satan has nothing to do with anxiety attacks. on one hand you say you have suffered from anxiety attacks for years so you know all about them. but then you insult all that have a panic attack disorder by saying you dont give into satan and fight off the attack for 45 mins. well after 45min your panic or anxiety attack, whatever you want to call it, is over anyways so it has run its course and you havent fought anything off, you just rode the wave to the end. it is a very real medical condition which i do suffer from as well.
i have a real problem with anyone throwing satans name in on human ailments, conditions, and little traits we are born with. it is mean and down right cruel. i have been told i was the devils disciple because i am left handed by the wife of the missionary who's son i was dating in high school. then there are the people who think epilepsy is evil, bipolar, depression, get there share of it too. rememeber how people treated lepers in the bible? jesus healed them, people scorned them. and i could go on and one about all the dicriminations against diseases where people are thought to be evil because of it. so the moral of this is, do not scorn those who have medical problems, use the "what would Jesus do?" WWJD - that would be love and comfort those around you that suffer from anxiety attacks and depression or what ever they may be suffering from. do not scorn them. God says to love thy nieghbor. God's love surrounds us all, it envelopes our hearts, our souls, and our very beings. we are all God's children and must always remember WWJD?

"Worry never produced anything in it's dark room,except a bunch of negatives"

God is good.

and satan attacks everyone. Its not cruel to say, it would be cruel to know and NOT say. satans big game to get people to think he doesn't really exist, doesn't impact their lives... its never a mistake to put on the full armor of God and stand against the wiles of the wicked one (Ephesians 6). Our enemy is not flesh and blood. satan loves it when we fail to recognize him. If we treat everything that is not of God as if it is from satan, and we fight against it in spiritual warfare with the power of the Holy Spirit... we can't go wrong. If that particular 'thing' wasn't satan, no harm done. But if we just go about never thinking about satan, then he just has free roaming in our lives, and when something IS undeniably him... we don't have any experience of how to do battle.

Its not meant to be an insult. satan attacks everyone. he doesn't care. and it doesn't necessarily say anything about the person who is being attacked EXCEPT that they need to fight. we can't fight an enemy who we haven't identified. He is a defeated foe, we don't need to fear His attacks when we are donning Gods armor.(Ephesians 6:11)

As for my experience the other night... i don't need to explain. I was there, and I know the startling difference between what happened then vs. what had happened in the past. If someone wants to know what I have learned, I'd be glad to pass on what was passed on to me. I didn't dream up any of this... and I don't share it to glorify myself.

God has given me excellent teachers. I'm sorry that I am not an excellent teacher as well. I just want to pass on some of what I have learned, not to boast, but so that someone else could benefit from it.

Jesus would share the truth of God in love.
And He would (and will, and does) heal those who come to him. Some with instant miracles, some with giving them commands to do what doesn't logically seem reasonable (like the leper dipping in the filthy river), and some by mixing his spittle with the dust of the earth (which to me indicates medicine and faith in Christ together). He could have healed them all with instant miracles, but He wanted to show us that not all healings happen in the same manner. One thing is consistant among all the healing testimonies of the scriptures though... NONE of them said it couldn't be done.

CANT isn't a notion from God. And I don't believe that Jesus would tip toe around such an assertion. And I KNOW that Jesus wouldn't suggest to people that satan isn't attacking them. His word tells us clearly to prepare by putting on the full armor, to know who your enemy is... (Ephesians 6 starting in v 10) and to not fear.

There are actually 365 different references in the bible where God tells us not to fear. One for every day of the year. Think He means it? Fear is not from God.

I don't want to offend anyone. But these are not my ideas. If you don't like me, fine. But don't let your opinion of me affect your willingness to examine what Gods word says about what I am saying to you. Some people help by offering comforting words, and likely they are more popular with that approach. I try to help by sharing what I know about Gods word, and about what He has done and is doing in my life.

