Mental Health and the Bibleಮಾದರಿ

The Battle in Our Minds

Can I share a few facts to help clear some of the stigmas and assumptions you may be carrying about mental health? I want to make sure that we start this conversation around mental health in the right way.

• · Mental health isn’t just about mental and emotional struggles; it’s about the general state of one’s psychological and emotional well-being.
• · Anyone’s mental health can be affected, just like anyone’s physical health can be affected. This is as true for Christians as it is for non-Christians.
• · Mental health is not a barometer for Christian maturity or faith. You can be a faithful Christian and still struggle with your mental health.
• · God is concerned about your mental health, and His Word has hope for you today.

I also want you to know that you are not alone in your mental health struggles. A Springtide study showed 47 percent of young people report being moderately or extremely depressed, and 55 percent report being moderately or extremely anxious. Other studies show that adults report significant increases in anxiety in recent years.

God went to lengths throughout scripture to affirm the reality of mental health challenges and to show how common they are to the human experience they are. Struggling with your mental health does not mean you lack faith or have done something wrong.

In fact, there are numerous people in the Bible who struggled with their mental health. Job grew so depressed that he wished he had never been born. King David was riddled at times with anxiety and depression. Elijah no longer wanted to live at one point. And Jesus himself was so full of mental anguish the night before His crucifixion that he sweated drops of blood.

I have also wrestled with depression, anxiety, and OCD since I was a child. I know firsthand the confusion and pain these struggles can bring. And at the same time, these issues have lessened drastically through my faith in Christ, applying specific biblical principles to my life, and therapy. I trust God will bring insights and practical steps to help you improve your mental health as you go through and apply this devotional.

Thought of the Day: Dealing with mental health struggles does not mean that I am not a good Christian. The enemy may try to test me through my mind, but God will help.