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Overwhelmed
13 Plays2 years ago
Vernon shares his thoughts around being "overwhelmed" and announces the launch of the brand new Life Untangled app (available for both Apple and Android mobile phones). You can also listen to the podcast from the app. Direct app download links available on https://lifeuntangled.com
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Transcript
Introduction and App Launch
00:00:02
Speaker
This is your host, Vernon Terrell, with Grace Ministries International, and it's time for Walking Free. Hey and welcome back. This is Vernon Terrell and I'm so excited. We just launched our Life Untangled app. That's right. It's launched
00:00:32
Speaker
The baby is out. We have added the app to both the Apple and Android stores. So if you want to go to the App Store, Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, head over there.
00:00:49
Speaker
and look for the Life Untangled app. Or you can simply go to lifeuntangled.com and we've got a direct link for the app that will take you right to your respective app stores.
App Features and Offerings
00:01:06
Speaker
So go on your mobile device. It's really optimized by the way for your phone. It'll work on a tablet but only in the portrait vertical mode. So it's really designed
00:01:18
Speaker
for your phone, but what is this thing? And before I jump into really the podcast, which is about overwhelm, I wanted to share the app and what's going on because it was an overwhelming task. We're gonna talk about being overwhelmed and what that's about. But the app itself is really our content.
00:01:48
Speaker
We're adding some things and resources, I should say, that we've had at Grace Ministries for a while. We are putting those on the app and we're talking about mostly, I'd say 90 plus percent, it's free content. We've got topics like codependency. At one time that was like a seminar. We've got codependency, parenting.
00:02:19
Speaker
topics that we're going to be adding very soon, but you'll see a whole list of those topics on the app. We've got some resources, some Grace Ministries resources on there. You'll see a little directory for our Grace Ministries, and we've got, of course, where you can
00:02:46
Speaker
apply and if you want counseling we've got our counseling request form of course this podcast is on there and we've got our life untangled merch store just launched
00:03:00
Speaker
this week with really cool hoodies and sweaters and t-shirts and beanies and iPhone cases and coffee mugs, all kind of fun stuff. Some has the Life Untangled logo, others are just verses that we think really exemplify Life Untangled or God's grace.
00:03:28
Speaker
So, really cool stuff. You can head over there. You can get to it from the app. Just look for the merch store or the Life Untangled store, or you can go to lifeuntangled.com, click on merch store. There it is. Really just cool. We love it. We're just having a blast with it. Kudos. Shout out to Catherine who really designed the store for us. Got it up and running. Just amazing.
00:03:56
Speaker
So that's there on the app. And again, I mentioned all the various topics and video resources, everything from, I mentioned parenting, codependency, guilt and shame, forgiveness, blessings, just tons and tons of stuff. How to connect with God. That's my, just a short, folks who may not know the Lord, how do you connect?
00:04:27
Speaker
How do you become, how do you get in Christ? How do you make that connection? There's a short video on that. Just a bunch of stuff in here. We've got blog under insights, some really cool stuff, and devotionals. I've got my 52-week devotional on there. It's based on my book, Stop Fighting, Start Living, and that.
00:04:48
Speaker
those devotionals are in there. We've got devotionals written by some of our staff and some folks that we really appreciate that volunteer to help us write some devotionals. Those devotionals are in there for you and we will have some events. There's a calendar as we have live events that'll be on there, all in the app. I call it
00:05:13
Speaker
all about grace, all in one place. So I could go on and on. I don't want to do that on this podcast, but I wanted to give you a heads up that the app is out
Dealing with Overwhelm in Life and App Launch
00:05:23
Speaker
there. You can find it on your Apple app store or Google play store. And it does need a little later. I think for iPhones, iPhone eight and later 16.1 is the
00:05:37
Speaker
minimum requirement, I think Google 10, I believe, OS 10 for them. But check it out. We're excited about it. And we'll keep adding more and more and more. That's where we're going to be keeping our resources right on the app. But wow, it took a lot.
00:06:01
Speaker
The opportunity came up and I started going down that road, had to put everything aside. It was sometimes felt overwhelming. I had someone on our virtual chaplain site. The app has a link, I need to talk. It takes you right to our virtual chaplain where you can chat for encouragement prayer. They're not a counselor. They're just there to listen, to encourage, to pray.
00:06:28
Speaker
And so you have just a place to go. Right now it's during the work week, work hours, Eastern time. We hope to expand that. But as someone had mentioned, feeling overwhelmed. And wow, that does, that can affect us all. Have you ever felt overwhelmed? I know I have. David, and there's some good
00:06:53
Speaker
If you haven't ever gone to BibleStudyTools.com, it's a great resource. There's a bunch of resources. Tons of resources. We really have no excuse, do we? But have some great verses to share on this idea of feeling overwhelmed. Psalm 61 too, where David often would cry out to the Lord. And so the Psalms is a great place to go.