I took my son to the hospital at 39 days old for open heart surgery. It was not MY doing that I didn't have anxiety over that. Especially being prone to anxiety, and considering the fact that at 39 days old I found a baby I love dead 13 years prior. No one can tell me that God can't take our fears and anxiety and replace them supernaturally with His peace. I didn't deserve that. I just received it. It doesn't make me special... it makes HIM special. I did what I was told would work by people who had experienced it working because I knew that there was nothing else I could do, and it couldnt hurt to follow their lead. Now if anyone is interested in that, I'm happy to share. If you wanna shred me for daring to suggest that people CAN do what they are bent on saying they CANT... fine. I'm guilty of believing that with God all things are possible.

and just for the record, I am aware that anxiety can be a medically relevant condition for which pharmaceuticals can be effective. I have never nor would I ever deter anyone from seeking the help that is available through medicine, I would only encourage people to use meds as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, spiritual warfare. And I don't just mean that for mental health concerns, but any ailment or dis-ease which requires both the spittle of the lord and the dust of the earth, mixed together and applied in faith.... I believe that testimony of the blind mans healing is not an indicator that Jesus needed the dirt, as of course He could just have spoken a word... but that healing manifests in different ways, and that for some, we might employ the naturally occuring elements of the earth which God gave us.

i guess it just comes down to the teachings of the church you attend. yes, satan is around, that is why there is so much evil going on in this world. murders, assaults, rapes, incests, abuse- physical or mental, etc, etc, etc...... that is the sorts of evils of satan. and yes we are all very much aware of it. too much of it is out there. but as i have said, God has given man freewill and because of this some fall into satans hands and start doing mean and hateful things , then they work their way up to the assaults and murders, etc. yes, they are the ones that do the devils jobs. but not the one that mourn or sit and worry for a hour or two because their teenager is later then their curfew. or the young mother whose child is in the hospital constantly because they cant control her seizures. i know that mother and she is a good and religious woman. satan doesnt have his claws in her because she is worried about her 3 yr old daugthers seizures, neither does her daughter have the devil in her since she is having seizures. we are all praying for her daughter and her family. but the church i go to is not a fire and brimstone church and niether is the one my friend goes to whose child is so ill.
God's love for us. we are truly blessed to be children of God. our lives our lived as such, we pray for each other when someone in the congregation is having surgery or a family member is, or a family member or close friend has died. these prayers are for people who are at a low point and need spiritual comfort. we pray for God to give them strength and guidance in their hour of need. no, satan is not involved. its a perfectly natural thing to be saddened during times like these. when someone dies, we grieve. people offer their love, support and prayers. our pastor is there with a shoulder to cry on and council if you need him. he never judges you are tells you satan is taking you over because you are grieving. instead oonce a year, we have a ceremony for everyone whom lost a love one, on the Sunday after Nov 1st( All Saints Day). during the service they read the names and a bell tolls after each name. we have a special prayer for all our loved ones and its very moving. the night before on Saturday, there is a church dinner for the family left behind that want to join in. after dinner we write the name of our loved one on a smooth stone and later we go down and place it in our church's prayer garden. then we have a small candLe lighting ceremony, where scriptures are read and hymns are song, we all go up and light a candle from a center candle. we sit, remember and pray for our loved one. it brings much peace. as as you are ready you leave with your candle in its pretty glass candle holder to keep at home to relight on their birthdays and holidays.
if we are justin need of counciling because life has become a bit overwhelming, our pastor is there for us. he never judges us. he never says we are letting satan take over or sinning because we are worrying or anxious. he talks to us and trys to help us. he is full of Gods love and a great man. his sermons are very moving adn you leave full of Gods love and the words the scriptures. you know how to live your life. through the book - the purpose driven life. that my friends is what religion is all about

please do not make assumptions about the house of worship i attend based on your misconstruing what I said.

my church is not a hells fire and brimstone church.

We pray for folks in our church just as you pray for folks in yours... for healing and strength and wisdom and courage and it is all in an attitude of love and compassion.

No one that I have ever heard of at my church is being counselled with a spirit of condemnation. And it is unfortunate that my words came across to you that way. I'm sorry. I do not interpret the statement that satan is attacking someone as meaning judgement of that person or of condemnation of them. I don't believe that, so I know its not my intention. I'm sorry that it was misunderstood. But please don't take it a step further to make sweeping generalizations about my church or my pastor. If I have mispoken, I will take that burden myself.

Gods word simply makes it clear that satan is present, and satan influences us. Yes sin is in the world, its undeniable. YEs the obvious manifestation of satans work can be seen in murders and rapes and what not. But I believe with all my heart that it is a mistake to think that satan can't also be subtle in his influence. How does he get into someones mind and heart to corrupt their thinking so badly that they perform these obvious outward acts? He moves with subtlety, and he wears beautiful disguises. This is biblical, not my opinion. (2 Cor 11:14) The manifestation of murders and gross sin are the extreme, but we ought not be duped into thinking that if we aren't in that extreme we aren't affected.

In Matthew 16:23 Jesus even recognized that satan works in people, good people, disciples even! satan does not discriminate. Review the scripture. its right there. I'm not making this up. Jesus recognized satan working through the mouth of one of his closest friends. If peter wasn't immune, why should we think we are?

