1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,280 Thank you, Dr. Smith, for jumping in to help us today. 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:08,160 Terrific. 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,720 Well, this semester we're looking at a gentle whisper, listening 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:12,280 for God. 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:13,600 How do we hear God? 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,520 And, you know, we took from the story of Elijah that the Lord 7 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,080 was not in the wind, the Lord was not in the earthquake, the Lord 8 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:24,960 was not in the fire, but after the fire, a gentle whisper. 9 00:00:26,490 --> 00:00:28,370 How do we hear from God? 10 00:00:28,370 --> 00:00:30,090 How do we hear that whisper? 11 00:00:30,490 --> 00:00:34,330 Just to go back two weeks, when we started and we looked at 12 00:00:34,330 --> 00:00:37,370 the story of Elijah, I think there were four things we took away 13 00:00:37,370 --> 00:00:37,770 from it. 14 00:00:37,770 --> 00:00:41,610 The first was, you have to be willing to listen. 15 00:00:42,490 --> 00:00:44,530 Are you willing to listen to God? 16 00:00:44,530 --> 00:00:46,530 People say, I want to hear from God, but they're not really 17 00:00:46,530 --> 00:00:49,370 willing to listen because if God speaks, you better do what he 18 00:00:49,370 --> 00:00:49,610 says. 19 00:00:50,410 --> 00:00:54,090 And so when God speaks, are we really willing to listen? 20 00:00:54,090 --> 00:00:57,610 Secondly, we learned from Elijah that you have to ask in order 21 00:00:57,610 --> 00:01:00,970 for God to speak to you, you have to ask God to speak to you. 22 00:01:03,130 --> 00:01:05,210 And a lot of us just haven't asked. 23 00:01:05,690 --> 00:01:08,650 And so that's what I hope today and this semester we're going 24 00:01:08,650 --> 00:01:11,370 to learn to do is to ask God to speak to us. 25 00:01:11,450 --> 00:01:14,810 And then thirdly, hearing from God requires reflection. 26 00:01:14,810 --> 00:01:18,210 Remember when Elijah, when God finally spoke to Elijah, the first 27 00:01:18,210 --> 00:01:20,240 thing he said is, what are you doing here? 28 00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:25,240 In other words, reflect on what got you here, this mess that 29 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,920 you've created, this overwhelming hopelessness that you 30 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,120 have in your life, what got you here. 31 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:33,280 Reflect on that. 32 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:38,240 And then we must get close to God to hear his whisper. 33 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,600 Because if God's going to whisper, you can't hear it unless 34 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:42,400 you're up close. 35 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,600 And that whisper means that God is approachable. 36 00:01:46,290 --> 00:01:50,010 So he's approachable through Scripture, where we hear him whisper 37 00:01:50,010 --> 00:01:53,170 to us from learning the kingdom perspective, being around 38 00:01:53,170 --> 00:01:56,610 other Christian people who can help, and turning off the clatter 39 00:01:56,610 --> 00:01:58,530 of the noise all around us. 40 00:01:58,530 --> 00:01:59,890 And that's not easy to do. 41 00:02:01,250 --> 00:02:06,170 But, you know, the key question to be asking is, what's 42 00:02:06,170 --> 00:02:08,770 God saying in whatever it is you're facing? 43 00:02:09,970 --> 00:02:13,600 When people come see me, pretty much everybody's got a problem. 44 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,640 I don't get any people who come just to say, have a nice day. 45 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:17,600 They come with a problem. 46 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,440 And when they come with a problem, my question to them often 47 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,560 is, what do you think God's saying in this? 48 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:29,000 What's God trying to tell you through this problem, through this 49 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:29,600 challenge? 50 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,440 And we examine that together. 51 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,960 And when we learn to ask what God is saying, God will speak to 52 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:38,240 us. 53 00:02:38,710 --> 00:02:42,790 You see, because the point of the story of Elijah is God never 54 00:02:42,870 --> 00:02:46,230 left Elijah Elijah stopped listening. 55 00:02:47,110 --> 00:02:50,590 And when you stop listening, you don't find God's best for our 56 00:02:50,590 --> 00:02:50,790 life. 57 00:02:50,790 --> 00:02:53,590 When you stop listening, we don't find the life better than we 58 00:02:53,590 --> 00:02:54,230 can imagine. 59 00:02:55,350 --> 00:02:56,470 We stop listening. 60 00:02:56,550 --> 00:02:59,430 The challenges of life overwhelm us and we get hopeless, 61 00:02:59,430 --> 00:03:02,150 like Elijah did. 62 00:03:02,550 --> 00:03:05,070 And so that's my prayer for this semester, that we'll learn to 63 00:03:05,070 --> 00:03:06,030 listen to God. 64 00:03:06,030 --> 00:03:07,690 And today I want to talk about how. 65 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:14,000 How do we listen to God in the times of anxiety, when we're anxious, 66 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:15,680 how do you hear from God? 67 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,800 Pray with me, and then we're going to open that question. 68 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,360 Lord, speak to us here in these next few minutes. 69 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,040 There's probably nobody in this room who doesn't have some anxieties. 70 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,040 So in our anxieties, how do you speak to us? 71 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:35,710 Let us learn from your experience with your disciple Peter. 72 00:03:36,110 --> 00:03:37,110 Your name, we ask it. 73 00:03:37,110 --> 00:03:37,630 Amen. 74 00:03:38,990 --> 00:03:41,310 Listening to God in our anxiety. 75 00:03:41,870 --> 00:03:44,630 Before we talk about anxiety, we need to have a little straight 76 00:03:44,630 --> 00:03:45,430 talk, okay? 77 00:03:45,430 --> 00:03:50,590 About mental health, mental health and physical health. 78 00:03:51,230 --> 00:03:55,350 For some reason in our society, we all are willing to raise 79 00:03:55,350 --> 00:03:57,390 our hand and say, I've got a physical health problem. 