Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd
like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward
slash connect. If you feel called to give, go
to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at
any time you feel called to make a change in
your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the
message. Chris, wake up. Chris. Chris, we need
you. Do you not care? What? Oh, sorry, everyone.
I didn't get enough sleep last night. Imagine
being in a small fishing boat in the middle of
the night. The wind is howling. The waves are
crashing over the sides. The boat is filling
with water. Experienced fishermen are panicking.
pillow, Jesus is sleeping. He's not resting with
one eye open. He's not praying. He's not bracing
himself against the storm. He is sleeping while
the storm rages. See, this storm happened on
the water, but some storms happen in our lives
every day. Kind of like this short video of our
current reality. Let's watch. In the storm on
the Sea of Galilee, in the Gospel of Mark, the
disciples saw waves. Wind and water filling their
boat. They were in chaos. Kind of like that video
we just watched. But see, Jesus saw something
else. He knew the kingdom of heaven was here.
He knew the boat was not going down. He knew
his father was in control. That is why he could
sleep on a pillow. See, quite often we exhaust
ourselves trying to navigate the storms of life.
in our own strength, when there is a kingdom
of truth and rhythms of grace that Jesus is inviting
us into. See, Jesus is trying to align us with
grace and truth when it comes to a sound mind.
We align ourselves. We agree with that truth
when we read these verses in 2 Timothy 1 .7.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear. Now,
be honest. We might feel it. but it's not because
it's from God, but of power and of love and of
sound mind. Let's all say it again. A sound mind.
See, when we say sound mind, we are agreeing
by faith regardless of our current season or
circumstances. See, a sound mind is not a place
somewhere out there that we achieve. A sound
mind is a promise from God. that we stand on
right now. It's not a goal that we set that we
get to. It's a gift that we simply receive. See,
we agree with the truth that God has given us.
And when we agree with that truth, then suddenly
that spirit of fear or that spirit of anxiety
or worry or hesitation or hopelessness or panic
attacks can slowly go away. Unfortunately though,
I believe the spirit of fear is the current state
of many of us when it comes to our mental health.
However, that pillow is a picture of trust. While
there are days we are overwhelmed by what we
see, Jesus rests in and he knows what is true.
The one in the boat is greater than the storm.
So good morning and welcome to HCV. If you're
joining us from home, thank you for welcoming
us into your space. We are now in week two of
our series, Mind Field, that Rhett kicked off
last week with a challenging talk on a scarcity
mindset. As we go through this month -long mental
health series, today we'll be discussing the
storms of anxiety and depression that is rampant
within our society. Let's open in prayer and
ask the Spirit to come. Holy Spirit, come. God,
we are grateful. We are thankful that you are
here. God, we silence distractions in Jesus'
name. And we invite you, God, to open our minds,
our hearts, our ears, to receive your truth,
God, to change us in Jesus' name. And we said
together, all of that leads us to our first thought.
See, anxiety is real. Anxiety is real. It's not
imaginary. It's not a weakness. It's a real human
experience that even those in a relationship
with Jesus struggle with. How do I know that?
Well, throughout scripture, we see people who
love God yet still face anxiety and worry. We
read this in Psalm 139 verse 23. Search me, O
God. Know my heart. Test me and... Know my anxious
thoughts. Know my anxious thoughts. Know my anxiety.
Know my stress. And how do I know you have it?
Well, according to the CDC, 50 % of all Americans
at some point in our lives will be diagnosed
professionally with a mental illness or disorder.
50%. That's an alarming number, and that means
that either you or someone that you love is being
impacted by it right now. I mean, that's a huge
percentage of our population. To take it a step
further, new research has shown that younger
people, late teens and 20s, show higher rates
of anxiety. Researchers link this to social media
pressure, school and career uncertainty, financial
stress. and rapid social and technological change.
Embrace yourself for this statistic, even a little
younger. Every day in our country, 3 ,703 high
schoolers attempt suicide. I mean, that's a whole
generation that the enemy is just not trying
to steal from, but is literally trying to kill.
