Posts Tagged ‘anxiety’

Marry or Live Together?

Posted in Christianity, Culture, God, tagged , , , , , , on November 19, 2011| 4 Comments »

Should you get married or simply live together?

Recently, I heard a conversation between two people who really got my attention.  The first person said, “I know people who have to live together because they can’t afford to marry.  They would lose their benefits.  This is especially true of seniors.”  The other person said, “Yes, I know!  Carl and I couldn’t afford to be together if we got married.  And, there are going to be a LOT more people living together because of the economy.”

I sat and listened and am sorry to say didn’t speak up.  I should have said, “But, they are living in sin!  Is it better to live in sin than to please God?”

Gen 2:24 NASB

  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

God cannot bless these kinds of relationships.  People wonder why they have so many problems and a lot of it is because they are thumbing their noses at God.

Many couples today are living together.  They have children and when they tire of each other they think they can move on.  This is not how God planned our relationships.

Several years ago my friend and I fell in love with each other and wanted to marry.  We had to count the cost.  For me it meant that I would lose my disability payments along with medical coverage.  That was a big deal!  For him it meant he would have to take on more responsibilities and provide for the two of us.  He was retired at the time and would have to go back to work.

We talked to others about our situation, and I was shocked to learn that even Christians told us that we should move in together.  “Other Christians are doing the same thing,” they said.  “God understands.”  Does He?   He ordained marriage and it is to be the norm.  When we live together we live in sin and are out of God’s will.

Mat 19:4-6 NASB  And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,  (5)  and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’?  (6)  “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Jesus himself said these words, and the parts in all caps are taken right from Genesis 2:24.  Way back in the beginning God ordained marriage.

We prayed about our situation and came to the conclusion that God wanted us to marry.  That was His will.  We weren’t going to entertain anything else. We thought about my husband’s children and grandchildren.  What kind of testimony would it be if we lived together?  Could we expect more from them down the road?

Then, we counted the cost financially.  We came up short.  We would not have enough money to manage our marriage.  Finally, we decided we would follow God’s will and get married anyway.  We didn’t care if some of our friends thought we were crazy getting married at our age.  We would trust God with the rest. We wanted to do things right!

God came through for us. He didn’t let us down.  He blessed us with enough money to meet our needs and more.  He blessed our marriage in so many ways and gave us peace knowing we did the right thing.

How could God have blessed us if we had decided just to live together?  He couldn’t, because it would have gone against His will.  There are consequences to sin.

I don’t know your situation, but if you are at this blog site it’s most likely because you have anxiety and/or panic attacks.  If so, and you are in a relationship where you are living with someone of the opposite sex, then you need to repent and either get out of that relationship, or get married.  If you are a Christian, God cannot bless you if you are living in sin.  He wants you to get right with Him.  If you are experiencing panic attacks or extreme anxiety or depression perhaps God has allowed this to get your attention.  God loves us and wants the very best for us.  Would you want your child doing things that were against your will for them?  God wants us to obey His word, and when we don’t He disciplines us just as a loving father disciplines his children.

Do you realize that a sexual relationship outside of marriage is sinful?  In the Bible it is called immorality.

1Th 4:3 NASB

  For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;

1Co_6:18

  Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

I don’t know you, if you are young or older, but if you are considering living together instead of getting married please reconsider and look into the Word for direction.  Living together may seem to be an acceptable lifestyle in our society, but it isn’t with God. You will be blessed if you follow God.

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What is Your Desire?

Posted in Faith, inspirational, tagged , , , , , , , on August 31, 2011| 3 Comments »

I received an email from someone who expressed to me a way in which he was deceived, and this deception prevented him from becoming free from fear. It prompted me to share these thoughts with you. Here is an excerpt from that email:

“i pursue freedom from fear, and i may desire the freedom from fear more than Jesus, so that is the reason i cannot be free from fear, but if i desire and seek Christ, the freedom will come. It is strange but “freedom”can be our idol.”

Have you battled fear for a long time and wondered why you are still fearful? You pray and think you are doing all the right things, but fear still hangs on like a vice grip.

