Navigating through emotional & mental health | God is with you
Do you ever feel like your feelings are invalidated as a Christ-follower? Maybe a christian even told you dismissive things such as “just pray about it” , “ life is always hard, you’re not the only one”, etc. Maybe you've been hiding in the dark for a long time battling your depression and anxiety and church seems like the last place for you to go. Maybe you’ve tried placing boundaries but you keep ignoring your own boundaries within yourself. Maybe you’ve got deliverance, baptized, and repented and still feel triggered and traumatized by your past experiences. If you ever feel like your mental and emotional health is struggling and you somehow believe the lie that it is wrong for us as christians to even battle with things like these then keep reading…’
The Root:
First and foremost, I’d like to dedicate this blog to a book I read last year “I love Jesus but I want to die” by Sarah J. Robinson. This book was heartfelt in the midst of my depression in the midst of my brokenness. This book was like a hug from heaven that I am not alone and you are not alone either. Christians go through things too. We are not exempt from life’s problems but we serve a God to go through it with.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Emotional states can be positive or negative depending on the situation. Emotional responses come from feelings. Example: You feel hungry and you are likely to get angry or irritated. Why? Because human emotions govern our behavior. This is why it’s important to govern our mind by the spirit. Feelings aren’t always physical, for example believing in God is rather a strong feeling that guides us to live a joyous life that he promises. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected.
Mental health is spiritual. Just as God is three in one – The Father, Son, Holy Spirit – humans were created as three parts: body, mind and spirit.
"May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NRSV). We are in an ongoing spiritual battle as Paul states in Ephesians 6:12. To say it's not spiritual is ignoring the root of the issue. This isn't to say that if you don't pray then you'll have mental health issues. In fact, when you do pray you may struggle with your mental health because the mind is the battlefield and that's where Satan attacks us most.
Chris Cipollone writes: “In my experience, one of the most difficult things when dealing with the pain of mental illness is that our mental and spiritual health are so closely intertwined.”
Our mental health does impact our spiritual health and vice versa they are intertwined. Just like the physical things we eat would impact our mind as well. Our body, mind, and spirit are connected how we treat each of these matters. It's important to exercise, meditate on God's word and journal your thoughts. Understand, your mental health isn't primarily caused by Satan and demons but they do play a factor, however, it's just simply cause by this fallen world we live in.
Jesus cast the demons out of a man, the man was “in his right mind” (verse 15). The spiritual battle had been victorious, and the man’s mental health was restored.
“They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had [previously] had the “legion” [of demons]; and they were frightened.”
Mark 5:15 AMP
The Bible gives some guidelines on attaining and retaining good mental health. We have a description of the healthy thought life in Philippians 4:8. We have Jesus’ example of taking breaks from the busyness of life to focus on spiritual matters (Luke 5:16), and He called His disciples to do the same (Mark 6:31). We have Paul’s acknowledgement that physical exercise is profitable (1 Timothy 4:8).
Self-care doesn't mean anything if there's not soul care.
In Matthew chapter 13:1-9 & 18-23. It talks about the parable of the sower it warns us of circumstances and attitudes that can keep anyone who has received the seed of the gospel message from bringing forth a goodly harvest. Satan tries to steal what God has planted in us. (John 10:10).
Satan is in the background sowing lies and deceit. He loves to take advantage of what’s already broken, seeking to cause further harm. He is actively at work, accusing us of our past sin and telling us that we’re worthless.
Chris Cipollone helpfully writes: “The very nature of depression and anxiety are that they tell us lies about what is real, and what is not.
This is why it is vital to be transformed in our minds because when our mental health is affected our relationship with God is too. We start to believe the enemies lies and walk in the flesh. Through this blog I will describe how to take back your authority and be able to navigate your mental and emotional health all while walking with Jesus.
Walking with Jesus makes it better..people who haven't found Jesus and are battling with these have no true hope but the good news is we do. He is our perfect hope so don't be discouraged! I don’t care if you prayed a 100 times about your mental health. God is a healer, redeemer and He is with you! Submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee. James 4:7
God wants us even in the midst of our brokenness
Elijah was a prophet and he battled with depression within his emotional and mental health. Read the passage first before continuing to read this blog. 1 Kings 19:4-14.
4 while he himself went on a day's journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
Notice how God met Elijah in his lowest and darkest times. He gave him comfort, not condemnation. Oftentimes, as believers when we go to people to vent out our feelings we end up feeling condemned instead of comforted. I am sorry, if you ever felt misunderstood, condemned, shame, or guilt by anyone for telling them what was wrong. People are imperfect but Jesus is perfect. In fact, he tells us to come to Him all who are weary and burdened He will give us rest for our souls. (Matthew 11:28).