Anxiety is real. I mean, Jesus himself experienced
gruesome and terrible things during his time
while walking here on earth. Jesus was full of
anxiety and sorrow when he asked his father in
Matthew 26. He bowed with his face to the ground
praying, My father, if it is possible, let this
cup of suffering be taken away from me. And see,
if Jesus experienced grief, anxiety, suffering,
fear, pain, How can we say a follower of Jesus
who is struggling with these same issues can
be considered a lack of faith? See, unfortunately,
within the church world, there are people out
there that look at mental health issues as a
stain, if you will. Oh, you shouldn't be depressed.
You're in a relationship with Jesus. No, that's
a lie. Anxiety is real. See, Jesus came to God
amid that pain and was honest with him. which
is exactly what we're called to do. 1 Peter 5,
7 says, give all your worries, your anxiety,
your stress, and cares to God, for he cares about
you. See, when we give all our worries and our
anxiety, then the Holy Spirit can work within
us and begin to activate a sound mind. Friends,
we are living in a new reality. A new reality
full of anxiety, fear, storms raging all around
us that are completely out of our control. When
we activate a sound mind, we raise our confidence
as Jesus followers to run this race to the other
side that Jesus calls to every single day. Every
single day we're to cross through to the other
side. So we're going to dive in. To the gospel
of Mark chapter 4 today. And we're going to look
at this story of Jesus sleeping on a pillow.
And we're going to use these steps to activate
a sound mind within us. Which leads us to our
first activation. Church, you have to realize
you are not alone. We are not alone. Mark chapter
4 verse 35. As evening came, Jesus said to his
disciples. Let's cross. And when we read let's,
that means let us. Let us cross to the other
side of the lake. That means Jesus and the disciples.
And see, whatever you are going through today,
whatever you're going through right now, it is
not your sentence. It's the season. And if you're
currently struggling with a minefield of anxiety,
God wants you to know this. Faith is not the
absence of anxiety. It is choosing to trust Jesus
in the middle of it. It's choosing to draw close
to him and to continue on to the other side.
See, a sound mind is a truth to agree with. It's
a truth to align with. So let me speak this over
you. A sound mind is louder than the enemy whispering
in your ear. A sound mind silences the demons
shouting in your face. Church, you are not alone.
Jesus said, let us, let us. In other words, he's
saying, I am with you. You are not alone. Isaiah
41 .10 backs this up. Don't be afraid, for I
am with you. Don't be discouraged for I'm your
God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will
hold you up with my victorious right hand. And
notice what Jesus says to all of us in Matthew
28, 20. And be sure of this. In other words,
take it to the bank. I am with you always. He
is with us always, even to the end of the age.
And listen, let me say this. It's not only Jesus
that's with you. Our community of faith wants
to stand with you as well. We want to navigate
the anxiety, the storms that you are currently
walking through. Why is that important? Well,
Pastor Erwin McManus says it this way about empathy.
Empathy represents the highest level of human
intelligence and is the ultimate expression of
genius, surpassing traditional academic or intellectual
brilliance. What is empathy? It's not just an
emotion. It's a profound intellectual capacity
to see life from another's perspective. To understand
what they are going through. And I'm telling
you this today. Your storm can become your story
that will one day be a part of someone else's
survival kit. Your storm can become your story
that helps someone else survive and make it through
life. We need your story, but I want to encourage
you. You have to endure. You have to get connected.
You can't just walk through life isolated and
alone and have a sound mind. Did everyone hear
that? You need encouragement. You need people
to stand with you. See, those two issues, isolation
and a sound mind, are incompatible with one another.
We have to be connected into a community. You
heard Rudy say that today is team up Sunday.
