Mental health can feel like a taboo topic in Christian circles, leaving many unsure of how to navigate anxiety, depression, and emotional struggles. In this devotional, we will explore how Scripture speaks to mental health issues, and how science-backed practices can help Christians who struggle with their mental health.
Plan provided by Ben Bennett and Resolution Movement.
Day 1
Scriptures: Matthew 11:28, Psalms 94:19, Isaiah 26:3
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.
Day 2
Scriptures: Psalms 147:3, Proverbs 4:23, Psalms 42:11
Mental Health Struggles Are Not Random
I’ll repeat something I said in yesterday’s devotional: mental health is not a barometer of Christian maturity or faith. You can be a faithful Christian and still struggle with your mental health. I want to encourage you to take the power and resources available to you to do more than struggle with your mental health. I want you to thrive. And one step towards moving from struggling to thriving is getting to the root of your mental health struggles. As the Psalmist asks in Psalm 43:5, “Why are you downcast, O my soul?” We can do the same by questioning what is leading to our mental health challenges.
See, when we have negative, painful, or even traumatic experiences, such as being bullied, rejected, or experiencing embarrassment, we begin to believe lies from those experiences. Lies like “I’m never safe”, “I will be rejected”, or “I’m unlovable”. Anything in the present that looks or feels like those past painful experiences can bring with it all of the emotions and lies. For example, as an adult, if you are having a conflict with a friend, you may start becoming anxious because, at a deeper level, you fear rejection. In this situation, your fight or flight system is activated, and your brain is trying to protect you from what it perceives as a threat due to past rejection.
Maybe growing up, you had experiences of not being able to meet the expectations or approval of others. Now, circumstances come up–a challenging task, a poor performance review at work, others having skillsets you don’t–and at times, you grow depressed. You feel hopeless about your ability to overcome the challenge or situation.
Over time, the neurons in our brain that fire together wire together. This means that as we think the same thoughts, believe the same beliefs, and respond the same way to situations, our brains create fixed patterns of thinking and responding, making it easier and easier to repeat those same patterns again.
But just as our mental health struggles are not random, our healing is not random. The good news is that God can heal our pain, our brains can rewire, and we can overcome the lies we believe.
Worth mentioning, too, is that modern medicine is a gift from God. Medication can help reduce symptoms as you work through the deeper, complex issues that are driving mental health challenges. Consulting an informed psychiatrist about this can be a great step to take as well.
Thought of the Day: My mental health struggles are not random; they’re symptoms of deeper pain God wants to heal, lies to rewrite, and patterns God can help me break.
Day 3
Scriptures: Romans 12:2-5, Philippians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 10:3
Renewing Our Minds
The Bible mentions the words mind, think, and believe over 580 times. I believe Scripture places a huge emphasis on our minds because it is the primary battleground where spiritual warfare takes place. The enemy is going to do whatever he can to attack our minds, but with God’s help, we can fight his schemes and destroy the strongholds that try to keep us from peace and wholeness in our minds.
The way God designed the human brain is incredible. We have billions of neurons firing in our minds every day, helping us to make decisions and complete routine tasks like brushing our teeth or putting on our socks. Most of these tasks become second nature. Our brain uses the neurons to create default pathways in our minds to make repeating everyday tasks reflexive.
Pathways are created in our brains for more than simple tasks and actions; they are created for our thought life, feelings, and emotional responses, too. Thankfully, most of what’s done in our minds can be undone. Because of our brain’s neuroplasticity—that is, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections—we can actually rewire and overcome lies, anxious thoughts, and challenging mental reactions to life’s challenges. This is a scientific way of explaining what Paul calls “renewing the mind” in Romans 12:2.
Here are five simple steps to help you renew your mind and support your mental health:
1. Move from isolation to connection. We were created for community, and our mental health noticeably improves when we pursue meaningful connection with other people on a regular basis.
2. Identify the what: Think about what leads to anxiety or depression for you. Is it rejection? Feeling unsafe? Feeling lonely or hurt? When you identify the what, do what 1 Peter 5:7 says and cast your cares onto God.
3. Identify the why: Now, think about the why behind your what. Go a little deeper and investigate why things like rejection or being unsafe are significant and how they showed up in your past. Seek healing for these things.
4. Identify the truth. Now, in this important step, ask yourself what God says about you and this situation. Look to His Word and look for truth you can apply and speak into your circumstances.
5. Take every thought captive. Try to catch the lie or the automatic negative thought that seems to fuel your uncomfortable emotions or mental distress. Redirect your thoughts to God’s truth and visualize His love, protection, and acceptance of you.
Practicing these five steps has helped me so much personally with overcoming anxiety and depression. I’ve seen these steps help so many people I’ve worked with throughout the years. I hope they will help you as you seek God’s healing for your pain, rewrite the lies you believe with God’s truth, and rewire the unhelpful mental patterns in your life.
Thought of the Day: I’m so thankful that my mind can be renewed. I will put the things I have learned today into practice to hold to God’s truth and take control of my mind.