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A Christian Approach to Mental Health
This is a Christian approach to mental health. I believe this approach will enable you to fight against anxiety, fear, depression, thoughts of suicide, chemical imbalances and addictions. I don't see anything in the Bible that says otherwise.
Disclaimers:
1. Do not stop current therapy or meds.
2. This is not a get-well-quick approach, though with God all things are possible.
3. This approach relies on Christian meditation, not as the world defines meditation. The Bible says to meditate on the things of God. Romans 12:2, Titus 3:5, Ephesian 5:26 and Philippians 4:8 say to renew and wash our mind with the truths of the Bible.
Pre-requisites:
1. Must have confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:9)
2. Must attend a church or Christian group A LOT.
3. Preferably should attend a church or Christian group that believes in the active ministry of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.
4. Have at least one strong Christian who will be a constant presence and support.
5. Watch Christian teaching on YouTube in your spare time instead of obsessing over your problems.
The Foundational Truths:
1. God is who the Bible says He is. Do you believe this?
2. God can do what the Bible says He can do. Do you believe this?
3. You are who God says you are and not what you or anyone else says you are. Do you believe this? Satan will keep trying to make you accept a false picture of who you are. Remember, you let God reveal that to you as you are being set free from Satan's lies. It really just boils down to who are you going to believe, God or Satan?
Step 1. Meditate on the three Foundational Truths until you are at peace. Unrest comes when we don’t believe one or more of the truths. Keep at it, even if rest does not come. Eventually it will, even if it takes months. You’re washing your mind with truth. Your mind controls your emotions. So your emotions will also calm.
Step 2. Once you feel you are progressing with Step 1, also meditate on these two meditations I have found to be extremely effective:
1. When you are born again, you are born into God’s kingdom. You are a child of God. You are a part of His family. He will never disown you, no matter what you do or how you feel. God loves His children and watches over them. He is always near you. You don’t have to feel lonely or isolated.
2. When Adam disobeyed God, sin and death entered. Satan took control of the earth. They held you in their power. They had a legal right to own you. Jesus broke that legal hold. He paid the price to set you free. Negative feelings have no legal right or power over you if you are born again. The only way negative thoughts and feelings can control you is if you let them. They have no legal right to be there. Refuse to let control you. Once you are able to do this, proceed to Step 3.
Step 3. I could list a ton of Bible verses about who God is and what He can do, but I think the best method is for the reader to pursue these answers through their own Bible study. The Bible is the foundation upon which these steps rest upon. The more one knows the Bible, the more effective these steps will be. So google things like "nature of God" or "characteristics of God."
If you seriously desire to be free in Jesus, then start studying, even if it seems almost impossible to keep your thoughts and emotions and feelings under control. I assure you, if you begin taking even small, uncertain steps towards God, He will take it from there. It’s like the boy who brought a few loaves of bread and a few small fish to Jesus, Jesus multiplied it to feed thousands. Do you believe God can take what small efforts you give to Him and multiply it beyond anything you could hope for or dream of? Of course He can. Remember the Foundational Truths. Meditate on the miracles God and Jesus performed. Meditate on how God created a nation through Abraham, protected that nation against its enemies, and finally brought from it Jesus, the light and hope of the whole world. This is the God we serve. Nothing is impossible for the God who created the universe and created us in His image. I have to add a warning here: you MUST leave the results up to God. You have to trust God is in control even when things don't turn out as you hoped. Keep your eyes on God, not the situation. Are you willing to believe God is bigger than your situation?
Step 4. Stay in close contact with someone who can encourage and help you. Be open and honest with them as to how you are doing with the steps. Give it enough time to see if the steps are working. Ask your support person if they think the steps are helping. It’s no disgrace to admit they aren’t, but make sure you have honestly and seriously done the steps to the best of your ability.
Our God is a mighty God.
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