Speaker 1: Welcome to Transformation Church Podcast, where we represent God to
the lost and found for transformation in Christ. We're so
glad you're here and wherever you're listening from, we believe
God will transform your life. Do today's message.
Speaker 2: We're gonna jump into the Word Today's anybody ready for
the Word today?
Speaker 3: All right, let's get cooking.
Speaker 2: If you can open up your bibles to Psalm chapter
number three, Psalm chapter number.
Speaker 3: Three, it's kind of in the middle of your Bible,
kind of sort of.
Speaker 2: We're in week two of a series called Fearless, and
last week was the first week, and we kind of
talked around this idea last week, which is fear is
what happens when your self awareness outpaces your God awareness.
Fears what happens when your self awareness outpaces your God awareness.
And what I mean by that is when you are
thinking more about you, your capacity to handle something, your ability.
Speaker 3: To navigate a situation.
Speaker 2: Oftentimes you will start to experience fear because you're thinking.
Speaker 3: About yourself more than you're thinking about God.
Speaker 2: And this is proven in Man's first experience of fear.
The first time fear is ever mentioned in the Bible
is Genesis chapter number three and Adam says, I was
afraid because I was naked, so I hid. The catch
is Adam and Eve were always naked, but this was
the first time he was thinking more about himself and
what other people thought about him than he was thinking
about God. And when that happens, you start to experience fear.
And I started to go into a rant last week
of all the intense science that I figured out, which
I want to appreciate, there was a couple.
Speaker 3: People who DM me. They're like, we was tracking with you,
We was with you.
Speaker 2: Some of y'all were staring at me with like cross eye.
But it's all right, not as much science this week,
so you can calm down.
Speaker 3: We'll be all right. But science actually proves this theory.
Speaker 2: There's a scientist for the last forty years that has
done work on how your brain experiences two different things,
fear and danger. And to keep it very short for you,
pretty much your body experience is danger and fears, two
completely separate processes. And what that means is your body
process is danger and threat, responds to it and resolves
it before it ever decides if it's afraid. Now, we
experience this all very fast, but in short I'll explain
it to you this way. If a dangerous situation is
happening again, we'll give an example.
Speaker 3: You're in the woods, you see a bear and you're like,
oh my gosh, your body is not afraid.
Speaker 2: First it first goes to amen, we don't mess with bears.
Speaker 3: So it processes, it sends all the signals.
Speaker 2: Your body goes in to fight or flight, whatever, which
one your bent towards.
Speaker 3: But over here is fear. And you have this thing
in your brain.
Speaker 2: I'm not going to bore you with the scientific term,
but it's like a library of fear pretty much.
Speaker 3: And you build this the moment you're born, from how
you're paying parents raise you, from.
Speaker 2: The environment you grow up in, and it's the fear library.
And what your brain does is it sees danger and.
Speaker 3: It says, okay, hold on one second, and it goes to.
Speaker 2: The library and it says, guys, what do we know
about bears? And your brain starts going through the library.
Bears eat you, Yoga a bear, We need to pooh.
Bears eat you. Only you can prevent the forest fire.
Speaker 3: Some of y'all know that.
Speaker 2: But you go and your brain goes to that library
and it comes back and says, yeah, we should be terrified.
You should definitely run, and your body takes off. Now
here's where this comes into play. You experience a dangerous
situation where there's potential layoffs at your job. Your brain
goes to your library, what do we know about provision
and security? Well, your brain, some of you know, well,
we got to provide and we got to make it up.
And if we don't have money, we're nothing. So your
body goes back to and says, hey, if we don't
have money, we're nobody. So we should be terrified. Here's
a beautiful thing about scripture. The Bible says, don't conform
to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
changing the way you think. The science of that is
your brain has neural pathways, and what you can do
is the Holy Spirit will empower you to go to
your fear library and say, Jesus is my provider, regardless
of if I have money. So when I go to
see a dangerous situation about my job, my brain goes to.
Speaker 3: The library and says, oh, that's all right.
Speaker 2: We got Jesus. We're gonna be all right. He's always
taken care of us. He's always provided for us. He's
always been there for us, so we don't have to
be afraid. We get the choice. So this is last week,
Week two. We're gonna take it a little bit further.
So we're gonna read a book, a whole book of
the Bible right now. Not a whole book, sorry, a
whole chapter old chapter, chapter number three of Psalms. It's
only eight verses. For some of you who got terrified,
we also are in church, so what the heck okay?
Psalms chapter number three, starting in the first verse, is
what it says, Oh Lord, I have so many enemies,
So many are against me, so many are saying God
will never rescue him.
Speaker 3: But you, o Lord, are a shield around me.
Speaker 2: You are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me.
From his holy mountain, I lay down and slept, Yet
I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching
over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
who surround me on every side.
Speaker 3: Arise, O Lord, rescue me. My God. Listen to this.
This is a great prayer. This is my type of prayer.
Listen to this.
Speaker 2: Slap all my enemies in the face God. Come on,
everybody ever want a prayer, prayer like that? Come on,
embarrass them in front of their mama.
Speaker 3: God. That's why. Look at this nestord. Shatter their teeth
of the wicked. Come on, they got them fake denters.
Speaker 2: Bust them out they mouth God, look like they got
fourteen front teeth.
Speaker 3: Goodness, couldn't get it the different sizes.
Speaker 2: Okay, you come on, y'all know those people. It's like
I got my teeth done. It's like, no, you got
one tooth multiplied by forty five. We got a whole
mouth of front teeth. Okay, don't mess with me. I'll
cut you down.
Speaker 3: Okay.
Speaker 2: Anyways, first number eight victory comes from you.
Speaker 3: Oh Lord, May you bless your people.
Speaker 2: The title of my sermon today for taking notes is
don't duck the smoke.
Speaker 3: Don't duck the smoke. I ain't ducking no smoke. Lord.
We love you.
