Proven Mental Health Practices

Crossing family. It is so good to be with each

and every single one of you. I am glad that you are with us

this weekend. I don't care where you're

joining from, whether you're joining from here at 48th

Street, one of our locations online or inside.

We just want you to know, God loves you.

This church loves you. And we believe that, every

single one of you can have an intimate personal relationship

with Jesus Christ, back by popular, demand after last

week's, incredible message. Is our friend, dr.

Wes Beavis. So would you put your hands

together and welcome him to the stage?

One more time, my man. Well, it's awesome to be at the

Crossing, and my name is dr. Wes Beavis.

I am a clinical psychologist, but more importantly than that,

I am a Jesus follower. I'm a living example to the fact

that you do not need to choose between faith and Science.

In fact, that is something that culture is trying to convince

you. That if you believe in God, then

your anti science and that is not the truth at all.

And I'm going to be sharing You today, some great things in the

context of what has already been shared in the weeds, in my

garden series on Mental Health. The last message I gave really

drove into the fact that God has wonderfully, made us with all

types of neurochemicals all types of hormones in our system

that can work towards us. Having good mental health.

And it's up to us, we're not at the mercy of those chemicals.

We actually have control over those chemicals.

If you didn't watch the message go back and have a watch over,

it will encourage you. But today I want to go real

practical on you. And can you see the number 5?

I want you to say it three times in a row.

Today I have three sections. Each section has five points and

the way this is going to roll out is the first section of Five

Points is going to happen very quickly.

It's like a sandwich. We're going to burn through that

side of the sandwich very quickly and that the back end

section is Five Points going to burn through that quickly, the

meat is in the middle. So let me start with the first

section here, how to become more anxious and depressed.

Five guaranteed ways that you can become more anxious and

depressed? Well, some of you might be here

thinking, you know, I'm kind of effervescing with too much joy.

At the moment, 98. I need a little more depression,

little more anxiety in my life and if that's you, you're in the

right place because I have five guaranteed ways to induce more

depression and anxiety in your life.

Number one, when you are feeling down, isolate yourself from

others, And avoid the Great Outdoors at all costs.

Make sure you're by yourself with your own thoughts at all

costs. Do Not Go In The Great Outdoors.

And for goodness sake do not allow any Sunshine onto your

skin because what that will do that will stimulate certain

neurochemical responses in your body and make you feel good and

you don't want to feel good. So make sure that when you are

feeling down you isolate yourself because social Elevates

our mood and we don't want to have moved to be elevated and

being in the Great Outdoors will Elevate our mood as well.

And we don't want that to happen.

If our goal is for you to become more anxious and depressed

number to spend as much time as you can being sedentary, just

lie around, do not exercise. Exercise will release a lot of

feel-good chemicals in you and it's very good for your mental

health, but if you want to increase depression and anxiety,

Be sedentary lay around be in a static state.

Number three. See, I told you we're going to

fly through these eat more UPF. You're going to dr.

West what is it? UPF.

It is an ultra processed food and our culture.

And our society is Full of it. Absolutely.

Lots of ultra-processed foods that give you the sense that

you're being nourished because you're eating, you're chewing or

swallowing, but in effect, these ultra-processed Foods offer very

little nutritional benefit. In fact, they will do the

opposite. They can inflame your system

which contributes to your negative mental state.

So, if you want to increase the pressure and anxiety in your

life, make sure you hit the ultra-processed foods.

Yes. Ice cream and dark chocolate.

Is my preferences here? And so I have to keep them under

good management because they do have an effect on my mental

health. Number for cooperate, with

whatever your depression or anxiety is telling you, because

what we've discovered in the social sciences is this,

whatever you concentrate on, whatever you focus on, whatever

you cooperate with you get more depression.

So if you cooperate with whatever you're depressed

feelings are telling You then you're just going to attract

more reasons to be depressed, anxiety, and, and social

anxiety. All that if you just cooperate

with what your feelings are telling you, you're going to get

more of the depressed and anxious States.

And number five, let your current disappointment shape,

your view of God. Because when we're disappointed,

when we are discourage, we tend to be in a place in our brain,

which is not as sophisticated. Vista cated as the prefrontal

cortex. And when we are discouraged and

we tend to make value judgments of about our life, about our

world in which we live, and about our future, they're not

the best value judgments and we can make judgments of God that

are so inaccurate, when we are depressed, discouraged and

anxious. So, but if you want more of

those things in your life, then yes, let your Are in

disappointment, influence, your view of God.

But I think I'm talking to people here who actually do not

want to elevate depression anxiety or any other challenging

mental States in your life. So we're heading into section

to. Can you say five fantastic

section 2 is Proven mental, health practices for you.

Let's get into it. Number one, build muscle.

Build muscle, and I'm not talking about build spiritual

muscle. I'm not talking in a, in a

metaphorical sense. I am, talking about build

muscle. We're talking biceps triceps.

Calf muscles. Any must your glutes?

Any build muscle. Okay.

Here's some scripture here and you shall love the Lord, your

God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your

mind, and with all your strength, See where hombre we've

already dealt with the metaphorical in the sense let

the God with all your heart metaphorically speaking.

It's like the very core of your body, love the love with him,

the very core of who you are your soul.

What what existed before your human body, which will exist

after your human body and with your mind.

And that also goes on to say strength, love the Lord, your

God with your strength. Another Bible passage here for a

while. Body bodily training is of some

value. Godliness is a value in every

way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the

life to come. Now this is a trap that I've

fallen into and a lot of Believers, a lot of followers of

Jesus fall into this trap because we've read for our

Buddy. Lee training is of some value

godliness, is a much greater value and what we tend to do is

go, I'm just going to go with the godliness.

I want to be strong in God. Ugliness, I want to be, I just

want to be good and godly and and we forget the fact that the

Bible says bodily training is of some value.

And we tend to live in the, in the sense that well, you know,

bodily training is of no value. And I particularly believe that,

as followers of Jesus, we should have the best bodies.

If we're loving the Lord, Our God with all our heart, soul,

mind and strength. There is value.

Bodily training, I appeal to you, therefore, Brothers by the

mercies of God, to present your bodies as a Living Sacrifice,

holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship,

you know, sometimes and I've been guilty of this in my life

is that I actually ignore my body in pursuit of the higher

things of the Kingdom. In fact, I sacrifice my body for

Ministry. And while that sounds very Noble

at a surface level. We actually get to choose what

type of body we're going to offer to God as a Living

Sacrifice. Now, I remember when I was

planting a church, I got caught up in anxiety, and depression,

things weren't working out as I was hoping or my lofty goals and

my Noble desires. And so I gained 50 pounds And in

a sense, I was working really hard for Jesus really hard for

the church. But I was sacrificing my body.

And I was presenting my body as a Living Sacrifice, but it

wasn't the best version of my body.

And I think, as followers of Jesus, we have that option, I'm

going to offer my body as a Living Sacrifice, but what

version of your body are you offering as a Living Sacrifice?

Now, some of you are sitting there and understandably, so

going dr. Wes a, you know, you seem to be

giving a message on physical fitness.

What does this have to do? To with mental health, I will

tell you what it has to do with mental health.

Building muscle is associated. This is scientific Lee.

Proven data mental are building muscle, is associated with

improved mental Clarity, improved, cognitive processing,

improves mental function as you age.

And let me know that the things on talking about here is like

build muscle now, because there's going to come a time

where we will enter our marginal decade, you're asking.

Well, what's the marginal decade?

The marginal decade is the decade that we all have in

common. It's the last decade of our life

and every one of us in this room will enter their marginal decade

at some point. Now, the marginal decade is

called this because at that time, that's when we struggle

the most with physical health issues.

People in the imaginal decades, see the doctors more are in and

out of Hospital. More are struggling more with

issues of mobility and the capacity to be independent in

their living. And so, why I say build muscle,

it is playing into your future mental health, because it's

you've known what it is to be active and independent and

having the energy to give for all your previous decades.

And You enter a decade when you use struggling to get out of a

chair, that is depressing and that is anxiety-producing.

And so, I'm here to say Building muscle has a lot to do with your

mental health. Not only now, but in the future,

stressing muscle, that's when you get put, you know, a

dumbbell, some weights, whatever putting putting your muscle

under stress. So it has to strain releases

endorphins. That's a chemical that God has

put in our body for a specific purpose endorphins, Elevate

mood. Endorphins are a natural

analgesic, that means a painkiller endorphins soothe the

anxious brain and increase an optimistic outlook on life.

And if you don't believe me go and and subject yourself to an

exercise experience, either go to the gym, go for a walk.

Go do something and I can pretty well guarantee you that after

not during I mean when I'm at the gym, okay?

Oh my goodness. Why am I doing this?

This is so I'm not enjoying this, but afterwards, I feel

great. I experienced the the elevated

mood. You experience the mental

Clarity, you experienced so many things as soothing of the

anxious brain, I mean, if you're feeling anxiety in your life,

put some put some muscle training into your world and you

will experience. Your anxiety levels.

Decreasing muscle is the number one organ of Ling longevity.

You know, a lot of press is given to the heart muscle

because, you know, understandably the most deaths

in America occur as a result of cardiac problems followed by

cancer. But ultimately, it's it's the

muscle, atrophy or sarcopenia which ends up taking us out.

Because if we Cannot be mobile. Then we're going to be more

sedentary and our muscles will continue to atrophy.

If we can't get up and be mobile, if we can't move, if

we're going to struggle, if we're going to have the aches

and pains that's going to further increase our propensity

to be immobile and sedentary, and that's going to affect our

mental health. What I'm saying is be like the

Queen of England. Who two days, two days before

she died of natural causes she was, installing the new Prime

Minister of England, commissioning that next reign of

leadership, presiding over the country, isn't that what you

want? I know, that's what I want.

I want right up to two days before, the good Lord takes me

home. I am still officiating in

Ministry and doing powerful things in Ministry, and having

influence in Ministry. So, starting in your 40s, you

start to lose 1% of your muscle mass each year and that

corresponds with a one to three percent loss in strength.

So if you don't do anything to counteract your muscle, atrophy,

the sacopee, Pena. If you start to register higher

and higher on the Frailty index, then that is going to cause you

to become more depressed because you think you're going to think.

Wow. I could, you know, I used to be

able to pick up my grandchild and swing them around and I am

finding it really difficult to even lift them up.

And it's not because they're growing up more, it's just I'm

losing my strength and so you can counteract that If you

decide what version of my body, am I going to offer as a Living

Sacrifice? And some of you are thinking,

well, you know, dr. West, that, you know, I haven't

really been active in my life, too much up to now.

Wouldn't, you know, I feel very comfortable uncomfortable and on

the inside of a gym. I understand that, but it's

never too late to reverse it. I I have a conflicted

relationship with running and but I decided the age of 55 I

was going to run my first marathon.

And and I was able to do that and I've run several Marathon

since the last. Okay.

Okay. Before it before you upload me

before you floating the last marathon, I ran, I was beat, I

was beat by 45 minutes. By a guy who was 83.

I'm telling you what the human body is capable of.

The way God has were designed us with the resiliency factors, you

know? We I think we tend to give in to

the process of Aging unnecessarily.

Okay. So a couple of tips do it.

When your willpower is strongest, that means do it

first thing in the morning. Because as the day grinds on,

you're going to be losing psychological fuel as the gate

day gets on. So as Brian Tracy, Great sales

trainer said, if in the context of your day, you have to eat a

frog. Eat the Frog first, and so I

would encourage you to try and put it in quick, and of course,

because I'm a doctor of Clinical Psychology.

I work with what's happening in the brain and the emotions, and

the behavior, I'm not a medical doctor, although my son is check

with your medical doctor. That's my disclaimer because I

don't want you to sue me. All right.

Number two, good sleep, hygiene brace.

Scripture for this then he got into the boat that's Jesus and

his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up

upon the lake so that the waves swept over the boat.

But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him

saying. Lord save us, we're going to

drown. They were full of anxiety at

this point. Jesus replied, you of little

faith. Why are you so afraid?

Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves and it was

completely calm. The men were amazed and asked

what kind of man is This even the wind's and the waves obey

him. But implied in that context, is

this very important principle for us, you face storms better

when you are not sleep deprived, So get good at sleep.

Sleep medication is not the answer.

There are lots of components that go into sleep hygiene.

I won't take you through it now, but I am going to tell you that

when you are sleep deprived, it's so easy to get into

negative, mental States, in sleep, deprivation increases

cortisol, which is a stress hormone in your body, and it

makes you hungrier for all the wrong Foods.

I'm talking salty, crunchy, and sweet.

When you have had a lot of cortisol running through your

system, you are driven to just they're called Comfort foods for

a reason. So and your body repairs when

you sleep, you see, we spent the entirety of our day in flaming

our body, you know, subjecting our body to stress.

And some of that is is positive stress.

You know, going to the gym is positive stress, but we inflame

our body, every organ of our body, including our brain.

And when we're sleeping, That's when God does his powerful work

of repairing? All the the result of us

stressing the body, you don't build muscles in the gym.

You build your mother. Well, let me see say that your

muscles don't grow in the gym, your muscles actually get torn

in the gym. It's when you sleep that your

muscles start to rebuild. All right.

Number three evaluate sugar intake.

Now, I'm not going to stand here and say, you know, cut out all

sugar. You know, I'd be a hypocrite.

If I said that, you know, I love sugar sugar and I have a heavy.

We have an interesting relationship.

I am, I am a recovering sugar addict.

The Bible says this about sugar. It says it is not good to eat

too much. Honey, that's it.

The by the Bible doesn't talk about high glycemic

carbohydrates, Donuts, Bagels at it.

It just talks about it's not good to eat too much, honey.

That's because sugar has an interesting effect on your body.

Your brain needs a certain amount of it, but we tend to

really overdo it if you want more depression and anxiety in

your life, eat more sugar, it'll help you get there.

Sugar has been associated with elevated levels of depression

and anxiety. So, if you ever find yourself in

an anxious state or a depressed state, just check, check your

sugar intake. And here's why it causes

inflammation in your body, including your brain and

sometimes depression and anxiety is the brains way of saying I'm

inflamed. Did you know, in the 1700s The

average intake of sugar per person per day, was one teaspoon

in the 1700 s because they didn't have all the high refined

carbohydrates at foods that register higher on the high

glycemic index, then today, 2018, couple of years old, but I

think we're probably only gotten worse men take in an average of

19 teaspoons a day and women 15 teaspoons per day.

And there's a reason for that. Sugar is number one, it's highly

addictive and every food company knows it.

So they try to inject as much sugar into Foods because they

want you to keep coming back for more.

And so sugar is in everything. Especially your ultra-processed

Foods. So, the more sugar.

Here's a fun fact them, and try this out for an experiment.

The more sugar you eat, the more you will crave sugar, it causes

a dopaminergic reaction in your brain and brain.

Is that dopamine is that great feel-good chemical and we we

love it when we get it, so evaluate your sugar intake.

I'm not saying, you know, get rid of all.

Sure, I'm not going to be that mean I'm just going to say think

about it. All right.

Lovely vacate. That's a fancy word for make

sure you get some vacations and vacation is based on the word of

vacate the life that you're normally embroiled in.

Now here's here's what we think. Culture thinks that vacation the

recovery happens in the in the when you're at the destination

and sure you get maximum beneficial effect when you're on

vacation and we think that that after we come home from vacation

the Jewel benefits of that, go on for several weeks, maybe

several months, it's not the truth.

Scientific research says that we overestimate the benefits of

post vacation time, and we underestimate the benefits on

pre vacation time, this is actually how it looks.

You start to get the beneficial effect of a vacation from the

moment you book it. So if you book it to go away on

a vacation in three months time, you Start to get the benefits of

it. You just have that sense of

anticipation, you're looking forward to it.

You're subconsciously preparing for it and So that you don't

feel guilty after you come back from vacation.

Generally the drop off is very steep leading to that thought

of, oh my goodness, I feel so guilty.

I was just on vacation last week but it doesn't feel like I went

away on vacation at all. Has anybody ever felt that?

You know, and some of us even come back from a vacation

needing a vacation. So you've got to think about

what type of vacation you take. All right, number 5, pay to see

a Trained Christian clinician or a counselor.

Now, I put Christian in there because in the, in the

behavioral sciences psychologist marriage and family, therapist,

licensed clinical, social workers, they're not

representative of the larger cultural context.

Generally only not generally specifically, they did research

on this, only 40% of psychologists are people of

faith. And yet we have, you know,

seventy or eighty percent of the population at large that are

believing God. So why is they go to a

Christian? Clinician is your faith is an

important tool in your toolbox that a clinician can use.

So if you go to a clinician who doesn't understand Faith, that's

a big tool in your toolbox that they can't use because they

don't know how to use it. So I would encourage you go to

see a Christian Clinician. And why do I say pay?

Because it's human nature. You are more vested in that,

which you pay for You've got to have skin in the game if

somebody else is paying for it. Yeah, you'll go and and have a

lovely chat, but you're not going to be as motivated as

somebody who's putting money into this process.

So, who Bible says here in Proverbs, whoever trusts in his

own mind, is a fool, but he who walks in the wisdom walks in

wisdom will be delivered. See when we're in anxious or

depressed, or burnt out? Mental States.

We are not operating out of the best part of our brain. and so,

I love this saying that I use often in therapy.

It's it's hard to read the label when you're stuck inside the

bottle. And that's why it's good to go

and see somebody because as smart as you are as, as solid as

you are in your faith, sometimes you're so stuck in your

situation. It's hard to see what's going

on. All right.

That's my son. There he is a doctor of medicine

in the u.s. Navy when he was going through

pre-med. He played rugby and he broke his

arm called me up. Dead gone to the hospital.

I've broken my arm for Ellie and I go to the hospital, the

orthopedic surgeon comes into the room and sure.

I mean, that was really busted. You could see it.

It was like, oh and the orthopedic surgeon through some,

his X-ray up on the light box and he said, okay, this is what

we've got. It's Definitely broken.

There are three options here. Number one, we could just leave

it alone, the bones will eventually that's them.

Wonder if the human body, they've the bones.

The broken ends will eventually find themselves and they'll fuse

back together. The problem with that is, it'll

be very painful. It'll take a long time to heal

and the bones were probably heal in a way that's problematic over

a long distance of time. I said, okay, what's the second

object? We can, we can apply traction,

we can pull the bones apart and I to get them in line as much as

we can, and then put plaster in it'll be less painful, it'll

heal quicker and and it won't be.

So prone to problems down the line, and I said, well, what's

the third option? And he said well I can go in,

they can open him up, I can put a titanium plate and some screws

in there, I can get the bones exactly in alignment, it'll heal

the fastest of all, it'll be the least amount of pain, and you'll

have the least amount. The problems going forward.

And that is why that is what therapy is like, it's going to a

doctor, going to a licensed clinician, they can help you

heal faster, be less back pain, involved and heal in a way.

That's not problematic in future years.

And the other thing is, you won't burn out your friends.

Let your friends via friends. Do all your deep work with your

therapist. Okay?

So that's the meat in the middle build muscle, good sleep.

Hygiene evaluate sugar intake, proactively be cake and Peter,

see a trained clinician or counselor so that is five

practical steps that we could because the weeds in our garden.

Once we pull those weeds out, we got to replace them with good

behaviors. And so I've just given you five.

Okay? The last section.

Everybody say five, All right, is how you can help others.

The Bible says carry each other's burdens.

And in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

So, number one, normalize mental health experience, and I've

watched every message in this weeds in my garden series, that

you've done. And I want to tell you that,

your pastor, Clayton Hensley, has done an amazing job here is

well researched, what he has taught you.

And He's talked about the fact that we want to meant normalize

it everybody. It doesn't matter how how strong

and how capable you are as a leader.

Everybody will struggle from time to time with something

that's broken in their lives. So let's just normalize it

number to invite them to go for a sunshine.

Walk, remember Elijah when he was severely depressed after his

high experience of Mount Carmel, where that amazing miracle

happened, you know, a lot of and a lot of cortisol through the

system and what happens often when you go through an

experience like that, you can have a post project post

experience, slump or where did he find himself at the in the

back of a cave? No sunlight, no fresh air.

So one of the most beneficial things you can do with somebody

who's struggling, say, hey, come for a, walk with me and get into

the sunshine. Number three, help them.

Formulate, a personal crisis plan.

Now, Every year I have to do continuing education to keep up

my license as a clinical psychologist.

And so I do training with an organization that works with the

Navy Seals in San Diego and there is a higher rate of

suicide that happens with people in the armed forces.

And so they're very keenly aware of what to do and what they

train their clinicians to do is when they when they Patients are

in a good place put together a crisis plan, a personal crisis

plan, while their heads in a good place.

So that when they are struggling, they don't have to

rely upon their thinking because when you're struggling, you're

not operating out of the best part of your brain.

And so at that point, you don't trust your thinking, you take

out your crisis, personal crisis plan and you just do what's on

the list. Call a friend, get in the

outdoors, go for a walk, go to the gym and you don't don't

trust what your brain is thinking trust, what your tray,

personal crisis plan that you established when things were

well and establish with somebody else and work, the plan, don't

don't be led by your feelings but work the plan so help help.

People by getting them to have a crisis, personal crisis plan

ahead of time, number four, encourage Ministry and Mission

involvement because sometimes our mental health challenges,

and because we're spending too much time in our own heads

thinking about our own problems. That's why I love the crossing

is that you are so committed to missions and Ministry.

You provide, lots of opportunity for people to get outside of

their own heads. And number five, I've nudge them

towards Jesus. Jesus Christ is the solution to

every dilemma faced by man woman and child.

And so, we do the best thing by nudging people towards Jesus.

Because sometimes, when you get into that place of struggle, you

you start to doubt. Whether God loves you, you start

to doubt. Whether God is for you.

Thoughts like your God is so, so busy blessing, Clayton, Hansel

and Jerry Harris that he hasn't got time for me.

That's not reality. That's a lie that comes not from

heaven. And so, sometimes people just

need to be nudged back in the direction of Jesus.

Sometimes it needs. Sometimes people need a shove

depending upon their temperament temperament.

Can it whether it's a shove or a nudge?

That lead people back to Jesus. Right now, we're moving in to a

time of decision. That's actually where I want to

begin this invitation time. For those of us in this room or

you're watching online, I want to begin with a nudge and just

so, you know, if you don't know who I am, I am not opposed to a

shove. Like I will shove you and the

reason I will shove you because I care about you because I love

you too much. That if you came into this room

and you've been, you're looking for ways to try to figure out

life and the mess that you're walking in.

And you're just like, man, I'm so thankful, they just gave me

all these practical ways to do all these things, but if you

don't hear this, You gotta start with Jesus, you got to start

inside of that intimate personal relationship with him.

And I know just because I know this church and I know the

people who walk in here, who are watching online, there are some

of you you have not you've not made that decision to follow

him. You have not surrendered your

life to him. You're just like man, I got this

building muscle thing. I can go to the gym, I can eat

better. I don't think I can lower my

sugar intake. I can't do that one, but I can I

can do all these things. Listen, all those things are

really, really good and very helpful and it's a very

important step in your mental health but it all goes on the

foundation of knowing who Jesus is and applying that to your

life and making him Lord and savior of your life.

And so listen, if you're not there, I would love to come

alongside a few. I would love to have a

conversation with you in just a little bit.

When the music starts and we start singing, you may feel a

nudge on your heart to respond to get up.

And I would tell you that's not me.

That's not the person next to you.

That's the Holy Spirit saying, it's your time, get up.

Respond move, come to me. I invite you.

I want you to know me as your lord and your savior.

You are You are loved. You are mine.

I would encourage you to respond to that moment.

Come talk to me and you're like, hey, I felt the Holy Spirit.

I felt this nudge. I felt this shove and let's take

that step to make Jesus, Lord and Savior life.

And tonight, maybe that night, where you getting that water and

you declared Jesus, Lord. And Savior.

It'll be the best decision you can ever make.

It's how you build all the rest of decisions that you're going

to make in your life, you base it off of that.

Jesus is your firm foundation. So move tonight, and just a

little bit, Out of your seat, get out of your comfort zone.

For those of you in this room, you are Christians.

You've made that decision. You felt that nudge you

responded. You're walking in it.

Here you are. I wonder just like I was trying

to discern what hit you in that message.

What action do you feel like you may need to take?

What area are you lacking in? What what area do you not have

good Clarity in? And just a little bit, we're

going to have the time where you know if you come here every

single week these steps are open and you are invited to come

forward. But I want you to know this.

So we have a mission outside of knowing and loving Jesus.

Our mission is to make that known to the world to share our

faith to let the people around us in our workplaces, in our in

our schools that are wherever you may be whatever environment.

You may find yourself in that they are loved by Jesus and you

can't do that when you're not taking care of yourself.

I don't know what of those five practical ways that maybe you

need to respond to maybe it is changing your diet.

Maybe it is getting up and walking a little bit more into

the sun line, maybe it is sleeping, just a little bit more

or a little better. But I would just encourage you

man. If you don't know what it is,

still come up to the steps and just say, God speak to me, help

me make a decision. Listen, he said, move the very

best movement you could do is just get up out of your seats,

get out and front of your chairs, walk to the steps and

get into the very best position. As a Christian, you could

possibly get into and that is a humbled position before the

Lord. And just say, Here I Am use me

as a living. My body is a Living Sacrifice.

I want to turn this over to you and use me because I have a

mission. This mission is not just for me

as a pastor. It's not just for our staff.

It is your mission to carry the gospel, the good news to this

world and you need to be well to do it.

So I don't know what your step is.

But here's what I would encourage you when the music

starts and you hear this every single week and you may be like,

Yak or you're talking to that person over there.

You're talking to my wife, she needs to get up.

She's to go two steps. Talking all of Us.

Let's take a step of Faith tonight.

Let's take a step of humility tonight.

Let's get on our knees do business with the Lord.

Would you guys staying with me as you consider that Heavenly

Father God I give you, thanks and praise.

We come to this moment every single week.

God I pray that we don't take it for granted.

I pray that we don't ever take this moment for granted a chance

to respond. The chance to move a chance to

connect with you in a real and personal and intimate way God I

pray for every single person in here who's going through a

Battle. I pray.

Lord. The way that we go into battle

is with your strengths and not our own father.

I pray for those people in this room or watching online.

That is not following. You has not surrendered life to

you. God, I pray that you just give

them that nuts right now to respond to move and turn their

life to you. Jesus, we love you.

We praise you. And we want to glorify your name

to this time of worship and Jesus name I pray.

Amen.