PCA parents, I am so excited to share this incredible episode with you - our guest is Dr. Jeremiah Johnston and he's talking about his new book Unleashing Peace - Experiencing God’s Shalom in Your Pursuit of Happiness - you're going to want to get a copy or two of this resource! Below are just a few highlights of what Jeremiah will share in his book and on this podcast - these truths can literally transform your life and the life of your family!
It saddens me that the church is woefully behind in helping people with mental health issues, because every single person is somewhere on t...
PCA parents, I am so excited to share this incredible episode with you - our guest is Dr. Jeremiah Johnston and he's talking about his new book Unleashing Peace - Experiencing God’s Shalom in Your Pursuit of Happiness - you're going to want to get a copy or two of this resource! Below are just a few highlights of what Jeremiah will share in his book and on this podcast - these truths can literally transform your life and the life of your family!
It saddens me that the church is woefully behind in helping people with mental health issues, because every single person is somewhere on the mental wellness trajectory. Mental wellness is a conversation that includes all people of God.
According to the World Health Organization, depression is now the leading cause of disability in the world.
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.
As I see it, Jesus was talking about and teaching wellness before anyone, but he used a different word: shalom - the best form of wellness there is.
Stress kills people and poisons our bodies. Debilitating anxiety has become ubiquitous, unfortunately increasing in all age levels. Rates of major depression in teenages increased 52 percent in the 2010s from the previous decade and 63 percent among young adults.
Shalom, along with its variations, appears 550 times in the Scriptures.
50 Happiness is not a feeling; it is a lifestyle, according to Jesus.
Peace happens through an action verb: thinking.
Philippians 4:8 - Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:9 - What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.
Each time you experience anxiety, try to identify the lies you are thinking and instead focus on the truth. Common lies include: God has forgotten me. God doesn’t love me. God has given up on me. I just committed that sin for the hundredth time. I am never going to make it. I am alone. I am a failure.
Key application: You are never more like Jesus than when you - with great concern (not condemnation or anger or frustration) - intervene with someone in their time of affliction.
So how can we implement the “Presence Principle”? Two words: create margin. We have to resist the busyness of the time that pulls us from the unscheduled moments to be the presence of Jesus for others (and in doing so, experience His power in fresh ways in our own lives).
To experience peace, we must learn to live by faith in the promises and character of God. No one lives by having faith in explanations.
The Bible presents vulnerability as a necessity of balanced Christian living.
“My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
The seventeenth-century Puritan thinker Richard Baxter keely wrote in a treasured hymn, “Christ leads me through no darker rooms than he went through before.”
You see, our bodies, including our brains, are part of who we are, just as the Holy Spirit is part of who we are. It’s a whole package: body, soul, and spirit. To be at our best, we need to invest time and energy pursuing our best possible health spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Immediate Steps to Care for Your Body and Mind
- Work on daily stress management
- Be intentional about what you put into your body
- Maintain a healthy weight