Here is a question that you need to take time to really think about and be honest with yourself. Do you desire freedom from fear more than you desire Jesus?

That’s a heavy question isn’t it? Think about it. What is your desire? Do you realize that your desire for freedom from fear (or any other thing) can become an idol? Why? Because that is the thing you are seeking after. You are seeking freedom instead of Jesus.

Perhaps you have read all the books on anxiety and fear. You’ve ordered all the tapes and listened and watched videos about overcoming panic attacks. You’ve tried all the worldly advise in your pursuit of freedom. You’ve gone to counselors, psychologists, and even Christian counselors, but still you are plagued with fear that annoys and distracts you, and it keeps you from living a full life. How many times I’ve heard people say, “I just want my life back!”

What could be holding you back?

(Jas 4:2b) …You do not have because you do not ask.

I think most of us have asked. We have prayed and prayed to be healed. I know I prayed many times that God would take away the fears that I dealt with on a daily basis and give me the peace that passed understanding. Sometimes, I felt peace for a little while, but then the fear would strike again. What was wrong?

Why didn’t I get healed the first time I asked God to heal me? There are a couple of reason that I can think of.

We must realize that the roots of anxiety and worry is sin. I know that’s a hard pill to swallow. But, let’s look at the Bible.

(Php 4:6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

(Mat 6:34) “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Read Matthew 6:25-34 and you will see Jesus’ own Words as He talks about worry. He commands over and over that we are not to worry.

(Jas 4:3a) You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives,…

Could that be the answer? Did I have wrong motives? Maybe so. Yes, I wanted to be healed and immediately. But, those thoughts were from my point of view. My motives were to be healed so that I didn’t have to feel so rotten. I wanted to get back out there in the world and pursue my career. I wanted friends again, and a car, and money. I wanted to “get my life back.” It was all about ME! That way MY will.

At some point I realized that it wasn’t about ME anymore. I wanted what God wanted for me. Are you willing to continue to suffer with panic attacks and fear if that is God’s will for you? Are you willing to say to God, “Okay, if this is the way you want me, then I will submit to your will?”

When we get to the point where we no longer fight panic in our own strength and turn to God and surrender fully to Him, then He will fight our battle for us.

When we suffer, whatever it is, God is in it if we are Christians. He is right there beside us to hold our hand if we let Him. He will get us through it, but in the meantime He wants to teach us true dependence on Him. Did you get that? We need to learn to lean on Him and not trust in ourselves anymore, or any other person in our life.

Oh, if we could only desire Jesus Christ as much as we desire to be healed. Will you take that step? Instead of reading books on how to overcomer panic attacks, how about if you read and really study the Bible? Yes, you will find the answers there.

Is your desire to be free from panic attacks, or is your desire to seek and know God?

(Psa 42:1b) …As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.

What a beautiful picture of how we should want Jesus.

When we die to self and seek after Jesus, God will bless us in ways we never thought possible.

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Lessons Learned/Practical Application

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Christian, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Religion, Scripture, Testimonies, tagged , , , , , on September 22, 2010| 1 Comment »

Lessons Learned/Practical Application
by Kimberly Northrup-Vaughn

God has accomplished great deliverance in my life. I still have so far to go, but He has delivered me from the pits.  I praise God for what I have been through because it brought me to such desperation that I was willing to seek God with every ounce of my being in order to find my way out.

From my experiences and the WORD OF GOD I believe that we can all be free. By this I do not mean that we will never again struggle with fear or anxiety or panic attacks. However, I believe completely that this means we do not have to live with these things controlling us or being a controlling factor in lives. We don’t have to live with them hanging over our heads. Why am I so confident of this? Because in His Word God makes it clear that He wants to be the only One that has power over us.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Luke 16:13)

While this last passage in particular addresses the love of money, the principle remains the same – We can only have one master. If fear and anxiety rule and control us, then are we really allowing God to have control over us?

Jesus also promised that those who gave their lives to Him could have an abundant life.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)

In Jesus we are not meant to simply exist and survive, but we are meant to THRIVE – to be truly alive!