Speaker 2: I pray Lord that you would meet us in this moment,
that you allow us to experience your presence and your
peace and change something about who we are, how we think,
and how we see you.
Speaker 3: And Lord, we just love you. It's and g's same.
Speaker 2: We pray and everybody said, amen, guys, I have some
bad news. I found out something pretty tough this week,
and that information is my wife don't think I can fight.
So somebody come up here and fight me right now
so I can.
Speaker 3: I'll show you.
Speaker 2: No. This happened last Sunday, and I'm still working through it.
I got counseling tomorrow.
Speaker 3: And I'm joking.
Speaker 2: But last Sunday, we're out to eat with some of
our friends, Brian Aaron, and we eat and we're walking
out of the restaurant after church on Sunday and I
see we're like walking across the street and I see
across the street and up the way this group of
four young men. They are probably between seventeen twenty years old.
Speaker 3: They all look young. And I can say this because
I know and I was this. I know when people are.
Speaker 2: Looking suspect and doing something they're supposed to be doing,
and that's how they look.
Speaker 3: They had that look on them. So they're walking this
way and I already just flagged him, like what are
they doing? They crazy?
Speaker 2: So we were walking across the street, they're walking this way.
Well then I see them see us, and I'm just like, okay, whatever,
and then I see him turn around and they kind
of start walking back.
Speaker 3: Where we walking.
Speaker 2: I'm like, all right, okay, so we just walking and
then I'm like, we about to turn this corner. And
they ain't got no business turning this corner. If they
turn this corner, I know it's on. That's just how
my brain work.
Speaker 3: So we turn the corner. Guess what these jokers do.
Speaker 2: They turned the corner, so right when they turn out,
just for the end of the story, I didn't fight.
Speaker 3: No kids, calm down, but I would have.
Speaker 2: So we turned the corner and me and Aaron. Aaron
was in the video shout out to Brian. Aaron Aaron
shout out.
Speaker 3: To baby Ace.
Speaker 2: We're walking and me and Aaron immediately under our breath
because this is a group of four guys walking behind
is me and Aaron right here, Abby and bring in
front of us, and we're walking. So I just slowed
down my walk and me and Aaron start talking to
each other. I said, old brother, here we go. He said, Oh,
it's about to get active. I said, absolutely.
Speaker 3: We just it's the type of time we are on.
Speaker 2: Ain't nothing happening yet, but we just like it can
get real active. Oh absolutely, yes, sir. Like, so we're
just walking slowing down. I'm just saying, I ain't look
back yet, but I'm just like, oh, here we go.
Speaker 3: So we walk our cars right here.
Speaker 2: We walked to the car and we both kind of
turn around around.
Speaker 3: I open my door like this, ha.
Speaker 2: I open the door and it's just open and I'm
still looking and they just keep they looking at us,
but they just keep on walking. I'm like, okay, okay,
and when ain't no problem, will be no problem. So
I get in the car. We shut the door and
immediately we start talking. We're all talking and Breed Breed
is crazy, y'all.
Speaker 3: She's like, oh my gosh, you.
Speaker 2: See these guys. I thought we was about to fight.
Oh my goodness, he was about to go damn. And
I'm like, oh, absolutely. Aaron was like always about to
get active up in here. And Aaron's like, Bree, what
do you talk? You don't need to be fighting nobody.
She's like, oh, I clawed her eyes out, just about
to get him like a cat. Meanwhile, which I don't
know what to say about nothing. But Abby's like, what
are y'all talking about? I didn't see nothing. I'm like, yes,
you didn't see anything. There ain't nothing to be seen.
Speaker 3: But me and Aaron start talking about our game plan
if we.
Speaker 2: Would have got jumped in that moment, I'm like, if
they rather have bow they hit Aaron, well, I'm coming
over there. Bang, I take him out, and then I
turn around and I look for the shortest one, just
because I know how I get down, so.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go for him first. Bam.
Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying, jam, cross, slip, upper cut,
and then you know them.
Speaker 3: Then I'm back.
Speaker 2: Aaron has then picked up the second one. Body slammed him,
so he's out. So now it's two on one. Boom
we out of here, and then we get and then
what we do. We call the police for them because
I don't want no issues. The security came, are gonna
catch it? Hey, there were some young men. They tried
some grown men and they found out. So that was
how it went in my head. And it was at
this moment I found out my wife had all four
of my kids. Don't think I can fight.
Speaker 3: She was like, I just don't know. I mean, it's
four of them. What are y'all gonna do? Like, I
just they do this this is what they do. I
was like, first of all, you don't know them. What
do you mean? This is what that? They just walk
around looking for people to fight. You don't ever fight.
Speaker 2: You're drastically underestimating my crazy though. That's what you're underestimating
is my crazy. So but me and Aaron are definitely
people who fall into the category. And honestly, I love
having friends like this.
Speaker 3: And now the truth is we.
Speaker 2: Don't know how much I can fight. I ain't been
in a fight since eighth grade. And if you fighting
as a grown man and it's not your job to
be fighting what you're doing, come on, man, that's ridiculous.
Speaker 3: You fighting people just and you're not getting paid to
fight people. That's insane. So now what I don't know?
Speaker 2: My friend said this, I was like, man, I really
lock in and they take some classes to do something
because what I do, I don't know. I know my
fighting doesn't match how crazy I talk. So that's where
I would get in trouble is because I could verbally
assault you, but there's not necessarily the skill set to
match that intensity. The only places I'm looking for a
fight is in an airport because I know I ain't
nobody got a gun or a knife.
Speaker 3: So I'm like, oh, we can get down in an airport.
It's just me and you.
Speaker 2: It's the stuff that go through my mind. Man, like
that is smart. Yeah, you can take that one right
down down. Only fight in airports. Okay, it's crazy. Don't
fly and you want to ever be able to fly again.
Speaker 3: But there's this term.
