“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Philippians 1:6
Category: grace
A Jubilate Discipleship: Psalm 95
A Psalms Study
“Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord.
Let’s shout praises to the Rock who saves us.
2 Let’s come to him with thanksgiving.
Let’s sing songs to him,
3 because the Lord is the great God,
the great King over all gods.
4 The deepest places on earth are his,
and the highest mountains belong to him.
5 The sea is his because he made it,
and he created the land with his own hands.
6 Come, let’s worship him and bow down.
Let’s kneel before the Lord who made us,
7 because he is our God
and we are the people he takes care of,
the sheep that he tends.
Today listen to what he says:
Psalm 95:1-7, NCV
Such joy: it just bubbles through the words. This is a psalm saturated with excitement. These first seven verses are ‘carbonated joy.’ They pronounce an excitement of a living God that excels in every way. These are simple words made to escort us into a true worship, unlike any other. We might use the word, “jubilant” when hearing this psalm. And we wouldn’t be far off.
“The Lord is the great God,” and He is the King of any ‘so-called’ gods. Everything concerning the earth is His doing– for He created it, with His own hands! And our creating God is also our Shepherd, tending and caring for us as His very own flock.
These verses extol our God, to the point of exuberance. It channels us to the point of worship upon our knees, with the realization of the greatness of God. But this Psalm continues for four more verses.
Today listen to what he says:
8 “Do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,
as they were that day at Massah in the desert.
9 There your ancestors tested me
and tried me even though they saw what I did.
10 I was angry with those people for forty years.
I said, ‘They are not loyal to me
and have not understood my ways.’
11 I was angry and made a promise,
‘They will never enter my rest.’”
Psalm 95:7-11
There are two parts to Psalm 95. The first is of jubilant worship. But the second part emphasizes a solid obedience. The phrase, “Today listen to what he says:’ welds these two sections together.
Worship must always lead to obedience. You can do ‘cartwheels’ on Sunday morning, as long as you follow Him on Monday.
The issue is an history lesson that goes back to Israel’s days of Moses and the days following the Exodus. Because they were so hard and stubborn, they would wander for forty years in the desert. Their continued ‘stubbornness’ not only closed off the Promised Land, but also closed off their relationship with God— a relationship that would’ve been ‘jubilant’ and profound (at the same time). They missed out on verses 1-6 and settled on verses 8-11. How tragically sad.
There is a thread that works through scripture called “the rest of God.” The book of Hebrews uses in 12x usually as a warning:“Now, since God has left us the promise that we may enter his rest, let us be very careful so none of you will fail to enter.” (Heb. 4:1).
“Let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s rest so that no one will fail by following the example of those who refused to obey.”
Heb.4:11
To be in God’s rest is to be in harmony with Him. It is a mixture of confident faith mixed with a careful obedience. When you combine these two, you have the recipe for joy.
I believe this rest is the believer’s place of joy, peace and confident faith. It obeys because it really wants to. It is Psalm 95:1-7 in action. It is for the jubilant Christian.
Staring Down Death
“In the long run, we are all dead.” —John Maynard Keynes
| “Are you afraid to die? Remember that for a child of God, death is only a passing through to a wonderful new world…” —Corrie Ten Boom |
The idea of death is unpopular, unsettling and perhaps a little rude. It is a great way of putting a good conversation into flight-stopping stall. No one likes it (except maybe ‘Goths‘ and the perennial AC/DC fan). It is perhaps ‘too true’ and the reality keeps us from dwelling on it. But it is going to happen, you will die.
“We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it? Trouble. Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard. Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!”
Ps. 90:10, 12, MSG
Our modern society has made considerable effort to avoid the subject of death. Thinking through this strikes me as unhealthy and confusing. Through the past centuries, our present day attitude would be regarded as strange by them.
The Bible teaches us how to prepare to die well.
