Suffering Mental Illness: Like Mary Magdalene
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NIV)
In the Bible, if “40” means trial, and this devotion falls on that number, then perhaps God is confirming one truth:
OUR BIGGEST TRIALS ARE FOUGHT IN THE MIND!
In the land of the free, many aren't free. Because minds can get tied up and tortured.
A sad array of mental disorders (including anxiety, depression, anorexia, and nervous breakdowns) target our joy and productivity.
They infiltrated my family line, and masses are similarly besieged. In America, 1 in 5 are hit (almost 60 million at last report).*
Mental health professionals debate the causes and various treatment options. But Jesus laid the blame at Satan's feet.
Therefore, the Captain of our salvation fought and freed us from demonic control!
In “politically correct” churches, the casting out of demons is messy and culturally unacceptable. Possibly, readers of this devotion don't believe or endorse this strange practice.**
But since Jesus spent so much time on it, I think deliverance is relevant… and could help innumerable people.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Through the mighty fields of entertainment, magic (and dark heroes) call out to us. We’re compelled and repelled at the same time.
Outsiders may not know demons are real… which is completely understandable.
What I don’t get is why CHRISTIANS ignore evil principalities and powers.
As if they no longer exist on Earth.
As if men can’t be possessed or oppressed.
As if Christ didn’t tell us to FIGHT them.
As if we don’t have the strength He gave us.
As if we’re too “high” for such “dirty” jobs.
As if we don’t know His priorities.
As if deliverance is outdated.
If you believe I'm wrong, study the Word, and like the Bereans– search the Scriptures. Unsung heroes, like Mary Magdalene,* have wonderful lives ahead of them--as soon as they are freed from oppression.
Suffering: Mental Illness, Like Mary Magdalene (Part 40)
* List of mental health disorders: Mental Illness
* Mental Health By The Numbers: Mental Health By the Numbers | NAMI
* Stats on mental illness, Mental Disorders in America: Mental Illness - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
* Stats on mental illness, 19 Statistics That Prove Mental Illness Is More Prominent Than You Think: 19 Statistics That Prove Mental Illness Is More Prominent Than You Think | HuffPost Life
** I don't want to offend anyone, and surely God gives us freedom of choice. That being said, I have experienced and witnessed deliverance. Perhaps no one could be more skeptical than I was, and surely some quacky people (who call themselves Christians) have made a fake show of it... but many deep-in-the-Spirit believers have been freed and now help others get freed as well.
** My favorite author on deliverance (after Christ) is Derek Prince: They Shall Expel Demons: What You Need to Know about Demons - Your Invisible Enemies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waA6LEI5o0M
** Short article: Top 7 Bible Verses To Cast Out Demons: Top 7 Bible Verses To Cast Out Demons | Michael Krauszer
*** Mary Magdalene, The Woman Who Had Seven Devils: Mary Magdalene - Lockyer's All the Women of the Bible
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God– to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.
WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!