With all of that in mind, here are some practical things I have learned, and I believe these things can help you along on your journey too:

1.  If we go to the Word of God and our anxiety only gets worse (as I’ve heard some of you all say, and as I experienced.), this is not from God.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

We have to remember that we have an enemy (Satan) that is looking to discredit the authority or power of God’s Word. He does not want us to be free. So it is only normal that we who are seeking to be free would encounter obstacles of anxiety when we go to God’s Word. After all, if we become free from the power of anxiety in our lives, Satan has a lot to lose and God has a lot of glory to receive.

So don’t let increased feelings of anxiety to stir you away from God’s Word. Instead, let it make you all the more determined – Look into God’s Word until you find peace!

2. The Word of God is SO important to us in our struggles.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) “He sent forth His Word and healed them.” (Psalm 107:20) 

No matter the struggle or issue, all the answers and help we need are in there. We can be familiar with all the stories and verses, but we need to always go back with a heart and mind that are willing to learn something new. The Holy Spirit is always ready to bring us to new levels through the Word, even through verses we have heard a million times.

3. We can’t just be encouraged by the Word – we have to apply it. Not just with areas of anxiety, but also with other areas where we are struggling.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25)

When we apply the truth, God shows us over time how He is faithful to accomplish His Word. As we take steps of faith in our lives and see that God remains faithful and true, it encourages us to take more steps.

4. We who are in so much bondage to anxiety and fear need to make the Word our lifeline. Carry Scriptures around with you. Make them always in front of you. Tape them on your cabinets and bathroom mirrors, in your car, or wherever else you will see them frequently.

5. Don’t just focus on Scriptures about anxiety and peace. Focus on Scriptures about God’s character. Like Psalm 145:8-9.  We need to let it sink into our hearts and minds how good and loving and powerful our God is!

6. Find ways to get in-person Christian fellowship. Maybe your first step of faith is inviting someone from your church over to your house to visit you, even if that means them coming to your bedroom, if you are stuck in your bedroom. Even if it’s just a pastor. One of the ways that God shows us His love is through His people. When we experience God’s love, that helps to cast out the fear.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (1 John 4:18)

7. We need the body of Christ. Don’t allow pride to keep you from asking for prayers as much as you need it (not just in this group, but with other Christians you know too). Sometimes we’re tempted to think, “Oh they’re sick of hearing from me – they don’t want to hear this.” But that is from the enemy. The Bible makes it very clear that prayer plays a crucial part in certain trials and spiritual battles.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

8. Be desperate and be honest with God.

 “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their plea.” (Psalm 102:17) To be destitute is to be needy – We show we have great need of God when we go to Him for more than a quick prayer. These quick prayers make Him out to be more like our wish-granter rather than our soul-fulfiller.

9. Ask God for wisdom – in everything.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

Stop analyzing things and trying to understand things on your own. Our own wisdom hasn’t exactly put us where we want – we might as well give it up and trust God’s wisdom. It is FAR BETTER than our own!

 “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'” (Isaiah 55:8&9)

10. “But when he asks (for wisdom), he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” (James 1:6&7) 

Keep on asking God to help your unbelief, as you encounter it. Jesus honored the man that cried out

“‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'” (Mark 9:24)

Be the “persistent widow” (Luke 18:1-8) in asking for the Lord to help your unbelief.

JESUS is the ultimate healer and deliverer. Every single one of us can be FREE, as we allow the blood of Jesus to touch every crevice of who we are!

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Do You Have a Spirit of Fear?

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , on June 28, 2010| 22 Comments »

My last post was titled “Perfect Love Casts Out Fear!”  In it we learned that God’s love perfected in Christians tosses fear  out of our lives.  What a marvelous thing that is!

Now, we need to take a good look at another scripture dealing with fear:

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to his spiritual son Timothy from prison when he knew he was toward the end of his own ministry.  Timothy would have to carry on where Paul left off and Paul exhorted him not to be intimidated by the false teachers, the Romans, all the other hostile forces that would come against him.  He told Timothy to be of good courage and not fear those who came against him, because God had equipped Timothy with a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. 

