by Segun Olumide
Chapter One ... Seven Wrong Notions about Emotional & Mental Healing
i. There is no permanent cure for emotional or mental illness; you can only get temporary relief.
TRUTH: "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).
JOHN 8:31 Jesus, therefore, said unto the Jews who believed in him, `If ye may remain in my word, truly my disciples ye are, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' if then the son may make you free, in reality ye shall be free (YLT).
This notion is a pure lie because God cures or heals emotional or mental illnesses naturally, supernaturally or scientifically.
For example, Jesus healed or delivered an insane or mad man supernaturally, and he was completed restored (see Mark 5)!
On the other hand, Dr Rex Russell in an interview titled "Fasting for Physical and Mental Health" cited how Dr Yuri Nikolayave, a psychiatrist in the University of Moscow treated patients with schizophrenia (terrible mental disorder) with 25 to 30-day water fast (not fasting and prayer, but only fasting involving drinking water without food) followed by about 25 to 30-day eating food in its pure form (suggesting natural or unprocessed food).
Interestingly, 70 per cent of the patients remained healed and free mentally and emotionally for the 6 years of the study.
He also gave the instance of Dr Allan Cott of New York University who employed fasting treatment (not fasting and prayer, but just fasting) for 28 schizophrenics. He had 60 per cent success as they recovered from the mental illness.
In fact, he explained that Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used fasting to treat disease over 2,400 years ago and the ancient Ayurvedic healers recommended weekly fast for sound digestive health.
These are natural healings. Also there are wonderful drugs that can help improve or restore one's mental or emotional health. But one needs to be under extremely careful professional monitoring. (It's good to merge medicine and prayer like the mandate the Lord gave to Oral Roberts to merge medicine and prayer).
Though medicine has its limitations, yet God may use it sometimes.
ii. Jesus' stripes or wounds made provision for only the healing of our bodies; not of our souls (minds and emotions) nor of our spirits (consciences and intuitions).
TRUTH:
Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," (Luke 4:18).
"When the even was come, they brought unto him [Jesus] many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses" (Matthew 8:16-17).
The first scripture above talks about Jesus healing the brokenhearted. So God has provision for the healing of our spiritual heart, that is, spirit and soul.
The second scripture mentioned our infirmities and sicknesses. Since it was not limited to the body, so we can conclude that Jesus took away the infirmities of our spirits, souls and bodies.
Also the sicknesses referred to here could be spiritual, mental, emotional or bodily.
You see, the Scripture doesn't say, "... by whose stripes your bodies were healed."
But it says, "... by whose stripes ye were healed." This suggests to us that by his stripes or wounds we were healed in our spirit, soul and body.
I believe that verse is saying, "... by whose stripes ye were healed in thy spirit, soul and body."
I call this: three dimensional healing.
Our consciences, intuitions, minds, emotions and bodies may need healing at times.
iii. A truly born-again child of God cannot come under the attack of emotional or mental illness.
TRUTH:
1 Corinthians 10:11-13 reads, "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Jesus warned, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).
Solomon also warned, "He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby" (Ecclesiastes 10:8-9).
I never thought Satan could afflict me with mental and emotional crisis until he did.
That's why we need to watch and pray lest we should become a victim of Satan's attack.
You see, if you think you are standing, just be careful because you are not really standing except on two 'crutches' namely grace and truth (John 1:16-17, 1Peter 5:12).
I broke the hedge and the serpent bit me hard. For years, my mind and emotions were very very sick. Oh, there was a great struggle. What a great fight. I had unprecedented confusion. Thank God I didn't give up. It was just his mercy and grace.
Yes, it was the hardest season of my life, yet the most blessed season because I learnt the greatest lessons of my life and God has used these to shape my life and ministry today. Glory to God!
iv. Only psychiatric drugs and psychological treatments can bring temporary relief or cure to those suffering from emotional or mental illness.
TRUTH:
Psalm 107:20 says, "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."
I believe medicine will work for some people with mental or emotional issues, but if there is an evil spirit present binding or oppressing the mind or obsessing it one way or another, then one needs more than medicine.
I learnt from one of my teachers that when trying to help mentally challenged people, if their minds are coherent, that is, able to listen to others and understand what they say partially or completely, then one may preach the word of God to them and get them free.
