Nothing in this world can torment us like our own thoughts. The enemy of our soul prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1Pe 5:8) and aims to sift us as wheat (Luke 22:31). He can't control us, but he can get us to give him control- through the mind. The struggle is when our heart says, "Something isn't right... I know there is hope" -but satan tells us otherwise, and our mind listens. It's a tug of war... but it's a battle already won! When we let go of the rope, the other side will fall. Let go and let God! Knowledge is power.
May is “Mental Health Awareness Month". The purpose of official recognition is to make more people aware of the issue. That's promising; however, despite most being aware, there is a lack of knowledge in this area. And perhaps a lack of concern and compassion. That could be due to the fact there is a stagnant fear. Not a lot is known about mental illness- just that it is. So, as I write this in May, it's the perfect time to make it known that oftentimes mental illness is spiritually infused.
The connection of spiritual health to physical health (in great part: mental) is a topic close to my heart.
Growing up I was almost given over to the complicated, stereotypical mental illness label. I have witnessed (and continue to see) many I care about struggle with mental health related problems. And recently I lost one of the most important people in my life to a mental illness.
If you're listening, every week you'll hear in conversation, terms such as "bipolar", "anxiety", "suicide", "disorder", "narcissist" and "ADHD". I even had a teacher once tell me that, "Self-harm is just something kids do at this age." SINCE WHEN? So that's where we are now?! Just accepting this as normalcy? Giving in to that narrow and restrictive labeling mindset is as good as giving up on a standard for well-being. Provide a counselor's name, joke about drowning your sorrows, make light with a clever meme, throw some pills down the throat, and let's act like the quality of life isn't tainted. Why is society apt to writing people off? Sometimes it's laziness, sometimes its fear, and sometimes it's plain apathy.
There's a stigma with mental health. I believe the leading reasons are lack of knowledge and fear. Let's be honest: people are afraid of what they don't understand.
Great strides in mental health acknowledgement have been made, only to make that many more labels and pills. And despite those strides, nearly 50% of people suffering from mental illnesses do not seek treatment! And we wonder what's going on in our world?
I don't think the stigma for mental illness will ever be broken. However, I personally will do everything in my power to speak on the truths about it... It's full of lies and fears created by darkness to mask itself within it. And I want to be clear: when I say "darkness"- yes, I am referring to the demonic.
We are weakened by the ailment. We're told to accept it and cope. We feel like something is wrong with us and it's hopeless. We get
trapped in a web of issues and disorders, lies and fears, sadness and anger... and we have no answers or help, so we succumb to the darkness, lost to the world. It happens every day.
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) states 1 in 4 adults have a MENTAL ILLNESS, SUICIDE is the second leading cause of death among persons aged 10 to 34, and 1 in 6 youth (ages 6-17) struggle with a mental disorder*. Those are devastating facts! What in the world is going on here?! Why is this being overlooked? All professionals in the field agree awareness is key. As a follower of Christ, I agree. So, let me make you aware....
*(Stats from: Johns Hopkins, NAMI and The Mental Health Foundation)
Spiritual or Physical?
Ailments, disorders, disease, phobias and illness. It seems that as time has gone on, we've come to embrace them, almost in a disturbing trendy kind of way. Why? Have they become so vast and widespread that we are just overwhelmed? Are we now overpowered by them? Granted, we live in an imperfect world and our bodies are not invulnerable, but it seems society as a whole, has given up and given in to ailments and rely on things like pills, self-medication, and psychoactive substances.
Billions of dollars are spent by the government and astronomers who are vocally interested in black holes in space. (The only verifiable number I found was over $52 billion was spent in 2013). But I think we need to be a little more concerned with the black holes of our own existence. Perhaps before we begin attempting to conquer knowledge about the far away unknown, we should focus more on the mysteries a little closer to home- the enigma within our own entity.
(For the record: Nothing escapes a black hole. Any trip into a black hole would be one way. The gravity is too strong. Aside from this, your body would be stretched and destroyed by the warping of space and the amount of radiation surrounding the event horizon). Unlike the black holes in the cosmos which experts say are not a threat, the darkness is closing in on our world. What is the black hole in YOUR life? Is something pulling you in to destroy you?
We have more advancements than ever, more knowledge and faster than ever, more vast travel capabilities... yet, hidden within all that is a suffering and dying people. Life comes from more than merely being born. Life is about living. What kind of life are people actually living lately? Donning masks in public, shooting up with vaccines, ordering groceries to their door, binge watching television, watching violence on TV, choosing to play games with that same violence, witnessing another school shootings, hearing stats about kindergarten suicides...