80 00:03:58,110 --> 00:04:01,190 I broke my leg, I need a surgery, I got cancer, I got this 81 00:04:01,190 --> 00:04:01,550 or that. 82 00:04:01,850 --> 00:04:04,930 And we go and do somebody who's specialized in that, and we 83 00:04:04,930 --> 00:04:08,290 get treatment and we get better, and God put that person there 84 00:04:08,290 --> 00:04:09,210 to help us get better. 85 00:04:09,530 --> 00:04:12,570 But when it comes to mental health, often there's a stigma. 86 00:04:12,970 --> 00:04:15,130 I can't raise my hand and say, I need help. 87 00:04:15,610 --> 00:04:18,169 I can't seek treatment, because what would people think? 88 00:04:18,490 --> 00:04:21,610 I'm afraid of that because what would it stir up in my life? 89 00:04:21,930 --> 00:04:25,050 And so we tend to go untreated in mental health. 90 00:04:25,050 --> 00:04:29,410 And it's really a shame when we have mental health care available 91 00:04:29,570 --> 00:04:34,970 to us and all of us need to work on our mental health just as 92 00:04:34,970 --> 00:04:36,290 we do our physical health. 93 00:04:36,290 --> 00:04:39,730 A lot of you are athletes or dancers or something where physical 94 00:04:39,730 --> 00:04:40,610 health is really important. 95 00:04:40,930 --> 00:04:44,050 Well, because of that, you're really careful what you eat and you 96 00:04:44,050 --> 00:04:46,890 exercise and you get good sleep and you avoid the things that 97 00:04:46,890 --> 00:04:47,410 hurt you. 98 00:04:47,410 --> 00:04:49,250 That's what we do for our physical health. 99 00:04:50,050 --> 00:04:51,490 Mental health is the same way. 100 00:04:51,810 --> 00:04:54,910 There has to be a pattern and a regimental of things that help 101 00:04:54,910 --> 00:04:58,910 us strengthen our mental health and not make it more difficult. 102 00:04:59,550 --> 00:05:01,950 And so for all of us, anxiety is an issue. 103 00:05:02,350 --> 00:05:05,150 But I want to separate out first people who are dealing with 104 00:05:05,150 --> 00:05:06,670 anxiety at a whole different level. 105 00:05:07,390 --> 00:05:10,350 There are folks among us who are dealing with anxiety who have 106 00:05:10,350 --> 00:05:15,310 chronic anxiety disorder or they have clinical depression. 107 00:05:15,790 --> 00:05:18,670 And this message today is not for you. 108 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:24,840 The message for you is I encourage you to get help, get treatment, 109 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,320 find a professional who can help you with it. 110 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:31,840 Don't let somebody shame you into not getting help with your mental 111 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:32,120 health. 112 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:33,800 You're not going to pray it away. 113 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:35,480 Don't fall for that. 114 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:40,360 You've got professionals who can help you and lead you through 115 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:44,640 tough emotional mental health issues and find those people who 116 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:45,160 can help you. 117 00:05:46,030 --> 00:05:49,510 And for some of you, that's been triggered because you've been 118 00:05:49,510 --> 00:05:49,950 abused. 119 00:05:51,470 --> 00:05:54,110 Some of you have had trauma in your life. 120 00:05:55,310 --> 00:05:58,350 Some of you may be in an OCD loop that's really hard to break. 121 00:05:59,470 --> 00:06:04,030 And out of that you can't get a new pattern, get help for that. 122 00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:07,390 You know, I will tell you this, OCD is the easiest mental health 123 00:06:07,390 --> 00:06:08,190 issue to treat. 124 00:06:08,350 --> 00:06:12,010 If you're dealing with OCD loops, get help on that. 125 00:06:12,010 --> 00:06:15,370 It may take two or three or four times of different drugs until 126 00:06:15,370 --> 00:06:18,570 you find the one that works for you, but that can be treated. 127 00:06:18,570 --> 00:06:24,090 Now, abuse, trauma, that takes a lot more work and it's hard work, 128 00:06:24,650 --> 00:06:25,930 but it needs to be done. 129 00:06:26,570 --> 00:06:31,650 Because if you don't do that hard work, it'll just eat up the 130 00:06:31,650 --> 00:06:34,650 rest of your life and it'll control everything that happens. 131 00:06:34,810 --> 00:06:39,800 So I encourage you, if you're in that category, get some help and 132 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:42,600 that help is available. 133 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:47,880 God's put it there and to not take advantage of it is going to 134 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:48,360 hurt your life. 135 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:49,480 So I encourage you to do that. 136 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,840 But for all the rest of us, we have mechanisms we use for coping 137 00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:54,760 with anxiety. 138 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,920 And today's biblical example we're going to take from Peter and 139 00:06:58,920 --> 00:06:59,400 Jesus. 140 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,240 Walking on the water is a biblical solution that I hope brings 141 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,450 clarity for how the rest of us deal with anxiety. 142 00:07:06,770 --> 00:07:09,570 Because you see, anxiety is rooted in pressure. 143 00:07:10,050 --> 00:07:14,530 When you get anxious, if you got a big test tomorrow and you're 144 00:07:14,530 --> 00:07:18,210 not ready, you're pretty anxious if you got a big game that's 145 00:07:18,210 --> 00:07:18,770 coming up. 146 00:07:19,810 --> 00:07:22,690 Men's basketball team has a 10 game winning streak on the line. 147 00:07:22,770 --> 00:07:24,610 The next one becomes a lot more important. 148 00:07:25,250 --> 00:07:27,730 And so the anxiety level raises with that. 149 00:07:28,050 --> 00:07:30,690 Maybe it's a performance, you're doing, dance theater, whatever 150 00:07:30,690 --> 00:07:31,170 it may be. 151 00:07:32,380 --> 00:07:38,620 You know, reality TV is all built on building anxiety, building 152 00:07:38,620 --> 00:07:41,940 the pressure, building to the point people explode on camera. 153 00:07:41,940 --> 00:07:43,740 Because that's really entertaining for all the rest of 154 00:07:43,740 --> 00:07:43,980 us. 155 00:07:44,540 --> 00:07:46,780 I feel badly for those people who go through it. 156 00:07:47,660 --> 00:07:49,820 Sometimes our anxieties are defined. 157 00:07:49,980 --> 00:07:53,380 We know exactly where it's coming from, but for a lot of times 158 00:07:53,380 --> 00:07:54,380 they're undefined. 159 00:07:54,780 --> 00:07:58,540 We just feel anxious and we don't really understand why. 160 00:07:59,900 --> 00:08:01,980 But God can help in those times. 