Speaker 2: My friend, he'd be saying it all the time. But
it's like, I ain't afraid of no smoke. And now
if you don't know what that is, the smoke is
like if there's a fight, I ain't ducking no smoke,
like I will we can run it right now. And
for me, I generally feel that way, like, no, that
smoke where we at, Let's go, let's run it.
Speaker 3: I don't even know if I can really fight.
Speaker 2: And eighth grade, it was a kid shoved me, bam
hit him in the face.
Speaker 3: The fight was broke up. So is that a fight?
May I hit him?
Speaker 2: He didn't hit me, so we don't know. I counted
as a fight. But I got one strong punch, I
know that. So but here's what I know about smoke.
There's a difference between smoke and a fire and smoke
is not fire and fire is not smoke. Why Because
smoke possesses no power in it of itself.
Speaker 3: You can't even technically fight smoke.
Speaker 2: I mean, think about it like a firefighter if there's
a building that's on fire. When they run into the building,
they see the smoke, but they know the smoke is
not the issue. The smoke is not why I'm here.
The smoke is a little bit dangerous because it can
get inside my lungs and they can get me disoriented
and it can get me a little confused.
Speaker 3: But I'm not worried about the smoke.
Speaker 2: I need to find the fire because the fire is
where the problem is. The fire is where this thing
will keep growing. The fire is what can continue to
hurt you. And here's what I want to talk about
this morning using the analogy of smoking fire, and that
is I believe we have gravely misunderstood the relationship between
anxiety and fear. Now, before I get into it, just
by show if hands. I'm gonna ask you to be vulnerable, humble,
open and transparent. If you have dealt with any type
of anxiety or or feeling anxious about anything, can you
just raise your hand, just come on for a moment.
First thing I want you to do is look around
the room. When you anxious, it convinces you you're crazy.
Look at us, We're all crazy, everybody's But anxiety is
this feeling and worry about like, oh my gosh, what
is this gonna happen? This's gonna happen, And society tells
us that we live in the most anxious time ever.
Speaker 3: There's a book that came out. It was called The
Anxious Generation.
Speaker 2: They labeled a whole gener anxious generation of anxiety that
is plaguing our nation and our world. And I started
thinking about this because the truth is the world isn't
worse off than it was in other times.
Speaker 3: Like we love to whatever generation is current.
Speaker 2: We love to think like this is the worst time
in the world and the world is gonna end, which
is kind of a beef I have sometimes the Christians.
When Christians are like, this is the worst it's ever
been and the world's gonna end, you know, they were like, yeah,
they were feeding Christians to lions back in the day,
and there were wars where they were like grouping up
people and gasing them.
Speaker 3: So I don't maybe, but just calm down. For a second.
But here's the idea.
Speaker 2: The world is not worse, our capacity to handle it
has gotten worse. And there are some things that I
think are leading to our anxiety. And I did a
lot of research this past week. But there are a
couple of things that are super important to understand, which
is our access to information, the increase of our options
and choices. And I wrote it down this last one
to make sure I say it right, is our expectations.
All of these things have increased as time has gone on,
so our access to information. You grew up earlier, long,
long time ago, your tribe, your crew of people was
maybe one hundred people. Maybe that's the only people you knew,
and the only information you knew is what they knew.
And the only thing you were worried about is what
they were worried about. And the only thing you had
to pray about was what they were praying about. The
only thing you had to worry about was what they
were with. Now you can wake up on your phone
and see any and everything everywhere, And if my take
is beautiful as that is, I don't know if our
brains bodies in chemistry was set up to have access
to that much information. Our information has increased, our choices
have increased.
Speaker 3: When you grew up, it's like what job am I
gonna have? You gonna have the job your daddy have?
This is gonna do.
Speaker 2: Our name is Smith, We are black Smith's. That's how
it worried with Smith. We hit metal as what you did.
So now you have more options, you have more choices,
and somehow we think these more choices would make it easier.
Speaker 3: It makes it way more difficult because you have decision.
Speaker 2: Fatigued, so you're overwhelmed and you're anxious about it. While
all these things have gone up, our connection to community
has gone down, our resilience has gone down, and our
shared purpose has all gone down, leading to a bunch
of smoke. Here's the point for today's message that I
think will help a lot of you. Anxiety is the
smoke to the fire of fear. Anxiety is the smoke
to the fire of fear.
Speaker 3: Here's what I mean by that.
Speaker 2: If you are dealing with anxiety, I want you to know,
first off, it's valid, and it's a really big deal.
It's a really big deal, and you have to deal
with it. You have to address it because here's the
interesting fact, I found out seventy five percent of people
who die in a fire, they don't die from fire,
they die from the smoke. They die from breathing that
in the same way people are dying from anxiety because
it distorts your reality.
Speaker 3: It gets in your lugs and has you thinking different.
You can't see where.
Speaker 2: You really are, you don't know what's really going on,
and it balloons.
Speaker 3: Into this thing.
Speaker 2: And at the same time, you need to know that
anxiety is the smoke.
Speaker 3: It's not the fire. It's not the actual thing.
Speaker 2: And I can talk about this because I've dealt with anxiety,
and sometimes when you fight in anxiety, it feels like
you fight in smoke. A firefighter doesn't run into a
burning building and pour water on smoke. That doesn't do anything.
You can't contain the smoke. What you have to do
is you don't fight smoke. You follow smoke. I'm trying
to help you.
Speaker 3: You do not fight it. You have to follow it.
Speaker 2: Why because if I follow smoke, it'll lead me to
the actual issue. And what I want to present to
everybody this morning is your anxiety is not the issue.
Speaker 3: There is a deeper fear that is the actual issue.
Speaker 2: But if you spend your whole life fighting that thought,
you won't find the real fear. And underneath every anxious
thought you have, there's a fear. There's a fear there.
There's something you're worried about, something you're concerned about, a
legitimate fear, a real fear, something that is taking you out.
And I'll present to you if you've ever felt anxious
in your life, if you deal with anxiety at all.
