mental illness

God allows it because he allows it for everyone not just you
"knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world"
"all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution"
they may not have same problem but something equally serious

I'm not convinced that mental illness is the result of demonic possession.
Really, is it surprising to see that in a world of suffering that people aren't going to have problems whether they're physical or psychological?

Suffering is humbling, and without opposites it would be hard to appreciate and understand the value of God and what it means to be in the image of God; grace, mercy, justice, patience, tolerance etc. Without suffering, these things would have little or no meaning at all. I also don't think that its a matter of God agreeing or disagreeing with suffering, yet alone condoning it. But rather something that has occurred because of the God given ability to make choices.

This is not to say that mental illness in itself is a choice (in many cases its the result of genetics or a response to a traumatic event), but how we choose to deal with it, is very much a choice. And God has given us resources, through the image of God that we have been given, the ability and the drive to help each other and this has manifested itself primarily through psychology, and pharmacology.

God will ultimately put an end to suffering, but he has not left us without the tools to help each other, and the ability for us to come to him for comfort in the meantime if we choose to.

Matariki said:

I'm not convinced that mental illness is the result of demonic possession.
Really, is it surprising to see that in a world of suffering that people aren't going to have problems whether they're physical or psychological?

Suffering is humbling, and without opposites it would be hard to appreciate and understand the value of God and what it means to be in the image of God; grace, mercy, justice, patience, tolerance etc. Without suffering, these things would have little or no meaning at all. I also don't think that its a matter of God agreeing or disagreeing with suffering, yet alone condoning it. But rather something that has occurred because of the God given ability to make choices.

This is not to say that mental illness in itself is a choice (in many cases its the result of genetics or a response to a traumatic event), but how we choose to deal with it, is very much a choice. And God has given us resources, through the image of God that we have been given, we have been given the ability and the drive to help each other and this has manifested itself primarily through psychology, and pharmacology.

God will ultimately put an end to suffering, but he has not left us without the tools to help each other in the meantime.

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Yes! Let's not forget the first message that Jesus spoke...Suffer it to be so for now for this it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. And the last thing he did was suffer.

Isaiah 53:4-5 AMP
Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains of punishment, yet we ignorantly considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God as if with leprosy. [5] But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes that wounded Him we are healed and made whole.

oj1990 said:

what are your views on it ? do you believe that evil demons etc cause it or medical if medical why do you think god allows it as it makes people further from god and they are not thenselves

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I have an mental health diagnosis, I think strictly speaking ( for me at least) those two are completely separate, mental illness is caused by medical reason alone and evil spirit possession is caused by you know what, though the symptoms of possession can be similar to mental illnesses.

That said, my experience tells me some times when you are mentally ill, you are more vulnerable to the you know what attack ( bad thoughts), because our body, soul and spirit are linked, when one is tired or depressed, it just make it easier for the you know what,but even then, it is not possession

Lastly, I do believe suffering make you more empathetic, but I am still struggling right now, trying to find the light at the tunnel, so I can not say from personally experience how my journey will end up, but I firmly believe in God goodness, I believe He loves me unconditionally, and if He allow something to happen to me, what I need to do is to lean on Him even harder and trust His love for me even when I don't understand

Because I know He loves me more than my own parents, and He would NEVER do anything to hurt my best interest.

I believe in keeping your eyes on Jesus and your feet planted to the ground. Meaning through faith, trust and obedience to the Lord and His Word we find healing. The bible is the best self help book ever written. Like renewing your mind to the mind of Christ. Also meditate on the gifts and blessings God has given us. But also the bible tells us to seek wise counsel. That may be in the form of a trained Medical Doctor, your Pastor or even friends and family who you can be transparent with and who have your best interests at heart. In my experience when you combine all of these avenues to your situation it is your best bet for finding healing.

oj1990 said:

what are your views on it ? do you believe that evil demons etc cause it or medical if medical why do you think god allows it as it makes people further from god and they are not thenselves

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God has allowed people to have dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26), people use this dominion to allow bad things to happen. God's wants His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mat 6:10), and there's nothing in the Bible that indicates that mental illness exists in heaven.

sickness steals, kills and destroys; it is of the devil (John 10:10), not of God. God is the Healer (Ex 15:26).

mental illness can often be traced to medical reasons within the limits of 'modern' science, but the cause is ultimately spiritual as reveled by Jesus' ability to bring healing to all who came to him (Mat 8:16,17). this is not to say that we should try to cast demons out of everyone who has symptoms of mental illness, but rather share the good news of the Gospel as it is His word that heals (Psalms 107:20). in all things be led by God; whether to preach the good news or to cast out demons - because he always know exactly what to do and when to do it John 2:5

As someone who's suffered from depression and anxiety, and comes from a family prone to depression, and who has seen firsthand how people can overcome it and recover from it, I know for a fact that it can be caused by "non demonic" factors. Our brains are complex biological creations that can be affected by so many things, from being overloaded with stress hormones to drug use to physical damage.

