Posts Tagged ‘Bible’

What is Christian Fellowship?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on November 10, 2012| 2 Comments »

I have something on my mind that really bothers me, and I wonder if any one else feels the same way?  What is Christian fellowship anyway?  I would think that Christian fellowship would be when Christians get together for some social event and the topic of discussion would always turn to Christ.  After all we are all one in the body.

Have you noticed that when professing Christians get together for a time of fellowship there seems to be something missing? At least that is how it has been with me.  I’ve noticed that there is not a lot of talk about Christian things.  Oh, we talk about each others jobs, and families.  We tell each other of something funny that has happened recently.  Mostly it seems people talk about their troubles and all the illnesses and problems others are going through.  Is this gossip? And, we joke around and say clever things. We don’t usually even talk about ideas. But, most of all  Christ is left out.

Time and again, I’ve noticed that no one mentions Christ, or the Bible, or God.  People don’t seem to share the things of Christ and I wonder why?  After all, we are suppose to be different, (and we are) so it would seem that we would want to share things that have to do with Christian living.  Or, something that the Lord has done for us lately.  Do we just take Him for granted?

I’d call this fellowship and not Christian fellowship.  It seems to me this is no different than how unbelievers fellowship.

Anyway, I’d like to know if anyone else has noticed this and if anyone has any suggestions to  turn this around.  I need your input and advise.

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Where is the Truth?

Posted in Bible Study, Christianity, Faith, God, inspirational, tagged , , , , on November 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Are you confused?  Today it is easy to get really confused.  We have  many voices coming at us and they take us in all different directions.  Where do you look for truth?

If we look to politicians for the truth we are in for a big disappointment.  They tell us one thing and do another.  They don’t keep their promises and they let us down every time.  It doesn’t matter which party, they are all alike.  Sometimes when they are on television, I will say, “Hey! His nose  is getting longer!”


Do we look for truth in the world?  How many commercials have you seen and then went out and bought the product and found it wasn’t at all like they advertised? It’s happened to me a lot.  No, we can’t trust the world for the truth. 

How about special “sales,” in stores.  Many times I’ve gone to get a certain product that was advertised as “on sale” and when I got there they were “all out.”  Can you say, “bait and switch”?  We can’t trust commercial enterprises.


What kind of truth are you looking for?  Is it truth about a health issue?  Maybe the psychologist will help.  Not so fast! They don’t tell us the truth either.  They don’t tell us that we have a spiritual problem that needs to be fixed between God and ourselves.  Instead, they probe into our past and try to dig up things that might cause our distress.  But, is that where we find the truth?  No!  That usually only causes more confusion.  They may prescribe psych pills that can be actually dangerous to our health.  We can become dependent on them and our psychologist.  That is not good either.

The news media is another place where we can’t find the truth.  If you surf the channels you will find many different views of the same news story.  So, who does tell us the truth?  Hard to say.  Maybe none of them.  Who do we believe?

So, let’s surf to the so-called Christian stations.  What have we here?  There is much false teaching on these stations.  We have to be careful.  How many people can actually tell what is true and what is false teaching?  You can’t if you haven’t been a student of the Word of God.  Much of it has some truth, but then they throw in all the false teachings to go along with it.


(1Co 5:6)  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Well, I do have the answer to the question of where is the truth.  The absolute truth is found in the Word of God, the Bible.  Do you realize that the Bible is the only book that is alive?  It is the living Word of God.  Do you know that the Bible has the answers to all of our problems?  It does, and we can trust what it says.

(2Pe 1:3)  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:

(2Ti 3:16)  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

(2Ti 3:17)  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

God tells us in the Bible that His words are truth!

(Bold print in the verses below are mine.)

(Psa 119:160) “All your words are true, all your righteous laws are eternal.”

(Psa 31:5)  Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

(Isa 65:16)  “Because he who is blessed in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Will swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight!

(Exo 34:6)  Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;

(Psa 108:4)  For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the skies.

(Psa 57:10)  For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens And Your truth to the clouds.

(Joh 17:17)  “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

(2Sa 7:28)  “Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant.

God cannot lie!

(Tit 1:2)  in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,

(Num 23:19)  “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

(1Sa 15:29)  “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

(Heb 6:18)  so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

J.I. Packer in “Knowing God,”  speaking of God’s words says: “They are an index of reality:  they show us things as they really are, and as they will be for us in the future according to whether we heed God’s words to us or not.”

