Mental Health | Philip Anthony Mitchell

hi and welcome to the victory Church podcast if this ministry has been a blessing for you please consider supporting the spread of the gospel by visiting us online and choosing the giving option that works best for you and you have a testimony we'd love to hear it send us an email to share at victory Church ATL that bored again thank you for tuning in and we hope you enjoyed this message those of you who are watching us right now when you to podcasts or listening to me wherever you are we want to welcome all of you to victory Church and welcome you to week one of the beginning of a brand new series called what the health what the health now before some of you start just attacking me you thinking I'm about to come after you for your diet you think I'm about to lamb bass you about your burgers and your french fries and all that other stuff that's not really my heart in this series I might get to that might say something about your burgers in your french fries that's not really my heart in this series what I want to do over the course of the next three weeks I want to just take three weeks to talk to you about health but health in three specific areas if you pay attention to our graphic you would have picked up on this by now over the next three weeks I'm gonna talk to you about mental health I want to talk to you about emotional health and I want to talk to you about your physical health and I want to use this this first message to really talk to you about your mental health your mental health mental health I think that there's only one thing worse than being unhealthy think the only thing worse than being unhealthy is being unhealthy and not knowing it I think when someone is unhealthy with ignorance I think that is more dangerous than being unhealthy to begin with because if I'm unhealthy and ignorant about my unhealthiness then I am in greater danger of one who is unhealthy but is aware of the fact that they are unhealthy and are doing what is necessary to become healthy every day people die because they were unaware of some health issues and now what I want to do in this series I want to use this series for the next three weeks to bring awareness about these three areas and to try to put you on a journey of health okay a journey of health now I want to I want to just make a disclaimer because you know I'm not I'm not ignorant in the fact that there is no possible way that with a sermon or with a series I can solve or we can solve every single problem as it relates to mental health as it relates to emotional health of physical health again with this message I want to focus just simply on mental health and there is no way possible with the time that I have to talk to you today that we can solve every problem about mental health the the extensive amount of issues and the brevity of the situations involving mental health it's very very enormous in our society and I'm not going to pretend that I can solve all those problems with one sermon I'm not nice like that and that is probably impossible for me to do that or do what I do believe in Supernatural breakthroughs but my aim in this series is not to solve all your problems with three sermons my aim in this series listen again I want to say this from the beginning so you don't feel like I left you short my aim in this series is the number one bring awareness right to open your eyes to some truth and then to put everyone hopefully on a journey shout the word journey shout the word journey on a journey towards mental health okay and we're gonna start the beginning of this journey with a talk a conversation about your mind your thoughts and the issues that are going on in your mind and I will bet money I'm not I'm not a gambling man but I would wager that there's probably no one in this room or maybe someone watching me right now on YouTube or wherever you are that's probably is not dealing with something in their mind the Apostle John one of Jesus closest followers and I know that I'm normally a very hype dude and I know I go hard but today I just want can I just talk to you today and and just like be a friend can I just like pull up a chair in your living room and just look you in your eyes and have an honest conversation with you can I do that today the Apostle John who was an eyewitness and follow up the life of Jesus in his old age he wrote a letter to a man named Gaius okay and I know it's not a popular letter we don't read it no one ever really preaches from it but there's some very powerful truth tucked away in a line of that letter and this letter was preserved for us in what we call the New Testament of the Bible and a letter that we call third John and in third John he sat down and wrote a letter to a man named Gaius this man Gaius was a very respected man in the church capital C Church the Christendom he was a respected man in the church and Gaius was a man that would open up his home for traveling preachers so whenever preaches will come through the town guys would not allow them to stay in hotels or ins guys would open up his home for preachers to come and stay in his home he would give them hospitality which we should be doing if we are believers and and and John was concerned about Gaius there were some things going on with a false preachers in that day and he wrote this letter called third John to this man named Gaius and he opens up the letter with these words he's gonna hammer away at some doctrine he's gonna hammer away at some theology no not in the beginning of the letter no no doctrine no theology he says to him the elder like that's dope you're so known you don't even have to say a name you just say the elder and they know who you are all right say Milton and they know who I am the elder he says to my dear friend Gaius whom I love and truth in the truth somebody say truth somebody say truth somebody say truth he says to him dear friend I pray so this is John's desire and John is writing this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he says to him dear friend I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you even as your soul is getting along well I want you to notice that John is concerned for guys' well-being and his health and specifically he's concerned about his soul the word soul here is a greek word sookay where we get the word psychology from in which we talk about the mind and we understand that the mind is the seat of your will and your emotions and so whatever's going on in your mind is gonna affect your emotions and whatever is going on your emotions is gonna fake your life you feel what you think right you feel what you think whatever you're feeling right now you're thinking that so right now you're feeling like like yeah give me the rest of the sermon that's what's going on in your mind so whatever you feeling is what you think and when your emotions are out of whack we have to check 12 inches above the heart when I emotions are out of whack I'm gonna