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Worship: Trust in You by Anthony Brown
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time
-- Abraham Lincoln
Outline:
- Introduction
- Defining Wholeness
- What is Anxiety?
- Anxiety Disorders
- Symptoms of Anxiety
- Causes of Anxiety
- Solutions
- Practical Techniques
- Memory Verses
- Get Closer to God
Scriptures:
- Psalms 94:19
- Isaiah 26:3-4
- Proverbs 29:25
- Psalm 56:3
- Philippians 4:6-9
- Exodus 4:1-4
- Proverbs 3:5-6
- Psalms 56:3-4
- Isaiah 26:3-4
- Psalms 42:11
- Philippians 4:12-13
- Isaiah 40:31
- Philippians 4:6 - 7
- Matthew 14: 26-31
Introduction
Story: worry works
a man turned to his pastor and told him that he was wrong and that worry actually works.
He said none of the things that he worried about actually happened.
According to the Dale Carnegie book “How to Stop Worrying and Stop Living”
- 40% of the things never happen
- 30% have already happened and can’t be changed
- 22% happen but they have no control over
- 8% involve situation over which they have influence
Psalms 94:19
19 When anxiety overwhelms me,
Your consolation delights my soul.
We worry about …
Day to day decisions
- Do I have a “summer body”?
- Paper or plastic?
- Team Kendrick or Drake?
Relationships
- Will I ever get married?
- Are they cheating on me?
- How can I tell them what I need to tell them?
Life problems
- How will my life change after this medical diagnosis?
- How can I cope after losing my loved one?
- Do I have enough money to retire?
3 responses
When the Bible tells us “be anxious for nothing“ people have three responses
- Carefree person
- Overthinker
- Going through tragedy
The carefree person hears Jesus’ statements as permission to continue
- Not saving
- No goals
- not planning
The detail/goal oriented person feels shame and hears Jesus‘s statement as condemning
- now they are worried that they worry too much
Someone is going through a difficult situation
- You don’t know what I’m going through
- It’s not that easy
I hope to speak to all 3 people today…
Defining Wholeness
Wholeness is about being _______ healthy
- spiritually
- emotionally
- mentally
Free from oppression of
- Our past
- Bad thinking
- Strongholds
- The enemy
We’re talking about
- dealing with life’s current stresses
- being healed from experiences/wounds of the past
We’re promised eternal life
- We’re also supposed to have: joy, peace, patience, and self control here on earth
Through this 4 year series we have identified traits that we defined as the goal for wholeness
Traits of Wholeness
- Authenticity
- Honesty
- Kindness
- Behavior not influenced by external approval / validation
- Living by values and principles
- Setting Boundaries
- Taking ownership of your responsibilities
- Living with purpose and passion
- Optimism
- Confidence
- Not losing control of your emotions
- Free from addictions
- Addressing Conflict with truth and love
- Vulnerability
- Not critical or Judgemental
- Not jealous 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
- You care about how others feel
- Patient
- Don’t give into peer/social pressure
- Can communicate without antagonizing others
- Recognize, manage, and take responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings
- Slow to anger
- Ability to maturely express your wants, needs and desires
- Can listen without reacting
- Can respect others without having to change them
- Can function well… Alone or with others
- Able to take responsibility for our own destiny in life
- Able to maintain a non-anxious presence in the midst of anxiety and stress
- Able to ask for what they need want or prefer clearly, directly and honestly
- Has the capacity to resolve conflict maturely
- Being led by the Spirit
What is Anxiety?
Stress vs Anxiety
Stress is any demand placed on your brain or physical body. Any event or scenario that makes you feel frustrated or nervous can trigger it.
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or unease. While it can occur as a reaction to stress, it can also happen without any obvious trigger.
Anxiety is an emotion
Apprehensive, uneasiness or nervousness about the future
Natural response to a perceived stressful event
Anxiety tells us that something is important to us
We don’t decide to get anxious
- It happens to us
Anxiety Is not a disease
It’s a natural response to trauma
Example: I have “the coughs”
- When I get sick
- When water goes down the wrong pipe
- Sometimes when I smell something bad
“The coughs” is not a disease.
- It is not a diagnosis
- It’s just a natural response when I need to clear my lungs.
Anxiety is just a signal of an underlying cause.
Long term depression and anxiety are signals of a toxic pattern.
Impact
Anxiety is a major trigger for
- Addiction relapse
- Increased physical pain
- Sleep problems
Cause of:
- Depression
- School dropout
- Suicide
- Difficulty focusing and holding down a job
- Relationship breakdown
90% of illness
Many researchers believe that toxic stress is responsible for approximately 90% of illness. Including
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Diabetes
Only 5 to 10% of disease is said to come from genetic factors alone.