What is that? Well, every second Sunday of the
month, we encourage you, get on a team. Because
we desire people within our community of faith
to actively connect, serve, and plant yourself
here. There's so much more than walking in and
out of here on a Sunday morning. Listen, walking
in and out of here on a Sunday morning is not
going to church. God wants us to be the church.
And being the church happens Monday through Saturday
when we're supporting one another, encouraging
one another, and changing the world. The Bible
tells us that we need to be connected and planted
within a community of faith because that's when
our fruit begins to grow. And if your mind is
overwhelming you right now, listen to me. You
are not alone. There's people all around you.
Jesus is with you. And just like spring comes
after winter every single year, though it seems
to be procrastinating in the tri -state area
this year, spring will always come after winter.
Storms are dark, but none of them are permanent.
We have to keep pursuing Jesus. We have to keep
living in Jesus' name. I mean, think about this
story that we're reading about. It doesn't even
begin in daylight. It doesn't begin in the morning.
It begins in the evening as it's getting dark
and then darker. And Jesus is encouraging us
in the midst of that darkness, keep paddling,
keep pushing. And I get it. Pain has a way of
feeling permanent, but keep pushing through.
Anxiety feels like it can be debilitating and
make you pull back. But I want to encourage you,
look up. There never has been a night that a
sunrise hasn't conquered. And now we can see
the sunrise early every morning and grab a hold
of the reality that we are not alone. Which leads
us to our second activation. See, church, we
would worry less if we had less to worry about.
We would worry less. If we had less to worry
about, Mark 4, 36 -37. So they took Jesus in
the boat and started out leaving the crowds behind,
although other boats followed. But soon, a fierce
storm came up. High waves were breaking into
the boat, and it began to fill with water. Truth.
We are surrounded by storms in this world. It's
the truth. We saw it in the video. But I wonder...
Are we letting unnecessary waves of worry and
anxiety into our boats? Waves that God says,
I never asked you to let that in your boat. I
mean, if we're constantly scrolling and scrolling
and scrolling and reading the news and the tragedies
and the war and the chaos and the bombings and
the murder, more, more, more. Our minds and our
bodies. Begin to fill up with waves and waves
of worry, doubt, frustration, and anxiety in
this world. What is true about our body is also
true about our minds. We are what we eat. So
the life that comes out of you tomorrow will
be made up of the content that you put in your
mind today. So if you're binge watching The Last
of Us today, chances are tomorrow the life that's
coming out of you is probably a little more fearful,
downcast, depressed, and negative. If every day
there is more than an hour or two of endless
scrolling on social media, it's not rocket science
to understand that the life coming out of you
is one of comparison, which steals your joy in
the process. See, the life that comes out of
us is made up of the content we put in. And here's
the reality. It might not even be sinful stuff
that we're taking in. Hebrews 12 .1 tells us,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down,
especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And notice, notice that the author first starts
with every weight. He's not talking about sinful
practices. He's just talking about those things
that may not be sinful that steal our time and
our joy and our energy. So the content that you
are taking in may not be sinful. In fact, it
might be common or normal. But in 2026, the last
thing you want to be is normal. Do you want to
hear what's normal in our society? Addiction
is normal. Panic attacks, normal. Restlessness,
rage, unhappiness, all normal. Stress and anxiety,
normal. I mean, I don't know about you, but you
can't tell me you want to be normal right now.
And I wonder if our boats are feeling swamped
right now because we're all on information overload.
See, we know way too much about what is happening
in this world right now in real time, and we're
not even designed to handle that information.
See, there's this thing known as knowledge velocity.
Knowledge velocity is the amount of time it takes
for all the knowledge in the known world to double.
Now, in years prior, it used to take about 20
years to double. Fast forward to today, sociologists
suggest that it now doubles in one day. And listen,
I don't even know how that's possible. I just
read it. But one thing I know. The graph of knowledge
velocity Increasing looks very similar to the
graph of anxiety velocity in our current culture
and that's normal Then we ignore that inner turmoil
That anxiety if you will you know what anxiety
is it's alarms going off within us Which creates
more minefields? Because because our bodies telling
us stop focusing on it stop thinking about it.
