BATTLEFIELD: M.I.N.D.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month— Proclaimed by Gov. Jerry Brown in May of 2018 [show proclamation]
Mental health conditions are the leading cause of disability in the US
If affects millions of children, adolescents, and even adults in CA
Depression is one of the greatest problems in the world today— it’s called the common cold of mental illnesses
Mental illness includes such conditions as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder & Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
WHO estimated that depression (by bringing down life expectancy) would be the second leading cause of death in the world by 2020
They also predict that by 2020, mental illness will go from 20th to 2nd largest illness worldwide
About 2 for every 10 in CA experienced some degree of mental illness
This proclamation is to heighten awareness of mental health issues and services
Sharing personal knowledge and experience of what living with mental illness means
Many mental illnesses can be prevented, and the Bible provides helpful information— besides, it is the handbook from God on what we should think and how our minds should work
If we want good mental health, we should discipline our minds to avoid degrading mental diet
We live in a culture that is constantly feeding us stress— mostly negative information and none of us are immune to stress
We are all afraid of something— some fears are healthy, but some are not
The fear of the Lord is a healthy fear
33 Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Our emotions are caused by how we interpret life— that’s one of the reasons the Bible says...
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
The Word I had for everyone last Friday was from…
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
It’s common that initial reaction of people is to worry.
How many people do you know that reacts by praying instead of worrying?
Maybe not a lot huh?
Perhaps the Bible did not explicitly say that worrying is a sin, but worrying manifests lack of trust in God. During His sermon on the mount, Jesus told us not to worry. So, if we do worry, that’s tantamount to disobedience against the Lord.
Worrying is habit forming, you develop it through the years. And if you don’t reverse its course, it may badly land to anxiety.
In the same way, trusting God is also habit forming. You build your trust in the Lord over time by claiming His promises, and testifying about His goodness and faithfulness.
You can trust God more than anyone else, or anything else. Keep praying! Stop worrying!
A relationship with God is fundamental to overcoming fear, anxieties, or depression
How would you know if you are in some kind of mental illness?
Sleep issues in almost daily basis
Changes in appetite— decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day
Decreased energy or fatigue almost every day
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions and thinking clearly
Psychomotor agitation or retardation— slow physical movements or unintentional or purposeless motions
Recurring thoughts of death or suicide— suicide attempt, or a specific plan for suicide
JESUS RESTORES A DEMON-POSSESSED MAN [Mark 5:1-20]
JESUS RESTORES A DEMON-POSSESSED MAN [Mark 5:1-20]
They went across the lake to the region of Gerasenes
When Jesus got out of the boat— a man with impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him— he shouted, “What do you want with me, Jesus, the Son of the Most High God?
He begged and even invoke the name of God for Jesus not to torture him
Jesus commanded, “come out of this man, you impure spirit!”— when Jesus asked his name, he said, my name is legion, for we are many
There was a large herd of pigs [about 2,000] in that area at that time— the demons begged Jesus to send them to go into the pigs— Jesus gave them permission to do so
The pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned— people tending to those pigs came to see what happened—
15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
They pleaded with Jesus to leave their region [why? was it because their pigs drowned?]
As Jesus was getting into the boat— the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him— but the Lord’s reply was...
19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
FREE BURMA RANGERS
FREE BURMA RANGERS
David Eubank went to Burma with his family to help save lives of people caught in the middle of the longest civil war [show movie banner]
After staying in Burma where he raise his kids for more than twenty years — he brought a team of FBR to Mosul to help people trapped in the cross fire between Iraq and Isis
The battle is not always in the battlefield— very often the battle is in the mind
If David along with his family was called by God to liberate people from their oppressors, I am, along with my lovely wife, and whoever wants to join me, are called to liberate people from themselves!— my Battlefield is in the M.I.N.D.
What do I mean by this?
Well, listen closely and I will explain it to you
Did you know that broken relationships among OFW families have become almost all too common?
Broken relationships among OFW spouses now becoming a trend [show article]
The Social Welfare attache there said the many Filipino families cannot survive the distance when one of the parents goes abroad to work
“Yung mga nag-a-abroad, majority sa kanila naa-apektuhan ang pamilya. Family breakdown is one of the social costs of migration. Yung mga pumupunta dito sa akin, ‘yan ang problema. May iba pa na hindi na raw nagbibigay ng (financial) support,” Bacwaden
Even a retired family court judge recently said that 75 percent – that’s three of every four – overseas Filipino worker (OFW) couples in Baguio and Benguet, his jurisdiction, resort to annulment so they could move on with their lives.
