Anxiety Part 5 Sometines Panic Is God Sent

 

Wrapping up this brief series on anxiety and panic attacks, I must confess it was the reading of Leviticus chapter 26 that prompted me to revisit the subject in my blog.

 

This Old Testament chapter is a must read for those who desire to follow the Lord. The first 13 verses are promised blessings for those who seek to obey God. Verses 14 through 39 is a series of judgements issued by God against those who would disobey, and the rest of the chapter is promised blessings for those who would repent and turn back to the path of obedience.

 

Every one of these judgements is a call to national church wide repentance and in verses 36, and 37 we see the judgement of anxiety and panic thrust upon a nation that continually turns its back on God!

 

See if these verses are not descriptive of the anxiety and panic that grip our land today. Le 26:36 'And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee; they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues. 37 They shall stumble over one another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.

 

Friends, that’s a nation under the sway of irrational panic! That’s anxiety, and sometimes it’s just part of a national curse that God sends for the purpose of turning his people back to Him.

 

And guess what, Peter reminds us in 1Pe 4:17, judgement begins in the church! “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

 

But God has not let us without a cure! The cure for panic in this case is spelled out in verses 40 through 45, where we are told to humbly admit (confess our sins and unfaithfulness toward God) Just say “God, You are right, we are wrong.”

 

Mental health is a huge and growing concern in the land today and it seems to me that repentance would be a major first step in asking God to remove the plague.  

 

We need a revival and revival begins with each one of us. Corrie Ten Boon has said if you want a revival in the land, draw a circle in the ground, step into that circle and ask the Lord to bring revival to everything in that circle. Will you take that step today? Will you say, “Yes God, You are right, I have been wrong.”

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Anxiety Part 4 The Sword of the Spirit

 

 

I’ve been spending time addressing the matter of anxiety the past couple of days, I hope it has been helpful, but I’m not done yet.

 

Today I want to pass along some Bible verses that helped me in my own personal struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. God has not left us defenseless in these matters1 2Co 10:4 reminds us that God has given us weapons to use against our enemy! For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

 

Our weapons are spiritual and God’s Word used as a sounding board for our prayers is our chief spiritual weapon.

So let’s unsheathe the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) and start fighting back! (Eph 6:17)

 

When your personal peace is being robbed by anxiety open your Bible to Ps 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

 

 And in verses 16-19, “He took me; He drew me out of many waters. 

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me.  18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, (the moments of anxiety)  But the LORD was my support.  19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

 

Think of that broad place for a minute. It’s what the panic stricken person is looking for….room to breathe! Out of the elevator, the plane, or the trash compactor!

 

This heartfelt crying out to God is an oft emphasized strategy in dealing with distress in Scripture:

 

Ps 120:1 In my distress I cried to the LORD, And He heard me.

 

 2Sa 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears.

 

 Ps 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. (Delivered from what? ALL MY FEARS!

5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. (The release from anxiety and panic shows forth in a changed countenance. The constant frown of the worry wart is relaced with the shine of a peace that passes all understanding.

 

 

I don’t want to be overly simplistic in the cure for anxiety. I’m just sharing the things that helped me. Some may help you, some may not, and I know full well that my battle ain’t over yet! It could raise it’s ugly head again in my life at any time!

 

I know this too, there is much more that God has said in His Word about the matter of peace versus anxiety and fear.  The key is to get into the Word of God and let the Word of God get into you. Be patient as you allow the Holy Spirit  to speak to you through His Word.

 

Setting your mind on things above and our Lord’s return can often divert our attention away from those things that are leading us down the road to anxiety.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Anxiety Part 3 Phobias

 

Anxiety Part 3

 

What causes you to pray, “Father, take this cup from me?” In other words Father I am afraid of this upcoming event in my life. I’m afraid of this exam, this procedure, this flight, this speaking engagement, etc. What do you fear?

 

Is it death, an MRI, getting trapped in an elevator or a vehicle? Fire? Spiders? Animals? Cancer, Covid, Facing a crowd, speaking into a microphone, A new job, driving in ice and snow, walking on ice and snow, 

 

What is it that makes your heart pound?

