I can't believe that this weekend officially marks a year since our country has walked through the chaos that has been Covid, 19 that here a year ago we canceled services. We we moved to online, we saw businesses closed. We saw entire industries change and our country as we knew it was thrown into chaos. Our country here in the United States has experienced 29 million cases of COVID. And based on CDC statistics, seen over half a million deaths connected or related to issues that have happened during this pandemic. Today, I want to talk not only about God's faithfulness, but also about how you can be resilient throughout this whole process. Today, we're talking about mental health. Mental health as an industry has grown in recent years and I do want to encourage those that if you are seeking help or getting help, one of the bravest things you could ever do, it's just to publicly admit that you need help and to take that step and to talk to someone and to do what you can to get in a healthy mental place. But today I want to talk about the spiritual foundation of mental health and what does God's word say about our mental health because our thoughts are powerful. They influence our decision making, They impact our perspective and they really determine our habits. But the question is, what do we do with our minds when we become trapped by our own thoughts that we're unable to escape the negative and unhealthy thought process? Well, today, over the next few minutes, we want to actually give you a practical game plan to implement and to help you win the greatest battle that you're ever will face and that is with yourself. So today's message is entitled the worry Playbook. The Worry Playbook, It's called the Worry Playbook because my mind goes back to sports that if you're playing games and you're, you're given a plan to solve a problem. I think back to even the old school video games, the original Nintendo system with, I love playing the game Tech Mobile. Does anyone remember that game Tech Mobile and the first version had a few teams and it only gave us four plays, It was run, run pass, pass and you had to choose one of those four plays and if you were playing against a friend, they had to choose one of those four plays. They tried to guess what play you were going to do. And so when you were trying to score a touchdown or move the ball down the field, you had to choose between those four options. And as the games progressed and technology got better. The playbook's got much more complex and intricate and if you're involved with sports at some point you've been given a plan or a playbook to try to solve the problem and to win the game. Now, if you're not a sports person and you're not super familiar with playbooks, you can think of it this way, you can think of a favorite recipe just last week, My wife and I enjoyed a great meal because my wife found someone had recreated the recipe to Olive Garden's alfredo sauce. It's good, so good. Well to recreate that sauce of heaven, a taste of heaven, and you have to use the right ingredients and use the right steps to get the desired product in the same way God has given us a recipe or a game plan or a playbook for how to respond in life's difficult circumstances and situations. We're in our series entitled An adventurous Life. We're talking about how an adventurous life is one lived for christ. That faith itself is more than just a gathering on a sunday morning, it's not less than it includes this, but it's so much more than that, that God wants you to live a life of adventure, but of a life of adventure as one lived for christ. And we've been taking a look at the Book of Philippians in the new testament. And if you have that open up to Philippians chapter four, if you don't own a bible, we'd love to give you one. We have one at our guest services table out in the lobby here, if you're with us in person. And and but while you're turning to Philippians chapter four, Let's just do a quick recap of how we got to where we are today, paul, the unlikely apostle follower of jesus actually was persecuting the church beforehand has this incredible experience, it transforms his life and now he's going around starting churches and developing leaders. When his ministry gets stopped, everything gets taken away and he gets put in prison and so now he is in prison. He's actually changed to a guard 24 7, whether it's in a roman facility or sometimes they put him in homes either way, he had a guard attached to him at all times. And so now he's writing a letter to a church in philippi and he's encouraging them how to have joy in the midst of adversity In Philippians. Chapter one Paul talks about how difficult circumstances can try to rob our joy, but that the solution to facing difficult circumstances is to have a holy mind to live is christ in the diocese game. And then in Philippians chapter two, he talks about how people and difficult people in particular are going to try to rob your joy. And that the solution to facing difficult people is to actually have a humble mind. And then last week we looked at Philippians chapter three and Paul talks about how possessions and the pursuit of stuff and materials can actually rob you of joy, but that the solution there is to have a hopeful mind to have your identity and your citizenship in Heaven. Well, today we moved to the toughest battle that you can face and that is worry and yourself, I think it's interesting that paul talks about worry last. It's almost as if you need the other three first to even be ready to handle a battle with yourself. And he says while worry, we'll try to