get to that next week but I want you to see under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit John writes a letter to Gaius and he does not start the letter with heavy theology or heavy doctrine he just says to him listen brother I'm just praying for you once it I'm asking God that you would be watched healthy in your soul and therefore healthy in your emotions he is actually praying that you would have mental wellness and emotional wellness yes Gaius watch I know you are a man of God I know you're powerful in the church I know you got a title I know you're well-known I know you famous I know your social media is blowing up I know you sing on the worship team I know you passed our church I know you got a dog voice I know you got money I know you got all that going on for you on the outside right but guys I'm praying for you inside that why you got all of that going on in the outside guys I am praying I am petitioning God I am believing for you that you would be healthy in your soul guys I'm praying for you that you would be mentally healthy now when God designed human beings he designed you as a 3-part Dean not gonna argue this if you don't believe this the scripture teaches this okay God created all of us as a three-part being you and I have a biological nature we have a physiological nature and we have a spiritual nature your biological nature is your physical body that's the house that you live in you are not your body your body is only a house and if you don't believe that just hold a dead person right I've held a dead person in my arms I've held my father who died a few moments and held my dead father in my arms in fact I gave him his last haircut while he was dead in a funeral parlor and I'm telling if you've never held a dead body you hold a dead body and you get a really a realization that this was not this person that this person was really a spirit that has now left this body this body was only a house and while it was in there it had a soul is the thing that God is trying to save and transform right so you have a biological nature that is your physical body week 3 right you have a spiritual nature and you have a psychological nature a mind and a soul right we need all three of these to fulfill the purposes of God in our lives right your psychological nature your biological nature your spiritual nature all three unnecessary for you to walk out the purposes of God when there is abuse of any one of these three we hinder ourselves to be effective for the Lord now because we live in a fallen and broken world my brothers and sisters the truth of the matter is that because the world is falling because the world is broke the reality is a lot of us are damaged in one of these three areas I can roll the dice and say larvas are probably damaged in two of these areas I could roll the dice again they said a lot of us are probably damaged in all three of these areas issues in our physical body issues in our minds issues in our emotions issues and also there's a lot of us that are damaged in one these three areas because we live in a fallen broken world okay but the scripture teaches us that God cares very deeply about your mind he cares very deeply about your thoughts he cares very deeply about your inner life because you are who you are on the inside whoever you are on the inside is who you really are you are not who your facebook says you are now I know what your Instagram I know I know every picture Instagram paint you is awesome I know your IG says you're awesome but you are not who your ID says you are you are who you really are on the inside whatever is the state of your mind is who you really are whatever the state of your emotions are who you really are whatever is going on your body's who you really are you are who you are in your mind and I want you to know today listen to me that God cares very deeply about your mind he cares very deeply about your thoughts he cares very deeply about what you entertain between your ears the truth is is that we can grow spiritually and be strong spiritually but still be silent sufferers in our mind I would love to take a survey right now and see how many honest people was in this room but I know I can take a serve right now there'll be people this will lift your hand and testify that yeah I've been growing spiritually but I'm still battling with stuff in my mind let's go and take a survey yeah okay battling stuff in my mind some of us are battling chronic issues in our mind some of us are battling episodic issues in our mind for some of us is ongoing and we can't figure out why for some of us it comes and it goes in terms of issues in our mind and why is this important why should we talk about the mind big idea coming up on the screen because the toughest battles we will ever face in this life are the wars that come against our minds you losing a job will not be a biggest battle in this life you lose on a car is not gonna be a biggest battle in this life you going through traumas is not gonna be anything external or not gonna be a your biggest battle in this life are gonna be the internal things that respond to the external things in your life which is your mind okay your mind the biggest battles you and I will ever fight in this life are the battles that are happening between your ears it is a war of the intrusive thoughts that come into our minds watch and then you validate them with your emotions some of you know what this is I know what this is the thought comes and says man look at you look at your past you're never gonna amount to anything and then you validate that with your emotions and you validate damaged emotions because it sinks you then into a depression because you start thinking that man I'm never gonna amount to anything has that ever happened to anyone yes that you use the emotions to validate what you're thinking in your mind is the war of negative thought patterns in your mind like man why do I think this way in this particular area of my life why every time this comes up I think this way or how about the war of negativity that there's some of us are some people man they're just so negative it's always cloudy outside your mind looks like Seattle like it's never sunshine it looks like Columbus Ohio you know I spent two years of my life at Columbus Ohio and it was never sunny it might be sunny like four times in like three weeks it's never sunny was right on the Great Lakes is always and some of us with like Linus anybody ever seen Linus he always has that cloud over her said some of us men there's so much darkness over us all the time every time somebody bumps into us something negative comes out of our mouth because whatever comes out your mouth is what's in your mind it's the war against lies and deception instigated by your adversary do you know that the devil can talk to you because every thought you have is not your thought and some of us I want to bring an awareness to you that every thought you have is not yours