No matter if we believe God’s Word is true or not it doesn’t matter because it IS true, and it doesn’t change.  It will be true forever.  We can bank on it.

The Truth is in the Bible!

Mystery solved!  We can go to the Bible to find the truth.  God is truth and His word is truth.  You can depend on it!  You can be secure in it!  It is trustworthy!  Today, as we face our challanges, we can turn to the Bible and know that we will find the answers and they will be true.


It still boggles my mind to think that the God of all creation loves me so much that He gave me an instruction book on how to live my life.  He cares about me!  He tells me how I should conduct myself on a daily basis. He helps me understand why people act the way they do.  He tells me He loves me and wants an intimate relationship with me.  He helps me know what is right and what is wrong.  He gives me wisdom and understanding.  I know when I read something in the Bible it is TRUTH!  It doesn’t matter to me what other people say about it.  I know in my heart that it is the truth and that I need to stand on it.


If you would like to read a chapter in the Bible that tells us about the Word of God there is no better one than Psalm 119.  Some of my favorite scriptures are in this chapter.  Here are a few of my favorites that encourage me to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden thy word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Psalm 119:15 “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.”

Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.”

Oh, there are so many more!  Go, read, and be blessed!

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Slave to Christ

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 27, 2008| 1 Comment »

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October’s beauty!

Have you ever thought of yourself as a slave to Christ?  I hadn’t until recently.  I thought more of myself as a servant of Christ.  Like a helper at times.  But a slave, no.

As I began to think about this I realized that we can be slaves to many things.  Who or what are you a slave to?  Anyone or anything that controls us owns us, and we are slaves to them. 

Some could be slaves to alcohol, money, lust, sex, pornography, smoking, sports, illegal drugs, pot, television, work, or fear, worry, and anxiety.  Those are just some of things we can be controlled by.  We can also be a slave to people; our husbands, our children, our friends. 

On the other hand we should be a slave to Christ.  However, the Bible tells us we cannot serve two masters.

Matthew 6:24 NASB  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

So there is the problem.  Who or what do we serve? 

When we become a Christian we do not any longer have to be a slave to fear.  God adopts us into His family.  He takes care of us from then on.

Romans 8:15 LITV  “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba! Father!”

It is the same with the other bondage’s that we find ourselves in.  When we turn our lives over to the Lord as our Lord and Master, then we no longer have to be a slave to anyone or anything. 

Rom 6:6 NASB  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

The Greek work “Doulos” in the Bible is often translated as servant.  It should be slave.  It does make a difference.

A servant is one who has a choice.  They worked for wages and could quit at any time.  A servant can do what he wants and is free to make his own decisions. 

But a slave is bought and owned.  He is to do the will of his master.  He has no rights and cannot do as he pleases.

1Co 7:22-23 LITV  For the one called while a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called while a free man is a slave of Christ.  23  You were redeemed with a price; do not become slaves of men.

You see when Jesus died on the cross for the payment of our sins he bought us with his own precious blood.  He now owns us and the Word says we are to become a slave of Christ.  That is an awesome thought!

In the Bible, Paul saw himself as a slave of Christ. 

Rom 1:1 LITV  Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God,

Gal 1:10 LITV  For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I would not be a slave of Christ.

Paul is talking to Timothy here.  He refers to Timothy as a slave of the Lord.

2Ti 2:24 LITV  But a slave of the Lord ought not to quarrel, but to be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing,

When we see ourselves as a slave of Christ our whole attitude changes.

  • We realize we have been bought and are not our own.  We can then die to “self.” And, let that part of us go.
  • We need to be always available and ready to serve our Master.
  • We need to make sure we don’t get caught up with trying to serve two masters.
  • We need to pray and keep close to our dear Lord.
  • We need to be dependent on Him for all things.  He will supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory.  (Philippians 4:19.)
  • We need to realize that God may allow trials and troubles to come into our lives, but they are to discipline us and grow us to be more like Him.  They are for our good.
  • And, we need to know that everything good that comes our way is from God Himself. 

We’ve truly been blessed when we come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. 

  • He has made us a child and heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.  (Romans 8:14-17) 
  • We are an ambassador for Christ, (II Corinthians 5:20),
  • a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a citizen of a holy nation, a possession of God (I Peter 2:9),
  • and a holy temple of the living God. (II Corinthians 10:5)

We will actually rule and rein with the Lord in Heaven some day.  Isn’t that truly amazing!  What a Savior!  What a Master!

