Paranoia is not of God...

Dear Friend,

I want to define Paranoia for you first. The dictionary says, Paranoia is an instinct or thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself (e.g. the American colloquial phrase, "Everyone is out to get me").

Last Saturday, I was shopping with a friend. She went to put some things in the car, while I walked to the store next door. As I was walking from one store to the other, there was a man, walking out with me. I came out right behind him, and turned like he turned. I watched him turn and adjust his shoulder bag he was carrying, and side glance and look at me. As he continued to walk, so did I. As we were walking, I could tell he was looking over his shoulder and trying to see if I was behind him. We continued on the same path in the store, and it just so happened we were going down the same aisle. I could feel him becoming more intense. As we walked I wound up turning on another aisle, and I could see the relief in his shoulders. I wondered what he thought and who he thought I was. What did he think I was going to do to him? Paranoia was getting the best of him.

Paranoia has the tendency to make us believe that we are in a constant threat. We will believe, everyone is out to get us. The enemy's tactic is that we develop or live in a constant state of fear, without any confirmation that we are in threat at all. 2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-control." Any time we feel the overwhelming power of the enemy, we are walking in fear, forgetting our power and most likely out of control. I think the adversary wants you to think he is a lion, when in fact he is only acting like one, he is NOT the king of the jungle.

I am NOT Afraid,

LMJ