because the devil can talk to us he spoke to Jesus in the wilderness while he was fasting case in point when did the enemy come to talk to Jesus when he was at his weak point when he was 'watch hungry and tired and when you're hungry and tired your mind is defenseless so when you're tired and when you're going through you better be careful about your thoughts because some of them are not your own and you have to stop validating lies a circumstance comes and you think man I'm not gonna get out of this who gave you that for that didn't come from the Lord because he's able oh yes he is he can do it oh yes he can oh yes he can oh yes he can he's able oh [Music] yes he is he can do it oh yes he oh yes he can oh yes he can oh yes he can he's a boy I'm gonna get my battery right off he's a boy so if he's able and the thought comes we'll that's impossible you'll never this one well where did that thought come from just about every human being is dealing with war on their minds so let's start with a working definition of mental health mental health is one psychological emotional and social well-being and determines one's ability to handle stress relate to others and make decisions we know how mentally healthy someone is by their ability to cope with the stresses of life I don't have to I don't have to talk to you I can just watch your ability to cope with the natural stresses of life gives an indication to how mentally healthy you are your ability to handle stress is a direct reflection of how mentally healthy you are some of us now are waking up to realize maybe I'm not as mentally healthy as I thought your ability to relate to ever other people there's some people men you never have friends you always trash in people and everybody is always the problem if every place I go everybody else is always the problem at some point time I gotta stop and say to myself maybe everybody's not the problem maybe the problem me maybe if I'm always in dysfunctional relationships I'm always picking bad boyfriends I always got bad girlfriends I always stay in bad relationships I'm always losing friendships I can't keep anyone in my life and every time I turn around in every season I'm lonely again then that's a sign that I'm not as mentally healthy as I thought I was I am mentally unhealthy if you're a farmer someone who constantly keeps making bad decisions I never learned from the lessons of my last bad decision like a dog returns to his vomit the word says I keep returning to my bad decisions I've run up against a brick wall and I keep beating my heart on a brick wall thinking that God is gonna answer this disobedience and I'll keep making bad decisions that's a sign that I'm not as mentally healthy as I thought I was bad decision making is an indication of mental unhealthiness cuz unhealthiness is any destabilization of mental health that affects your mood your thinking or your behavior National stat says this according to a national study one in every five adults in the United States of America struggles with some form of mental health this is a scientifical and documented fact one out of every five adults in America struggles with some form of mental health challenges see now some of you sent here like nod I didn't mean right because when you think about mental illness or mental unhealthiness you think about an asylum you think about people who's locked away but what about the people on your role because if this that is true and I'm looking at the hundreds of people in this room if this stat is true that means in every room there's someone in your role who's battling with mental health challenges right now if this stat is true that means there's someone in front of you or someone behind you who's battling with mental health challenges right now if this stat is true you can be the person or I can be the person in this room that is battling with mental health challenges right now and the longer we remain unhealthy is why you should be thankful for this series the longer someone remains unhealthy the more becomes a part of their nature the harder it is to overcome it this is when you meet people who said man they just fixed in their ways they've been like this for so long they don't even want to change and some people would die unhealthy because they've been so dysfunctional so long that they dysfunction becomes a part of their nature you become a functional dysfunctional person you become a functional dysfunctional person and then you know you're dysfunctional when you start putting a label of identification of ownership on your dysfunction this is my depression this is my issue that I had this is my depression this is my fill in the blank when you start putting ownership on your dysfunction then you know that you are in trouble and in need of help you should never own your dysfunction so my just shalt leave me somebody shall flee own dysfunction don't put ownership on sickness and dysfunction this is my cancer this is my asthma this is my depression this is my fill in the blank don't do that death and life is in the power of the tongue somebody shall flee somebody shall die ain't me [Applause] some common signs of mental health issues depression right anxiety negative thought patterns negative self-talk there's some of us man we talk to ourselves badly some of us our worst critic is ourselves we are always trashing ourselves I know what this is I noticed to look in the mirror and always have something bad to say I'm the only one there's some of us man we're always talking down to ourselves look at you look at your hair look at your side look at your color look at your education and look at your background man what's going on with you you're never gonna amount to nothing you really think you're gonna overcome this man I'm never gonna do this I'm never gonna accomplish I'm never gonna be some I'm some of us men there's this ongoing negative dialogue all the time playing in the background of our lives like a soundtrack of just negative words all the time and some of that is not the enemy some of that is our own selves some of us I mean signs that were battling mental health fitness is a poor self-image a poor self-image and you can hide it behind makeup and you can hide it behind your hair being done you can hide it behind a haircut and nice clothes but if we would be honest when no one is around some of us have a poor self-image we don't like ourselves and so we overcompensate for what we don't like about ourselves about how we portray ourselves in front of other people like I'm never gonna be above six feet tall now I could try to stand on something in a picture but that don't make any sense and some of us come out and everybody thinks we're well we mask these things so good we shout Amen we sing we mask it so well but no one ever really knows that we have a poor self-image that when we look at ourselves we don't feel good about our own selves other signs of mental health issues is crippling insecurities I've struggled