I'm not saying it's not valid. I'm not saying it's important.
What I am saying is if you spend your whole
life trying to fight that thing, you won't find the
real thing.
Speaker 3: And the real thing is there's some fear under there.
Speaker 2: Now, before we get into this idea, we have to
look at our scripture.
Speaker 3: Here.
Speaker 2: Psalms, chapter three, David finds himself in a very anxious
and fearful place. Here's the context. His son has raised
up a who to overthrow him as king, and he's
on the run. Talk about a bad father's day, just terrible.
He sounds like, I'm gonna kill you, take a kingdom.
You're a terrible father. So he's on the run. He's terrified,
and the scripture this is where we can kind of
peer into his life. I want to read this. You
can throw that back on the screen. Verse number one
of Psalm chapter three. It says at first he starts
off and he says, I have so look at this,
Oh Lord, I have so many enemies and so many
are against me.
Speaker 3: So this is the anxiety part of it.
Speaker 2: He's nervous because there's so many people, and there's so many.
Speaker 3: And that's how anxiety language works.
Speaker 2: It works like everything's going wrong and I can't trust anybody,
and I'm worried about what job am I gonna get.
Speaker 3: And there's no and it balloons to this big thing.
Speaker 2: But I want to show you something he presents under
this anxiety is the actual fear. So many are saying
God will never rescue him. Then let me give you insight.
This is not just people saying, oh, he's gonna get
hurt and his son's trying to come against him and
he's gonna die. No, if you look at the Orich language,
what people are saying is the same thing they said
about Saul. If you go back and read the Bible,
there was a king named Saul. He was the first king.
He was an amazing king. And then the Bible says
that the spirit of God left Saul and there was
no salvation for Saul, meaning the spirit of God was
not with him. What people are saying about David now
is maybe what happened to Saul is happening to him.
Maybe God's not with him anymore. Maybe he's not that
special shepherd boy anymore. Maybe that oil really didn't mean anything.
Maybe he slayed Goliath, but that was just happenstance. And
here's what David is dealing with. He's dealing with the
reality of if I'm not king, who am I? Not
only if I'm not king, but if I'm not a
good dad because my son. He's dealing with the conflict
and the fear of losing all the basis of where
we find value. And whether you looking at David or not,
or you think you do this or not, we all
find value in the titles we carry.
Speaker 3: And it's because we have a fear of not being seen.
Speaker 2: We have a fear of our worth, we have a
fear of our value. So if I'm CEO, or I'm
some sort of c suite, or if I'm some sort
of I have this Many fathers we find value in that.
But what happens when we start taking your titles? What
happens when people don't acknowledge your titles? What happens when
you work super hard, you get the degree, you go
to the work, you're the most qualified for the new job,
and they don't give it to you. Well, then you start.
That's the real fear. The anxiety is the front. The
smoke is I don't need that, I don't care, I
don't want it anyways. The truth is you really did
want it because you've been searching for a little kid
to find out who you were, and you found out
you got applauded when you succeeded.
Speaker 3: So you made a vow that served you when you
were eight.
Speaker 2: But now you're thirty eight and you're still fighting, still
struggling smoke because you haven't identified. What are you actually
afraid of? What happens if you don't get that job,
What happens if you're still single? What happens if it
doesn't go your way? What happens if the business doesn't work?
Speaker 3: See you?
Speaker 2: He come to church and the primary promise is, Oh,
you ain't gotta worry about that, because God's gonna make
it all.
Speaker 3: Work, and it's gonna go exactly according to plan. That's
where we hope happens.
Speaker 2: Then you go out into your life that doesn't go
that way, and this is what you struggle with.
Speaker 3: Oh God must not be who he said he was.
Speaker 2: This is why people deconstruct their faith, because people promise themseling.
Speaker 3: Well, you get God. He's gonna work it all out.
Speaker 2: He works all things together for the good of those
who love him, a call according to his purpose.
Speaker 3: Here's my thing with this.
Speaker 2: Okay'm gonna I'm gonna produce you to a Bible reading idea.
Speaker 3: This is gonna help you. This is a little sidebar theology.
Speaker 2: Put your thinking caps on. Remember when I said that
last week? Everybody, right now, do this.
Speaker 3: Do this. Put your hand out like this. Put your
thinking cap on.
Speaker 2: I ain't gonna make it where it dress of the server,
but just for two minutes, put your thinking cap on.
Speaker 3: Okay, here's the core idea. When you're reading your Bible.
Speaker 2: The Bible cannot primarily mean to you what it did
not first mean to the people who first heard it.
It can't mean to you something that it didn't first
mean to them. All right, track with me. This is
what we do in a Bible study. Tell me if
this ever been you, It's been me a million times.
Speaker 3: So this ain't truck question.
Speaker 2: But if you're in a Bible study, you reading the Bible,
you read a scripture, and then there's this question that
is asked. I want us to go on a circle
and each person tell me what is that scripture? I
don't care what it.
Speaker 3: Means to you?
Speaker 2: Now let me let me let me see that that
shock failure. You're like, because what if it mean to you?
Speaker 3: What it don't mean?
Speaker 2: What it didn't mean to them? Now track with me.
Were about to take thing caps off?
Speaker 3: But here we go. That logic, what does it mean
to me?
Speaker 2: Is the same logic that had people enslaving people, killing
people and murdering people with the Bible. Because that's what
it meant to me. So I use this book and
I say, oh, this is what it really means, and
this is how you really What it really means is
certain people aren't important as other people.
Speaker 3: What it really means is we have to get rid
of the Jews. What it really means.
Speaker 2: All these same logics that we use in our small
group is a dangerous slippery slope The goal is not
to find out what it means to you. I gotta
know what the person when they was writing it, what did.
Speaker 3: They mean to the people they.
Speaker 2: Was talking to, And in light of that I can
draw some meaning. Okay, look, you can take your thinking
cap salt, look at that. Just throw it the throw
it under your seat. You ain't gonna need to the
rest of the service.
