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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crossbock devotional. We're glad to have you

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Speaker 2: listeneing with us. Today's topic is how you can be

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Speaker 2: honest with God about your mental health and you can

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Speaker 2: rely on God to help you with it. We'll return

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Speaker 2: with the devotional after a brief message from our sponsors.

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Speaker 2: Be Honest with God about your mental health written and

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Speaker 2: read by Whitney Hoppler. Answer me quickly, Lord, my spirit fails.

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Speaker 2: Do not hide your face from me, or I will

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Speaker 2: be like those who.

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Speaker 1: Go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me

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Speaker 1: word of your unfailing love. For I have put my

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Speaker 1: trust in you. Show me the way I should go.

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Speaker 1: For to you, I entrust my life Psalm one forty

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Speaker 1: three seven through eight and IV. At George Mason University's

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Speaker 1: Center for the Advancement of well Being, I work on

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Speaker 1: university wide well being initiatives, including programs designed to break

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Speaker 1: down the stigma of struggling with mental health. We believe

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Speaker 1: that talking openly about mental health struggles can help all

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Speaker 1: people strengthen their well being. In Psalm one forty three

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Speaker 1: seven through eight, King David is completely honest about how

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Speaker 1: much he's struggling with his mental health. He prays about

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Speaker 1: it without holding back, and he tells God that he

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Speaker 1: trusts him to help. If you are also struggling with

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Speaker 1: your mental health, you might feel like you have to

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Speaker 1: try to fix your mood before you can talk to God.

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Speaker 1: You might think you need to present a polished prayer

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Speaker 1: to God that makes it seem like you're not really

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Speaker 1: suffering much. But the psalms can help you develop a

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Speaker 1: deeper relationship with God by showing you how to communicate

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Speaker 1: honestly with him. Many of the psalms describe the reality

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Speaker 1: of people suffering in this fallen world. In Psalm one

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Speaker 1: forty three seven through eight, David shows that it's okay

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Speaker 1: to not be okay. David starts his prayer with a

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Speaker 1: desperate plea, answer me quickly, Lord, my spirit fails. If

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Speaker 1: you feel like your spirit is failing today, you're in

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Speaker 1: good company. Many people feel like that sometimes when going

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Speaker 1: through challenging circumstances. Admitting that your mental health is struggling

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Speaker 1: isn't a sign of weak faith. It's actually a sign

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Speaker 1: of healthy faith because it shows that you trust God

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Speaker 1: enough to be honest with him and reach out for help.

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Speaker 1: God already knows what you're going through, and He's strong

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Speaker 1: enough to help you with whatever it is burn out, anxiety, depression,

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Speaker 1: or any other mental health concern. When you're honest with

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Speaker 1: God about the pit you feel you're falling into, you

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Speaker 1: can stop wasting energy trying to hide, whether you're overwhelmed

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Speaker 1: by your responsibilities, worried about a problem you don't know

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Speaker 1: how to solve, who're feeling lonely because of a broken relationship.

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Speaker 1: God wants to help you. You can come to God

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Speaker 1: just as you are. God wants the real you, not

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Speaker 1: the instagram worthy version of you. Remember that God is

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Speaker 1: the one who desired your mind and your emotion. Your

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Speaker 1: loving creator can help you with whatever you're going through

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Speaker 1: as he struggles. David reaches for a lifeline by praying,

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Speaker 1: let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love.

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Speaker 1: When you're struggling mentally, your thoughts can run on a

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Speaker 1: loop of worries and self criticism. You need a different word,

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Speaker 1: a word of God's unfailing love. When you seek God's love,

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Speaker 1: you're placing your mental health in the hands of the

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Speaker 1: great physician. Just pray honestly from your heart about your

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Speaker 1: mental health struggles. Then listen for God's guidance to make

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Speaker 1: the best decisions about caring for your mental health. God

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Speaker 1: may lead you to a counselor a doctor, a support group,

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Speaker 1: or supportive friends. Just as David prayed for God to

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Speaker 1: show me the way I should go, God will show

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Speaker 1: you the way you should go to get the help

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Speaker 1: you need. So if you're struggling with a mental health challenge,

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Speaker 1: remember that you can trust God to love you no

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Speaker 1: matter what and to help you with whatever you need.

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Speaker 1: God is not hiding his face from you. He's right

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Speaker 1: there with you, waiting for you to reach out and

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Speaker 1: take his hand. Intersecting faith in life, as you consider

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Speaker 1: why it's important to be honest with God about your

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Speaker 1: mental health, reflect on these questions. When you feel your

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Speaker 1: spirit failed, is your first instinct to hide from God

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Speaker 1: or to pray to God? Like David dit What are

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Speaker 1: some of the words of unfailing love God's promises in

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Speaker 1: the Bible that you can hold onto when your mental

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Speaker 1: health feels shaky. How can being honest with God about

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Speaker 1: your mental health struggles strengthen your relationship with him? Who

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Speaker 1: are the people in your life that God might be

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Speaker 1: using to show you the way to the mental health

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Speaker 1: care you need. What's one way you can entrust your

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Speaker 1: soul to God today and let him lead you toward

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Speaker 1: better mental health. Further reading Psalm thirty four eighteen, Matthew

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Speaker 1: eleven twenty eight, Philippians four six through seven, one, Peter

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Speaker 1: five seven two, Timothy one seven. Thanks for listening to

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Speaker 1: today's devotional. If you liked what you heard today, we

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Speaker 1: want to make sure you know about our sister podcast,

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Speaker 1: your Daily Prayer. When you follow your daily prayer in

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Speaker 1: with God. If you're looking to grow in prayer or

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Speaker 1: start your day with your heart focused on the right things,

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