We have been given several decades of life on this planet, but not much more than that. The psalmist recognizes this. He prepares for his/her personal appointment for death. He prays that he will use wisely all the time he has left. Psalm 90 has been part of that preparation for millions of Christians, for many centuries.
One way to help you purify a faith that is strong enough to look death straight in the eyes, is to have a few older Christian friends. For me there is Pastor Ray. He is in his 80s now. I see myself marching behind him, and watching his back as he moves to heaven. It helps me follow in some small way. It gives me peace. Maybe that is how it is supposed to work.
The Bible is a book that is to prepare us for death, and then eternity. It is our compass as we look for ‘true north’. It has instructions and guidance, if we listen to the voice, it will bring us through the ‘door of death’. “Fear not, little flock. It is God’s pleasure to give you the kingdom”.
****
“Lord, please get me ready to see you. Teach me how to live wisely, and not as a foolish person. Teach me to be a model of faith and strength to everyone who is watching me move toward death. Give me courage and faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
*
Anxiety Understood: Checklists
Personally, I have wrestled with anxiety over the years. The residual effect on my personality has been profound. The ‘panic attacks’ are coming about once a week, and they can be a formidable enemy. So far, I have not required meds for them, but I usually just crawl into bed, dim the lights and pray. They seems to pass in about 20 minutes. However the other symptoms kind of linger– a sort of ‘background noise’ to the soundtrack of my everyday life. Low levels of anxiety can be brought under control by the work of the Holy Spirit.
I hold God by His promises of peace. I have not been instantly healed yet, but I’m learning to cling to Jesus through it. I have to believe that anxiety keeps me close to Him, I suppose that is a good thing.
Common anxiety symptoms include:
Body (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the body in general):
- Allergy problems, increase in allergies (number, sensitivity, reactions, lengthier reactions)
Back pain, stiffness, tension, pressure, soreness, spasms, immobility in the back or back muscles - Blanching (looking pale, loss of color in the face or skin)
- Blushing, turning red, flushed face, flushed skin, blushing, red face or skin
- Body jolts, body zaps, electric jolt feeling in body, intense body tremor or “body shake”
- Body temperature increase or decrease, change in body temperature
- Burning skin, itchy, “crawly,” prickly or other skin sensations, skin sensitivity, numbness on the skin
- Burning skin sensation on the face, neck, ears, scalp, or shoulders
- Chest pain, chest tightness
- Choking
- Chronic Fatigue, exhaustion, super tired, worn out
- Clumsiness, feeling clumsy, co-ordination problems with the limbs or body
- Cold chills, feeling cold
- Craving sugar, sweets, chocolate, usual craving for sugar and sweets
- Difficulty speaking, moving mouth, talking, co-ordination problems with the mouth or tongue
- Dizziness, feeling lightheaded
- Dizzy, feeling dizzy
- Electric shock feeling, body zaps
- Excess of energy, you feel you can’t relax
- Falling sensation, feel like your are falling or dropping even though you aren’t
- Feel like you are going to pass out or faint
- Feeling cold or chilled
- Feel wrong, different, foreign, odd, or strange
- Flu-like symptoms, general malaise, feel ill, like you are coming down with a flu
- Flushed face, red face, flushed skin
- “Head Zaps”
- Heart palpitations, racing heart
- Hyperactivity, excess energy, nervous energy
- Increased or decreased sex drive
- Infection – increased infections, persistent infection
- Mouth or throat clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
- Muscles that vibrate, jitter, tremor, or shake when used
- Muscle twitching
- Nausea
- Nausea, vomiting
- Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
- Night sweats, waking up in a sweat, profusely sweating at night
- No energy, feeling lethargic, tired
- Numbness
- Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
- Numbness and tingling, and other skin sensations on hands, feet, face, head, or any other places on the body
- Persistent muscle tension, stiffness
- Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
- Pulsing or throbbing muscles. Pulsing or throbbing sensation.
- Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage
- Sexual Dysfunction, sexual uninterest
- Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head or face
- Shooting pains in the face
- Shooting pains in the scalp or head
- Skipped heart beats
- Sore or tight scalp or back of the neck
- Startle easily
- Sweating, uncontrollable profuse sweating
- The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
- Tightness in the ribs or rib cage area, may also feel like a tight band around the ribs or rib cage area.
- Tingling sensations, anywhere on the body, including the hands, feet, legs, arms, head, mouth, chest, groin area
- Throat or mouth clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
- TMJ
- Trembling or shaking
- Twitching
- Unsteadiness, dizziness, feeling dizzy or lightheaded
- Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom (similar to urinary tract or prostate infection symptoms)
- Warm spells
- Weak – feel weak, weakness, low energy, light, soft, like you may faint
- Weak legs, arms, or muscles
- Weight loss, weight gain
Chest (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the chest area):
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Concern about the heart
- Feel like you have to force yourself to breath
- Find it hard to breath, feeling smothered, shortness of breath
- Frequent yawning to try and catch your breath
- Heart Palpitations – beating hard or too fast, rapid heartbeat
- Heart – Irregular heart rhythms, flutters or ‘skipped’ beats, tickle in the chest that makes you cough
- Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
- Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage
- Emotions (see mood) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with emotions, mood, and feelings)
Fears (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with fear):
- A heightened fear of what people think of you
- Afraid of being trapped in a place with no exits
- Constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
- Fear of being in public
- Fear of dying
- Fear of losing control
- Fear of impending doom
- Fear of making mistakes or making a fool of yourself to others
- Fear of passing out
- Fear that you are losing your mind
- Fears about irrational things, objects, circumstances, or situations
- Fears of going crazy, of dying, of impending doom, of normal things, unusual feelings and emotions, unusually frightening thoughts or feelings
- Heightened self awareness, or self-consciousness
- Need to find nearest washrooms before you can feel comfortable
- Need to seat near exits
Head (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the head):
- Burning, itchy, tight scalp
- Dizziness
- Dizzy
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Frequent headaches, migraine headaches
- Feeling like there is a tight band around your head, pressure, tightness
- Head, neck or shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
- Head zaps, head tremors
- Giddiness
- Numbness
- Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
- Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
- Shooting pains in the face
- Shooting pains in the scalp or head
- When you close your eyes you feel like are beginning to, or will, float upwards
- Sore jaw that feels like a tooth ache
- TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint) – clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth
Hearing/Ear(s) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with hearing):
- Feel like there is something stuck in your ear, that your ear canal it plugged or blocked, that there is a pebble in your ear that you can’t get out
- Low rumbling sounds
- Reduced hearing, frequent or intermittent reduced hearing or deafness in one or both ears
- Ringing in the ears, noises in the ears, noises in the head
- Pulsing in the ears, throbbing sound in the ear(s)
Mind (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mind and thinking):
- Afraid of everything
- Altered state of reality, consciousness, or universe feeling
- Deja Vu, a feeling like you’ve done or experienced something before
- Depersonalization
- Derealization
- Desensitization
- Difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss
- Difficulty thinking, speaking, forming thoughts, following conversations
- Disorientation
- Fear of going crazy
- Fear of losing control
- Fear of impending doom
- Feelings of unreality
- Frequent feeling of being overwhelmed, or that there is just too much to handle or do
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Nightmares, bad dreams
- Obsession about sensations or getting better
- Repetitive thinking or incessant ‘mind chatter’
- Short-term learning impairment, have a hard time learning new information
- Short-term memory impairment, can’t remember what I did a few days, hours, or moments ago
- Spaced out feelings, feeling spaced out
- “Stuck” thoughts; thoughts, mental images, concepts, songs, or melodies that “stick” in your mind and replay over and over again.
