The electrical activity in your brain is incredible. It’s estimated that your brain processes 100 million bits of information per second, but its reticular activating system deletes 98% of the information that is not necessary. Of the remaining 2 million bits of information that are allowed to pass through per second, your brain only allows 5 to 9 pieces of information to surface to your conscious awareness. That is how decisions are made, memories are remembered and situations are experienced.

The electrical signals moving through your brain form patterns or neural nets based on a variety of input like trauma, education, emotion, memories, and life experiences. In most cases, we are not conscious of these these neural nets that are programmed into our brains. ”Someone or something installed these for you. And since your whole sense of reality is rooted in these neural-nets, it follows that your whole sense of reality at any given moment has been largely determined by other people and outside events.”  (Escaping the Matrix, p. 34.)

For those struggling with anxiety, panic attacks or fear, traumatic neural nets are often the cause. Something we experienced or learned as a child often triggers these neural nets into a fear response. As soon as we get into a situation that triggers that “stronghold”, our body and mind switch to autopilot, and fear rises up within us. And for most, it happens subconsciously, and we don’t have time to respond and think logically through the experience. It becomes a reaction instead of an action.

Initially, this may not sound very hopeful, but there is hope. God has given us the power to remove those unhealthy neural nets and replace them with Godly programming. He not only wants us to be free, he has given us his Holy Spirit to help us walk into freedom.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

God would not instruct us to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind” if it weren’t possible. It is possible! We can work through these negative, destructive patterns of thinking and replace them with Godly ways of thinking. Those triggers of fear, anxiety and panic attacks can be removed and torn down. We can learn to take every thought captive. God has given us spiritual weapons to tear down these strongholds (patterns of thinking):

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

This week, ask God to help you recognize any negative or destructive “patterns of thinking”, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth, because you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).

Prayer: Father, show me any wrong patterns of thinking and give me the power of Christ to tear down those strongholds.

Our brains are these amazing, complex creations, and it’s only in recent years that scientists have truly begun to understand these biological neural networks. God created our brains to adjust, adapt and learn. Sadly, the enemy knows this and has used it against us since the fall.

I’m reading a great book right now called “Escaping the Matrix: Setting Your Mind Free to Experience Real Life in Christ“. The book is written by pastor, Greg Boyd and neuroscientist, Al Larson. In it, they describe the wonderful complexities of the human mind and brain, but also share how the enemy has used our own mind against us. That’s why we are reminded in scripture to renew our minds:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

“Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.” (Ephesians 4:23).

While that may feel impossible for those struggling with crippling fear, anxiety and panic attacks, it is possible to change the way you think and the way you respond. God would not instruct us to do something that we can’t do.

Let’s start with the word “repent”. Take a moment and think about “repent”. What does it mean to you? Use it in a sentence that you hear often. Mentally document your personal definition of “repent”.  Does it sound something like this:

• Repent of your sins.
• Repent and turn away from bad decisions.
• When you sin, you need to repent.
• Stop sinning and start doing good.

Any of those sound familiar? Well, honestly, those are a wrong use of the word “repent”.

Repentance, in the original language, is not turning away from our sins; yet, it’s what we’ve been taught for years. In fact, when you look through the New Testament and the 32 verses that mention the word “repent” in some form, nowhere does it say “Repent of your sins”. It does say:

• Repent, and believe (Mark 1:15)
• Repent, and be baptized (Acts 2:38)
• Repent, and be converted (Acts 3:19)
• Repent, and turn to God (Acts 26:20)

The word “repent” in the New Testament is the Greek word metanoeo. It’s a combination of two words:

• meta: to change (like metamorphosis)
• noieo: the mind, our “thinker” (like the word knowledge)

“To repent” literally means “to change the way you think”.

When Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17), he was saying, “Stop thinking the old way and think a new way, the way God wants you to think.”  He was simply saying, “Think differently.”

There is a new way to think about the Kingdom of heaven and God’s plan for us. That will be the focus on our next few messages: how to repent (how to think differently).

Prayer: Father, help me to think differently. Help me to renew my mind and open my heart to the truth of what you want to speak into my life.

All of sudden, your body and mind hit panic mode. Terror seizes every part of your soul. You can’t run because no matter where you go, there you are. The rush of numbness fills your body as your heart pounds out of your chest. Confusion swirls in your head and your mind frantically searches for an escape.

Does this sound familiar? What I just described is a panic attack. It can be an incredibly terrifying experience. When panic hits, everything in your body and mind goes into high gear, and it can be extremely difficult to break that cycle and stop the panic attack.

