“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6 NIV)

Anxiety, appearing in the form of panic attacks, affects millions of people worldwide. There are physicians who specialize in it, clinics dedicated to it, and multiple drugs to treat it. It has become a billion-dollar industry. It’s a really big problem! So, what is it basically? Fear! A panic attack is simply fear out of control, or fear on steroids.

Fear attacks are not from God!

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

We are commanded not to fear

The passage at the top is a command from God saying, “Do not be anxious about “anything.” And anything means everything! Many people who have panic attacks say they come on suddenly without warning, and they can’t do anything to stop them. But is this really true? I used to think so! For many years, I had panic attacks, sometimes so severe that they put me in the hospital. After I became a Christian, I found many passages throughout the Bible saying not to fear. There are 365 of them—in fact, one for each day of the year. And think about it: Would God command you not to do anything you couldn’t do, especially when you included His help? I was able to overcome panic attacks by learning to recognize them for what they really are—satan attacks! And I learned to say no to them. It took some time and self-control (2 Tim. 1:7), but eventually I stopped having them.

The answer

The second part of the passage at top gives the answer: “but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” When you feel a panic attack coming on, pray immediately and thank God for helping you overcome it before it gets out of hand. And expect Him to help you!

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)

Therefore

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Psalm 119:18 ESV)

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is about Elisha opening his servants' eyes to see the hidden truth of what was going on all around him. The backstory is about how Elisha made the king mad because he had been revealing some of the king's dark secrets, and that upset the king very much. So, the angry king sent a large group of soldiers to attack Elisha. But that didn’t seem to bother Elisha at all. But his servant was very much afraid and franticly warned Elisha of the eminent danger. But the reason Elisha wasn’t concerned was because he could see something his servant couldn’t. So, he prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened to see what he could see—chariots of fire all around them!

“Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17 ESV)

There is a spiritual world you cannot see

Just as you cannot see radio signals or the wind you cannot see the spiritual world without God’s help. All those chariots Elisha could see were there even though invisible to most.

Ask God to open your eyes spiritually

I never understood the Bible or spiritual things until I received Christ and had the Holy Spirit inside to help me. When reading the Bible I have discovered that I could ask God to open my eyes to His truths therein and then He would give me insight I didn’t have on my own. This made the Word of God come alive as I read it.

You can pray that Jesus will open the eyes of those you’re praying for

“Open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Acts 26:18 ESV)

Therefore

“Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” (Eph. 1:18 ESV)

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11 ESV) 

What is joy?

Webster defines joy as as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. It can also be a state of happiness or felicity. Some synonyms are beatitude, blessedness, delight, and happiness.  

How do you receive fullness of joy?

The verse at top proclaims that there is fullness of joy in God’s presence and that there are pleasures forevermore at His right hand. This is an absolutely wonderful promise that starts out by telling you how to achieve it, “You make known to me the path of life.” Therefore, you ask Him for it. Jesus said, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24 ESV) it’s as simple as that!

Therefore

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom 15:13 ESV)

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11 ESV)

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14 KJV)

I live in a farming community, and there are lots of dairy farms of all sizes everywhere. We also have a huge fair here each year, and we have another big event called a plowing match. That’s where farmers, young and old, come from all around to be a part of a plowing contest done the old-fashioned way, with horses or mules, instead of tractors. You can tell the difference between a novice and a seasoned contestant by how they plow. The rows plowed by the novice entrants are often curved and jagged. The rows plowed by the seasoned entrants are perfectly straight. This is because the novice entrant looks down at the row as he plows it, causing him to wander a bit here and there. The seasoned entrant, however, keeps his eye on a flag planted at the far end of the row he’s plowing. This makes each row perfect, without any curves or imperfections.

Press towards the mark

As Christians, we are encouraged to press toward a mark, and that mark, of course, is Jesus. The prize at the end is “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (see the passage at the top). Just like the people in the plowing match illustration above, the better you keep your focus on Jesus, the better your result will be.

Therefore

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2 ESV)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6 ESV)

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.” (1 Cor. 9:24)

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Heb. 4:16 NLT)

There once was a powerful king who ruled with an iron hand. If anyone dared approach him without permission, he would be immediately put to death. The king had a son, still a toddler, that he dearly loved. One day, while the king was holding court, the little boy heard his father’s voice, broke loose from his caretaker's grip, ran into the room, and yelled loudly, “Daddy!” He ran right to him, jumped onto his lap, and said, “Hi Daddy, I heard your voice! I am hungry. Can I have something to eat?" The king smiled, embraced his son, and ordered some food for him. That is a picture of how we can approach God. You can approach Him boldly in your time of need! He loves you!

“Call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you.” Psalm 50:15 (NLT)

“When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Prov. 16:7 ESV) 

Yesterday, I spoke about pleasing God and obeying His commandments to get your prayers answered. Another way to please him is to find out what he says he hates. Then make sure you don’t do any of those things! The following is a list of things he says he hates and detests. It’s very important to know what these things are and not allow them into your life, period! When you please Him, He will bless you with peace and even make your enemies to be at peace with you. What a promise!

Seven things the Lord hates and detests

“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” (Prov. 6:16-19 NLT)

• Haughty eyes - Haughty is defined as arrogant, vain, conceited, snobbish, superior, self important, pompous, supercilious, condescending, patronizing; scornful, contemptuous, disdainful; full of oneself, stuck-up, snooty, hoity-toity, uppity and big-headed.