Speaker 3: But this is important that you understand this because you
can get in some dangerous space.
Speaker 2: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthen me.
And to me that really means, you know, no matter
how many people I have sex with, God good will
always redeem and he'll make all my baby mamas get
along together because He's given me the strength and I
can do all things. Charles, that is so ridiculous. That's
what you do, just with other stuff. Here's a funny one.
Here's a funny one. Now, this one's gonna get dangerous
becausebody are like, yeah, get him. I'm gonna say this one.
You'll be like, well, I hate this guy, the equal
opportunity offender.
Speaker 3: So uh, we say things like this. There's an old scripture.
There's scripture and says.
Speaker 2: And he and you will receive power when the Holy
goost comes upon you. And that word the original language
is dunamous, like the word dynamite, and we like to say, oh,
God's gonna give you a dynamite power.
Speaker 3: Guess what.
Speaker 2: They didn't have dynamite when they wrote that, so they
weren't thinking about dynamite.
Speaker 3: So I'm not saying you.
Speaker 2: Can't draw that inference and connected linguistically. But what I
am saying is when they thought of the Holy Spirit,
they weren't thinking blow it up. They would, they would,
it didn't exist. You try to see see that. That's
how I know offended because somebody'll didnt laugh is loud
than the second one.
Speaker 3: Okay, we're good. So here's the idea.
Speaker 2: It can't primarily mean to you what it didn't mean
to them originally. So when we talk about anxiety, if
you study the Old Testament, a word for word translation
of anxiety does not show up in the Old Testament.
It does show up in the New Testament. In the
Old Testament it's alluded to a ton. David uses tons
of language that shows that he's dealing with anxiety. But
we get to the New Testament and Jesus talks about it.
He says, you don't have to be anxious because your
father knows what you need.
Speaker 3: Paul speaks to it.
Speaker 2: Don't be anxious about anything. Instead, pray about everything. But
here's the idea.
Speaker 3: This is why we have to use this tool that
we just talked about.
Speaker 2: When we read the scriptures, because when we hear anxiety,
we think of something specific.
Speaker 3: It's not bad.
Speaker 2: But to get an understanding of the scriptures, you need
to understand what were they thinking when they heard this.
So when they hear anxiety in a New Testament time,
they are not thinking what's wrong with my body or
my brain.
Speaker 3: They thought what's wrong with my heart? Because the word the.
Speaker 2: Greek word that is used when the word anxiety shows
up in scripture is a divided and torn apart heart
because of divided loyalty and fear. The word picture is
being in a war and your allegiance is to both armies.
The word picture is two horses runs this way, tied
a rope, running that way. The other one ties he
rope and runs that way. So when they think about anxiety,
they're not thinking, oh gosh, I'm nervous and my body's shaking.
They're thinking something's wrong in my heart, I trust two
different people, because the only way I would be worried
is if my trust is with me and with God
with me, and the business owner with men.
Speaker 3: And so they go to their heart first. What is
it saying.
Speaker 2: It's saying if you are anxious? Is I'm not saying
that something can't be wrong in your body? One hundred percent?
Speaker 3: There is.
Speaker 2: But it all tracks back. That's all the smoke. Where
it comes back to as a man thinks in his heart.
I promise you I can connect this book.
Speaker 3: As a man thinks in his heart, so is he?
Speaker 2: It all tracks back to the loyalty and divided fear
of your heart. And it's questions like this, in our heart?
Am I the provider? Or is God the provider? Does
my family make me secure? Or does God make me secure?
Are these my kids or are these God's kids? Do
I get my value from what they think about me?
Or what God thinks about me?
Speaker 3: All that in your heart? It shows up on the
outside as anxiety.
Speaker 2: But you gotta go back and figure out what's the
what's the What am I really afraid of? What am
I actually worried about? I'm not saying it didn't start
out here, but it shows up on the inside.
Speaker 3: I want to I wanna illustrate it this way.
Speaker 2: I have this little piece of string here and this
is gonna represent anxiety.
Speaker 3: This is how anxiety works.
Speaker 2: So anxiety start with a real regular moment, you know,
like you bet, you bet. You be at work and
it's like, you know, maybe it's Monday, and the ball
come up to you. It's like, hey, can I can
I meet with you? And you're like, yeah, sure, when
you want to meet, let's let's do Friday at four
forty five. For Friday at four forty five, okay, and
you just that was weird. Why do you want to
meet Friday at four forty five? It's probably nothing. It
probably ain't gonna mean nothing, but maybe well maybe I
did hear so, and so it's losing their job.
Speaker 3: That's weird. It's probably nothing, but what if what if
I do lose my job? And what you mind?
Speaker 2: If I get through it's all right, let me see,
it's just just hold on. Yeah, it's probably nothing. But
then but if I do lose my job, I ain't.
I ain't going to it's cool for nothing else, all right?
And then the bills is tight and I can't. There's
probably nothing. No, it's not that's nothing. Ain't got to worrybout.
I ain't got worry about. Ain't worry about. And then
you get home and you're it's time for dinner and
your kids are out, so you text them, Hey, where
you all at?
Speaker 3: And they don't answer the phone. What in the world?
Speaker 2: It's probably nothing, they're okay? But what if they're not okay?
And what if I wonder where they're at. I didn't
like that group of friends that had last time. It
felt weird. I just didn't. I didn't trust it. But
I didn't say nothing because I was trying to be
I was trying to be calm.
Speaker 3: I was trying to be cool. I was trying to
be okay, Okay.
Speaker 2: It's probably nothing. That's probably nothing. There's probably nothing. And
then the doctor called and they say, hey, we got
the report back from your test.
Speaker 3: Could you come in? What do I need to come
in for? He's there's probably nothing, it's probably nothing. There's
probably nothing. It's not a big deal.