161 00:08:02,380 --> 00:08:06,220 But I do worry about you because of the pressure on your generation. 162 00:08:06,380 --> 00:08:09,020 You face pressures of anxiety that I don't have. 163 00:08:09,820 --> 00:08:16,820 You are the first generation, first generation ever to feel like, 164 00:08:16,820 --> 00:08:20,140 for the most part, you will not have it better than your parents 165 00:08:20,380 --> 00:08:21,180 financially. 166 00:08:21,660 --> 00:08:23,830 First generation ever happened before. 167 00:08:25,020 --> 00:08:28,460 You're a generation that is totally connected by social media 168 00:08:28,700 --> 00:08:30,700 and constantly in connectivity. 169 00:08:30,700 --> 00:08:33,100 And there's a great thing about that, but there's an overwhelming 170 00:08:33,100 --> 00:08:34,060 thing about that too. 171 00:08:35,020 --> 00:08:38,620 And unfortunately, that triggers a whole pattern of isolation 172 00:08:38,620 --> 00:08:39,300 and loneliness. 173 00:08:39,300 --> 00:08:42,300 It's amazing how we're more connected than ever and we're more 174 00:08:42,380 --> 00:08:44,620 lonely and isolated than ever. 175 00:08:45,340 --> 00:08:48,300 And then you got the whole work life balance, which all of us 176 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:48,620 face. 177 00:08:48,780 --> 00:08:52,180 But I think you face it harder because there's a whole level of 178 00:08:52,180 --> 00:08:53,260 expectations that come. 179 00:08:54,050 --> 00:08:55,410 They're way beyond your to do list. 180 00:08:55,410 --> 00:08:58,250 Your to do list is heavy enough, but then there's these expectations 181 00:08:58,250 --> 00:09:01,010 that you're supposed to do this and this and this and be this. 182 00:09:01,410 --> 00:09:04,450 Pressures from mom, dad or society or friends or whatever it 183 00:09:04,450 --> 00:09:07,290 may be, or maybe internal, and that comes with it. 184 00:09:07,290 --> 00:09:09,290 And then there's a lot of uncertainty about the future. 185 00:09:09,290 --> 00:09:11,410 We're living in strange times. 186 00:09:11,970 --> 00:09:13,410 There's a lot of uncertainty. 187 00:09:13,730 --> 00:09:18,170 So I worry about you because of the extra level of anxiety poured 188 00:09:18,170 --> 00:09:18,930 into your life. 189 00:09:19,010 --> 00:09:19,270 And. 190 00:09:19,340 --> 00:09:22,140 And so with that, we all find ways to cope. 191 00:09:23,020 --> 00:09:24,780 And usually those are healthy. 192 00:09:24,940 --> 00:09:26,340 We do different things to cope. 193 00:09:26,340 --> 00:09:27,300 I don't know what works for you. 194 00:09:27,300 --> 00:09:28,740 For me, golf really works. 195 00:09:28,740 --> 00:09:31,660 If I can go play nine holes, I feel a whole lot better about life. 196 00:09:31,820 --> 00:09:34,940 And it all gets sorted out by the ninth hole. 197 00:09:35,740 --> 00:09:37,180 Maybe for you it's exercise. 198 00:09:37,180 --> 00:09:38,860 Maybe for you it's going to a movie. 199 00:09:38,860 --> 00:09:40,620 Maybe for you it's playing a video game. 200 00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:43,180 Maybe for you it's being with a friend, Whatever it may be. 201 00:09:43,180 --> 00:09:46,480 We find ways to do that, to deal with anxieties. 202 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,040 And if you don't deal with them, and even if you do, sometimes 203 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,200 your dreams will take over your anxieties as well. 204 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,040 And you dream, and that's where anxieties get worked. 205 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:56,720 And sometimes those are nightmares as well. 206 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:01,760 So we find healthy ways to do it, but some of us find destructive 207 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:03,920 ways to try to deal with this anxiety. 208 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:09,120 Max Lucado is a pastor of a huge church down in San Antonio. 209 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,440 Real famous, written a ton of books. 210 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:13,800 Top Christian speaker. 211 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:14,800 I love his stuff. 212 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:16,280 I've read a lot of his books. 213 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,240 But Max Lucado, a few years ago, just couldn't handle pressure 214 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:20,760 anymore. 215 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:22,440 It just got to him. 216 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:23,240 It was too much. 217 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,560 And so he started driving across the other side of town in 218 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:29,320 San Antonio to buy liquor. 219 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,320 And he would privately drink until the point that it was starting 220 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:34,920 to control his life. 221 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:37,400 He's written about it. 222 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:38,960 I'm glad he came forward with it. 223 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,530 Written about it because he can help other people who have been 224 00:10:41,530 --> 00:10:43,170 in that level of anxiety. 225 00:10:43,410 --> 00:10:47,010 Because a lot of people self medicate to deal with their anxiety. 226 00:10:47,650 --> 00:10:49,490 That may be alcohol, maybe drugs. 227 00:10:50,290 --> 00:10:55,370 Some people turn to sex, others do shopping, others eat, go 228 00:10:55,370 --> 00:10:55,890 to food. 229 00:10:56,130 --> 00:10:58,850 Some people exercise like crazy, deal with anxiety. 230 00:10:59,090 --> 00:11:02,730 Some people get really spiritually intense and that's not 231 00:11:02,730 --> 00:11:03,570 always healthy. 232 00:11:04,050 --> 00:11:10,020 Some people act out, other people bully or unhealthy ways to 233 00:11:10,020 --> 00:11:11,260 deal with anxiety. 234 00:11:11,340 --> 00:11:14,500 And if you're dealing with some of those unhealthy ways, go 235 00:11:14,500 --> 00:11:15,540 to one of our counselors. 236 00:11:15,540 --> 00:11:18,900 You know, we have three different counselors now, and we 237 00:11:18,900 --> 00:11:20,060 have both men and women. 238 00:11:20,060 --> 00:11:24,100 So that you have a choice of who you can go to and go and get 239 00:11:24,100 --> 00:11:25,580 some help with that stuff. 240 00:11:25,820 --> 00:11:30,980 If you're dealing with really can be helped when you get some therapy 241 00:11:30,980 --> 00:11:31,900 and some work on it. 242 00:11:31,970 --> 00:11:33,810 And I'll tell you something important about counselors. 