But when then we focus on all these storms, our
body begins to lose control. And the crazy thing
is all the storms that we watch and read about,
we have no control over them. Yet it impacts
how we live, how we think, how we post, how we
serve, how we love. And then we get into arguments
and fights and point fingers for no reason. We
can't control it. I wonder if the reason we have
so many storms in our minds It's because we know
about every storm in the world. I wonder if the
reason we are anxious is because we are aware
of every reason on the planet that we should
be when we shouldn't be. We would worry less
if we had less to worry about. And King David
supports this thought. He writes this in Psalm
131 verse 1. Lord, my heart is not proud. My
eyes are not awed. I don't concern myself with
matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.
Now think about it. This is a king writing this
truth. David was a man before his time. Yes,
he lived before the iPhone. But remember, he
was king. So just like you and me, he had unlimited
access to all the info in the known world. But
notice what he did. He limited what he took in.
He said, I don't concern myself with matters
too great. Translation, I'm not God. I'm giving
it to him. And when the temptation comes into
your mind to be the God of your own life, I want
to let you know, we can't carry the weight of
the world on our shoulders. Because not only
is it the weight of the world on our shoulders,
but then we got everybody else's interpretations,
opinions, and comments. That just makes our brain
go to complete overload. Our minds are on information
overload. Right? We're on information overload.
We're stressed. We're worried. Then we're like,
God, God, give me peace. Give me joy in the midst
of this. And God's yelling back at us. I'm trying
to, Chris, but there's no room to put it. And
we laugh. But it's true. Because our minds are
overwhelmed with all the unnecessary waves of
worry and anxiety that we're allowing into the
boats. And here's the truth. We have the authority
to take ownership over that mind. And we have
to trust that God is in control. Anxiety is simply
our body telling us, hey, Jesus follower, it's
time to pray. Philippians 4, 6 through 7, don't.
Worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need. Thank him for what he's
done. Then, then, then you experience God's peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard our hearts and minds as you
live in Christ Jesus. Listen, it's not possible
to continue to worry and call it prayer. No,
you've got to pray and believe that God will
calm the storms. And as we offload the anxiety,
the worry, the information, we just learned his
peace will guard our hearts and our minds, which
means we will then walk in and activate a sound
mind through Christ Jesus, which leads us to
our third activation. A sound mind is a promise
we practice. We've got to practice a sound mind.
Mark 4, 38 to 39, Jesus. was sleeping at the
back of the boat with his head on a cushion.
And please understand, scholars, when they're
interpreting the Gospel of Mark, have said that
that means Jesus was asleep at the stern or where
the captain of the boat would have sat. The disciples
woke him up shouting, Teacher, don't you care
that we're going to drown? And I find this interesting.
It says the disciples woke him up, but then it
says, when Jesus woke up. Which means he didn't
wake up when they first called. He took his time.
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said
to the waves, silence, be still. Suddenly the
wind stopped and there was a great calm. And
we read that and we don't really realize the
power of it. Jesus just spoke to a storm and
it listened. Now there's a lot of smart people
in our world with a lot of power and a lot of
money. Nobody can do that. Not one person. The
weather may be sunny or cloudy tomorrow. None
of us really get a vote. Some professionals believe
they know, and half the time they don't. But
Jesus does. He has all the authority. And that
is why he chose to sleep. See, Jesus is showing
us, I'm in control of this storm. And why is
he in control? Because he has all the authority.
Matthew 28, 18. Jesus came and told his disciples,
I have been given all authority in heaven and
on earth. And by the way, when Jesus shares that
with us, that means he's giving us some of that
same authority. See, we have God given authority.