rob you of joy. The solution is to have a healthy mind that in order to have a healthy mind, you need to be holy and humble and hopeful and only then are you ready to face yourself? Because the greatest battles you're gonna face in life are not from circumstances outside or somebody across from you or with stuff. The greatest battles that you will face are the conversations and the internal dialogue that you have with yourself. And so how do we respond to worry if you're taking notes? I want you to write this down that when you're feeling pressure, remember God's game plan, when you're feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders or in your heart or in your gut when you find yourself anxious or your head feels like a hamster on the wheel just spinning over and over again. Or maybe you replay that conversation now, Why did they say that? Why did she do that? Or maybe you pre play a conversation? Have you ever done that? Have you ever pre played a difficult conversation that you're about to walk into and over and over and over in your mind and then you walk into the situation and it doesn't go how you planned? Worry itself tends to point towards something specific where anxiety is usually centered around an ambiguous unknown. So it's uncertain. The word anxiety and to be anxious literally means to be pulled apart or to be divided in different directions. And so if you're facing worry or anxiety, what's happening is this stress, this pressure is pulling you in all kinds of directions and you're not sure how to standstill how to stand firm or how to even step forward. This is where the game plan comes in, see in romans chapter eight verses five and six paul, in another letter writes this, he says, for those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit, for it to set the mind on the flesh is death. But notice this last phrase, this hopeful and that's helpful and this healthy phrase it says, But to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. This means church family and those watching online that whatever you're walking through right now, peace is possible. Peace is possible. So what is God's game plan? When we're feeling the pressure when we're feeling the weight, when you have to make difficult decisions or have hard conversations and you're worried and you're stressed out. What is God's game plan? What is his playbook? The first play that he wants you to run, that he wants us to run is to lift up specifically to lift up our circumstances and situations and worries in prayer. Everyone here in the room and those watching online, do me a favor and put your hand out, cleanse it as a fist. This is how we tend to carry ourselves. Okay. And we squeeze it and we think if we squeeze harder it'll solve the problem. Okay? But now symbolically here, okay, go ahead and open the hand and then lift it up. Okay, It's your lion King on pride rock. Ah civilian. Okay. I used to do that with all my kids when they were little. I tried to do that with my 12 year old Jackson. Now it's a little awkward but try to hold them up. Anyway, here's the deal. When you lift up, you are lifting up to God and handing off your worries. If it is important enough to worry about then it's important enough to pray about. And it's not a cop out, but rather it is a transition or handing off to someone who can carry and handle the weight if you've ever gotten a package. And on the outside scene, the markings or a sticker that said um package is fragile. Handle with care. Okay. I almost believe that it's really life is fragile. So handle with prayer. Okay. And you have to and you have to give it up to God, you have to say God, I'm stressed about this. I'm struggling with this. I want you to take this from me. And so Paul says this Philippians chapter four verse 4 he says rejoice in the Lord Always again, I say rejoice notice in this verse. He says the same thing twice Now. Why would he do that? Because we forget stuff all the time. Why is it that I can remember specific games and statistics From the mid 90s when the Chicago Bulls were making their dynasty run. But I can't remember why I entered the kitchen. You know, I'm talking about some of you know, songs from the 70s and 80s and can quote it verbatim. And then you're not exactly sure where you left your keys or your phone. Have you ever been talking on your phone while looking for your phone? That's a fun one. Have you ever gone to the store and you need one item? And what's the item you don't bring back that one and especially if your spouse asked you to get it. Of course you're gonna forget that one. Right this morning. Even I was like, all right, we have a whole incredible team that sets up and gets ready and, and leads and serves. And so my one responsibility this morning was to bring the poster for our new easter photo setup. So that setup for after service. You can go just use your cell phone there, take a picture and and then you can use that to invite friends and family to join you for upcoming easter service. And so it's been sitting in my garage. And so I that's the only thing I had to bring today and I'm pulling into CB live this morning. And it was when I pulled in that I realized, yep, sitting in my garage. So I texted my friend, I just said, hey, yep, I forgot the banner. I'll be right back. Why do we do this? Because we forget so easily, don't we? Well, paul knows that. And so he says rejoice in the Lord always. No, no, seriously rejoice. And when he says this, this means it's actually a command. Now Joy is a fruit of the spirit, but it's also a command. And so that means that joy, regardless