In our sermon this week, we talked about the need to recall God as our first action step to conquering fear. Rather than jumping straight to prayer; rather than trying to regain control, its important that we (as Ed Welch puts it) (1) recount who God is, (2) remember that he has promised to be found by those who seek him and (3) review stories of his perfection until you find yourself confident in him.
Let me tell you somethings that I remember about God when I start feeling worry and fear come on.
- I remember God cares. 1 Peter 5:17, "...casting all you anxieties on him, because he cares for you." In my moments of panic and trouble, God cares for me.
- I remember God is strong and ready to help. Psalm 46:1 says, "The LORD is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Deliverance is nearby and God is more than able to help.
- I remember that God is more dreadful than my fears. Luke 12:4-5 says, "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after than have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" This passage provides the sobriety we need. Even when our life is on the line, something more important is at stake...God's judgment on sin.
- I remember that God will never leave me alone. Hebrews 13:5-6, "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'"
When I start remembering these things about God, I am helped in my fear. What helps you? What things about God come and help you put things in perspective. I'm curious to hear.
Blessings,
Pastor Brian
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Anxiety Medication and the Fight against Fear
A great question that came to my desk this week was, "should a Christian take anxiety medication or is this the world's way of dealing with fear/anxiety?" What a great question.
First of all, please know that I don't believe modern medical care is somehow evil or un-christianly. Certainly, one can abuse or misuse modern medicine, but I believe (generally specially) advances in medical care and science are acts of God's grace and gifts from him to use for his glory. So taking medicine or taking advantage of medical practices in and of themselves is not evil.
As we discussed in the first sermon on fear (1-18-09), our body automatically reacts to perceived threats; this is God's built-in defense mechanism. But, we're broken. This world is broken in every single way. Sin is a part of our existence and is has marred this world. As a result, these natural, physiological reactions can misfire and malfunction; instead of being helpful like God intended, they are actually unhelpful and hinder normal human functioning. These misfirings are not necessarily tied to any specific act of unbelief or sin; they just seem to be part of a broken world.
A person ought not to neglect some of the natural approaches to health. We are whole people; things like healthy eating and regular exercise do make a difference in every other aspect of our health; some studies show chiropractic care helping anxiety, too. With that said, there may be times when medication is needed to control the physical symptoms of anxiety. This isn't a sign of lack of faith; it may be a necessary step to control physical symptoms while attempts at addressing the core issues are explored. Of course, consult your physician before deciding on any course of action.
It's critical to remember, though, that medication simply addresses symptoms; its doesn't address the problem. Hope placed in anxiety medication is sorely misplaced; in fact, hope placed anywhere but Christ is sin. Christ is always our only hope. We always look to him for victory. If anxiety medication is needed for a time, then we will praise God that medication is out there and helpful as we take it in faith. But while we are doing that, we are to keep our eyes fixed squarely on the only savior of worry and anxiety, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tell me what you think? If you've needed help with anxiety, share with us your experiences.
First of all, please know that I don't believe modern medical care is somehow evil or un-christianly. Certainly, one can abuse or misuse modern medicine, but I believe (generally specially) advances in medical care and science are acts of God's grace and gifts from him to use for his glory. So taking medicine or taking advantage of medical practices in and of themselves is not evil.
As we discussed in the first sermon on fear (1-18-09), our body automatically reacts to perceived threats; this is God's built-in defense mechanism. But, we're broken. This world is broken in every single way. Sin is a part of our existence and is has marred this world. As a result, these natural, physiological reactions can misfire and malfunction; instead of being helpful like God intended, they are actually unhelpful and hinder normal human functioning. These misfirings are not necessarily tied to any specific act of unbelief or sin; they just seem to be part of a broken world.
A person ought not to neglect some of the natural approaches to health. We are whole people; things like healthy eating and regular exercise do make a difference in every other aspect of our health; some studies show chiropractic care helping anxiety, too. With that said, there may be times when medication is needed to control the physical symptoms of anxiety. This isn't a sign of lack of faith; it may be a necessary step to control physical symptoms while attempts at addressing the core issues are explored. Of course, consult your physician before deciding on any course of action.
It's critical to remember, though, that medication simply addresses symptoms; its doesn't address the problem. Hope placed in anxiety medication is sorely misplaced; in fact, hope placed anywhere but Christ is sin. Christ is always our only hope. We always look to him for victory. If anxiety medication is needed for a time, then we will praise God that medication is out there and helpful as we take it in faith. But while we are doing that, we are to keep our eyes fixed squarely on the only savior of worry and anxiety, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tell me what you think? If you've needed help with anxiety, share with us your experiences.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Welcome, Oh Fearful One!
Welcome to the FBC sermon blog. We're starting the sermon blog to help you interact with the content presented through the sermons at FBCs. Make sure you check out our sermon page on our website. We're hoping you feel the freedom to ask questions, dialogue with others and just process the information God has presented to us through the sermons given at FBC. So let's get started.
We've begun our Fear sermon series. First of all, what do you think about that? Are you glad we're talking about fear? Why do we get a little...fearful... just talking about fear? I'm curious to hear you thoughts.
Also, what might be a topic or issue related to fear that you're thinking, "I sure hope Brian talks about...?" What might that be? What do you hope we touch on in this sermon series?
Hopefully, that's enough to get us started. Let me here what you think.
Pastor Brian
UPDATE: I heard a couple of good questions today that I had not thought of concerning this topic. So if you have questions related to fear/worry/ anxiety, please ask on the blog so I can cover the pertinent topics during the series or at minimum, on this blog.
We've begun our Fear sermon series. First of all, what do you think about that? Are you glad we're talking about fear? Why do we get a little...fearful... just talking about fear? I'm curious to hear you thoughts.
Also, what might be a topic or issue related to fear that you're thinking, "I sure hope Brian talks about...?" What might that be? What do you hope we touch on in this sermon series?
Hopefully, that's enough to get us started. Let me here what you think.
Pastor Brian
UPDATE: I heard a couple of good questions today that I had not thought of concerning this topic. So if you have questions related to fear/worry/ anxiety, please ask on the blog so I can cover the pertinent topics during the series or at minimum, on this blog.
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