Sheryl Brady - Replenishing Your Emotional Reserves

Well, once again, I am preaching and teaching today in an empty sanctuary. I miss you like crazy, but I want you to be safe, and I’m grateful that we have the ability to connect as we are connecting. I want to ask you to get your Bibles, your notebooks, and your pens because today I want to bring you something I feel is very important. I think it’s very relevant to where we are. I want you to make sure that you write something today; whether it’s on your iPad or if you actually pick up a pen as I do, something about writing allows it to connect with you in a deeper way. Today, I’m going to take you into the Word of God, and I want to talk to you about replenishing your emotional reserves—replenishing your emotional reserves. The side effects of COVID-19 have created a lot of stress in the lives of people, and long after this is over, I think we will still be dealing with the emotional, relational, financial, spiritual, as well as the physical and economic side effects of having our world turned upside down overnight. Y’all do realize that it was pretty much overnight for those of us in America? People were already fighting with issues in their lives before this disease ever came upon the scene, and now they are finding themselves wrestling with fear—not just the disease but also with fear; they’re struggling with indecisiveness. Who can make decisions in the middle of circumstances changing every 10 to 15 minutes? People are fighting with how to cope with loss. They’re struggling with grief, and they’re grappling with the instability that all of this has produced in their lives. They are also contending with things like anger, habits, and issues they thought they had defeated in their lives, which are all resurfacing again. But today, I believe that God is going to help us, even those who might feel completely drained. Right where you are, I want you to know that there is a word that is coming to you today. Father, I thank you for your word, and I stand on your word. I believe that your word never fails us. Today, I ask that you would just capture us in this moment, and Lord, as I speak from here in this house, may it reach into their homes. May it find every hearer—every man, every woman, every boy, and every girl. Speak, Lord, until they recognize your voice. Have your way here today; encourage your people, and we’ll give you thanks for it in Jesus' name.

So, we are all dealing with stress—that’s what I’m saying. We are all dealing with stress, and it’s important for us to remember that we don’t all have the same level of stress in our lives, nor do we all respond to stress the same way. Somebody said the other day, «Well, we’re all in the same boat, ” but I want to beg to differ with you. We are not in the same boat; we are all in the same storm, but we’re not in the same boat. Some people are cruising through COVID-19 as if they are living on a yacht—everything is awesome in their lives. They’ve got a good place to live, their job is secure, their finances are secure, they’ve got food on the shelves, and they’re doing great. But then there are others who are really trying to get through this storm in a rowboat. They’ve lost their jobs; they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. People are lacking money, lacking provision, lacking security, and some individuals are under so much stress at this moment that they are turning to alcohol. They’re turning to drugs, they’re turning to pornography, they’re turning to outrage, and they’re turning to anger—all in an attempt to cope with the fact that within the last three months, our world has turned upside down. Some of you came into this crisis emotionally depleted, while some came in physically depleted. They talked about pre-existing conditions, which makes it even more difficult should you contact this virus. Well, some of us came into this situation with pre-existing financial conditions; we came in with pre-existing spiritual conditions. Not all of us were at our best spiritually, and yet here we are, having to deal with this crisis. Some people entered COVID-19 with a warning light already flashing on the dashboard of their lives—the warning light that says you’re running on empty; you’re about to run out of fuel, out of gas. You’re making it on fumes; your reserves are depleted. We all came into this situation with somewhat of a reserve, so now that we are in it, some people had greater reserves than others did. Emotionally, some individuals were better prepared for this than others, and now that you find yourself in it for this extended period, you feel like, „Wow, okay, I’ve hit empty, and I don’t see a filling station in sight.“ Now, you feel stranded, vulnerable, stuck on the side of the road of life, and in a dangerous place. If that’s you today, I want you to know that I truly care about what you are feeling. I care about how you are feeling, and you have a church family that cares about how you are feeling as well. So, today, I want to take this moment to…