This world is not getting any better, and like I stated above- the darkness is closing in. No one can deny the fact that crime has skyrocketed, national disasters are suicide is up, mental illness has skyrocketed... all of which have been labeled in unprecedented in degree as well as numbers. Why is that? With all the modern conveniences and advances, one would think we'd be a more peaceful and happier race- if not simply more controlled.
Control. That is a good word to use.
Have you ever spun a top? At first, it's exciting because it goes fast and strong... but as time goes on, the top starts to lose momentum. It slows down one second at a time. It begins to lose traction, wobbles, becomes unstable... and eventually slows down so much it can no longer spin. It falls and stops. That's exactly what's happening to this earth (figuratively speaking). We cannot go on forever living the way we are; eventually we are going to slow down from going strong, lose traction and fall. I believe we're in the "losing traction" phase right now. I see a world where people are moving faster than ever, but no one knows where they're going... we're just spinning and spinning, with no real purpose. Our world is like that, and our minds are following suit.
Let's Explore...
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” - Eph 6:12 (NLT)
If Ephesians 6:12 says we don't battle the physical but are fighting dark powers not of this world, then is mental illness ever a physical ailment? Or is it all supernatural? Maybe they're one in the same? Does one create the other? These are questions everyone (especially Christians) need to be asking and exploring. The interest and seeking of our mortality are key.
Isaiah 45:7 states God is the One who formed light, therefore creating darkness.
But the first thing He did when He created Earth was separate the light from the darkness. He called the light "good" but did not say darkness was good. He even asks what partnership could light possibly have with dark and warns us to keep from it.
“Do not be unequally bound together with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” -2 Cor 6:14 (AMP)
There is an element to the spirit realm that is darker than dark, and we cannot begin to fathom it. Darkness leads to darkness. It can't get simpler than that. I always say when someone has an attraction to or curiosity for something dark, there is reason for concern. It doesn't make a person bad. There's no judgements here. Let's be honest- the things the dark seduces with can be quite enticing to all of us. But one thing will lead to another, and when we enter in, through things God declares as sin or forbidden (not being of sober mind, any type of divination, spiritism, sexual immorality- just to name a few) opens up the door to our mind and our soul. And make no mistake: this goes both ways- whether you are on the doer, a bystander or the victim of these things, you're rendered vulnerable to the attack of those unclean spirits that linger there. Examples would be a victim of sexual assault, an observer of a seance, going to see a psychic, or being in the direct bloodline of someone who practices witchcraft (generational curses- more on those in another blog post coming soon).
An opportunity for darkness to be presented makes a way for curiosity. Curiosity stirs up interest, and interest turns into action. That action fades into faith. And Jesus told His disciples in Matt 17:20 that faith even as small as a grain of mustard seed, mountains can be moved. That faith can be in something dark, as well. In Matt 21:18 we read how Jesus simply spoke to a fig tree to die and it instantly withered and became barren. We certainly have the capabilities to do the same. Faith can be put into light or darkness. Choose wisely. And the best defense is a good offense. Choosing to stay clear from dark things will only keep your light strong.
Opportunity > Present > Curiosity > Interest > Action > Faith.
And this is where mental health comes in.
The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” -Matt 11:22-23
Negativity and darkness are all around us, so we already have to combat that on a daily basis. But we also have choices within our lives. We have to tread carefully on what we allow into our life... into our sight and even with what we listen to. Scriptures throughout the Bible (such as Romans 7, 8, 12) speak of wars being waged in our minds. It begins there first: the hub of our existence.
Spiritual Oppression
Is every mental illness a spiritual issue?
I don't believe so, although the Holy Spirit can heal all.
We have to understand that the mind and the brain are two different things.
Brain is made of physical matter whereas mind is not made of physical matter. The brain can be touched and studied, but the mind cannot be touched or seen. It's invisible. A brain is an assortment of nerves, cells, blood vessels and the like. Experts, however, claim the mind and its faculties are a phenomenon; some even debate whether it exists or not! -Ok, that's a whole other blog post!
But the point being, is doctors often assert mental illness to a chemical imbalance and brain trauma. If there is a mental illness due to something physical, then that is the root cause. This would include things such as post-partum depression, hereditary illness, and PTSD- because our brain will make chemicals to balance (or imbalance) itself out. But then there are times mental health seems to come out of nowhere. The Bible talks about spirts causing madness, so we know this is a very palpable matter.
There are cases where a Jesus and the Disciples healed many with schizophrenia, some who inflicted self-harm, some who were possessed by demons, and those who carried spirits with them. So, both are sound problems.
