Beyond Self-Help: A Theological Review of ‘Healing the Mind’

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] Hey, what's happening Transformation Church? This is Pastor Derwin, and I want to welcome all of our guests at all of our locations, and I especially want to welcome the mighty men and incredible women of our over, let's listen now, 1,400 correctional facility partnerships. Welcome, welcome, welcome, and to the TC family, welcome.
[00:00:21] So we're continuing our series, Thrive, and the idea of Thrive is rooted in John chapter 10, verse 10. Jesus says this, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I came to give life and to give it abundantly.
[00:00:39] Well, that word abundance in Greek gives the metaphor, the picture of thriving. What does thriving actually mean?
[00:00:47] It means this, that Jesus, the one who dies.
[00:00:51] He lives in our place on the cross to give us grace, to create space in his father's family. Jesus, the one who comes and lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, wants to overflow out of us.
[00:01:05] The miracle of grace, the miracle of good news is this, everything that God requires, blamelessness, holiness, righteousness, sinlessness.
[00:01:20] All of the things that God requires.
[00:01:21] All of the things that God requires.
[00:01:21] All of the things that God requires to be in relationship with him, because he is all those things, Jesus graciously provides through his sinless life, his sacrificial death on the cross, his resurrection, and the sending of the Spirit.
[00:01:36] Thriving has nothing to do with your effort, my effort, my awesomeness, your awesomeness.
[00:01:43] It has everything to do with King Jesus, that he is wanting and hungering.
[00:01:51] It has everything to thrive in us and thrive through us.
[00:01:55] He wants to overflow.
[00:01:56] As we say here at Transformation Church, Jesus gave his life for you, to give his life to you, to live his life through you.
[00:02:06] Well, what's our role?
[00:02:07] Our role is faith.
[00:02:09] And faith is not a leap into the darkness.
[00:02:12] It is a leap into the light.
[00:02:15] It is a jump into the nail-pierced arms of Jesus, and he carries us.
[00:02:21] And so what we're going to look at today is we're going to look at thriving in our mental health, thriving in our brain health.
[00:02:29] When Jesus saves us, he doesn't just save our soul from sin and death.
[00:02:34] He saves our whole.
[00:02:36] He cares about us holistically.
[00:02:38] As your lead pastor, I care about you holistically.
[00:02:42] Your mind and body matter to God.
[00:02:46] So today's sermon is this, healing the mind, restoring the soul.
[00:02:51] God cares about your mental health.
[00:02:55] God cares about my brain health.
[00:02:58] So check this out.
[00:03:01] It is estimated that 20% of Americans, that's one out of five people.
[00:03:09] It is estimated that 20% of Americans have mental health disorders every year.
[00:03:14] This is from the National Institute of Mental Health.
[00:03:16] So all of us have been affected by mental health disorders.
[00:03:21] Either personally or people within our families.
[00:03:26] And one of the things that we want to do is this.
[00:03:29] Never forget this.
[00:03:30] What you don't reveal, God does not heal.
[00:03:34] And for many of us, we have hid anxiety and depression and other issues.
[00:03:39] And sadly, we in the church, not Transformation Church, but historically the church has not done very well with mental health, brain health.
[00:03:47] Well, we want to reverse that curse.
[00:03:49] We want to bless you to know.
[00:03:50] That the God who saves souls is the God who also saves the whole of you.
[00:03:55] And you can come out of the shadows.
[00:03:57] You can get help.
[00:03:59] But all of us have been affected.
[00:04:04] 50% of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse.
[00:04:11] This is from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
[00:04:15] I want to pause here.
[00:04:17] So often, culturally.
[00:04:20] Maybe even in our own families, we see people who are struggling with substance abuse disorder, whether if it's alcoholism or I don't know what the particular substance is.
[00:04:32] I don't know what the particular drug is.
[00:04:34] But oftentimes, we make that a statement of their character.
[00:04:39] There's a gentleman that I am reading right now.
[00:04:42] And one of the things that he says is this.
[00:04:43] Don't ask why the addiction.
[00:04:46] Ask why the trauma.
[00:04:48] Because the addiction.
[00:04:50] Is where people go to hide from the trauma.
[00:04:54] And most people with substance abuse issues have mental health disorders.
[00:04:59] And there's also deep levels of pain and trauma.
[00:05:03] And so instead of being punitive, instead of being angry, instead of looking at people's character, we need to have compassion.
[00:05:10] Because oftentimes, instead of going to see a psychiatrist, they go to the dope man.