When Elijah battles depression God didn't send an angel to preach to him or tell him he needed to pray more or dismiss his feelings, instead he sent an angel to give him comfort, food, and strength. As people, sometimes comfort is our best answer.
When I go through hard times my friend Shaina, always asks me if I want to go to Dunkin or grab some food and it cheers me up. Ecclesiasties 2:24 "A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God." Then there was a time in my life where I felt condemned by another believer who was quick to prove a point by preaching to me that I shouldn’t “feel” but in those moments all I wanted was comfort. Humans simply want love. God's love is the best love. Sometimes people just simply need a hug, food, and hand of God upon them to know everything's going to be alright.Truth is we all have a thorn in our flesh. We are far from perfect. That's why we need Jesus.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10- 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to [a]buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Struggling with mental health doesn’t make you a bad christian, it’s through the pain and suffering that we experience God’s love that is always with us. Our mental health exposes our weakness to rely more on God. It’s just a reminder that we can’t do anything without him. It is because of God we have living hope!
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with therapy or medication but be spirit-led and discern the will of God for your life
What if God took all of our problems away and gave us a perfect life on earth? Then there would be no point of God and no point of Heaven. He sent us here to give us basic's instructions before leaving earth aka the B.I.B.L.E. He wanted us to choose Him the same way He choose us. When sin entered the world it corrupted God's will and He sent Jesus as God in the flesh to set an example for us and atone for our sins because sin separates us from God. God is holy. A holy God can't be around sin. It's through Jesus our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life. God may not take away every single problem but He will one day wipe away every tear. Revelation 21:4
Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
God is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He works all things together for the good of His children (Romans 8:28). The testing of faith produces endurance and maturity (James 1:2–4). Mental health struggles, while they are difficult, are not pointless. The Bible clearly shows how God can and does use them for His glory.
The Truth about Depression:
Depression has an evil spirit attached to it, called the “spirit of heaviness” it’s a spiritual battle that must be won spiritually..although it seems like it starts in the mind because the mind is the battlefield
Satan attacks when we are vulnerable & weak
God’s deliverance can set you free, but it is your responsibility to fight for your continued deliverance. Take control of your thoughts, and bring them under control and in line with the Word of God. Experience the glorious freedom and joy that God has for you.
Depression makes us unable to have discernment because we see things through the lens of our pain instead of through the lens of God’s love
Signs your mental health is getting bad:
Struggling to get out of bed or to read your Bible
Feeling overwhelmed or on edge
Isolating and not responding to family/friends
Living space is messy or cluttered
Feeling inadequate
Stopped praying, reading your Bible, exercising, going to church etc
Less patient and more irritable
Trouble discerning the will of God to make a decision
Crying is good, it shows us that something internal is wrong. Only Jesus can fix what is internal. It also helps us to recover from grief, release our emotions, and help others understand we need support. Most importantly, it releases stress hormones.
Jesus wept. (John 11:35). Our emotions are seen and heard. It is a signal to take them to the feet of Jesus not suppress them, ignore them, or invalidate them.
Four Steps To Feel Your Feelings:
Identify the feeling. Give it a name. Are you sad? Stressed? Angry?
Validate the feeling. Feelings are a part of being human. All feelings are welcome to come and go. Example: “ I feel sad, its okay to feel this way. I know God is near to the brokenhearted and He sees me. Joy comes in the morning and I won’t always be sad”.
Sit with the feeling in prayer. Take a few minutes to tell God about your feelings. What sensations do you notice? Any thoughts? Memories? What physical,mental, or emotional discomfort is present for you?Journal and take inventory.
Process and express the feeling. For example: cry, journal, sing, exercise, etc. Set your intention to move through your present feeling.
How to renew your mind?:
UNLEARN old habits, thoughts, and behaviors and learn new godly ones. For example, unlearn shame and learn grace.
RECOGNIZE patterns that are causing you to commit the same sin
BE AWARE of what you are doing that is conforming to the world/culture
TAKE note of what scripture says about your identity in Christ
MEDITATE on the word of God
PRAY and allow the Holy Spirit to transform you
Mindsets are the pattern in which our mind normally operates which is why the Bible states in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”The mind is the battlefield, it is the enemy’s number one tactic because if he can attack your mind it'll then lead to numerous of lies,belief systems, sin, pain, etc that will eventually change the way you perceive others and yourself. We have the power to take every thought captive (2 Cor 10:5). Set your mind on things above.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Choose freedom in Christ
Invalidating your true feelings, resentment, or unforgiveness keeps you in bondage to them. There is freedom in Christ. It is impossible to get your day started right if you keep waking up with the pain of yesterday's wounds. Caleb Gordon's song “Yesterday is gone” is definitely a song you should check out that’ll encourage you to not think about the past, that’s if you love christian rap. Carrying around emotional baggage wasn’t God’s will for us, it posions us. It is His will for us to release it to Him because we can't add a single day to our lives by worrying. Why worry when He will take care of us anyway? Confessing things to God is the first thing. It is the antidote, and then if you still need to talk, find a friend or counselor to talk to make sure that friend is in a good space before dumping your thoughts and emotions on them.
