Quote from Forum Archives on April 11, 2003, 3:43 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Many of the issues we face in life have different labels placed
on them, depending on who you are, what you believe, the degree
of severity of a situation, and a whole range of other things.

Today's message discusses the relationship of the spiritual world
to the manner in which popular psychology views the mental well
being of individuals. I find Neil Anderson's observations in
today's message to be quite interesting, and I tend to agree with
much of what he has to say, particularly in today's message.

Whether the issues we face today are physical, emotional,
spiritual, or a combination of all of these factors, the God of
the universe is the Creator of all things, and we are permitted
to come to Him because of the free gift His Son provided to us.
I believe that God holds the answers to all problems, no matter
how large or small they may be. I believe that the best possible
thing we can do, no matter what we face in life, is to seek God
first in every single area of our life.

Now when we seek God, it also involves response and action on our
part. I'm not a believer in sitting around, merely waiting for
something to come to us. God is the God of action. I never
believe in running off and doing things, but neither do I believe
in lack of response. What I do believe is to be in continual
communion and conversation with God, so that when answers to
life's problems appear, you will see them, recognize God's hand
in them, and respond to them.

I'm the first to admit that I struggle with these kinds of
things. At the same time, I'm thankful that God has brought my
struggles into my conscious, so that I may submit all of my
struggles to Him and fully rely upon Him.

Have a great weekend. Be sure to attend your local church,
especially in this holiday season. This Sunday is called Palm
Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus' triumphant entry into
Jerusalem. We know it as triumphant because in taking that
journey, He conquered sin and the power of death, once and for
all. Next week is Holy Week, the days leading up to the
suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

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NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

April 11

THE REALITY OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Here's another common misconception about the spiritual world
that must be dispelled: What the early church called demonic
activity we now understand to be mental illness. One counselor
argued, "There is no way his problem can be demonic; he's a
paranoid schizophrenic." Simply accepting secular psychology's
definition of a human problem in no way establishes the actual
cause of the problem. Terms such as schizophrenia, paranoia,
psychosis, etc. are merely labels classifying symptoms.

But what or who is causing the symptoms? Is it a neurological or
hormonal problem, or perhaps a chemical imbalance? Certainly
these options must be explored. But what if no physical cause is
found? Then it must be a psychological problem. But which school
of psychology do you choose: biblical or secular? Why not
explore the possibility that the problem may be spiritual?

We should not be surprised that secular psychologists, limited
to a natural worldview, supply only natural explanations for
mental problems. They offer their explanation from a viewpoint
with no concept of God, much less the demonic. Even many
Christians who vociferously reject the scientific community's
explanation for the origin of the species naively accept the
secular psychologist's explanation of mental illness. Research
based on the scientific method of investigation of human
spiritual problems is not wrong; it's just incomplete. It
ignores the reality of the spiritual world because neither God
nor the devil submit to our methods of investigation.

Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is." Science
is inadequate to explain matters of faith. We must trust God's
Word to explain the reality of the spiritual world.

I praise You, Father, that I don't have to accept fallible man's
knowledge as the last word on life. I know Your Word stands
above all human reasoning and will remain forever in heaven.

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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