[00:05:15] They go to the bottle.
[00:05:17] Instead of going to therapy.
[00:05:19] They hang around.
[00:05:20] They hang around other people who are in the midst of addiction.
[00:05:23] And so we need to have compassion and understanding.
[00:05:27] My good friend, Dr. Daniel Amen, neuroscientist, says this.
[00:05:31] Transformation takes time.
[00:05:34] But with the right tools and mindset, it can last a lifetime.
[00:05:40] So I want to give you hope.
[00:05:43] God is gracious and God is good.
[00:05:45] Transformation takes time.
[00:05:46] But with the right tools and mindset, it can last.
[00:05:50] A lifetime.
[00:05:51] And as you know, the word transformation comes from the Greek word metamorphosis.
[00:05:55] Where we get the word that a caterpillar moves and transforms into a butterfly.
[00:05:59] But before that caterpillar is a butterfly, it has to go into the chrysalis.
[00:06:03] And within the chrysalis, there's a deep transformation that that which used to crawl on the ground, sprouts wings in different colors and different shades and becomes beautiful.
[00:06:12] And it actually begins to fly.
[00:06:14] It becomes something totally new.
[00:06:16] Well, the God of the universe who rose from the dead.
[00:06:20] Who lived for you and died for you and rose again for you can transform you.
[00:06:26] Now, listen, that God also uses psychiatrists and counselors and therapists and medication.
[00:06:33] All truth is God's truth.
[00:06:36] That's his common grace.
[00:06:40] So.
[00:06:42] Something that bugs me a little bit and I want to temper myself is when it comes to mental health.
[00:06:48] You know, people will say things.
[00:06:50] Well, you know, just just pray and it'll go away and it'll be those same people who go on international mission trips and have band-aids all over their arms because they're getting immunization shots so they won't get various diseases so lovingly as your shepherd, as your pastor, as your friend, as your brother, stop it.
[00:07:10] God uses medicine.
[00:07:13] God uses science.
[00:07:16] God uses prayer, prayer, medicine and science.
[00:07:20] I'm not in competition.
[00:07:22] They are in collaboration.
[00:07:25] Want to see you.
[00:07:26] Flourish.
[00:07:27] So if you need to see a medical professional.
[00:07:30] Go for it.
[00:07:31] You need to get therapy.
[00:07:32] Go for it.
[00:07:34] So.
[00:07:35] How do we thrive?
[00:07:39] In our mental health.
[00:07:40] How do you thrive in your mental health?
[00:07:41] Teenagers lock in.
[00:07:44] So number one.
[00:07:46] Meditate on the gospel daily.
[00:07:50] I like to say it this way, marinate on that. What do you think about? What fills your mind the most? We want to be a people that meditate on this incredible good news. One of my passions, as long as I have breath in my lungs and as long as God calls me to serve you, I am going to do my best to get you to stop thinking about yourself, to get me to stop thinking about myself. We are too preoccupied with ourselves. What we didn't do, what we did do. I'm not enough. I am enough.
[00:08:33] Would you get over yourself? Because when we get over ourself and we get preoccupied with Christ, we lose our life and then we really find our life. Some of us are just so, so stuck. And I get it. You've been hurt and I've been hurt. Welcome to the world. That's a Tuesday.
[00:08:55] We are all been hurt. Jesus has been hurt, but in his wounds, there's healing. In his scars is healing. Move to behold Christ. We want to meditate on his gospel daily. Here's an example from our man, 1 Peter. I want to meditate on his gospel daily. Here's an example from our man, 1 Peter.
[00:09:15] I want to meditate on his gospel daily. Here's an example from our man, 1 Peter. I want to meditate is in us. So that's why we need new DNA. And Jesus comes to give us new DNA that's free from corruption. And how did he pay a price for us? What did he do? And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless lamb of God. Peter, being a Jew, is going to the day of atonement. He's going to the Passover in which God passes over and freezes from the power of sin and death through the ransom of his blood. The day of atonement where the priest goes into the temple and the holies of the holy and smears the blood of the lamb over the 10 commandments, showing that the people's sins have been wiped away, have been forgotten, have been removed, that the blood of Jesus makes you pure.
[00:10:43] So you can be in relationship with a pure God. The blood of Jesus makes you blameless. So you can be in relationship with a blameless God. The blood of Jesus makes you righteous so that you can be righteous with the God of righteousness. Everything that I said is true, but it will do no good to your life existentially, practically, if you don't believe it. Are you tired of believing lies? Are you tired of being bullied by intrusive thoughts? Well, you can do something about it in the power of the Holy Spirit. You can call your friends who follow Jesus. You can listen to the word.