- Trapped in your mind feeling
- Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
- You often feel you are carrying the world on your shoulders
Mood / Emotions (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with mood, emotions, and feelings):
- Always feeling angry and lack of patience
- Depersonalization
- Depression
- Dramatic mood swings (emotional flipping)
- Emotionally blunted, flat, or numb
- Emotional “flipping” (dramatic mood swings)
- Emotions feel wrong
- Everything is scary, frightening
- Feeling down in the dumps
- Feeling like things are unreal or dreamlike
- Frequently being on edge or ‘grouchy’
- Feel like crying for no apparent reason
- Have no feelings about things you used to
- Not feeling like yourself, detached from loved ones, emotionally numb
- Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
- You feel like you are under pressure all the time
Mouth/Stomach (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mouth and stomach):
- A ‘tinny’, ‘metallic’ or ‘ammonia’, or unusual smell or taste
- Aerophagia (swallowing too much air, stomach distention, belching)
- Burning mouth, feeling like the inside of your mouth is burning, or tingling, or like pins and needles, or all of these together or at different times
- Burning tongue, feeling like your tongue is burning, or tingling, or like pins and needles, or all of these, or all of these together or at different times
- Choking
- Constant craving for sugar or sweets
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty talking, pronouncing certain letters or sounds, mouth feels like it isn’t moving right, slurred speech
- Dry mouth
- Feeling like you can’t swallow properly or that something will get caught in your throat
- Feeling like your tongue is swollen
- Lack of appetite or taste
- Lump in the throat, tight throat, something stuck in your throat
- Mouth muscles twitching/jumping
- Mouth or throat clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
- Nausea
- Nausea vomiting
- Nausea or abdominal stress
- Numbness
- Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
- Stomach upset, gas, belching, bloating
- Teeth grinding
- The thought of eating makes you nauseous
- Tight throat, lump in throat
- Throat or mouth clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
- TMJ
- Tongue symptoms – Tingly, “stretched,” numb, frozen, itchy, “crawly,” burning, twitching, “jumpy,” aching, sore, or swollen tongue (when it isn’t).
- Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom
- Vomiting
Skin (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the skin):
- Burning skin sensations, skin sensitivity
- Numbness
- Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
- Skin problems, infections, rashes
Sleep (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sleep):
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Frequent bad, bizarre, or crazy dreams
- Hearing sounds in your head that jolt you awake
- Insomnia, or waking up ill in the middle of the night
- Jolting awake
- Waking up in a panic attack
- You feel worse in the mornings
Sight (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sight):
- Distorted, foggy, or blurred vision
- Dry, watery or itchy eyes
- Eye tricks, seeing things our of the corner of your eye that isn’t there, stars, flashes
- Eyes sensitive to light
- Spots in the vision
- Flashing lights when eyes are closed
- Your depth perception feels wrong
Touch (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with touch):
- Burning skin sensations, skin sensitivity
- Feeling cold or chilled
- Numbness
- Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
- Pain
- Tingling, pins and needles feelings
Other anxiety symptoms are described as:
Being like a hypochondriac, muscle twinges, worry all the time, tingles, gagging, tightness in the chest, tongue twitches, shaky, breath lump, heart beat problems, head tingles, itchy tingling in arms and legs, and so many more.
In addition to these anxiety symptoms, you may also find yourself worrying compulsively about:
• Having a heart attack • Having a serious undetected illness • Dying prematurely • Going insane or losing your mind • Suddenly snapping • Losing it • Uncontrollably harming yourself or someone you love • Losing control of your thoughts and actions • Being embarrassed or making a fool out of yourself • Losing control • Fainting in public • Not breathing properly • Losing control of reality • Choking or suffocating • Being alone
These are some of the more common anxiety symptoms. This list isn’t exhaustive. :-)
This information can also be found at: http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml
Good Teaching by CBN on Overcoming Anxiety http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/teachingsheets/keys-Overcoming_Anxiety_Worry_and_Tension.aspx
Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28, ESV
Broken Believers 