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SHOW NOTES
Hi friends, and welcome to a new week of the Hope Rescue Podcast. This week we are continuing our conversation on mental healthy, anxiety, and worry. Before we get into the discussion though, we want to touch on a question that was asked after last week’s episode. Is anxiety a moral or spiritual issue? Tim explains that when he was young, most spiritual leaders considered anxiety to be a spiritual issue. They believed that if a person was suffering from anxiety, they didn't have enough faith in the power of God and they likely were not praying enough. This is not only false but also can destroy a person’s relationship with God. Tim explains that anxiety can be triggered by a multitude of things such as a chemical imbalance, dietary problems, sleep issues, a smell, a wrong look, a deadline, etc. Of course we can pray that God removes all anxiety from our lives, but when He doesn’t answer the way we want Him to, that doesn’t mean we didn’t have enough faith to have our prayers answered.
So how do we take control of our anxiety? Our actions are a direct result of what we believe, think, and feel. What we believe affects how we think, what we think affects how we feel, and what we feel affects how we act. It’s all connected and all stems from what we believe to be the ultimate truth over our lives. What do you truly believe about who you are? What do you believe about God’s view of you? You are a child of God. You are not your addiction, your past mistakes, your regrets, your sins, your failures. You are a child of God who struggles with ___. Do not identify yourself by your greatest failure. What you believe to be true affects what you think about yourself. What you think about yourself affects how you feel. What you feel affects how you act.
We don’t act out without a cause, and that cause always stems from what we believe to be true. Colossians 3:1 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” To seek the things that are above means to tenaciously pursue. Is our focus on “things that are above” or are we so focused on the here and now that the “things that are above” don’t even cross our minds? Colossians 3:2-4 says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Paul tells the church to “set their minds.” It’s a command, and Paul would never give a command that we cannot fulfill. So how can we set our minds on things above?
Tim suggests memorizing scripture and meditating on it in your mind when you are feeling anxious or worried. He has done this for years as he has struggled to fall asleep night after night, and it helps him remember God’s promises and set his mind on things above. Isaiah 41:10 says, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Your life is protected by your relationship with Jesus Christ, and when you truly believe that and meditate on the ultimate truths in scripture, it will affect how you think, feel, and act.
Romans 12:1-2 says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
Colossians 3:1 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Colossians 3:2-4 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Romans 12:1-2 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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