Shepherding The Flock - Why Psychological Solutions, Not Biblical Solutions

[Pastor Scott Markle]

Thought for Meditation

Why do so many of God's own people today 
seek after psychological and pharmaceutical solutions 
to their emotional, mental, and behavioral prOBlems, 
rather than follow after Biblical and spiritual (Holy Spirit directed) solutions? 

Psalm 19:7-11 
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: 
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: 
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: 
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: 
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 
Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Psalm 119:9-11 
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? 
By taking heed thereto according to thy word. 
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:49-56 
Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. 
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. 
The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law. 
I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself. 
Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. 
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. 
I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law. 
This I had, because I kept thy precepts.

Psalm 119:92-93 
Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction. 
I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.

Psalm 119:97-104 
O how love I thy law!  It is my meditation all the day. 
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: 
for they are ever with me. 
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. 
I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. 
I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. 
I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. 
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalm 119:114
Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

Psalm 119:129-131 
Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them. 
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. 
I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.

Psalm 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

John 15:4-5
Abide in me, and I in you. 
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; 
no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 
I am the vine, ye are the branches: 
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: 
for without me ye can do nothing.

Galatians 5:16
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1 John 2:27
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, 
and ye need not that any man teach you: 
but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, 
and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Posted in Thought for Meditation, Spiritual Revival, Spiritual Enablement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Guidance, 
Spiritual Peace

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[Arbo]

Not every psychological issue is caused by sin.

[No Nicolaitans]

Not every psychological issue is caused by sin.

 

I think that technically, any and all prOBlems are caused by sin when it comes down to the nitty gritty.  Had man never sinned, there would never have been prOBlems, heart-ache, pain, suffering, etc., etc., etc.

 

Sin is the root cause of it all.

[Arbo]

I think that technically, any and all prOBlems are caused by sin when it comes down to the nitty gritty.  Had man never sinned, there would never have been prOBlems, heart-ache, pain, suffering, etc., etc., etc.
 
Sin is the root cause of it all.

[No Nicolaitans]

If it weren't for sin, there would be no mental prOBlems, cancer, high blood pressure, heart attacks, etc., etc., etc.

 

And there wouldn't be any eye-rolling either.

 

Sin is the root cause of it all.

[Arbo]

If it weren't for sin, there would be no mental prOBlems, cancer, high blood pressure, heart attacks, etc., etc., etc.
 
And there wouldn't be any eye-rolling either.
 
Sin is the root cause of it all.

Eye-rolling is sin, or the root cause of it? Seriously?

[No Nicolaitans]

Eye-rolling is sin, or the root cause of it? Seriously?

 

Rolling one's eyes can be done for different reasons, but to roll one's eyes at a biblical truth is sin. What is in one's heart is often expressed outwardly.  What is in a person's heart when they roll their eyes? Is it not because they are showing disapproval or disbelief of something.

 

Think about this, had man never sinned, all of mankind would be of one mind, of one accord, and in complete agreement with one another; there would never arise a reason to roll one's eyes at anyone else.

 

I'm not offended that you rolled your eyes at me; I'm just surprised that you rolled your eyes at a biblical truth.

[John81]

It's far easier to run to a doctor, to look for that "magic pill" that will cure or hide the prOBlems, than it is to actually submit to the Lord, to truly read, study and meditate upon the Word, to actually trust the Lord and rest in Him.

 

There are times when the Lord will direct us to some medical help, but we should seek the Lord first, not the medical help.

 

I can't recall the name of the king in Scripture that refused to seek the Lord over a health matter but instead only consulted the physicians. He didn't get any better. Whether God would have healed the king or not isn't clear, but it is clear the king sinned by not taking the matter to the Lord and only turning to the physicians.

 

Even if a Christian needs some earthly help, why consult a worldly shrink rather than a mature pastor or a true biblical counselor (as opposed to so-called 'Christian shrinks' who use the worlds methods but couch their language in christianese)?

 

One of our prOBlems, and this seems especially so with American Christians, is we have been taught to be self-reliant. Our natural tendency is to help ourselves or seek out help on our own. In our natural thinking it can seem like doing nothing or even bugging God if we take our prOBlems directly to Him. This leaves many American Christians who look to God as a last resort.

 

In all things we should seek the leading of the Lord FIRST.