[00:11:13] You can read the word and say, God, I'm going to believe this good news. I'm going to believe it.
[00:11:19] I may not feel it, but I'm going to receive it. And eventually your feelings will catch up to what you believe. We want to meditate on the good news all the time. Get over yourself.
[00:11:34] Check this out now. Let's look at some neuroscience. Every thought you have triggers the release of neurochemicals.
[00:11:43] Which are involved in rewiring your brain. If you complain all the time, you're rewiring your brain and it's going to lead to anxiety and depression and all types of other things.
[00:11:57] You can tell your mind what you want. You have the power to do that through the Holy Spirit. Is it easy? Of course not. But when we think about the gospel, when we take our minds off of ourselves, all these good chemicals are creating, new pathways in our hearts and in our minds. Philippians 4.8, the apostle Paul is in jail when he writes these words to the multi-ethnic churches in Philippi. He's going through a lot here. There's anxiety is nothing new. It's been around since human beings have been around. Anxiety is simply what if, what if, what if, what if. And those what ifs can get us, man. It can get me. It can get you.
[00:12:41] So here's the thing. God is patient.
[00:12:43] He wants to teach us. Paul says this. This is the inspired word of God. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true. Notice, fix your thoughts on what is true. The scene of the crime is your mind. Now, you can have two thoughts simultaneously.
[00:13:10] When you have intrusive negative thoughts on things that are not true, don't fight them. Just say, sit down. You can be here how you want to, but I'm not going to mess with you. I'm not going to argue with you. I'm not going to get...
[00:13:23] You can just sit right here, but I'm going to ignore you, because I'm going to set my mind on Christ.
[00:13:28] And when you don't, then you just reset your mind on Christ. So watch this.
[00:13:33] Fix your thoughts on what is true. Jesus is true and honorable. Jesus is honorable and right.
[00:13:38] Jesus is the righteousness of God and pure. Jesus is pure. Jesus is lovely.
[00:13:43] Jesus is admirable.
[00:13:44] In other words, we think about Jesus, who he is, the person of Jesus.
[00:13:49] Let me go into a riff right now, lovingly and passionately.
[00:13:52] Listen, one of the reasons why I preach and teach the way we do, one of the reasons why we preach and teach the way we do here is we don't want you focusing on how you need to fix your life, what you need to do.
[00:14:04] Jesus is the big deal.
[00:14:06] Jesus is beautiful.
[00:14:07] Jesus is great.
[00:14:08] He is honorable.
[00:14:09] He is true.
[00:14:10] He is lovely.
[00:14:11] He is redeeming.
[00:14:12] He is for you.
[00:14:18] Ask the Holy Spirit to help you.
[00:14:22] Ask your brothers and sisters to help you.
[00:14:24] Now watch this.
[00:14:25] Think about these, think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
[00:14:33] Every night before you go to bed, just write down three things that are praiseworthy.
[00:14:38] Write down three things that you are grateful for and tie them.
[00:14:42] Write it down and show them to the goodness of God's grace.
[00:14:47] When you show gratitude, once again, you are releasing dopamine and serotonin and neurotransmitters that are good for your brain.
[00:14:57] You and I have a choice.
[00:14:58] But listen, in order to know the things I said, you gotta spend time in the word of God.
[00:15:02] Relisten to these sermons.
[00:15:04] Let it soak in you.
[00:15:07] Now, there is a psychotherapist I follow on Instagram.
[00:15:11] Her name is Jo Hargraves, and her name is Jen Harras.
[00:15:12] handle is the faith-filled therapist. And this is what she says here. Listen to this.
[00:15:20] When we think about what's pure and true, here's what happens. Number one, it reduces cognitive overload. When we focus on what is right and pure, we bypass unnecessary distraction. This activates the brain selective attention system, reducing the strain on the prefrontal cortex, conserving mental energy. Intentional thinking creates space for what truly matters, leaving us more productive and at peace. When we think about and when we follow Philippians 4.8, number two, improves emotional well-being. Ruminating or marinating on what is lovely and admirable rewires the brain, reducing activity in the amygdala, which is responsible for fear and stress. This lowers cortisol levels, prompting emotional regulation and balance.