"Why" God allows mental illness... I don't think it's much different than why He allows any other type of ailment. We're in a cursed, sinful, fallen world, and our bodies (including our brains) suffer for it. Mental illness can be treated, even cured, but not in every case, and sometimes not completely. Same with certain non-mental diseases. I don't think mental illness is in a special category apart from other sicknesses.

But, just as demons can sometimes oppress us through physical manifestations, they can also oppress us through mental illnesses as well. It takes a wise, discerning Christian to accurately tell the difference. I'm wary of anyone who says that ALL mental illnesses are either demon-caused or NOT demon-caused.

oj1990 said:

what are your views on it ? do you believe that evil demons etc cause it or medical if medical why do you think god allows it as it makes people further from god and they are not thenselves

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Mental Illness; now there is a term that is massively over used. Not everything is a mental illness or a mental disorder as our excuse-driven society would have us believe. I have study mental health for years and years and I can guarantee you that almost ANYONE who walks into a secular psychiatric office and tells the absolute truth about their history, life, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, etc. and if that psychiatrist checks off the DSM-5 list of symptoms as that persons shares with the doctor, that individual will be diagnosed with some degree of mental disorder – if that person is a Devoted Christian who is transparent with the doctor they will be label all the more.

Most problems, including mental problems, have a spiritual – physical – mental – emotional and often relational component to them. The way those factors vary can be vast from 1% spiritual and 99% physical to 97% spiritual and 3% emotional. If not all factors are addressed the person will only partially “get better”, that is why you so often hear someone doom themselves with a “for life” sentence. ‘I will have to deal with this the rest of my life.’ Yes, you will if you allow yourself to become convinced that you will and if you choose to only treat two out of three of the problem areas.

When “sin” takes place it effects and affects every aspect of our lives – spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and relational. Whether it is our sin, such as entertaining worry and fret or another person’s sin such as being wounded by a molester who stole our innocence thus damaging our self-esteem and trust capacity.

Do a little experiment yourself. Test this theory by tracing problems you see people have or that you yourself have.
When you find the “root” of a person’s problem you find where something went wrong in life, something went contrary to God’s Way and Will. I have never met anyone, or counseled anyone, who was depressed, anxious, disassociated, given to emotionalism, drug addicted, alcohol abuser, etc. that did not have a “sin root” in their history – again, either their sin or another’s sin.

To the issue of demons – they can take root in people’s lives via various means but they are a small percentage of what we see manifest and then labeled mental illness. Demonic beings can influence as well without possession and that can manifest and then be labeled mental illness.

A couple of parting thoughts to ponder:
Secular treatment often does not solve the problem it instead mask the symptoms.
The effect, or as they call it side effects, of long-term secular treatment is often more damaging than the original problem. [Do your research this has already been proven.]
As a colleague and I were discussing last week; the Christian Community needs more individual to step up who are devoted to Christ get training and offer an alternative to people in need – Christian, true Christian, mental health treatment. In the days to come, as people figure out that secular psychiatry is not going to work long-term a much greater need for Christian Treatment is going to arise.

If you would like to discuss this matter any further, and privately, you can send me a private message.

This response comes from someone who has been in Fulltime Christian Ministry for 20 years and I long to help those who have misguided or misdirected by ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’.

Mental illness CAN be caused by possession or oppression by the enemy. However, it isn't by any stretch of the imagination ALL caused by the enemy, any more than diabetes or kidney failure is.

All illness comes from sin, in that we would have never been sick if sin hadn't occurred. But I know from first hand experience that most mental illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances in the hormones and/or the brain.

almost ANYONE who walks into a secular psychiatric office ...will be diagnosed with some degree of mental disorder

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I think that is a matter of doing one's job -categorizing to the best of their ability, to bring the appropriate type of help to a person. Distinguishing one ailment from another.

