Encouragement that Calms Fears

Natural Dr. Tony Evans talked about beating discouragement and overcoming the victim mentality and Tony Hunter, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, president of the urban alternative.

There are modern-day treatments for oppression, but today Dr. Evans will tell us about an age-old treatment that doesn't require a prescription and only has positive side effects.

Let's join him as he takes us to first Kings 19 for today's message.

All of us and level level I discouragement many of us have been a level of the two depression so we know what it is only know people know what it is to have the need for an emotional miracle if nothing else ever changed in our lives with regard to circumstances situation. If I could just get my mind straight back and just I can just get my thinking right if I could just get my mind straight. I can make it, but but no matter what actually happens is the demon in my head that I can't shake that tough situation.

The day with Elijah profit on steroids. He got it going on and he is doing but in less than 24 hours.

His world changes. His wife collapses and everything is turned around and he has no from the hilltop to the valley of despair. Many of us know this for things that turn on your pink slip that you anticipate a person walking out of your life will you work soon so that you didn't even know was less than 24 need for miracle. There is a need for a supernatural intervention into your emotional stability and well-being. That's our situation with Elijah to find himself. What many of us have often found ourselves in a black hole because his whole world turned upside down in a day will become the chapter 19 we find out what this emergency shift in his emotions and expectations because when we finished chapter 18 told and drink and made his way home. Should be the problem about boys and I will send a message to that of your old town not controlled.

The woman was telling them what to do when his wife had taken over when it was Elijah's anticipation that turn things around, you know who he was married three was married to a lady named John was running the show. Jezebel is calling the shots in Jezebel was telling him so we don't want Jezebel to be all work will Jezebel would Jezebel Jezebel is that comes your way is something that frightens your well-being will be trying to figure out now his whole life is strange because somebody has gotten to so what does is he goes on another day's journey to man and run 50 miles going on a whole another day's journey between verse four and he requests for himself that he might die. Now, old Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my father's. He wants to die 24 hours after the biggest Berkeley sleeve. This is a slippery slope. Okay, wash a carnal Christian. Elijah is not a spiritual person called a man of God. We just saw the Lord was on him.

So what is possible for spiritual people to get depressed Christian spirituality. What spiritual people get discouraged and depressed and suicidal spiritual people because we found out that all where human flesh and blood that is fueling this way become subject to influences Schrager so you can be spiritual and you can be spiritual and emotionally struggling through something so don't automatically feel that your discouragement is due to your commonality.

If you and if you are spiritual, then it could very well be related to that, but it's not automatically related to that specifically in the life of someone who is pursuing God so is ready to give up and ready to throw in the town and throw in the town. He lays down because he felt tired under a juniper tree which is only one personally hundred Angel touching him and samurai verse five, he looked up, and behold his hand bread baked on hot stones. A jar of water so that he ate and drank and laid down the show after honest conversation with God is God. I want to tell God told God I told God and God sent an angel Angel, the Lord comes in verse seven, the second time I eat because your journey is too great for you. Watch this to let some rest before we let them continue. So he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of the food 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God, you know, a supernatural, because when he left in 40 days and 40 nights to that a normal supernatural when God comes through.

And when God gives you the ability to keep going when a few minutes ago you were ready to give you know God is showing up in your life when you throw in the towel and he brings in your experience so you can get up and keep going. And guess where you told him to go to the mountain of God was when you depress many times the last place you want to go to the mountain of God. God means the going God's presence.

Last place you want to go but that's the first place. God wants you to run to you want to run to his presence and bring the depression with bring your discouragement with you to get the mountain to get to his presence. So we called him into his presence that gets really interesting. Then he came to a cave largely in verse nine, and behold, the word of the Lord came him and said what are you doing here, Elijah.

What are you doing here, Elijah. Now we have a lesson in Christian counseling. God is now taking the form of a counselor and he says what are you doing here, Elijah. Whenever I counsel anyone about counsel's counsel. We asked why are you here asked why he could he do know you know what you here know that you been frustrated that he just asking, why are you here God asking why are you here is not for God to get information really asked why you here is for him to fully express what he's dealing with. So what are you dealing with Elijah, and here's what Elijah says. Elijah said I have been Brazilians for the Lord God of hosts for the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars children prophets with the sword and alone and left and they seek my life to take it away. Okay, so let's discuss why you in a situation my usual depress okay you asked me Donatelli I committed myself to you. I dedicated myself to you all about people on spiritual living, keep your confidence. They were some of those idols and on all you he has adopted a victims mentality, a victims mentality is a mindset that you adopt because of negative circumstances that says I am because everybody else is where they are here by myself because none of them agreeing with you MS put me out here by myself you got me out here by myself as a victims mentality now you can be a bit, but you ought to never adopt a victims mentality where every body else is responsible for where you will mentality is because of them. And as long as you and you will always be there.

