Can anyone suggest some resources to read about "overcoming being overwhelmed"?
I am aware this is not a Theology/Debate forum, so please don't debate.. but I would like to as some help if possible.
I am preparing a future talk on a difficult subject for me "overcoming being overwhelmed", and I have seen Ps 110v2 "Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” which I am trying not to take out of context or read too much into, I am also aware God can give us an escape route if we look.
Can anyone suggest a few resources that may help me grasp and to communicate/encourage to someone who feels seriously overwhelmed pointers/steps/pebbles for them to use, strategize and (hopefully) be enabled to overcome their enemies(whatever they be), whilst the audience may not be believers, and this may never be a sermon or needed in Christian circles, I am hoping to keep the talk as biblically sound as possible.
thank you
Never Deprive Anyone of Hope.. It Might Be ALL They Have
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I would look at resources on "confidence in God" which reframes the topic.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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It seems like being overwhelmed is really a symptom, rather than a problem. Why is someone overwhelmed? A little searching in my library shows resources that deal with being overwhelmed from procrastination, a lack of boundaries, and general circumstances.
June Hunt's Biblical Counseling Keys on Procrastination includes some practical steps. Here is the beginning of that section:
[quote]
HOW TO HELP … OVERWHELMED OLIVIA
For most people, more time is devoted to “working on the job” than to any other part of life. This simply means that implementing time management skills must be a high priority. However, because Olivia hasn’t developed these skills or learned to delegate certain tasks to others, tension builds in her body and stress is high! God has much to say about using time wisely and even about finding satisfaction in our work … and He certainly doesn’t want us to live our lives in a straightjacket of stress.
“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.”
(Ecclesiastes 2:24)Subdivide a Large Project.
• Break a large project down into smaller tasks.
• Make a list of the tasks within each subdivision of the larger project.
• Prioritize by numbering tasks in the order they should be accomplished.
• Delegate parts of the job that others can do—especially if the project is too big for one person to handle alone.
“The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.… select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.… That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.”
(Exodus 18:18, 21–22)Prioritize Your Action Steps in Order to Achieve Your Goals.
Priorities help you know what you should do first.• Write out your daily priorities and keep them visible.
• Set written deadlines for the completion of each priority.
• Check off tasks as they are accomplished.
• Commit to giving your goals top priority in your schedule.
• Ask yourself these questions:
— What are my goals?
— What activities do I need to plan in order to accomplish my goals?
— What priorities do I have to arrange?
— When do I plan to do each activity?
— How much time will each activity take?
— How much time should I allot for events that I cannot control?“… the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Procrastination: Preventing the Decay of Delay (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 42–43.
(Proverbs 13:4)She also has a booklet on Boundaries, but it would be hard to find a better book on that subject than Cloud and Townsend's classic.
For a sense of being overwhelmed from challenging circumstances, all of the standard books on anxiety are good. Martin Lloyd-Jones's Spiritual Depression is probably a good place to start. But for most of us, this chapter on Chronic Stress and Self-Imposed Pressure is probably relevant.
The Living Bible translates Psalm 142:3: "When I am overwhelmed and desperate, you and you alone know which way I ought to turn."
Using Logos as a pastor, seminary professor, and Tyndale author
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I really liked the post about Procrastination. It really is an enemy of ours. We must overcome it with prayer, self-control, diligence, good administration.Another enemy is eagerness or worry. Anxiety causes us to take more work than we can cope with for a certain stage of our life. It can be in our college studies, even in ministry in the church.
The desire is a lack of trust in God, as children of God we need to strengthen our faith in God every day... knowing that He is our Father and that we should rejoice in Him. That it is not about our strength, but rather about the Presence of the Holy Spirit and His Word, for which we should rejoice.
Everything that constitutes anxiety dear brothers and sisters, we must throw on Jesus, because he takes care of us His People. God bless you, greetings from Cuba. Amen.
4Regocíjense siempre en el Señor: otra vez diré: Alégrate. 5 Que tu paciencia sea conocida por todos los hombres. El Señor está cerca. 6 En nada estar ansioso; pero en todo, por medio de la oración y la súplica con acción de gracias, que vuestras peticiones sean dadas a conocer a Dios. 7 Y la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús. [1]
1 Pedro 5:6–7 (ASV 1901)
6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; 7casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.
[1] Versión estándar estadounidense (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Flp 4:4–7.
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How about these:
- Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed
- Overwhelmed: How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore Your Sanity
- Overwhelmed: Coping with Life's Ups and Downs
And speaking of pebbles, one of the best and most memorable lessons I ever heard about overcoming feeling overwhelmed was Stephen Covey's "put the big rocks in first" illustration. I don't think it has a biblical connection, but it certainly isn't unbiblical. Perhaps focusing on the most important things first in your life corresponds to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." On the other hand, I recently came across a critique of Covey's principle, Steven Covey’s Big Rocks First Strategy is Wrong. This author points out that it is more important to put space in first (before the "big rocks"), in order to avoid being overwhelmed. That seems like a fairly biblical principle: sabbath, Jesus going off by himself for times of private prayer; or Mark 6:31, Jesus saying to his disciples: "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
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https://g3min.org/product/why-are-you-afraid-darrell-harrison-virgil-walker/
Illness, political turmoil, inflation, job security—these realities and more have many Christians today locked in the throes of fear and anxiety about the future. Not all fear and anxiety is sinful, and yet there are times when how we feel is not in keeping with how God would have his people respond. How do you recognize and respond rightly to sinful fear and anxiety? What is the remedy for overcoming it? In this insightful and devotional book, Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker consider those crucial questions through the lens of the sufficient Word of God.
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Unless you want a sermon made out of sermonettes, then I encourage you to be more specific. Your “Overcoming Being Overwhelmed” is too broad. It can serve as the main theme for a series of sermons…e.g. Overcoming being overwhelmed by Fear, by Worry, by Doubt, by Anger, by _____________, by __________, by __________, etc. fill in the blanks. That and your Bible should give you a huge head start, then you can supplement with Logos
👍😁👌 I hope that helps!
DAL
PS. 100 Counseling Keys by June Hunt mentioned above is great, but is not back for sale yet. They removed it, but it’s been a while and there’s no sign of that collection coming back any time soon.
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thank you all for your thoughts and input
Never Deprive Anyone of Hope.. It Might Be ALL They Have
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