Don't Panic!

Dougles Adam’s books Cover - Dont Panic. People panic far to often. In fact i am starting to think that a lot of people live in a kind of constant low grade panic.

Henny Penny is the story of a chicken who had an acorn fall on his head and concluded that the sky is falling.

Jesus does not say dont panic in stead he says:

Matthew 6:25 NKJV

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Today, i am going to draw from over a decade in counselling as well as common sense to help you overcome panic.

Tip 1: Go for a walk and Pray

Let me make this clear: If you do not “get away” and spend time with God in prayer, EVERYDAY, then panic, anxiety and stress are going to very good friends of yours.

What amazes me is that Jesus NEEDED to get away daily and pray, yet somehow we think that we can live without it.

Luke 5:16 KJV 1900

16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

Luke 5:16 NLT

16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

We sing those words: “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care...” But we dont practice it.

And notice that although we can pray where we are and often Jesus did pray where he was, it is very important that we leave the distraction behind in our time with God.

Walking is free.

Tip 2: Read Your Bible Regularly

The Bible is an anchor for our mind and emotions. Our minds can run wild, our emotions can lead us in dark paths, but the bible anchors us in the reality of Gods presence.

Bernifits of regular bible reading:

1: It guides us to salvation.

Romans 10:9 KJV 1900

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

2: It guides our steps each day.

Psalm 119:105 KJV 1900

105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.

3: It gives us wisdom to face each days challenges.

Psalm 119:130 KJV 1900

130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; It giveth understanding unto the simple.

4: It lifts the weight of our burdens.

Psalm 119:28 KJV 1900

28 My soul melteth for heaviness: Strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

5: It blesses us with joy.

Psalm 119:111 KJV 1900

111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: For they are the rejoicing of my heart.

6: It gives us peace.

Psalm 119:165 KJV 1900

165 Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them.

Tip 3: Mind Your Own Business

John 21:21–22 KJV 1900

21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

Peter is interfering in John’s business and Jesus abruptly tells him, what does what I am doing in John life, what does it have to do with you.

I cannot over stress the importance of removing ones nose from thy neighbours affairs.

1 Timothy 5:13 KJV 1900

13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

Busybody....

Tip 4: Get some exercise

1 Timothy 4:8 KJV 1900

8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

This verse is often misunderstood and taken out of contest.

What you have in this verse in grammatically known as a hyperbole.

The bible often uses hyperbole -

Luke 14:26 KJV 1900

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

In this verse Jesus is using a hyperbole to show us that our love for God should be so great that it makes our love for our mother or father look like hate in comparison.

Paul is using the same technique.

He is not saying that exercise has little value, he is saying that as valuable as exercise is, godly exercise is over even more value, but the prophet of exercise remains important.

This is especially true for stress.

pub.med - us national library of medicine published a research paper that shows that excursus is as good as pharmaceutical remedies for mind depression and anxiety.

what counts as exercise? do something for at least 30 min 3 times a week that when you are done you go: Phew....

Tip 5: Get a Hobby

A hobby is something that we enjoy doing to relax, the word relax means to un-tense our muscles.

A hobby is something that you would you could do if you didn't have a joy you had to do. Its something that brings you great joy, at little expense, that you can do regularly and easily.

A hobby gives us a change to obey one of God’s most early commands: To rest.

Exodus 20:8–11 KJV 1900

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Rest is vital to living a healthy, well rounded, blessed life. Nothing can go on and on without rest.

Even the land had to rest.

Leviticus 25:4 KJV 1900

4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

Now i am 100% guilty here. I find it very hard to rest. Thats why i enjoy my hobbies. Now let me burst your bible: Sleeping and watch the TV: They are not hobbies, they are time wasters.

Hobbies get you doing something different, meeting different people, going places. It might be a isolation thing like building model boats or it might be a social thing like playing board games.