 

Acrophobia – fear of heights

Arachnaphobia – Fear of spiders

Arachibutyrophobia – Fear of peanut butter

Claustrophobia – fear of tight places

Cyberphobia – fear of computers

Ephebiphobia – fear of teenagers

Glossophobia – fear of speaking in public

Genuphobia – fear of knees

Herpetophobia – fear of reptiles

Hippopotomontrosesquipedaliophobia – fear of long words

Iatrophobia – fear of doctors

Lilapsophobia – fear of tornadoes and hurricanes

Mageirocophobia – fear of cooking

Nyctophobia – fear of the dark

Phobophobia – fear of fears

 

In all our fears, whatever they may be, we have this word from Ps 56:3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. If you have a problem with fear and anxiety. I would write that verse in the front of your Bible

 

Here’s another hint: Talk your fears out with God…audibly – give Him the flight number, the name of the doctor, the weather report, name the spider if you have to!

 

God won’t tell you to “buck up,” like so many of us are prone to do. Rather He simply and often assures us in His Word to “fear not” and to learn to wait it out with Him by our side.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Anxiety Part 2

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Anxiety Part 2

Anxiety and forgetfulness.

 

I want to continue to talk about anxiety and panic in today’s Living Word. Statistically it’s on the rise worldwide, and it affects unbelievers and believers alike. I pray the Lord will use this time together to help those who are caught up in this living hell of irrational fear.

 

To delve a little deeper into the subject, let’s begin with a verse from  the Old Testament, 1Sa 14:15, “And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. (1 Sam 14:15)

 

Panic, anxiety, it spreads like wildfire doesn't it? Even in the lives of believers, it can grip us and cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus. That's what happened when Peter fell in the drink, remember?  We read about in in Mt 14:29-31:

 

“So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

 

Why did he sink? Because he became afraid and when he became afraid, he forgot, and when he forgot doubt crept in.

 

So much of my own struggles with fear and panic stem from the fact that I forget. I am so consumed by the “what ifs” that I take my eyes off Jesus, His Word, and His track record.  I forget who He is and His faithful promises.

 

I forget that He has said in “  Mt 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 

I forget the recommendation from  1Pe 5:7 “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

 

And I forget that God is not asleep. Nothing takes Him by surprise  Ps 121:3 says, “He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

 

I pray that Jesus will help me and anyone else who struggles with anxiety to remember these verses when we need them, especially at the beginning of anxiety, lest it become like a raging wildfire in our heart that robs us and those around us  of peace and joy. 

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Anxiety Part 1

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Anxiety

 

I want to spend some time on the matter of anxiety and panic attacks. It’s hard to pinpoint statistics on the rise of anxiety and panic attacks in the general population, but I think the increase is evident, as we take an honest look at the state of mental health in the land. But quite frankly, if you are the one experiencing the panic, who cares about statistics? You want help! You want out of the trash compactor and you want out now!

 

To my shame, I remember my attitude toward those experiencing panic and anxiety was a rather flippant, “suck it up buttercup,” that is until God blessed me with my own version of panic and anxiety that struck me out of the blue. It was shortly after the church plant that I was pastoring had to close its doors due to a lack of people.

 

I tried to “suck it up buttercup” but that[s hard to do when you feel like you can’t even breathe! The panic and anxiety was so bad that I couldn’t fly in an airplane, ride an elevator, even ride in a car as a passenger without an urge to flee. It was a terrible season in my life and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone or anyone’s family.

 

One of the things I learned about panic and anxiety is that it usually strikes those who have lost something or someone close to them. It could be a job, good health, financial setback, the death of a loved one, or in my case, the closing of the church doors.

 

If these kinds of things are beginning to come into focus in your own life, brace yourself, panic and anxiety are close at hand.

 

Earlier in this blog I referred to panic attacks and anxiety as a blessing from God. The reason I say that is those who have experienced them have tasted a little bit of hell here on earth. That in itself should chase you into the arms of Jesus!