“for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Do you have a spirit of fear?  Are you a believer?  If you realize what God teaches us in the Bible you will know that you should not live in fear.  In fact, it is sinful.  It is not only sinful, but it is selfish.  You may not like that, they are strong words, but it makes complete sense.  If our thoughts are constantly about ourselves, the way we feel, and our symptoms, then we cannot think about others.  Those unhealthy thoughts crowd out everything else.  That is not how God wants us to live.  He wants us to think of other people as more important than ourselves. 

Php 2:3 NASB  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

But, you might think, “That sounds good, but I just can’t help how I feel.  It’s just the way I am!  I can’t do anything about it!”  I’m here to tell you there is something you can do about it.  You can be free from fear!  You can think of others as more important than yourself!

However, if you are not a Christian, then, it is perfectly natural for you to live a life full of fear, anxiety, and worry.  You do have a spirit of fear, and I can’t help you.  That spirit of fear comes from our natural man. 

You see, fear, anxiety, and worry are a part of our old personalities that we had before we became Christians.  Remember, when we were saved we became a new creation and old ways became new. 

2Co 5:17 NASB  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

I think many Christians still live in fear because they do not know what happened when they were saved.  No one told them.  Or, they haven’t studied the Bible enough yet to have discovered this wonderful truth. So, I will tell you right now.

When you were saved you did not receive a spirit of fear because you already had that in your old self.  Instead, God renewed you and gave you a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a spirit of a sound mind.  What does this all mean in a practical sense?

The spirit of power

The spirit of power is the Holy Spirit.  When we are made new in Christ the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us.

2Ti 1:14 NASB  Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

Rom 8:9 KJV  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

What kind of power does the Holy Spirit have available to us?  The kind of power that raised Jesus from the grave. That’s dynamic power!

Rom 8:11 KJV  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

You have that kind of power in you.  You do not have to live in fear any longer.  Be of good courage! 

The spirit of love

The opposite of fear is love.  God also gave you a spirit of love.  Now you can love in a whole new way.  People of the world know nothing of this kind of love.  The Bible calls it agape love.  It is a God kind of love.  It is the very highest love there is. God through the Holy Spirit in us gives us the power to love with agape love and we can reach out to others in a way we never could before. 

We are not to stay to ourselves.  We don’t have to any more.  We can reach out to others in love.  God gives us that ability. Step out in faith and try it.

I remember shortly after I was saved how I actually looked at people differently.  I saw everyone as one of God’s creations that needed to know Him.  My eyes were opened and I began to have urgings to tell others about Christ.  It was hard for me too at the time because I was so inundated with fear.  Slowly I reached out to others in love.  But, at first in very small ways.  I would send someone a card.  I would call and talk to an elderly shut-in on the phone.  After doing that a bit I began to visit people who were shut-ins, and another woman and I went to the hospital and visited sick people from church.  Little by little God grew the spirit of love in my life.

The spirit of a sound mind

God also gave us a spirit of a sound mind.  What does that mean for us?  Well, a sound mind is a rational mind.  We do not have to think all the “what if” thoughts, and worry about the future.  We do not have to fear man, and we do not have to fear God.  Fear has been broken.  Alleluia!

Once you discover these truths you will see how you need to change.  If you are still living in fear then you are still living in the old flesh.  You need to take advantage of the Holy Spirit living in you and walk in the Spirit.  You will have to work on changing your thought patterns as you renew your mind with the Word.  Old unhealthy thought habits can be replaced with new healthy godly thoughts. 

I suffered with panic attacks for many years and I did not know this teaching right away.  So, I continued on even after I became a  Christian thinking sinful fear filled thoughts.  I would blow things way out of proportion.  If it started to snow, I’d think we were going to get a blizzard.  If I had to drive somewhere that day I would obsess about the weather until I would have a panic attack.  If it was raining and the sky looked ominous I would be sure we were going to get a tornado, and I didn’t even live in a section of the country that gets tornados very often.

