Mental Health and Faith

Let’s be real… be it big or small, we have all struggled with our mental health in this life. Be it fear, stress, trauma, sadness or negative thoughts. Life can be hard but the hardest battle many of us fight is up in our minds. For today’s BlogThursday post, we will explore the topic of mental health linked with faith in Jesus. We will also discuss how to overcome the battles in our minds.

There are so many pieces of scripture that are able to give us relief from anxiety and peace of mind. God doesn’t neglect our mental health, He actually addresses mental health in His word. One example is 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” What a beautiful scripture! He cares for us, He loves us more than we can comprehend! Even though no one understands the anxiety and depression some of us feel, Jesus understands it. In fact, He bore it on the cross and felt the exact same feelings that we feel on the cross. He understands the deep depression, stress and anxious feelings we have felt so we can find comfort in knowing that God knows exactly how we feel even more than we do. Sometimes that can feel insufficient but we must trust in God that in due time all of this suffering will come to an end. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This verse gives us hope knowing that one day all of this struggle will come to an end. God fills us with a heavenly joy that the world could never give us. His joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). In 2 Corinthians chapter 12 Jesus says to Paul, “My strength is made perfect in weakness”, Paul then goes on to say that he will boast in his infirmities, distresses and reproaches for Christ’s sake because when he is weak then he is strong! The only way to become strong is if we are first weak. So when we are struggling mentally, as hard as it may be, we have to make the decision to rejoice because we are sharing in the suffering of Christ. Joy is a choice and although it can be very hard to choose it, choosing it is never impossible with the strength of God. The enemy wants to steal our joy and we must not allow for that to happen!

How To Overcome The Battles In Our Minds

As Christians we have the most powerful source to overcome the battles in our minds - that is, the word of God. 2 Corinthians 10:5 reads, “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” this verse shows us that we have the authority to rebuke and cast down all intrusive, negative thoughts that cross our minds, telling us that we are not worthy, not enough, unloved etc. We must come out of agreement with these lies and come into agreement with the truth that we are worthy, we are enough, and we are loved because God says so. To overcome these lies we must know the truth of the word of God and speak the truth when these lies try to creep in. The bible says that we should not give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27) so don’t give the devil any opportunity to find a way in by allowing those lies to remain in your mind. The more we entertain such lies from the enemy, the harder it will be for us to truly believe in the truth of what God’s word says about us. We must put on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) to be able to see ourselves and think of ourselves the way that Jesus sees and thinks about us. His thoughts about us are of peace and not of evil, as the book of Jeremiah states, so if we ever receive a negative thought we must use discernment and identify that that thought is not from God and rebuke it in the name of Jesus. Isaiah 26:3 reads, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” The secret to having peace of mind is keeping your mind fixed on God! It totally makes sense that if our minds are fixed on the God of peace, we will be kept in perfect peace!

I would like to finish by saying it’s ok to not be ok. We are all humans and we have to accept that there are going to be days when we feel sad, lonely, discouraged, stressed and anxious, but the question is, are we going to allow such discouraging thoughts to dominate us and the way we live our lives? Seeking help does not mean you are weak, it means that you are strong enough to admit that you need help. Talking to someone about your struggles can be so freeing and God can heal you through this way. Don’t neglect the idea of seeking counselling because you see it as a weakness - this is the devil’s strategy to keep you trapped in bondage - God can free you through counselling and therapy.

Prayer

Father God, when I’m feeling sad, give me the strength to choose joy. When I am weak, help me to know that I am strong. I come out of agreement with every lie of the enemy and rebuke all of those lies. I come into agreement with the truth of my identity in Christ. I put on the mind of Christ and pray that I would be able to think of myself the way that You think of me, Jesus. God, keep me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on You because I trust You. I trust that everything in the end will work together for my good, so I thank You in advance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.