-- Cleaning up your mental mess (Caroline Leaf)
Helpful Worry
When is it helpful to worry?
Helpful worry
- Issue at hand
- Thinking ahead
- Anticipating problems and trying to solve them
- Planning
When is it unhelpful to worry?
Unhelpful worry
- Focusing on things you can’t change
- Things that never happen
- Constant distraction
- It leads to diminished trust in God and peace
- You spend too much time living in the future
- It produces inaction
Do What You Can Do Now
- Do what you can do now
- Give God what you can’t do
- Trust God to handle it
Separate real worries from hypothetical worries
- Hypothetical worries of worrying about things that might happen later
Anxiety Disorders
Disordered Anxiety
- When you feel in danger when you’re actually safe
- Interferes with your ability to function
People with general anxiety disorder have persistent, excessive worries that don't go away even in the absence of a stressor.
1 in 14 people have an anxiety disorder
Each year it cost over $42 billion to treat anxiety disorders
Examples
- Panic attacks
- You stop going to work
- Can’t go outside
- Can’t drive
- Stop doing the things you love
5 Major Anxiety Disorders
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post traumatic stress disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- When normal interactions cause excessive worry, fear or embarrassment.
Anxiety disorder is said to be caused by
- Genetics
- Brain chemistry
- Personality
- Childhood adversity
- stressful life events
- Current Traumatic issues
- domestic violence, child abuse, bullying, witness death
- Irrational thoughts and cognitive distortions
Symptoms of Anxiety
What are some of the symptoms of anxiety?
It looks different in everyone
Symptoms include:
- butterflies in your stomach
- racing heart
- you feel out of control
- nightmares
- panic attacks
- painful thoughts or memories that you can’t control
- general feeling of fear and worry
- fear a specific place or event
- rapid breathing
- Restlessness
- Vomiting
- Tremors
- Abdominal cramping
- Chest pain
- Lightheadedness
- Numbness or tingling sensations
Decisions
- Not make logical decisions
- high risk high payoff options
Study: When people are stressed they are more likely to choose high risk high payoff options
- MIT Study
Body
- heightened state of awareness
- faster breathing and heart rates
- elevated blood pressure
- a rise in blood cholesterol
- increase in muscle tension
- Decrease digestion
- Making you feel nauseous
- Giving you diarrhea or constipation
- Loss of appetite (for some)
- Cortisol increases appetite (for others)
- Crave high fat, high sugar food
High Functioning Anxiety
- Detail oriented
- overthinking
- Helpful
- Trouble saying “no”
- Outgoing
- People pleasing
- Hard working
- Fear of failure
- Performs well under pressure
- procrastinate
Causes of Anxiety
We’re Busy
We’re stressed.
We chase anxiety because boredom makes you notice pain
The busyness distracts us
New things are accompanied by anxiety
Association
- Conscious or unconscious association
Study: Dr. had a pen in his hand and poked person who couldn’t form long-term memories
- Came back in 10 minutes later and tried to shake hands
- They gave explanations of not trusting people with lab coats or his beard etc.
- This shows that we have unconscious emotional associations to events that happened to us
- We come up with reasons that are not true
This shows
- We have unconscious emotional associations to events
- We might not know consciously the cause of our fears
- Our stated reasons may not be the real reasons
- Asking yourself why isn’t always the solution
- We come up with reasons that are not true
Indecision
Ordering in a Restaurant
Different approaches
- look at the menu ahead of time
- Ask the waiter was popular or what do they recommend
- “what are you getting?“
- Order for me
Just order quickly
Certain personalities
- Want all the information available
- want to be right
Practice Quick Decisions
https://youtube.com/shorts/sTwk56ZNUzQ
- Ordering in a restaurant
- Let go of perfectionism
A Need For Control
Isaiah 26:3-4
3 “The steadfast of mind You will keep you in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 “Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.
If you think about:
- Past > low mood, depression
- Future > Anxiety
- Trying to control that future
Are you trusting in God to solve your problems or are you trusting in your own ability?
Peace is connected to trust
You are trying to predict an outcome that is uncertain
- Leads to worry
Control
“Uncontrollable” Stress is more toxic than stress that you feel is in your control
--Maler, 2011
The exact same stressor can have little toxic effect if the subject has a sense of control over the situation
Fear
Fear of Man
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man brings a snare, But one who trusts in the LORD will be protected.
You know that you have fear of man when people’s opinions matters too much and your decision is based upon seeking to control their reaction.
Fear of Failure
Fear of the Future
Psalm 56:3
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."
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.
