Don't panic, trust God

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6-7

In essence the above verses are telling us, 'Don't panic but trust God.' I really enjoyed reading these verses from The Passion Translation, 'Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.'

It is very clear from the Scriptures that God does not want his people to live a life of worry, fear, panic and stress. Yet we find untold millions of believers struck down with  the negativity that comes from stress, worry and fear such as mental breakdown and depression. 

As I travel around the globe, I see so many believers who have been struck with mental breakdowns and depressions and there seems to be no difference between the world and the church. That should not be the case in the church! That should not be the case for anyone but specially for believers. Worry has debilitating effects upon the mind and well being of a person. These effects are designed to tear a person down. Peter in his epistle revealed a dastardly tactic of Satan, in regards to worry: 

Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you. Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour. Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong, vigorous faith. 

1 Peter 5:7-8 The Passion Translation

The Authorized Version rendering of these verses is, 'Casting all your cares upon him for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour .' Satan is our enemy and our adversary. The word 'adversary' is antidikos in Greek which is a combination of two words,  anti meaning against or more literally to deny and dikos meaning rights. Therefore antidikos means someone who denies you your rights. You have rights as a believer. You have a right to be the head and not the tail. You have a right to be on top and not beneath.

You have a right to be walking in divine health. You have a right to have all your needs met according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

You have so many rights from the Scriptures that God has made available to you through redemption. However these rights are denied to us by Satan when he can keep you in worry. This is why Peter said, 'Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you. Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour. Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong, vigorous faith.'  (The Passion Translation) 

As long as you keep a hold of  worries then Satan will keep devouring you. If you are tired of being devoured by the devil then stop worrying! Now you may ask, 'Doesn't everybody worry?' No, not everybody worries! I am going to be a little blunt with you, 'those who worry and fear are those who have forgotten what the Word says.' You see worry and fear go together. In fact a good acronym of fear is:

Forgetting 

Everything 

About 

Redemption

Unfortunately for most believers it is a case of forgetting everything and run! I want to drive this into your mind, 'Worry is inviting the enemy to strike you'. Worry is opening the door to Satan to steal, to kill and to destroy. Notice how Jesus said these words in respect to the enemy,

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy...

 John 10:10

Before the thief kills and destroys he has to steal first. What does he steal first? Jesus explained in the Parable of the sower, 'And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.' (Mark 4:15) Martha was having a meltdown, like many of us, and Jesus did not tolerate it for one second. In fact the Lord reprimanded her: 

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Luke 10:40, 4

Look at how Jesus worded his answer to Martha, 'You are full of cares or worries and this is what has resulted in you being troubled to the point of cracking up.' Being fretful and panicking  are as a result of you allowing things in your heart which should not be there. Some of the outward expressions of worry inside of you are:

• Panic
• Wringing of hands
• Illogical answers 
• Mental meltdown
• Helplessness
• Loss of control
• Sense of imminent loss 

The disciples of Jesus expressed these feelings in contrast to those of Jesus in the same situation:

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Mark 4: 36-38

Jesus was cool and sleeping in the hinder part of the ship while the disciples were having a meltdown on deck. Why?  'And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.'  In other words the water got into the boat. A simple way to understand this is, 'Boat in the water is good but water in the boat is not good.' In other words you can be in a situation but don't let the situation get in you. I am amazed to know that  Jesus was with the disciples and they were having a meltdown. Unfortunately the same is happening today for so many believers. They are indwelt by him and yet they are having meltdowns. I want to encourage you to stop worrying. You say, 'Well how do I do that?' It is simple, 'Cast your cares upon him.' In other words give all your problems to Jesus and tell him, 'Lord, this is now out of my hands and I give them into your hands to do something about them.' Then once you do this, start praising him for the answer and expect your miracle to come!