Speaker 2: It's not a big deal. But what if what if
it is a big deal? What if I'm not okay?
What if I lose my spouse then and if I
lose my spouse and I lose my job, and then
how am I gonna raise these kids? And I can't
raise these kids by myself. I didn't have nobody and
I didn't have nobody there for me, and I didn't
know what I was gonna do. And so okay, no, no,
it's gonna be fine. It's gonna be fine.
Speaker 3: It's gonna be fine. Okay, Okay, I got church on Sunday.
I got church on Sunday. Who okay, h.
Speaker 2: Y don't matter if I get through because I like
to sit up close for worship.
Speaker 3: So I'm just excuse me.
Speaker 2: And I still got my anxiety and I just hide
it underneath all my nights clothes.
Speaker 3: But the truth is, last week the power went out,
and what the power going out for? Weird? And you
find yourself had a place.
Speaker 2: It's kind of just everywhere, And this is how you
get anxious about stuff that you weren't even thinking about
because it went past you.
Speaker 3: It's a lot of people's social media, life is great,
life is good. Well, then you see you on Instagram,
maybe life ain't that good and maybe you do need
to be worried. If we thought about this, what's really
going on over there? Do we know what's happened?
Speaker 2: Does anybody know what's happening? And now you got people
that are having to adjust and they're worried, and your
kids are afraid, and now your family's afraid, and now
the church is afraid. And pastors get up on stage
with this and they spend their circle around you and
stuff you was never worried about. Now you're thinking, well,
maybe I'm not reading my Bible enoughing, maybe I'm not
Christian enough, and maybe I didn't raise my kids good enough,
and maybe God is gonna leave me, and maybe and maybe,
and you find yourself.
Speaker 3: And here's what I've.
Speaker 2: Realized about anxiety is we will spend these circles our
whole life.
Speaker 3: But what you gotta do is is what the firefighters do.
Speaker 2: Is my beef is not with all this string, but
I do have to follow it back. So if I
want to find the fire, I don't fight the smoke
I put. Okay, let me see where did What was
I thinking about when I got what was that hold on?
Speaker 3: Hold on? No it was the kids? Well no, it
wasn't the kids. It was hold on.
Speaker 2: I was worried about the kids, and then I was
worried about my job, and then I started thinking about
the family, and then I started thinking about, Oh, I
ain't gonna make y'all get up, don't worry about it.
Speaker 3: And then I.
Speaker 2: Started thinking about, Okay, hold on, hold on, hold on,
I think. And this is why counseling gets tired. Is
why some of y'all elect not to deal with your
emotion because.
Speaker 3: This feels exhausting. It be easier to just act like
it didn't happen.
Speaker 2: It be easier just to escape it, be easier just
to doom scroll, it be easier to just ignore it.
But if you want to find where your anxiety is
coming from, you gotta follow that thing. And I don't
care how long it takes you. I don't know how
care how frustrating it is. You got to track it
down because I promise you if you will follow it
long enough. And this is why you need friends in
your life. That says, when did you see my attitude change?
When did I start acting different? When did I get snappy?
When did I get short? Well, it kind of happened
when that disappointment in your job happened, and I noticed
that you stopped talking and said.
Speaker 3: Don't worry. I'm not gonna make y'all get up and
then you because if you will follow the smoke long enough,
it will lead you to the actual fire.
Speaker 2: And when you find the fire, then you can fight
the actual fire instead of out here running around dealing
with stuff that you can't change.
Speaker 3: Anyway, that's the lie about anxiety. Anxiety thinks tells you
that worrying about it is changing it.
Speaker 2: Worrying about it can't change it, can't do anything about it.
And honestly, you're worried about stuff you can't control. You
wasn't controlling and you.
Speaker 3: Won't be able to control.
Speaker 2: But what you can control is you can sit down
next to this fire and you realize, Oh, the real
thing is I'm afraid my kids are gonna make mistakes
I made.
Speaker 3: So that's why I control.
Speaker 2: Them, and that's why I scream at them, and that's
why I over correct them, and that's why I talk
to them like they're twenty five when they're five, because
I'm terrified they're gonna have the same life I did.
And I moved us out of that state, and I
moved us out of that neighborhood, and I moved this
way to that so they wouldn't have that, And somehow
those habits have landed right back in this child, and
I don't know what to do. That's why you're running around.
Let's talk about that. Let's bring that to the altar.
But we like to come to the altar and just say,
just you know, I.
Speaker 3: Just see you could just pray for me. Well, what
is it? It's just some things. I'm not mad at you.
I'm just saying there's a real fire we can deal with.
There's something you're actually afraid of.
Speaker 2: The real fire is you're afraid that there's something fundamentally
broken in you.
Speaker 3: That's why you're still single. Something I have the missing.
Speaker 2: Piece from the puzzle, and everybody else sings that, but
I don't have it.
Speaker 3: I guess I'm just unlovable. That's what you really feel.
You're not mad. All men aren't bad. You're not mad
at the dating apps. You're not mad. It's none of that.
We can talk about that. I'm not saying it's not real.
I'm not saying you don't have some bad experiences. What
I am saying is because your dad wasn't there, you
feel like no man is ever gonna be there. That's
what you're actually afraid of. Let's let's fight that fire.
Speaker 2: And this is where I want to make a deviation
from traditional firefighters, because there's a saying that says you
can't fight fire with fire, but that's not how it
works in the Kingdom. The only way to fight fire
is with fire. The only way to get rid of
the fire of fear is to get a better fire.
And let me tell you the best thing about this fire,
it ain't got no smoke. Ask Moses because he walks
up to a burning bush and it's on fire, but
it's not being consumed. And the only reason you got
smoke is because something being burnt up.
Speaker 3: But the fire of God, when nothing gets.
Speaker 2: On the inside of you, when you get the fire
of God that knows who you are, when you get
the fire of God that knows God chose you before
you did anything, When you get the fire of God
that says God will protect me. If I make my
bed at the heights, or if I find myself in
the pit of hell, he will be there for me.