243 00:11:34,450 --> 00:11:36,850 If you go to a counselor and you don't like that counselor, it 244 00:11:36,850 --> 00:11:37,330 just didn't. 245 00:11:37,650 --> 00:11:39,570 It's not helping me quit. 246 00:11:39,970 --> 00:11:41,170 Go to somebody else. 247 00:11:41,650 --> 00:11:44,290 You will not hurt a counselor's feeling ever. 248 00:11:44,370 --> 00:11:45,890 They are trained for that. 249 00:11:46,370 --> 00:11:48,250 You don't have to have a graceful goodbye. 250 00:11:48,250 --> 00:11:50,570 You don't have to come up with 10 reasons why I'm not going to work 251 00:11:50,570 --> 00:11:51,130 with you anymore. 252 00:11:51,130 --> 00:11:51,810 Just don't go. 253 00:11:52,290 --> 00:11:53,490 Go to somebody else. 254 00:11:53,810 --> 00:11:54,770 Don't stop going. 255 00:11:54,930 --> 00:11:56,170 Just go to somebody else. 256 00:11:56,170 --> 00:11:59,290 Because sometimes the mix has to be just right in order to get 257 00:11:59,290 --> 00:11:59,730 the help. 258 00:12:00,290 --> 00:12:03,810 But you know, all of us deal with anxiety and nobody was exempt 259 00:12:03,810 --> 00:12:04,610 from anxiety. 260 00:12:05,410 --> 00:12:09,050 If you were here last semester when we talked about the Easter week 261 00:12:09,050 --> 00:12:10,610 in the garden of Gethsemane. 262 00:12:11,730 --> 00:12:16,610 Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane, praying to his father, 263 00:12:16,610 --> 00:12:19,810 saying, please, could this not happen to me? 264 00:12:19,810 --> 00:12:21,410 I really don't want to do this. 265 00:12:23,010 --> 00:12:26,010 Knowing that his disciples were going to betray him in a few 266 00:12:26,010 --> 00:12:26,370 minutes. 267 00:12:26,990 --> 00:12:29,990 Knowing that he was going to be arrested and he was going to be 268 00:12:29,990 --> 00:12:33,150 humiliated, knowing that he was going to be beaten and tortured, 269 00:12:33,230 --> 00:12:37,230 knowing he was going to die a very, very gruesome death on a cross, 270 00:12:37,550 --> 00:12:39,950 Knowing that in the garden he prayed. 271 00:12:39,950 --> 00:12:44,590 And the anxiety was so heavy, the scripture says the sweat came 272 00:12:44,590 --> 00:12:46,030 down like drops of blood. 273 00:12:47,550 --> 00:12:50,030 Have you ever been so anxious you just start sweating? 274 00:12:50,990 --> 00:12:54,730 Jesus was overwhelmed at that moment with anxiety. 275 00:12:55,610 --> 00:12:57,930 Nobody's exempt from anxiety. 276 00:12:59,930 --> 00:13:06,410 So anxiety can be one of the most intense feelings we have, especially 277 00:13:06,410 --> 00:13:08,250 when you feel like there's no way out. 278 00:13:08,570 --> 00:13:11,330 And it can consume us and we're surrounded by it. 279 00:13:11,330 --> 00:13:14,850 And so today's story takes us there, takes us to that level of 280 00:13:14,850 --> 00:13:19,570 anxiety where we see Jesus walking on the water and Peter coming 281 00:13:19,570 --> 00:13:21,210 to walk to him on the water. 282 00:13:21,290 --> 00:13:24,780 It's a biblical example for how to cope with anxiety. 283 00:13:24,780 --> 00:13:29,780 And if we don't find a good model for coping with anxiety, anxiety 284 00:13:29,780 --> 00:13:36,500 steals our joy and it robs our peace and it takes away our hope. 285 00:13:37,460 --> 00:13:39,860 So this is an important question to ask the Lord. 286 00:13:39,940 --> 00:13:41,100 How do we deal with anxiety? 287 00:13:41,100 --> 00:13:42,340 God cares about anxiety. 288 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:43,460 Here's the Scripture. 289 00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:46,660 Psalm 139 Search me, O Lord, and know my heart. 290 00:13:47,060 --> 00:13:50,100 Test me and know my anxious thoughts. 291 00:13:51,030 --> 00:13:55,670 See if there's any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way 292 00:13:56,470 --> 00:14:01,030 everlasting God cares about our anxieties. 293 00:14:02,310 --> 00:14:03,750 Is anxiety a sin? 294 00:14:05,030 --> 00:14:07,030 No, it's not a sin. 295 00:14:07,510 --> 00:14:10,390 Is anxiety human nature in a fallen world? 296 00:14:11,430 --> 00:14:13,190 Absolutely, yes, it is. 297 00:14:14,870 --> 00:14:16,630 Will we be anxious in heaven? 298 00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:20,420 In God's perfect world, in his presence? 299 00:14:20,420 --> 00:14:21,460 Will we be anxious there? 300 00:14:21,460 --> 00:14:22,340 Of course not. 301 00:14:23,380 --> 00:14:28,020 So it follows that this side of heaven, the closer we can get 302 00:14:28,020 --> 00:14:30,980 to God, the better we can manage our anxiety. 303 00:14:32,740 --> 00:14:35,620 And that's where we need to learn from this experience of Peter, 304 00:14:35,860 --> 00:14:37,300 because that's what he did. 305 00:14:37,460 --> 00:14:39,980 Now let me pull out a few verses that was read so nicely for 306 00:14:39,980 --> 00:14:41,140 us earlier, the whole thing. 307 00:14:41,300 --> 00:14:43,380 But let me pull out just a few verses to highlight. 308 00:14:43,850 --> 00:14:46,130 About 3 o' clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking 309 00:14:46,130 --> 00:14:46,650 on the water. 310 00:14:47,210 --> 00:14:50,770 Peter called out to him, lord, if it's really you, tell me to come 311 00:14:50,770 --> 00:14:52,250 to you by walking on the water. 312 00:14:52,250 --> 00:14:56,490 So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water 313 00:14:56,490 --> 00:14:57,930 toward Jesus. 314 00:14:58,730 --> 00:15:02,730 But when he looked around at the high waves, Peter was terrified 315 00:15:02,890 --> 00:15:04,330 and began to sink. 316 00:15:05,290 --> 00:15:08,170 Instantly, Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. 317 00:15:08,330 --> 00:15:10,410 You don't have much faith, jesus said. 318 00:15:10,930 --> 00:15:11,890 Why did you doubt me? 319 00:15:12,850 --> 00:15:14,770 Then the disciples worshiped him. 320 00:15:15,250 --> 00:15:17,970 You really are the Son of God. 321 00:15:17,970 --> 00:15:18,930 They exclaimed. 322 00:15:20,290 --> 00:15:23,010 This is one of my favorite stories in the whole Bible, because 323 00:15:23,010 --> 00:15:25,770 it's been a guide for my life, because it says so. 324 00:15:25,770 --> 00:15:28,850 When Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water 325 00:15:28,850 --> 00:15:31,170 toward Jesus, he really did it. 326 00:15:31,890 --> 00:15:35,490 But then Peter looked around at the highways and was terrified 327 00:15:36,050 --> 00:15:40,170 and began to now we've got to get a little more context for what's 328 00:15:40,170 --> 00:15:40,890 going on here. 329 00:15:42,010 --> 00:15:44,170 If you go back to the beginning of the chapter of Matthew 330 00:15:44,170 --> 00:15:47,290 14, it talks about John the Baptist. 331 00:15:47,610 --> 00:15:51,530 John the Baptist was the one sent before Jesus to tell of his 332 00:15:51,530 --> 00:15:51,850 coming. 