Overcoming Paranoia

In my youth I started having problems with Paranoia after smoking Marijuana regularly in a popular country town. I can recall getting completely stoned and going into a local Hotel with some friends, and saying,

“There’s something wrong with this Hotel, it has a strange atmosphere.”

Of course, there was no problem with the Hotel, my issue was a dope induced paranoid reaction. I didn’t always suffer from these delusions after smoking this drug, but when I did I initially had the sensation that there was an external cause for my irrational fears. It wasn’t long before my friends alerted me to what was really going on, as some of them were dealing with similar reactions to smoking the drug.

Black Sabbath describe this state of mind in their classic hit song,

‘Paranoid’.

The lyrics powerfully illustrate these irrationally anxious experiences.

The song opens with,

“Finished with my woman ’cause she couldn’t help me with my mind”.

Anyone who has experienced a paranoiac reaction to drugs will be able to relate to this. You become overly suspicious and mistrustful of your partners motives and sincerity.

You also develop a deluded expectation that others can satisfy the problems you are having with your own mind. Hence the songwriter is saying that his woman should be able to help him overcome his paranoid mind.

You are the only one who can overcome your sense of distrust and fearful insecurity. By yielding your heart to the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ you will find that you are filled immediately with Love, Peace and Joy from the Spirit. We are not talking about yielding your heart to religious practices or rituals, but directly receiving Grace from Jesus Christ by Faith.

To prevent paranoia and fear trying to come back into your being and destroying your new Peace, the Scripture teaches us to Renew our Minds with the Word of God. In other words, we have to start thinking differently, and we no longer can tolerate thoughts of despair or loneliness or distrust or insecurity. To Renew our Minds means to think positively in line with the Revealed Blessings of God which are rightfully ours in Christ Jesus. How you think determines whether you will be able to reject the temptation to fall back into fearful reactions.

The lyrics continue,

“People think I’m insane because I am frowning all the time”.

If you find yourself frowning and unhappy all the time, the first step is to admit that you are struggling with some emotional issues to our Lord Jesus. Some Believers think that you cannot discuss your problems with the Lord because you aren’t good enough, or are not holy or pious. The truth is that the Grace of our Lord Jesus comes to you at your point of need without any guilt or condemnation or condescending attitudes.

What is exceptional about this song, is that it is not about creating the invincible rock star persona by pretending to be happy and constantly showing fake smiles for the cameras like we see nowadays. Most current Pop Idols would never admit any problems with paranoia even though they are experiencing it because of drug dependencies and abuses.

This song by Black Sabbath is about a real mental struggle that many of us are going through without knowing the way out.

Romans Ch12, V2 AMP

“And do not be conformed to this world, any longer with its superficial values and customs, but be transformed and progressively changed as you mature spiritually, by the Renewing of your Mind, focusing on Godly values and ethical attitudes, so that you may prove for yourselves what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect, in His plan and purpose for you.”

So we can overcome all paranoia and fears by Renewing our Minds with the Word of God.

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Craig Holme – 2020/2021/2022/2023