LIVING IN THE GLORY OF THE LORD
MENTAL WELL BEING
Revelation 3:20
We are complicated people with complicated lives.
Each of us is unique with unique issues. Our mental
well-fare
is put to test every day.
It is not one issue, but a series of issues. It's not
one problem, but a series of problems.
It is not one solution we need but many solutions. It is
not one mountain, but a series of mountains.
Trying to handle all the issues and problems of our
lives can weigh on us
down.
I know a man who is willing and able to keep us in
mental stability
That man is Jesus.
Revelation 3:20-22
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and
he with me.
21 To him who overcomes, I
will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat
down with my Father on his throne.
NIV
Kathy Caprino of Forbes
magazine surveyed 770 people
With the question;
"If you
could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?"
Eight of the
most often answers are listed below
1: Happiness
2: Money
3: Freedom
4: Peace
5: Joy
6: Balance
7: Fulfillment
8: Confidence
All of these affect our
mental well-being.
We eliminate
the frustrations of life when we change our focus from what we want to what God
wants.
Mental
instability exists in our human desires. Mental well being exist in our holy
desires
HOLY
DESIRE
What is your
desire this evening? Is it set upon heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the
high doctrine of eternal love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion
with God? Do you aspire to know the heights, depths, lengths, and breadths?
Then you must draw near to Jesus.
Charles Spurgeon
1. You must
get a clear sight of Jesus in His preciousness and completeness:
2. You must
view Him in His work, in His offices, in His person.
His Works the Cross
His Office The Right Hand Of The Father
His person The Son Of God
His Power All Power
His Knowledge All Knowledge
His Presence Everywhere all the time
He who
understands Christ receives an anointing from the Holy One, by which He knows
all things. Christ is the great master-key of all the chambers of God:
Psalms
111:10-112:1
10 The fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who
follow his precepts have a good understanding.
To him
belongs eternal praise.
Let's look
at the desires of life from a Holy perspective.
No. 1: Happiness
Biggest challenge: “Not knowing what I want to
do.”
What is the problem with
happiness?
Is what you are happy with
today, the same as tomorrow?
Happiness is situation
controlled.
How many elements will it
take to be happy?
To be happy, I have to continue adding to what I got.
God allows
periods of happiness in your life but they are still base
On
circumstances
The Old and New testaments have several words for happiness
Chairo cheerful
Euthumeo cheerful
Yatab make well favor
Tomb Cheerful
If your
focus is happiness it will be short-lived.
You can
renew your happiness each day.
Start the
day with praise.
Psalms 22:3
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
The first
thing in the morning, get your praise on
No. 2: Money
I once thought if I had
enough money I could buy happiness.
The problem with money is
it can leave your pocket as
Soon as it gets in.
As I look a movie stars and
supersport stars, they never
Seem to have enough
money.
Have you ever heard of a sports
star being satisfied with
How much was in their
contract when the contract ended?
The average movie star
stays married 7 years. They have
money, but it is not
enough.
The love of
money is the root of all evil. Money is
not evil.
Using money
to build us up above others is evil
God equips
us to store up treasures in heaven
2 Corinthians 9:7-9
7 Each man
should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God can make all grace abound
to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will
abound in every good work.
NIV
Since God said He loves a cheerful
giver. Therefore he gives the giver
something to give.
Jesus said ever you ask the Father in my
name will be given to you,
In Jesus' name means your asking is
according to the will of the Father
There is no
treasure-house of God that will not open and yield up all its wealth to the
soul that lives near to Jesus. Are you saying, "O that He would dwell in
my bosom"? "Would that He would make my heart His dwelling-place forever"?
Charles
Spurgeon
Money is
just a tool God has given us to glorify Him.
Our problem
is we want money to be our glory.
The holy
desire changes our focus from us to Jesus.
The money we
have is limited to the bank account we put it
in.
Money in
God’s bank account can grow 10, 50, and 100 fold.
We got
access to all the money we need. We just need to
quit trying
to count.
3. Biggest challenge: “Having the freedom to
find my ‘true purpose’ or being lit up by the day-to-day at work.”
