Article Source: JOY! Magazine
This seminar explores the root causes of life-controlling problems and presents a Christ-centred counselling path.
Topics:
The rejection syndrome | From self-life to Christ-life
| Gaining a new identity | Providential purposes of stress
| Tearing down strongholds
| The wisdom of forgiving | How to gain serenity
Date & Time:
Saturday, August 12th, 9:00-16:30
Location:
Bay City Church, Muizenberg, Cape Town
Presenters:
Dr John Woodward and Pastor Mark McKeehan of Grace Fellowship International, Tennessee, USA.
Cost:
FREE admission (a gift offering will be received to help cover expenses).
RSVP:
Email Nehlsie de Bruto nehlsiedb@gmail.com or call 082 664 7459. For more information visit curarecc.org
Discovering God’s promises for overcoming fear & anxiety
by Dr John Woodward
Sharon* thought that she was dying. Although she was a young, happily married mother and part-time journalist, she was experiencing involuntary, intense fear. Her heart was racing, she was gasping for breath, and she feared that her life was slipping away. When the emergency medical team stabilised her and completed their diagnosis, Sharon was told that her physical health was fine, but she had suffered a panic attack…
In our biblical counselling ministry, we have heard this account, and similar ones, from men and women who have come for help. Hopefully, you have not had a panic attack, but we can all relate to being vulnerable to anxiety and fears.
Fear is not always bad
Although we usually think of fear as detrimental, it has an important role as an “early warning system” to protect us from harm. Fear is legitimate when there is a real and present danger. However, phobias can develop that are irrational. In such cases, fear is not truth-based.
Body and soul
Sharon’s crisis illustrates how the body and soul are interrelated. Cumulative mental and emotional stress in the soul can cause a person’s “fight, flight, or freeze” energy to trigger a debilitating physical state. (Yet this physical readiness would be needed if a real and present danger called for it.)
If we haven’t struggled with a fear or crisis of some kind, we are still vulnerable to anxiety and worry. Again, some degree of anxiety is normal, such as when we are about to take an important test, go to a job interview, or go skydiving!
Experiencing true peace
To experience true peace daily we need a solution that is holistic and supernatural. There are physical, psychological, and spiritual factors related to the causes and cures of anxiety disorders. Medicine may help, and talk therapy may provide support and wisdom, but only through a personal relationship with God can we find supernatural, spiritual resources to resolve inner conflicts – the root cause of illegitimate fears.
The reality of spiritual warfare
Some irrational fears are caused by intrusive thoughts. Although psychiatry may label this phenomenon as merely biological, intrusive thoughts may be due to demonic influence. Demons were not only a nemesis in biblical times, but they are also diabolically active today. The apostle Paul warns us of the reality of spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10-18).
God provides the answers
Wisdom begins with reverence for God, and this puts lesser fears in their place (Prov 1:7). The ultimate cure of anxiety is provided by God’s grace, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7).
The fear of death
The dread that lies behind most enslaving fears is the fear of death. However, Jesus came to “deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb 2:15, ESV). When the believer is assured of eternal life, death loses its sting.
God’s deliverance is not only for the life to come, but also for today. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved [from what holds us back] by His life” (Romans 5:10 ESV).
A promise worth memorising
God’s provision for His children’s security and peace includes prayer, His presence, and His promises. A prayer promise worth memorising is Philippians 4:5-6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
A confidence-building discipline
Practicing God’s presence is a confidence-building spiritual discipline, “for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Heb 13:5,6, ESV).
The victory of Jesus
It has been so encouraging to see clients, who have had to take a leave of absence from their job, return to work fortified with spiritual wisdom and resources.
Although the past may haunt us, and fears about the future may intimidate us, these “Goliaths” fall through the victory of Messiah Jesus. In John 14:27 He promised, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
DR JOHN WOODWARD – author of Man as Spirit, Soul and Body: A Study of Biblical Psychology. He serves as director of counselling and training for Grace Fellowship International in the USA, an affiliate of Curare Christ Centred Counselling.
*Name changed for security reasons
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Date published: 01/08/2023
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