OVERWHELMED: WINNING THE WAR AGAINST WORRY - LESSON 4 END OF CHAPTER 8 THROUGH CHAPTER 10

 If you want to study along with our Sunday study group, and get the most from it, you will need to get the book "Overwhelmed:  Winning the War Against Worry" by Perry Noble.  You can get it from Amazon by clicking the title of the book link that is above or clicking on the image of the book at the end of the blog.  Join us as we learn to win the war against worry.

Introduction:

Last week we spent a lot of time talking about depression and the signs that warn us that we might be headed for a crash Those signs were:

1. An unrealistic pace - “If I were the devil, I would invent a device you could hold in your hands that would ensure you’d  always have your schedule in front of you and give people access to you anytime they wanted”.There are lot’s of good Christians who have no intimacy in their relationship with God because they don’t take time to see His beauty.  We are always in a hurry working for God.
2. Unrealistic Expectations of Others -  it’s easier to blame somebody else than ourselves.  They are the ones with the problem not us.stop asking God to change the other person, because He won’t in most cases, but to change him and his attitude.  I like what he said about people who have a victim mentality always blaming others that they never walk in the victory that Jesus promises.
3. An Unrealistic View on Life - .If we don’t do anything differently things will not change and we will stay in our depression or state of anxiety.  Depression and anxiety do happen and they don’t just pass like the season.  If we think that depression is just a season and it will pass then we have a serious problem.  We must, as Perry Noble, says go through it.  But we don’t have to go through it alone we have God who said that He would never leave us or forsake us.
4. An Unrealistic Desire to Be Liked by Everyone - Well everybody is not going to like you so don’t sweat it.  Everybody didn’t like Jesus and we can’t let what others think about us dominate our lives we should be seeking the approval of God and not man.  

This week we are going to talk about getting off that collision course toward possible depression.

Getting off the Collision Course

1.  Pastor Noble gives us some good advice in Chapter 8 in the section Getting off the Collision Course.  He says first of all if you are headed for a crash it’s probably because of a combination of two things.  What are they?

• What happened to you. Bad things really did happen and you are still carrying that baggage and you need to deal with it.
• Choices you've made. We have to accept responsibility for our choices.    It is not anybody else it’s you.  

Shattering the Chains that Hold You Back

2.  Denial Doesn't Help It Hurts.  What happens when we deny that we are depressed or overwhelmed with anxiety?    We have to deal with it right?

Go to Daniel 2:2-3 (HCSB) ²  So the king gave orders to summon the diviner-priests, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, ³  he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.

They tried to get him to tell him the dream and then they would try to interpret it for him but he wasn’t going for it.  They couldn’t do it so the king said ok then I am going to execute all the wise men in my kingdom.  That included Daniel and his three friends. Remember they had been appointed to high positions in the kingdom. So the execution squad went to get Daniel and his guys.  Daniel was surprised when they showed up because he wasn’t there when the king commanded the wise men to tell him and then interpret his dream.  So Daniel had a problem but rather than denying it he addressed it so let’s read verses 14-16 ¹⁴  Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵  He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. ¹⁶  So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.

He went straight to the king to find out what’s up.

3.  What keeps people from admitting that they have a problem? Pride right?  Well Daniel wasn’t proud he wanted to find out why he was going to be executed.  He went right to the king.  He faced his problem.

Realizing That We can’t do life alone

4.  Once Daniel found out what the problem was what was the first thing he did?  

He went to his friends and let them know that they all had a problem and that they should address it together, in other words he asked them to help.  Let’s read verses 17-19 17  Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, 18  ⌊urging⌋ them to ask the God of heaven for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men. 19  The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of heaven .  

We need each other.  We need to be able to share our problems and issues with others so that we can encourage each other, pray with and for each other.

5.  We were not made to be alone remember in Genesis what God said about Adam?

Genesis 2:18 (HCSB) Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.”

Remember when Jesus was facing his crucifixion and that night in the garden of Gethsemane he took Peter, James and John with Him so that he was not alone.

