Philippians 3:13b-14 (NIV)“…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Paul is speaking in this scripture to the Philippians. He is telling them that he
has learned to forget the past and lean forward or strain toward what’s ahead.
It means to consider the past done with and settled. We can’t go back and do
it over. But, we can go on with a new outlook as we put the past behind us.
This will apply to people in different ways, because of our different
backgrounds.
One thing that comes to my mind immediately is forgiveness for
those who have hurt us in the past. This is not always easy, but it is God’s will
for us, and when we do his will we begin to feel the peace he has for us in that
situation. I believe a lot of our anxiety comes out of holding unforgiven hurts
inside. By letting them go we can begin to heal.
Paul speaks about pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which
God has called him. For us that prize is Heaven and all the glory to be found
there. It will be wonderful! And, there are no anxiety attacks in Heaven!
So, with God, it is possible to get a new outlook, a fresh start. We can put
the past behind and press on with God. This is great to know and encourages us
as we continue to battle fear. Let’s try not to dwell on our past fearful
feelings. Let’s try to put them behind us and know that God has something better
for us ahead. Let’s pray and read the Word, and learn how healing it can be.
Dear God, please bless this word to each and every one who reads it. Allow
them to ask you to search their hearts for anything that they need to forgive. In
Jesus’ name. Amen.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) “Do not conform anymore to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
Someone once said, “If you were to be arrested today for being a Christian
would there be enough evidence against you to convict you?” We Christians
don’t have to do the things we did before, we don’t have to follow the crowd,
we can be brand new.
For myself, after I became a Christian I lost the few friends I had, because
they did not understand me anymore, because I had changed. I knew I was
different because their foul language and bad behavior bothered me and it never
did before. When they would take the name of Jesus in vain, it was like a sharp
knife stabbing me in the heart. The good news is that God gave me another
group of friends who are really much better for me.
Today’s verse says, “be transformed!” We do this by renewing our mind, by
rejecting old patterns of thought and concentrating on new ones. I’ve found that
to renew my mind I must keep in the Word. As I read it, study it, and meditate upon it, it sinks down into my being and actually does renew my mind. It is a process. As it takes place, I discover what God wants for me.
God wants good things for all of us, just as any good father would want for
his children. When Christ comes in, instead of living just to please ourselves, we
begin to please him and lift up others.
God wants to help us fight fear and anxiety. His Word is full of suggestions
for achieving good mental health. Search and find a promise for yourself
today. Then claim it and stand on it. He is faithful!
II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”
When we know Christ personally he makes us new persons. Our sin debt has
been paid, and our old selves have been crucified in Christ. This takes place
on the inside of us in our spirits.
Since the old self has been “put off” and the new self has been “put on,” we
are totally new people and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be conformed to
his image. Because of this we are directed by God’s Spirit and are able to understand the things of God which are revealed to us in the Word.
The hope within us is that we can change. This is really important to
understand. Christians are different when we fight the battle of fear because we
have a special power inside us for the fight. God wants us to become more like
him, and with his enabling power we can. He doesn’t want us to be slaves to fear.
It is his will that we change. We can hang onto this hope!
There is one problem with the above scripture. It sounds as though we are a
new and fully capable creation instantly. Actually, we are new in our inner spirit,
but we still have to learn how to apply the teachings of the Bible to our lives. As
we begin to do that we will begin to see the new creation that God gave us
surface to the outside. It is a process.
The old things will pass away and new things will take their place. We will
begin to think differently having more healthy thoughts.
I trust this scripture thought today will help fill your heart with a new hope!
Philippians 4:13 (KJV) “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”
Isn’t it great to know that “I can do?” Oh, how we need to remind ourselves of
that one. I’d like to give an example of how doing things became a problem for me.
Before I had panic attacks if someone would ask me to go to the store to get a quart of milk, I’d say, “No, problemento!” I’d just go and get the milk and come
back with a smile on my face.
After I started having panic attacks, my friend would ask me to go to the store to get a quart of milk. I wouldn’t answer right away. After all I had to
analyze the situation. My mind would jump into full gear; Why am I being asked? Doesn’t she know it’s hard for me? She could do it easier! Okay, I should do
it…but,…what if the car breaks down? Let’s see, who lives on the way to the store? I could go to the Riley’s for help. Ahhh, but they have that biting dog, Rex.
Okay, maybe the car won’t break down. Let’s see…what is it doing out? Is it going to rain? It’s hard to drive in the rain! What time is it? What if people are
just getting out of work and there is a lot of traffic? What if I get in an accident?
Oh, I hope there isn’t a long line in the store!
On and on my mind would go thinking the worst and blowing the whole
thing way out of proportion. I’d finally simply refuse to do the errand.