Therefore, we have been given the authority over
the six inches of space between our ears. See,
we have authority over this thing. We can take
control of the anxiety. And we can speak to the
anxiety. At the same time, we can talk ourselves
into anxiety. And if we can talk ourselves into
anxiety, then we can sing ourselves to a sound
mind. We have the authority over our minds. Therefore,
we need to speak to that anxiety, to that fear
in Jesus' name. See, living with a sound mind
is a promise we practice. And just like Jesus
stood with authority at the front of the boat,
what did he do? He stood at the front of the
boat, be still. God has given us the same ability
to stand with authority over our minds, over
our thoughts, and over our actions. Practically
speaking, having a sound mind is taking care
of the brain we have been given. We have got
to take care of this thing. I mean, think about
it, church. There's a little irony to eating
nothing but processed foods, fast foods, never
reading, never exercising, gossiping, scrolling,
binge -watching, smoking, and then, hey, God,
I need a sound mind. Like, that's not a good
prayer. That's not even a spiritual problem.
That's a physical one. And it all goes back to
what? Our decisions and our habits. See, God
gave us a brain and we need to take care of it.
We need to protect it. We need to nourish it.
Medically speaking, do you know how much easier
of a time we'll have attacking anxiety and fear
if we simply exercise daily? I mean, just take
a walk. Like you can get outside and take a walk.
Right? If you're in a relationship with Jesus,
you need prayer and a Peloton. I mean, just mix
them together. Because that's how we care for
what God has given us. Did you know that in the
front of your brain, there's this thing called
the prefrontal cortex, the PFC. This is designed
by God and gives us the authority over our minds
to make decisions. See, the PFC allows us to
think about what we think about. Have you ever
thought about that? Like there's this thing in
our brain that allows us to think about what
we think about. And that is how we now, as followers
of Jesus, have the ability to take every thought
captive. And here's the crazy thing. And we overlook
this truth. God wouldn't tell us to do something.
if he didn't give us the tools to do it. The
PFC makes Romans 12 too possible. Don't copy
the behavior and customs of this world, but let
God transform you into a new person by what?
Changing the way you think. Then you will learn
to know God's will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect. See, it's amazing that
scripture... Written more than 2 ,000 years ago,
neuroscience is now starting to prove it today.
We have a sound mind. Or, as the New Living Translation
puts it, 2 Timothy 1 .7, self -discipline. For
God has not given us the spirit of fear and timidity,
but of love, power, and self -discipline. And
notice, that's scripture right there. That's
not a prayer. Nowhere in those verses does it
say, pray for self -discipline. Pray for a sound
mind. No, it's an agreement. It doesn't tell
us to pray for a sound mind. It says, declare
you have a sound mind over yourself. I have been
given a sound mind. And I want to challenge you
this week. When anxiety, when fear begins to
grip you, no, speak to it in Jesus' name. You
have the authority. And that is why anxiety and
depression is not comfortable for us. It makes
us uncomfortable. Because God has already given
us a sound mind. And we're trying to figure out
why our heart's racing. You know, why we're getting
overwhelmed. We feel like just a panic attack.
God's put a sound mind in your brain. And he
wants you to activate it. Don't pray for a sound
mind. Don't pray for something that could happen
tomorrow. Simply realize a sound mind is a promise
from God. that you've already been given. And
we just need to simply agree with it and activate
it today. Remember, anxiety is a pattern of the
world. A sound mind is a pattern and a promise
of the kingdom of God. It's the fruit of agreeing
with truth, which leads us to our fourth activation.
And this is going to be freedom for some of you.
It's okay to not be okay. Like, Take your mask
off. It's okay to not be okay. Mark 4, 40 to
41. Then he asked them, you know, you just see
Jesus in the boat. Why are you so afraid? Do
you have no faith? And notice the disciples'
response. They were terrified. Who is this man?
They asked each other. Even the wind and the
waves obey him. I mean, God is so in control
that God is okay. even when the disciples weren't.
That's good news for us. It's good news because
it's okay to not be okay, and that is the truth
of the kingdom of God. There is no shame in anxiety.