We Must Address  What’s Broken on the Inside of Us

When we reach the point that we understand that our problems are often times of our own making. Sometimes it's not addressing a situation or responding correctly to something that was out of our control When we realize these things then we are on the way to conquering the anxiety and stress caused by the situation.  In Pastor Noble’s case it was that he understood that his relief would only come through repentance.  He realized that God’s desire is to take us through the dark times in our lives not out of them but through them.  

In his case he asked God to show him what was wrong inside him and God showed him that it was pride.  It may be pride or other things for us, but if we ask God to show us He will, and He will even show us how to make the changes that we need to make. We just need to make them when He does show us.  

6.  What might some of those things be that are broken inside us?

• Pride
• Habits
• Anger
• Fear
• Procrastination
• Etc.

Well God gave Daniel the answer that he and his friends asked for and he showed him Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the interpretation.  And Daniel’s response was what we find in  Daniel 2:19-23 (HCSB) ¹⁹  The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of heaven ²⁰  and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.²¹  He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.²²  He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.²³  I offer thanks and praise to You, God of my fathers, because You have given me wisdom and power. And now You have let me know what we asked of You, for You have let us know the king’s mystery.

Experiencing a Breakthrough

7.  Daniel experienced a breakthrough because he faced his problem, asked for help from his friends, and went to God.  God answered and what happened ?

read Daniel 2:46-49 (HCSB)46  Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him.  47  The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”  48  Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.  49  At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.  

God prospered Daniel after a very overwhelming situation.  Here is what Pastor Noble says in that section “If you are going through overwhelming circumstances--if you feel like life is about to crush you--then maybe, just maybe, God isn't punishing you but is actually preparing to prosper you, just like He did for Daniel”. “God delivered Daniel. God delivered me.  He wants to deliver you."

We have been talking about depression and the signs that we may be headed there and then we talked about how to get off the collision course through admitting that we have a problem and that the problem is inside us.

Now let’ talk about Overcoming Stress and Anxiety which is the title of Chapter 10.

Definition of Stress

1. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.
2. something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety
3. physical force or pressure

The working definition for our discussion is “a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.   Some synonyms and related words are: pressure, strain, tension,load, weight; anxiety, concern, uneasiness,worry; aggravation, anger, annoyance, exasperation,irritation, persecution, trouble

8.  What quite often causes stress and anxiety ?

Things that are unexpected and/or unplanned

9.  What kinds of things can this be?

• A call from the doctor after a visit and lab results
• Getting an unexpected or larger bill in the mail
• For those with children still in school a call from the school that is not one announcing that they are a great student
• Etc.

The humorous example that Pastor Noble gives is the one about his carbon monoxide detector, which he initially thought was one of his smoke detectors, going off in the middle of the night.  After going all over the house trying to find the culprit smoke detector, which he says took half an hour, during which time he got increasingly frustrated and angry and finding out that it was in fact the carbon monoxide detector which he destroyed.   The stress that he experienced which turned to anger and caused him to destroy the carbon monoxide detector moved from stress to anger then to anxiety which resulted in irrational thoughts.  This is sort of the progression we can have if we don’t or can’t deal with or anxiety and stress.

10.  Situations that cause stress and anxiety are real and here to stay until Jesus comes back.  What does Jesus say about that?

John 16:33 (NKJV)33  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  

There are two "foundational beliefs" according to Pastor Noble that we must hold on to when going through anxious and stressful situations.   I repeat going through through them not being taken out of them!!!!  

11.  What are those 2 foundational beliefs that he gives in chapter 10?

-Believe That God is Holy and Good - Remember in our last study The Overwhelmed Challenge we said don’t focus on your problem, and we have said it several times in this study, but focus on God and His character.  First off we know that God never changes.  We change but God never changes and is character doesn’t change.  We need to really get a hold of the fact that God is holy 

-Believe His Promises - God is always with us and He has more power than anything that we

may come up against

12.  What does holy mean?

• Perfect
• Without Sin

I didn't realize this until reading this book that holy is the only word in the Bible that’s used three consecutive times to describe the character of God:

Isaiah 6:1-3 (HCSB)1  In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple.  2  Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3  And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.  

