
Explore the life of Elijah after his brightest public victory in 1 Kings 19, as he confronts anxiety, depression, and ultimately rebuilds his life. Learn from the secrets of what transformed his mental health and his faith as he journeys through the wilderness and the cave. If you are going through change, transition, or personal reinvention, God can rebuild you from within– but this time healthier, stronger, and whole. To learn more about Benjamin Windle, visit https://www.benjaminwindle.com/

Freedom from Anxiety


We start the story at the pinnacle of the greatest public successes in Elijah’s life in 1 Kings 18. It is the famous story of the prophet Elijah defeating the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. This sets the first bookend of this intriguing story of parallels.
And... yet... as we are about to find out... Elijah’s success out there, is not equal to the success IN HERE (in his heart). Something is about to
be revealed that is so shocking it is almost unthinkable.

Session 1: It's Time to Rebuild

Are you being pulled by a healthy sense of purpose, or pushed to exhaustion by striving for success?

People convert pain into all kinds of things. Often, we don’t want to deal with it – so we bury it deep in our souls.

Elijah had to learn that his public success didn’t fix his true problems in life.

Session 2: Pushed vs Pulled

What if despite outward, external success, we have a growing sense of awareness that something inside of us is not actually healthy?
Outwardly, to what everybody would see, Elijah is peaking in his life. And yet internally, when the parade is over, and the confetti lands, Elijah is finally alone – he discovers his soul is in need of
a reset. Within your anxiety and fear, the spirit of God is at work to bring about your human flourishing in new ways.

Session 3: The Parade is Over

We can’t succeed our way out of building healthy inner worlds.
Elijah finds a solitary broom tree. And sits under it. His mental health is at an all-time low.
But it is under the lonely tree that God starts to
rebuild Elijah. And God wants to do the same in you. When everything else gets stripped away, that’s where God starts to build something
beautiful from the pieces of our lives.

Session 4: Solitary Broom Tree

Seems kind of random right – Elijah is desperate and suicidal... and God’s response is to provide a baked bread and a jar of water. These are symbols that God always provides for the journey. God provides in subtle ways – but
God always provides. We love dramatic, but God is masterful at discrete.
Look around your life to see the fingerprints of God where He gave you every provision you needed to simply keep walking.

Session 5: God Always Provides

Elijah then embarks on a 40-day trek through the wilderness. Wilderness seasons are common in scripture, and in fact, they were often used as tools in the hand of God to weave something very special into the fabric of people’s destinies.
We have to reimagine how we perceive
wilderness seasons. They are the blank canvas that God so often uses to paint a new vision on the canvas of our hearts. Take hope, the
wilderness contains a special gift for each of us!

Session 6: Wilderness Formation

1 Kings 19 and Elijah retreats to a cave.
Caves may feel dark, but they are often used by God to give us the margin and seclusion we need to renew our souls.
A cave may look dark, and gloomy, but cave
seasons are chapters in our lives where God does surgery on our soul. Caves are places of divine reinvention! God wants to create
something new in you, and reinvent who you are.

Session 7: Cave Reinvention

What would it look like for you to embrace the process of rebuilding your inner world?
God builds our lives using the tool of process more often than He uses instantaneous fixes.
It’s not about me doing something great for God,
it’s about God forming something great in me. It is a lifelong journey of Christ Formation within.

Session 8: The Tool of Process

In the story of Elijah, he ultimately journeys to a special mountain — Mt Sinai. It is the mountain of God. It carries significance in scripture.
The cave is not your destiny – the mountain is. Let’s not languish. Ruminate. And get stuck.
A mountain is where God gives us a new Grand
Perspective of our lives with just a still small voice. A gentle whisper from God can cause a gigantic shift in our future.

Session 9: The Mountain of God

Elijah chooses to move forward. He leaves his cave – it’s really a powerful moment. But although he is leaving – he is not empty handed. There are lessons that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
As you stand up, dust yourself off, dream again,
believe again, trust again – let’s rebuild, but this time healthier, stronger, and whole. For every person that has given up on life and hope and
their future, know that God wants to restore every broken thing.