Today, if the same situation comes up I can simply smile and say, “Sure,
need anything else?” I don’t worry about having a panic attack or about all the
other details. I can now simply function in a normal manner again. Praise God!
Isn’t that wonderful? You may ask, “What made you turn around?”
At first I was doing everything in my own strength. I was self-sufficient. I
could depend on me! I was young, strong, and able. I was smart and could figure
out anything. There was always an answer.
Then something happened. I’m not sure what it was. I lived under a great
deal of stress for many years and was always a “nervous” person. Possibly, and
this is only my guess, my body chemicals slowly changed to the point that I
began having panic attacks. At any rate, I did begin to have them. They ruined
my life for a very long time, and I was living in a situation where I could not do
things. I had to depend on others. Instead of “I can do!” it was, “But, I can’t.”
Have I said that phrase a lot!
Then, I received Jesus into my heart. I studied the Word. It became clear to
me that he wanted me to depend on him alone. I found this scripture: “I can do
all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” (Emphasis mine). I can do! I
can do! I took hold of that promise. I’d pray and claim it, then allow Christ to
accompany me to the store. He helped me, he gave me the courage and strength
to reach out again, and the best news of all, I slowly got better! I had begun to
focus on things other than my feelings.
As time went on, more time elapsed between each panic attack. I believed that
God readjusted the chemicals in my body back to where they were when I was
healthy.
I’m thankful with every ounce of my being that I found a way to get better.
Thank you Jesus! I can do!
John 16:33 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
What a powerful scripture! This would be a great one to memorize.
Are you full of fear? Does anxiety and stress rule the day? If so, God
has given us an antidote for it. The opposite of fear is peace. God wants us
to be
We live in a world full of trouble and tension. We need to work to make
enough money to live on. The children need new school clothes so we need to go
shopping. The house needs painting, and the car waxing, and there is not enough
time before the winter weather sets in. Johnny needs to be taken to his football
practice, and Susie to her friend’s house. The traffic is bad, and you are late again
to work. The boss gives you “the look.” All the tension and stress of the world
pulls at us. What is the answer?
The great news is that Jesus Christ overcame the world. You see, Satan is
god of this world, but when Jesus died on the cross he defeated Satan.
As we live in this world and face our daily tasks let’s take time to give our
problems to God. He is strong and able to shoulder them. He knows all about our
problems and knows the solutions to them.
My life used to be saturated with fear, but Jesus came in and overcame it.
What a Savior! Now when I feel anxious or fearful about some situation I
remember this scripture and know that God has gone before me so I can have
peace instead of fear.
Now you can read my book Panic Buster for free. I would welcome any comments or questions you may have as you study through this helpful book. May God bless you as you do so.
This book is in the .pdf format. You can read it with Adobe Reader. Please click on the link below to read. Or, you can right click and download.
Spiritual Depression: #6 “Feelings,” a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
My thoughts:
In 2 Timothy 2:1:6 Paul tells Timothy to “stir up the gift of God.”
This sermon was very good and it pointed out many ways I could pursue the subject of feelings and the Christian. But, I think I’ll focus on Christian people who have panic disorder and how feelings come into play with them. I was once one of those people so I can identify with that.
What do we do with our feelings? If you have panic attacks you know feelings play a very important part in them. In my book, Panic Buster, I talk about that “first feeling.” That is the feeling you get that alerts you that you might be going to have a panic attack. For me that first feeling was a rapid and strong heart beat I became so aware of. It made my mind race and think the “what if” thoughts. I could not get my mind off of my feelings. First the rapid heart rate, then the sweaty palms, then the weak legs and so on. These were not good feelings; and guess what? They were controlling me. My feelings were taking over my mind and I was on my way to a full-blown panic attack. Feelings! It seemed they were my worst enemy!
I never really did understand my feelings back then. I didn’t know they could not be trusted. I didn’t know they were controlling me. Now, in looking back, I can see it clearly. My feelings took over and caused me to be an unproductive Christian person. I was at their beck and call. I was their slave. I was a slave to fear!
Feelings aren’t bad really. God created us with feelings, and God even has feelings. He can be angry, loving, kind, and jealous. These are all feelings or emotions. He made us that way. It is only when our feelings get out of control that they are bad.
So my take-away from this sermon is that we need self-control over our feelings. The good new is we as believers have the Holy Spirit living in us therefore we can have self-control because it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He supplies it.
Gal 5:22-23 NASB But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Do you realize a believer has a big edge over an unbeliever in conquering panic attacks? That’s right! We are not the same at all. They do not have the Holy Spirit in their lives and the power He supplies. They are left to their own resources to battle fear. It is a losing battle! I know I tried it before I was a Christian, and I hit bottom. We have been blessed with the power which comes from on high. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Isn’t that wonderful? If you suffer from anxiety, stress, and panic attacks and are a Christian than you have hope. You can get better!