of your circumstances, is actually a choice. So he says, rejoice in the Lord always remember he's writing from prison chained up to somebody else and saying rejoice. No, seriously, rejoice. Next verse. He says this. And let your reasonableness be known to everyone. So he's like saying, okay, don't go crazy here. Don't be that scary person. That seems hyped up on Red bull here. Whoa, Okay, Like just But let your gentleness, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. Why? Because the Lord is at hand. In other words, your joy should be public. I've talked to some who saying, OK, I have my faith, but my faith is personal. It's not public Church. If your faith is not public, I don't I can't honestly say that it's personal because if it's personal, it's public. If you love someone or something, it's easy for you to talk about. And so if your joy, your faith is personal, then what paul is saying to his, it should be public. Why? Because the Lord is at hand church. Let me ask you when we sing and we worship you. We worship as if God is in the room with us. That would be weird if you showed up to a birthday party and then ignored the person that the party is for, isn't it? You show up to someone's birthday party and then you never talk to that person the whole time. That's awkward. Imagine going to get a dinner reservation and say, hey, we need a reservation for three. Isn't therefore people there. Yeah, but there's only three of us that we care about. That's awkward. If the person is standing right there, right? But how many of us do that with worship? We we act as if God's not in the room and if he's not present because if he is present, if he is here, then joy as possible. Peace is possible. And our faith is public. The next verse here, he says this, he says, so do not be anxious about anything. But in everything by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving. Let your request be known to God notice this here, that it says do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, Those are some pretty large qualifying statements, aren't they? Anything. Everything. So if anything is bothering you give everything to him. Is anyone bothering you? Give every person in relationship up to him? And I used to read this verse as a threat. I used to read it or like a shameful verse, right? Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything by prayer and like but I am anxious, I'm a horrible person. What have come to realize though after rereading Philippians through it, paul is giving you a way out. It's not a threat, it's a promise. It's not a problem. It's possibilities. Have you ever done those escape rooms with friends when you're locked in the room and and you can't you can't get out what paul is saying here is I'm gonna give you the way out. I'm gonna give you the plan the path so that when you face anxiety, he doesn't say if you are anxious, he just flat out says do not be anxious. Do not be pulled apart by anything but in everything. And he uses three words here by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving. Prayer is about adoration and acknowledgement of who God is and what he's done. That's why we can sing about jesus being king and christ be magnified. It gives us a posture of humility and you adore who he is, then you make your supplication or your request, You place your order, you make your appeal. So you have adoration, You have your appeal and saying God I can't handle this? And then you end with appreciation and you say God, you've come through in the past, you've saved me, you've forgiven me, you've loved me. And while I don't see my future, I'm going to be thankful for the past and I know you're with me in the present. And so therefore I give my future to you. He says, let your requests be known. Why does God say? Let your requests be known? Is that because he doesn't know your requests? No, he actually puts that in there because it's for you. God already knows all throughout scripture. You see stories where God asked questions or tells people things that he already knows in the garden adam and even Adam and Eve sinned and they hide from God and God goes, where are you? Was that question for him? No, the question was so that they could identify where they were When Jesus was going to perform the miracle of feeding the 5000 with some fish and bread. He turned to the disciple and says hey, you give them something to eat. Why he knew he was gonna do the miracle. But he wanted them to be prepared for him to do the miracle. And so he asked questions. He puts statements so he says let your requests be known to God, Get it out there, make it honest, be vulnerable. Are you willing to put it out there? The book of psalms is a book of worship? But did you know that? Over a third of the book are called lament psalms? Where people are expressing their anxiety, their worries, their stresses, and their complaints even to God. What this means is that if you're honest with your anxiety, that's worship, if you are honest with where you are and what you're struggling with that is in and of itself an act of worship. Because notice what happens here, check out this verse, notice this exchange, this is the most incredible exchange. So you give your request to God and then he says and the peace of God which surpasses understanding. So as soon as you acknowledge your pain, he's gonna give you peace that far surpasses your pain. He says will guard your hearts. Wait a second, where's paul writing this from? He is guarded by someone, he says you think I'm being guarded by roman soldiers, but I'm actually being