It’s important to remember that panic attacks are both physical and mental.

Physical

They are physical because your body is releasing adrenaline and triggering the fight or flight response. Stress and trauma can increase the sensitivity of those fear chemicals making the it easier to slip into panic.

One method for reducing your sensitivity to panic attacks is to exercise and monitor your diet. They can help reduce or eliminate the excess adrenaline in your body. In my own life, exercise and diet have played a huge role in stopping the attacks.

Mental

Thoughts, memories and emotional wounds can often trigger the body’s release of adrenaline. And in most cases, the emotional pain is so deep and hidden that we don’t even know what’s triggering it. I have found that digging deep into my own personal freedom has been very, very helpful in finding the cause of those mental triggers.

The other challenge with the mental side of panic attacks is that our minds will often race when the panic hits. Typically, in a fight or flight situation, there is a very real danger, and your mind was designed to respond to that danger either by running away or standing to fight. The problem with panic attacks is that it’s often rooted in an inward pain, not an outward threat. So, our minds race to find the threat but find nothing. So, we conclude that it’s something inwardly dangerous like cancer or that we’re going crazy. We must learn to recognize these lies.

Over the years, as panic would hit, I tried many different things to stop the attack. Below are some steps I’ve taken that have been very helpful in stopping an attack:

Be Prepared

When an attack hits, it can be so terrifying that it’s hard to think clearly. We tend to respond instinctively instead of proactively. It’s important to prepare yourself on how you will respond. Just like athletes train their muscles so that motion and movement are automatic, so must we train our body and mind to respond instinctively to the rush of adrenaline that triggers panic.

Recognize

Panic can often sneak up on you before you know it and set things into motion before you have time to stop it. By recognizing those feelings, thoughts and sensations, you can spot the precursors to panic giving you a heads up. Then, you can move carefully and strategically into the next few steps…

Breath Slowly

In almost every case of panic or anxiety attacks, breathing moves from a normal, slow rhythmic state to a shallow, rapid state. Your body is preparing for danger, so everything in your body changes. Your heart rate increases, your blood pressure rises, and your breathing gets rapid to prepare for the dangerous situation. It’s essential to get your breathing under control. Studies have shown that by slowing your breathing, you can stop panic immediately.

Here’s what I do. I start a four-by-four breathing pattern. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold it out for 4 seconds. And repeat. Breathe deeply with your abdomen, watching your stomach move in and out. It may be hard at first because your body is not used to slower breathing in a panic state, but I have found over and over again that this step is very powerful in stopping panic.

Don’t Fight

Panic attacks are cyclic. When it hits, your mind races releasing adrenaline. Then, when the adrenaline dumps into your body, it causes your mind to race even more, dumping more adrenaline. It cycles deeper and deeper until it feels terrifying and unstoppable.

In the early 70′s, before panic attacks were even called “panic attacks”, Dr. Claire Weekes pioneered this “don’t fight” solution for those suffering with “nervous conditions.” She would often challenge her patients to not fight those incoming, fearful thoughts and just let them “float on past.” This is very helpful in stopping panic because when you fight the panic, you are doing exactly what your body is gearing up for: fight or flight. Fighting releases more adrenaline, so don’t fight it.

I have found that when panic strikes and my body starts to go numb with those sensations, if I can avoid fighting those feelings and let them sweep over me, that cycle of fear is broken immediately and there’s no panic. It’s hard, however, to let those feelings rush in without resisting. They are terrifying. But, that’s why I…

Pray

Faith has been essential for me in breaking the cycle of fear and panic. The more I learn to trust God, the more I can resist the urge to fight those feelings. I encourage you to learn more about what God thinks of you and how he wants to help you.

These are some scriptures I often remember when panic strikes:

• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
• God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

These steps have helped me break the cycle of panic attacks. Today, panic no longer has a grip on me. There are a few, rare occasions where it rears its ugly head, but the cycle is broke quickly and the panic never spins out of control. I call them “zaps of adrenaline.” As you learn these steps and trust in God, I am confident that you too can stop the cycle of panic attacks.

Prayer: “Father, help me learn these steps before any panic strikes so that I can break this cycle and stop the panic attacks.”

What is a “Sinful Nature”?

The Bible says we are born with a nature to sin–an inward motivation to sin. We don’t learn to sin; rather, it comes natural to us since birth. When we come into this world, our spirits are dead and we must be born again (John 3:3-7).

Today, under the New Covenant, there are only two states of existence: the natural and the spiritual. This is how Paul describes those two states by comparing Adam and Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:47-49,

The first man was of the earth, made of dust;
The second Man is the Lord from heaven.

As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust;
And as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.

And as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
We shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

To move from the natural (state of Adam) to the spiritual (state of Christ), you must be born again. Once you are born again, your flesh has been crucified. According to Galatians 2:20, it is no longer you who live, but Christ in you.