For years, panic attacks controlled my life. Fear told me what I could and couldn’t do. Even the fear of fear would create a generalized anxiety that kept me in a chronic state of worry. But today, panic attacks no longer control my life.

I want to share with you these five steps on how to stop a panic attack:

1. Recognize

When panic hits, you immediately go into autopilot mode and start reacting to fear. But, you need to realize that it’s just an attack. It’s your body doing what it’s designed to do–it’s responding to a threat. The problem is that you don’t know where or what the threat is, so your mind races and adrenaline is released into your body, causing the situation to spin out of control.

The first thing you need to do is recognize what is going on. Tell yourself, This is just my body going into fight or flight mode. There is no real danger. You need to recognize what’s happening and remind yourself, This has not killed me in the past, and it’s not going to kill me now. Your body is lying to you and you need to call the bluff.

2. Don’t fight it

When panic hits, adrenaline is released into your body to prepare it for fighting or running. Adrenaline increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Your mind races to find the threat so that it can focus on the danger. Physiologically, everything in you is gearing up to respond to a dangerous situation. So, when you fight those feelings, you are actually feeding your body more adrenaline. And, you don’t want that!

It’s like starting a campfire. As the embers start to spark, you blow on them to cause them to burn hotter. But, that’s backwards! You would think that blowing on a fire would snuff it out. On the contrary, you’re not blowing out the fire–you’re feeding it oxygen causing it to burn more. The same is true with a panic attack. When you fight it, you feed it more adrenaline making it worse. To stop the attack, you must not fight it.

3. Check your breathing

Another result of the “fight or flight” mode is rapid, shallow breathing. As your body prepares for danger, it’s trying to get more oxygen into your bloodstream for the extra energy it needs to face the threat. The increase in oxygen releases more adrenaline which you don’t want. Doctors have proven that simply by hyperventilating, you can trigger panic. And, the opposite is true, that by controlling your breathing, you can stop panic.

When you start to feel the rush of panic, you should immediately go into controlled breathing. I did this often, and it’s amazing how quickly you can stop the attack. I would quickly move into a 4-4-4-4 breathing pattern: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, and hold for 4 seconds. Then, keep doing that till the panic subsides. It may be hard at first because you’re used to shallow, rapid breathing, but keep doing it.

4. Pray

Prayer is powerful! I believe God responds before we even finish praying the prayer. There are numerous examples of this in the Bible. When panic hits, call out to God for strength, wisdom, and clarity of mind to break the cycle of fear. There were numerous times that prayer alone carried me through those terrifying situations.

The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them” (Psalms 91:14, 15).

5. Call someone

There were times that I would call someone to help talk me through the panic. While it was good in that moment to help break the cycle, you have to be very careful with this step. When you call someone in the midst of panic, and it successfully stops the attack, you can start to rely on that person for peace. And, that’s dangerous because you can develop an unhealthy dependency on that person or the act of calling someone. If you need to call someone, do it rarely and don’t rely on it.

I have found these steps to be incredibly helpful over the years, but please understand that these techniques are temporary. They are only coping methods that can help you through a panic situation. Complete freedom happens when you find out what is triggering these attacks, and then work through the pain, the wounds and the patterns of thinking that cause you to experience this. Once you find freedom, the panic attacks and fear will go away. You won’t need these coping techniques any more!

For more information on finding freedom, you can read through the series called Freedom from Fear. Also, start meeting regularly with a counselor who can walk you through the pain.

Prayer: Father, give me the strength, wisdom and clarity of mind to stop the panic, and help me find freedom from what is causing this.

Our struggle with anxiety and anxious thoughts primarily happens in our mind. What we think and believe often affects what we experience physically. Let me show you.

As you read this, imagine yourself holding a lemon. Look at it. Feel the texture. Smell it. Now take a knife and cut the lemon in half. The smell is stronger now. Close your eyes, and imagine taking a big, juicy bite of the lemon.

Did your mouth water? If you really imagined that lemon in your mind, then most likely, it did. I find this experiment amazing, because it proves that a thought can trigger a physical, chemical response in your body.  And, if that’s true, then surely anxious thoughts can produce chemical reactions in your body.

Here are four practical steps on how you can stop anxious thoughts:

1. Recognize

First, you need to recognize an anxious thought as simply that: a thought. It’s only in your mind. In most situations, there is no real danger. Too often, we’ve built a pattern of dangerous thoughts in our mind that really have no danger.