You may be a bit, but you want to never adopt the victims mentality because man that allows you to put all being responsible to make the change. You should make because Matt not making the change they should make. Dr. Evans will come back in a moment with an illustration that will help you see that victim mentality in a different light. Stay with us as we turn the period from 2020 and get ready to step into a new world is looking for answers.

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I repeat all that information for you later, but right now let's get back to today's lesson willtry to steal it every day all was men.

J trying to get along and make you become mentality know what you determine going to do what you do all you understand me, you may be a victim may not be right. It may not be evil so you but that's different than adopting too many of us socially and economically and in this case spiritually have become victims of the devil and one for the devil. I would guess what his name change what I would be stuck change so many of us block the supernatural.

Because we become comfortable, so God says, go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.

Behold, the Lord passed by the great wind rending the mountain and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord will win. There was an earthquake in third grade, verse 12 said of the fire, but the Lord is not in the fire that the fire the sound of a gentle blowing when Elijah heard it. He wrapped his face in the mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave, and behold a voice came him and said what are you doing here, Elijah.

The same question.

So let's follow this. He asked the question victims answer.

He then gives all these experiences brief about one I was only end up blowing Bree's don't only look for the supernatural and something extraordinary. The supernatural that is the voice and presence of God often shows up in one of the fiery one and the one in the way and one in the earthquake was in the pre-to the mountain of God into a quiet place of his presence because many of us don't hear God because they too many of the voices we hearing too many loud things quite know I'm in the breeze. I'm in the nice soft thing that you're getting with my presence. Now why are you what he says when he heard it. He wrapped his face. He said in verse 14 he says again.

I'm very jealous of the Lord.

But the people in forsaken you.

I alone am left, they seek to take my life. So guess what God does define the universe. Since he left his servant behind so Elijah is by himself because depression gets worse. If there is nobody in your life to change your thinking. See if you feeling sorry for yourself and you're talking to yourself as a bad conversation for yourself Johnny feeling sorry and is nobody to talk to but you about you regarding you to tell you what you do and you and a place to even hear you correctly what you are telling you is only related to how you feel your discussion with your self is helping yourself to become the picture and tells him how you feel suicidal and okay, so when the rain and I don't know know you and you want get together when you will talk to you compensation you you you you you wanted to tell you you prescient discouragement. This brings his distorted information God has to clarify 18 yet I will leave 7000 in Israel all the needs that have not dialed the bail and every mouth that has not kissed him that was his complaint causes seven fouls and folk like you is just you also psychologically right now all you see is you I got 7000 people. You don't even know about the same thing same commitment same loyalty that you so you are wanting to die off of misinformation have the right information and so God's presence and his counseling session to give him new data and then God closes by doing one of the things in this very important thing in verses 19 to 21. He runs into a man name Elisha the end of verse 19 says Elisha passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. He left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, Elisha does and please let me kiss my father and my mother and I will follow you and he said to him, go back again for what have I done to you, so we return from following him to prepare a box and sacrifice them, boiled their flesh with the implements and gave it to the people MBA. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and ministered to him sometime when you discourage me from biting the flesh and blood some time talking to God's Spirit out there is real but is a spirit of so guess what God God gave him a friend. God, bring somebody in your life who was going to minister to you because right now your ministry is been depleted and you will get up and go is not so guess what now the I have been counseling with you and you brought me into the equation of your victims mentality. I got somebody I have already set up to bring into your life to minister to encourage to lift you up and bring you out your depression. God has an angel for you is got a person for you have himself for you he gave you guys all three of those Muslim naturalists. Two of his depression and one of the reasons that the church exists is that people available in your life when you are in town who can price you you you do the same for somebody else because when we made another reality of how we feel, what Dr. Evans will come back in a moment with the closing illustration about how to overcome the fear of being eaten alive by the things that threaten us first so if you'd like to hear the full-length version of today's message including material we didn't have time to bring you on the air. You can get. It is a part of our current series the best of Tony Evans 2020.

As I mentioned earlier, all 20 messages in this collection are a gift to you to make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station and for a limited time will also include a copy of his devotional book called for a purpose just by Tony Evans.org where you can get all the details and make your donation online again that's Tony Evans.org or you can call our 24 hour resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 let one of our team members help you with your request. Words like impossible or incurable. Don't apply when God is part of the equation, but tomorrow Dr. Evans will explain that seeing miracles happen is in some ways up to us right now though he's back with this closing illustration following dates with his son and the lion's cage, and the landlord terrified little boy father didn't move. He said this is what I said I said now I'm staring at the cage when you are just errors all you hear was the voice of the lion unity somebody in your life you can discussion continued about the bodice container line got a big mouth but going the way out being held in by something great. Some of also been destroyed by Satan. Somebody who can whisper about the power of God in your life. Somebody is being intimidated by Jezebel you know somebody who can see outside of you. Greater is he that is you Jezebel who was threatening you to be this honest with God taking care of yourself and have somebody in your life and God alone that takes place, you may still get the scary but God will have to struggle with this. The alternative with Dr. Tony is made possible by the generous contribution of listeners