My panic attacks became so bad I became Agoraphobic.  I was afraid to leave my home.  I actually gave up driving for several years.  If I needed something from the store it was a major problem to get up the nerve to step out the door, get into the car, and go to the store.  Once there, it was a major effort to go into the store and get my groceries.  If I managed to get that far, then I still had to conquer the walk through the crowed isles, find my items, stand in the scary line as my legs shook, pay, and get back home.  It was exhausting!  Surely, that was no way to live, and certainly God didn’t want me to live like that.  I wasn’t much use to him at that point.

The only way I conquered my fears was when I discovered that I had God’s power within me.  I realized somewhere along the way that “I” could not do this in myself.  I needed help!  All the courage I tried to muster up in myself would not do it.  I had to rely on God.  I turned to God and I would pray. I’d ask God for the strength through the Holy Spirit, to go and do whatever it was I had to do.  I prayed before I went, I would go and pray all the way, and I would get back home and pray again to praise and thank God for how He got me through my fearful situation.  It did become easier.  I prayed a lot!

I don’t even have panic attacks any more.  I drive, I’m free to do whatever I want.  God gave me back my freedom as I grew in Him.  I discovered scripture promises and applied them to my own life.  I now have a spirit power, of love, and of a sound mind.  It is a disciplined mind.  I’m careful what I think about.  If I find myself going in the direction of worry, I check myself, and ask the Lord to help me think on godly things.  It does take practice and I urge you to start today.

Where are you today?  Are you bogged down with worry, fear, and anxiety?  My friend, if that is you and you are a Christian, you are living in sin.  You need to realize that and confess your sin to God, then repent of it and learn to fill you mind with godly things.  Keep in the Word, study it, memorize good scripture promises, pray for others, and yourself.

God has provided everything we need to live a godly, holy life.

2Pe 1:3 KJV  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

He will help you.  Go to Him in prayer.  Pour out your heart.  Get right with God and then claim your benefits of the spirit of love, power, and a sound mind. 

Please stop fearing the future, step out in faith and find your freedom today.  You can be sure that you do not have a spirit of fear anymore.

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Perfect Love Casts Out Fear!

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Scripture, tagged , , , , on May 10, 2010| 9 Comments »

I was especially interested in hearing a sermon our pastor gave recently because he had to deal with I John 4:18  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

I’ve used this scripture before in some of my articles, but I only used part of it, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear…,”  When I first found that scripture I was excited to learn there was no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear.  It was encouraging!  Jesus Christ is perfect love, therefore, He can cast out fear.  It told me the Lord didn’t want me to live in fear, and the way to get rid of it was to allow Him to cast it out.  Wow!  That was a revelation to me at the time.

Now, my pastor took me to a deeper level.  He teaches the Bible verse by verse and deals with scripture in it’s context. 

John was talking to Christians here and he shows us another test of a true Christian, and that is love.  If we love one another, that is the test.  In 1 John 4:12 you will note, “God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us…”  When we are born again God does abide in us through the Holy Spirit, and His love is being perfected in us.  

Also, look at I John 4:17  “By this, love is perfected with us.”  Again he is talking about love being perfected.  It means that as we grow in Christ, His love is made more mature in us.

The “By this,” refers back to the verse above where he says “the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” Isn’t that a wonderful thought.  God and us abide in each other.  If you stop and meditate on that for awhile it really boggles the mind.    

Now, we get back to 1 John 4:18 where he says, “There is no fear in love.”  Here fear means being terrified, and full of dread.  That kind of fear.  

Have you ever thought about this?  Love and fear cannot exist at the same time.  There is no fear in love.  It is not possible.  They are opposites.  If we are full of love, we are not full of fear; and if we are full of fear, we cannot be full of love.  God is love, remember that. And, we are to abide in Him. 

Then, John says, “but perfect love casts out fear.”  What does he mean by perfect love.  Well, actually in the context of this passage, he means that mature love that is being perfected in us as we grow in Christ.  And that perfected love, what does it do?  It casts out fear!  Praise God!  That phrase “casts out,” means throw away like garbage.