333 00:15:52,410 --> 00:15:55,050 John The Baptist was a prophet, and he was. 334 00:15:55,210 --> 00:15:56,770 They didn't have the scripture like we did. 335 00:15:56,770 --> 00:15:58,850 So he would speak about the coming of Jesus. 336 00:15:58,850 --> 00:16:02,170 He would tell that this one the Messiah is going to come. 337 00:16:02,330 --> 00:16:03,820 And he was a wild guy. 338 00:16:03,820 --> 00:16:07,300 He kind of upset a lot of people by the way he behaved and 339 00:16:07,300 --> 00:16:09,220 the aggressiveness of which he did it. 340 00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:14,460 So he was this kind of prophet who was out there telling the message 341 00:16:14,460 --> 00:16:17,300 of Jesus, but he was also Jesus cousin. 342 00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:18,340 They were related. 343 00:16:18,340 --> 00:16:19,140 They were family. 344 00:16:20,180 --> 00:16:22,860 Now, Jesus didn't go public with his ministry until he was about 345 00:16:22,860 --> 00:16:23,220 30. 346 00:16:23,220 --> 00:16:26,100 And John the Baptist had been working for several years before 347 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:28,020 that, but they were the same age, essentially. 348 00:16:28,910 --> 00:16:33,350 So what happened was that John the Baptist upset so many people 349 00:16:33,350 --> 00:16:35,830 that King Herod felt like he was a threat. 350 00:16:35,830 --> 00:16:38,710 Well, really, King Herod's wife felt like he was a threat and 351 00:16:38,710 --> 00:16:40,670 talked King Herod into arresting him. 352 00:16:41,150 --> 00:16:42,350 So they arrested John. 353 00:16:43,230 --> 00:16:46,790 And I don't think Herod was all that bought in, but he kind of 354 00:16:46,790 --> 00:16:48,670 went along with it because his wife said he's going to do it. 355 00:16:48,830 --> 00:16:50,990 So, you know, that's probably a good thing to do. 356 00:16:50,990 --> 00:16:55,230 So he does, he arrests John, figures that's taken care of. 357 00:16:55,490 --> 00:16:58,010 Well, they had a big party one night, and his daughter did this 358 00:16:58,010 --> 00:16:59,090 really special dance. 359 00:16:59,810 --> 00:17:01,890 And the king was so proud of his daughter. 360 00:17:02,210 --> 00:17:04,690 And he says to her, I'll give you an oath. 361 00:17:04,770 --> 00:17:09,050 I'll give you anything you want as a thank you for that wonderful 362 00:17:09,050 --> 00:17:09,490 dance. 363 00:17:10,770 --> 00:17:15,810 And she says, I want John the Baptist's head on a platter. 364 00:17:17,410 --> 00:17:18,690 And that's what they did. 365 00:17:18,690 --> 00:17:21,170 Herod didn't want to do it, but he promised. 366 00:17:21,750 --> 00:17:23,430 And in those days, your promise was everything. 367 00:17:23,830 --> 00:17:27,230 So they beheaded John the Baptist and brought here the head 368 00:17:27,230 --> 00:17:28,470 of John the Baptist. 369 00:17:28,470 --> 00:17:30,870 Well, the scripture says Jesus heard the news. 370 00:17:31,350 --> 00:17:35,070 And when Jesus heard the news, he wanted to be alone. 371 00:17:35,070 --> 00:17:37,990 And he got in a boat and went to a remote place. 372 00:17:38,870 --> 00:17:39,590 Have you ever. 373 00:17:39,670 --> 00:17:42,870 When you've heard the news, a lot of you have had family members 374 00:17:42,870 --> 00:17:43,270 die. 375 00:17:43,270 --> 00:17:44,470 It's like a gut punch. 376 00:17:45,510 --> 00:17:47,950 And the only thing you really want at that moment is just to be 377 00:17:47,950 --> 00:17:48,310 alone. 378 00:17:48,850 --> 00:17:50,370 You don't want people telling you stuff. 379 00:17:51,170 --> 00:17:53,530 You don't want to be pressured on stuff. 380 00:17:53,530 --> 00:17:55,170 You just want to be alone. 381 00:17:55,650 --> 00:17:57,170 And that's how Jesus felt. 382 00:17:58,450 --> 00:18:00,450 This was the one who went before him. 383 00:18:00,450 --> 00:18:02,450 This was the one who was his family member. 384 00:18:03,010 --> 00:18:07,410 And he'd been beheaded because the girl who did a dance wanted him 385 00:18:07,410 --> 00:18:07,890 dead. 386 00:18:08,850 --> 00:18:10,370 So he was pretty heartsick. 387 00:18:10,370 --> 00:18:15,140 So he went alone to find a place to be alone in a boat all by 388 00:18:15,140 --> 00:18:15,420 himself. 389 00:18:15,420 --> 00:18:16,940 Didn't go with his Eyes only by himself. 390 00:18:17,180 --> 00:18:19,100 So he gets, he's going to the boat and. 391 00:18:19,100 --> 00:18:21,740 But, but he was pretty popular in those days, so all the people 392 00:18:21,740 --> 00:18:22,780 wanted to go where he was. 393 00:18:22,780 --> 00:18:25,700 So they're all walking around the side of this, of this lake or 394 00:18:25,700 --> 00:18:28,940 whatever it was, trying to get to where Jesus was headed. 395 00:18:29,180 --> 00:18:31,620 And once he got there, all the people were there. 396 00:18:31,620 --> 00:18:33,980 And then he just felt like he needed to help them. 397 00:18:33,980 --> 00:18:36,660 So he healed the sick, he preached to them, did all that kind 398 00:18:36,660 --> 00:18:37,180 of stuff. 399 00:18:38,060 --> 00:18:39,980 And this went on all day. 400 00:18:40,220 --> 00:18:43,140 Well, as it started to get dark, the disciples got together 401 00:18:43,140 --> 00:18:44,060 and said, we got a. 402 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:44,720 With something. 403 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:46,280 These people haven't anything to eat all day. 404 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:49,240 We're out here in the middle of nowhere, you know, and there's 405 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:50,920 not like you can go to a store and get anything. 406 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,320 We got to send them home in a hurry because they haven't had anything 407 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:54,840 to eat. 408 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,120 So they go to Jesus and they say, we got to get them out of here. 409 00:18:57,120 --> 00:18:58,760 And he says, no, no, you feed them. 410 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:01,160 They just laugh there. 411 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:01,680 Are you kidding? 412 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:02,280 We can't feed them. 413 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,680 We got five pieces of bread and we got two fish. 414 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:06,600 We're not going to feed them. 415 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:07,800 We got all these people. 416 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:09,800 He said, give it to me. 417 00:19:10,610 --> 00:19:15,010 Took the bread, put the fish, blessed it, and he fed all of them. 418 00:19:15,250 --> 00:19:17,690 Now the scripture says he fed 5,000 men. 419 00:19:17,690 --> 00:19:21,170 And we always talk about feeding the 5,000, but it said, plus 420 00:19:21,170 --> 00:19:22,210 the women and children. 