guarded by God's peace. And he says he will guard your hearts and all your minds in christ jesus. So the first play the first move when you struggle is to lift up, everyone go ahead and put your hand out, put your hand up because it's gonna tie in the second play when you are worried. And so then bring your hand down and close it is to lock in to lock in once you hand off what you're struggling with your hand is open to receive what God has for you and so you can lock in what is good Notice. This verse here in verse eight paul writes finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable. If there is any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things, some translations even have meditate on these things if you're trying to eat healthy, if you're trying to be physically healthy, one of the first steps is to stop eating what's bad, but you have to move to step number two, which is to start eating what's healthy because otherwise you're just left hungry and I wonder how many people watching today online or in the room are actually just hungry. Their approach was okay, God, I'm gonna not sin not sin, not sin, not sin one, you haven't replaced it. So now you're starving and to your mind is focused on the sin you're trying to run from. And so we naturally drift to what's bad don't we? I've said this before, but no one craves kale late at night, No one says, Hey Let's go, let's you know, let's let's hit up grab a green late night drive thru there's a reason grabber green is not open late. Okay, think about that. We don't crave those things but we need those things, how many people are spiritually starving right now because they've they've given up their issues and struggles to God but they have not locked in or taken in. What is good. So what is good? Well think about worship in prayer and scripture or an honoring and honest conversation with a friend and a family member. Are you feeding yourself? Are you are you allowing God to speak into your life or are you just floating adrift? Two news and social media and whatever the world has to say to us that day. I think now more than ever our culture struggles with good and bad messaging. If you've watched the news, let's say for an hour, it doesn't matter which side you're on or your scroll social media for an hour. Do you typically feel better or worse about yourself at the end? Because it's not made for you to feel better. It's made for them to make money if it's free, you're not the customer, you're the product. And so we live in an age where people are struggling and they've taken out truth and replaced it with counterfeits and so many people are eating poorly and wondering why they don't feel good at the end of the night. If you think of the government agency and when they print money, there's a whole department committed to identifying and tracking down counterfeit bills. Do you know how they train them? Yes. There is some identification of what's wrong and and the lies and the counterfeits. But they get people so familiar with what's true that they can immediately identify the lie. If you become so familiar with what's true and who God is and you think through what is excellent, what is good? What is Godly? What is peaceful? What is love? What is joy? If you become so familiar with True, you won't have to focus your energies on on trying to identify and and play defense against all the counterfeit. Another way to think of it is this way the best thing I can do for my marriage is not be terrified of every other person that we encounter. But instead have a really awesome marriage. If I love my wife and we have good conversation and communication and we serve and we sacrifice and submit to one another both of us and that we love and we serve. We're gonna know what's true so that anything else the world has to offer will pale by comparison. The best thing that you can do for your Children is not to get them scared of every bad thing out there in the world. But to show them what is true and what is right so that they will be able to spot the counterfeit. Yes, there's values to have warnings and things out there. But if you really want to win the battle of worry in your life, you have to fill your mind with worship. You have to fill your mind with God's word and have conversation and and talk to someone and have it with scriptures so that you can be spiritually healthy. So the first play to run when you're stressed is to lift up. The second play is to then lock in what is good. And then the 3rd play, the run is then to live out who God's called you to be. This next verse is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture and in fact it's actually weirdly enough, one of my favorite parenting verses, if you've got kiddos in the room, I want you to mark this first down Philippians 49 and it says this what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. But notice for a second, all of the assumptions found in this verse in order for someone to learn what has to happen, Someone has to teach in order for someone to receive, Someone else has to what give, in order for somebody to hear, someone else has to what speak, in order for someone to see, someone else has to show. And then in order for someone to practice someone else has to model. And so this is a challenging verse for us as followers of jesus, what have we learned? What have we received? What have we seen, What have we heard? But it's also a challenge for us as disciple makers and his parents before we get on our kids. Let's pause and ask ourselves the question, Okay, what am I teaching? What am I saying? What am I giving? What