As Christians we seem to tell ourselves we shouldn’t have these afflictions, and if we do it somehow translates to a lack of faith. If this adds to our suffering, why do we do it?
The Bible, in all those verses pertaining to Mental Health, Depression, Insomnia, Anxieties, Panic Attacks tells us to change our thoughts and actions, too. Let’s take Philippians 4:6-7 for example. It says “Do not be anxious about anything [thoughts], but in every situation, by prayer and petition [action], with thanksgiving [thoughts and actions], present your requests to God [action].” The next verse mentions the result that follows: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Verse 6 tells us what we are supposed to do and then verse 7 tells us the outcome.
Can the feelings of fear or hopelessness return? Absolutely. And when they do, we repeat the process. Again and again and again. And gradually, we can actually train our brains to release fearful thoughts and hold on to thoughts of hope to stir up feelings of calm and wellbeing more and more.
Lie: I am a bad Christian because I struggle with mental illness
Truth: We all have the ability to improve our mental health
Truth: You can still grow spiritually if you have struggled with mental health
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. – Proverbs 12:25, NLT Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. – 1 Peter 5:7, NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7, NLT
Take every thought captive
The truth is, thoughts of worry and anxiety come to all of us. Jesus tells us that trouble will come to all of us, and with trouble comes the temptation to feel anxious and worried. As believers, we can fight those thoughts of using the Word of God. One great verse to remind ourselves to fight the urge to worry and feel anxious is 2 Corinthians 10:5:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Every thought. We have the ability to decide which thoughts are obedient to Christ, which thoughts are positive, life-giving, and follow God’s Word, and which do not. We are told in this verse to take those negative thoughts captive, to bind them up and not let them take root in our hearts or spirits. For the seeds of anxiety begin in our hearts and spirits.
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