That is only a few of the blessings God bestows upon us.  And to be honest none of us deserve any of it.  I’m truly happy to learn that I am a slave to Christ! 

Scripture taken from NASB  New American Standard Bible and LITV Literal Translation of the Holy Bible

Note: For more teaching on the subject of slaves for Christ you can go here to John MacArthur’s web site. 

http://www.gty.org/Products/DVDs/8280-321

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Fear of Fear -Pt. 1

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Health, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Religion, Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2008| 3 Comments »

Mister Woodpecker looking for a tidbit!

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Kim talked about having bad panic attacks when in a car.  She does pretty well at home but even the thought of going somewhere in the car starts her anxiety level to go up. This has become a serious problem for her and she can no longer enjoy taking rides or trips with her family. She struggles with this every day.

I’ve been reading some things by Jay E. Adams who is a highly respected Bible counselor.  In The Christian Counselor’s Manual, 1973 Zondervan Publishing House,  he talks about a man, Paul, who was afraid of driving over bridges.  It all started when he had a terrifying experience while crossing a bridge.  This was actually caused by a significant sleep loss.  After this experience whenever he approached a bridge he became uncontrollably fearful and agitated.  These later episodes were not actually from the previous sleep loss but stemmed from the fear of the previous experience.  Adams says, “He had associated the experience with  bridges, and in his anxiety over whether it would occur again while crossing the bridge, he had emotionally spiraled himself into a panic.” After that even the thought of crossing a bridge brought him a sense of apprehension. 

Most of us can identify with Kim and Paul’s problems. Paul’s sounds very much like what is happening with Kim only she has associated her bad experiences with a car?  She has had bad experiences while driving or riding in a car so now she gets nervous and starts to build up anxiety whenever she even thinks about going somewhere. She is anticipating panic.

Jay Adams said that the man “had to recognize certain facts and act in a Christian manner in accordance with them.”  We will look at some of them.  I’ve also added some of my own as I’ve gone through panic attacks myself. This my take more than one post, but here is part 1: 

1. His fear was real. 

There is real fear.  Paul’s was a fear of bridges, and Kim’s is a fear of cars. 

Maybe your fear is of the grocery store, bank, post office, driving, or something else.  I had many fears that kept me from living a normal life for many years.  I missed out on the most productive years.  I pray that you will learn something here that will keep you from following in my foot steps.

And, if you have already have had panic attacks for years don’t give up!  I truly believe that you can change too!  All with the help of our Wonderful Savior!  We just need to realize what is actually going on.

2. His fear was wrong and sinful.

We’ve talked about Dr. Claire Weekes’ books and how she taught acceptance.  She said we should accept those first feelings or symptoms and then kind of float through or past a panic attack.  I can understand what she is saying. If we get that first feeling then say to ourselves, “so what,” and kind of float by it we can sometimes keep ourselves from having a panic attack.  When we accept the feeling we don’t tense up so much and instead of tightening our muscles and bodies we relax a little bit and that takes the bit out of the attack.

I believe Dr. Weekes is a wonderful person and has helped a lot of people over the years.  I myself have all of her books in my library and they helped me understand the physical side of panic attacks.  I learned what was going on in my body when I had all those strange feelings.  This is good but it is not the total answer to being healed.  Her books are not written from a Christian perspective but from a secular world view.  Anyone can be helped to a certain extent from her books, believers and unbelievers alike.

But, as Christians we have something special.  God have given us the Holy Spirit to live within us and with Him all the power that we need to be overcomers of anything in our lives.  Our resources are different from those of the world.  We have the Word of God, the privilege of prayer, the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us.  I hope you realize how much more we have in Christ.  We are not the same as unbelievers and we do not have to live the same. 

Let’s go to the Word of God and apply what God says to our problems.

Psalms 1:1-2 NASB How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

God tells us not to get our counseling from the world but from His Word.
We should love the Word and take delight in it.  Keep it in our hearts and think about it all the time.  

Psalms 73:24 NASB With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.

He will guide us as we follow His Word, and when we die He will receive us in Heaven.  That is wonderful!

Isaiah 9:6 NASB For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus is our counselor.  And one of His names is Wonderful Counselor!  How great is that?

We’ve learned in past posts that there are different types of fear.  We looked at; fear of the future, fear of man, and fear of death. These fears are sinful fears. 

