Heart and Mind Part 1
Message Summary: The Bible shares many stories of struggles with mental health and wellness: Elijah was suicidal, begging God to take his life because he was exhausted; David struggled with depression in Psalms; Peter tells us to cast all our anxieties on the Lord; Jesus was overwhelmed by sorrow to the point of death in the garden before he was arrested. Paul tells us to renew our minds. Mental health is a widespread issue for American adults and children, and that’s just based on numbers that have been provided by people who have sought out care and have been diagnosed with issues. If you’re not struggling with some form of mental health issue, chances are, you are in a relationship with someone who is struggling with it.
Josiah shared his personal testimony and told us how it led him to seek out help from a doctor and counselor. The counselor asked him, “Do you want to get better?” He realized it was time to put in the work and that God had answered Josiah’s prayers in an unexpected way, but it was time to do his part.
Whatever you may be struggling with, it’s important not to label yourself as your issue. It is important, to be honest with yourself and those around you so that you can find healing. God heals in a lot of different ways: miracles or medication, Christ or counselors, faith or physicians, supernatural or natural. It’s important we don’t put God in a box, otherwise, we stop worshiping our creator and start worshiping an idol we’ve created. The healing process is different for each person, but it’s important that we don’t sink into a victim mentality and that we are careful about how we speak over ourselves. We are not our sickness or disorder, but in the same sentiment, we are not our achievements, successes, or accomplishments. Take the “I am” out of it because our identity drives our behavior.
- What areas are you struggling with right now in your life (stress, anxiety, panic, etc.)?
- If you’re not personally struggling with one of those, is there someone you love that is struggling? How can you be supportive to them?
- How can you seek God for his help?
- What bible verses might help you to remember what God says about you?
- What steps can you take to change your environment if it’s not the healthiest for you?
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV) – Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
John 5:6 (NIV)– When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) – Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Proverbs 18:21a (NIV) – The tongue has the power of life and death…
Philippians 2:13 (NIV) – for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