421 00:19:22,530 --> 00:19:26,209 They only counted men in those days, and that was a cultural thing. 422 00:19:26,370 --> 00:19:28,290 But he fed the women and the children. 423 00:19:28,610 --> 00:19:32,250 There were probably maybe about 20,000 people there that he 424 00:19:32,250 --> 00:19:33,330 fed in all this. 425 00:19:33,330 --> 00:19:35,830 And they said everybody ate all they wanted and they had 12 baskets 426 00:19:36,140 --> 00:19:36,620 left over. 427 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:39,540 But Jesus pain hadn't gone away. 428 00:19:39,540 --> 00:19:41,180 So he finally told the people to leave. 429 00:19:41,340 --> 00:19:43,740 He put the disciples in a boat, told them to go back across 430 00:19:43,740 --> 00:19:44,220 the way. 431 00:19:44,220 --> 00:19:48,180 And he was going off, back to be alone because he was still grieving 432 00:19:48,180 --> 00:19:50,460 over his cousin John. 433 00:19:51,260 --> 00:19:52,460 So he went alone to pray. 434 00:19:52,460 --> 00:19:57,060 But then the scripture says the storm came up about 3 o' clock 435 00:19:57,060 --> 00:19:57,500 in the morning. 436 00:19:57,500 --> 00:20:00,780 So the disciples were probably rowing about four hours at this point, 437 00:20:00,940 --> 00:20:02,770 trying to get them back to the other side. 438 00:20:03,010 --> 00:20:06,650 Storm came up and it would have been a big storm because they 439 00:20:06,650 --> 00:20:08,690 were really afraid they were going to sink. 440 00:20:09,010 --> 00:20:10,890 And so they hadn't made it back to shore. 441 00:20:10,890 --> 00:20:12,050 The disciples were in trouble. 442 00:20:12,130 --> 00:20:15,570 And here comes Jesus walking on the water toward them. 443 00:20:16,130 --> 00:20:17,290 And of course they screamed. 444 00:20:17,290 --> 00:20:18,249 They said, it's a ghost. 445 00:20:18,249 --> 00:20:19,650 He said, no, no, it's not a ghost. 446 00:20:19,730 --> 00:20:21,410 It's all right, I'm here. 447 00:20:21,890 --> 00:20:22,770 Don't be afraid. 448 00:20:23,970 --> 00:20:27,330 And then Peter, being the one who always takes charge, said, well, 449 00:20:27,830 --> 00:20:30,310 if it's really you, tell me to come to you on the water. 450 00:20:31,910 --> 00:20:33,030 Tell me to come to you. 451 00:20:33,510 --> 00:20:37,350 Peter always wants an extra proof everybody else doesn't need. 452 00:20:37,910 --> 00:20:41,030 And so Peter gets over the side of the boat and starts to walk 453 00:20:41,030 --> 00:20:42,190 to him on the water. 454 00:20:42,190 --> 00:20:45,670 Now, there are five take away principles in here that are really 455 00:20:45,750 --> 00:20:47,750 helpful for dealing with anxiety. 456 00:20:47,750 --> 00:20:51,750 First of all, Peter was willing to risk when Jesus called 457 00:20:51,750 --> 00:20:53,310 him so often. 458 00:20:53,310 --> 00:20:55,110 We want God to tell us what to do. 459 00:20:55,110 --> 00:20:57,030 And when he tells us what to do, we're not willing to take the 460 00:20:57,030 --> 00:20:57,270 risk. 461 00:20:57,880 --> 00:20:59,160 Peter's willing to take the risk. 462 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,000 It was huge faith, walking on water. 463 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:04,440 Nobody had ever done it. 464 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:05,960 It's impossible. 465 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:12,800 Not just walking on water in a storm with the waves around and the 466 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:15,240 winds and everything going on. 467 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:17,080 For what? 468 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:18,840 Just to walk out to him? 469 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:20,360 Just to prove he could do it? 470 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:21,120 Yeah, I guess so. 471 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:21,880 Because they didn't. 472 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,620 Wherever they're going to go, you know, some people when they're 473 00:21:25,620 --> 00:21:28,300 anxious, deal with it by doing nothing. 474 00:21:28,380 --> 00:21:29,660 I just want to shut down my world. 475 00:21:29,660 --> 00:21:30,540 I just want to get away. 476 00:21:30,940 --> 00:21:32,380 I want to close down. 477 00:21:34,620 --> 00:21:37,980 Peter, on the other hand, said, I'm willing to go. 478 00:21:38,060 --> 00:21:40,140 I'm willing to risk if you tell me to come. 479 00:21:40,140 --> 00:21:40,860 And so he did. 480 00:21:41,020 --> 00:21:43,700 He took the risk and then he focused on Jesus. 481 00:21:43,700 --> 00:21:44,900 So he gets out of this boat. 482 00:21:44,900 --> 00:21:46,020 This wasn't a little rowboat. 483 00:21:46,020 --> 00:21:47,740 It's probably a fairly good sized boat. 484 00:21:47,900 --> 00:21:50,660 Normally you would jump down into the water and go all the way 485 00:21:50,660 --> 00:21:51,580 down, come back up. 486 00:21:52,190 --> 00:21:52,670 He didn't. 487 00:21:52,670 --> 00:21:55,950 He just got out, got down on the water, and he started toward 488 00:21:55,950 --> 00:21:56,310 Jesus. 489 00:21:56,310 --> 00:21:58,710 Now if he's starting toward Jesus, he's got to be looking at 490 00:21:58,710 --> 00:21:59,390 Jesus, right? 491 00:21:59,710 --> 00:22:02,110 He didn't get out of the boat and just start wandering around. 492 00:22:02,510 --> 00:22:04,990 He said he started toward Jesus. 493 00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:07,070 So he's looking at Jesus and walking toward. 494 00:22:07,150 --> 00:22:10,110 As long as he's walking toward him, he's doing great. 495 00:22:10,110 --> 00:22:11,310 He's on top of the water. 496 00:22:12,030 --> 00:22:15,630 Hebrews chapter 11, which is the story of all the heroes of faith. 497 00:22:15,630 --> 00:22:17,650 It says, fix your eyes on. 498 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:19,000 On Jesus. 499 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:21,440 Fix your eyes on Jesus. 500 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,200 When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we can do the impossible. 501 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,240 And that's what Peter did that day. 502 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,880 He got out of the boat and he walked on the water toward Jesus 503 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,440 when he was looking straight at him and he didn't look anyplace 504 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:34,840 else. 505 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,840 Well, then the scripture goes on to tell us, he started looking 506 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:39,160 around. 507 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,360 So he's taking a few steps, he's on top of the water and he starts 508 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:43,880 looking around. 