Covenant Life Church

Last week, we started a new series called The Core Four. If we are to represent Christ to the world and allow His nature and character to develop fully within us, then we are going to have to have the same values that Jesus had when He was on the earth. Last week, we talked about humility. Jesus was the most humble man who ever lived. He said you can’t even get into the Kingdom of God without humility.

Humility is the first of four core values of the Kingdom, and this week, we’re going to explore the second. Jesus said, “There is one thing that I am praying to God about that will demonstrate to the whole world that you belong to me and that I am God’s Son.” It isn’t spiritual gifts, money, power, influence, talent, charisma, or a huge platform. It’s unity — coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

This week, we are starting a brand new series called The Core Four. If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, this series is for you regardless of age, stage, or person. In Galatians 4:19, Paul said that he was going to continue to minister to the Galatian church until Christ is fully formed in them, so the goal of every believer should be to have Christ fully formed within them.

There are probably a thousand things you could say about the character and nature of someone who follows Jesus. In this series, we’re going to talk about four core values that may be the most important — so much so that we’re going to change our core values at Covenant Life Church. The first of these four core values (and the title of this week’s message) is Humility.

“One thing I noticed as we were preparing this presentation is that it isn't just a testimony. It is testimony after testimony. God is so faithful. His love is sufficient. His grace is sufficient. His mercy is sufficient. His provision is sufficient.”

This week, our Marriage Ministry leaders — Jason and Holly Painter — share their story. Along the way, they reflect on all the times God showed up mightily in their lives and talk about their desire to help other couples be successful.

Pastor John has been in ministry for a long time, and he has learned that there is always something else to do. You never get caught up. You never run out of things that need to be done. You’re constantly looking for ways to keep things fresh or make them more effective. There’s always something to learn, something to improve, some area in which to grow.

There’s nothing wrong with any of that as long as you don’t forget to keep the main thing the main thing. With this in mind, we’re doubling down on the main things this week. In this message, the goal is to strip away all the stuff that might get in the way of accomplishing our collective calling as believers. It is a reminder about the reason we’re all here.

We’ve covered a lot of ground throughout our series on mental and spiritual health called It Is Well With My Soul. Hopefully, we have stripped away some of the shame and stigma, so you are more comfortable using whatever means you have at your disposal to get healthy. At the same time, you have to remember that Jesus is the Healer. All of the ways of healing are gifts of God’s grace to help His people, so as you find and figure out what works, give glory to God for it.

In 1 Kings 19:13-18, we find God’s response to Elijah’s complaint, His answer to the problem that sent the prophet running into the wilderness, suicidal and alone. He was at rock bottom. He had carried too much for too long and forgot who he was. That might be the best way to put almost every mental health crisis — no matter how disruptive or debilitating. This week, we’re finishing our series with a message all about what to do when you’ve reached rock bottom.

In our current series called It Is Well With My Soul, we are talking about being spiritually healthy by being mentally healthy. These two areas of our well-being occupy the same space. Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions, which is where mental health rests. You can’t be spiritually healthy and mentally unhealthy at the same time, so if you are going to say, “it is well with my soul,” you have to check in on our thoughts, feelings, and decisions to make sure they are aligned with God’s Word and will.

Last week, we started looking at the account of Elijah fleeing into the wilderness after Queen Jezebel threatened his life. We talked about his need for rest, nutrition, hydration, and the need for connection. Those are physical things you can do to get someone stabilized enough to receive help and healing at the soul level. This week, we’re going to talk more about that help and healing by exploring how Elijah got into the mess he was in and how we can come back from, or avoid hitting, rock bottom.

We are in a series called “It Is Well With My Soul.” As we have learned, a soul is made up of mind, will, and emotions. It’s our thoughts, feelings, and decisions. Proverbs 4 says to guard it above all things because all the issues of our lives are sourced in our souls, and it’s easy to see why. In this series, we have talked about the fact that our soul occupies the same space as our mental health. In fact, one of the main reasons we’re talking about this in church is that it is impossible for a person to be spiritually healthy and mentally unhealthy at the same time.

Today is the pivot point in this series. We’ve spent a few weeks making the connection between spiritual and mental health, and we’ve explored some examples to help you identify areas of need in your own life. At the same time, we have tried to strip away the shame and stigma, so people can feel free to get the help they need for whatever they are going through. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the problems, but this week, we’re going to start talking about solutions, beginning with Psalm 23 and how the Lord restores our soul with green pastures and still waters.

As we celebrate Father’s Day, we are continuing our series called It Is Well With My Soul. Your soul is your mind, your emotions, and your decision-making process. It occupies the same space as your mental health, so in order to say that it is well with your soul, you have to be able to say, “It is well with my mental health.” Can you say that? Are your thoughts positive and healthy? Are you emotionally stable and able to enjoy your family? Do you make solid decisions?

Hebrews 12:10 tells us that “our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how.” That verse can bring so much comfort and hope to dads because God doesn’t need us to be perfect because He is already perfect. In fact, the perfect dad is not a perfect man; he’s a flawed man who is surrendered to His Father. God is asking us just to do the best we can do — and along the way, if we can do that, we will set our families up for spiritual and mental health.

Last week, we began a new series called It Is Well With My Soul. Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions. Our Heavenly Father wants our souls to be healed, restored, rested, and guarded. Your spiritual health and mental health occupy the same space, so that means you cannot be spiritually healthy and mentally unhealthy at the same time. They are connected. Because of this fact, it’s time to be honest about how you are doing mentally and how you’re getting along with the people around you.

Holding it all inside isn’t brave or courageous; it’s foolish and selfish. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you suck it up and deal with it. The enemies of our mental health are real and should not be taken lightly. Untreated mental health destroys marriages, ministries, careers, and lives, so you need to be honest about the things in your life that are becoming unmanageable. This week, we’re exploring Enemies of My Soul’s Health.

Your soul is vital, and sometimes, it needs to be reset back to factory settings. Psalm 23 says a good Shepherd has to occasionally lead you to a place where your soul can be restored, a place of green pastures, still waters, and lying down. Why does a soul need restoring? Because you may have to walk through seasons of grief, have people who hurt you or just generally get beat up by the trials of life.

Proverbs 4:23 — another famous verse — tells us to guard our hearts and says that it determines the course of your life. Biblically, your heart is your soul, which encompasses your mind, will, and emotions. If it is so important, why does the church only talk about saving souls rather than guarding or restoring souls? This week, we’re starting a new series about mental health called It Is Well With My Soul.