Other people’s mental health is important too. If you can’t find anyone to talk to, chances are it just was meant to be between you and God. Sometimes we confide in people too much and even a christian friend can get in our intimacy with God because you’re running to human answers over His word. I was guilty of this, I would run to humans to give me an answer that was “quicker” because I didn't feel like waiting on God’s answer but that mindset pushed me away from Him and pushed me toward burdening other people with my baggage that only God was meant to carry.
People aren’t meant to heal you.
Doctors offer the best medical advice on the physical body but you can’t go to a doctor for mental things. Same way you can’t go to a therapist for spiritual things.
However, you can go to GOD for physical, mental and spiritual things because He knows you better than any physician, friend, therapist, or family member.
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Understand that Elijah was suicidal, Job wished he was never born, David was depressed, Moses was anxious, Hannah was barren and Paul was alone in prison.
God still used their brokenness. He set them free. He used their mess into a message. God can turn your worst seasons around when you choose to worship him in the middle of the storm. Turn your eyes away from the darkness and fix them on Jesus and He will make a way out of no way. Never give up, because Jesus loves you the same as today, yesterday and forever.
How to overcome your mental/emotional health struggles through a SPIRITUAL DETOX:
PRAYER is to the spirit, as exercise is to the body. 1 thessalonians 5:17 & philippians 4:6
CLEAN up your thoughts. Romans 8:5-6 & Philippians 4:8
BREAK free of fear. Isaiah 41:10 & 2 timothy 1:7
GET rid of toxic influences on your life. 1 corinthians 15:33 & proverbs 13:20
UNFORGIVENESS affects our spirits. Mark 11:26 & colossians 3:13
CHOOSE positive words and avoid negative words. Ephesians 4:29 & Matthew 12:36
IDENTIFY lies that have deceived you and replace them with God’s truth. 2 corinthians 10:5 & 2 corinthians 2:11
Reminders
You are loved (1 John 4:19), you are not alone (Matthew 28:20), you are not a bad christian (ephesians 2:8-9), Jesus is your hope and help (romans 12:12).
Living With A “Limp”
Genesis 32:24 “And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.”
Jacob wrestled with God and had to live with a limp. Not sure what your limp may be but let me give you a bit of perspective. This is similar to when Paul talked about the thorn in his flesh. Your limp doesn’t define you, Jesus does. Your limp ( mental/emotional health struggles) slows you down to understand healthy boundaries, strength comes from God, and it is okay to not be okay. In Sarah J Robinson book “ I love Jesus, but I want to die”she states “My dear friend, I know how this aches, how it's hard to just keep breathing sometimes. But I believe you are one who can endure, clinging to God in the midst of the painful, dark night. And when this night season is over, even if there are remnants left in the form of a limp, you can still do this. You can live with your limp; it doesn't have to define you.”
Note that if God doesn’t immediately take away the pain and suffering that doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you. Most people come to God just to get something from Him and when they don’t get that thing they curse God and say things like “He’s not real”etc, but truly God doesn't owe us anything. If God never heals you, know that he'll give you the strength to endure.
1 Corinthians 10:13
New International Version
13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
His power is made perfect in our weakness and again we are not exempt from life’s sufferings but we have a savior who will gladly go through it with us and allow us to rest in Him. Don’t desire the healing more than the healer. Don’t desire a healthy body more than a healthy relationship with Christ. There are people who have never been healed and have the strongest relationship with Jesus Christ. Sure it’s great to be healed and have a relationship with Jesus but my point is God answers aren’t always “yes” and we must be okay with that and remain strong in our faith.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 KJV ~ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Reflection
When was the last time you gave yourself a treat? Do you need to talk about your feelings?When was the last time you enjoyed a meal? What thoughts are coming to mind repeatedly? Are you well rested? What can you do to smile today? How are you feeling? Have you been kind to yourself? When was the last time you went for a walk or visited a new place? Check on your mental health. Let the Holy Spirit do a complete work for you.
Comments