If we can start by recognizing those anxious thoughts when they come, and see them simply as thoughts, then it becomes easier to stop them. It helps to write down irrational thoughts when they hit. When you have a thought that doesn’t feel right or brings anxiety or confusion, write it down and take note of how it makes you feel. Keep a journal. This will help you recognize certain patterns in how you think.

2. Take those thoughts captive

When an anxious thought hits you, it’s essential to capture that thought immediately and think though where it’s coming from. Remember, the enemy can put thoughts into your mind and make them sound like your own. Don’t believe everything you think. Look at the fruit of that thought. Does it produce peace or fear? If it produces anxiety, fear or heaviness, then don’t receive it. It’s not from God. Reject it as a lie and ask God to give you peaceful thoughts.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

The Bible says we must renew our minds and stop conforming to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). This world–with its horror movies, fear-inducing reality shows, depressing news broadcasts, and unstable economy–will not produce peace. Quite the opposite. My family and I no longer watch the news on TV. We don’t watch horror movies, nor television shows that would produce anxious thoughts.

3. Find a healthy release

Most anxious thoughts release adrenaline into your body, raising your heart rate and blood pressure. Guess what? That’s what adrenaline is supposed to do. It’s preparing you to face danger. The problem is that there’s no real danger. So, our mind starts racing around, looking for something that’s a threat because our body is screaming, “Danger! Danger!”

I have found exercise to be an extremely helpful release of adrenaline. At the end of the day, when anxiety levels are raised, I often go for a run or a bike ride. The exertion is very good for ridding your body of the excessive adrenaline. If exercise is not an option, then spend time in prayer, meditation and reading scripture. Flood your mind with God’s truth and his promises of peace over you.

4. Get to the root

I read a great quote last week from Alan Smith, one of the freedom ministry pastors at our church. He writes: If I’m struggling, it’s not because of what I’ve been through. It’s because of what I came to believe when I went through it. God heals me, not by changing my past, but by revealing truth and displacing lies.

This is so true! Everyone has lies and wounds deep within our souls that affect how we perceive the world around us. That’s why it’s imperative that we know the truth so that the truth will set us free (John 8:32).

If your church does not have a freedom ministry, then I encourage you to start reading and studying all that Christ has done for you. There are some great books on our online bookstore.  Also, check out our church’s Freedom Ministry foundation videos. They are wonderful! And, you can watch them online for free.

Prayer: Father, help me recognize the anxious thoughts when they hit, take them captive, release them and then get to the root so that I may find complete freedom in Jesus.

It starts with a thought that comes out of nowhere. All of sudden, your mind is finding ways to fend off this unwanted intruder. “What can I do to stop this?” “What will happen if this comes true?” “How can I get out of this situation?” On and on, the cycle spins faster.

In his book, “The Three Battlegrounds”, Francis Frangipane talks about one battleground in particular–the battleground of the mind. The enemy whispers doubts into our mind, and all of sudden, we are fully engaged in a fierce, mental war. At times, we feel like we are fighting for our own sanity.

The Bible is very aware of this psychological struggle. We are constantly reminded to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). But how do we do that?

Colossians 3:1 says this: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Set your mind of on things above–heavenly things, things like the love of God, his promises over you, your right standing with him, his mercy, his faithfulness, his grace, and much, much more. Renew your mind as it says in Romans 12:1-2. Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world. Sometimes it’s just too easy to turn on the television and escape into someone else’s reality. But in doing that, you feed the anxiety and insecurity, fueling the fear. Why? Because you are setting your mind on earthly things, not heavenly things.

Philippians 4:8 says this: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” This is a Biblical list of things to think about–to meditate on. Write down some noble and pure things. For example, take a story from the Bible and make a mental movie that you can playback in your mind when those dreaded thoughts try to enter in.

And finally, use the word of God to defeat those debilitating thoughts. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responded with scripture. Satan said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3). Jesus didn’t start the cycle of “what if’s”. Immediately Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (verse 4). He did this each and every time the enemy came against him.

This week, I encourage you to “quench the fiery darts of the enemy” (Ephesians 6:16) by learning to take your thoughts captive. Submit them to the word of God and respond as Jesus responded: “It is written…” Faith will rise up in your heart, and your will be victorious in this battleground of the mind, for “a mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6)

Prayer: Father, help me to take these thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Help me to recognize the attack of the enemy, and not give in to the cycle of “what if’s”. I put my trust in you.