And I came to encourage some people that you can
make a decision today that.
Speaker 3: I'm finding a better fire.
Speaker 2: It is the only reason the early Church made a
difference because it had a better fire. It had a
fire that had them in jail bragging about it. It
had a fire that had them be chased down, and
they weren't worried a different fire. And the only way
the Church is going to make the difference it was
supposed to is if we find a better fire, fire
that purifies, the fire that leads, a fire that protects.
Speaker 3: See.
Speaker 2: Our problem is in Christianity we think the devil owns fire.
I say, oh, it's fiery. You think, oh, something bad
to happen. I'm going through a burning season, or the Devil's.
Speaker 3: Gonna get me.
Speaker 2: Oh no, no, you read this book. You'll find out
real quick who owns fire. Elijah calls down fire from heaven.
He owns fire. Moses saw fire in a burning bush.
It was God, the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire fell
on the early Church, and then you began to speak
in a different language that was empowering them. Trust me, friend,
you ain't gotta be worried about fire because our God
owns fire. And they'll put that fire on the inside
of you. That'll have you walking in a boldness and
walking in confidence and knowing.
Speaker 3: Who you are. So what I'm saying is you ain't
got a duck the smoke some of you.
Speaker 2: Anxiety has tried to punk you, and I know that feeling.
I know the feeling. They'll have you running in circles
about stuff that's never happened. And that's what's even worse
about anxiety is because it's you out here fighting a
battle that hasn't even happened yet.
Speaker 3: Prepared. Well, what if they say this and then I
say that, and then they.
Speaker 2: Leave me that didn't happen, that doesn't happened yet. But
let's go back to the what are you actually afraid of?
Let's talk about that. What are you actually missing out on?
Let's talk about that. I want to read you a
scripture if they give me a moment. It's in the
Book of Hebrews, and this is what the Bible says.
Speaker 3: Let me find it. I'm just off in this book
right now.
Speaker 2: It says, as you endure a divine discipline, remember that
God is treating you as his own child.
Speaker 3: For whoever heard of a child that was never disciplined.
Speaker 2: If God doesn't discipline you, you're not as children for
our earthly fathers discipline us for a few times, just
doing the best they know how, but God disciplines us
in the best way.
Speaker 3: No discipline is enjoyable.
Speaker 2: It's painful, but afterwards there will be a peaceful Harvard
of right living right here. So take a new grip
with your tired hands. Strengthen your weak knees. Mark out
a straight path for your feet, so that those who
are weak and laying will not fall but become strong.
Here's all I want to say. It's just take a
new grip. So we've been so anxious. You've got a
decision to make, and you've been so worried, like, oh gosh,
what if I make the wrong one? What if I
do the wrong thing? What if it's not enough, what
if I'm not enough. Let's just let's just take a
deep breath. Let's follow the smoke. What's the actual fear,
and let's give that to God. Let's give our actual
fear to God. I wrote up this thing, and we'll
close with this I wrote up. I just titled it
the smoke prayer. Smoke prayer. Could you throw that up
for me, just the whole thing. I don't have it
in my notes, but I think they'll have it up there.
But the idea of this is, if you're trying to
follow the smoke, if you're trying to if you're trying
to deal with some of that, I want to give
you a template. And it's not no new template. It's
a structure of the Lord's prayer, but in a different way.
This is kind of a prayer you can pray yourself
through when you're trying to figure out what's really going on.
Speaker 3: Here's how the prayer starts. Here's how all the prayers starts.
Speaker 2: Father, It's how the Lord's prayer starts. That context is important.
Now depending on your experience.
Speaker 3: Especially on a Father's Day, that feels it. But let
me tell you this is a good.
Speaker 2: Father, a father you can trust, a father who has
what you need, a father who's waiting to listen to you.
Speaker 3: He wants to hear from you.
Speaker 2: So you start off understanding, there's this language in the
New Testament abba. That word abba is like the cries
a kid makes when it's learning to say the word dad. Now,
I don't ever be ripping daddy God in prayers.
Speaker 3: There's a little too much for me. But that is.
Speaker 2: That is a closer parallel but it's it's it's like
a kid babbling. When a kid's trying to say that.
That that of a two year old. That's what our abbah?
And what does that do? It positions you as a child.
You don't come to God as.
Speaker 3: A grown adult talking about Hey God. Then my son
will do this. So sometimes he'll just put on this.
Speaker 2: Deep voice, Hey dad, Uh, it's kinda when.
Speaker 3: You come as a child. So it starts with father,
and then tell him how you really feeling. I am mad.
I'm so frustrated that this happened. I can't stand these
people at my job. They are getting on my last nerve.
Speaker 2: I feel frustrated, and to be truthful, I feel a
little disappointed because I felt like you told me you
were gonna get me a better job than this, And
I'm frustrated. And let me tell you, God can handle
your feelings. Just because your parents can't, just because your friends.
Speaker 3: Can't, doesn't mean God and you are not too much
for God. He can handle it. Tell him how you feel.
Speaker 2: But once you get through those feelings, I need you
to figure out what's your actual fear. What are you
really afraid of? What's actually going on? And this is
not because God doesn't know. It's because you need to know.
You need to know. I'm actually afraid that I'm not
good enough. I'm afraid that no matter what I do,
this is a core.
Speaker 3: This would be my core. Fore you, if I go.
Speaker 2: Through my prayers, it would show up as God, I'm mad,
I'm frustrated, blah.
Speaker 3: Blah blah blah.
Speaker 2: But truthfully, I'm afraid that no matter how good I get,
it won't be good enough. And it doesn't matter how
much I practice, It doesn't matter how much I know.
It doesn't matter how good I've been before. I just
don't know if. And then you gotta dea.
Speaker 3: Where is it? Where's Where's the lie? I put false
just for the FS, just to you know, keep it
put lie. Oh.
