Those are good verses.

The ungodly shrink, Albert Ellis, whose theory is called "Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy" is largely correct, in my opinion, and is also largely consistent with scripture. He wrote a book entitled something like: "How to let absolutely nothing upset you."

Painful emotions are often the result of false beliefs and must-thinking. For example, if someone cut our tires with Z's (for Zorro), we might well be angry. However, if a crazy TV program had said that the recipient of the $4,000,000 Zorro prize would be notified by having his tires slashed, we might be happy about the tires being slashed, even over-joyed.

So we see that it is not what happens to us which is altogether responsible for our painful emotions, but our beliefs about what is done to us.

CPNE anxiety a very real and very common phenomenon. But it is not the exam itself which causes the anxiety really; it is our beliefs about the exam. We believe that we MUST pass. We have made a rule for ourselves that we shall be crushed if we fail it. If we change our beliefs in a certain way, we will only have disappointment, and not grief if we fail. If we change our beliefs about the CPNE, we shall still get up for the test, we shall still focus on the task, our BP may rise a little, but we will not have debilitating extreme anxiety.

To avoid extreme anxiety, it is necessary to believe that it will not be the end of the world if we don't pass; we will still be able to have an enjoyable life is we don't pass. It will be great to pass and sad to fail, but neither Heaven on the one hand, nor Hell on the other.

The correct belief, which lowers the anxiety, is that the Lord is in control. Whatever He chooses to bring to pass is for the best. And whatever He chooses will be the best for Jane Q. Christian or whomever.