[Arbo]

NoNicols- I think that we may be talking around one another, so I will ask you plainly: Do you categorically believe that a person's psychological issues has, as a root cause, the sin committed by that same individual? Is it simply a matter of repentance and faith by the one afflicted that brings about healing?

As for the belief that infirmities, sorrow, etc. are a result of the fall- if that is your point, I agree.

[No Nicolaitans]

NoNicols- I think that we may be talking around one another, so I will ask you plainly: Do you categorically believe that a person's psychological issues has, as a root cause, the sin committed by that same individual? Is it simply a matter of repentance and faith by the one afflicted that brings about healing?

As for the belief that infirmities, sorrow, etc. are a result of the fall- if that is your point, I agree.

 

My point was that ALL prOBlems are a result of the fall.  Had man not sinned, man would have no prOBlems.

 

My personal belief as to whether a person's mental issues are sin-related is this...

 

1.  There are OBviously people who suffer from mental prOBlems.  Such as those who are retarded, those who are victims of head-injuries, etc. These are physical prOBlems and I think they need medical help.  

 

2.  I'm not sure how I feel about "chemical imbalances".  

 

3.  There are also people who suffer from mental prOBlems; such as, depression, anxiety, etc.  These are prOBlems with the mind. Medication for these prOBlems only alter the mind; they don't "heal" anything.  Take a person off their medicine, and they go right back to their prOBlem.  I've spoken to people who are on these medications, and they say they don't feel anything...no depression, no joy...they're just in a "zone".  So, in these cases, yes...I think it's a sin.  We are told to let our minds be stayed on the Lord.

 

Isaiah 26:3

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

Depression, anxiety, etc. takes our mind off of the Lord. The Bible gives clear direction on how to overcome these prOBlems in life. Regardless of how one becomes depressed, anxious, etc., to stay in that state of mind is sin. We are to love God with all of our mind; that's a commandment. Anything that takes our mind off of God is causing us to break a command...and it is therefore sin. However, man wants things the easy way (as John81 said), and it's just easy to take a few seconds and pop a pill to mask the prOBlem rather than spending the time it would take to do what God's word says and fix the prOBlem.

 

So, are mental disorders a result of sin in the life of people? In some cases yes, and in some cases no. Some people are affected by circumstances beyond their control...deaths of loved ones, jOB losses, health prOBlems, etc.  However, for a believer to remain in a mental state (that's not physical...depression, anxiety, etc.) IS sin. I realize this will prOBably not set well with some, but I firmly believe that a believer who seeks help for these prOBlems with medication rather than God's method is also sin.

 

That's my view. I'm not trying to convince anyone that I'm right, and they're wrong.  

 

Sin is the root cause of it all.

[candlelight]

NN said:
 

 

"1.  There are OBviously people who suffer from mental prOBlems.  Such as those who are retarded, those who are victims of head-injuries, etc. These are physical prOBlems and I think they need medical help." 

I am glad that you mentioned the above as "physical prOBlems" that need medical help.  I have had Epilepsy since I was 6 months old.  However, as a child, it was never treated.  I would get febrile (fever) related seizures, when I had Step throat, due to very high temperatures.  The seizures went away when I was twelve years old.  I also had several head injuries as a baby, child, teenager, and adult.  

They came back when I was 33 due to stress.  The doctors located a spot in my brain, where seizure activity was active.  I have gone off anti-seizure medication years back.  When I did, I went into a seizure each time.  I have physically damaged my body as a result of going off of the medication.  I have a lower lip with scar tissue on the inside, from falling on a hardwood floor, and having one of my upper teeth smash into my lip.  I had to have a root canal done on this tooth.  I also have a broken finger, as a result of a fall.

I am on a very low dose of seizure medication; however, it is keeping me alive and functioning.  When I tell this to a charismatic, they encourage me to go off of my prescribed medication, and live by faith.  In fact, they insist upon it.  That is the worse advice you can give someone with a physical prOBlem.  BTW, at one time, Epilepsy was not considered a physical prOBlem.  They would lock patients away in mental institutions, because they were treating seizures as a mental condition as opposed to what is, a physical condition.  

As IFB's we must be careful not to play "armchair doctor."  We also run the risk of looking like charismatics.  Our good physicians are medically qualified to diagnose and prescribe medication for people.  That is what they go to medical school for.  If I didn't listen to my neurologist and follow charismatic teaching, I would prOBably be dead.  I will never listen to a person without a medical degree, again.