“It should be made known that while the OFW is really good for the economy of the country, I think it is not good for the families of our country,” Buliyat said.
Here’s another article— Families Abandoned by OFW a Growing Problem [short article]
The Philippines Embassy says it is becoming increasingly concerned by the number of overseas workers who have abandoned their families back home.
The embassy has been notified by the wives of overseas Filipino workers who have stopped receiving financial support from their husbands in the UAE.
Overseas Filipino workers who spoke to Gulf News cited the lack of emotional support as the major factor that prompts them to start new families in the UAE.
Lack of emotional support leads to sorrow— now let me point out to you the distinction between godly sorrow and wordly sorrow— like fear, there’s healthy and unhealthy fear
GODLY SORROW & WORLDLY SORROW
GODLY SORROW & WORLDLY SORROW
9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
This verse makes clear that there is a kind of sorrow that is according to the will of God. There is a sorrow that God wants you to experience, because the sorrow that is according to the will of God “produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation”
One of the most common definitions of repentance is a change of mind. That is the literal, etymological definition of the Greek word for repentance: meta—change; noeo — to think.
Genuine repentance is a matter of the heart. This is why Jesus pronounces a blessing upon those who mourn over their sin
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
But sorrow is not always beneficial. While those who are genuinely repentant will experience sorrow over their sin, sorrow itself is not repentance.
There is a kind of sorrow over sin that does not produce repentance, and therefore does not lead to salvation.
10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
The chief characteristic of worldly sorrow is that it is fundamentally self-centered.
Worldly sorrow revolves around the pain sin causes to oneself rather than the offense and dishonor it is to God
People who have worldly sorrow are often defensive about their sin and attempt to justify it or explain it away; whereas godly sorrow causes you to own your sin and make no excuses.
You know you are experiencing worldly sorrow when you are grieving for yourself—for the embarrassment you’re suffering and the pain you’re feeling
Obviously, the cause of these families of OFW’s breaking apart is due to their worldly sorrow— this worldly sorry is a form of mental illness
RE-CAST AGAPE’s GOD-GIVEN VISION
RE-CAST AGAPE’s GOD-GIVEN VISION
2015 Vision— 2020 Confirmation— 2020 Provision— now a Mission
We now have dozens of Home Church Worldwide [show map of church network]
Pastor Pete and I, along with our lovely wives will be going there this MAY 11-21 to minister to dozens of OFW’s— [show Mission Dubai Banner]
Our Agape Home Church DUBAI is not just very active and supportive— they are faithfully growing in their walk with the Lord [show photos]
We will kick off this mission with an evangelistic event on May 14, and those who will say yes to Jesus will be followed up through our nightly visitation to their flats
Our expenses is mostly out of our own personal pockets— and we wish to knock on your generous hearts to embrace our vision, and to become part of this mission by giving
I was told that it will cost $30 per person to provide a decent lunch in a safe venue during the kickoff event— due to covid restrictions— we’d be limiting the attendees to not more than fifty— so that will be right around $1,500— say 2 grand total to provide for some contingencies
Will you help us?
Now back to mental health— let’s see what the Bible says about, and what must we do with it
BOOK
BOOK
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
WHAT: Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi
WHEN: He founded this church when he travelled there with Silas and Timothy during their 2nd missionary journey [ AD 50]
WHERE: Macedonia
WHO: Paul wrote this letter from jail.
WHY: There were problems in the church at Philippi, because some of the members claimed that people must obey the law of Moses, or they could not be saved— so Paul warned them through this letter
LOOK
LOOK
REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS
LET YOUR GENTLENESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL
DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING
PRAY, PETITION AND THANK GOD
THE PEACE OF GOD
THINK OF GOOD THINGS
When your eye is right, it responds to light. When your ear is right, it responds to sound.
When your heart is right, it responds to God, and that response is called F-A-I-T-H
How are we going to respond to mental illness?
TOOK
TOOK
BATTLEFIELD: M.I.N.D.
BATTLEFIELD: M.I.N.D.
MY HAPPINESS IS IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
MY HAPPINESS IS IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
4 Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful.
IN HIS POWER I WILL RELY
IN HIS POWER I WILL RELY
6 Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him.
NEVER FORGET THE PROVISIONS OF THE LORD
NEVER FORGET THE PROVISIONS OF THE LORD
6 Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him.
DEPRESSION IS NOT PART OF GOD’S PLAN FOR ME
DEPRESSION IS NOT PART OF GOD’S PLAN FOR ME
8 Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things.