Where is Your God?

Pastor Johnathan launches a new series on the Psalms, explaining how he personally turns to them when feeling stuck in prayer or needing peace. He addresses how Satan tries to steal believers' identities through stress and discouragement, noting that the enemy "has a PhD in capturing our imaginations" and doesn't discriminate between believers and unbelievers. Using Psalm 42 as his main text, Pastor Johnathan tackles harmful myths about Christian mental health, particularly the false teaching that Christians shouldn't struggle with anxiety, depression, or stress, pointing out that "every Biblical hero in this book was messed up."

The sermon centers on Psalm 42, written by descendants of Korah who had learned from their ancestor's rebellion against God. Pastor Johnathan emphasizes that stress itself isn't sin - even Jesus experienced stress in the Garden of Gethsemane - but how we respond to stress matters greatly. He warns against self-condemnation and negative thinking patterns, reminding the congregation that "no one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do." The pastor concludes with five practical steps from Psalm 42: don't surrender to discouraging emotions but fight back with hope in God, remember God's faithfulness and gather with other believers, talk truth to yourself out loud, communicate honestly with God from the depths of your heart, and thirst for more of the Lord rather than just asking Him to remove problems.