Check the Events Page for What is Happening (not everything is listed here) (waterschurch.org/events)

All Locations:

Please check your email for a Life Group Leader Challenge that was sent out on October 29.  This challenge is for you to offer any member of your group that you feel should be leading a group.  

This challenge is two-fold as it will help leaders understand and navigate the apprenticeship process and it will encourage members to step out in faith knowing that they will have concrete tools to guide them as they lead their group.

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NEW*** UNSPOKEN CONCERT COMING TO NORTH ATTLEBORO ON FEBRUARY 21, 2025

Waters Church North Attleboro campus will be hosting recording artists Unspoken for a concert on Friday, February 21st (special guest – The Band Jaren). Tickets are available at: https://events.humanitix.com/unspoken-with-special-guest-the-band-jaren-water-s-church

NEW ENGLAND: UPCOMING CONCERT – TAYA

Reminders:

✳ Please regularly check your Planning Center profiles for requests to join your life groups, remove members from the list that no longer attend, or add members not listed. Please ensure that you have added no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and encourage your members to do so as well.  This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site. Thank you!

Waters Class Schedule:

• 1st Sunday: Discover Waters – after 1st service
• 2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
• 3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
• 4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service

Waters Help: Need marriage and family care  or have a group member in need of marriage and family care?   Click here:  help resources page  or visit waterschurch.org/help

Location Text Alerts:

Key Verse: Philippians 4

Icebreaker Question: What are you looking forward to in the coming year?

Opening Prayer:

“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for gathering us to learn and grow in Your word. Help us to open our hearts to Your teachings on overcoming anxiety. Guide our discussion, fill us with Your peace, and teach us to trust in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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Anxiety seems like an epidemic.  For many, this epidemic is even more so this time of year.  

Some may not get anxiety but may have irrational fears.

We get anxious because we fear something that we can’t control.

Q. What are some things that might make you or other people anxious or fearful?

60% of people who claim anxiety as a problem also experience various levels of depression.

The difference between anxiety and depression is that depression is the feeling of regret from your past, and anxiety is worrying about the future.

How to overcome anxiety:

1. We overcome anxiety by rejoicing in what God has done and is doing.

Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

Always rejoice, even when it is hard.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (ESV)

You need to speak joy over your life.  Joy is a choice.

Paul chose to rejoice while in prison, and so can we when we consider who we are and what God has done.

John 15:11 (ESV)

Jesus is telling us who He is and who we are in Him.  Therefore, We can rejoice even in a dark, sinful world.

Put your focus on Jesus and take it off of yourself.

Q. “How can prioritizing God’s kingdom and righteousness in our daily lives help reduce our worries about the future?”

Practical Application: Start a joy journal this week, writing down one way you saw God at work in your life each day.

2. We overcome anxiety by the power of prayer.

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)

When you feel anxious, depressed, or lonely, don’t nurse the feeling but give it to God.  The Cross can absorb your worries.

When you pray, remember who you are; you are a beloved son or daughter of the Most High God, and God wants every good thing for you.

Matthew 6:6 (ESV)

When you pray, eliminate all distractions. Pray at a time and place when you know nothing will interrupt you.

12 Psalms to fight anxiety:

Psalm 4:8, Psalm 23:1-6, Psalm 27: 1-3,Psalm 31:19-20, Psalm 34:1-10, Psalm 46:1-3; Psalm 51:10-12, Psalm 61:1-3 Psalm 91:1-4, Psalm 103:1-22 Psalm 121:1-8, Psalm 139:5-10

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV)

Sometimes, we don’t get what we pray for. God knows what is best for us and may ask us to wait. That means we need to check ourselves for something we need to do or something we need to remove.

Q. How have you experienced the transformative power of prayer during times of anxiety, and what steps can you take to ensure your prayer life remains a priority even during busy or challenging periods?

Practical Application: Set aside a daily prayer time specifically to address anxieties with God.

3. We overcome anxiety by humbling ourselves before God.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking about yourself less, putting others before you, and caring about others.

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

Supplication is a type of prayer that means to request or petition humbly.

The Bible calls us to practice supplication rather than surrender to our anxiety and fear.  Christians can use supplication to praise God and cast worries upon Him, releasing them from themselves.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)

This passage shows us another correlation between being humble and not being anxious.

Luke 4:11 (ESV)

James 4:10 (ESV)

Be humble and be exalted.

Q. In what ways can practicing humility and supplication change our approach to anxiety, and how might focusing on others help us manage our anxieties?

Practical Application: Reflect on areas where you need to surrender control to God and take a step to do so this week.

4. We overcome anxiety with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

All in this one verse is God’s instruction to be free from anxiety.

We rejoice, pray, have humility, and need to be thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

Being anxious or even depressed is characterized as mental time travel – dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

Mental time travel is called rumination.  It pulls us out of the present moment and adds to feelings of depression and anxiety.  We can break the mental habit of rumination with gratitude.

Q. How can cultivating a daily gratitude practice help us reduce the tendency to ruminate on past struggles or future worries?

Practical Application: Write down three things you are thankful for each night before bed.

5. We overcome anxiety by remembering what Jesus has done.

Philippians 4:8-9 (ESV)

There is nothing more true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and excellent than Jesus Christ sacrificing Himself for us.

Matthew 6:33-34 (ES)

Don’t worry about tomorrow; live for today!

A full life has many anxieties, but if you are willing to shift some things around and put God in the center, He will make all other aspects of your life fuller, richer, and happier.

Q. In what specific ways can focusing on Jesus’s sacrifice and His teachings about living in the present impact our ability to manage anxieties?

Practical Application: Choose one attribute of Jesus to meditate on each day, reflecting on how it impacts your life.

Sermon in a sentence:

We can overcome our anxieties by rejoicing and humbling ourselves before God in prayer while being thankful in every circumstance by knowing that we are loved children of God.

Key Takeaways:

1. Joy comes from recognizing God’s ongoing work in our lives.
2. Prayer is a powerful tool against anxiety.
3. Humility allows us to trust God’s plan fully.

Scripture for Meditation:

Matthew 6:33-34 ESV

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Closing Prayer:

“Lord, thank you for your peace that surpasses all understanding. Help us to carry the truths we discussed into our daily lives, relying on You to overcome our anxieties. Strengthen our faith and help us always to rejoice, pray, give thanks, and humble ourselves before You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”