am I showing? And he goes in and he says practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. Church can just be transparent with you for a moment. Not that I haven't been, but just getting just real talk for a second. Our country has blatantly rejected God over and over and over again and we wonder why we're experiencing chaos. Not only have we tolerated sin, but we've celebrated it and elevated it as the standard to live by. We've been pumping in division and sin and selfish desires and we wonder why there is division all across the board. What paul is saying here is that your obedience is directly tied to your joy. That your ability to practice not perfectly, but to live out what God has called you to do and who God has called you to be is directly connected to the piece you have in your mind and in your heart, even when I say the word obedience, it sounds un american, doesn't it? When you think about it for a second, when you hear the word, obey what is your first instinct? Okay what not not me can't tell me like I am glad that the world is not based and my ability to obey. You know why? Because we act on our feelings all the time. He doesn't say this, he doesn't say and what you have learned and received and heard and seen feel these things. We live in a culture that just wants you to feel good. How are you feeling? It's not that feelings are bad but feelings will not save you feelings fall short on the altar of salvation. But you know what doesn't faith? You know what an interesting thought is is that you don't actually need faith in heaven, You ever stop to think about that. You don't need faith in heaven because God is gonna be right there, you're gonna see him, it's gonna make sense, you're gonna be connected, it's gonna be real easy to sing all hail king jesus when literally the king is right there right? So why do we need faith? We need faith for right now we have been made for this exact moment. You need scripture, You need faith right now to fight and to win your battles. So yes, identify, connect with your feelings, but you have to make decisions based on faith and in a culture that tolerates and celebrates sin, it says do what you want feel however you want, here's the self help. Self help is gonna lead you right to hell, we're going to hell, but we feel good paul saying how's that working for you because my faith, oh my God, it gives me peace. That guard's my heart. So it doesn't matter what you do to me go ahead, you can throw what you wanted me because the God that's in control of my life is the one who created the world who sustains the world and conquered death. So yeah, I'm okay giving him the ball. I'm okay letting him make that play to call the shop and then tell me what to do because he wants what's best and what's best is God. And so we act like we're going through all these problems and chaos and issues, what do we do? What do we do? I don't know, I don't know what's happening in the future, but I know who holds it and he says, hey, run this play. Are you willing to lift up what he has for you to lock in what is good and to fill your mind and your heart with the word of God and the spirit of God. And then are you willing to obey and actually live out and to do what he's told us to do? Because if you do that, you will experience a peace beyond understanding. Have you ever seen someone go through something so hard and yet they are so strong and you're like, how do they do that? God? That's the piece I want. That's the peace that this world can't take away because they can impact your feelings, but they can't shake your faith because our God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, Love and self control. And so I don't know what's going to happen this next year. I don't know what's going to happen in your life. But I do know that we have a God who is present here, present now and he's made peace possible. John 1633, Jesus says that you will face trials and tribulations. He says take heart because I have overcome the world. That is the God we sing to. That is the God that is victorious. And if he's victorious, we can and if he rose again, we can rise again. And if he is alive, we are alive and church, we can have peace that surpasses any problem you might face. Will you pray with me? Dear God, thank you for your son. God help us to cling so tightly to the truth that we can spot the counterfeit. God wants our mind races with uncertainty. May we lift up to you? And prayer, may we lock in what's good and reflect on your promises and God when we live out your precepts and you're your commands. I mean, we obey what you've called us to do and who you've called us to be. Because you didn't love the world so much that you felt something you you loved the world so much that you gave your son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. So I got to pray for those in the room and those online that we can believe in you as Lauren Saver, that we can find our peace and the only one that can give it, we give our battles and our struggles up to you. God. I pray for people in this room that you need courage to say they need help. Will they be willing to go forward and to find someone to talk to when we put our trust and our faith in you that you can transform and change our lives, God to give us the peace that sustains us that saves us God. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for saving us. We give our issues and our struggles and our addictions and everything that we battle to you guys. May we boldly proclaim your truth in your life. We love you guys. It's in your son's. Let me pray Amen.