The Sin Nature is Dead in Christ

Once you have put your faith in Christ and are born again, your sin nature is dead. You have died to your sinful nature and are now alive “in Christ”. You are now a new creation:

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, emphasis mine).

Your old self, your old nature has “passed away.” All things “have become new.” It’s a finished work!

You no longer have a sinful nature. You have the nature of Christ inside of you.

Sinful Nature versus Flesh

Today’s modern teaching of the “sinful nature” is based on some recent translations of the Bible. Modern translations like the New International Version (NIV) and New Living Translation (NLT) use the term “sinful nature” throughout the New Testament. However, it’s more of an interpretation than a translation. In both the King James Version (KJV) and New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, there is no use of “sinful nature”. It’s only in newer translations.

So, what is this word being used for “sinful nature”?

The Greek word that NIV and NLT translate “sinful nature” is the word sarx. It is defined as “the flesh, the meat of an animal, the body (as opposed to the soul or spirit)”.

The KJV and NKJV version simply translate sarx as “flesh”. It’s your body, the natural part of you that experiences this reality through the five senses–taste, touch, smell, hear and see. The flesh is very different than the sinful nature.

Take Romans 7:18 for example and read both the NIV and the NKJV:

• “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Romans 7:18, NIV).
• “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find” (Romans 7:18, NKJV).

Why is this important? Your flesh is this tangible part of you where sin resides. Sin lives in your flesh. But, if you believe that sin in your soul and spirit, that your nature is to sin, then your identity is all about sin management. But, if you can believe that your nature is good, that you are a child of God, then there is hope to live a victorious life. You can conquer the flesh, because Christ did.

But, I still sin.

So do I. As long as you are alive, your flesh will be prone to sin. But, God has somehow uniquely separated your soul and spirit from your body when you become a believer. Your body is dead to sin. Romans 8:10 says,  ”If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” In Christ, God considers your body dead because of sin. So, we are encouraged to do the same: “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

We no longer have a sinful nature. It has been crucified and buried with Christ. Our new nature is the nature of Christ. He lives inside of us. If we can truly understand and believe that Christ lives in us and that we have a new nature in him, then it will empower us to walk in freedom. With the nature of Christ in us, we can overcome fear, anxiety and panic attacks.

Prayer: Father, show me that I am a new creation in Christ, that my old sinful nature has been crucified, dead and buried. I am alive in you.

Here’s how Paul, the Apostle, described his own experience with sin: “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate” (Romans 7:15). When we are sin-conscious, all we see is our mistakes, our failures, our shortcomings.

The Garden of Eden is a great example of what happens when we move from being God-conscious to sin-conscious. Before they sinned, Adam and Eve enjoyed an incredible relationship with God. They walked together in the cool of day and spent time together. Their fellowship was invigorating and full of life! There was no awareness of sin. There was no right or wrong. No rules. There was no knowledge of good or evil. There was just fellowship with God.

Then sin happened. Immediately, humanity was aware of sin. They had become sin-conscious: they were hyper aware of their failures, mistakes and shortcomings. So, when God showed up, they hid themselves. Adam said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10).

The immediate response to sin is shame. When shame sets in, we hide ourselves from God and we become afraid. We often experience fear because we pull away from God due to sin and shame. I don’t believe God ever pulls away from us. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). It’s always us pulling away from him. Like Adam, we hide ourselves from him because of shame. And in the same way, God is continually pursuing us because of he loves us so much.

From the day Adam and Eve sinned, all of humanity has lived sin-conscious, defining ourselves by following rules, doing what is right and not doing what is wrong. Today, many, many people live sin-conscious. But, that’s not how God wants us to live.

When Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life and then died for our sins, he made a way for us to be sinless in God’s eyes. In Christ, we are no longer sinners. In Christ, we are perfect, holy and righteous. In Christ, we have moved from being sinners to being saints.

“But, I still sin.”

Yes, so do I. As long as we live in these physical, mortal bodies, we will experience sin. If you continue reading in Romans 7, Paul talks about this war in our members (our bodies) that wages on continually (v. 23). But, our flesh (our body) is not who we are. We are spirit and soul. The real you is not defined by the physicalness of your body. ”Your real life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Sin has very real consequences in this life. If you murder, there are consequences. If you steal, there are consequences. If you treat your body poorly, there are consequences. Sin will affect your physical life.  But, sin should not define you because in Christ, God does not see your sin.

Honestly, we have it backwards.

We think that because of sin God is not pleased with us, so we try harder not to sin and clean up our lives. If we can stop sinning for awhile, then we can go to God with our needs. We wait to be clean in our own eyes before we approach God. But, that’s backwards.