with this right I'm gonna be honest crippling insecurities man they just weigh you down when you keep thinking about your shortcomings or what you wish would have been different or what you wish you could have been born differently with or born in a different place or what you don't like a man made crippling insecurities that keep telling us we're not good enough we don't measure up we'll never be good enough or whatever the case may be and I know we try to overcompensate for that too our struggles with identity is the sign of mental health issues struggles with identity I'm not really sure who I am and so I'm always pretending to be something I'm not because I'm not confident in Who I am you know and some of us you know I just want to speak honest with you for a second if we can just look over our shoulder I mean some of this as a result of our upbringing can we be honest you know the homes we've lived in we've lived in homes where we never heard I love you we've never affirmed nobody ever put their arm around us don't know who my father is was raised in a dysfunctional home you know he's raised in a home that was cold or distant we was not taught anything we was never inspired that we can be anything some of us it's the environments we've been in some of us have been raised in really toxic environments or fear all around us all the time things going in and out of house all the time in and out of the system all the time whatever the case may be environment some of us man from the hood like some of us have come out and firemen to have really done a number on our minds yeah for some of us men it's the negative words of other people can anybody identify with this someone said something to you right and that thing crippled you so deeply hurt you so deeply in your soul that you remember it some incident that happened in your past some of us will still replaying back some season when something happened to us in some season or somebody said something to us like Phillip Anthony Mitchell when you are a junior in high school and a principal I'm sorry a security guard will look you in your face and call you by your last name and say Mitchell you're never gonna amount to Sh I'm filling the rest how do you say that to a kid and notice like I'm in my 30s and I still remember the moment I still remember what she looked like she was dark-skinned and slender with a short haircut smoke man cigarettes in the school walked right up to me and said Mitchell you're never gonna amount to Shi t is what she said to me she looked me in my eyes and told me that that's the scars people some of us have been scarred by the words of others and by the afflictions of others some of us are battling mental issues because of something somebody else did not even my fault not even your fault that we were trusted to the care of somebody who did not love us enough to handle us with care your last boyfriend didn't handle you with care somebody gonna talk to me in this room right your last boyfriend and a handle you with care your last girlfriend and a handy with your parent then a handle you with care some of us was entrusted to the hand of some preacher that is a handle you with care you listen to him too you realize that was false doctrine you've been sitting under for a couple years thank God he sent you to victory we're solid doctrine is preached some of you some minister got you messed up in your mind some church got you all messed up and I don't know why you keep watching this on YouTube we'll keep listening to this on the app and you live in Atlanta why are you still there why don't you just come here next week and join us in person we invite you to come join us and pray I know who you are that you keep sneaking my messages why are you listening to that other man of God and you don't like where you are the Lord has already given you confirmation to leave where you are but you don't want to leave because you're connected to toxic people that don't want you to leave but you keep binge watching and binge listening to these messages that are giving you life I invite you right now watch this word come let me put my arm around you and welcome you to the family of victory and know we're not perfect so don't come here thinking we're perfect we will hurt you too but we are gospel preaching people and we work through all of that with the gospel come some of us are dealing with mental issues because of rejection loneliness abandonment failures mistakes losses hardships medical induce mental issues and satanic ly induced mental issues you know and I want to address this especially because this is really a issue in the black church more than anything so if you black that's like 98% of the room please don't get offended what I'm about to say when it comes to mental issues there's like these two extremes right and and the first one is really something that's very pervasive in the black church and I'm gonna I'm gonna hit it and if you don't like it I'm so sorry right because any time we start talking about somebody got a mental issue or they always depress they always dealing with anxiety they always down they over we always want to come with deliverance we think we think listen there is this extreme that everybody dealing with a mental issue is battling some kind of satanic influence listen black people everything is not a demon [Applause] everything is not a demon okay everything is not a demon and every mental issue is not gonna get prayed away or just fasted away or just I'll just shut up about my CA da da da and it's still there you laid hands on me but I'm still battling with depression [Applause] because some mental issues is not spiritual that's one extreme but the other extreme is some mental issues lissa are clinical and even that can become an extreme right because while some mental issues are clinical I have an imbalance in my body that goes beyond prayer there's some people who are so far to the other side they don't believe in faith they don't believe in God they don't believe in prayer they don't believe that God can help so you have one extreme that says it's all spiritual and nothing clinical can help and then you have the other extreme that says it's all clinical and nothing spiritual can help but what we need is to pull from the spiritual perspective and pull from the clinical perspective black people hollow and bring them together that we will have watch a holistic approach to healing I might need prayer I might need counseling [Applause] I might need somebody to pray over me and shut up by Bob uh see and I might just need watch rest I might need to see my pasta and I might need to go sit in somebody's chair so if we're wise we will watch use both approaches because God gives wisdom to the psychiatrist because God can heal you outside of the church gathering don't think that you have to just be in here to be a made whole God can heal you in a psychiatrist's chair he gives wisdom to men in other areas that he can help