But, we also saw there are good fears as well.  These are natural fears (which keep us from hurting ourselves) and most importantly the fear of God. These are holy fears.

Proverbs 29:25 NASB The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.

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

2 Timothy 1:7 NASB For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

We can plainly see that God tells us in the Word that we are not to fear.  I remember when I first saw the verse “Be anxious for nothing…” It really shook me up.  Here I was an anxiety-ridden, wimpy person who didn’t dare to hardly exist, and He said “don’t be anxious?”  I was dripping with anxiety!

I put that verse in the back of my head for awhile and didn’t deal with it.  That was a mistake.  I wondered if it really meant what it seemed to.  It did. As I studied my Bible more I had to admit that worry and anxiety were indeed sinful.  That was a hard lesson for me. 

Matthew 6:27 NASB “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

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

It is clear that God does not want us to worry and fret.  He is Sovereign and will take care of us.  If He tells us not to do something and we go ahead and do it, that is a sin.  I’m sorry, but it is true.

It means we are not to be anxious and we are not to worry.  They are both sins.  That is heavy stuff isn’t it?  It is a hard pill to swallow, but when we face it head on in Truth we will become overcomers.

Wayne & Joshua Mack in The Fear Factor, 2002 Hensley Publishing, said this, “The root meaning of phobo, the Greek term for fear, is “flight.”  That’s the nature of fear.  Fear causes us to run away from things that frighten us.  And fear becomes sinful when it causes us to run away from the things God has commanded us to do.”

He goes on to tell us that fear is the opposite of power and is the same as weakness.  When we can’t use our gifts and when we are not fulfilling our responsibilities and obeying God’s commands we are weak.  I can certainly identify with that.  I was so weak and fearful that I did not do anything constructive for a very long time.  I could not even go to church let alone be a helpful person there.  I could not have a social life.  I could not work.  I could not live a fulfilling life. I could not help others very much for a long time. One plus, I did pray a lot for others.  It took me a long time to learn the things I’m about to share with you. 

We will close on those thoughts for this time.  But, I want you to know that there is hope for you.  You can learn how to overcome those awful panic attacks with the help of our Mighty Savior.

May God richly bless you today!

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Good Kinds of Fear!

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Gospel, Health, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 17, 2008| 1 Comment »

Mourning Dove

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In my last post we looked at different kinds of fears.  We saw that they were the fear of man, the fear of death, and the fear of the future.  A lot of our fears fall under these groupings.  These are all sinful fears. 

Today I want to address some good kinds of fears.  Yes, there are good fears!  Our goals should not be to eliminate all fear but to distinguish between what are the good kinds and what are the sinful ones.  After all, God made us with the ability to fear. 

Natural Fear:

Proverbs 22:3 NASB The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

This shows that man sees the danger ahead and takes steps to avoid it.

The fear of falling off a cliff, for example, is a natural kind of fear.  It is healthy to prevent us from taking that next step when we come up to the edge of the cliff.  Also, the fear of a wild animal is a natural good kind of fear.  It helps our bodies rev up so that we can run and escape. 

However, when we have  a panic attack our bodies go into this kind of fear when there is no real danger. This is not healthy. There could be many reasons why this happens the first time.  I’ve talked about that in a previous message where we talked about the physical side of panic disorder.  The problem is that our bodies get sensitized when we continue to have panic attacks and it is easy for us to slip into this kind of fear at the drop of a hat.  The way out of having panic attacks is to make more time between the attacks, by not pushing ourselves, resting, and let our bodies readjust.

Isaiah 7:25 NASB As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns;

This is saying one would fear the briars and thorns as they will cut and scrape you and be painful.  That is natural fear.

Wayne Mack says in his book, The Fear Factor, “The problem is, our sinful nature takes this good, helpful emotion and twists, perverts and distorts it.  As a result, it’s no longer productive but paralyzing, no longer natural but sinful.”

Holy Fear:

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

Proverbs 14:27 NASB The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

Psalms 31:19 NASB How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men!

Again I would like to quote from Wayne Mack because this is so good.  Here he shows the differences.

“Holy fear and sinful fear are opposites.  Sinful fear destroys; holy fear enlivens.  Sinful fear is a terrible affliction; holy fear is a great benefit.  Sinful fear shortens our days; holy fear lengthens them.  Sinful fear is a source of misery; holy fear is a spring of joy.  Sinful fear leads men astray; holy fear puts men on the right path.  They only way to overcome sinful fear is to replace it with holy fear.”