God says, “You are clean and holy in Christ right now. Come to me as you are and let me help you with those areas of weakness.” Strength to stop sinning does not come from us trying harder. It comes from spending time with God and allowing him to help us.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:17).

Prayer: Father, reveal to me that my sins are gone, washed away and that I am holy and perfect in your eyes.

To fully understand what grace is and what it can do in our lives, we need to understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. But first, what is a covenant? Webster’s defines covenant as: “a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.”

A covenant is a binding agreement made between two parties, and Biblical covenants are typically sealed through the shedding of blood. Throughout the Bible, there are actually numerous covenants, not just the Old and New. The five most common Biblical covenants are:

1. Noahic covenant
2. Abrahamic covenant
3. Mosaic covenant
4. Davidic convenant
5. New covenant

Modern bibles today group the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants into the Old Testament, and the New covenant into the New Testament. Under the Old convenant, the Law was a two-party agreement between God and humanity. There were blessings for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). If you did what was right in God’s eyes, you were blessed. If you did what was wrong, you were cursed.

The New covenant is a very different two-party agreement. It is not between God and people–it is between God and Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and thereby fulfilled all the requirements of the law (Matthew 5:17). Then, he laid down his life has a sin offering (Hebrews 10:12-14). God accepted it and declared that those who are in Christ are now children of God (John 1:12).

Most believers today believe that the New covenant is between God and us. But, it’s not. It’s between God and Christ. Our only requirement for salvation is to “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9). There is no law when we are “in Christ.” Jesus “takes away the first that He may establish the second” (Hebrews 10:9).

Take a moment to think about what this implies:

1. The burden to live a perfect life has been fulfilled in Christ. It’s no longer about us.
2. The shame of our sin and mistakes is gone. Christ took it all upon himself.
3. Instead of trying harder to live the Christian life, we can now just enjoy life in Christ.
4. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Nothing.
5. Since it’s no longer about us, we are holy, perfect, blameless and righteous in Christ.

There is so much more available to us when we believe this truth about what Christ has accomplished for us. When we can fully grasp that this New covenant is between God and Christ and not us, then the pressure to perform is wiped away. Then, we can finally stop living as slaves and start living as children of God.

Prayer: Father, open my eyes to this truth of grace. Show me that in Christ, you are pleased with me in every way.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

I’ve always found this verse a bit cryptic and even condemning at times. The last part made me feel less loved: “…he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” I knew I loved God, and I knew he loved me, but I concluded (wrongly) that because I feared, I must have done something to push him away.

As I continue to grow in my walk with God, I’m learning everyday just how amazing and powerful grace is. So much of our thinking about God is just plain wrong. Here are three reasons why I believe our understanding of grace is inaccurate:

Wrong Education

As children, we’re often taught (directly and indirectly) that life is all about performance. Do good, and you’re rewarded. Do bad, and you’re punished. We’re constantly bombarded in the area of performance. Parents discipline their kids for bad behavior and reward good behavior. In school, students are graded on their performance. In the workplace, hard work and good decisions lead to promotion. Poor work and bad decisions lead to a dead-end job and possibly being fired. Our culture is one based on performance.

Sadly, most churches today just don’t teach the depth of God’s grace and what Christ has really done for us. Most messages from the pulpit mix grace with a list of “oughts and nots.” And, when we fail to “do good”, then God’s grace steps in brings us back to God. But, that’s not what the Bible says. As we dig deeper into grace and what it really means in our lives, we’ll learn that grace is a gift freely given and we can do nothing to earn it.

Wrong Conclusions

Way too often, we ask God for something, but when the answers don’t come, we quickly conclude that God has a different plan for our lives. Or, we conclude that our sin is hindering God’s working power in the situation. We pray for healing and it doesn’t come. So, we conclude that healing ended with the last book of the Bible. Or, we conclude that sin in our lives is keeping God from wanting to heal us. We pray for freedom from fear, but when the next panic attack hits, we start concluding that it’s our fault.

If I just had more faith…
If I could just overcome this weakness…
If I could just get past this hurt…
If I could just stop sinning…

My hope for this series on grace is to challenge these wrong conclusions. As you grow in your understanding of God’s grace, peace will flood your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We Have an Enemy

We can’t forget that there is an unseen enemy who is out to thwart our understanding of grace. The more he can confuse and disrupt our grasp of grace, the more he can keep us in bondage. John 10:10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I know first hand just how much fear steals my joy, kills my dreams and destroys my peace.

We should not fear the enemy. Jesus has disarmed him (Colossians 2:15) and has given us authority over Satan and his demons (Luke 10:19).

This week, I encourage you to start thinking about grace. What does it mean to you? How do you define it? How does it apply to your life? Hopefully, we can answer those questions in the weeks ahead.

Prayer: Father, help me understand more clearly what I believe about grace. Holy Spirit, teach me about grace and how to apply it to my life.