some of us you might need a pill for a season how could you say that I remember Paul saying to Timothy Timothy that little issue you got with your stomach take a little wine a ludus for your stomach he didn't tell Timothy pray for his physical body issue he said take something Timothy one of Paul's disciples had a stomach problem and Paul did not pray for him Paul said take a little bit of wine for your stomach issue I don't go left with that but [Applause] nice I'm real unhealthy I'm just gonna I'm gonna finish this whole bottle tonight hey hey I'm not I'm not saying don't go left but Paul when he was talking to Timothy he had an issue he didn't he didn't pray for him he said take something so we want to have watch a holistic approach to mental health by the time I was maybe around 11 or 12 that time I was like 11 or 12 I noticed that I was I would lay down in bed and I and I will always be empty I will always be searching not for God but just for like acceptance affirmation no and I would come out of my house and go out in the street and you know and look for that in the company of men who were highly dysfunctional and I got led into a lot of illegal activity and doing a lot of bad things and always felt bad about it but I would be doing it because I just wanted to be accepted I've robbed people just looking for acceptance broke into homes but guys look like we never get in trouble alone right like doing crazy things that my parents knew man they would be so I had to tell my mother some of this stuff when I was an older man and she just about fell over her chair my mother never knew I handled a pistol or robbed somebody at gunpoint or I was breaking into homes or blowing trees smoking weed blowin trees you are walking up to trees and blowing them you know and and and and oh and all in and I and I just wanted to and I just wanted to be down so bad I wanted to be accepted so bad and then and you know and what Ivan realized there was dysfunctional I was mentally unhealthy it started to show up from the time I was 11 or 12 I carried that all the way into my adulthood you know looking for that in females you know the first female I ever dated man she was she was like caramel right and she had a low nose ring and she was dope and she was sexy and she was like this gorgeous little hood rat right right cuz way in Queens so she's a hood rat but she's like adult hood rat right and and back in them days like dark skin wasn't in this is this like when the light-skinned brothers dominate it right dark skin wasn't in like there was no like like [Applause] like there's no idris elba there is no like so and I arm them I didn't like myself I try to bleach myself one time in a bathroom I still got a scar on my left leg from when I try to bleach myself in a bathroom still there to this day a reminder of my mental unhealthiness because I didn't like the color of my skin all the girls on my block was trying to holla at light-skinned dudes this dis and this little hood rat who was real dope oh she's my first real girlfriend and she made me like myself then find out that she has other people and then because of that hurt I spent the next decade on some change just damaging the lives of females hating female silently right got good game for days but plotting to destroy them get what I want and then bounce on them you can fill in all the blanks for yourself right but all of that was tied to looking for acceptance feeling rejected not liking myself and your dysfunctional ism and I want unhealthiness it just plays itself out in all these other areas of our life you said man why do I keep doing that why am i attracted to this why I keep running here not realities are see needs of unhealthiness that are in us that has never been addressed nobody wants to preach about it and so we never get help we never attack it we never confront it and they just keep playing itself out and all these different why why is she always in a bad relationship she's unhealthy and searching and instead of condemning her we need to lead her to help because once you get healthy your eyes open up you said why am i with you I've been putting up with this for how long that's what happens when you get healthy you start I've been putting up with this for how long and I've been dating you why am i with you why am i dealing with this why am I still thinking this and I battled that for so many years Carrie and listen I carry that all the way watch this because of some of you so spiritual I carried that all the way into salvation so I'm saved and going to churches and trying to keep up with all the other men of God and being in churches and they got their big stories well my father was a big-time pastor and I was preaching from the time I was four and all this other stuff and I'm thinking like what's up with me and I remember going to churches and and uh and and and and it says the guys was wearing suits I'm gonna wear a suit and anything they did I try to do and ever they talk I try to talk and ever they walking and all I was was a chameleon with no identity not realizing that that's still that seed of mental unhealthiness that now went from rejection to affirmation and not playing itself out in an identity crisis but I'm saved yeah you saved and whatever environment I'm in I become a chameleon of that environment I don't know what authenticity is because I'm mentally unhealthy preaching that way leading that way preaching leading pastoring broken and that's why I had to that's why I had to develop a style of preaching that I don't need you amen because if I have to depend on your Amen men that can that that keeps me bound chained to that seed of approval addiction of acceptance that if they say Amen I feel accepted so I taught myself how to teach and not need your Amen to intentionally not feed that part of my mind that was unhealthy but pastor you were saved so Paul wrote to a group of Christians in Rome Oh pastor how could you confess that you say I thought you was all that and a bag of chips you save you can't no mental problems and you say really Paul wrote to a church in Rome Romans chapter 12 verses 1 & 2 therefore I urge you brothers in the view of God's mercy so he's talking about everything from chapters 1 through 11 when he was teaching about salvation and grace and the rescue of Jesus because of all of that he said to offer your bodies 7-3 and talk about your body all for your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God we'll come back to that in sermon 3 this is your spiritual act of worship but he's writing to who Christians people who are what save people or what people are what now watch the next line for all of you who want to judge me because I just confessed to you that I've led with brokenness did you want to judge before you judge me let me bring you into my conversation let me let me get one fit let me get one fifth in this room and bring you on stage with me since you want to judge me do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed he's talking to Christians he's telling them listen you already saved because salvation is just the beginning of a journey of sanctification he says now that you save fill with the Holy Spirit and can speak in tongues but you still messed up in your mind so now I want you to go on a journey of being transformed by the renewing do-over get something else in there by the renewing of your old mind set that you brought with you into the kingdom [Music] and he says only when that happens as you start to become mentally healthy so I'm confused I don't know what the will of God is I don't know what I need to be doing cuz your mind is at war I want to be healthy in my mind so that I can know and test and approve what God's will is is good and pleasing and perfect will so the evidence is I can be saved and still be mentally unhealthy my mind must be renewed and I want you to start today I want you to go on a journey the Hertz shout journey a journey of mental health the word journey imp rise a process of intentionality it begins with awareness acknowledgement and a desire for change there some people will remain mentally healthy because you love your dysfunction you're not gonna change right so I want you go on a journey why should we fight for mental health because your mind is the control center of your life how we think will determine how we live and a damaged mind will rob us of a life quality it will affect our witness for Jesus when our minds are unhealthy listen to me it affects the way we see ourselves the way we see other people the way we see God the way we see life there's this guy like if you read the Bible some of you you've you going through the Bible when you get to like first Kings after you get through some of the other areas that's to put you to sleep when you get the first Kings around first Kings chapter 17 you'll bump into a man named Elisha this is so powerful this is powerful you'll bump into a man named Elisha watch who was watch a prophet of God this is powerful a mighty man of God right a prophet of God doing miracles signs and wonders before Jesus came on the scene right on one instance like this man right he challenged his prophecy said all y'all prophets are bill I want you to come meet me on his mountain named Carmel all four hundred and fifty y'all let's get it on that's what he says and he called down all 400 and he said Astra oh your other four you give me other four hundred eight hundred and fifty yo let's get going he said let's battle he said now all y'all prophets the bill y'all call on bail call on your false god y'all gonna start I'm gonna say here wait for you call on your God and the Bible says from the Sun the Sun came up to the noon they call on a false God they cut themselves they drain blood I'm tellin another bus huh and they call they froze God and he ain't doing nothing and then Elijah says maybe he sleep maybe is on vacation maybe he's resting and Elijah said now let me tell you about Yahweh Elohim the god of fire and he says look he build this altar he says he says look he says your thoughts throw some water on that altar good saturate the whole thing with water he says you had in the book history another book is your he says God Jehovah that they will know you are God like this place up and the Bible says fire sauce from heaven right fire falls from heaven consumes the sacrifice and they like oh snap that dude worship God the real God the God we don't know powerful shall powerful and just a chapter to later a [Applause] woman named Jezebel sends him a message on IG and says you think you all that you kill my prophets by this time tomorrow you're gonna be a dead man and you think that he was sent a message back to like I served the god that's what I would've did like what you tryna you write on my inbox you you troll back like Jezebel try to troll Elijah like what I'm gonna let you up right now on this post right that's what I would've did but that's not what he did something is exposed in his mind the scripture tells us he gets the message and he runs watch runs to a place and sits down under a tree in a trap and he just hides you just call down fire from heaven a woman sends you a threat and you run and hiding but he didn't stop there watch he said watch everybody watch he said god take my life just kill me right now he sunk into such a depression that he just wanted to die did that just happen no he might have already been battling that dysfunctional ISM well in his mind we just get a peek of what was going on in the man of gods head watch and hope a stir we don't want to talk about mental health in church really he was so depressed that God ended his ministry I don't want to pass I'm not ready to deal with my dysfunction okay he was so dysfunctional in his mind so unhealthy read the scriptures God ended his ministry say you know what I I can't even watch you so unhealthy I can't even work with you you saw on your mind is so toxic I can't even use you no more I wonder how many of us are not being used because we refuse to deal with the dysfunctional unhealthy part of us that we have made our pet that lives in our mind [Applause] he was so dysfunctional in his mind so unhealthy I'm gonna help some people today he was so unhealthy in his mind that God said I can't even use you no more look we did you know what your ministry is done there's a brother named Elijah go anoint him I got it I gotta do this over I gotta find somebody else now so I'm not gonna leave you hanging like that because so many of us are mentally unhealthy so I want to begin to land a plane with some hardcore truth because the devil is alive so where does mental health begin for the believer it begins with spiritual help and natural help before we say anything about the natural I want to talk about God's Word I want to talk about the Word of God because the best hope for my mind it's not the wind or the words remember the the words of God man and I love how Paul understood about mental battles and so he wrote to the church in Corinth in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 first for us not in verse 3 he said this he said for though we live in the world we do not wage wars the world does he said although I am a human being and I have issues although I have problems or do I living where I love this scripture get me so amped up I feel my blood racing right now he says the weapons of our fight are not weapons of the world on the contrary stop right here they have divine power to demolish strongholds stop [Applause] I like the word demolish and mean to dismantle it means to destroy it means to tear down and me to deconstruct and means to kick over strongholds and I know some of you come out of churches you think strong rules is in the air so you always pointed me a shout at Devils no he tells you where strongholds on a stronghold is a military word for a garrison a fortress that keeps things from getting in and keeps things from getting out as