Millions of Americans suffer from mental and emotional illnesses, many of which can be crippling. Please understand, there is nothing wrong with suffering from these problems. The presence of anxiety, depression, or any other mental or emotional illness is not a sign of a lack of faith. However, that doesn’t mean that we should simply sit back and wallow in our issues. Instead, we should do everything possible to fight for mental and emotional health.
There was a study published in 2011 that discussed how many prescription antidepressants were written by mental health professionals in 2010. The number is staggering! More than 253 million antidepressants were given to people by their doctors in 2010 in the United States. In the 12 years since, that number has increased by 30% every year since. That means that the number of antidepressants has gone up by around 360%, putting the 2022 number somewhere around 953 million.
There is certainly no doubt that there is a mental health crisis in our nation. Mental health is not an inherently spiritual issue. Instead, there are millions of people who have chemical imbalances that lead to the mental and emotional issues that they suffer from. If you or someone you know is suffering from mental illness, please, seek professional help. Doing so is not an indication of a lack of faith. God can certainly heal these problems, He has also blessed the men and women in the medical field to treat these problems.
While mental and emotional health aren’t inherently spiritual issues, Satan preys on these areas in the lives of believers. When you suffer from depression, anxiety, anger, or any other mental or emotional issue, he can deceive people. That’s why the suicide rate continues to climb, and it’s why people are struggling in their pursuit of mental and emotional health.
As is always the case, Scripture provides us with the insight that we need to find a way to battle for mental and emotional wellbeing.
Who Controls Your Heart?
Psalm 51:10 (TPT)
Create a new, clean heart within me. Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you.
One of the first steps to fighting for mental and emotional health is to determine who is in control of your feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Unfortunately, we often delegate the control of our heart to whatever is going on around us. We allow our circumstances, other people, and any other number of outside sources to control our hearts. While we’re talking about mental and emotional health, most of those issues tie to our heart.
No, this isn’t about the organ that pumps blood to the rest of your body. Instead, the Bible discusses the heart as the innermost part of who we are. It’s important that we understand who is controlling it, and release that control to God. That’s why the Bible says that we should “guard our hearts above all else, because everything we do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
Our emotional and mental health flows from our hearts. We’re quick to guard our material possessions such as cars, homes, bank accounts, and everything else, but we often overlook our hearts. In a physical sense, a heart attack occurs when arteries become blocked. Mentally and emotionally, our hearts come under attack when we allow the buildup of outside sources to block us.
What’s blocking your heart today? When you allow negative forces to have control over your innermost being, your mental and emotional health will struggle.
What’s Controlling Your Mind?
Philippians 4:6-8 (TPT)
Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ. So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.
According to experts, the human mind processes anywhere between 50,000 and 80,000 thoughts in a single day. Have you ever taken the time to think about what you’re thinking about? If you spent some time in thought inventory, what kind of thoughts would be at the top of the list? If we leave our thoughts unchecked, they will take full control of our lives.
If you are already prone to anxiety, depression, or some other mental health issue, your thoughts can have a major impact on your overall wellbeing.
There is good news: you do not have to be a prisoner of your thoughts! You have the power to control what kind of thoughts are running your life. Look at another passage that Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 10:5 (TPT)
We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.
There is a battle going on for control of your mind. It’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that you’re just a spectator or even worse, a victim in this battle. However, that idea doesn’t line up with Scripture. Instead, you are in charge of taking those rebellious thoughts captive and replacing them with the things that Paul discussed in Philippians 4:6-8.
Fighting For Your Relationships
Proverbs 27:17 (TPT)
It takes a grinding wheel to sharpen a blade, and so one person sharpens the character of another.
Finally, when you are facing times of mental or emotional turmoil, it’s easy to retreat within yourself. We have a tendency to isolate ourselves when we’re facing times of adversity. That’s exactly what Satan wants you to do. Have you ever seen a nature special where a hungry lion preys on a gazelle that is isolated from the pack? The Bible teaches us that Satan is like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). When we isolate ourselves during periods of personal pain, we’re in a better position for Satan to destroy us.
You need other people in your life. Humans were designed with connection in mind. When God put Adam in the garden, He immediately said that it wasn’t good for him to be alone, and He created Eve.
Fight the urge to recoil and isolate during moments of emotional and mental pain. When you’re suffering, find someone who you can trust to share your pain with. Doing so not only fulfills God’s design for you, but it also helps you avoid the threat of Satan preying on you while you’re alone.
The battle for mental and emotional wellbeing is a never-ending one. Even if you’re not diagnosed with a mental health issue, you still need to fight to protect your mental and emotional wellbeing. Doing so ensures that you’re walking in the kind of total peace that God wants for His people.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to take control over the things that I can control. While I don’t have the power to remove these issues from myself, I can control what is building up in my heart. I can control the thoughts that I think and the things that I focus on. Most of all, I can control the way that I connect with other people. Help me to do all of those things. In Christ’s name I ask these things, Amen.