509 00:22:44,860 --> 00:22:46,860 I'M sure you thought, what in the world am I doing out here? 510 00:22:46,940 --> 00:22:49,660 Look at the waves, look at the wind. 511 00:22:50,300 --> 00:22:52,260 I'm standing out in the middle of this body of water. 512 00:22:52,260 --> 00:22:53,100 I'm going to drown. 513 00:22:53,100 --> 00:22:53,900 They probably didn't. 514 00:22:53,900 --> 00:22:55,260 A lot of them didn't swim in those days. 515 00:22:55,500 --> 00:22:56,380 Probably going to drown. 516 00:22:56,380 --> 00:22:57,260 What am I going to do? 517 00:22:57,500 --> 00:22:58,780 And he started to sink. 518 00:22:59,820 --> 00:23:03,860 When the realities of life overwhelm our faith, we start to 519 00:23:03,860 --> 00:23:04,300 sink. 520 00:23:05,020 --> 00:23:07,860 When we start looking at the realities, instead of fixing our 521 00:23:07,860 --> 00:23:09,980 eyes on Jesus, we start to sink. 522 00:23:10,770 --> 00:23:15,210 Now, these are the exact same waves when he started to sink as 523 00:23:15,210 --> 00:23:17,970 they were a few minutes before when he was walking on the water, 524 00:23:18,210 --> 00:23:19,210 it hadn't changed. 525 00:23:19,210 --> 00:23:20,210 So what had changed? 526 00:23:20,530 --> 00:23:21,810 His focus on Christ. 527 00:23:22,770 --> 00:23:28,650 He was frozen in anxiety and started looking at all the storm 528 00:23:28,650 --> 00:23:30,610 around him instead of looking at Jesus. 529 00:23:30,610 --> 00:23:33,570 When he took his eyes off Jesus, he was terrified. 530 00:23:34,930 --> 00:23:37,890 And it became a bad outcome as he started to sink. 531 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:40,880 And then immediately, I love this. 532 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:45,040 Instantly, Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. 533 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,480 Why didn't you have much faith? 534 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,240 Jesus said, why did you doubt me? 535 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,240 And the disciples worshiped him. 536 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:54,520 You really are the Son of God. 537 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:55,440 They exclaimed. 538 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,880 Instantly, he reached out for them. 539 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,480 You know, he could have said, well, Peter, I told you to get out 540 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:02,840 of the boat. 541 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:03,920 I told you to come to me. 542 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:05,520 Instead, you're looking around at all the storm. 543 00:24:05,550 --> 00:24:06,740 I so sink a little bit. 544 00:24:06,740 --> 00:24:08,780 Get him wet for a while and that'll teach you a lesson. 545 00:24:08,780 --> 00:24:09,620 He didn't do that. 546 00:24:09,700 --> 00:24:12,580 He reached out immediately and pulled him back out. 547 00:24:13,620 --> 00:24:16,740 And that's what God does for us, reaches us out. 548 00:24:17,140 --> 00:24:18,260 Well, what changed? 549 00:24:19,060 --> 00:24:20,020 What changed? 550 00:24:21,220 --> 00:24:24,780 When he had his eyes fixed on Jesus, he was walking on top of the 551 00:24:24,780 --> 00:24:25,060 water. 552 00:24:25,780 --> 00:24:28,580 When his eyes were on the storm, he was sinking. 553 00:24:29,140 --> 00:24:30,420 That's the only difference. 554 00:24:31,390 --> 00:24:32,590 There is no other difference. 555 00:24:33,790 --> 00:24:38,950 We need to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, especially when we are 556 00:24:38,950 --> 00:24:40,350 in the storm. 557 00:24:40,910 --> 00:24:45,630 See, because every time we trust God, during times of anxiety 558 00:24:45,630 --> 00:24:48,510 and storms in our life, we know him better. 559 00:24:49,550 --> 00:24:51,870 That's why the disciples finally said when they got back in 560 00:24:51,870 --> 00:24:54,830 the boat, they said, you really are the Son of God. 561 00:24:55,470 --> 00:24:56,990 Like we just figured this out. 562 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,600 Why didn't you figure it out on shore when I just fed 20,000 people 563 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:03,920 with this little basket of fruit? 564 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:07,840 I didn't figure it out then, but now it got personal and they 565 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:08,560 figured it out. 566 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:10,480 You really are the Son of God. 567 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:17,120 Every time we trust God more and more, we see him more clearly 568 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,960 and our anxieties become more manageable. 569 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:24,560 But that's not the last time Peter had anxieties. 570 00:25:25,290 --> 00:25:28,090 You'd think after that, he'd go, I'm never taking my eyes off 571 00:25:28,090 --> 00:25:28,730 Jesus again. 572 00:25:28,970 --> 00:25:33,530 Because, I mean, I walked on water and if I looked around, I sunk. 573 00:25:33,610 --> 00:25:35,210 And so I'm just focused on that. 574 00:25:35,210 --> 00:25:36,770 You'd think he'd do that the rest of his life. 575 00:25:36,770 --> 00:25:37,370 He didn't. 576 00:25:38,170 --> 00:25:45,010 Even when Jesus was arrested and crucified, Peter denied him three 577 00:25:45,010 --> 00:25:45,370 times. 578 00:25:45,850 --> 00:25:50,530 Three times because of his anxieties, took over for him. 579 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,720 Well, here are the takeaways. 580 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:55,400 Be willing to risk. 581 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,640 When Jesus calls us to do the impossible, be willing to step out. 582 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:02,600 Keep your eyes focused on Jesus. 583 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:07,200 Don't forget that Jesus is stronger than the storm, and Jesus 584 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:09,360 will reach out for us even when we doubt. 585 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:12,440 So you don't have to do it perfectly, but just take the step. 586 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:18,040 But every time we trust him, we see God better. 587 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:21,880 So I want to give you a practical tool real quick that will 588 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,200 help you to deal with anxieties. 