MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Mental Health as a state of well-being in which every individual can carry out four roles: -

a.     Realize his/her potentials

b.     Cope with normal stress of life

c.      Work productivity

d.     Participate meaningfully in the community. It also includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being.

It is important to note that the bible does not explicitly speak on the topic of mental health. However, it does have a lot to say about the heart, mind and the condition of the soul. Health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a complete state of physical. mental and social well-being. It is not just the absence of disease or infirmity. Mental health is important as it affects the whole being. (Proverbs 4:23).

In contrast, it is a psychological disorder affecting one’s mood, thinking and behaviour. The term mental illness covers a broad range of disorders from mild depression to schizophrenia – a condition that impairs a person’s ability to think, feel, process and respond to life situations in an appropriate way. Mental illness can distort our view of God and others and as well contribute to sinful behaviour.

There are some cases of emotional issues in the bible such as

a.     Depression. 1 kings 19:1-4

b.     Loneliness. 1 kings 19;10

c.      Hopelessness. 1 kings 17: 9-12

d.     Suicide Matthew 27:5

e.     Rejection. 1 Samuel 18:7-8

f.       Insanity Mark 5:1-5

CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS

It is the desire of God for believers to live a peaceful and fulfilled life (Genesis 25:8; Jeremiah 29:11). However, there are some believers who are not operating in this realm of God’s intention for them. This may be as a result of some of these factors; -

a.     Childhood abuse          Proverbs 17;22b

b.     Trauma/neglect             2 Samuel13:19

c.      Loneliness                       1 Kings 19:10

d.     Discrimination/oppression    James 2:6

e.     Poverty                              Proverbs 10:15

f.       Loss of loved ones         2 Samuel 18:33  

g.     Debts                                   Proverbs 22:7

h.     Low self-esteem               Numbers 13:33

i.        Severe stress                     1 Samuel 30:4,6

j.        Family difficulties/challenges Genesis 34:30 etc. Also in some cases, spiritual forces have a direct effect on mental health 1Samuel 16:14; Mark 5:1-5.

To overcome mental ill-health and enjoy emotional well-being, you must understand that

1.       Failure and challenges are part of human life Proverbs 24:16

2.      Investing in good social network and godly relationship are important 2 Samuel 9:1

3.     Loneliness and isolation which are risk factors for depression and suicidal behaviour should be avoided. Proverbs 17:22

4.     Good sleep helps the brain restore itself. Proverbs 3;24

5.     Regular exercise expunges toxic chemicals from the body. 1 timothy 4:8

6.     Drug abuse is not an option for good health

7.     Healthy thoughts are necessary always. Philippians 4:8.

Conclusively, good mental health is necessary for good daily living. Therefore, take care of your health.

God bless you.

Source: The Redeemed Christian Church of God Sunday School Manual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The side effects of God's Love

What are the side effects of God's love ? This question may seem odd but yet it connects to our current belief with all the medicine that exist, they come with side effects. In fact commercials will hype up a certain medicine and then give all the things that could go wrong. So if medicine can produce side effects, what about God's love? I'm convinced that his love will shine through us in ways that reflect His grace  and mercy, yet Christians along with churches struggle to do this practically and we are missing out!

The side effect of his love are not a plague to avoid but rather an opportunity to embrace that breeds change personally and beyond. These are what God's love does:-

1. Removes fear. When you an I receive his love, we begin the journey of being fear free, which empowers us to freely give others. This is crucial because God touches people through us. We are the method God uses to touch humanity. 1 John 4:18.

2. Creativity. This is a side effect to give us new ideas, to think out of box which empowers us to reach to people. We are not to force people into our religion ; we are to lead them to Jesus! So friends be very creative.

3. Authenticity. This is what Jesus is and his love will help us be the same. We are not to perform our faith;  we are to live out our faith in real way. God is real and His love tangibly changes lives and hearts forever, our job is to be authentic in our faith in Christ.