00:07:23
Speaker
Psalm 61 too says, from the end of the earth, I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. When we feel overwhelmed, we put this pressure, we're feeling the pressure, and David is saying, lead me to the rock, I like that, that is higher than I. Because we get a different perspective
00:07:54
Speaker
We want to lay these things down to the Lord. When we're overwhelmed, we give that to the Lord. And that was what David was doing. Lead me, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. In Psalm 102, verse one, hear my prayer. This is an anonymous Psalm.
00:08:20
Speaker
Hear my prayer, oh Lord, and let my cry come to
Importance of Relationships: Martha and Mary
00:08:25
Speaker
you. This is a prayer from an overwhelmed heart. Isn't that what your heart feels? That's the expression. So express it, express it to the Lord. Sometimes that's what we need to do is simply express it. Often we internalize and we complain it.
00:08:50
Speaker
Let's not do that. Let's not internalize it and complain about it. Let's express it, get it out, but express it to the Lord and let your cry come up before the Lord. He knows your heart already, but it's good for you to express that. When Martha was
00:09:17
Speaker
getting ready for Jesus, Jesus coming over. You know when you have a house guest and you start going crazy, I mean, you're really crazy, and you get a lot done. Often you get more done right before you go on vacation or right before someone's coming over, you can really knock it out. But you can also really feel the pressure, and Martha did, and Martha's saying, hey, Lord, do you see my sister? She's doing nothing. I'm doing all this work, getting ready. She's not helping.
00:09:48
Speaker
And in Luke 10, 41 to 42, Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha? And I think he had to. I think Martha was so busy. I don't know if she caught it the first time. Her mind was racing. Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.
00:10:17
Speaker
Yes, things do need to get done. Don't wanna lessen the importance. You know, it's good to clean up, but when you're feeling the pressure, what's really important? The relationship. And in this particular context, Jesus, he is the most important thing. Man, stop, just focus. He's right there in your living room sitting
00:10:47
Speaker
Talking, teaching, don't miss it. And I would encourage you, don't miss the relationship. Don't miss the important things. Cleaning, yeah, that's good to do. But in the context of relationship, the most important thing to do is to relate. Is to focus on the relationship.
00:11:15
Speaker
Does that help, does that sit with you? Is that resonating a little bit? Paul said it this way in Philippians 4-6. He said, be anxious for nothing. Wow. Sometimes we get all wrapped around the axle, to use that old expression, because we're trying to fit things
00:11:43
Speaker
in our box, we're trying to control things probably outside of our control, or at least just on the edge, and we get anxious because we feel it slipping away. Well, one thing, realize the priority. What's most important? The carpet or the relationship, as we said before. Paul says here, be anxious for nothing but knowing that those things do swell up inside.
00:12:12
Speaker
and we have the thoughts flying through our head. Paul says, hey, in everything, when those anxious thoughts come, don't choose anxiety. Don't let it settle in. And sometimes anxiety, boom, it's like it just hits us out of nowhere, we're anxious. It's okay. Learn to give that to the Lord. Learn to let go of that
00:12:42
Speaker
and lay it before the Lord in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. Let the Lord know what's going on. Make your request to the Lord. But it's interesting with thanksgiving, you know that gratitude, when we can be thankful, it opens up our heart and settles us. When we can say, Father, thank you, I'm grateful for, fill in the blank,
00:13:12
Speaker
I'm feeling this right now. I release that to you. And I often
Handling Anxiety and Prioritization
00:13:19
Speaker
pray, Father, show me the next step. What is my next step? I release that to you. I release the consequences, I release all of it. My expectations, I release it to you.
00:13:35
Speaker
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. What did Jesus say in Matthew 6.33? Talking about really kingdom life. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. All this other stuff will be added.
00:14:06
Speaker
Seek first, and there in that context on the sermon, the most famous sermon during his life, what's known now as this sermon on the Mount, and really addressing Jews and their concept of the law, their concept of who he is
00:14:35
Speaker
And Jesus says, hey, seek first the kingdom. Seek his righteousness. And that's what it's all about. You see, we can't connect with God in our own strength and our own righteousness. Seek his righteousness. And when you do, you kind of throw your hands up and say, Lord, that seems unattainable. Lord, I can't do that exactly. That's why you need Christ. That's why you need Christ in you
00:15:05
Speaker
to express His righteousness through you. That's why you need Christ in you to change you and to give you and impart to you His righteousness. Focus on the important things, and that's God and His kingdom. Even in the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah told
00:15:35
Speaker
this in Isaiah 26.3. He said this, talking about the Lord, you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. That word, perfect peace, if you're watching the series The Chosen, the life of Jesus,
00:16:05
Speaker
Dallas Jenkins is the executive producer, just an amazing series. Highly recommend it. You'll always hear the word Shalom, or you'll hear Shalom Shalom. Shalom Shalom. Shalom is this word of peace, and Shalom Shalom is complete peace, or perfect peace.