Then the patient takes the label more seriously, perhaps, than they should from a short consultation. The conclusion might be based on a ten minute conversation.

I had a friend who went in for diagnosis and completely disagreed -- then spent a lot of time in medical books and was better able to describe what they felt needed attending to.

It took many different doctors and med trials to come close to helping. So while they consulted the experts -- many experts at great institutions -- professional solutions did not solve the core problem, or heal the physical root.

So that leaves me to conclude, what's the harm in trying spiritual solutions as well?

If a demon is suspected, then it is a matter of telling that demon to leave. Embarrassing, but not humiliating. Confusing but not destructive. Why not just go through the steps that Jesus suggested, and give it a whirl?

Jesus did not treat demon-oppressed people with disdain. He made a point to set them free immediately. He sent disciples out to set people free. In fact, Jesus did not even waste time trying to reason with or teach oppressed people -- what needed to come first was freedom from unnecessary oppression. Then they could rejoice in that new freedom!

Our brains are complex biological creations that can be affected by so many things, from being overloaded with stress hormones to drug use to physical damage.

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my experience tells me some times when you are mentally ill, you are more vulnerable to the you know what attack ( bad thoughts), because our body, soul and spirit are linked, when one is tired or depressed, it just make it easier for the you know what,but even then, it is not possession

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Good explanations.

It is also important to remember that we all stay humbled with some physical/cognitive quirk or another. Look around -- is anyone completely healthy?

We all know people with depression, OCD, diabetes, MS, polio, AIDS, ADD, autism, allergies, predisposition to addictions, Alzheimer's, arthritis... I am nowhere near through the A's. Just getting started. The medical books are full of ailments because we are ailing humans.

We are not perfect, and get frustrated to find we are not. So either we work with what is familiar to us, or we try to change it. If we don't succeed in changing, then we conclude that the solution did not fit the cause.

Similarly, the Bible tells us that the Enemy lurks, seeking to destroy us. That does not go away, so we need to see how that can incorporate into our lifestyle and approach.

Not alll mental illness is caused by the demonic, but certainly some and alot is.. the reason people suffer from these sort of things is because we are fallen creatures, since adam and eve ate the forbbiden fruit, just like some babies are borned deformed and things of this nature, some people have a legitimate genetic problem that causes mental illness, we need to be VERY careful trying to distinguish the source of such illnesses, Prayer is one of our most powerful things we have, i do beleive that ALL Benzos are from the evil one and never take them for mental illness IMO theres plenty of other options and doctors dont always persue the best avenue for treatment ESP when people are oppressed/ possesed

my above statement is my opinion im not a doctor

The devil works in the world to create systems and to lead people astray from God and when we follow those systems and walk away from God there are consequences.
Having worked in mental health, I see that most of the clients that come in have unhealthy relationships. They have learned really unhealthy ways of relating to other people instead of walking and living in a way that would please God.
Sometimes though mental illness is a matter of a chemical imbalance, but probably not as often as some think

Close your eyes.

Don't need any smart alec comments.

Ok now, picture a big Elephant, big fat one, he's grey, big trunk, legs fat as branches of oaks, big wrinkly feet. You have him?

...

Now we're going to make that elephant disappear.

Ok...

Shake it off.

Now where did the elephant exist?

In you brain?

Collection of chemicals firing together in the right sequence?
Or is you mind something different?
Unattached, abstract,

Philosophers have pondered over this question for centuries.


I suppose there's a choice here at this point, much like the one in the second premise of objective moral values.

Assuming you believe your mind is something different than your brain, something spiritual perhaps, then this is most likely going to be best helped through a spiritual restoration with God.

If the brain, the mechanism is damaged that's something different.

"If there is no physical abnormalities linking one to possible mental illness as such then what else could it be?" When I state abnormalities-I mean possible physical ailments, intoxicants, alterations, etc.

"Many of us are deceived into believing there is a condition with ourselves; when in reality the enemy is influencing/illiciting us!"

JESUS the son of GOD cast out demons from many when he was preaching and in his travels. "How much more or less do you think some of us can be absent of such things?"

As we are told and I assume warned....

Ephesians 6:10-15

King James Version (KJV)

Ephesians 6:10-15

King James Version (KJV)

10
Ephesians 6:10-15

King James Version (KJV)

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and his son lord JESUS CHRIST forever>>>>>>>>>>>>>>