REALLIFE STUDY GROUP
"Cheer Up!”
ICEBREAKER: Tell us one thing that would cheer you
up right now? ( a raise, candy, roses, a vacation, an ice cream cone, a good
night’s rest, a fun night out, if the
Browns could win a game, etc...)
INTRODUCTION: Our society even understands the need
to be cheerful so much so that we have put products on the market named after
the concept, such as Cheer detergent and Joy dish
washing soap. Everyone knows how much fun it is to do laundry and wash dishes!
One of my favorite candies is Almond Joy, it will make your tongue so happy it
will want to slap your brains out! McDonald's has developed the Happy Meal.
But truly
sometimes, like David at Ziklag, you just have to cheer yourself up! It is true
we live in a very sober and serious world but the Bible says let not our heart
be troubled! With all that we have going for us in
America, compared to the rest of the world, depression is still a serious
issue! It's time for God's people to begin to cheer up our world. We will discuss
a number of core values that should change how you deal with negatives in our
society.
Remember,
as a believer in Jesus, the worst day you will ever have on this earth is the
only Hell you will ever know! Cheer up! You
are destined for an eternity of everlasting joy! In the presence of the Lord is
fullness of joy!
CONFESSION:
If Jesus
could be an agent of change and good cheer to his generation...so can I
If Jesus
laid down his life...so can I
If Jesus
obeyed the will of his Father...so can I
If Jesus
defeated satan...so can I
If Jesus
knew his assignment, calling and destiny...so can I
If Jesus
spoke from wisdom and not just emotion...so can I
If Jesus
conquered depression...so can I
If Jesus
could speak the truth in love...so can I
If Jesus
could be happy while he was enduring...so can I
If Jesus
overcame temptation...so can I
If Jesus
forgave his betrayers and his persecutors...so can I
If Jesus
loved the unloveable...so can I
If Jesus
fed the hungry...so can I
If Jesus
could give cheerfully without resentment or strings attached...so can I
If Jesus
got angry but did not sin...so can I
If Jesus
changed the course of history...so can I
If Jesus
righted the wrongs of his generations...so can I
If Jesus
set captives free...so can I
If Jesus
discipled others...so can I
If Jesus
could live in this world but not be of this world...so can I
If Jesus
rejoiced in the face of adversity...so can I
If Jesus
could let God be his defense...so can I
If Jesus
grew in stature and favor with God and man...so can I
If Jesus
confronted the injustice of his day...so can I
If Jesus
wore the finest seamless robe of his day...so can I
If Jesus
broke through, cultural, gender, socioeconomic and racial barriers...so can I
DEFINITION: Cheer
Up means...
·
Chin
up, (Poppy Mefford, my great grandfather used to say "Get that Mefford chin up!")
·
Get
your spirit up...
·
Encourage
yourself and others
·
Praise
·
Rejoice
·
Comfort
·
Be
glad
·
Be
bright
·
Be
Confident
SCIENTIFIC FACT:
·
Smile:
it biochemically signals the brain that everything is gonna be okay
·
Smile:
it takes far less muscles than it does to frown
·
Smile:
it may eliminate the need for a facelift
STATISTICS:
·
It
is estimated that 1 out of every 33 children suffer from some symptoms of
depression.
·
Likewise,
1 out of 8, or 12.5% of teenagers suffer.
·
Among
adults 18 and over there are approximately 14.8 million Americans suffering in
any given year.
·
Although men and woman both suffer from
depression, it is more common in woman. In fact, females were more likely to be
diagnosed than men by 20.2% vs. 8.2%.
·
As
far as ethnicity, non-Hispanic whites are the most common group to suffer from
symptoms.
·
In
adults ages 15-44, depression is the leading cause of disability.
·
The
type of depression that occurs most often is a major depressive disorder.
·
Some
estimates show that depression will be the second leading illness by the year
2020, those are some truly staggering numbers.
·
People
between the ages of 10 and 24, should be watched especially close if they are
suffering from depression because suicide is the third leading cause of death.
This most likely happens from suffering from depression.
·
It
is estimated that only about 10% of people suffering from depression ever seek
treatment. This is significant because if left untreated depression can lead to
serious physical damage.
·
Alcohol
and depression have a close correlation. Estimates show that as much as 40% of
people who abuse alcohol suffer from depressive symptoms. Likewise 5%-10% of
people who suffer from depression abuse alcohol.
·
These
numbers may be startling if you have never seen them before, but they show just
how prevalent depression actually is. More importantly, it shows that if you or
someone you know are suffering, you/they are not alone. It will be okay, as
long as you realize the symptoms, and seek help. As the statistics show, only
about 10% of people are seeking treatment; that is way too low.