Isn’t is so true with us?  We carry around all this garbage all the time.  Wouldn’t you like to simply throw it away?  We talk about excess baggage; well fear is just that.  But, the only way to throw it away and get rid of it for good is to perfect the agape love that God has placed in us.  

We can do that!  I realize some of you are doing that with your lives right now.  You are in the Word, you are in prayer, you are in fellowship with other believers, you are reaching out with love toward your fellow believers.  You  grow and are becoming mature in Christ.  Eventually, when the time is right in God’s eyes, you too will throw off the shackles of fear like it is rubbish and toss it out of your life.  

Also, in 1 John 4:18 he says, “fear involves punishment.”  I’ve thought about that too.  In the context it means the punishment that is awaiting all men at the final judgement day.  Those without Christ should be fearful as they have that to look forward too, but we who know Christ can rest assured that we will not face punishment.  We can be confident and know those fears were cast out when we were saved.

But, looking at us today as we struggle with fear and anxiety doesn’t our fears also involve punishment?  We are fearful that something awful is going to happen, and with those thoughts we actually punish ourselves with stress, anxiety, and more bad thoughts.  When we are fearful of other things in life such as getting a terrible disease, don’t we punish ourselves with thoughts of what might be?  Yes, fear does involve punishment.  We don’t need that!  We don’t need to beat ourselves up that way!

Then, John goes on to say in that same verse, “the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

From what we’ve gone over that would indicate that fearful people are not mature yet in God’s love.  Isn’t that interesting?  

When we finally reach a more mature state then we will not fear.  What can hurt us?  God is in control of everything in our lives.  What do we have to fear?  Why do we punish ourselves with worry?  Worry can’t stop anything or change anything.  It isn’t worth it.  All it can do is make us fearful and stop us from becoming mature in Christ.

I plead with you to take hold of these thoughts and realize you too can be free from fear.  Stay in the Word and renew your mind.  If you are a believer you do not have to live in a state of fear!

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Peace With God – Peace Of God

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Religion, Scripture, tagged , , , , , , on April 12, 2010| 8 Comments »

What is the difference between peace with God and the peace of God?  Have you ever wondered about that? 

I want you to know right from the start if you are a Christian you already have both of these kinds of peace.  You may not actually know it, but you do.

Peace with God

Before a person is born again or saved they cannot know either one.  We are actually enemies of God.  We are born with a sin nature which is bent against God in every way.  We cannot please God.  We are not at peace with God, and we do not have the peace of God.  We are God’s enemy and we are hostile toward Him.

Jas 4:4 NASB You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

When we trust in Jesus Christ we become a new creation and things change. 

Col 1:21-22 NASB And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, (22) yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach–

We were alienated and hostile toward God, but once He redeemed us we become children of God instead of enemies of God.  Jesus can present us holy and blameless before a holy God.  What a difference!  We obtain peace with God, the moment we are saved.

Rom 5:1 NASB Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (italics mine.)

Remember, your friends who are not believers do not have peace with God.  It is impossible!  That may explain some of their actions and many of their worries and fears. There is a war waging inside them between themselves and God.  They are actually spiritually dead.

Peace of God

Now we get to the exciting part for Christians.  You, right now, this moment, no matter what’s going on in your life; no matter how you feel; you have the peace of God!  That is a bold statement for me to make.  But it’s true. We all have it. God has given us everything we need to live a peaceful life, but most of us don’t realize it.  Let’s go to scripture and see what God says.

First of all God tell us not to be anxious about anything.  If it were not possible He would not have told us that.  It is a command, and if we are to be obedient we have to learn how we can cease from anxiety and worry.  He gives us the antidote right here.  We go to God in prayer and ask Him to meet our needs, and we do it with an attitude of thanksgiving.  He says to make our requests to God.

Php 4:6 NASB Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

When we do that the peace of  God will guard our hearts and minds if we are believers.  And, we will be surprised at this peace because it goes beyond what we can comprehend.