well as from any place there was a stronghold and protected people from getting in and people get up so where watch wherever there's a stronghold nothing can't come in and nothing can't get out so if there's a stronghold nothing can't come in and nothing can't get out where are the strongholds the next verse for we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every shout that word shout that word shout that word where our strongholds in your mind patterns of thoughts that form Garrison's of fortresses that does not allow stuff to get in and does not allow stuff to get out I've been thinking like this so long I don't want to get out I've been thinking like this so long truth can't get in nah I say the Word of God is gonna demolish some strongholds in here today man I bury myself in the Word of God and I don't fine my mind is crazy open the word somebody says give me the word before you need a doctor you need the word before the pill is the word the Word of God is mighty and powerful and alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword dividing so soit Mero I open it and I find healing I find healing in the word it tells me who I am it tells me what to believe it tells me how to live and it tells me how to walk it tells me about faith it tells me about my identity it tells me how to watch set my mind let the same mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus set your mind on things above and not things beneath be transformed by the renewing of your mind if anything has transformed my dysfunction more than anything else it is just powerful alive document that I hold in my hand call the Word of God it is healing for my mind when my mind and my emotions are mess I bury myself in the Psalms when I feel like I'm ignorant I bury myself in proverbs when I want to know what a good example look like I'll bury myself in the Gospels but I want to understand how to treat other people I put myself in the epistles and when I want to know where I came from I'll bury myself in the Old Testament and when I want to have confidence about the end I'll bury myself in Revelation [Music] somebody shout the word the word the word in the middle of the night the world late at night the water [Music] alliance of myself the word the word will give me rest the word will bring healer the world will help destroy the strongholds the garrisons the 44 patterns that are built up in my mind the unadulterated your undefiled alive and active Word of the Living God Paul says it demolish strongholds as we lead every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ the bad thought comes I grab it and I make it obedient to Jesus the negative thought comes I snatch it I tear it down and I'll make it obedient to Jesus I saw I'm afraid of the devil no the word says greater is He Who is in me that he who is in the world my heart is trouble about the circumstance all things work together for the good of them who love [Music] I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to accomplish this I can do all things gets me [Music] how am I gonna take care of that and my God shall supply all of my needs according to his and he said oh my god I'm nervous God has not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of power [Music] [Applause] do you believe in this word give him seven seconds of radical praise right now [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] somebody put your hand in your head and prophesy [Music] [Music] [Music] you have a sound mind in the name of Jesus I prophesied over somebody right now you are not crazy you have a sound and the name [Music] [Music] yes hallelujah [Applause] [Music] [Music] know somebody you gonna rest tonight you got a sound mind you go rest tonight in the name of Jesus sit down can I get a few more minutes please can i I just I need a few more minutes I'm not gonna leave you hanging like that you can't just tear down stuff and not put something back I can't leave you hanging like that I'll be a bad pastor the same man Paul who wrote tear down strong wolves he also wrote to another church what do you do with your mind he wrote to our church that was battling poverty and issues and problems and had every reason to be stressed out and going crazy in their mind you know what he wrote to them Philippians chapter 4 I love these verses do not be anxious [Applause] how about anything help me Holy Spirit but in some things and the things you choose and only the things that are good and only the things that are right he says listen don't worry he's talking about your mind and don't be anxious about anything don't let keep things bothering your mind he says but in everything washes take the wrestles of your mind watches I'll turn your worries into prayers take the issues of your mind and present them as requests to God and when we do that the promise comes behind that watch when I take the stresses of my mind and watch this I put them in God's hands and only if I trust him then the promise comes behind the prayer I walk away from the prayer saying because he's able then the peace of God that passes all understanding I like this next word will guard your hearts and your in Christ Jesus what do you do after you tear down strongholds every time you tear down a bad foot this is what you should do next finally brothers whatever is true whatever is Noble whatever is right whatever is pure that's not my wife on Instagram and that's not my ministry this is my ministry I say this about myself but truth is God says I'm loved and affirmed and accepted truth whatever is lovely whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think on those things you know what that means that means you get to choose your thoughts and the greatest gift we have or one of not the greatest one of the one of the greatest gifts we have over God's creative order that we have the power to replace any thought with another thought I don't know what animals are thinking about but I know whatever I'm thinking about I have the power to pull it down and replace it with a better thought I could think negatively about myself for half an hour I can say this is what God says about me I can let something scare me for a long time I can say this is you can only be depressed about something but for so long until you start quoting the word saying the word speaking audibly whatever comes out of your mouth you start to believe it in your mind sometimes I start feeling heavy I just thought speaking the Word of God to myself the work of having a healthy mind is the work of prayer and Thanksgiving you know try this I want to courage you next time you feeling heavy just start thanking God for everything you could list God thank you that I can see thank you I can walk thank you that I'm safe thank you I got a house it's not the house that I want but I have someplace to live thank you I got a car not the car that I want thank you I got something to drive thank you God people who love me thank you gotta have clothes