Keith Brooks - Anxiety (Psalm 131)

• Olympic anxiety
• What anxiety is
• What do we fear?
• Psalm 131 as a resource
• The anti-psalm 131

Outline of Psalm 131

• The result
  
  • Stopped pursuing impossibilities
  • An understanding of your proper relationship with God
  • Control
• The process
  
  • The role of pride—haughty eyes
  • Ordinary tasks / humility
  • Psychological tiredness
  • Our hearts are filled with noise machines—we must still them
  • How to compose and quiet your soul
• The reason
  
  • Psalm 131:3: “O Israel, hope in the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore.”
  • Glad submissive reliance leaves us free of anxiety
    
    • We’re not trying to be self sufficient
    • We’re not trying to be an equal of God
    • We’re trying to be fed dependents

Exercises

1. Form habit of renouncing a prideful/haughty spirit. Release it and let it go.
2. Life inventory—do you need to cut anything out to make life more unified?
3. Compose your life by intentionally going into solitude and quiet
   
   1. Find a comfortable place in your office or home.
   2. Regularly sit there—anywhere from 5 min—1.5 hrs
   3. “Father, I receive you …” Over and over
   4. Tell the Lord about what’s distracting you and then tell him you’re going to set it aside and come back to it later
   5. Focus on being present with Jesus in the moment
   6. “Father I receive your peace”
   7. Pray Phil. 4:6-7, Psalm 131 or any other Scriptures you’ve memorized

Updated on 2010-03-02 (r.153) by Keith Brooks