• A lying tongue – To lie is to deceive someone else and to be in agreement with the devil who is the father of lies! (John 8:44). Deception of any kind leads away from God because He is truth and will not associate Himself with liars and deceivers. The opposite of lie is truth, Jesus is the truth and the truth will set you free! (John 8:32).

• Hands that kill the innocent – To kill the innocent is to commit murder (Exo. 20:13). This is why abortion is wrong. It is killing the innocent. (Gal. 1:15 & Jer. 1:5)

• A heart that plots evil – Evil is defined as any of the following:  wicked, bad, wrong, immoral, sinful, foul, vile, dishonorable, corrupt, iniquitous, depraved, reprobate, villainous, nefarious, vicious, malicious; malevolent, sinister, demonic, devilish, diabolical, fiendish, dark; monstrous, despicable, atrocious, heinous, odious, contemptible, horrible, execrable; dirty “an evil deed".

• Feet that race to do wrong – Wrong is defined as not true, incorrect, mistaken, in error, erroneous, inaccurate, inexact, imprecise, fallacious, wide of the mark, off target, unsound, faulty. It’s to know what is good but then not to do it: “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:17 NIV)

• A false witness who pours out lies – One of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” It forbids: Speaking falsely in any matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising and designing to deceive your neighbor. Speaking unjustly against your neighbor, to the prejudice of his reputation. In other words, a righteous witness must tell only the truth and be trustworthy. “A trustworthy witness will not lie, But a false witness utters lies.” (Prov. 24:5 NIV)

• A person who sows discord in a family — Discord is defined as Conflict, friction, hostility, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, bad feeling, ill feeling, bad blood, argument, quarreling, squabbling, bickering, wrangling, feuding, contention, dissension, dispute, disunity, division, opposition, infighting.

Therefore

“But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.” (1 Thess. 2:4 ESV)

“And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” (1John 3:22 ESV)

I recently visited with a friend I’ve known for many years. He’s a Christian, a churchgoer, and doesn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs, but he recently started living with a woman he’s not married to. I asked him how his relationship is with God, and he said, “It’s all right." I asked, “Do you pray? And he said, "Yes." I said, “What does God say to you about living in sin? Does that ever come up in your conversations with Him?” He looked embarrassed that I had asked him that question. I told him that if you’re ever doing anything you know is sin, that will affect your relationship with God. It will affect your ability to pray effectively. And it will affect your prayers being answered and whether or not you are blessed by Him. It’s sort of like coming face-to-face with someone you owe money to but haven’t paid. It’s awkward and a barrier to the relationship until it’s paid back. And because you owe them, you avoid them. It’s the same with God.

The promise of answered prayers

The passage at the top, our promise for the day, says, “And whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” It’s clear that the promise of answered prayers is contingent upon two things: 1) keeping His commandments, and 2) doing what pleases Him. This begs the question: How do you please Him? First, you please Him by obeying His commandments! Begin with the Ten Commandments. And, as you daily read the Bible, seek to understand and obey the commands you see as you come across them.

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!” (Psalm 119:9-10)

Therefore

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” (1 Thess. 4:1 ESV)

“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” (Prov. 12:24)

Work like ants and don’t be lazy!

 “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.” (Prov. 6:6-8 NLT)

When you watch ants, you can tell they aren’t lazy. Each one has an important job to do in the colony, and they work continuously to do it. That’s why the Bible tells us to take a lesson from them. We can and should learn a lot from them because ants are truly amazing creatures. They faithfully do their jobs, work hard, cooperate together, and prepare for the winter. Ants are very social insects, and they divide jobs among different types of ants in each colony. The queen’s job is to lay eggs. The other worker ants feed the larvae, take out the colony's trash, forage for food, and supply or defend the nest.

Don’t be slack in doing your job

“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” (Prov. 18:9)

 Wake up, get to work!

“But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. (Prov. 6:9-11 NLT)

Therefore

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” (Col. 3:23)

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (Matt 16:27)

Welcome home!

I heard a story about a missionary who had spent his entire life on a remote mission field, working tirelessly to help the poor people there. Eventually his body got old, his health failed, and he could no longer carry out his duties. So, he had to return to America to live out his final days. After the long ship ride, they finally arrived at the sound of a band playing and a crowd of cheering people carrying signs saying, “Welcome home!” But none were for him. It was for some famous person they were greeting. No one was there to welcome him as he slowly made his way off the ship towards the small, sparsely furnished room where he would be staying. He put away the few little items he had been able to bring, and then sat quietly alone. He thought of all the hard work he had done over his lifetime in a faraway land and the toll it had taken on his life. He thought about the big band and the cheering crowd with welcome home signs, which were not for him. And he became very sad, with a heavy heart. He cried out to God in anguish, “Have I not done a good and faithful job serving you all my life, Lord? And yet, not one person was there to welcome me home! Why?” And he heard a small voice say, “You’re not home yet, my son!” He then understood the wonderful truth. He will one day actually be arriving home, and that arrival will be far above anything he could imagine!

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (Rev. 22:12 NIV)

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9 NLT)

Therefore

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Phil. 3:20 ESV)

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4 ESV)