Lion Heart ENCOURAGE - Mental Health

Intro

Hey man of God! Today we’re dealing with something very important. Something that is very broad, and has many many contributing factors.

It’s a tough nut to crack!

Encouragement:

At the core, mental health issues, fear and anxiety come from the same root: Unbelief.

Now I know that these are complex issues, and I don’t seek to belittle it or over simplify it.

I too have been there. I have experienced anxiety. Repeated, debilitating anxiety. To the point where I could not breath, my mind would freeze, etc, accompanied with all the other symptoms of severe anxiety. It was a horrible time in my life. (Given, what lead to those days was something very very traumatic. Something that totally blindsided me. Something I never thought, in a million years, would come near my tent, was now within my walls! But more on that another day.) Praise God, although I still bear the scars of that period in my life, I am grateful to be free from anxiety completely.

This period of anxiety exposed the fact that I needed to know God in a deeper and more true way. It exposed that fact that I had unbelief in my heart.

Now we all have unbelief. We’re born with it. It comes naturally to the flesh. It’s part of our carnal DNA.

Then, there is another substantial contributor to modern mental health issues….Money! Debt!

The whole modern debt based financial system is stacked against us. Capitalism, with it’s many merits, latches into the most base of human weaknesses, ‘the lusting of the eyes, the lusting of the flesh, and the pride of life’.

You see, lust and covetousness are at the heart of what makes capitalism so ‘successful’. It’s the engine of Capitalism. vBut this apparent success comes at a very high price. (Note: I do not seek to demonise Capitalism, nor to delve into the details. I simply want to list it as a key contributor.)

So, we face a complex problem my brothers. A multi-faceted enemy that has no heart nor mercy, and is leached into our flesh. You see, the flesh, our carnal nature, is it’s ultimate ‘in’.

But…..God is GOOD!

We have a loving Father that understands us, and understands our weaknesses.

And He has given us the tools with which to fight the good fight of Faith. Let’s look at a few scriptures that can help us in this case.

Isa 23:6 AMP

“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Pro 15:27 NKJ

“He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.”

There are many scriptures where God addresses both the root, and the solution, to our carnal problem. But at this point, I’d like to ask that we stop. Just stop right here, and let the Word of truth wash over you… Spend some quiet time right here. Read and reread these scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you.

Now, let’s pray this together:

‘Lord Jesus, we open ourselves to Your working. Come and do a work in us, a work of cleansing, work of restoration and of peace. We yield to You today!’

Jesus is the author of Peace. In Him there is no striving brothers. No striving at all.

The world pushes and demands. Jesus beckons and invites.

I opened this post today stating that the root reason for anxiety and mental unwellness is unbelief. I’d like to unpack this just a little. Although this is a study in and of itself, let’s take a little time to review this.

I’d like to start by saying that unbelief is not the presence of something, but rather the absence of something. It’s the absence of God and the knowledge of Him. The gnōsko of God. Gnōsko: The experiential knowledge of YHWH.

Gnōsko is a very rich Greek word, it is often used to show an intimate knowledge between two parties. Not an academic, or head knowledge, but something learnt through intimate time with a person over a substantial period of time.

The more intimate time we spend with God, the more gnōsko we will have of Him. The more gnōsko we have of Him, the less unbelief has place to operate in us.

Unbelief leads to fear and anxiety. Gnōsko of God leads to Faith. The experiential knowledge of His nature, power, faithfulness, love and glory leads to peace and restoration.

We see this very same image sketched in our scriptures for today. In them we see a reliance, a seeking, a focus, an expectation that can only come from a constant gazing upon, and experiential knowing, of Him.

Knowing God deeply, takes a deep investment. But the treasure of knowing Him deeply can not be measured or described.

Practically, how do we seek God? How do we know God?

We don’t have the time to delve into this very much, but I thought it good just to give a few practical things we can do to get to know God more deeply. Let me warn you, these steps seem overly simple. And, you’ve heard them a million times before. Please don’t let familiarity rob you of truth and blessing.

I believe seeking God is a very simple thing. Don’t over complicate it. How would you seek for anything? How would you look for a treasure?

Well, you’d make every attempt to find out more about this treasure. About its location, about what it holds. You would ask people who know more about this treasure. You would find any literature on the subject. You would study it. You would spend time meditating on it, attempting to know more about it with the intent of finding it.

And this is not too different from how we seek God. But God is not cheap. To know Him as saviour is ‘easy’ in a way, He makes the most essential steps easier, He is not unreasonable. But the deeper you want to go, the more it will ‘cost’ you. God is mysterious. God is purposefully hidden.

Jer 29:13 AMP

“Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Oh God, my God, help us to seek you with our whole heart!

Prayer Request:

Brothers, again, I think let’s spend this week praying for the men in our lives. Our fathers, brothers, friends and colleagues. That God may prepare their hearts to receive more of his love, and that they may in turn respond in love and faithfulness. Let’s lift each other up in prayer this week.

Please fwd this message to those who you think can benefit!

Your Brother in Christ,

Stanley 

(100% human generated content) 😊