[00:16:21] Scripture calls us to think on praiseworthy things, aligns perfectly with neuroscience finding of reducing anxiety. Number three, fosters a positive mindset, focusing in on good and bad. When we think about and when we follow Philippians 4.8, number two, good and praiseworthy thoughts strengthens neural pathways associated with gratitude and optimism, particularly in the anterior cingulate cortex. As science shows, intentional positivity helps us become more resilient, mirroring the transformation described in Philippians 4.8.
[00:16:54] Number four, encourages healthy thought patterns. By replacing worry and negativity with God's promises, we engage the neuroplasticity of the brain, its ability to form new, healthier pathways.
[00:17:13] This helps us break cycles of fear and rumination, renewing our minds, as Romans 12.2 says, and promoting long-term mental peace. Help me help you. Let God transform you.
[00:17:34] The scene of the crime no longer has to be your mind. The mind can be a place of peace and stability and resentment, resiliency and praise. Now, something else Dr. Amen taught me about 10 years ago is something called killing ants, killing automatic negative thoughts.
[00:18:00] So oftentimes, we are bombarded with intrusive thoughts, and what we do is we try to put on our little boxing gloves and fight the thoughts. And the more we try to fight, it actually gets worse. I want to show you something in congruence with what we're learning about meditating on the gospel daily. So this is how we kill ants.
[00:18:20] So I'll use myself. So if I'm in a rough place, if I'm tired, if I'm going through some things, the first intrusive thought I hear is, you're dumb. And it goes back to when I was eight years old.
[00:18:32] My mom had a boyfriend.
[00:18:34] He was a Nigerian oil man. We flew up to Dallas. It was like 1979, 80, something like that. Don't know exactly, but he had a computer and he was trying to tell me how to use the computer. But the way I learned is by doing things. And he looked at me and said, he is dumb. And I'll never forget those words. And they were etched into my soul, into my being. And because I was a compulsive stutterer, I didn't ask for help in class because in a home that I grew up in, my grandmother went to like eighth grade. I didn't really have a job. I didn't have a job. I didn't have a job. I didn't have anybody to help me with homework. And so it was challenging. And I believe the lie that I was dumb. Now let's pause here. Your pastor literally has a doctorate and I still hear words, you're dumb. I've literally written 10 books, you're dumb. I've literally lectured to PhD professors at universities and I still hear, you're dumb. So what do I do when those things take place?
[00:19:34] And I'm getting better at this. So you meditate on the gospel daily. Here's another practice is you say, Derwin, is it true that you're dumb? No. Is it absolutely true with 100% certainty that you're dumb? No, it's not true. How do I feel when I believe this thought? When I feel that I'm dumb, I feel like I'm that eight-year-old kid. Oftentimes, we revert back to the age in which that initial trauma took place. The word trauma means wound. And we go right back to that place. How would you feel if I didn't have this thought? Man, I would feel confident. I'd feel loved. I'd feel safe. I'd feel strong. I'd feel adored by Jesus. Is the opposite of the thought true or even truer than the original thought? Then use this turnaround as meditation. So it works like this.
[00:20:34] When I think about Christ, it is true that I have the mind of Christ. It is 100% certain that I have the mind of Christ. And when I think about the mind of Christ that he gave me, Philippians 2.5, when I think that I'm a temple of the Holy Spirit, when I think about being the righteousness of God, gifted by God, loved by God, cherished by God, I feel great. I feel strong. I feel confident.
[00:20:57] Did you see what just took place? Slow down.
[00:21:04] You're moving too fast. And the reason why you're moving too fast is you think your movement is going to fix you. You think your movement is going to heal you. You think your doing is going to improve you. It is not. God is not trying to do improvement. He's trying to make you new creation and to live from the power of the new creation. He's not trying to do a self-improvement job.
[00:21:32] He's trying to get himself in.
[00:21:34] He's trying to get himself in you to do the only job that he was created to do, and that's to live the life of Christ through you. So slow down. Slow down and let the sound of grace ricochet in your soul and remind you. Here's an area where I'm growing. I added this primarily for me, if it helps you, great. Excessive screen time, particularly over four to seven hours daily, negatively impacts mental health by increasingly increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in children and adults.
[00:22:09] This is from the National Library of Medicine. Listen, these large technology companies do not care about your mental health. They care about your money. You are a dollar sign to them.
[00:22:20] Don't let technology use you. You use it. So I am cutting back because I want to be healthy.
[00:22:29] I want to be strong. I don't want to be filled with anxiety and depression.
[00:22:34] I encourage you to do likewise. Have effective and healthy mental hygiene.