Php 4:7 NASB And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Then, Paul says to do the things he taught them, and to look at his life as an example, and when you do the God of peace will be with you.  Isn’t that amazing?  It is all right here.  God is the God of peace.  He originated peace.  We have His peace in us and it is activated when we obey his commands.

Php 4:9 NASB The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Oh, why do we make it so hard?  There have been many books written on how we can have a peaceful life.  God doesn’t make things difficult.  We do!

When we were saved we received the Holy Spirit as He came to live in each and every one of us.  Having the Holy Spirit allows us to grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  We already posses these fruit, but in many of us they lay dormant.  They need to be cultivated by renewing our minds with the Word and acting on it in obedience.  You will notice that peace  is one fruit of the Spirit.  See there it is!  We already have it!

Gal 5:22 NASB But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (Italics mine.)

It is important to realize that when we keep our minds fixed on God, He will keep us in perfect peace.  The reason this is true is because when we do this we indicate that we trust God.  He is trustworthy.

Isa 26:3-4 NASB “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. (4) “Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.

There is a big difference between believe and trust. You can believe the facts about Jesus. You can believe He is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins, that he was buried and then rose again the third day.  You can believe all the facts about Jesus and yet not be saved.  Did you know that?  I can prove it because even the demons believed and knew who Jesus was, but they were not saved.  They even shuddered to think about Him.

Jas 2:19 LITV You believe that God is One. You do well; even the demons believe and shudder.

So, there is more to it than merely believing the facts about Jesus.  You must trust Him.  There are many people in churches today who call themselves Christians but who have only believed with a head knowledge.  They believed an idea, and never really trusted in a personal Savior. 

We must trust Him with our very lives.  We can believe something but it becomes trust when we put it in action.   For instance, say I’m looking at a chair to sit on.  I can know a lot about that chair.  I can know what color it is, what it is made of, and what shape it is.  But, that is not trusting the chair.  That is just head knowledge about the chair.  I trust the chair when I take the next step and actually sit down on it.  That is trust.  I trust the chair is going to hold me up. 

You see, we can believe all about Jesus Christ, and not really trust Him.  We trust Him when we give up ourselves and rely on Him completely. We surrender our whole selves to Him.  That is trust!  We trust Him to take care of us, to provide for us, to work out every detail of our lives.  That is trust!  We look to Him alone for salvation.  We trust and expect the peace of  God.  We depend on Him and not on ourselves or others.  He is Lord and Master of our lives.  That is trust! 

Do you trust Him my friend?  Is He the one who rules your heart?  Do you have peace with  God?  And, do you have the peace of  God?  He is the God of peace.  When we activate the peace of God in our lives, we will not worry and be filled with anxiety and fear.  They cannot live together.  Satan is the author of unhealthy fear and unhealthy thoughts.

Rom 16:20 NASB The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

2Th 3:16 NASB Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

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Should Christians be Anxious?

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Health, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Scripture, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2010| 2 Comments »

(I originally wrote this for our PD-Overcomers group.)

One thing we all have in common in this group is anxiety.  In fact , if you have panic attacks you have extreme anxiety.  Another thing we have in common is that most of us are Christians.

I’ve been asked many times if Christians should have anxiety.  That is a really good question and one I’d like to attempt to answer.  In order to do that we  need to go to the Bible and see what God has to say on the subject.

I’ve read many books and articles, and listened to tapes on anxiety.  I’ve read the secular along with Christian views.  People say different things, but the one thing I know is that God’s Word is the authority and that is where we must start if we are going to get a handle on this dreadful malady.

Anxiety:  What is it?  Is it a feeling?  Is it nervousness?  Is it fear?  Is it stress?  Is it panic?

I believe it is all of those things in different degrees.  Where does anxiety start?  It starts in the mind.

Who has anxiety?  Everyone at some time or other.  Unbelievers and believers alike. In today’s world it seems everyone is anxious about something.  Just look at the magazine covers in the grocery store.  See how many times you see a title about anxiety or stress.

Or, listen to television news and see all the things going on in the world that make people anxious and fearful. If you listen to the talking heads too long you will certainly become stressful.