There you go.  We are back to “put-offs,” and “put-ons.”  We have to put off the bad fear and put on the good kind of fear. 

You may ask, what is this holy fear you are talking about?  It is the fear of God.  There are many scriptures that talk about the fear of God.   

Results of Holy Fear:

1.  It produces a fear of sin.

Philippians 2:12 NASB So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

Working out our salvation with fear and trembling means that it is a serious business.  We shouldn’t take it for granted.  We need to keep studying the Word and learn how we can obey what God says.  We should not take sin lightly.  We recognize it for what it is and repent and get right with God.

2.  It produces a fear of God’s Word.

Proverbs 16:6 NASB  And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.

The only way we can know God and know what he expects of us is to read and study the Bible.  As we do we will realize many things that God wants us to change or do in our lives.  We obey out of high respect and honor to God.  He first loved us, and now we love Him.  We should have a heart attitude of pleasing Him.  When we do this we will not fall into sin.

3. It produces knowledge and wisdom.

Proverbs 1:7  NASB “The fear of he Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” 

Proverbs 15:33  NASB “The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom.

True wisdom and knowledge are found in the Word of God.  We learn what the Bible says and then wisdom gives us the ability to apply it to our lives.

Psalms 119:11 NASB Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

That is wisdom.

4.  It produces joy and contentment.

Proverbs 15:16 NASB  Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

Isn’t that the truth?  I’d much rather have little of this world’s wealth then be rich and have all the problems that it entails.  People talk about winning the lottery and they’d be happy.  I don’t think so.

As you can see the Bible is where we need to turn to discover how to live our lives in a healthy and blessed way. 

The Fear Factor: What Satan Doesn’t Want You to Know by Wayne and Joshua Mack can be found here:

www.mackministeries.org. 

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Kinds of Fear!

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Health, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 10, 2008| 3 Comments »

 

Pretty Bird!

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In my last post in this series we talked about the fact that we can change bad habits.  When we become a Christian we are literally changed as the Bible says we are  new creations in Christ.

But, we still seem to have a backpack full of old habits that we carry around.  We saw from the Bible that we have to “put-off” off bad habits and “put-on” new acceptable ones.  Hopefully you made a list of the things you need to “put-off” and what you need to replace them with, and are working on them.

I’ve been reading a wonderful book by Wayne and Joshua Mack called, The Fear Factor, What Satan Doesn’t Want You to Know.  Now that I’ve finished it I can highly recommend it to you.  It isn’t about panic attacks specifically, but is about how fear can cripple anyone even if they don’t have panic disorder. So, even when we are overcomers of panic attacks we need to know how fear can still control us.  This book is loaded with good mental health and is truly biblical.

If you are interested in purchasing it you can go here:  www.mackministeries.org

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Our bad fear habits do not come from God.  I used to think that Satan causes them, but I am now of the opinion that even though Satan likes us to be fearful, he doesn’t keep us that way. We cannot blame him.  If you think about it, there is only one devil and he cannot be everywhere at once like God can, and he doesn’t know everything like God does, and he is not all powerful like God is. I believe he has bigger fish to fry than us, like the leaders of enemy nations, for example.  So, what causes us to continue to fear in an unhealthy way?  I believe it is those old fear habits that we have carried over in our way of thinking.

Today, I’d like to talk a bit about the different types of fears we encounter.  We made a list of them awhile back.

When I had panic attacks I had many fears.  In fact, in my book, Panic Buster, I had a list of 28 different fears. Those were the ones I could think of at the time, there were most likely more.

I want to try to put some of those fears and some of the ones you gave me in categories so that we can see more clearly what is behind our fears.

Fear of the future, fear of death, and fear of man are some of the main categories of fear.  I looked over our lists and come up with the following: 

Fear of the future:

Isaiah 41:10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

So many of our fears can come under the heading of “fear of the future.”  If you think about it any fear that has to do with the future even if it is a few hours away can come under that heading.  For instance: fear of going to the store, fear of leaving the house, fear of the weather, fear of losing control, fear of going crazy, the next panic attack. dying and leaving children without a mother (this is also fear of death), stroke, heart attack, blood clots, (health problems),  feeling disconnected from yourself,  fear of the unknown, fear of aging. Any time we put off doing something because we are fearful it could be the fear of the future.