There is no stigma with depression. Not in the
kingdom of God. I want you to know there are
no second -class citizens in our community of
faith. God loves you just the way you walked
into this building. And listen, God is not more
in love with the future you who has it all together.
He loves you just the same right now today. Your
past mistakes don't disqualify you from the plans
God has on your life today. That incident is
not your identity. You are not damaged goods.
It doesn't define who you are. It's okay to not
be okay. And some of you are thinking, well,
Chris, how can you prove that to me? Abraham
was too old. Josiah was too young. Noah had a
drinking problem. Moses killed a dude. Adam and
Eve ruined everything. Jacob was a liar. Gideon
was afraid. David was an adulterer and a murderer.
Solomon was spoiled. Samson was a flirt, to put
it modestly. Rahab was a prostitute. So was Mary
Magdalene. Jonah ran away. Peter denied. Thomas
doubted. Paul persecuted the church. I was an
addict. Rudy was a womanizer. And the list goes
on and on and on. See, not only does God love
us, but he uses us to advance his kingdom. Some
of you need to hear this. It's okay to not be
okay. And you think, well, how do I find comfort
in that? Jesus was sleeping on a pillow in the
stern of the boat. I mean, remember, Jesus promised
that we would have trouble in this world. John
16, 33, I've told you all this so that you have
peace in me. See, that's not anxiety. He says,
I didn't tell you all this to fill your minds
with anxiety. Here on earth, you're going to
have trials and sorrows, but take heart, I've
overcome the world. See, we need to stop making
a relationship with Jesus harder than what it
has to be. Stop doing it in your own strength.
Rely on the power and the presence of God. See,
Jesus is inviting us to realize that we're not
going to have it all together in this world.
We're just not. Have a little grace for yourself.
Stop trying to be perfect. He desires that we
become to a place of freedom and lightness. Matthew
11, 30. For my yoke is easy to bear and the burden
I give you is light. See, the power of the gospel.
That's good news of God's love for you and for
me. Extend some grace to yourself and push on
to the other side, which leads us to our fifth
and final activation. Get in the game. Get in
the game. Luke 11, 13. So if you sinful people
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly father give
the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? And see,
I use this scripture reference. Last Sunday in
the last week of our Holy Spirit class. And I
want you to notice what it says here. How much
more? How much more will God give us what we
need? God will give us more than we need. He
releases gifts into us, even in the midst of
trials and anxiety and storms. But we need to
activate them. We need to be walking in what
God has given us. And as we walk in those giftings,
as we serve others and love on others, he transforms
the way we think. Now, in my own life, on Thursday,
I was working through this outline, preparing
for it. And everything built up to this point
where I was outside in the evening taking trash
out. It was, of course, rainy. Phoenix was out
getting a drink for his sister. And, of course,
he sprints back inside. As he sprints back inside,
he slips on some slate, comes right down on his
arm, screams a sheer shriek, gets up holding
his arm. And in my mind, in my mind, I said,
it's broke. He just broke his arm. I gathered
him up, took him inside. gave him the jest, and
just walked away and said, I am done. I mean,
our family has been going through it. Sickness,
just, I still have a sink backed up. I mean,
I can't even explain to you what is going on
to our families. And in my mind, at that moment,
I was not okay. I was about at the breaking point.
And I had to go upstairs and throw my hands up
and say, I'm done. But again, it was in my mind.
I came back downstairs. Phoenix was fine. Now
he was sprinting inside. Arm was fine. No issues.
It's not broken. And I had to rely on the Holy
Spirit to calm me down out of my mind. I had
to take deep breaths. And realize God has more
for me to do. And even through that challenging
week, those storms and those trials, that anxiety,
that fear, that doubt, God used me to speak to
families that were hurting. God used me to inspire
others. God used me to pray and encourage others.