 

 

The anxious and panic stricken are like the rich man who was in the torment of hell. Everything he deemed good had been forever stripped away and he begged Abraham for a drop of water on his tongue, but there would be no relief. No escape! No way out! It is a forever stuck elevator, a plane forever on the tarmac, an eternal MRI1 Panic and anxiety and unrest would now be his forever companion.

 

Don’t let it be yours! I don’t wish anxiety on anyone, but for me personally, it has driven me in a deeper way to the cross, because I have tasted of panic and anxiety in the here and now I want nothing to do with it in my eternity, and it won’t touch me if I hold on to enduring faith in Jesus

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Unintional Sins

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Le 4:27 'If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and is guilty,

 28 'or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.

 29 'And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.

 30 'Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar.

 31 'He shall remove all its fat, as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the LORD. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

 

Wow! What a rigamarole to go through to have unintentional sins washed away. Aren’t you glad we live in the New Testament age where we have an advocate in the Lord Jesus Christ, who took on the task of  removing all our sins, intentional or unintentional once and for all on the cross!

 

 We have the sure promises as found in  1Jo 1:7-9, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (intentional or unintentional)  8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all just to unrighteousness.

 

In the matter of unintentional sins, some of the last  words of Jesus ring in my ear, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

 

It seems to me that we have an alarmingly growing number of “know nots” in the land as we pastors have soft-pedaled and generalized sin, lest we offend anyone in the audience.

 

In Peter’s Holy Spirit powered sermon on that first Pentecost, he removed any doubt about the unintentional sin committed by those who crucified our Lord. He spelled it out plainly and thereby opened the door to receive the forgiveness of God offered through faith!

Ac 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

 

 And the answer was repent. Think differently about what you have done! You, like David have “sinned against the Lord,”  intentionally or unintentionally, now go, and make like the woman caught in adultery, forgiven and with a mindset to go and sin no more.

 

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

God Gifts, God Stirs, We Work

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Ex 36:2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work.

 

God, gifts, stirs, and we work, it’s really all that simple. You and I have kingdom work to do and to deny that God has important work for little old you is to shrink the very big God we serve.  

 

You have been saved for a purpose! You ought to know by now that you are saved by grace, through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any of us may be tempted to boast. (Eph 2:8.9)

 

But don’t forget the very next verse in Ephesians! Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

If you are willing to receive it and in so doing, magnify the Lord. God had you in mind from the very first DNA of Adam and Eve, and you have been born and put in the mix for such a time as this!

Mind boggling, I know!

 

God has gifted you physically and spiritually for your tasks at hand. He stirs you as you are moved by His Word and the circumstances that you find yourself in. Then you respond by doing the work!

 

Begin each day with this simple prayer/ “Lord, here I am, what is it that You would have me do today….then simply keep your eyes and ears open ready to respond. There is no shortage of tasks that need to be done, no shortage of men lying in the ditch.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Is Bling Bad?

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Ex 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the children of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.'" 6 So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

 

Take off your ornaments? What is bling bad?

 

The Israelites are about to break camp on their initial excursion to the Promised Land, but God has told them they have a problem. They are a stiff-necked people, which is another way of saying they are proud.

 

Pride needs to be dealt with in our relationship with God! He tells the people that He will not do anything concerning them until they remove their jewelry. Jewelry must be bad then, right?

 

Wrong

 

It’s pride that’s bad, and the removal of the jewelry was only an outward showing of an inward necessity concerning their relationship with God ….namely humility.

 

There was to be no “self-adornment” on this journey to the Promised land. No hint of pride. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

 

This removal of articles of self-adornment is the same reminder we get in 1Pe 3:3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--

 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

 

So it’s okay to have bling, but true bling that brings glory to God, shines from the inside of a humble spirit.

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Cooper and A Lesson On Mercy

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Ps 123:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us.

