Stop, Breathe, Pray

This powerful message confronts anxiety head-on with a simple yet transformative approach: Stop, Breathe, and Pray. Drawing from personal experiences with obsessive-compulsive disorder and crippling anxiety, we're reminded that our struggles don't make us less faithful—they make us human. The sermon beautifully distinguishes between fear (a clear and present danger) and anxiety (worry about what might happen), helping us understand what we're actually fighting. Central to this teaching is Philippians 4:6-7, which calls us to replace anxiety with thanksgiving and prayer, promising that God's peace will guard our hearts and minds. The profound insight here is that we thank God before making our requests—not after—because we trust His wise control over our lives. Whether God grants our request immediately, delays it, or redirects us entirely, He always gets it right. We're challenged to stop placing our trust in mere humans or our own strength (Jeremiah 17:5-7) and instead become like trees planted by the riverbank, with roots reaching deep into God's living water. The message acknowledges that medical help, therapy, and medication are valid tools—we're not less Christian for using them—but emphasizes that lasting peace comes from surrendering to Jesus, our ultimate source of comfort and hope.