Why? Because it's okay to not be okay. But you
have to be in the game. See, if you're not in
the game, if you're not serving others, if you're
not serving in our community of faith, if you're
not using your giftings, guess what? Your mind's
going to take over and run wild. We have to be
partnering with God to bring his kingdom into
this world, into our reality. Remember our prayer?
God, bring your heaven to earth. We have what
it takes to be successful, but we have to start
practicing. Many of you know that I'm a softball
coach and practice started for the last two weeks
at St. James. And every year, I have all these
girls that come out, never played the game before.
Ever. Haven't even picked up a ball. But now,
two and a half weeks into it, they're catching
fly balls. They're throwing the ball. They're
hitting the ball. They're in the game. They're
participating. See, activating a sound mind is
a constant decision with your God -given authority
to fix your focus on Jesus. When everything in
our mind tells us to focus on the storms. See,
your diagnosis, your sickness is not your idol.
It's not who you are. Your mistakes are not what
defines you. Your trauma is not your trophy.
God desires to work infinitely more. in you than
we could even imagine in Ephesians 3 .20. Now,
glory to God who is able through his mighty power
at work within us to accomplish infinitely more
than we might ask or think. Will you stand with
me? Listen, it doesn't take rocket science to
realize that half of you are struggling with
anxiety right now. Because that's the statistic.
You're struggling. You're overwhelmed. You're
fearful. You're doubting. You're negative. That
is not the attributes of a sound mind. God desires
that you activate your sound mind. That you focus
on Jesus. You invite the Holy Spirit to come.
You live in a relationship with Him. And if you
say, Chris, I can't activate a sound mind, then
you're not in a relationship with Jesus. Just
saying. Because if you're in a relationship with
Jesus, you have the same spirit living in you
that raised Jesus from the dead. You have the
same authority that Jesus had is now given to
us. And you can activate your mind and speak
to your mind so that you can overcome this anxiety
and this doubt and this frustration. But again,
it's a choice. So before we move forward, we're
going to pray a simple prayer because I believe
people come into our midst every single Sunday
that are distant, far from God, or have never
been in a relationship with him. Listen, God
wants to release a sound mind into you. Wants
to give you a new purpose and a new life free
from guilt, shame, and regret. And we all pray
it together here. Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken.
I'm full of doubt, shame, regret. Sin. Change
me. Forgive me. I believe you're God's son. I
believe you died for me. Make me new. Set me
free. Fill me with your spirit. Help me, God,
to serve others. In Jesus' name. Amen. Now, whoever
that was for, welcome to the family. I believe
God just brought you home. Now, we're going to
close. By singing a song. As I was praying about
how to end this, I was taking my kids to school
one morning, and the song It Is Well came over
my playlist. And it was like God said to me,
practicing a sound mind is declaring it is well.
So here's what I want you to do. This right here
means you want to receive. So I want to invite
all of you to get into this practice right now.
I want to receive God. If you feel comfortable,
of course, I'm not going to tell you what to
do. And as Stacey sings these words, I want you
to receive them. Okay? But then when we get to
the, is it the chorus? What is that part? It
is well. What is that called? It's the chorus.
I was right. All right. When we get to the chorus,
I want you to move from receiving. To declaring.
Right? You see the difference? I receive, I receive
a sound mind. I declare I have a sound mind.
So can we do that? Okay. All right. Hold on.
Before we do, there are several words of knowledge.
As people are singing, our prayer team will be
on my left and my right. You have lower back
pain on your left side. You have pain in your
right elbow just below it. You have pulsating
pain in your right ear. You have pain in the
upper part of your left arm. And if you're struggling
with debilitating anxiety, we want to pray for
you personally. Amen? Otherwise, we are going
to first receive, and then we're going to declare.
All right, let's do it. As we walk out these
doors, God, I pray joy over every single individual
in this room. God, that they will walk out of
here skipping and jumping and praising your name.
That they will walk out of here, God, just feeling
your love and your peace. Thank you, Jesus. grind
not knowing you gave your life for mine either
one turn water into wine please fix my heart
things inside