00:16:33
Speaker
The Lord will keep him in Shalom Shalom, whose mind is stayed on him because he trusts you. When our mind is stayed on the Lord, because we trust the Lord and we give that to the Lord, our hearts can rest in that Shalom Shalom, in that perfect peace. When you're feeling overwhelmed,
00:17:03
Speaker
And life can just, life can come at us and we can quickly get overwhelmed. We have some steps that we can take. And it's not steps to do more, it's not steps to perform more, but it's steps to express and release.
00:17:30
Speaker
express our feelings, express the overwhelming circumstances to the Lord. He's listening. He's not judging. He's with you in it. He already knows. Go ahead and express it. Express how you feel. Don't bottle it up. Express it. And then release it. How do I release it? You express it and say, Father, I release this to you.
00:18:00
Speaker
I trust you with it. Guide me, show me the next steps you'd have me to take. And in the context, if there's relationships involved, release whatever's overwhelming you and focus on the relationship. And thank God, have a heart of gratitude toward the Father. Whether it's gratitude for that cup of coffee,
00:18:30
Speaker
that you're sipping, thank you for this coffee. If it's gratitude for the home that you live in, thank you, Father. I have a place to sit and rest and to be safe. If it's gratitude for your family, thank you that I have a family that loves me even in my crazy moments. And then release. When you open with that heart of gratitude,
00:18:57
Speaker
it begins to settle your heart and you can let go and release, knowing that your loving Heavenly Father is right there with you, loving you, and giving you that Shalom Shalom.
Managing Clutter and Scheduling
00:19:18
Speaker
So yes, I was overwhelmed getting this app going, pushing and pushing and pushing, putting deadlines
00:19:28
Speaker
on yourself that some, and by the way, that's not bad, but when you're feeling overwhelmed, you know, you can let them slide a bit, it's okay. Learn to express, learn to pray and release, and then learn to walk in your freedom where Christ has set you free.
00:19:57
Speaker
Walk in peace. Walk in the Shalom Shalom. When you've done what you can do, let it go. Take a rest. Go to the gym. Go for a walk. Let it go. I hope that can encourage you today. If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, if you're feeling a bit lost, as I mentioned to this,
00:20:27
Speaker
person who was overwhelmed, they happened to be overwhelmed from a lot of clutter in the home. And by the way, did you know that when your desk is really, really cluttered, you've got this sense of things that you need to do, you don't know what they are, and that can really affect you. I have to periodically just stop and clean off my desk so it's, I can take a breath.
00:20:57
Speaker
But sometimes, and I've been there, when things get real busy, and I'll do this later, I'll do this later, and stuff just stacks up, stacks up, you look at it, well that's too much, more stacks up, it gets bigger, the pile is bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger, and you're just feeling this sense of pressure, and it's like where's that coming from? Well you see all this stuff. Now one thing you could do is well just take it, put it in a drawer, close it, and you don't see it anymore. That's one way.
00:21:27
Speaker
Another way that I would highly recommend is schedule 15 minutes. You can carve out 15 minutes and just say, I'm only gonna spend 15 minutes and I'm gonna take this one item, for me this one piece of paper, and I like to scan my things and then shred. I don't like a lot of paper. And I'm gonna just take 15 minutes
00:21:55
Speaker
Well, most of the time when I get started, I kind of get on a roll. And I get going and I get it done. Sometimes though, I just do three items. But guess what? That is three items I have just cleared and I can say thank you, Father, that I just cleared three pieces of paper off of my desk. I'm gonna schedule another 15 minutes and just do little bite-size chunks and be okay with that. So when you're feeling overwhelmed, whether it's clutter,
00:22:27
Speaker
or what it might be, I don't know. I hope this will encourage you. And I just ask you to pray and say, all right, Father, I'm feeling overwhelmed. I'm expressing that to you right now. Here it goes, here it comes, I'm expressing. Thank you. And whatever comes to your mind, just thank Him for it.
00:22:55
Speaker
And then even if you have to with your hand, just open your hand. I release it. And then take a breath. And then do something for you. Go take a walk. Go drink a cup of coffee. Relax. Enjoy because God's given you everything to enjoy.
00:23:23
Speaker
So go enjoy it. And then come back in a fresh mind and say, all right, Father, what's my next step here? And then do it from a position of rest. And let go of the expectations on yourself. Maybe it's the expectations of others. Ask the Father right now, what is your next step?
00:23:53
Speaker
Don't just talk about it. Don't just complain about it. I want you to ask him, take the next step, and start walking. You've been listening to Walking Free, a production of Grace Ministries International in Marietta, Georgia. For more information, go to our website at gmint.org. That's gminc.org.