But he explained further that if their minds are not coherent, then one would need the operation of the gift of the Holy Spirit (working of miracles, gifts of healings or gift of faith) to help them.
As a matter of fact, he exhorted that there is need for patience when dealing with such people because there is sometimes a test of faith.
There was a mentally deranged woman who attended his 10-day meeting. On the first 2 days, she displayed insanity.
By the 4th day, she was a different person taking notes during the teaching.
Before the 10 days was over, she was born-again and filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in an unknown tongue. Also she was completely free from insanity through the Word of God without being prayed for (Romans 1:16)!
Psalm 107:20 says, "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."
Another woman who had spent over 19 years in a mental institution read one of his books and ordered more and read them. She became totally delivered from insanity (John 8:31-32, 36)!
He also gave the example of another insane woman he dealt with through the gift of faith who did not receive her deliverance immediately, but 4 days later, while at home, she was completely delivered.
Isn't it interesting that listening to God's word can bring deliverance and healing?
Some years ago, somebody was playing the tape of a popular preacher here in Nigeria when a mad man passing by requested that he wanted to listened to the second side of it. And he was delivered.
Let some mentally or emotionally disturbed people listen to Bible reading on a CD, phone, laptop or so for 1 to 2 hours daily for weeks or months without interruptions or distractions.
I also believe that every believer can cast out the spirit of insanity if they can pay the great price as Brother Von Shield did in chapter 2 of this book (Mark 16:17-18, John 14:12-14, Matthew 17:19-21).
Beyond Healing or Deliverance
After one is healed or delivered, one needs to renew one's mind daily. Some healings or deliverances are instantaneous while others are gradual.
Jesus alerted: "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation" (Matthew
12:43-45).
To have lasting healing and deliverance as well as to enjoy health and dominion, you may need to cast out some evil strongmen and pull down their evil strongholds, too.
How do we pull down the strongholds the devil has built in our minds or emotions over a period of 10, 20, 40, 60 or more years?
The Scripture says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (2 Corinthians10:3-5).
There are two ways of pulling down strongholds as revealed in verse 5 above, namely:
1. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God through your mouth.
Jeremiah 1:9-10 confirms it: "Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
That's a call to confessing God's word continuously (see also Joshua 1:8, Matthew 4).
2. Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ through choosing what to think on carefully.
The most important thing is to be transformed by the daily renewing of the mind.
Paul urged: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:1-2).
It's terrible to see someone who is healed or delivered emotionally or mentally, but untransformed!
v. We can seek help from the New Age Movement or the Occult to manage emotional or mental illness better.
TRUTH:
2 Kings1:2-4 says, "And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed."
Help must never be sought from the New Age movement and the Occult.
Don't ever read occult books or listen to occult messages because you need emotional and mental healing.Also don't visit occult churches, witch doctors, Islamic alfas, false prophets, and so on for deliverance.It may cost you both your spiritual and physical lives.
Let me sound a strong note of warning here that Christians should desist from using visualization (forced imagination), yoga meditation, astral travel, spirit guide assistance, sublime tapes or CDs, mind blanking, and so on when seeking emotional and mental healing or health.
vi. Righteousness and holiness can cause emotional or mental illness.
TRUTH:
"The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner (Proverbs 11:6, 12:28, 13:6).
True righteousness and true holiness cannot cause mental or emotional illness, but over-righteousness and over-holiness as well as false righteousness and false holiness can. (Please read Ecclesiastes 7:16-17).
vii. All emotionally or mentally challenged people should be avoided because they are all demon-possessed, violent, abusive and irresponsible.
TRUTH:
This is not true. There are different degrees of emotional or mental illnesses. One may be 10 per cent, while another is 50 per cent and still another is 100 per cent emotionally or mentally sick. Some may do almost everything normally whereas some others may do nearly all things abnormally. Then some are just in between. So we must know who and when to avoid and who and when not to (Romans 8:14). While some of them are demon-possessed, some others are just demon-oppressed or demon-obsessed.
Segun Olumide is an apostolic leader at the Glorious Family Church International and the New Apostolic Movement both in Lagos, Nigeria.
He has a mandate to align the church with God's purpose.
All scripture quotations are mostly from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
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