ANXIETY/PANIC ATTACKS and FEAR IN THE LIFE OF A DISCIPLE

WBS.301

ANXIETY/PANIC ATTACKS and FEAR IN THE LIFE OF A DISCIPLE

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the IAUE be Elohim, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

The Hebrew word for “anxious” is saraph, which means “disquieting thoughts.”  It is based on a root word, caiph, which means “divided in mind.”  It is the word used in the above verse for “two opinions.”  Interesting, isn’t it, that disquieting thoughts/ anxiety is indicated here in the uncertainty of which god to worship. Elijah the prophet instructs the people to make a choice and cease their uncertainty of thought which has created anxiety within them.  Can you imagine, when the state of one’s eternity is on the line, to be uncertain as to which god you should align your life to obey and serve.  That would cause considerable unrest of soul.  James tells us in the New Testament:

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of IAUE, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of IAUE.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James explains how to fix double mindedness; and in so doing he exposes the cause of it.

James 4:8  Draw nigh to IAUE, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

An impure heart produces options in your thinking.  A double-minded man is one who has not set apart his life to pursue only one option, the will of IAUE.  That willingness or openness to consider any other alternative is what creates an impure heart, an unclean heart, a divided heart; and such a double-minded condition will thwart every effort to mature in Messiah because you will forever be weighing the will of IAUE against your own will.  This double-mindedness will also be the wellspring from which all manner of fears will arise in your life; and which can be capitalized by the enemy of your soul.

Job speaks of this anxiety in a way that is all too familiar for people who have anxiety attacks.

Job 4: 12 Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake.
15 Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up.
16 It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice: (NASB)

Here we see the whisperer as the source of the anxiety attack.  Job was awakened from sleep by an anxiety attack.  He says that dread came upon him and trembling.  All his bones were shaking.  Fear had gripped him in a way that was instant and out of control.  Then he says that a spirit passed by his face…thus identifying the nature of the source of the panic attack.  It was a spirit that caused it.  Anyone dealing with anxiety attacks can know for a certainty that they are being tormented by a demonic spirit.

Solomon tells us:

Proverbs 3:25  Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

Do not make more of a panic attack than what it is.  It is nothing more than the sudden harassment of an evil spirit.  Solomon understood this and warns us not to let sudden fear run its course and cause us to worry or to be anxious about it.  We need not fear sudden pangs of fear.  They do not originate from any legitimate foundation within us for which we should be concerned.

Psalm 94:19  When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. (NIV)

David says that when anxiety grips him, he considers the love, goodness, mercy and comforts of IAUE, His consolation, and joy overwhelms him and destroys his anxiety.

                                                                                                                           

The words “anxiety” or “anxious” do not appear in the King James Version of the Scriptures anywhere. The words used in its place are “care” or “careful.”

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto Elohim.

In this context, Paul is referring to the general cares or anxieties that come from living in the world; those fears that come upon us when we are not trusting in IAUE and the pressures of life compress our thoughts.  This would not be the same thing as a panic attack.  This type of fear does not arise from the sudden torment of an evil spirit.

In the parable of the sower, we see the cares of this world in a context to demonstrate its effect in a person’s life.

Luke 8:14  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

The cares of this world render the Word of IAUE of no effect in our lives.  Anxiety is the evidence of lack of trust in IAUE.  In the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6), Yahushua compared anxiety about the necessities of life with the nature of the Gentiles, those who are lost and without a covenant relationship with IAUE.  As the covenant people of IAUE, we are told to give no anxious thought, not even to what we are going to eat or drink or wear, the foundational requirements for sustaining life.  This is of particular interest when we understand that it is through the fear of death that the devil holds mankind in bondage to him (Hebrews 2:14-15).

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

IAUE does not give us fear.  The ONLY healthy fear in the Scripture is the fear of IAUE; and that fear works righteousness within us and holy living.  IAUE has given us a spirit whose attributes can be expressed in terms of POWER, and LOVE and A SOUND MIND.  None of those attributes are consistent with what one feels when experiencing a panic attack; so we can be positive that such fear is not coming to us from IAUE; and if not from IAUE, we can be certain it comes from the enemy of our souls. 

Panic attacks are torment; and they should not be tolerated.  The sure and immediate way to deal with a panic attack is to command the evil spirit to depart in the name of Yahushua; and then to praise IAUE for His love, goodness and mercy…citing specific illustrations of how He has demonstrated that to us personally. 

Anxiety about life, too, should not be tolerated by the disciple; and the remedy to that fear is to cast it upon IAUE.  No soldier enlisted or conscripted into an army has any need to concern himself with the necessities of life.  Those are taken care of by the authorities above him because it is their responsibility, not the soldier’s.  The soldier need never be concerned about his life’s needs.  They aren’t his responsibility once he says, “I do” to become a soldier.  The same is true of us when we bow our knee to the mastery of Messiah Yahushua.

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the Elohim of love and peace shall be with you.

1 John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of Elohim perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Why halt between two opinions?  Why be disquieted in mind?  The remedy is to commit to the will of IAUE as your life’s objective and your chiefest joy.  You will cease being doubleminded and will become fearless in the love of IAUE.