Fear, Anxiety, and Panic (Part 2) - Fear (Part B), Anxiety (Part A)

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Fear, Anxiety, and Panic (Part 2) - Fear (Part B), Anxiety (Part A) 4. Fear can cause us to disobey God’s commandments and bring judgment upon us. A. King Zedekiah was afraid of the Babylonians and the Jews that had fallen to them, and therefore he did not obey the word of the Lord from the prophet Jeremiah and suffered severely for it (Jer 38:17-20 c/w Jer 39:4-8). B. King Saul was afraid of the Philistines and did not wait for Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice, but instead did it himself and thus lost the kingdom (1Sa 13:8-14). C. In the parable of the talents the servant who was afraid (and lazy) and hid his talent in the earth instead of investing it like he was supposed to was judged severely by his lord (Mat 25:24-30). 5. Fear is caused by a lack of faith. A. Jesus attributed the disciples' fear to a deficiency of faith (Mar 4:40). B. Faith is the antidote to fear (Psa 56:3). C. If we put our trust in the LORD, we will be safe (Pro 29:25). D. If we love God, we will believe that He will protect us; and that love of God exercised through faith will cast out fear (1Jo 4:18). E. Believing that God will protect us is the way to fight fear (Mar 5:36). F. We must not be afraid of sudden fear, but let the LORD be our confidence (Pro 3:25-26). 6. The devil is behind many of our fears. A. Satan’s most effective fear that he afflicts people with is the fear of death (Heb 2:14-15). B. Satan afflicted Job and caused him to be troubled in mind (more on this later). C. Satan is likened unto a roaring lion because he uses fear to attempt to paralyze his victims (1Pe 5:8). D. When the devil tempts you to fear, answer him with the word of God (Mat 4:1-11). i. Examples of how to do this will be given later in this study. ii. Resist him steadfast in the faith (1Pe 5:8-9). iii. When you do that, he will flee from you (Jam 4:7). 7. Sometimes fear comes from God as punishment. A. God judges sinners by appointing terror over them (Lev 26:14-16). B. Those who turn from God will be given over to destruction and fear (Deut 32:15-25). 8. Fear is tormenting (1Jo 4:18). A. Torment n. - 1. An engine of war worked by torsion, for hurling stones, darts, or other missiles. Obs. 2. An instrument of torture, as the rack, wheel, or strappado (rare or doubtful); hence, the infliction of torture by such an instrument as a form of punishment, a means of extracting information, etc.; torture inflicted or suffered. b. spec. The punishment of hell. 3. A state of great suffering, bodily or mental; agony; severe pain felt or endured. B. Fear is torture. C. Fear inflicts great mental suffering and agony. III. Anxiety 1. Anxiety is a terrible feeling. A. It is a feeling of fear, uneasiness, nervousness, and dread. B. It can also be accompanied by depression and heaviness. C. Anxiety attacks can cause moderate to severe physical symptoms, such as: i. The feeling of one’s heart dropping into his stomach ii. Stomach churning iii. Increased heart rate iv. Chest pain v. Sweaty palms vi. Tingling in hands vii. Lightheadedness viii. Headache ix. Flushed / hot face D. For people that suffer with it, it can come suddenly, and sometimes for no apparent reason. i. Sometimes there is a particular thing or event that one dreads which causes his anxiety. ii. Sometimes the fear of that particular thing is irrational, but even if the suffer knows it’s irrational, it’s hard for him to stop himself from feeling anxious about it. E. The feeling of anxiety will sometimes come and go quickly and often over short periods of time. F. One minute the man will feel fine, the next minute the anxiety is back again. G. When a person is experiencing an attack of anxiety, he feels like it will never get better, but that he will have to suffer with it for the rest of his life (similar to how a depressed person feels). H. He struggles to not fear the next bout of anxiety that might come at any time. 2. The word “anxiety” is not found in the Bible. A. However, many synonyms of it are. B. As will be demonstrated in this study, the Bible has A LOT to say about anxiety. C. Before I started this study, I assumed that anxiety is a modern phenomenon which is a product of our modern world. i. I figured that, though the Bible has a lot to say about fear, it probably has little to say about anxiety. ii. As I defined words and searched the scriptures, I found that people in the Bible thousands of years ago suffered with anxiety just like many people do today. 3. The Bible refers to anxiety as carefulness (Eze 12:18-19; Luk 10:41; 1Co 7:32). A. Definitions i. Carefulness n. – Quality or state of being careful. a. Solicitude, anxiety, concern. ii. Careful adj. – 1. Full of grief; mournful, sorrowful; also (of cries, etc.), expressing sorrow. Obs. (last usage in 1599) 2. Full of care, trouble, anxiety, or concern; anxious, troubled, solicitous, concerned. iii. Concern n. – 1. a. Regard, respect, reference; concernment. 5. a. Interest, solicitous regard, solicitude, anxious, uneasy, or troubled state of mind, arising from regard to or interest in any person or thing. iv. Anxiety n. – 1. The quality or state of being anxious; uneasiness or trouble of mind about some uncertain event; solicitude, concern. v. Anxious adj. – 1. a. Troubled or uneasy in mind about some uncertain event; being in painful or disturbing suspense; concerned, solicitous. 2. a. Fraught with trouble or solicitude, distressing, worrying. vi. Solicitude n. – 1. The state of being solicitous or uneasy in mind; disquietude, anxiety; care, concern. vii. Solicitous adj. – 1. Full of care or concern; anxious, apprehensive, disquiet. 2. Troubled, anxious, or deeply concerned, on some specified account. B. We are commanded to be careful (be full of anxiety) for nothing (Php 4:6). C. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not careful, even when faced with death and having to answer to the most powerful king in the world (Dan 3:16). i. They believed that God would deliver them (Dan 3:17). ii. But even if God did not deliver them, they would not compromise on their faith, obedience, and principles (Dan 3:18). iii. Their faith in God quelled their fear and anxiety (Heb 13:6).