The problem with freedom as
a goal is you will never be completely
Free.
You will never be free of
the laws of government.
You will never be free of responsibility.
Responsibility ties you to
other people.
If you work for yourself,
you are a slave to your customers.
To approach freedom you
have to work harder and work longer
Then anyone else.
Eventually, you become a
slave to the idea of being free.
John 8:31-32
Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching,
you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free."
It is the
Word of God that sets us in a spiritual realm free from the
worries of
the World. Freedom is in Jesus.
Open the
door, beloved, and He will come into your souls. He has long been knocking, and
all with this object, that He may sup with you, and you with Him. He sups with
you because you find the house or the heart, and you with Him because He brings
the provision. Charles Surgeon
Jesus is the
only freedom you need
No. 4: Peace
Biggest challenge: “Lack of clarity about who
I am and my purpose.”
If by peace you mean the absence
of problems. It does not exist
If by peace you mean to be
able to divorce yourself from the problems of
The world, It can’t be done
If by peace you mean total
quietness. It will never happen.
The question
is how do you define peace? What would you do if you
had peace?
1: a state of tranquility or
quiet: such as · 2: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
I have been in perfect peace and contentment.
In the world, you can be peaceful
today and in turmoil tomorrow.
Because man is involved, peace is unsustainable.
You can be
loved today and hated tomorrow by
the same person.
I am not sure anybody cares about
your peace of mind.
Proverbs 14:30
30 A heart at peace gives life to
the body,
Peace originates in your heart.
Only the Lord can keep you in
peace
Isaiah 26:3
3 You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
It is in Jesus that we find peace.
John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my
peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your
hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
It takes a conscious daily effort
on your part to stay in the
peace of Jesus.
No. 5: Joy
Biggest challenge: “How to find the right
role or position for me now that will bring joy in my work.”
If your definition of joy
is based on a particular set of conditions or
Particular position, what
happens when the conditions change or
The position changes or is
eliminated
Definition of joy
1a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by
the prospect of possessing what one desires: DELIGHT
b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion: GAIETY
The joy that originates outside
the heart is short-lived
Only complete joy is found in the
Lord
John 15:11-12
11 I have told you this so that my
joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Joy is not based on circumstances,
but on what Jesus has done in our lives.
No. 6: Balance
Biggest challenge: “Balancing my need/desire
for flexibility while making enough money and having the benefits I want.”
What happens when needs and
desires change? Are you still balanced?
The problem with balance is
it is based on external conditions.
The world’s design for balance
seeks to control future outcomes.
How can you control what you don’t
know will happen?
Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
God has your back. Balance seeks
to remove God from the equation.
7. Biggest challenge: “Utilizing my potential in
the best possible way, for myself and others.”
Fulfillment can be defined
as this: “Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s
abilities or character.”
The question is, how do you
know whether you are living up to
Your full potential? How do you define your full potential?
Will you be satisfied if
your potential changes?
I believe that without God,
you cannot live up to your full
potential.
I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me
We are limited in our
thinking and our abilities.
Without God, we face our
limitations. Without God, we cannot
span to the higher heights God
has set for us.
Our satisfaction must be
based on what we do for the Lord.
Colossians 3:23-25
Whatever you do, work at it
with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know
that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord
Christ you are serving. 25
No. 8: Confidence
Biggest challenge: “Feeling like I have
something to offer now, rather than feeling constantly as if I’m not ready and
need more training.”
Do you ever
get to the point where you never need any more training?
What if the
requirements of the job changes?
Can current
training meet new changes in the job?
You have to
continue to work to be comfortable
The
confidence we have should be in the Lord.
Philippians 1:4-6
I always pray with joy 5 because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of
this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus
Let's
end this with our scripture
Revelation
3:20-22
Here
I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the
door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
The
Lord is standing by ready to come into your heart and comfort you.
He is
your mental stability
21 To
him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I
overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Jesus has
overcome the world. In Him we are overcomers
In Summary,
we are complicated people. Our Mental
Welfare is
the business
of the Lord.
Rev. M.
Mitchell