Look all I know is that Gods word tells us to be prepared, wearing the full armor of God.... of which the only offensive piece is the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. How do we weild our sword? By speaking Gods word into our lives and situations, rebuking the devil. I'm not in a position to declare with authority that "this is" or "that isn't" the devil, but I discern as best I can based on the knowledge of who Gods word says He is. I'm not going to say that every thought which does not glorify God COMES FROM the devil, but if it aligns with the devils purpose rather than Gods, I believe that he (the devil) will use it toward his end. 2 Cor 10:4-5 states (NKJV) "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" EVERY THOUGHT brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. The bible also refers to satan as the "god of this world" (2 Cor 4:4)... if you think that the god of this world doesn't have an interest in affecting your life, read your bible. God didn't give us the tools for spiritual warfare because the minority would need them... Gods word is intimately yours, and to pass up the information He gave you about what YOU can do in your own life to defeat the devil... theres nothing I can do to appeal to you. I don't say this to scare anyone, we have no need for fear. satan isn't scary when you fight Gods way. But if you believe that satan isn't influencing things in your life, what grounds do you have to know that? We are born in iniquity. The best description I have heard of what that means is that the sin in the world gets on us by default, not because of what we have done. I'm sorry for your friend and the health concerns of their child. Having myself sat beside of my own son, I know. I'm NOT saying that your friends child is possessed by the devil! I'm saying that the bible tells us that we are born in iniquity, and the sin of the world doesn't discriminate that it will get on one person and not another. It gets on us all. Your friends child is NOT guilty or deserving of this, certainly not. Nor did the parents bring this on. If you think that is my angle, you are misunderstanding me. I guess I just don't understand how you can make the assertion that satan isn't trying to work in your life just because you aren't a murderer or a rapist. Those are gross extreme examples of his work. The subtle things are what we need to not miss. Being born in iniquity, we could visualize as if there are doors of opportunity which are open through which satan can attack us. It could be our health, it could be our thinking, he'll use whatever opening is there without consideration of "oh thats a nice Christian person, i won't attack them"

I'm telling you, if you will just give Gods word the benefit of the doubt, and when any thought comes which does not align with His word, rebuke it, you won't be worse for wear. Its never an error to put Gods word in your mouth. God doesn't inspire negative thoughts like "I can't do this"... whether you want to take credit for the thought yourself or rebuke it as inspired by the one who WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE IT... thats up to you. But Gods word says otherwise.

and I never said it was a sin to be anxious or to worry. But I don't think it comes from God, and I know that we can decide whether we are going to meditate on our problems or meditate on our Solution. If you don't think that satan wants us inspired to meditate on the problem, then you might look into what Gods word tells us about who our enemy is. I'm not making it up. The world is riddled with low self esteem. We can blame it on the harsh words of parents who themselves had low self esteem. Yes that is a viable worldly answer. And it contains truth. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't look deeper at who is the one who wants us to feed those thoughts, and determine to use our free will to choose to speak Gods esteem for us rather than the worlds. We are accountable for our choices, and we are free will agent, indeed. But that doesn't mean that satan doesn't try to sway us. If we don't recognize his influence, how can we reverse it?

You know, I might understand the responses I am getting if I were touting, as some do, that the person themselves was evil, or that someone should stop taking medicine and 'if your faith is strong enough you will be healed'... but I'm not like that. Evil is at work in the earth, and its influence on us can be as subtle as bringing us to the decision that "I CANT OVERCOME ANXIETY"

Gods word says otherwise, and if you don't believe me, read it. God wouldn't tell us not to be anxious without giving us the means to follow through. His word tells us how to do it, and my only interest here was NOT to condemn anyone, but to share HOW IT CAN BE DONE! If people misconstrue my meaning, I'm sorry for not being more clear. I thought I was pretty clear that I wasn't judging a person, but simply recognizing that we must fight spiritual warfare according to the directions laid out in Gods word. How does one read Ephesians 6:10-12 and come to the conclusion that satan is going to leave any one of us alone. He will mess with everyone without discretion, and if anything He will attack a child of God with just that much more subtlety and venom because He hates God and wants nothing more than to destroy what God loves... US.

How can we love our brother and not point out the enemy who desires to destroy them?

I don't speak in condemnation. I speak in love. Fight according to scripture.

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!

CANT isnt a word God wants in our mouths.

It is a command, not to be anxious, it dosen't say anything about it being a sin, i don't know?