4. Relevancy. This is another side effect we should have . I am talking about being relevant with people's hearts. True relevance is being able to connect with others, to hear their hearts and give them the answer that they need.
 On a final note, friends do you have these side effects working in your life today? Are you creative, authentic and relevant? Its time we pull back the curtains of fear and let faith fill our soul. Life is too short to live with regret, we can do something great for God.

Prepared and delivered by :Adeyeye Kayode Adeniran.
This is the message I preached in a gathering of God's children in the month of July, 2015.

Don’t Worry; Trust God

Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life. (Ecclesiastes 7:14 NLT)

You can be a hero one day and a zero the next day, a millionaire one day and bankrupt the next. No matter how much you make, no matter how much you save, finances are uncertain.

So we worry. What does the Bible say about worry and money?

1. It’s unreasonable. (Matthew 6:25) You're going to have fears in life, but there are better things to be scared of than a lack of finances. Life is more than just the accumulation of things. Even if you go bankrupt, it could get worse. Worry about what’s truly important.

2. It’s unnatural. (Matthew 6:26) Jesus reminds us that animals and plants don’t worry. Birds don’t say, "I'd better build a bigger nest for retirement." Only human beings don't trust God to provide for them. Everything else in creation does.

3. It’s unnecessary. (Matthew 6:30) Financial fears come from a misunderstanding about God and what He's promised to do for you. He's assumed responsibility for your needs. He says, "I'm your Heavenly Father; I'm going to take care of your needs. You're my child." We always get into trouble when we doubt the love of God.

Worry is playing God. It's assuming responsibility for something that God has said He will take care of. Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:19, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

God knows what's going on in your life — and in your wallet. God knows all your needs even before you ask. He wants to help you out.

Source: http://rickwarren.org/devotional/english/don-t-worry-trust-god

CHARACTER IS THE KEY

TEXT: EPHESIANS 4:17-32.

INTRODUCTION: As the excellence of gold is its purity and the excellence of art is its beauty, so the excellence of man is his character. Persons of character are noted for their honesty, ethics, and charity. Descriptions such as “man of principle” and “woman of integrity” are affirmations of character. A lack of character is moral deficiency and persons lacking character tend to behave dishonestly, unethically, and uncharitably. Godly character can be defined as the ability to discern God’s right way from the wrong and to voluntarily surrender one’s own will to do what is right in God’s sight and, with the promised supernatural help, to resist the wrong even under pressure and temptation. Godly character is consistently doing the right thing at the time in the right way for the right reason.

A. CHARACTER GAUGE. A person’s character is the sum of his or her disposition, thoughts, intentions, desires, and actions. It is good to remember that character is gauged by general tendencies, not on the basis of a few isolated actions. We must look at the whole life. For example, King David was a man of good character (1 Samuel 13:14) although he sinned on occasion (2 Samuel 11). And although King Ahab may have acted nobly once (1 kings 22:35), he was still a man of overall bad character (1 kings 16:33). Several people in the Bible are described as having noble character; Ruth (Ruth 3:11), Hanani (Nehemiah 7:2), David (Psalm 78:72), and Job (Job 2:3). These individuals’ lives were distinguished by persistent moral virtue

B. CHOICES. Character is influenced and developed by our choices. Daniel resolved not to defile himself in Babylon (Daniel 1:8), and that godly choice was an important step in formulating an unquestionable integrity in the young man’s life. Character in turn, influences our choices. “The integrity of the upright guides them” (Proverbs 11:3a). Character will help us weather the storms of life and keep us from sin (Proverbs 10:9a).It is the Lord’s purpose to develop character within us. “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3). Godly character is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification. Character in the believer is a consistent manifestation of Jesus in his life. It is the purity of the heart that God gives which results in purity of action. God sometimes uses trials to strengthen character. “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). The lord is pleased when his children grow in character. “You test the heart and are pleased with integrity” (1 chronicles 29:17; see also Psalm 15:1-2). 1 Corinthians 15:33.