How do we know which is which? First, I want to reiterate that Jesus can heal ALL ailments, at ANY time... so, no matter how or why someone is suffering from a mental illness or what mental issue is going on- our first priority should be to take it to God! In fasting and prayer.
Below is a list of the most common mental health issues invading in our world. Please note this is not a complete list, but listed among the common disorders and illnesses within the medial and spiritual communities:
There is also a direct link between mental health, physical health and spiritual health. All three facets make up our entire being. So, these three will intertwine. This is SPIRITUAL OPPRESSION- not to be confused with demonic possession, which is something else entirely. And when a mental health issue is brought upon someone who is unaware or an innocent victim, the enemy of our soul will absolutely attempt to utilize the weakness to exasperate the problem and/or add on to them with others. The main goal of the enemy is to bring us down and keep us from God. We see in the Word of God that the enemy of our soul, satan, the devil... he has no power over God whatsoever. The only thing we see in Scripture is that he is given authority by God -for the Lord's will to be done. And when our sin gives authority to our adversary, he still has to answer to the Great I Am... and since God makes good with what satan aims for evil, our Father still loves us and sees us through.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” - Gen 1:26
Well, guess what? Genesis 3:14 tells us when satan tempted Eve and deceived her, God turned him into a creature that moved along the ground! Do we think that's a coincidence? He proclaimed man would have power and could triumph over the enemy before he was even cursed!
So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life." - Gen 3:14
God is all-knowing (1 Jo 3:20), and He knew all along we would need that authority. But we must achieve it! The Grace is that it was even given to us. But we must pursue, overtake and recover all: Pursue the truth through the Word, overtake the enemy with authority, and recover our power. The war is already won. But we are the ones in battle until we're called Home.
We CAN get the victory over our mind!
Once we submit ourselves to God, then we've already won.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." -James 4:7
The Place of the Skull.
God is always intentional (Jer 29:11).
If I've learned anything in my years of being a Christian, it's that the Lord always has a plan and a purpose. Whether we make mistakes, if evil is in leadership, if all seems hopeless... God never stops working (Eph 3:20).
When God, manifest Himself in the flesh as Jesus Christ, was beaten and died for our sins, there was a reason for every step He made... and where this took place is included in that.
In all four Gospels, the place of Jesus’ crucifixion is called both Golgotha and Calvary (in Latin). The Greek word κρανίον (kran-ee-on), is translated as Calvary, and signifies the skull part of the skeletal frame (referred to as the cranium). The word Golgotha is a Hebrew word which likewise means skull-and often referred to as the “place of the skull.” Why did God choose to be crucified on a hill called "the place of the skull"?
The abominable beating and horrific death aside- what truly took place at Calvary? I'm not speaking of the physical, but the spiritual.
JESUS GOT THE VICTORY AT CALVARY!
"...having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." -Col 2:14-15
Jesus got the victory at the place of the skull... the mind. The battle is in our minds. So yes, mental health is a direct line to our soul. When we can overcome that battle, we will win.
Physical Ailments.
Lastly, like I mentioned earlier, we are also affected physically- not just in our mind, but also with our bodies. Numerous times Scripture shows us how physical ailments connect to sin: fever, palsy, leprosy, weak bones, insomnia, blindness... And that's not to say God is punishing us, or that every ailment is spiritual, but that sin absolutely opens the door to consequences and unclean spirits. This includes generational curses- what we do can affect our offspring and bloodline (Deut 30:19).
In my work I have seen prevalent common denominators; strong connections between certain sins/acts and ailments: the occult to Fibromyalgia, idol worship to demon possession, sexual sin to manic depression, witchcraft to self-harm (just to name a few).
1 Cor 10:13 tells us "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
What is the way o escape? It's in the Word of God. Following the "instruction manual" if you will. But sometimes we don't choose the escape route, but to give in to temptation.
How do we protect ourselves from falling into temptation? From spiritual attacks by the enemy?
Put on the full armor of God!
What is it? How do I do that? Read on!
EPH 6:11-18
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, [keep centered in the Word of God and use it as a compass in life].
with the breastplate of righteousness in place [guard your heart by staying away from the things that will corrupt it]
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [don't allow anything to disrupt you giving or receiving peace. Any contention is an open door for the enemy].
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [Continue to maintain your faith, as it will guard you against attacks for the enemy of your soul].
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [This one is especially important and relevant to this post, because in your mind is where you will receive the victory... Continually keep salvation your main focus; when you do this, everything else will fall into place... When salvation is your priority, you will have the right heart to be obedient to the Word in order to receive eternal life].
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. [This one is self-explanatory. Read Acts 2:38 for more on praying in the Spirit].
Our bodies and minds are not crying out for help, our soul is. Will you answer?
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