Speaker 2: The lie is is that my performance determines my value.
Speaker 3: That's the lie.
Speaker 2: The lie is the opinions of others determine your importance.
The lie is if you have enough money, you'll have peace.
The lie is that in a different season you'll have
more space to really prioritize your family.
Speaker 3: And just right, no, no, no, no, that's not the truth.
The truth is, and we gotta get to the truth.
Speaker 2: Because usually I know the truth, and the truth sty'll
set you free. So you gotta go, and you gotta
replace God. Although I feel frustrated and I am afraid
that I am not enough, I have recognized that the
truth is My value is not in what I do.
But before before I was even born, you chose me,
you called me, you equipped me.
Speaker 3: So I thank you that I have exactly.
Speaker 2: What I need when I need it, and if I
ain't got it, that means I don't need it.
Speaker 3: So I choose to put.
Speaker 2: My trust in you because you've never let me down,
because you've always been there. Because you're the one who
gave me this job, and you're the one who gave
me these kids, and you're the one who put breath
in my body, and you're the one sustaining this country,
and you're the one sustaining this church. God, I remind
myself that.
Speaker 3: You are God and I am not.
Speaker 2: That's why the scripture says, don't be anxious for anything,
but instead pray about everything.
Speaker 3: Standing all over this.
Speaker 2: Room, I'm gonna read you that scripture he just quoted,
but with a little more context. Don't be anxious of
Philippians four, chapter six. Don't be anxious about anything, staid,
pray about everything, tell God what you need, thank him
for all He's done. And then here's the most beautiful
promise in the world. It doesn't say then He'll fix it.
That's not what the Bible says. It says, then you'll
experience God's peace, which exceeds anything you can understand. The
goal of you know, the goal of prayer ain't to
get an answer. Is to get peace. That is the answer.
The goal is not God do this for me. That's
a genie. God's not a genie. The goal is I
go to you because I need to be reminded I'm
not in control. And I get anxious when I think
I'm in control. I get fearful when I think I'm
in control. But when I go to You in prayer,
I remind myself, Oh, I can have peace because God's
in control.
Speaker 3: Would you close your eyes and by your ads.
Speaker 2: I want to take a moment and pray for everybody.
Dear God, you see your children. And the truth is
some of us have been running around so anxious, so
worried about the future, worried about things we can't control,
asking questions that it seems nobody has the answers to
but God, right now, we come to you as our father,
and we want to bring you our real fears, the
things it's hard to even talk about.
Speaker 3: The things it's hard to even say. But I think
you can handle it. I pray for every person under
the same out of my.
Speaker 2: Voice that has been dealing with anxiety in any way,
and I speak your truth that that smoke will not
kill you.
Speaker 3: You will live.
Speaker 2: I pray you would find peace that transcends your understanding.
Peace to trust God with your future, Peace, to trust
God with your children. Peace, to trust God with your
provision and your job. Peace, to trust God with every step.
Speaker 3: In front of you.
Speaker 2: God, we lay all these things down at your feet.
Every head, bow to every eye close. If you're in
this room and you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your
Lord and savior, you've never given up control, It's the
best decision you could ever make. It's not an easy
choice because it means you're not in the driver's seat,
but it is the best choice. In just a moment,
I want to count to three, and if you want
to accept Jesus as your Lord and savior, I'm gonna
ask you to do something that takes a lot of bravery,
It takes a lot of courage.
Speaker 3: Might ask you to lift your hand, It's just.
Speaker 2: You acknowledging on the outside what God's doing on the
inside of your heart. If you want to accept Jesus
as your Lord and savior, the Bible tells us that
Jesus lived the perfect life we could not. He did
what we could not so that we could become what
we couldn't without him. If you've been looking for a
better way to live, a better way to think, a
better way to exist, Jesus is that answer. He's everything
you've been looking for. I promise if you want to
accept Jesus as your lord and say, if you're one,
he loves you.
Speaker 3: Two. Today is the day of salvation. Do not wait
another moment.
Speaker 2: Three, All around this room and online, lift your hand,
lift your hand, lift your hand, lift your hand. So
proud of you, so proud of so many people making
this choice. I got your sister, I got your brother.
So proud of you, so proud of you. Hey, listen altogether,
as a family. I got you up there. I see
you together as a family. I want everybody out loud
in this room and online to pray this prayer together,
everybody together, say, Dear God, I admit I've made mistakes.
I need you to save me. I need you to
change me. I need you to make me new. It's
in Jesus name, I pray. Amen, Amen, Amen. Hey, can
we celebrate people who just decided to follow Jesus. Hey,
if you just prayed that prayer, We're so proud of you,
so grateful for you.
Speaker 3: It's a big deal. If you text the word saved
to the number that's on the.
Speaker 2: Screen eight two eight two eight two, we'll put some
resources in your hand. We've also got a team of
some of the most loving and kind people that are
directly right here in the back of the room.
Speaker 3: There's a sign that says that you've decide to follow Jesus.
Speaker 2: They'd love to just give you a gift, pray for you,
encourage you. Sometimes it can feel like, oh gosh, what
do I do now? These people are here to help you.
But I know it's gonna be the best decision you've
ever made. Hey, listen, we're gonna get out of here.
Our worship team is going to continue to worship. If
you need to continue to worship, feel free to stay
in this atmosphere. If you need prayer for anything, our
prayer team would love to pray with you, but I'm
gonna pray over your week that God would be with.
Speaker 3: You and that you would walk in peace.
Speaker 2: Lord God, we thank you for who you are, thank
you for your love, for your mercy. I thank you
that this week we walk in a peace that goes
beyond our understanding. And I thank you that the fire
of God would live on the inside of us, that
we would walk this week with boldness, with courage, and
with discernment to know who You've called us to be. God,
we love you, We thank you. It's in the beautiful
name of Jesus we pray. And everybody said, Amen, Amen,
We love you so much.