[00:22:41] And some of you are flat out already addicted. Now, mom, dad, with the little kids, listen, I see y'all at restaurants and the adults are talking and the little kids are just playing the games.
[00:22:52] When are the kids taught that it's okay not to be entertained all the time?
[00:22:58] And you expect them to be in school and listen to the teacher when all you've done in their formative years is give them constant stimulation, constant entertainment. Listen, be a parent, please.
[00:23:08] Don't let your tablet be a parent to your kids. It is messing all this up here in the prefrontal context, and they won't have self-control, their impulse will be gone, all types of other sad things.
[00:23:22] When you look at 2010 with the invention of the iPhone, cells go up and the mental health, particularly of young ladies, go down. We know this. We know this.
[00:23:34] Ask the Holy Spirit to help discipline you. Your life is too important, my life is too important for us to not be healthy.
[00:23:46] It contributes to poor sleep quality, social isolation, reduced attention spans, and heightened emotional instability.
[00:23:55] This is what's happening.
[00:24:00] Please, for the grace, for the glory of God, for your own benefit, and for the joy of God.
[00:24:03] good. Cut back. We want to thrive in our mental health. How do we thrive in our mental health transformation? Church number two, eat food that loves your body and brain. Eat food that loves your body and brain. Eat food that loves your body and brain. Whenever I'm with Dr. Amen, he says, Derwin, eat food that loves you back.
[00:24:23] Eat food that loves you back. Eat food that is gonna make you healthy and strong. Let's root this in scripture. First Corinthians 10 31. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. Now listen, I'm not saying you can't have some snacks every once in a while. The other day I had some butter pecan ice cream, and I believe butter pecan ice cream will be in a new heaven and new Earths around. It's not, it might. I don't know. I don't. It's okay to have some treats every once in a while, but when the treats make up a lot, you're gonna have to have some food every once in a while. But when the treats make up a lot, of your diet, it is going to affect your brain health.
[00:25:05] Also, the more overweight you are, the more overweight I am, the smaller your brain is, according to Dr. Amen.
[00:25:17] Dr. Amen says this, food plays a powerful role in cognitive function, emotions, and behavior.
[00:25:28] So here's an example of foods that don't love you.
[00:25:33] Ultra processed foods don't love you.
[00:25:38] Excessive sugar and refined carbohydrates don't love you.
[00:25:44] Artificial sweeteners and additives do not love you.
[00:25:52] Now let's pause here.
[00:25:54] We tend to go to extremes.
[00:25:57] Being skinny, does not mean you're healthy.
[00:26:00] You can be skinny and not healthy.
[00:26:04] You can be thick and be healthy.
[00:26:07] Don't worry about the shape of your body.
[00:26:11] Worry about the shape your body and mind is in.
[00:26:16] The goal is not to have a beach body.
[00:26:19] Listen, I am 54 years old, almost 55.
[00:26:22] I am never gonna look like an NFL player again.
[00:26:25] I am never gonna be able to wear football pants, with a size 32 waist.
[00:26:30] Number one, I don't need to.
[00:26:33] The goal is to be healthy.
[00:26:36] So when you are eating, think about what can help me.
[00:26:39] So talk to your doctor.
[00:26:42] Don't go to these extremes and all this stuff.
[00:26:45] And listen, when you cut weight really fast, unhealthily, you cut muscle.
[00:26:51] And when you cut muscle, that messes up your metabolism and you actually age your self.
[00:27:00] Now take a step back because some of us could be addicted to food.
[00:27:05] Just like people are addicted to sex or addicted to drugs.
[00:27:07] We're gonna be addicted to food because food releases chemicals as well.
[00:27:11] I know for me late at night, sometimes a brother will stress eat and I'm learning to go Derwin, you're not hungry.
[00:27:17] What are you stressed about?
[00:27:18] Go pray.
[00:27:20] Hey, listen, God wants us to be healthy.
[00:27:23] So eat foods that love you.
[00:27:25] Eat good food.
[00:27:27] How do you thrive in your mental health?
[00:27:28] Move your body to strengthen your mind.
[00:27:31] Move your body to strengthen your mind.
[00:27:35] I want you to think about your body for a minute.
[00:27:38] Now, listen, I get it.
[00:27:41] I get it.
[00:27:41] Listen.
[00:27:42] When I was a little boy in the eighties, I watched Rocky and in Rocky II, Sylvester Stallone was kind of flabby.
[00:27:49] Rocky III homeboy came back.
[00:27:51] He was ripped, man.
[00:27:52] He was chiseled.
[00:27:53] And I'm like, I want to look like Rocky, but listen, At the height of my NFL career, I mean, I'm ripped and I'm chiseled, and I still don't look like Rocky because I didn't have the enhancement, the substances that Rocky Sylvester Stallone, that boy, had.
[00:28:08] What I'm saying is this.
[00:28:11] Comparison will steal your joy.
[00:28:13] Comparison will wreck you.
[00:28:16] Once again, don't worry about the shape of your body.
[00:28:18] Worry about, be concerned about the shape your body is in to be healthy.
[00:28:24] And your body belongs to God.
[00:28:28] He purchased it.
[00:28:29] Look at this.
[00:28:30] Don't you realize, I love the question, don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in you?
[00:28:37] You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
[00:28:39] This should affect us with holiness, the things we say and how we act because wherever we go, we carry God with us.
[00:28:46] And so your body is how God moves through the world.
[00:28:50] Your mind is how God moves through the world, how he executes his assignment.
[00:28:54] Through you, and so we want to be strong.
[00:28:58] We want to be healthy.
[00:29:00] Here's one of the beautiful things that exercise does.
[00:29:04] Exercise also releases dopamine.
[00:29:07] At your house, wherever you are, say dopamine.
[00:29:10] One, two, three, dopamine.
[00:29:13] It releases serotonin.
[00:29:14] One, two, three, serotonin.
[00:29:16] It releases endorphins.
[00:29:18] One, two, three, endorphins.
[00:29:19] So we got dopamine.
[00:29:21] We got serotonin and we got endorphins.
[00:29:23] These three.
[00:29:24] And we feel good hormones that double as neurotransmitters or chemical messengers between your nerve cells.
[00:29:35] There's a reason why after you work out, you feel better.
[00:29:40] Man, you stack day after day after day, and you just flood your body with these chemicals.
[00:29:46] If you sit at a desk all day in front of a TV all day and you don't exercise, it is a recipe for depression, anxiety, and bad mental health.
[00:29:54] Now, let's pause here.
[00:29:56] You don't have to do nothing crazy.
[00:29:58] First thing, talk to your doctor, make sure you're getting a physical, make sure you're healthy.
[00:30:03] Listen, I get on a treadmill and I walk about five to six times a week for 30 minutes at 3.0 between seven and 10, depending upon how my back feels.
[00:30:16] I do that five to six times a week.
[00:30:19] So try walking at a good pace four to six to 8,000 times a day, 5,000 steps a day, five, six days a week.
[00:30:31] You don't have to do nothing crazy.
[00:30:33] And then learn how to lift weights, resistance training.
[00:30:37] Now, ladies, I promise you, if you start to lift weights, you are not going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator, I promise you, unless you get on a whole bunch of illegal steroids, and you're not going to do that.
[00:30:49] But lifting weights gives you strength and energy.
[00:30:53] So watch this.
[00:30:53] Watch this.
[00:30:54] I'm coming to my office before I get up to preach.
[00:30:58] I'm doing air squats and I'm doing pushups and I'm doing core because I'm releasing dopamine and serotonin and endorphins before I get up to preach.
[00:31:09] I'll find myself doing that throughout the day.
[00:31:11] So listen, you can go on the internet and learn basic ways to lift weights, basic ways to be in shape.
[00:31:18] Take care of your body.
[00:31:20] You only have one.
[00:31:23] Stack.
[00:31:24] Day after day after day after day.
[00:31:27] Listen, consistency is more important than intensity.
[00:31:32] Consistency is more important than intensity.
[00:31:35] I think I heard Craig Groeschel say that a few weeks ago.
[00:31:39] January, February, the YMCA I go to is packed.
[00:31:42] Everybody's in there, yeah, yeah.
[00:31:44] I mean, it is wild, man.
[00:31:46] And then come March, April, May, it's back to normal.
[00:31:50] Consistency is better than intensity.
[00:31:52] So just learn to be...
[00:31:54] consistent.
[00:31:57] Number four, how to thrive in your mental health.
[00:32:00] Live for a purpose bigger than yourself.
[00:32:05] Live for a purpose bigger than yourself.
[00:32:08] If you want to be stuck mentally, emotionally, spiritually, be stuck on you.
[00:32:16] Make the world center around you and you will be full in your center of stuff that's not good for you.
[00:32:24] God has created you to live this life that is upward and inward and outward.
[00:32:32] In a moment, for those of you new to Transformation Church, you'll see what I'm talking about.
[00:32:35] It's Jesus's philosophy.
[00:32:38] But before we do, let's listen to the American Psychiatric Association.
[00:32:43] Having greater purpose in life was significantly associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety.
[00:32:52] Well, I've got some really good news.
[00:32:53] This is really good news.
[00:32:54] Jesus has gifted us.
[00:32:56] Jesus has graced us.
[00:32:58] Jesus has given us and created us for the greatest purpose there is.
[00:33:03] And you know what their purpose is?
[00:33:05] Love.
[00:33:07] It's the purpose to love God upward.
[00:33:09] The purpose to love yourself correctly inward and the purpose to love your neighbor, which is the whole world, compassionately upward, inward, outward.
[00:33:20] Jesus is in conversation with a religious service.
[00:33:23] with a religious leader, and Jesus replied, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
[00:33:31] This is the first and greatest commandment.
[00:33:33] And so Jesus, being a Jew in his humanity, is quoting Deuteronomy chapter six, verses four through nine, where God in essence says, I have created you to love you, for you to love me with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, so that's upward.
[00:33:46] So that's basically the first four commandments deal with loving God.
[00:33:50] And we love God, not because we loved him first, but because he loved us.
[00:33:54] It's the bloody cross that reminds us of his love.
[00:33:57] It's the resurrection that reminds us of his love.
[00:34:00] As a matter of fact, as I'm thinking now, I'm thinking about he redeemed me.
[00:34:04] He bought me off the slave block of sin.
[00:34:06] That's why I love him.
[00:34:07] He made somebody that's unrighteous and gave me the righteousness of his son.
[00:34:11] That's why I love him.
[00:34:13] When he rose from the dead, he guaranteed that I would rise from the dead.
[00:34:16] That's why I love him.
[00:34:17] He took me from a compulsive stutterer to a preacher.
[00:34:20] That's why I love him.
[00:34:21] He took me from not even know what marriage was to getting ready to celebrate 34 years of marriage.
[00:34:25] I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him.
[00:34:28] Every moment is a gift.
[00:34:30] The oxygen we have, the fact that we can say it's cold outside, it is all a gift from God.
[00:34:36] It is grace upon grace upon grace.
[00:34:40] God is for you.
[00:34:42] That's why we love him, because he first loved us.
[00:34:50] And the second is equally important.
[00:34:52] Love your neighbor as yourself.
[00:34:55] Notice, love your neighbor as yourself.
[00:34:57] I can't love my neighbor if I don't love myself, can't love myself if I'm not first drenched with the love of God.
[00:35:02] The love yourself breeds humility because you know everything about you, everything good in you is from Christ.
[00:35:08] It brings you lower to lift him higher.
[00:35:12] The entire law, so this is the Torah, the 10 commandments, the entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two.
[00:35:20] These two commands, so God's greatest goal for you and me is not your job.
[00:35:25] It's for you to live upward, inward, outward at your job.
[00:35:28] God's greatest goal is not for you to get married.
[00:35:30] It's for you to live upward, inward, outward when you get married.
[00:35:32] God's greatest goal is to form you into a person of love.
[00:35:40] And if you don't know what love is, look at Jesus, the one who healed the lepers, the one who made the religious Pharisees, the one who made the Jews mad and still make people mad today because his grace was so outstanding.
[00:35:58] It dumb-folded the religious scholars.
[00:36:02] It broke the backs of the Romans and it called a group of fishermen together to preach and proclaim the word of God in such a way that we're here today.
[00:36:15] You see, the grace of God not only sends us to the new heaven and new earth when we die, the grace of God puts the new heaven and new earth in us while we live and that's spelled L O V E and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves means that we want them to be caught up in God's love before Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father so that the Holy Spirit could descend and live in us he said these words to his Jewish disciples Jesus came and told his disciples I've been given all authority in heaven on earth therefore and go and make disciples of all the nations when this was written there was no modern nation-states like we have now this means all the different ethnic groups this is why Transformation Church is a multi-ethnic church is because Jesus told us to go reach everybody not just across the sea but across the street we believe that the gospel breaks the back of prejudicedness the gospel breaks the back of racism why because love says no no we are brothers in sister's in christ the same blood of jesus is the same blood that's in us jesus blood not only forgives sins but it creates a family with different colored skins and so we are to go on mission to reach people with this good news and doing what baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit baptism is like this wedding ring this wedding ring does not make me married but it shows the world that I belong to another when you're baptized it shows the world to Jesus. And then your identity as being baptized means you are his student. You are following hard after him because the grace of God is calling you deeper into his heart. So listen, we're going to have a baptism service coming up. If you've never been baptized, it is time for you to go public with your faith. If you were baptized when you were little and it didn't mean anything and you don't even remember it, be baptized as a person who made the choice themselves that I follow Jesus. So I want you to sign up to be baptized. Say, hey, I want to be baptized. I want to go public with my faith. We're going to have a baptism service coming up soon. So I want you to fill that out. Then it says, teaching the new disciples to obey all the commands I've given you, which is upward, inward, outward.
[00:38:47] And be sure of this. I'm with you always to the end of the age. Jesus never leaves us. Jesus never forsakes us. Hey, let me ask you a question. I want you to catch me right here in the eyes.
[00:39:03] If you knew Jesus was returning in three days, who would you urgently share the gospel with?
[00:39:15] Who would you urgently share the gospel with?
[00:39:17] Who would you urgently invite to Transformation Church Indian Land, to Transformation Church Lake Wiley? If you knew he was coming back in three days, you would have this urgency. Well, friends, that urgency is a gift because he could come back tomorrow. Live in light that Jesus could return at any moment. Therefore, you are passionate. You are urgent.
[00:39:47] You are passionate about inviting people to Transformation Church Indian Land, Transformation Church Lake Wiley. You are inviting them to hear your story of how you came to faith in Christ and how they can come to faith in Christ. You will save lives through the gospel, not just physically, mentally, spiritually. Jesus not only saves our soul, he saves our whole. Well, Transformation Church, guess what? We are going to thrive mentally because we're going to meditate on the gospel daily. We're going to eat food that loves our bodies and brains. We're going to move our bodies to strengthen our mind, and we're going to live with a greater purpose. We're going to live upward, inward, outward through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we're going to invite people to experience that through sharing how we came to faith in Christ. We're going to pray for them.
[00:40:44] We're going to invite them to Transformation Church Indian Land. We're going to invite them to Transformation Church Indian Land.
[00:40:47] We're going to invite them to Transformation Church Lake Wiley. I want this place filled. I want our locations filled with people who have no clue who Jesus is, and we get to tell them the greatest love story there is. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit, thank you that you want us to thrive in our minds. May we, by faith, seek your face so that we can be healed in our bodies and our minds, so that we can live for a larger purpose, and that purpose is your glory through the greatest story ever told. It's a love story of a Savior who came to get his father's kids. And right now, I want to pray for those of you that are listening, and you're saying, hey, pastor, I'm ready to follow Jesus. I'm ready to give my life to Jesus. Listen, right where you are, I'm ready to give my life to Jesus. I'm ready to say this to him. He rescued me in a dorm room when I was on the phone with my wife, saying I want to be more committed to Jesus. That's when I was born again. It can happen right here, right now, right where you are. Say this to him. Jesus, I believe that you died on a cross for me. I don't deserve your grace, but you gave it to me. You died on a cross because you love me. I don't deserve it, but you love me anyway. I believe your blood forever.
[00:42:17] You paid a price with me, and that was your blood. When you laid in that tomb for three days, I laid with you, but on the third day, you rose again, and you sent the Holy Spirit to live in me for all eternity. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving me. I am yours, and you are mine.
[00:42:33] Thank you for bringing me into your father's family. In Jesus' name, amen, amen, and amen.
[00:42:40] So listen, you'll have an opportunity to let us know you pray to receive Christ here on the cross.
[00:42:47] Just fill out the connection card. Let us know you pray to receive Christ. If you're ready to be baptized, sign up because it's going down. We want to slam dunk you in the water. We want you to go public with your faith, all right? Well, here's our soul tattoo. Soul tattoo is what do we think about throughout the week. So I want you to re-listen to the message. Let it soak in you.
[00:43:10] But our soul tattoo is this. By faith, practice the four ways to thrive in your mental health.
[00:43:16] Practice them.
[00:43:17] Do the Holy Spirit's power. Action step. Take your next step. Groups and growth track. Groups and growth track. Groups and growth track. This is a systematic way for us to disciple you so that you can grow in your greater purpose of living upward, inward, outward lives. Hey, guys, I love you. I believe in you. But more importantly, God loves you, and God lives in you.
[00:43:47] Thank you.
[00:44:11] Thank you.
[00:44:13] Thank you.
[00:44:15] Thank you.