South Carolina megachurch pastor Perry Noble believes his upcoming set of sermons titled “Overwhelmed” will be his best series since he knows firsthand the struggle of dealing with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Noble released his book Overwhelmed earlier this month in which he writes about overcoming mental illness. Following the release, members of his NewSpring Church frequently asked how they could overcome stress and anxiety as well. Now, Noble hopes to answer those questions and speak in depth about similar issues that Christians deal with but don’t address.
“I really do believe we are going to see lots of life change and people seeking help because, for the first time in their lives, they are going to discover that it’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way,” wrote Noble on his blog.
Noble hopes that the series will be the catalyst to stir a transformation among people and have them understand that regardless of worries and anxiety, their best life is yet to be lived as they walk with Jesus Christ.
“People are looking for help and hope in every area of their lives. And in this series we will see how Jesus and His word will not deliver us from our problems but how He will deliver us through them!” he writes.
During his personal struggle, Noble said 95 percent of the feedback he received from his church was positive as they were willing to help in any way they could. However, he notes that the Church at large tends to avoid the topic due to various misconceptions.
“Too many people think that being overwhelmed, dealing with depression and such is only a spiritual issue, and that if a person simply prayed and read their Bible more it would go away. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Noble told CP.
He added, “Mental illness is a serious issue that the Church must be willing to address with compassion, not condemnation. Typically, we criticize and attack what we do not understand. I believe that if the Church were more willing to try to understand the reality of mental illness, many people could be helped.”
Noble’s “Overwhelmed” series begins Sunday, April 27.