thank you how about income thank you I'm in a community where people just start thanking him right prayer petition Thanksgiving audible praise absorbing God's Word targeted thinking deliverance sometimes with them those are the things that help us to think right and if you need something beyond spiritual care some things I just advise and I'll close the sermon with this professional counsel would help with mental health I'm closing this next one I wrote this in my sermon because it's important setting boundaries will help you with mental health boundaries on people I don't hang out with negative people I may know you but you're not gonna be in my circle I will push you out my circle if you're negative I can't be around you fat somebody on my lead team on my staff every time we go into a meeting they always say and what we can't do and we can't do this and I'm gonna I'm gonna get rid of you I can't negative people drain me I can't listen I can't keep a negative person I don't counsel you but can't keep you as a friend you gotta set boundaries on people you gotta set boundaries on information you shouldn't read everything and you shouldn't listen to everything and you shouldn't be on everybody's social media because it makes you feel insecure you keep looking at a house they wipe their cars and that's why you feel the way you feel some people you should just unfollow some of you should just go on a social media fast seven days of no social media and watch how your mind feels better when I go on my sabbatical in June and I stayed for social meeting for a month and always feel better you need to set boundaries on your mind and your gates you shouldn't watch everything Sheena listen everything shouldn't invite everybody and set boundaries will help you to be healthy honoring times of rest and relaxation will help you to be healthy you'll workaholic so why your mind is a mess fill up you got to learn to honor your Sabbath on Monday Philip why are you doing Church work on Monday Philip rest you think you all that and a bag of chips Philip even God rested after he created if he rested what about you no you're stronger than him God rested but you don't need wrestling can I help somebody right now before we leave watch this rest as Holy get some of it [Applause] why don't you tweet that rest a sacred get some of it at Philip a Mitchell another thing that will help you a healthy I'm closing I just want to help you discover and do things that bring you life discover experiment maybe go play golf ride a bike go take a walk in the park go be in nature discover stuff scroll swimming find stuff that makes you feel alive and just start doing and make them hobbies play a video game read a comic book whatever binge watch Netflix but discover things that bring you life and start doing them and a help with your mental health retreats and activities geared towards mental health healing retreats mental retreats I'm closing with this why is this important last statement because where the mind goes the life follows followers of Jesus must give attention big two words to their mental health there's your title for the sermon mental health this week I want to challenge you to do something before I let you go in your V groups in your vehicles V group leaders are you listening to me those groups I'll lead are the groups I gave you under my authority make sure you're leading those souls and those disciples according to what we're doing in God's house this week V group leaders I want you to do something when the curriculum comes I want I want you to sit down and have a conversation about this I want you to think about what you're thinking about and I want to challenge you this week if you're not in a group I want you to slow down thing I want you son said what have I been thinking about if you're so creative I want you to identify destructive thought patterns in your mind maybe write them down like I always think like this I always feel like this I hope identify them start attacking them with the Word of God with natural means virtual means I didn't don't let them hide any longer the devil is alive I'll go sit down in a chair once a month I ain't afraid to tell you that I let somebody just I just talk they just ask me questions I sift through my thoughts maybe sit with some mind you sift through your thoughts think about what you think about identify areas where you have bad thought patterns try to discover why do I think this way where did this come from where did this start what age what can do to overcome this something spiritual something natural maybe I need to go see some help maybe I need some whatever maybe I need to get in a group and be around people who can help me work through this you can't do this alone [Music] want everybody to make a decision today when everyone in this room all my brother hundreds of you all my brother says I want you to make a decision today to join me my life changed when God revealed it was some time back we God begin to reveal all this to me and I was leading and everything and God began to real - I wasn't completely healthy in my mind and I and I set out on a journey of mental health that has radically transformed my life I am healthier now than I've ever been before you want to believe what God says about me more than what I say about me I want to spend time with people who love me and and and I'm positive I just came from a retreat not that long ago in North Carolina that was life transforming I read books that stimulate my mind and the summertime I ride bikes I swim but one of my greatest activities is just being with my family when I leave you I'm going home to be with them don't text me I just want to be with them when Monday's my Sabbath and my wife and I might get up and go get a latte and we go to Starbucks and we just date each other and I try to do things that bring me life the book junkie so I got audible and I just listened to books and read books just keep leading myself into deeper health I think Clara my vision is more focused than it ever has been before I feel all it feels good to be healthy I want to I'm teaching this series because I felt that when I don't want to take this journey alone I love you all so much I said to my wife I said Lena I'm gonna do a series on health because I want to take the church on this journey with me I can't solve your problems in a sermon but I can't bring you awareness and say brothers and sisters take this journey with me this journey of being mentally healthy transform your life somebody said Lord make me healthy we hope this message was a blessing for you and you have a testimony please email us at share at victory Church HCl that arm again thank you for tuning in we look forward to seeing you next week [Music]

Channel: Victory Church

Views: 7,797

Rating: 4.902041 out of 5

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Id: fvYgT1UIgNU

Length: 77min 31sec (4651 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 05 2018