
Parable of the persistent woman
Prayer changes your brain
Neural plasticity means that our brain is constantly changing and rewiring itself
It has been found that 12 minutes of daily focus prayer over an eight week period. Can change the brain to such an extent that it can be measured on a brain scan
—Switch on your Brain by Dr. Caroline leaf
The same way that toxic and negative thoughts harm your brain prayer can heal your brain.
To transform your brain and renew your mind.
We Take It Back From God
We say God I’m going to pray about this and give it to you.
But because we don’t see what we want to see happening we take it back from God.
Your God is too small and your worry is too big.
We take our worries back from God because our God is too small and our worries are too big
Steps to take
Do what you can do
Give God what you can’t do
Trust God no matter what
The practice of gratitude
Philippians 4:6-7
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When you’re in a state of distress you can’t spontaneously focus on things you’re thankful for.
So when you were in a calm state write down the things you are thankful for where they bring you joy
Experiences
People
Material things
Reflect on this list when you begin to worry
Write down the list at the end of each day for the things that happened that day
What Are You Focused On?
Your life is moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts
Do you like the direction your thoughts are taking you in
Story: me and the police
Side road on 880
You are triggered by certain
People
Places
Events
Negative Self Talk
Do you have negative self talk?
You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you frame it. You can look at life from a negative perspective or you can say God you are good you are faithful and you are true.
We don’t interpret God through our circumstances, but we interpret our circumstances through the goodness of God.
Assigning Meaning
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeyXfark/
Identify the stronghold.
Identify the dominant lie that you are telling yourself.
Replaced it with a spiritual truth from God.
Practical Steps
Write it
Think it
Confess it
Until you believe it
“ I am not hostage to unhealthy thoughts. Because the weapons I fight with are not the weapons of this world. My spiritual weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds. By the power and authority of God I demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. Worry is not my master. God‘s peace guards my heart, my mind and my soul in Christ Jesus. I am not a slave to my habits. I am not a prisoner to my addictions. I am an overcomer by the blood of the lamb and by the words of my testimony. I have been rescued from the power of darkness and led me into the kingdom of life.”
Summary of Practical Steps
Make a quick decision - do it badly
Don't carry the weight - give it to God
Don't take responsibility for others wants
Be responsible for your limits
Pray
Practice of Gratitude
Write it > think it > confess it
Get Closer to God
Matthew 14: 26-31
26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
28 Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out with His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
When Peter was walking on the water and he was sinking
Jesus responded immediately when he yelled out
Jesus reached out his hand
This means that Peter was close enough to Jesus that Jesus could reach his hand out to save him
It doesn’t matter how well you can walk on water it matters how close you are to Jesus
it doesn’t matter about your ability it matters about your surrender
God will bring you down low enough to let you know that you need them and bring you up high enough to let the world know that he’s with you
Steps
Get closer to Jesus
Focus on Jesus
Peter Walks on Water
https://youtube.com/shorts/5REmOcyUlqU
References
When anxiety attacks
Steven Furtick
How to cope with anxiety by Olivia Reames
TEDx UHasselt
Three tools to manage worry
Dr. Tracy marks
How do you emotionally heal from hurt?
Mark Driscoll Ministries
Calm my anxious mind
Life.Church
Extra
The view you have in the rear view mirror is tinted by the present temperature in the car
The temperature in the car is influenced by what you see out on the road in front of you
Anxiety and Depression
https://www.tiktok.com/@goaltoinspire/video/6894321673797963010
