Statesman63
Admin
Posts : 287
Points : 631
Join date : 2010-09-30
Location : Cleveland, OH
 | | Subject: A Desperate Cure for Panic Attacks – Take Three Sat Jul 29, 2017 10:25 am | |
| A Desperate Cure for Panic Attacks – Take Three
It is important to meditate on your true, new identity in Jesus Christ. Anxiety and panic attacks seek to keep us from realizing who we really are. The spirit of fear, spirit of negativity, spirit of panic attacks, and the spirit of confusion all seek to derogate who we really are. They seek to keep us in the dark, blinded to the Truth of who God says we are. Like a nagging kvetch, these spirits repeat disparaging words in the mind of one who suffers with panic attacks or depression, over and over, making us feel defeated. This is “Take Three”. What can we do to end this seemingly never-ending plight of darkness? One of the most important things we can do is to realize who we really are in Christ Jesus. Jesus didn’t just save the believer for Eternal Life; He did much more, including changing who we used to be. He literally changed our nature. We who are in Christ, are no longer who we were before we had Christ. The problem that many have is that when a non-believer converts to Christianity, he or she does not feel that anything has changed; and therefore, without knowledge of their new identity, they continue to live life the same as they did before they got saved. Indeed, our new identity in Christ is not a feeling! It is simply who we are. A fish doesn’t feel wet; it is just wet. A human doesn’t feel human, a human is just human by the nature of who they are. So it is that we who are in Christ don’t feel the change, but we are a new creation because when Jesus died on the cross, we died with Him; and when Jesus rose from the dead, we rose with Him. Our old selves died so that our spirits would arise anew.
So let me tell you who you are: You are greater than Julius Caesar. You are greater than Alexander the Great, King Nebuchadnezzar, and Pharaoh of Egypt because the bible says that in Christ, you are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). The reason why we are greater than them is because Jesus is greater and we have taken on His nature. Through Christ, we can do more than them. That’s not just bible pep talk: that’s how God sees you and labels you. In hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness or danger or sword, God has made you more than conquerors through Jesus who loved us. You are a child of the Most High God. You have been adopted into His family through your faith in Christ. What this means is that you have all the rights of being sons and daughters of God. Israel was the original family. Believers have been adopted into the family. We have claim to all of the same promises that Israel was given, in addition to what God promises the Church in the New Testament. Satan has no ownership of you. He may be free to harass us, but he does not own us. When we were adopted as sons and daughters of God through Christ, Satan’s weaponry of confusion, depression, anxiety, panic attack, fear, and negativity thinking no longer has authority over us. They have lost their hold on us. Anything that feels like it has a hold on us that is from Satan is a lie. Feelings lie. We are to always conceptually be aware of the Truth and go with that. We have been set free from those sinful things and have become tethered to righteousness.
Romans 6:7 tells us, “Anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” This is our new identity in Christ. The old you; the old me, before Christ was owned by sin. The new us in Christ has been set free from sin. Sin includes fear, depression, anxiety, panic attack, confusion, and negative thinking. Jesus broke the yoke that sin had on us. Because of our new identity in Christ, we no longer have to submit to what fear says. Fear has no power over us. Fear lost its power and hold on us at the Cross. Whatever fear says to you, you can absolutely conclude that it is a lie and not true. This is actually very empowering when you get the hang of it. You will be looking for things for fear to say something so that you can claim its opposite and increase in strength. If fear tells you that you can’t walk, then you know where that thought came from; and, since you know fear is a complete liar, then that reveals that you absolutely can walk at that moment, before that crowd. Fear is no match for the Truth and it is no match for your new identity in Christ.
Faith is simply living as if God is telling the truth. One might contend, “Wait a minute States…In the last part of this series, you said to go ahead and think of the greatest thing that anxiety or fear can imagine and then go from there realizing that when fear does come that you beat it to the punch and fear will be much less. Therefore, States, you told us to think about a lie when we should be focused on Truth.” I’m glad you brought that up. That technique was just to disarm the weapon of anxiety at a moment’s instance. How anxiety works is fear builds itself up to a panic attack; and, fear increases by trying to get you to avoid situations that might trigger the fear. So the technique of preempting fear is a temporary quick tool that I suggested, and by experience, I have found works. But that is not what I am suggesting to think about on an ongoing basis. The main thought that you should have is the Truth of God on your mind. Who you are in Christ; God’s Word and His promises of power and peace for the believer should be the dominating thoughts in your mind. Even with the technique I suggested, once you disarm Anxiety by preempting it, then immediately, you should attack Anxiety with Scriptures: “God says I can do all things in Christ Who strengthens me. God says that when I walk, my steps will not be hampered, and when I run, I will not stumble. God says that He broke the bars of my yoke and have enabled me to walk with my head held high. God says that I will walk about in freedom. God says in Isaiah, do not be afraid; I will not suffer shame; do not fear disgrace, I will not be humiliated. God says do not fear the hatred of men or be terrified by their insults. Jesus says that everything is possible to me when I believe. He says that nothing is impossible for me when I believe.” That is why it is very important to search the Scriptures for empowering verses that applies to your situation and memorize those Scriptures. You will feel fear’s grip lose hold of you. You will see the brightness of a new day and remember of what life felt like as an adolescent in absolute peace, who was never introduced to fear. You will realize that God’s Word is not just words on paper, but they are powerful, life-changing Words, endowed by the power of the Holy Spirit. You will find the hope you have longed for: the hope found only in Christ Jesus.
[This is just a friendly notice: The Revelation chapter 10 summary is now available. It is on “page 2”. There is a link for page 2 at the bottom of the Topics panel. It confused me because after I posted it, it took me awhile before I found it. I thought it disappeared.]
| |
|
