I had an interesting question about mental illness. The person wrote that “something is wrong with my mind.” I wish I had more details, but that was about all the e-mail said.
Let me say, in the absence of details, that some people may have serious mental illness issues that may be caused by physical problems. Sometimes, the only way to ascertain the cause of a “mental illness” is to seek professional medical help. I believe the Lord gave us doctors for a reason, and getting a proper diagnosis is a great reason to go to the doctor!
Having said that, what does the Bible have to say about the issue? The Word of God promises Christians a sound mind. Mental illness is part of the curse of the Law and is very often the direct result of sin and disobedience to God.
However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. (Deuteronomy 28:15, 28)
The literal reading of 2 Timothy 1:7 is a promise Christians can depend on:
God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Another enlightening verse is found in Isaiah:
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3)
You’ll notice a couple of things. Christians are promised a “sound mind,” which means a mind free from fear and anxiety. However, in order to have that “sound mind,” Christians need to replace destructive, negative thoughts with other, more positive thoughts. We need to keep our minds focused on the Lord, not on bad thoughts. Like me, you have probably found it difficult to not have bad thoughts. Some days it seems like our brains are like magnets that attract every bad thought floating around out there! The Bible’s solution implies that those bad thoughts will come, but that we have a the power to control them:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
Christians are not slaves to their minds! It is within you to control your thoughts. Controlling your thoughts is not denying reality, it is freeing your mind from bondage that will paralyze you to the point where you will be so filled with fear or despondency, finding real solutions to your real life problems will always elude you.
If you are stuck in the rut of negative thinking to the point where the quality of your life has been impacted negatively, there is no one to blame but yourself. Each of us is responsible for maintaining a healthy mind. It is up to you to feed your mind healthy food. Your mind is like a computer: it will always put out essentially what goes into it.
If you find negative thoughts a problem, take a look at what you watch on TV, the kind of music you listen to, and what you read. Consider who you are spending most of your time with. Negative people will always bring you down to their level. Most people become like the people they spend most of their time with. Napoleon Hill was right about a few things, and one of them is this issue about the kind of people we associate with. If you are a Christian I would strongly encourage you to join a Spirit-filled church and seek out fellowship with solid believers.
Perhaps a “mental illness” is the result of a real medical issue. Seeking medical help and proper medication can help with that. But even then it is absolutely essential for Christians to get into the habit of healthy thinking and healthy fellowshiping.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