What does anxiety do to us?  Anxiety effects us physically.  It can make our blood pressure rise, it increases our heart rate, it makes our palms sweat, it makes us irritable, jittery, and nervous. It can lead to health problems like hypertension.

Anxiety makes us afraid.  It is our enemy.  Fear is our enemy and it is a liar.  It tells us things that are not true and convinces us they are true.  It upsets our life, hurts relationships, and hinders us from being all that God wants us to be.  You can readily see why the enemy grins when he see us full of anxiety and fear.  He has got us right where he wants us.  We are like putty in his hands when we are full of fear.  He is in control and takes us over.  He pulls us along like a dog on a leash and never lets go of his grip.  He gets us to think unhealthy thoughts that tear us down.  He has a hay day with us.  Fear is an ugly four letter word.

Where does fear come from?  Well, way back in the Garden of Eden there was no fear. Everything was peaceful and tranquil until Satan, the serpent, came along and deceived Eve and she ate of the forbidden fruit.  She disobeyed God and sin entered into the world, along with fear.  If you remember, Adam and Eve hid out from God.  What did they do that?  They were afraid.

Gen 3:10 NASB He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

When sin entered the world, Adam’s conscience was opened and he was aware of things he never realized before.  He lost his innocence. That was the beginning of fear and it continues today.  It is part of the sin nature that we acquired as a result of the original sin.

Not all fear is sinful though.  God has put in our hearts a certain kind of fear that protects us.  It is the fear of stepping off a cliff.  Wouldn’t you agree that is a good fear?  Another good kind of fear is the fear of the Lord.  It is the beginning of wisdom.

Psa 111:10a NASB The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

Pro 1:7 NASB The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Pro 9:10 NASB The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Isa 33:6 NASB And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

So you can see that the fear of the Lord is something we should treasure.  We need to have the fear of the Lord in our hearts.  Do you?

But, I’m not going to talk about those kinds of fear right now.  I’m going to write about the debilitating kind of fear.  The kind that ruins lives, marriages, careers, and families.  That kind of fear has to be dealt with.  Worry, fear, anxiety, nervousness, stress; they are all the same and do destructive work in our lives.

 

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Is God in Charge?

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, inspirational, Panic Disorder Support, Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , on March 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Isaiah 46: 9-10 (NIV) 
 
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
 
God is talking to Israel here and it is a marvelous picture of who He is and what He is like.  You read this and you have to believe that God is in control.  It doesn’t matter how we feel, He is still in control because He is God. 
 
God is Sovereign!  What does that mean?  It means He is God and He can do whatever pleases Him. He has absolute rule.  Just think about that for awhile.  Nothing in this world can change what He wants to do.  You can’t, and I can’t.  We are truly at His mercy.
 
Now, knowing that, how does it make you feel?  Do you feel out of control?  Do you want to be in control?  We need to take a good look at our own lives and see who is in charge.  If we are in charge, then we have to worry and struggle over every detail of our lives.  We have to make sure we are doing things right.  We have to fight all the fears and anxiety that come our way.  It is all up to us.  What a heavy burden rests on our shoulders.  Can we handle all of that?
 
But, on the other hand, if we realize we don’t have to be in charge, think of the weight that is lifted.  If we truly understand that God is Sovereign and is in charge of every detail of our lives then we can rest in His love and in His arms. 
 
So, where would you rather be?  In charge and under stress all the time? Or are you willing to give up your self to God and let Him take the reins and carry your burdens?  You can, you know.
 
Mat 11:28-30 NASB “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  

What a wonderful passage that is.  If we step out of the way, take on the yoke of God’s kingdom, get into the Word and learn from God we WILL find rest for our souls.  He says so!

When farmers put a yoke on a pair of oxen it makes the load lighter for them to haul.  When we put on the yoke of God’s kingdom our burden or load becomes light.  Praise God!

Just a note:  Remember Satan is not sovereign!  God is!  Satan can only do what God permits him to. 

 1Jn 4:4 NASB You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world

 

 

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