Identify the Lie
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C67mhKLALs2/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Having Anxiety and Depression
https://www.tiktok.com/@goaltoinspire/video/6894321673797963010
- Stop listening to yourself… And start talking to yourself
Solutions
Prayer
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
- Focus on whatever is right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy
Prayer
- Moves the heart of God
- Changes the chemistry in your brain
Moves the heart of God
- Habakkuk praying against the wall
- 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.
Prayer Changes Your Brain
https://youtube.com/shorts/rHjcBJbdO1E
Change Your Focus
Your life is moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts
- Do you like the direction your thoughts are taking you in
Don’t Focus on What You Don’t Have
Exodus 4:1-5
1Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ”
2And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
3“Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake,and he ran from it.
4“Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail,” the LORD said to Moses, who reached out his hand and caught the snake, and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5“This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
- God responded with a question
Moses was saying: Give me something else
“What is that in your hand?”
God will always point you to what is at hand… What he already gave you
Moses was worrying about hypothetical questions
You need to focus on what God has already given you.
Social Anxiety - Be Curious
When normal interactions cause excessive worry, fear or embarrassment.
Mindset: Show up to see not to be seen
Are you here to see or be seen?
- Be genuinely curious
- The energy goes in the other direction
- You aren’t worried about what to say or who to talk to
- When you are interested you become interesting
- This looks like confidence
Practical Techniques
Grounding Techniques
- Attention redirection
Things you can do when you are stressed
Your body thinks: What you focus on is important
- Chew gum
- Count backwards from 100
- Go For a 10 Minute Brisk Walk/Run
- Glance at Greenery for 40 Seconds
- “watch grass grow”
- Splash cold water on your face
- Put a cool cloth on your face or wrist
- The elastic band technique
- Wearing elastic band on your wrist and when you feel stress slap it on your wrist gently
- Focus on colors
- Pick a color and look around the room and find all the optics of that color
- What is the most common color in the room?
Lifestyle Changes
- Get Regular Exercise
- Rest
- Nature Walk for Minimum 20 Minutes
- Spend Time with Family/Friends
Get Regular Exercise
- relieves tension
- stimulates the release of chemicals in your brain called endorphins
Endorphins
- natural pain killers
- improve sleep
- help relieve stress
"It’s one of the best ways to manage stress and maintain healthy digestion," Koch says.
Rest & Relaxation
Sleep
Don’t Trade Sleep for Productivity
- No aspect of our biology is left unscaved by sleep deprivation
- 7-9 hours per night
The more stress you have the harder you have to rest
Slow-paced Instrumental Music
5 Minutes of Alone Time with no Stimulation
- No phone
- No music
Nature Walk for Minimum 20 Minutes
Spend Time with Family/Friends
- Tend and befriend response
- Oxytocin is released when you meet with people
Spend Time with Your Pet
interaction with animals increases oxytocin which decreases stress
Breath control
Down-regulation via breathing
- Diaphragmatic breathing (deep breath)
- Inhale through nose; hold; exhale through mouth
- Increase duration of exhale compared to breathing
Most effective for stress - decreases energy
Box breathing
- Used by DOD
- Bottom up - breath controls what’s going on in head
- Breath in - 4 secs
- Hold - 4 secs
- Breath out - 4 secs
- Hold - 4 secs
Memory Verses
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
6in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Psalms 56:3-4
3 When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in You.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
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.
Psalms 42:11
11 Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.
Philippians 4:12-13
12 I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Isaiah 40:31
31 Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Philippians 4:6 - 7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
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
Peter Walks on Water
https://youtube.com/shorts/5REmOcyUlqU
Steps
- Get closer to Jesus
- Focus on Jesus
References
Unchained Disciples : Dealing With Anxiety
Unchained Disciples : Dealing With Anxiety - Part 2
Unchained Disciples : Dealing With Anxiety - Part 3
Unchained Disciples : Dealing With Anxiety - Part 4
Extra
Triggers for anxiety
- Abandonment and rejection
- Low self-esteem
- Seeking validation from others
- Irrational thoughts and cognitive distortions
- Unhealthy social supports and relationships
- Ineffective interpersonal skills
- Relationship turmoil and or social anxiety
- If you can’t
- ask for what you need
- Set boundaries
- Manage conflict
The unknown and loss of control
- Negative self talk and cognitive distortions
- Negative people you associate with
- Sense of powerlessness
Death and loss
- People and pets
- Jobs and promotions
- Safety and security
- Dreams and hopes
- Relationships, children
- Sickness
Perfectionism
Negative self talk
People Pleasing
boundaries is about allowing the consequences to fall upon the person who’s responsibility it is
- It is not about getting someone else to do what you want them to do
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