*** Sources:
CDC –
Anxiety and Depression –
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsBRFSSDepressionAnxiety/
Livestrong.com –
Depression Facts and Figures –
http://www.livestrong.com/article/169031-depression-facts-figures/
WebMD –
What is Depression? –
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/what-is-depression
OUTLINE: 13
Ways to Cheer Up Yourself When You Are Down in the Dumps
1. Listen to upbeat, inspiring,
energetic music
2. Read and journal positive, uplifting,
faith-filled Bible passages
3. Call up your doctor and get a
physical checkup
4. Exercise to shape up your body and
get your stamina built up
5. Eat up healthy foods and drink up
plenty of clean alkaline water
6. Hang out with positive uplifting
people
7. See a trained professional Spirit-filled
inner healing specialist to get your spirit up
8. Get eight hours of sleep nightly so
you can wake up rested
9. Get a check up from the neck up to
change your thinking because as a man thinks so is he
10. Give up what you cannot change and change up what you
can
11. Sow a seed of kindness and generosity
and cheer up someone else
12. Look up to God as your source!
13. Straighten up! Stop filling up your
life with destructive, temporal,
sinful ideas, desires and ways!
TEXT: John 16:33
CHEER UP WHEN YOU ARE IN A SEASON OF TEMPTATION
My
brethren, count it all JOY when ye fall into divers temptations. (James 1:2
KJV)
CHEER UP IF YOU’RE
COUNTED WORTHY TO BE PERSECUTED
And they
departed from the presence of the council, REJOICING that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for his name. (Acts 5:41 KJV)
CHEER UP IF YOU HAVE ENDURED HARDSHIP
Behold, we
count them HAPPY which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have
seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
(James 5:11 KJV)
IF YOU ARE MARRIED, CHEER UP YOUR WIFE
When a man
hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged
with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall CHEER UP
his wife which he hath taken. (Deuteronomy 24:5 KJV)
(I've read
that shopping and helping your wife with chores leads to the possibility of
getting to cheer up your wife! A year seems like a lot of cheering
up!)
CHEER UP FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Rejoice, O
young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart CHEER thee in the days of thy youth,
and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know
thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
(Ecclesiastes 11:9 KJV)
A POSITIVE MINDSET BRINGS OUT A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION
A merry
heart maketh a CHEERFUL countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is
broken. (Proverbs 15:13 KJV)
A joyful
heart makes a cheerful face, but with a heartache comes depression. (Proverbs
15:13 GWT)
IF YOU ARE A CHEERFUL GIVER, GOD'S
LOOKING FOR YOU
Every man
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of
necessity: for God loveth a CHEERFUL giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV)
IF YOUR GOING THROUGH A TRIBULATION WITH JESUS CHEER UP
These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good CHEER; I have overcome the world. (John
16:33 KJV)
IF YOU NEED FORGIVENESS CHEER UP
And,
behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus
seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good CHEER, thy
sins be forgiven thee. (Matthew 9:2 KJV)
IF YOU NEED A HEALING WITH JESUS ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE,
CHEER UP
When Jesus
turned and saw her he said, “Cheer up, daughter! Your faith has
made you well.” At that very moment the woman became
well. (Matthew 9:22 GWT)
IF YOU ARE IN A STORM WITH JESUS CHEER UP
But when
they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and
cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked
with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. (Mark
6:49, 50 KJV)
CHEER
UP CORE BELIEFS! IT JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER FOR THE BELIEVER!
·
Cheer
up, our God is always prepared. There are no surprises to our God; He's always
got a better plan
·
Cheer
up, our God has better technology and better strategies than our enemy
·
Cheer
up, our God has given us a better covenant with better promises
·
Cheer
up, our God is a better war strategist and has better weapons
·
Cheer
up, our God is better resourced, better equipped, and better qualified to lead
and to model how to serve
·
Cheer
up, our God is a redeemer, a healer, a savior, a provider, a protector, a
creator, a blesser, a teacher, a forgiver, a restorer and
better yet, he is so much more
·
Cheer
up, our God is a better father, a better king, a better, a better general, a
better builder, a better friend and the list
goes on and on
·
Cheer
up, our God has better wisdom, better intelligence, better knowledge, better understanding, better facts,
better data, better statistics, better records and better information
·
Cheer
up, our God is a better remunerator. He is a rewarder
of those who believe in him and diligently seek Him. The more I give, the more
he gives!
·
Cheer
up, our God has a better back up plan. He causes all things to work for the
good of them that called according to his purpose and love Him
·
Cheer
up, our God has a better life insurance policy, a better health insurance
policy, better medical services, seriously better fire protection, a better
service agreement, a better guarantee, a better warranty
·
Cheer
up, our God has a better retirement plan, a better pincheon plan, better investment portfolio, better incentives, better
promotions, better raises and better benefits
·
Cheer
up, our God has better cash flow, better branding, better name awareness, a
better reputation, a better balance sheet, better assets, a better staff,
better forecasts ,a better marketing plan, a better
business strategy, and better quality assurance
STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:
1. Who do you call when you get
depressed? Who is the most positive person you know?
2. How do you deal with depression?
3. Identify one thing in your life or in
your world that you have had to cheer yourself up over.
4. Which of the core beliefs listed
above gives you the most comfort?
5. Describe one thing Jesus did to cheer
people up.
6. Who in your life is God calling you
to cheer up?
PRAISE REPORTS & PRAYER REQUESTS:
ACTION POINT: This week I will make it my business
to cheer up at least one person every day! This week, everyday, I will make at
least one positive confession over my world, my country, my state, my family,
my church, my pastor, my business, my employer or my school, and myself. This week everyday I'm going to smile more!