We’ve talked about Jesus struggling with anxiety, but was anxiety ever a topic of one of his sermons? Princeton explores part two of the famous sermon on the mount in Matthew 6 and explains how it contains life lessons on how to deal with anxiety.
Episode Highlights:
- We are laboring on the same topic about mental health & faith and understanding how to navigate both.
- It is possible to be saved, to love the Lord, to have a Holy Ghost, and yet still affected by the pains of this life.
- The enemy's strategy is to overwhelm us. If we don't have the tools in life to accomplish anxiety, then we will be overtaken by the enemy.
- Anxiety comes in three levels as it exists in the body, the soul, and spirit.
- In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus talked about anxiety, which also allows us to read what Jesus' teachings on how we can win our journey in anxiety.
- The first seven recommendations from Jesus are:
- Stop performing for the measurement and approval of people.
- Learn the value of genuine alone time.
- Remember that your needs are already known.
- Remember the reverence of God and your relationship with God.
- Release the desire to have everything in your order and submit to divine order.
- Take one day at a time.
- Forgiveness is the art of realizing which makes space for peace.
- The second seven recommendations from Jesus are as follows:
- Lesson 8, have boundaries, for a life with no bounds will always have anxiety.
- The real measure of health and maturity is when you learn how to say no.
- Lesson 9, practice gratitude, which will give you strength. Wake up every morning for the things that you can do, not for what you can't, then complain about it.
- Thank people for who they are, instead of calling them out for who they're not.
- Lesson 10, keep your process to yourself when necessary. Be transparent, but don't advertise every step of the process to the world.
- Inviting people on your labor is an invitation for their praises as well as their criticisms, and therefore will give you more anxiety.
- Jesus says you have anxiety because there are too many people involved in your healing that I didn't ordain to be involved.
- Lesson 11, don't chase materialism because if you pursue materials, then your peace is based on whether you have it or not.
- The danger of being in American Christianity is, sometimes we take capitalism, which is the idea of securing stuff by any means, as a sign of the presence of God.
- As people think having material things a symbol of having God, we are more anxious trying to genie God into performing something.
- Lesson 12 says, monitor what you look at because it is vital to guard what you look at.
- Frequent social media posts or advertisements makes you think you need it when you’re not, then will expose you to more anxiety.
- Lesson 13 says, no man can serve two masters. Prioritize your pursuit and focus on prayer as it will give you strength, clarity, and energy to do anything on your list.
- Lesson 14 says, look to nature. You are anxious because you have disconnected yourself from the world.
- Jesus says, the next time you feel anxious, go outside and look at a tree.
- Verse 33 proves that Jesus preaches about anxiety.
- Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
- Don't be anxious and everything you worry about shall be added.
3 Key Points:
- Jesus talked about anxiety through Matthew chapter 6 and gave his recommendations how to deal with it.
- The enemy will take advantage of anxiety by overwhelming people, but God has tools in life to overcome anxiety.
- Don’t be anxious, trust the Lord and his process, then all your worries shall be added.
Tweetable Quotes:
- "One of the enemy's greatest strategies is the ability and his desire to overwhelm us."-Princeton Parker
- "If you do it to be seen, then being seen is all you get. "-Princeton Parker
- "Sometimes, we pray with anxiety, we pray like God doesn't see us. "-Princeton Parker
- "Do you know that the biggest weight comes from those three words, I have to"?"
- "If I manage the day well, the year is guaranteed."-Princeton Parker
- I have realized that the true measure of health and maturity, if when you say No to. "
- "There's a practice of gratitude that gives strength."-Princeton Parker
- "Imagine, what it might do to your relationships if you thank people for who they were, instead of calling them out for who they're not."-Princeton Parker
- "He says, listen, wash your face, involve those who need to be involved, don't have the anxiety to involve those who don't need to be involved."-Princeton Parker
Resources Mentioned:
