September 25, 2024 • 38 mins
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the state of the world, finding it difficult to maintain hope and peace? Join us on the season premiere of Wednesdays with Watson as we explore how to navigate these tumultuous times with faith and resilience. In our first chapter, we confront the pervasive sense of hopelessness and anxiety fueled by global and national crises. We emphasize that true hope doesn't come from political leaders or legislation but from the power of God working through our hearts. By reflecting on biblical wisdom, we find strength and learn how to maintain mental health amidst the chaos.
In the second chapter, we delve into the importance of trusting in God rather than earthly rulers or circumstances. Discover how biblical stories of resilience and divine protection can guide us through today's anxieties and fears. We highlight Philippians 4, providing practical advice on focusing on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy. This approach helps us to maintain our mental well-being and fulfill our mission to spread the gospel. We also explore how spiritual practices and scripture can anchor us in faith, offering a beacon of hope even in the darkest times.
Finally, we shift our focus to the significance of community, church, and counseling in maintaining peace and faith. Personal anecdotes illustrate how letting faith and community support provide hope and stability is crucial. We offer practical steps for navigating the turmoil, such as controlling news consumption and avoiding stressful discussions about elections. Ending on a powerful note of transformative grace, we remind ourselves that we are called to live a renewed life, made for more than the chaos surrounding us. Join us for this poignant episode as we find hope and resilience together.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
So why would I make a bed in my shame when a fountain
of grace is running my way?
I know I am yours and I wasmade for more.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Where is the hope?
Where is the hope?
Millions feel demoralized bythe decay around us.
Where is the hope?
The hope that each of us has isnot in who governs us or what
(00:49):
laws are passed, or what greatthings we do as a nation.
Our hope is in the power of Godworking through the hearts of
people, and that is where ourhope is in this country and that
is where our hope is in thislife.
Hey, everybody, and welcome backto the Wednesdays with Watson
podcast.
If you don't know by now, myname is Amy Watson and I am your
(01:11):
host.
I can't believe.
We are at the beginning of theseventh season of the podcast,
which we are calling trauma andyou.
This season, we will focus onhow different people experience
trauma and how varioussituations like what we'll talk
about today can and do affecteven those of you without a
history of trauma.
(01:31):
The book of Ecclesiastes tellsus that there is nothing new
under the sun.
The fact remains, though, thatmuch of what is happening in
this world right now is new tomost of us.
So, even though we can lookback on the history books, many
of us have not felt some of theoverwhelming feelings of anxiety
and fear and insecurity as weare today.
(01:53):
So today I want to talk alittle bit about thriving
through this season of unrest,this lack of safety and really
the overall ickiness in thisworld.
The fact of the matter is ismost of us are walking around
with dysregulated nervoussystems as a result of the
bombardment of tragic news thatis sitting in our past, it's
(02:15):
sitting in our present and, yes,it is coming for us in our
future.
As a result, we are seeingmental health issues continuing
to rise sharply, includingsubstance abuse remaining at an
all time high.
The fact of the matter is thatthe world is unsafe, and that
cannot be ignored, and perhapsit's more unsafe right now, in
(02:38):
2024.
For those of us who have beenon the planet not in the last
thousands of years, and so theworld is unsafe.
It's always been unsafe, butthis is new to us.
For those of us living with ahistory of trauma, the
happenings of this worldthreatened to set us back in our
recovery.
And for me, sometimes, if Idon't take care of myself, like
(03:01):
I hope to teach you to do today,I forget all the things that I
have learned in terms of copingand, sadly, sometimes I forget
the sovereignty of God.
Sometimes I don't want to thinkabout that, because it invokes
questions of God that willremain unanswered, even though
he promised evil in this world.
Guys, I don't know about you,but I'm having a hard time
(03:23):
wrapping my head around it.
I feel guilty sometimes whenI'm feeling these things,
because I'm the one that'ssupposed to be helping others
navigate trauma in their lives.
I do that for work, I'm gettinga doctorate degree doing and I
have this podcast, but lately alot of my energy has simply been
diverted to finding and usingmy own oxygen mask.
(03:43):
This is not easy to do for anyof us, but maybe you find
yourself in the same situation.
The person who needs yourattention right now may be you,
especially during this time ofextreme unrest and relentless
fear of simple things likesending your kids to school, of
simple things like sending yourkids to school.
(04:05):
In some cases, some people canbarely afford to feed their
families At this point in time.
In America, as I just mentioned,school violence is real, maybe
more real than it's been in awhile.
Parents are faced with harddecisions regarding their
children's education, not tomention the children themselves,
who do not know a world wherethey don't have to be afraid to
(04:26):
go to school.
Now, I'm from generation X andI was never afraid to go to
school.
We never had to hide underdesks, we never had a safe room,
we never had magnets on ourdoor.
So these kids are dealing withsome things, and so are the
parents.
In this world right now, truthis hard to come by.
There isn't a felt sense ofsafety in general, as I
(04:48):
mentioned, and consequently mostof us are walking around highly
stressed and filled withanxiety and depression.
Those who already live with amental health diagnosis like I
do, like PTSD, are finding theirtreatments less effective and
setbacks and healings thesethings.
For us, these setbacks are realComplicating factors.
(05:11):
It's election season in America, bringing instability and fear
of the unknown.
The constant bombardment ofinformation coming into us I
read one time would actuallycrash a mainframe computer.
But whether that information istrue or not, it is seeking to
divide people, even amongfamilies and, worse, among
(05:31):
Christians.
If you're a Christian, maybe itwill encourage you that the
king's heart is in the hands ofthe Lord.
That's a verse we see inProverbs and that verse
continues to say he turns itwhatever direction he desires.
Again, the king's heart is inthe hands of the Lord.
He turns it whatever directionhe desires.
(05:52):
I'll put that verse in the shownotes.
Is found in the book ofProverbs he turns it in whatever
direction he desires.
Guys, no human ruler is worthyof our loyalty, to the point
that said loyalty seeks todestroy our mental health, our
relationships with people and,more importantly, god.
(06:13):
They are flawed humans,including the propensity, these
people who are running foroffice in an election.
They are flawed humans and theyhave the same propensity that
you have and that I have, thatthe Bible says that the heart is
desperately wicked, and so theyhave the same wicked heart that
we all do.
So I ask this question why arewe putting so much emotional
(06:37):
energy into who sits at 1600Pennsylvania Avenue?
I know many of you areconcerned of one candidate over
the other because perhaps theyrepresent your beliefs or values
.
Still, if we're being honest,neither of America's choices
represent Jesus.
So can we represent Jesus?
(06:57):
One candidate may, in youropinion, give America the best
economic chance or protectdemocracy.
Another candidate may protectsome other rights that are
important to you, but is eitherone of them worthy to do what
your Jesus can do?
Can we trust that the king'sheart is truly in God's hands
(07:17):
and find peace when we focus onhim.
Can we all agree that ourearthly provisions come from
above, not who sits in the OvalOffice?
Can we do what we say andbelieve and trust the Lord, that
he has our future secure andthat the war has already been
won?
What if the worst happens andthe worst candidate sits at that
(07:40):
desk in the Oval Office?
Do we believe God when he saysthat he concerns himself with
these things?
What if we lose everything andhave no idea where our next meal
is coming from?
Can we still trust that Godknows what he's doing?
Can we step outside of ourdesire to be safe and trust that
(08:00):
God has all of it under control?
I know that this podcast islistened to all around the world
.
This one primarily, maybe, toAmericans.
However, what happens here doesaffect the world, but as
Americans, we tend to focus onour darkness.
But despite how some of us act,we are not the only humans on
the planet.
The entire world seems to bedark, with wars being waged, and
(08:22):
and the Ukraine and Israel andall over the world, wars are
being waged, and and the Ukraineand Israel and all over the
world, wars are being waged.
Humans are being trafficked.
Innocent people are dying.
So, just like I said at thebeginning, where is the hope?
As I mentioned in that quote Iopened whether our hope is not
in who governs us or what lawsare passed.
Our hope is in who protectedDaniel in the lion's den, he
(08:48):
protected Shadrach, meshach andAbednego in the fiery furnace
and he rattled the prison chainsfor Paul and Silas.
Our God is in control.
Aw Tozer said he is notrelenting his authority, but it
is perfectly human to forgetthese things, and so I'm here to
remind you and to remind methat our God, as Mama Bootsy
(09:10):
used to say, is not wringing hishands in heaven over any of it,
and if the worst possible thinghappens to us, he is with us.
Isaiah 43 talks about how hewalks through dark waters with
us.
He walks through fire with us.
Will we choose the audiencewith the king, with the big K,
even if fear, destruction anddeath may come over the comfort
(09:34):
that we seek and the releasefrom the fear?
Will we choose the audiencewith the king, even if it means
that we are still fearful, westill feel destitute and we
might even die?
Will we still choose theaudience with the big K king, we
are all dealing with people inour lives who are ruled by fear,
and that fear can sometimescome across as anger.
(09:58):
Here's where I want to talk toyou a little bit about some
relationships.
You need to understand that ifyou are afraid right now, or
somebody in your you are afraidright now, or somebody in your
life is afraid right now, thatis completely normal.
As I mentioned, we havelisteners all over the world, so
I'm not just talking toAmericans, even though we think
that we have the monopoly on aworld gone mad and maybe we do,
(10:19):
but right now I'm talking toeveryone living on the planet.
It is dark out there, so how dowe survive it?
And, for the Christian, how canwe be that light sitting on a
hill?
And how can we remember thatthe light of Jesus cannot be
overtaken by darkness, not eventhe darkness of a world gone mad
(10:40):
?
Because we know that thedarkness of this world is real
and it can be challenging forthose of us who have experienced
trauma to remain unaffected and, for some, step backwards and
fail to remember their copingmechanisms.
It is hard to keep the faithwhen all around us is telling us
that we have no reason to hope.
But we do, because the Bibletells us in Romans that the
(11:05):
sufferings of this present worldare not worthy to be compared
to the glory that revealed in us.
The sufferings of this world wefind in 2 Corinthians.
The sufferings of this worldare light in comparison to
eternity and they are producingsomething, and it's that hope
that helps us survive If we'rediligent about setting our minds
(11:25):
on things above in our hearts,not on today, not on tomorrow,
not on yesterday, but oneternity.
Because when we look at thesethings in the grand scheme of
things in eternity and we thinkabout and we know that people
are dying without Jesus, thesethings don't seem so scary
anymore, because our missiongiven to us by the Great
(11:47):
Commission, is to go preach thegospel making disciples.
One of my favorite verses in theBible is Philippians 4, 8.
And in fact we're going to talkabout that, almost that entire
chapter, for our conversationhere today and how to keep your
sanity in a world that has gonemad.
We can use this verse as ascreener of some sorts in terms
of the kinds of information thatwe're consuming, the
(12:09):
conversations we're havingperiod, when we focus on these
things and work to kick out anythought or ruminations that are
not these eight things, we standa better chance of a regulated
nervous system.
Anxiety and depression can bekept in check, but we must focus
on these things, as Paulreminds us in Philippians 4.
I'm going to start with verse 8and then we're going to go
(12:31):
backwards.
Paul says Finally brethren,whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are a goodreport, if there be any virtue,
if there be any praise, thebible tells us.
Paul tells us to think on thesethings.
(12:53):
And remember he was writingthis to the church of philippi
from prison.
But let's back up a little bit,because there is one verse in
Philippians, chapter four, thatis so completely often taken out
of context, and I'm going toshow you how this helps us
navigate a world that's gone bad.
Paul begins the chapter with hisnormal greetings of gratitudes,
(13:14):
but he starts verse four withand remember, we're teaching
strategies to live in a worldthat's gone bad, a world that's
gone mad.
Paul's world was both.
But he says to the church ofPhilippi, as he's writing from
prison rejoice in the Lordalways, and I will say it again
(13:36):
rejoice.
Now I know that there's notmany things to rejoice about,
but this verse is in the Bibleand it means that we must seek
those things worth rejoicing.
Remember that king with the K.
I saw a t-shirt this morningthat said be grateful, you're on
God's wake-up list.
He has you here for a reason.
(13:56):
So Paul tells us to rejoice inthe Lord always.
And again I say rejoice In aworld gone mad.
Verse five let your gentlenessbe evident to all.
The Lord is near Us.
Arguing with people and havingconversations and diving into
conspiracy theories is notpointing people to Jesus.
(14:16):
Paul tells us in verse four torejoice in the Lord always, and
again I say rejoice.
And then he says let yourgentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near.
And then verse six is a verydifficult one, but it's in the
Bible, we can't ignore it.
Do not be anxious for anything,but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, presentyour request to God.
(14:37):
Now it's easy to say don't beanxious and we can work to make
our lives not an anxiouslifestyle.
But the fact of the matter is,is the work on that is going to
invoke some anxiety in us andfor those of us living with
mental health diagnoses, we'redefinitely going to have some
anxiety.
But in every situation, byprayer and petition, present
(15:00):
your request to God.
What if, every time you wereafraid, petition, present your
request to God.
What if, every time you wereafraid, you presented your
request to God?
Lord, help my unbelief, bringme peace to my heart, help me
know that you're sovereign, thatthe battle is already won, and
so do not be anxious foranything.
But in every situation, byprayer and petition, present
your request to God.
And then, in verse seven, Ilove it.
(15:21):
And then the peace whichtranscends all understanding
will guard your heart and mind.
Is it possible to walk aroundwithout a dysregulated nervous
system, with a peace thattranscends all understanding,
guarding our hearts and minds?
Yes, if we will rejoice in theLord always.
Let your gentleness be evidentto all.
Do not be anxious, but in everysituation, by prayer and
(15:47):
petition, turn that anxiety intoprayers, present your request
to God, and then the peace ofGod, which transcends all
understandings, will guard yourhearts and mind.
Now Paul probably thought hmm,they're really going to have a
problem with these three verses,four verses, and so let me go
back to verse eight, where hesays okay, he tells us to
rejoice in the Lord, always begentle, be anxious for nothing,
but by every situation, prayerand petition, present your quest
(16:10):
to God, and then the peace ofGod will transcend all
understanding.
That's verse seven.
And then in verse eight he'sjust kind of saying I know what
you guys are thinking.
So finally, brethren,whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure.
Whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are a good
(16:31):
report, if there be any virtue,if there be any praise, think on
these things.
So then Paul goes on to talkabout his experience with
provision.
After that, and when we go downto verse 11, he says I'm not
saying this because I am in need, but I have learned to be
content in whatevercircumstances.
Now, remember Paul was writingthis from prison, arguably a
(16:53):
world gone mad.
But he says I have learned, inwhatever state I am, that the
King James Version says to becontent.
And then verse 12 and 13,.
He says I know what it's liketo be in need and I know what
it's like to have plenty.
I have learned the secret ofbeing content in every situation
(17:14):
, whether well fed or hungry,whether living in plenty or in
want, whether living in plentyor in want.
And then this verse, verse 13,I can do all things through
Christ, who strengthens me.
So Paul tells us let's back up.
Rejoice in the Lord always andagain I say rejoice.
(17:35):
Let your gentleness be evidentto all.
Be anxious for nothing, but byprayer and supplication present
your request to God, and thenthe peace of God, which
transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and minds
.
Verse eight and then in 11, hesays I have learned, no matter
what, to be content.
He talks about how he knows howit is to be in need and he
knows how it's like to be plenty.
(17:56):
But he has learned the secretof being.
This isn't the Bible, I'm notmaking this up.
Paul said I have learned thesecret of being content in any
and every situation, whetherwell fed or hungry, whether
living in poverty or want.
And that secret is I can do allthings through Christ, who
(18:18):
strengthens me.
After getting ready for thispodcast, this chapter has taken
on a whole new meaning for me,because Paul's final words to
the church at Philippi arecomforting for us today.
The formula is simple Thinkabout wholesome things, rejoice
even in our suffering.
Be gentle to others.
Stop arguing, stop bickering.
It's not winning anyone over toJesus.
(18:40):
When you're anxious, don't beto jesus.
When you're anxious, don't beanxious.
But when you're anxious, prayand present your concerns to god
.
Then the peace that passes allunderstanding.
Then paul describes what he haslived through, essentially
feast and famine, but that hehad learned contentment.
But the real crown jewel thischapter, as I mentioned, is
after he tells them all thethings that seems impossible.
He says I can do all thingsthrough Christ, who strengthens
(19:02):
me.
So that verse is not just alocker room poster, this is the
real deal.
This is how we can live in aworld gone mad by learning to be
content and learning to rejoice, and learning to present our
request to God and experiencingthat peace to pass as
understanding and filtering ourthoughts and setting our minds
(19:24):
on eternity.
We can do that.
Paul was certainly living insome dark times, yet he was the
light.
This just blows my mind y'all.
He was the light that Goddecided to spread the gospel
around the world.
I mean the first missionary.
This is why Europe got thegospel old.
I mean the first missionary.
This is why Europe got thegospel and this is why, after
(19:46):
that, north America got thegospel.
Paul had known suffering.
He had no doubt endured some ofthe things that we're enduring,
but he found the secret that hecould do all things through
Jesus.
I don't know about you, but thatbrings peace to my soul.
Please understand me, though.
Even though I speak these words, I'm fighting fears resulting
from a world that has gone mad,but I know that something better
(20:06):
is coming for us and that thisworld is not our home.
Even if we endure the worstpossible outcome, we can conjure
in our minds God will be there.
Many of you know or, if youdon't, this will be new to you
but many of you know or if youdon't, this will be new to you
but many of you know the threec's of this podcast, and I
believe they are vital to thisconversation.
We need our community to help usremember where our help comes
(20:29):
from and to encourage us whenthe dark seems overwhelming.
We need our churches to speaktruth.
I can't I I literally can'tstress this one enough.
We need our churches to speaktruth in a world that's gone mad
, so that we can find peace inthat truth.
For some of us.
We need to raise our counselinggame, because the fears of the
(20:50):
world affect those of us livingwith a history of trauma, so we
need a little extra help.
I would argue that everyone whocan get counseling should do so
, and, as many of you know that,helping people get counseling
is this podcast's mission, asusual, I'll link the Patreon
link.
If you want to be part ofhelping someone, do that.
The fact of the matter is isthat scripture answers this
(21:13):
world's problems.
Moreover, god has called peoplelike me to help people like me,
meaning those have livedthrough trauma, suffering and
struggle to regulate in anunsafe world.
This is probably the mostincredible privilege of my life.
I want the things that I haveendured to matter and to help
others know the same God, thesame hope that rules my life,
(21:34):
can rule yours too.
The other day, I was at thehospital and a patient asked me
a question that rendered mespeechless.
I was sharing a little of mystory, and they hoped to be on
the other side of the psych wardtoo, and they just simply said
to me how are you okay, workingin a secular environment?
I had a choice, because I'm notallowed to talk about the
(21:54):
things of God, but I knew thatit was such a moment that I
would one day stand before myLord and Savior on, and I just
simply answered God and hispeople.
The answer opened up a door forme to talk to them about the
hope that I believe there is,and at that moment I do not.
I do not think they received it, and you may not be receiving
(22:14):
the first part of this podcastbecause your relationship or
lack thereof with God For youespecially.
I didn't want to end the podcast, though, without sharing some
practical help for navigating aworld gone bad.
I have implemented many ofthese things into my own life
and daily routine and find thatthey help with a threat of the
commandeering fear, which isthese things are just practical,
(22:36):
and so these are some of thethings that I do and that I
would strongly encourage youguys to do.
I firmly believe that God is incontrol and that Tozer quote
that says that God has notsurrendered his authority.
That is so important for us toremember.
And here's the Tozer quotebefore we get into the practical
(22:58):
stuff.
While it looks like things areout of control, behind the
scenes there is a God who hasnot surrendered his authority.
This world has gone mad, guys.
Paul has given us the answersin Philippians 4.
God has given us the answers incommunity and in church and in
(23:18):
counseling.
But for those of you who do notbelieve, and even for those of
you that do believe in the starof the story, who is Jesus, who
can get us through this and whohas already won this epic battle
against good versus evil?
But we still have to live onthis planet.
And so here are some practicalthings as we close out the
podcast that I do.
That kind of helps me stay saneand I don't suffer as much as I
(23:42):
would if I didn't do some ofthese things.
The very first practical thingyou can do is control your
consumption of the news.
This is especially true if youhave a history of trauma and if
your safety has been compromisedor if you've ever had a time in
your life where you didn't knowwhere your next meal was coming
from or a roof over your head.
The news is only going todestroy you.
(24:05):
The news does not fall intoPhilippians 4.8.
Now, I don't want you to beignorant to the things of this
world, and so for me, I havepeople that I trust.
It is hurricane season inFlorida.
I don't watch the news, but myfriends do, and there's somebody
that I trust on Facebook a newsreporter on Facebook that I
(24:28):
just watch him and don't turn onthe TV because of situations
like that, hurricanes and allthe things that are going on in
the world.
They're always going to make itworse and, unfortunately, so
much of what in the what's inthe news is not even true.
Trust no one.
Trust nothing.
In so many ways, control yourconsumption of the news.
Find some news that you trust.
(24:50):
Find some news that is unbiasedand I would go so far as to say
, find some news that is notUnited States based.
Bbc is a good option for thenews, but control your
consumption of the news andyou'll control your anxiety and
your fear.
The second one is refrain fromconversations surrounding the
election period.
(25:11):
There's there's no reason tohave conversations right now.
Nothing good can come of it.
Refrain from conversationssurrounding the election.
I would also ask you, as atrauma survivor, to be careful
about the visceral stuff thatpeople put on social media about
the election.
Stop it, just stop it.
And if you're finding that yournewsfeed is filled with this
(25:33):
stuff, mute those people or stayoff of social media, because
nothing good is coming of it.
Nothing good is coming from thenews.
Nothing good is coming fromsocial media because nothing
good is coming of it.
Nothing good is coming from thenews.
Nothing good is coming fromsocial media by and large,
particularly as it pertains tothe election.
It's not Philippians 4.8.
This next one I'm going to talkto you about some of you are not
going to be happy with me about, but stop it with the
(25:55):
conspiracy theories.
This only serves to upsetpeople and to cause fear and
anxiety and angst and depressionand suicide and more, more
violence.
Stop it with a conspiracytheories.
There's only one theory thatyou need to know about, and that
is God is sovereign and heknows exactly what is going on.
(26:17):
If you try to understand theminds of wicked and evil people
on this planet, it is going torub off on you and you're going
to have the ick of a world gonemad.
Conversely, one of the thingsthat you should be doing is
having meaningful connections.
Go out of your way, even if youdon't have time and I am
preaching to the choir, as I amworking a full-time job, own a
(26:40):
business, have a podcast and I'min school but it is really
important, at least once ortwice a week, to make meaningful
connections to people that callyou higher, that love you and
that you love and that you canjust connect and just for a
little bit, like you're steppingout into reading a book, you're
in a different world Meaningfulconnections.
(27:04):
Another one you can do is andI'm going to put these two
together is journaling.
And when you journal,neutralize the fear.
What would happen if the worstpossible thing happened?
What would that actually looklike?
And when you neutralize thefear, one of my people, who I
call she's on hashtag team, amyLauren Starnes, taught me to
neutralize the fear.
Okay, you're afraid you'regoing to live in your car.
(27:25):
Well, let's talk about that.
What would that look like?
And so neutralize your fears.
You can do that by journaling,you can do that with a friend,
you can do that in therapy.
But journaling and neutralizingthe fear the four main ones and
we did a podcast on this withLauren Starnes about when the
body talks make sure you'rehydrating, and if you think
(27:46):
you're hydrated enough, hydratemore.
Make sure you're eating.
Make sure you're hydrating, andif you think you're hydrated
enough, hydrate more.
Make sure you're eating.
Make sure you're eating well,make sure you're eating as best
as you can afford and and asclean as you can afford, but
make sure you're eating, and ifyou find that you're overeating
because of your emotional state,especially as it pertains to
this world gone mad, please seekhelp, because you're only
(28:07):
hurting yourself.
Make sure you're moving yourbody.
I know oftentimes I willsometimes just wake up and it
feels like I have enough energyin my body to power an entire
city, and and so the only thingthat helps with that is movement
.
Jump on a treadmill, go for awalk, and it doesn't need to be
(28:28):
a fast walk, but just try toenvision some of that angst,
that energy getting out of yourbody as you're moving.
Sleep is another reallyimportant one as you navigate
this world that has gone mad.
If you are struggling to sleep,many of these things that we
talked about today may be thereason for that.
There is support in sleep, anddon't be afraid to take
medications, because sleep wesee it all the time at the
(28:50):
hospital patients that come tothe hospital and full on
psychosis because they've notslept and so hydrate, eat, move.
Sleep is going to be reallyimportant for you as we continue
to navigate a world gone mad.
Take care of your village.
I got the idea from this podcastbecause I read a book that John
Eldridge put out in 2020talking about taking your life
back in a world that's gone mad,and he talks about how we are
(29:14):
not called to save the world,but we are called to take care
of our village.
And so, as you're thinkingabout a world gone mad and
you're thinking about all thesad things going around all
around the world, that's notyour village, your village are
your people.
Your village is your village,your village or your people?
Your village is your church,your village or the people that
you work with, your family, yourneighborhood.
Take care of your village.
(29:37):
John Eldridge also saidsomething else in that, in that
book, that I like that.
I think that is really good,especially as it, as we loop
back to controlling yourconsumption of the information
coming into your brain, is aboutyour cell phone, and I don't
know about you guys, but and Idon't know why Apple decides
every Sunday morning when I'm inchurch to tell me how much
screen time I've had, but nowthat we even tell you how much
(29:58):
you've spent on Facebook andInstagram and TikTok and all the
things, and so control yourconsumption on your phone, and
John Eldridge has a great ideafor this, and I do this pretty
regularly actually, but it isdivert daily.
So put it aside for an hourevery day where you don't pick
it up.
You can have emergency textmessages, be able to come
(30:21):
through and kind of get throughall of it, but put it down, put
it away for an hour, don't pickit up for an hour, and if any of
you can tell me that you areable to do that in the first try
, then I will give you a big oldcongratulations.
Because we are so addicted toour phones, diverting daily for
an hour is much harder than itthinks.
Withdraw weekly this is a wholeday where we're not on our
(30:44):
phones.
Now the whole day is a littlebit different because you do
want to be able to communicatethrough text messages and stuff
like that, but you should have aday a week where you're not on
social media.
Withdrawing weekly and thenabandon annually.
One week out of every year youabandon social media, abandon
the information bombarding you.
More importantly, trust Jesusand the information bombarding
(31:05):
you.
More importantly, trust Jesus.
He can be trusted even when itdoesn't seem like it.
And so I hope that today'spodcast has helped you guys
understand that this world hasgone mad.
You have not lost your mind.
This world has absolutely gonemad, and while there is nothing
new under the sun, it is new tous and we know that, and so I
hope that you will take today'spodcast in the words of Paul.
(31:27):
And so I hope that you willtake today's podcast in the
words of Paul, where he reallylaid out what, what, how, we can
successfully and peacefullylive in a world gone mad.
And so I felt really burdenedto do this podcast this week.
Even though I have thegenerational series planned, I
wanted to drop this one becauseI believe that there are many of
(31:48):
you out there that need it.
I don't want you guys walkingaround always afraid when we
have everything we need.
Remember we have the king, thebig K, the one that saved Daniel
and the lions and Shadrach,meshach and Abednego, and the
fiery furnace and the chains offof Paul and Silas, and I can go
on and on and on about the Godthat we have Job, who was not
(32:10):
touched.
Even though his life was prettybad, he was not touched, and so
trust Jesus.
He is a God that can be trusted.
If you do not know the star ofthe story, who is Jesus, you can
send me a text message right inthe show notes.
That only comes to me.
I would love to introduce youto the star of the story.
Write in the show notes thatonly comes to me.
I would love to introduce youto the star of the story.
(32:30):
For the rest of you, I reallyhope that you will consider some
of these things.
Make it your own and not letthis mad world make you
literally go mad, and not letthis mad world literally make
you lose your faith.
Not let this mad world make youlose relationships.
Not let this mad world take youoff the planet, because that's
(32:54):
what our enemy wants, the enemythat is here to seek, kill and
destroy us.
That's what he wants to do, andif you are at all doing
anything for God, you know thatSatan is not having that, and so
trust Jesus.
He can be trusted.
I am here.
(33:17):
If you guys want to send memessages in any of the ways.
All of that is in the shownotes.
We all need to band together aswe navigate these times that are
new to us.
It is so encouraging to knowthey're not new to God, though,
and so I hope that you guys havefound some peace in this.
I hope that you will go backand look at Philippians 4 and
see how Paul has laid out how wecan live with a peace that
transcends all understanding.
(33:39):
Because of what we decide to do.
We decide to be content.
We decide that we understandwhat it's like to have a lot and
have a little, but we found thesecret to contentment, and that
is that I can do all thingsthrough Christ, who strengthens
me.
You guys know what I'm going tosay next as I close out the
podcast.
You are all so unbelievablyseen, known, heard, loved and
(34:05):
valued, and we'll be back in twoweeks and we will start that
generational series with MamaGowan representing the silent
generation.
I'm excited about this season asI talk to different populations
of people and different typesof trauma and so that we can all
understand that we navigatethese things differently.
But when it comes to navigatingthe world that's gone mad,
(34:25):
there is only one answer, andhis name is Jesus.
Just remember that thesufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared tothe glory that's going to be
revealed in you, and thesufferings that you have right
now are just a momentaryaffliction in light of what God
is going to do on that day whenwe all meet him, and so you guys
(34:46):
have a great two weeks, andshoot me a message if you have
any questions and I willcontinue to pray for you guys as
I ask the same for you.
Have a great two weeks.
You made my past.
I'm not going back.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Hallelujah, you called out my name, so I'll sing
out your praise.
Hallelujah, you buried my past.
I'm not going back, cause Iwasn't made to be tending a
(35:26):
grave.
I was called by name, born andraised back to life again.
I was made for more.
So why would I make a bed in myshame when a fountain of grace
(35:49):
is running my way?
I know I am yours.
I was made for more.
I wasn't made to be tipped in agrave.
I was called by name, born andraised back to life again.
(36:12):
I was made for more.
So what would I make?
I'm betting my shame when afountain of grace Is running my
way?
I know I am yours.
(36:43):
Come on, hallelujah, you calledout my name.
I'll sing out your praise.
Hallelujah, you buried my past.
I'm not going back.
Hallelujah, you called out myname.
(37:05):
I'll sing out your praise,singing hallelujah.
Hold out my name.
Oh, sing out your name, sing it, amen.
You buried my past.
I'm not going back.
I was made to be tinned in agrave.
I was called by name, born andraised back to life again.
(37:31):
Come on, sing it over yourself.
When a fountain of grace wasrunning my way, I knew I am
yours.
I was made for more.
So why would I make a bed in my shame when a fountain
of grace is running my way?
I know I am yours and I wasmade for more.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Where is the hope?
Where is the hope?
Millions feel demoralized bythe decay around us.
Where is the hope?
The hope that each of us has isnot in who governs us or what
(00:49):
laws are passed, or what greatthings we do as a nation.
Our hope is in the power of Godworking through the hearts of
people, and that is where ourhope is in this country and that
is where our hope is in thislife.
Hey, everybody, and welcome backto the Wednesdays with Watson
podcast.
If you don't know by now, myname is Amy Watson and I am your
(01:11):
host.
I can't believe.
We are at the beginning of theseventh season of the podcast,
which we are calling trauma andyou.
This season, we will focus onhow different people experience
trauma and how varioussituations like what we'll talk
about today can and do affecteven those of you without a
history of trauma.
(01:31):
The book of Ecclesiastes tellsus that there is nothing new
under the sun.
The fact remains, though, thatmuch of what is happening in
this world right now is new tomost of us.
So, even though we can lookback on the history books, many
of us have not felt some of theoverwhelming feelings of anxiety
and fear and insecurity as weare today.
(01:53):
So today I want to talk alittle bit about thriving
through this season of unrest,this lack of safety and really
the overall ickiness in thisworld.
The fact of the matter is ismost of us are walking around
with dysregulated nervoussystems as a result of the
bombardment of tragic news thatis sitting in our past, it's
(02:15):
sitting in our present and, yes,it is coming for us in our
future.
As a result, we are seeingmental health issues continuing
to rise sharply, includingsubstance abuse remaining at an
all time high.
The fact of the matter is thatthe world is unsafe, and that
cannot be ignored, and perhapsit's more unsafe right now, in
(02:38):
2024.
For those of us who have beenon the planet not in the last
thousands of years, and so theworld is unsafe.
It's always been unsafe, butthis is new to us.
For those of us living with ahistory of trauma, the
happenings of this worldthreatened to set us back in our
recovery.
And for me, sometimes, if Idon't take care of myself, like
(03:01):
I hope to teach you to do today,I forget all the things that I
have learned in terms of copingand, sadly, sometimes I forget
the sovereignty of God.
Sometimes I don't want to thinkabout that, because it invokes
questions of God that willremain unanswered, even though
he promised evil in this world.
Guys, I don't know about you,but I'm having a hard time
(03:23):
wrapping my head around it.
I feel guilty sometimes whenI'm feeling these things,
because I'm the one that'ssupposed to be helping others
navigate trauma in their lives.
I do that for work, I'm gettinga doctorate degree doing and I
have this podcast, but lately alot of my energy has simply been
diverted to finding and usingmy own oxygen mask.
(03:43):
This is not easy to do for anyof us, but maybe you find
yourself in the same situation.
The person who needs yourattention right now may be you,
especially during this time ofextreme unrest and relentless
fear of simple things likesending your kids to school, of
simple things like sending yourkids to school.
(04:05):
In some cases, some people canbarely afford to feed their
families At this point in time.
In America, as I just mentioned,school violence is real, maybe
more real than it's been in awhile.
Parents are faced with harddecisions regarding their
children's education, not tomention the children themselves,
who do not know a world wherethey don't have to be afraid to
(04:26):
go to school.
Now, I'm from generation X andI was never afraid to go to
school.
We never had to hide underdesks, we never had a safe room,
we never had magnets on ourdoor.
So these kids are dealing withsome things, and so are the
parents.
In this world right now, truthis hard to come by.
There isn't a felt sense ofsafety in general, as I
(04:48):
mentioned, and consequently mostof us are walking around highly
stressed and filled withanxiety and depression.
Those who already live with amental health diagnosis like I
do, like PTSD, are finding theirtreatments less effective and
setbacks and healings thesethings.
For us, these setbacks are realComplicating factors.
(05:11):
It's election season in America, bringing instability and fear
of the unknown.
The constant bombardment ofinformation coming into us I
read one time would actuallycrash a mainframe computer.
But whether that information istrue or not, it is seeking to
divide people, even amongfamilies and, worse, among
(05:31):
Christians.
If you're a Christian, maybe itwill encourage you that the
king's heart is in the hands ofthe Lord.
That's a verse we see inProverbs and that verse
continues to say he turns itwhatever direction he desires.
Again, the king's heart is inthe hands of the Lord.
He turns it whatever directionhe desires.
(05:52):
I'll put that verse in the shownotes.
Is found in the book ofProverbs he turns it in whatever
direction he desires.
Guys, no human ruler is worthyof our loyalty, to the point
that said loyalty seeks todestroy our mental health, our
relationships with people and,more importantly, god.
(06:13):
They are flawed humans,including the propensity, these
people who are running foroffice in an election.
They are flawed humans and theyhave the same propensity that
you have and that I have, thatthe Bible says that the heart is
desperately wicked, and so theyhave the same wicked heart that
we all do.
So I ask this question why arewe putting so much emotional
(06:37):
energy into who sits at 1600Pennsylvania Avenue?
I know many of you areconcerned of one candidate over
the other because perhaps theyrepresent your beliefs or values
.
Still, if we're being honest,neither of America's choices
represent Jesus.
So can we represent Jesus?
(06:57):
One candidate may, in youropinion, give America the best
economic chance or protectdemocracy.
Another candidate may protectsome other rights that are
important to you, but is eitherone of them worthy to do what
your Jesus can do?
Can we trust that the king'sheart is truly in God's hands
(07:17):
and find peace when we focus onhim.
Can we all agree that ourearthly provisions come from
above, not who sits in the OvalOffice?
Can we do what we say andbelieve and trust the Lord, that
he has our future secure andthat the war has already been
won?
What if the worst happens andthe worst candidate sits at that
(07:40):
desk in the Oval Office?
Do we believe God when he saysthat he concerns himself with
these things?
What if we lose everything andhave no idea where our next meal
is coming from?
Can we still trust that Godknows what he's doing?
Can we step outside of ourdesire to be safe and trust that
(08:00):
God has all of it under control?
I know that this podcast islistened to all around the world
.
This one primarily, maybe, toAmericans.
However, what happens here doesaffect the world, but as
Americans, we tend to focus onour darkness.
But despite how some of us act,we are not the only humans on
the planet.
The entire world seems to bedark, with wars being waged, and
(08:22):
and the Ukraine and Israel andall over the world, wars are
being waged, and and the Ukraineand Israel and all over the
world, wars are being waged.
Humans are being trafficked.
Innocent people are dying.
So, just like I said at thebeginning, where is the hope?
As I mentioned in that quote Iopened whether our hope is not
in who governs us or what lawsare passed.
Our hope is in who protectedDaniel in the lion's den, he
(08:48):
protected Shadrach, meshach andAbednego in the fiery furnace
and he rattled the prison chainsfor Paul and Silas.
Our God is in control.
Aw Tozer said he is notrelenting his authority, but it
is perfectly human to forgetthese things, and so I'm here to
remind you and to remind methat our God, as Mama Bootsy
(09:10):
used to say, is not wringing hishands in heaven over any of it,
and if the worst possible thinghappens to us, he is with us.
Isaiah 43 talks about how hewalks through dark waters with
us.
He walks through fire with us.
Will we choose the audiencewith the king, with the big K,
even if fear, destruction anddeath may come over the comfort
(09:34):
that we seek and the releasefrom the fear?
Will we choose the audiencewith the king, even if it means
that we are still fearful, westill feel destitute and we
might even die?
Will we still choose theaudience with the big K king, we
are all dealing with people inour lives who are ruled by fear,
and that fear can sometimescome across as anger.
(09:58):
Here's where I want to talk toyou a little bit about some
relationships.
You need to understand that ifyou are afraid right now, or
somebody in your you are afraidright now, or somebody in your
life is afraid right now, thatis completely normal.
As I mentioned, we havelisteners all over the world, so
I'm not just talking toAmericans, even though we think
that we have the monopoly on aworld gone mad and maybe we do,
(10:19):
but right now I'm talking toeveryone living on the planet.
It is dark out there, so how dowe survive it?
And, for the Christian, how canwe be that light sitting on a
hill?
And how can we remember thatthe light of Jesus cannot be
overtaken by darkness, not eventhe darkness of a world gone mad
(10:40):
?
Because we know that thedarkness of this world is real
and it can be challenging forthose of us who have experienced
trauma to remain unaffected and, for some, step backwards and
fail to remember their copingmechanisms.
It is hard to keep the faithwhen all around us is telling us
that we have no reason to hope.
But we do, because the Bibletells us in Romans that the
(11:05):
sufferings of this present worldare not worthy to be compared
to the glory that revealed in us.
The sufferings of this world wefind in 2 Corinthians.
The sufferings of this worldare light in comparison to
eternity and they are producingsomething, and it's that hope
that helps us survive If we'rediligent about setting our minds
(11:25):
on things above in our hearts,not on today, not on tomorrow,
not on yesterday, but oneternity.
Because when we look at thesethings in the grand scheme of
things in eternity and we thinkabout and we know that people
are dying without Jesus, thesethings don't seem so scary
anymore, because our missiongiven to us by the Great
(11:47):
Commission, is to go preach thegospel making disciples.
One of my favorite verses in theBible is Philippians 4, 8.
And in fact we're going to talkabout that, almost that entire
chapter, for our conversationhere today and how to keep your
sanity in a world that has gonemad.
We can use this verse as ascreener of some sorts in terms
of the kinds of information thatwe're consuming, the
(12:09):
conversations we're havingperiod, when we focus on these
things and work to kick out anythought or ruminations that are
not these eight things, we standa better chance of a regulated
nervous system.
Anxiety and depression can bekept in check, but we must focus
on these things, as Paulreminds us in Philippians 4.
I'm going to start with verse 8and then we're going to go
(12:31):
backwards.
Paul says Finally brethren,whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are a goodreport, if there be any virtue,
if there be any praise, thebible tells us.
Paul tells us to think on thesethings.
(12:53):
And remember he was writingthis to the church of philippi
from prison.
But let's back up a little bit,because there is one verse in
Philippians, chapter four, thatis so completely often taken out
of context, and I'm going toshow you how this helps us
navigate a world that's gone bad.
Paul begins the chapter with hisnormal greetings of gratitudes,
(13:14):
but he starts verse four withand remember, we're teaching
strategies to live in a worldthat's gone bad, a world that's
gone mad.
Paul's world was both.
But he says to the church ofPhilippi, as he's writing from
prison rejoice in the Lordalways, and I will say it again
(13:36):
rejoice.
Now I know that there's notmany things to rejoice about,
but this verse is in the Bibleand it means that we must seek
those things worth rejoicing.
Remember that king with the K.
I saw a t-shirt this morningthat said be grateful, you're on
God's wake-up list.
He has you here for a reason.
(13:56):
So Paul tells us to rejoice inthe Lord always.
And again I say rejoice In aworld gone mad.
Verse five let your gentlenessbe evident to all.
The Lord is near Us.
Arguing with people and havingconversations and diving into
conspiracy theories is notpointing people to Jesus.
(14:16):
Paul tells us in verse four torejoice in the Lord always, and
again I say rejoice.
And then he says let yourgentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near.
And then verse six is a verydifficult one, but it's in the
Bible, we can't ignore it.
Do not be anxious for anything,but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, presentyour request to God.
(14:37):
Now it's easy to say don't beanxious and we can work to make
our lives not an anxiouslifestyle.
But the fact of the matter is,is the work on that is going to
invoke some anxiety in us andfor those of us living with
mental health diagnoses, we'redefinitely going to have some
anxiety.
But in every situation, byprayer and petition, present
(15:00):
your request to God.
What if, every time you wereafraid, petition, present your
request to God.
What if, every time you wereafraid, you presented your
request to God?
Lord, help my unbelief, bringme peace to my heart, help me
know that you're sovereign, thatthe battle is already won, and
so do not be anxious foranything.
But in every situation, byprayer and petition, present
your request to God.
And then, in verse seven, Ilove it.
(15:21):
And then the peace whichtranscends all understanding
will guard your heart and mind.
Is it possible to walk aroundwithout a dysregulated nervous
system, with a peace thattranscends all understanding,
guarding our hearts and minds?
Yes, if we will rejoice in theLord always.
Let your gentleness be evidentto all.
Do not be anxious, but in everysituation, by prayer and
(15:47):
petition, turn that anxiety intoprayers, present your request
to God, and then the peace ofGod, which transcends all
understandings, will guard yourhearts and mind.
Now Paul probably thought hmm,they're really going to have a
problem with these three verses,four verses, and so let me go
back to verse eight, where hesays okay, he tells us to
rejoice in the Lord, always begentle, be anxious for nothing,
but by every situation, prayerand petition, present your quest
(16:10):
to God, and then the peace ofGod will transcend all
understanding.
That's verse seven.
And then in verse eight he'sjust kind of saying I know what
you guys are thinking.
So finally, brethren,whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure.
Whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are a good
(16:31):
report, if there be any virtue,if there be any praise, think on
these things.
So then Paul goes on to talkabout his experience with
provision.
After that, and when we go downto verse 11, he says I'm not
saying this because I am in need, but I have learned to be
content in whatevercircumstances.
Now, remember Paul was writingthis from prison, arguably a
(16:53):
world gone mad.
But he says I have learned, inwhatever state I am, that the
King James Version says to becontent.
And then verse 12 and 13,.
He says I know what it's liketo be in need and I know what
it's like to have plenty.
I have learned the secret ofbeing content in every situation
(17:14):
, whether well fed or hungry,whether living in plenty or in
want, whether living in plentyor in want.
And then this verse, verse 13,I can do all things through
Christ, who strengthens me.
So Paul tells us let's back up.
Rejoice in the Lord always andagain I say rejoice.
(17:35):
Let your gentleness be evidentto all.
Be anxious for nothing, but byprayer and supplication present
your request to God, and thenthe peace of God, which
transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and minds
.
Verse eight and then in 11, hesays I have learned, no matter
what, to be content.
He talks about how he knows howit is to be in need and he
knows how it's like to be plenty.
(17:56):
But he has learned the secretof being.
This isn't the Bible, I'm notmaking this up.
Paul said I have learned thesecret of being content in any
and every situation, whetherwell fed or hungry, whether
living in poverty or want.
And that secret is I can do allthings through Christ, who
(18:18):
strengthens me.
After getting ready for thispodcast, this chapter has taken
on a whole new meaning for me,because Paul's final words to
the church at Philippi arecomforting for us today.
The formula is simple Thinkabout wholesome things, rejoice
even in our suffering.
Be gentle to others.
Stop arguing, stop bickering.
It's not winning anyone over toJesus.
(18:40):
When you're anxious, don't beto jesus.
When you're anxious, don't beanxious.
But when you're anxious, prayand present your concerns to god
.
Then the peace that passes allunderstanding.
Then paul describes what he haslived through, essentially
feast and famine, but that hehad learned contentment.
But the real crown jewel thischapter, as I mentioned, is
after he tells them all thethings that seems impossible.
He says I can do all thingsthrough Christ, who strengthens
(19:02):
me.
So that verse is not just alocker room poster, this is the
real deal.
This is how we can live in aworld gone mad by learning to be
content and learning to rejoice, and learning to present our
request to God and experiencingthat peace to pass as
understanding and filtering ourthoughts and setting our minds
(19:24):
on eternity.
We can do that.
Paul was certainly living insome dark times, yet he was the
light.
This just blows my mind y'all.
He was the light that Goddecided to spread the gospel
around the world.
I mean the first missionary.
This is why Europe got thegospel old.
I mean the first missionary.
This is why Europe got thegospel and this is why, after
(19:46):
that, north America got thegospel.
Paul had known suffering.
He had no doubt endured some ofthe things that we're enduring,
but he found the secret that hecould do all things through
Jesus.
I don't know about you, but thatbrings peace to my soul.
Please understand me, though.
Even though I speak these words, I'm fighting fears resulting
from a world that has gone mad,but I know that something better
(20:06):
is coming for us and that thisworld is not our home.
Even if we endure the worstpossible outcome, we can conjure
in our minds God will be there.
Many of you know or, if youdon't, this will be new to you
but many of you know or if youdon't, this will be new to you
but many of you know the threec's of this podcast, and I
believe they are vital to thisconversation.
We need our community to help usremember where our help comes
(20:29):
from and to encourage us whenthe dark seems overwhelming.
We need our churches to speaktruth.
I can't I I literally can'tstress this one enough.
We need our churches to speaktruth in a world that's gone mad
, so that we can find peace inthat truth.
For some of us.
We need to raise our counselinggame, because the fears of the
(20:50):
world affect those of us livingwith a history of trauma, so we
need a little extra help.
I would argue that everyone whocan get counseling should do so
, and, as many of you know that,helping people get counseling
is this podcast's mission, asusual, I'll link the Patreon
link.
If you want to be part ofhelping someone, do that.
The fact of the matter is isthat scripture answers this
(21:13):
world's problems.
Moreover, god has called peoplelike me to help people like me,
meaning those have livedthrough trauma, suffering and
struggle to regulate in anunsafe world.
This is probably the mostincredible privilege of my life.
I want the things that I haveendured to matter and to help
others know the same God, thesame hope that rules my life,
(21:34):
can rule yours too.
The other day, I was at thehospital and a patient asked me
a question that rendered mespeechless.
I was sharing a little of mystory, and they hoped to be on
the other side of the psych wardtoo, and they just simply said
to me how are you okay, workingin a secular environment?
I had a choice, because I'm notallowed to talk about the
(21:54):
things of God, but I knew thatit was such a moment that I
would one day stand before myLord and Savior on, and I just
simply answered God and hispeople.
The answer opened up a door forme to talk to them about the
hope that I believe there is,and at that moment I do not.
I do not think they received it, and you may not be receiving
(22:14):
the first part of this podcastbecause your relationship or
lack thereof with God For youespecially.
I didn't want to end the podcast, though, without sharing some
practical help for navigating aworld gone bad.
I have implemented many ofthese things into my own life
and daily routine and find thatthey help with a threat of the
commandeering fear, which isthese things are just practical,
(22:36):
and so these are some of thethings that I do and that I
would strongly encourage youguys to do.
I firmly believe that God is incontrol and that Tozer quote
that says that God has notsurrendered his authority.
That is so important for us toremember.
And here's the Tozer quotebefore we get into the practical
(22:58):
stuff.
While it looks like things areout of control, behind the
scenes there is a God who hasnot surrendered his authority.
This world has gone mad, guys.
Paul has given us the answersin Philippians 4.
God has given us the answers incommunity and in church and in
(23:18):
counseling.
But for those of you who do notbelieve, and even for those of
you that do believe in the starof the story, who is Jesus, who
can get us through this and whohas already won this epic battle
against good versus evil?
But we still have to live onthis planet.
And so here are some practicalthings as we close out the
podcast that I do.
That kind of helps me stay saneand I don't suffer as much as I
(23:42):
would if I didn't do some ofthese things.
The very first practical thingyou can do is control your
consumption of the news.
This is especially true if youhave a history of trauma and if
your safety has been compromisedor if you've ever had a time in
your life where you didn't knowwhere your next meal was coming
from or a roof over your head.
The news is only going todestroy you.
(24:05):
The news does not fall intoPhilippians 4.8.
Now, I don't want you to beignorant to the things of this
world, and so for me, I havepeople that I trust.
It is hurricane season inFlorida.
I don't watch the news, but myfriends do, and there's somebody
that I trust on Facebook a newsreporter on Facebook that I
(24:28):
just watch him and don't turn onthe TV because of situations
like that, hurricanes and allthe things that are going on in
the world.
They're always going to make itworse and, unfortunately, so
much of what in the what's inthe news is not even true.
Trust no one.
Trust nothing.
In so many ways, control yourconsumption of the news.
Find some news that you trust.
(24:50):
Find some news that is unbiasedand I would go so far as to say
, find some news that is notUnited States based.
Bbc is a good option for thenews, but control your
consumption of the news andyou'll control your anxiety and
your fear.
The second one is refrain fromconversations surrounding the
election period.
(25:11):
There's there's no reason tohave conversations right now.
Nothing good can come of it.
Refrain from conversationssurrounding the election.
I would also ask you, as atrauma survivor, to be careful
about the visceral stuff thatpeople put on social media about
the election.
Stop it, just stop it.
And if you're finding that yournewsfeed is filled with this
(25:33):
stuff, mute those people or stayoff of social media, because
nothing good is coming of it.
Nothing good is coming from thenews.
Nothing good is coming fromsocial media because nothing
good is coming of it.
Nothing good is coming from thenews.
Nothing good is coming fromsocial media by and large,
particularly as it pertains tothe election.
It's not Philippians 4.8.
This next one I'm going to talkto you about some of you are not
going to be happy with me about, but stop it with the
(25:55):
conspiracy theories.
This only serves to upsetpeople and to cause fear and
anxiety and angst and depressionand suicide and more, more
violence.
Stop it with a conspiracytheories.
There's only one theory thatyou need to know about, and that
is God is sovereign and heknows exactly what is going on.
(26:17):
If you try to understand theminds of wicked and evil people
on this planet, it is going torub off on you and you're going
to have the ick of a world gonemad.
Conversely, one of the thingsthat you should be doing is
having meaningful connections.
Go out of your way, even if youdon't have time and I am
preaching to the choir, as I amworking a full-time job, own a
(26:40):
business, have a podcast and I'min school but it is really
important, at least once ortwice a week, to make meaningful
connections to people that callyou higher, that love you and
that you love and that you canjust connect and just for a
little bit, like you're steppingout into reading a book, you're
in a different world Meaningfulconnections.
(27:04):
Another one you can do is andI'm going to put these two
together is journaling.
And when you journal,neutralize the fear.
What would happen if the worstpossible thing happened?
What would that actually looklike?
And when you neutralize thefear, one of my people, who I
call she's on hashtag team, amyLauren Starnes, taught me to
neutralize the fear.
Okay, you're afraid you'regoing to live in your car.
(27:25):
Well, let's talk about that.
What would that look like?
And so neutralize your fears.
You can do that by journaling,you can do that with a friend,
you can do that in therapy.
But journaling and neutralizingthe fear the four main ones and
we did a podcast on this withLauren Starnes about when the
body talks make sure you'rehydrating, and if you think
(27:46):
you're hydrated enough, hydratemore.
Make sure you're eating.
Make sure you're hydrating, andif you think you're hydrated
enough, hydrate more.
Make sure you're eating.
Make sure you're eating well,make sure you're eating as best
as you can afford and and asclean as you can afford, but
make sure you're eating, and ifyou find that you're overeating
because of your emotional state,especially as it pertains to
this world gone mad, please seekhelp, because you're only
(28:07):
hurting yourself.
Make sure you're moving yourbody.
I know oftentimes I willsometimes just wake up and it
feels like I have enough energyin my body to power an entire
city, and and so the only thingthat helps with that is movement
.
Jump on a treadmill, go for awalk, and it doesn't need to be
(28:28):
a fast walk, but just try toenvision some of that angst,
that energy getting out of yourbody as you're moving.
Sleep is another reallyimportant one as you navigate
this world that has gone mad.
If you are struggling to sleep,many of these things that we
talked about today may be thereason for that.
There is support in sleep, anddon't be afraid to take
medications, because sleep wesee it all the time at the
(28:50):
hospital patients that come tothe hospital and full on
psychosis because they've notslept and so hydrate, eat, move.
Sleep is going to be reallyimportant for you as we continue
to navigate a world gone mad.
Take care of your village.
I got the idea from this podcastbecause I read a book that John
Eldridge put out in 2020talking about taking your life
back in a world that's gone mad,and he talks about how we are
(29:14):
not called to save the world,but we are called to take care
of our village.
And so, as you're thinkingabout a world gone mad and
you're thinking about all thesad things going around all
around the world, that's notyour village, your village are
your people.
Your village is your village,your village or your people?
Your village is your church,your village or the people that
you work with, your family, yourneighborhood.
Take care of your village.
(29:37):
John Eldridge also saidsomething else in that, in that
book, that I like that.
I think that is really good,especially as it, as we loop
back to controlling yourconsumption of the information
coming into your brain, is aboutyour cell phone, and I don't
know about you guys, but and Idon't know why Apple decides
every Sunday morning when I'm inchurch to tell me how much
screen time I've had, but nowthat we even tell you how much
(29:58):
you've spent on Facebook andInstagram and TikTok and all the
things, and so control yourconsumption on your phone, and
John Eldridge has a great ideafor this, and I do this pretty
regularly actually, but it isdivert daily.
So put it aside for an hourevery day where you don't pick
it up.
You can have emergency textmessages, be able to come
(30:21):
through and kind of get throughall of it, but put it down, put
it away for an hour, don't pickit up for an hour, and if any of
you can tell me that you areable to do that in the first try
, then I will give you a big oldcongratulations.
Because we are so addicted toour phones, diverting daily for
an hour is much harder than itthinks.
Withdraw weekly this is a wholeday where we're not on our
(30:44):
phones.
Now the whole day is a littlebit different because you do
want to be able to communicatethrough text messages and stuff
like that, but you should have aday a week where you're not on
social media.
Withdrawing weekly and thenabandon annually.
One week out of every year youabandon social media, abandon
the information bombarding you.
More importantly, trust Jesusand the information bombarding
(31:05):
you.
More importantly, trust Jesus.
He can be trusted even when itdoesn't seem like it.
And so I hope that today'spodcast has helped you guys
understand that this world hasgone mad.
You have not lost your mind.
This world has absolutely gonemad, and while there is nothing
new under the sun, it is new tous and we know that, and so I
hope that you will take today'spodcast in the words of Paul.
(31:27):
And so I hope that you willtake today's podcast in the
words of Paul, where he reallylaid out what, what, how, we can
successfully and peacefullylive in a world gone mad.
And so I felt really burdenedto do this podcast this week.
Even though I have thegenerational series planned, I
wanted to drop this one becauseI believe that there are many of
(31:48):
you out there that need it.
I don't want you guys walkingaround always afraid when we
have everything we need.
Remember we have the king, thebig K, the one that saved Daniel
and the lions and Shadrach,meshach and Abednego, and the
fiery furnace and the chains offof Paul and Silas, and I can go
on and on and on about the Godthat we have Job, who was not
(32:10):
touched.
Even though his life was prettybad, he was not touched, and so
trust Jesus.
He is a God that can be trusted.
If you do not know the star ofthe story, who is Jesus, you can
send me a text message right inthe show notes.
That only comes to me.
I would love to introduce youto the star of the story.
Write in the show notes thatonly comes to me.
I would love to introduce youto the star of the story.
(32:30):
For the rest of you, I reallyhope that you will consider some
of these things.
Make it your own and not letthis mad world make you
literally go mad, and not letthis mad world literally make
you lose your faith.
Not let this mad world make youlose relationships.
Not let this mad world take youoff the planet, because that's
(32:54):
what our enemy wants, the enemythat is here to seek, kill and
destroy us.
That's what he wants to do, andif you are at all doing
anything for God, you know thatSatan is not having that, and so
trust Jesus.
He can be trusted.
I am here.
(33:17):
If you guys want to send memessages in any of the ways.
All of that is in the shownotes.
We all need to band together aswe navigate these times that are
new to us.
It is so encouraging to knowthey're not new to God, though,
and so I hope that you guys havefound some peace in this.
I hope that you will go backand look at Philippians 4 and
see how Paul has laid out how wecan live with a peace that
transcends all understanding.
(33:39):
Because of what we decide to do.
We decide to be content.
We decide that we understandwhat it's like to have a lot and
have a little, but we found thesecret to contentment, and that
is that I can do all thingsthrough Christ, who strengthens
me.
You guys know what I'm going tosay next as I close out the
podcast.
You are all so unbelievablyseen, known, heard, loved and
(34:05):
valued, and we'll be back in twoweeks and we will start that
generational series with MamaGowan representing the silent
generation.
I'm excited about this season asI talk to different populations
of people and different typesof trauma and so that we can all
understand that we navigatethese things differently.
But when it comes to navigatingthe world that's gone mad,
(34:25):
there is only one answer, andhis name is Jesus.
Just remember that thesufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared tothe glory that's going to be
revealed in you, and thesufferings that you have right
now are just a momentaryaffliction in light of what God
is going to do on that day whenwe all meet him, and so you guys
(34:46):
have a great two weeks, andshoot me a message if you have
any questions and I willcontinue to pray for you guys as
I ask the same for you.
Have a great two weeks.
You made my past.
I'm not going back.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Hallelujah, you called out my name, so I'll sing
out your praise.
Hallelujah, you buried my past.
I'm not going back, cause Iwasn't made to be tending a
(35:26):
grave.
I was called by name, born andraised back to life again.
I was made for more.
So why would I make a bed in myshame when a fountain of grace
(35:49):
is running my way?
I know I am yours.
I was made for more.
I wasn't made to be tipped in agrave.
I was called by name, born andraised back to life again.
(36:12):
I was made for more.
So what would I make?
I'm betting my shame when afountain of grace Is running my
way?
I know I am yours.
(36:43):
Come on, hallelujah, you calledout my name.
I'll sing out your praise.
Hallelujah, you buried my past.
I'm not going back.
Hallelujah, you called out myname.
(37:05):
I'll sing out your praise,singing hallelujah.
Hold out my name.
Oh, sing out your name, sing it, amen.
You buried my past.
I'm not going back.
I was made to be tinned in agrave.
I was called by name, born andraised back to life again.
(37:31):
Come on, sing it over yourself.
When a fountain of grace wasrunning my way, I knew I am
yours.
I was made for more.
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