589 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:30,840 I have anxieties, you know, I'm responsible for all you. 590 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,680 That makes me anxious a lot because I worry about you. 591 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,240 And then we got 3,000 online students, and I'm responsible for 592 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:38,400 them. 593 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,120 And then we got 450 employees, and I'm responsible for making their 594 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:42,680 paycheck in. 595 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:44,880 These fitness families are dependent on me to do all that. 596 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:46,160 I got anxieties. 597 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:48,320 And sometimes the storm's a lot. 598 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:50,960 So here's what I do. 599 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,836 I've been doing this, as I told you, for 50 years, 5, 0. 600 00:26:54,924 --> 00:26:56,400 50 years I've been doing it. 601 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:58,879 First of all, I identify the anxieties. 602 00:26:58,879 --> 00:26:59,960 What's got me anxious. 603 00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:01,920 You know, when you're anxious, you just kind of feel it. 604 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:04,560 You're not really stopping to say what it is. 605 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,200 So when I'm anxious, I stop and I say, okay, what is it that's 606 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:09,040 got me bugged? 607 00:27:10,150 --> 00:27:12,150 And I start to identify it. 608 00:27:12,390 --> 00:27:14,870 Sometimes you can identify it, sometimes you can't. 609 00:27:14,870 --> 00:27:17,670 Unless you really put in some time and some thought and some work, 610 00:27:17,750 --> 00:27:19,550 and then you finally figure it out. 611 00:27:19,550 --> 00:27:22,710 What is it that's really causing the anxiety? 612 00:27:23,270 --> 00:27:24,750 Identify that storm. 613 00:27:24,750 --> 00:27:25,910 And then I write it down. 614 00:27:26,390 --> 00:27:27,870 I write it down on a piece of paper. 615 00:27:27,870 --> 00:27:29,870 Now, I don't write it down on a piece of paper for anybody else 616 00:27:29,870 --> 00:27:30,310 to see. 617 00:27:30,950 --> 00:27:32,870 Some of that stuff I don't necessarily want anybody else to 618 00:27:32,870 --> 00:27:33,030 see. 619 00:27:33,030 --> 00:27:35,110 And you're going to write down some stuff you don't want anybody 620 00:27:35,110 --> 00:27:35,430 to see. 621 00:27:35,710 --> 00:27:38,030 So this is not for anybody else to see. 622 00:27:38,030 --> 00:27:38,910 This is for you. 623 00:27:39,790 --> 00:27:41,950 Take your anxieties, identify them. 624 00:27:42,030 --> 00:27:44,830 Write them down on a piece of paper for nobody to see. 625 00:27:45,870 --> 00:27:50,190 Take that list and just ask yourself, is God more powerful than 626 00:27:50,190 --> 00:27:50,510 this? 627 00:27:51,950 --> 00:27:53,550 Is God more powerful than this? 628 00:27:55,790 --> 00:27:57,390 Is God more powerful than this? 629 00:27:57,390 --> 00:27:59,230 Yeah, he is all the way through. 630 00:28:00,110 --> 00:28:02,350 When Peter looked at the storm, he sank. 631 00:28:02,970 --> 00:28:06,170 When he looked back at Jesus, he pulled out of the water. 632 00:28:06,810 --> 00:28:09,050 Ask Christ to help you to do the impossible. 633 00:28:09,450 --> 00:28:13,010 Yeah, these anxieties may feel like they're impossible, but they're 634 00:28:13,010 --> 00:28:14,810 really not in the hands of God. 635 00:28:14,810 --> 00:28:17,890 So ask him to do that and then do this. 636 00:28:17,890 --> 00:28:18,890 And this is critical. 637 00:28:19,370 --> 00:28:23,290 Take that list and stick it away in your Bible for about two 638 00:28:23,290 --> 00:28:25,730 to three months now. 639 00:28:25,730 --> 00:28:26,730 I put them on my Bible. 640 00:28:26,730 --> 00:28:28,170 You can put it someplace else if you want. 641 00:28:28,170 --> 00:28:32,390 If you want to put it in chapter 14 of Matthew where this 642 00:28:32,390 --> 00:28:32,950 story is. 643 00:28:33,110 --> 00:28:36,430 But take that list of your anxieties, commit them to the Lord 644 00:28:36,430 --> 00:28:39,870 and stick it in your Bible and do not look at it again for two to 645 00:28:39,870 --> 00:28:40,390 three months. 646 00:28:40,790 --> 00:28:43,110 And in two to three months, this is what's going to happen. 647 00:28:43,270 --> 00:28:45,910 In two to three months, you're going to go back to that list and 648 00:28:45,910 --> 00:28:48,470 nearly all those things are going to be taken care of. 649 00:28:49,110 --> 00:28:53,030 It has happened to me over and over and over again. 650 00:28:53,430 --> 00:28:57,190 When I go back to the list, it's like, yeah, that worked out. 651 00:28:57,830 --> 00:28:58,710 That worked out. 652 00:28:59,590 --> 00:29:02,950 That's off the list every time. 653 00:29:03,670 --> 00:29:05,830 And then you know what else happened at that point? 654 00:29:06,230 --> 00:29:09,510 You're going to have a new list every time. 655 00:29:09,510 --> 00:29:13,310 You're going to have a new list of new anxieties and new stresses 656 00:29:13,310 --> 00:29:14,950 and new storms that are in your life. 657 00:29:15,030 --> 00:29:17,670 And do it again, and do it again. 658 00:29:18,230 --> 00:29:22,830 Every time you go through this cycle, you trust God more and you 659 00:29:22,830 --> 00:29:24,710 see God more clearly. 660 00:29:25,270 --> 00:29:27,110 I told you, I've been doing this for 50 years. 661 00:29:27,430 --> 00:29:31,870 And I used to do it probably five or six times a year, and now 662 00:29:31,870 --> 00:29:33,430 maybe I'm down to maybe once a year. 663 00:29:33,430 --> 00:29:38,030 I do this because through the years I've just learned how to trust 664 00:29:38,030 --> 00:29:40,470 God more and to see him more clearly. 665 00:29:40,630 --> 00:29:42,310 And that's what God will do in your life. 666 00:29:42,310 --> 00:29:46,070 The more you trust him with your anxieties, the more clearly 667 00:29:46,470 --> 00:29:47,750 you're going to see him. 668 00:29:48,710 --> 00:29:51,990 Well, listening to God and your anxieties instead of looking 669 00:29:52,070 --> 00:29:56,980 only at the storms around us, if we'll listen to God in our times 670 00:29:56,980 --> 00:30:02,780 of anxieties, that's when we can learn to trust him more and better 671 00:30:02,780 --> 00:30:07,820 know who he really is, the Son of God. 672 00:30:08,860 --> 00:30:12,620 Make that your prayer as we say our benediction together. 673 00:30:13,340 --> 00:30:17,820 No eye is seen, no ear is heard, no mind is conceived. 674 00:30:17,980 --> 00:30:21,110 But God has prepared for those who love him. 675 00:30:21,430 --> 00:30:22,070 God bless. 676 00:30:22,070 --> 00:30:22,950 Have a great day.