Revelation 4:8 (HCSB)8  Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming.

If God is perfect then it means that He has never made a mistake right?

In addition to being holy God is also good.  

13.  What are some examples in the bible where God is described as good?

The one given by Pastor Noble is Psalm 136:1 (HCSB) 1  Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love is eternal.

I found a websight that lists 61 verses of God’s goodness http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God,-Goodness-Of

A few of them are; Mark 10:18 (HCSB) ¹⁸  “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God.; Matthew 19:17 (HCSB) ¹⁷  “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” He said to him. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”;Psalm 119:68 (HCSB) ⁶⁸  You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes.;

When asked if there’s anything that God can’t do, Pastor Noble’s answer is “He can’t stop being holy and He can’t stop being good.   His comment “Holiness and goodness are not what He does but rather who He is. And He can’t cease to be who He is” Is right on.

14.  If God is holy and good then why do so many bad things happen?

We talked about that some last week when we discussed how sometimes we actually get upset or angry with God because we know that he knows everything and why doesn't He do something so that we won't have anything bad happen to us.  We always look at it from our perspective not God’s because we can’t His ways are higher than our ways as it says in Isaiah 55:9 (NKJV) 9  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God answers prayers with: Yes, No, Wait, or something else. Why do you get angry when God says, No or Wait.

15.  We doubt God’s goodness when He doesn't do everything that we ask Him or want Him to do.  When we do that what are we doing?

We are making ourselves to object of worship rather than Him.  

We just have to realize that no matter what our circumstances or what is going on “God is good” not just when good things are happening but no matter what happens and what we are going through.  Remember Romans 8:28 (HCSB) ²⁸  We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 

We talked about that several weeks ago in our study "The Overwhelmed Challenge" and what did we say that verse meant?

It is the destiny of those who love the Lord to be like Jesus. God is committed to produce in us all the love, all the joy, all the patience, all the long-suffering, all the goodness, and all the gentleness of Jesus.  But until that happens we are still subject to the realities of sin and death.  It is God's love in Christ that sustains us and empowers us—even in the midst of our experiences of sin and death—"to be conformed to the likeness of his Son" (Romans 8:29). God works in all things toward that good purpose. But only "those who love him" know that, because they are participants "with him" in the outworking of that purpose.

God always knows best even when we don’t think it’s best.

16.  Can you think of a time in your life when you asked something of God and He did not do it the way you wanted or at all?

If you can’t think about God not giving you what you wanted what about your earthly father or mother?  Would they give you something that they know would hurt you?  Then why would you expect God to do that?

Turn to Luke 11:11-13 (HCSB) ¹¹  What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹²  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Remember God is holy and He is good He would not give us anything or do anything that would harm us.  That may mean saying no or yes but not this way, or wait.  Read again Pastor Noble's account of the scorpion and his young daughter for an example of a father taking something away to protect his child. 

The second foundational belief was to believe His promises.

Here are some of God’s promises that he will be with us no matter what:

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)10  Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

When Moses was addressing the nation of Israel for the last time before he died and Joshua led them into Cannon.  Twice in Deuteronomy chapter 31. Deuteronomy 31:6 (HCSB)

6  Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.”  to the nation.  

Then to Joshua in verse 8 Deuteronomy 31:8 (HCSB)8  The LORD is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Then God, himself talking directly to  Joshua in Joshua 1:5 (KJV) 5  There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses,

And then to the believers in Hebrews 13:5-6 (HCSB)5  Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.  6  Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  

Here is the way Pastor Noble ends chapter 10

“Why is it essential for us to understand that God is with us?  Because God’s presence is greater than our problems.

• He has more power than we do.
• He has more wisdom than we do.
• He has more awareness than we do.

And if He is with us, we can walk through any stressful situation this world throws our way.

Let’s end with that today.  

Read chapters 11-14 for next week.

God bless you I'll see you next week.