Why should we be anxious and fearful of things in the future when we have God on our side?  We don’t realize that He is big enough to handle all of our anxiety. 

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Psalms 32:7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psalms 143:9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.

Why are we afraid of the future?  We shouldn’t be.  After all we are in God’s hands.  This is sinful fear.  And, we must repent of it and then go on with God.

Fear of death:

Hebrews 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Many of our fears also come under the heading of fear of death.  Some are: passing out, driving, bees, crossing the street, someone in the house, the dark, losing control, bathtub water, gas fumes, tornados and blizzards, flying. 

The “bathtub water,” one was one of mine.   You might ask why that?  Well, to me it felt like I might go under the water and drown.  It was especially fearful if I was alone.  I know that was in irrational fear.  So many of them were.  Also, if a bee came around I took off in my own flight.  I was so afraid that it would sting me and I would die.  But, I’m not even allergic to them.  

It seems strange now that I could have been so afraid of such things.  I thank God that he has erased most of this from my memory.  I don’t think about all this usually, only when I’m trying to write.   Crossing the street was another big one for me.  I had to cross to get the mail.  I’d wait and wait then suddenly dash across when I thought the way was clear.  I lived in the country so there wasn’t really much traffic.

That was another irrational fear.   

Fear of man:

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

Wayne Mack says, “The fear of man is a broad biblical category for many specific sins.”

Dr. Ed Welch says speaking of fear of man, “it includes being afraid of someone, but it extends to holding someone in awe, being controlled or mastered by people, worshiping other people, putting your trust in people.”

We might not recognize this fear as much, but it is there.  Fear of people, crowds, witnessing for Christ, doctors, dentists, talking to people, being honest, telling about our fears.  I remember hiding my fears from my family and doctor.  I did not know what they would think of me.  I also became very dependent on other people instead of God.   I had the fear of man.  That was behind my fears in this area.  Do you sometimes not do something or say something because you are afraid of what others would think of you?  We’ve all done it.  If this is one of your habits you need to work on replacing it with good ones. 

Fear of God:

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

Someone  said “fear of God, seeing and hearing Him.”  Guess what?  That is a good fear.

There are both holy fears and sinful fears.  We have to distinguish between the two.

Blessings,
Bonnie

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You Can Change Bad Habits!

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Gospel, Health, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Testimonies, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 3, 2008| 3 Comments »

 Wintry Blast of Ice and Snow!

February2008 034

We’ve been looking at the spiritual side of our lives.  We have seen that once we are saved we are a new creation.  God gives us a new heart and the ability to change.  Isn’t that wonderful?  What I like about this is that God makes it possible for us to change.

We have many old habits that tag along with us and keep right on popping up in our lives.  We have to get rid of them.  The Bible tells us that the way to do it is to put-off the old habits and for every one we put off, we are to put-on new habits. It out with the old and in with the new!

As we study the Bible we need to evaluate all that we think, say, and do, and see if it lines up with scripture.  When it doesn’t then need to change.

Romans 6:12-14 NASB Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Isn’t it great that God has made a way for us to change?  We do not have to be a slave to sin again. 

Let’s take a look at some of the “put-offs.”

Ephesians 4:25-31 NASB Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.  Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Colossians 3:8 NASB But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

When we notice a habit that we need to change. We must confess our sinful behavior to God.

1 John 1:9 NSAB  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In order to change from our old bad habits, we not only have to put off the old habits, but we must replace them with good habits.

Romans 6:19 NASB  I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

Now let’s take a look at some of the “put-ons.”

Colossians 3:10 NASB  and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him–

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

Ephesians 4:28-29 NASB He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

Ephesians 4:32 NASB Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Colossians 3:12 -17 NASB So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

2 Peter 1:5-8 NASB Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Study these lists of put-offs and put-ons.  Then, you could make a list for yourself.  On one side write the “put-offs” and opposite of that write down the thing you need to “put-on” in place of the old bad habit.  When we replace bad habits that are not Biblical with good habits that are Biblical we will see a lot of growth in our Christian life, and God will bless us for it.

Yes, we can live as believers and not as unbelievers.  Our Lord is  gracious in that He gave us His Word so that we can really get down to where the rubber meets the road and make changes that He desires for us.  He made us and knows how we should live.  We came into this world and got caught up in it.  It has influenced all of us in a negative way.  We all have things we need to work on and I pray that is study will help you change your habits.  

Blessings,

Bonnie

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