 

I have a ritual that I go through every night after supper with our dog Cooper. I have him sit in front of me and tell him to look at me. After we lock eyes, I toss a treat on the floor, but he is not allowed to go after it until I tell him it’s okay. His pleading brown doodle eyes remain fixed on me, awaiting the green light of mercy from his master.

 

Honestly, I think it’s harder on me than on him! I can read his gaze and when I can no longer stand it, I say “Okay.” And he immediately finds it and wolfs it down.

 

The parallels between this verse and my little trick with Cooper are obvious.

 

Perhaps you are in a situation where you have been needing a little mercy from God. Lock your eyes in on Jesus. Be patient! He knows your need and feels your want and He will give you that mercy when you need it.

 

The “okay” is coming and it will always align with His commands. Watch for it and be ready to move when He gives you the green light. In the meantime, be still and know that He is God.

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Come To Jesus Part 17 Come Now

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Come To Jesus day 17: “Come Now!  Thoughts prompted from the Neuman Hall Devotional booklet “Come To Jesus”  published in 1848!

 

Your tomorrow is not guaranteed! Perhaps you find yourself thinking, “it will be as easy to repent at any future time as it is today.” This a a most dangerous thought on your part.

IMPRESSIONS OF ALL KINDS WEAR AWAY BY REPITITION, unless they are made permanent by being acted upon.

 

If you’ve ever lived near a noisy mill, a roaring river, or in a railroad town, you have found that the sound, which at first disturbed you, was afterward, scarcely noticed.

 

Just so the truths of the Bible may deeply impress the mind, but if those impressions are not cherished, by acting in accordance with them, these truths will affect the mind less and less, till they are heard with total indifference.

 

Jesus stands at the door and knocks via sermons, books, conversations, consciences, and solemn warnings. (Yes, even in this blog) The sound may at first startle you, but if you do not rise and open the door, it will startle you less tomorrow, till at length, you will not hear it at all.

 

On the narrow ledges of the steep cliffs of the Yorkshire coast, multitudes of sea fowl, lay their eggs. By gathering these eggs some persons earn a perilous livelihood.

 

It once happened that a man, having fixed in the ground his iron bar, and having lowered himself down by rope, which was fastened to it, found that, in consequence of the edge of the cliff bending over the part below, he could not reach the narrow ledge where the eggs were deposited, without swinging himself backwards and forwards.

 

By this means he at last placed his foot on the ledge, but in so doing, lost his grip on the rope. His situation was most dreadful! The sea roared hundreds of feet below. It was impossible to climb up or down. He must soon perish  from want or fall and be dashed to pieces on the rocks.

Every moment he waited his danger increased. He made up his mind. The next time the rope swung towards him, he sprang forwards, seized it, and reached the top to safety.

 

Sinner! Your salvation is farther off every moment you wait  but Jesus is near to save you. He invites you to  lay hold on Him. Grasp Him by faith, He will not let you go. Come to Jesus, let this be your day of salvation.

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Come To Jesus Day 15 Careless Sinner Come

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

Come To Jesus day 15 “Careless Sinner, Come!”  Thoughts prompted from the Neuman Hall Devotional booklet “Come To Jesus”  published in 1848!

 

Are you one of those who have spent your years on the trifles of life? Listen to the startling question of Jesus, “What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

 

He tells us, “Wide is the road to destruction,”  and many, such thoughtless people, like thousands of lemmings,  follow the crowd and their path of unconcern and plunge over the cliff to their eternal torment.

 

Even as Jesus calls to you, “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?” But you see not the danger. You feel happy, and hope it will be all right with you in the hereafter.

 

Learn from the kayak ride on the river. See how smooth the stream is right before the deadly cataract swallows up the paddler. Such is your false sense of peace, soon to be broken by a fatal plunge into endless woe.

 

Shake off your apathy. Your house is on fire! The roof will soon come crashing down. Many have cried, Fire!! Fire! Fly for your life! But you pay no attention to their alarms!

 

You are in grave danger. Danger of wrath, death, and hell! Flee to Jesus. There only are you safe. Escape by the door of salvation which He holds open to you.

 

Come to Jesus and live!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word