It was after I became a Christian that I began to get well. I read and studied my Bible. I learned what the God of all creation was telling his children and there were many lessons for me. I put them to work in my life and I did get well again.
If there is any sin in our lives we must admit it, confess it to God, and turn from it. We need to hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Mat 5:6 KJV Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
What does this mean? We need to desire deeply to please God. And, the only way we can do that is by studying the Word and then obeying it. Do you know that worry is a sin? Again, here we need self-control over our thoughts and feelings. The person who has panic disorder worries. Worry won’t help anything and is in fact a waste of time. It makes us more anxious and contributes to take us down the road to more panic attacks. So, this is a sin that we must confess, and repent of. Seek God’s face and turn from your sin and you can again have self-control over your feelings.
Learn to enjoy your feelings! There are many good ones.
Spiritual Depression: #5 “Fear of the Future,” a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
My thoughts:
Doctor Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his sermon series on “Spiritual Depression.” This time he addresses the issue of fearing what lies ahead, based on 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Every person who has had panic attacks or suffers from stress and anxiety should have this scripture memorized. I can remember so well the first time I came across this scripture. What stuck out for me that day were the words, “and of a sound mind.”
“You mean Lord, I do have a sound mind? You mean I am not crazy? You mean I am not losing my mind?” Those where my thoughts at the time. I truly thought I was losing my mind and when I did I would never recover. Oh, how scary that was. Have you ever thought like that?
What comfort in those words that came from our Lord through the Apostle Paul. It was something that I could hang onto.
Also, I thought, “If God did not give us a spirit of fear, then where did it come from.” I knew I was fearful of almost everything. I reasoned that the fear I was feeling must be coming from the enemy. You know what? I was right. Dr. Jones tells us in this sermon that the devil is relentless to discredit the name and work of God. That he works to bring us down. He doesn’t want us to be successful and do the work we are called to do.
Instead of a spirit of fear, God gave us a spirit of power. That’s the Holy Spirit that lives in a Christian and gives us the supernatural power to do the things we need to do. Also, He has given us a spirit of love. That is the love of Christ in us. This enables us to love others and do for others.
Last by not least is the spirit of a sound mind. Oh my, that’s wonderful! With a sound mind we can have self-control. We can have a disciplined mind, and be wise in the ways that we think and act. Just think of it; your mind doesn’t have to control you! You can control your mind! That is self-control.
I want to also talk a little about the fear of the future in another sense. I can remember when I started to get well that I was afraid of getting well. Can you believe that? Who wouldn’t want to get well? I wanted to but I thought if I did get completely well then my life would have to change a lot. I had stayed at home for years not even free to go out of my house without having a panic attack. I’d have to get a job, drive again, be around other people. To me those were very scary things. No, it would be more comfortable to just stay as I was. But, is that what God would want for me? I had to get a grip on myself and tell myself that God would not let me down. That He was in control and whatever the future held He would see me through. It happened that way. I did get better and I did make a lot of changes in my life, but God took me though it all step by step and day by day. He did not let me down. I did not have to fear the future in getting well again. And, you don’t either!
I encourage you to listen to this sermon. Dr. Jones really explains why we think the way we do and how we can change.
By the way, if you’d rather you can buy his book, “Spiritual Depression,” by going here:
I sent for it myself and am enjoying reading parts of these sermons over again as I try to digest it all. Also, I don’t get anything if anyone buys this book. This is just for your information.
There are many “gospel” messages being circulated today. In some circles one would believe that if we simply say “Jesus come into my heart,” we are saved. They do not teach the whole gospel.
Click on the “The True Gospel Message” tab on the top of the page.
Panic Buster
Free Panic Buster Workbook
Panic Buster: Learn to Conquer Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia by Bonnie Crandall (Lord) is now available to read for free.
This is must reading for anyone who has panic disorder. I tell of my experiences as I struggled for twenty years to overcome anxiety. And I share how the Lord gave me wisdom to apply my faith to the problem of fear. I talk about the physical side of panic attacks as well as the spiritual side.
I'm confident you will gain encouragement and help from this book.
Click on "Panic Buster Workbook" tab at top of page to read.
Free Abolish Anxiety 90-Day Devotional
Do you feel stressed-out?
Do you wonder what the future holds?
Do you worry?
Are you afraid?
In ABOLISH ANXIETY, I’ve written a devotional to guide you as you search for the inner peace we all desire. When times are trying we need to find that special calmness deep inside that only God can provide.
Click on “Free E-Book” tab at top of page.
Fear Of Fear
Fear of Fear is another FREE ebook that you can download. This is based on my 5-part series of the same name.
Table of Contents for Fear of Fear:
1. What it Looks Like
2. Cause and Key
3. Blame the Devil?
4. Hope and Help
5. Take Action!
Click on the “Free E-book” tab at the top of the page.
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