We can develop character by controlling our thoughts (Philippians 4:8), practicing Christian virtues (2 peter 1: 5-6), guarding our hearts (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:18-20), and keeping good company (1 Cor. 15:33). Men and women of character will set a good example for others to follow, and their godly reputation will be evident to all (Titus 2:7-8).

Memory Verse: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10)

Resources: N.T. Wright: After you Believe; Why Christian Character Matters.

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Hell; the place of torment!

MOST UGLY MUSIC EVER!!! (A must read PLEASE) This is the most UGLY and frightening song you will  ever hear! In a vision, I saw a naked man covered in flaming worms that cannot Die! He turned to me and heaved a deep sigh as flames surrounded him and he sung this song in an emotionless voice! A voice that held NO emotion only the pain and torment he was in! Here are a few lyrics from the song: Flaming worms crawl in, laming worms crawl out in the belly button and out the mouth! In the front and out the rear! In the eyes and out the ears! 

We cream for mercy yet NO one cares or hears! Red hot pain in my blood rivers of feces, lava, vomit and blood it looks like a flood! Flames everywhere yet they cast NO light! All I have is every kind of pain, terror, torture and fright! I am a Citizen in HELL! This is the first level of HELL the other levels there are NO words to tell! Hell is so hot it boils the flesh off my skin how do I describe the HELLISH pain I'm in! I'm so thirsty yet I 've not even urine or tears to drink! And OH my GOD how this HELL stinks! AHHHH, I am a Citizen in HELL! There's NO water of any kind not even sweat to cool my brow, I know from Hell I will never be set free and demons curse and mock me! I scream to God to help me! Yet He does NOT hear! Instead the voice of Satan laughs and jeers! HaAa!

There's NO GOD and there's NO mercy here! I have torture, terror, and Damnation and every kind of FEAR!
But there's NO GOD HERE! Hahaha!" I am reminded how God in his mercy gave JESUS, His Only Son to suffer
crucifixion for my sins and on a cross he hung! Just so from HELL I would be free and Satan would have no
claim on me! But I refused JESUS blood to cover my sins. I wanted to live my own life so I denied Him! I know I have no one to blame now forever I 'll live in Satan's evil domain with every kind of torture and shame! Wanting to die but forgetting there is no death, thinking it will be better tomorrow but forgetting I have FOREVER left! 

This is what its like to be a CITIZEN IN HELL!!! Where the Horror is so gruesome! NO tongue can tell!  Everyone who is coming here will have to dig to their own level before they die! And that is how deep your sins are piled up high! But beware the greatest of all sins is the REJECTION OF JESUS CHRIST! One torture room to the next what seems like your worst nightmare is ONLY satan at his BEST! This is what its like to be a CITIZEN IN HELL!!!!! - Sherrie Elijah Flaming WORMS that looked like Snakes! were crawling in and OUT of EVERY OPENING OF HIS BODY! His EYES, EARS,NOSE, FRONT, REAR, I repeat EVERY OPENING! without getting graphically gross here! The screams yet echo in my mind as I am writing this down! The rich man in the bible who went to HELL told God if he would just send a man back from HELL to warn others his brothers of the torment in Hell they would not want to come there, they would live differently! But God said even if he sent someone back from HELL, few would listen and take the warning seriously! Few would believe! In this end time how many has the LORD allowed to see Heaven and Hell to be brought back to life to tell of the Horror!

So many people die everything, and majority are trooping in to hell. Your friends and family members who died without Christ, or who lived sinful and worldly Christian life, are singing the same ugly songs in hell now; you will never see them again if only you also do not go to hell. If you are reading this article before the Rapture, it means you have the chance and choice to make in order to avoid hell, but it all depends on you. Jesus only is the way to save from going to hell; if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you urgently need to do that now. If you claim to be a Christian but still living in sin, you need to rededicate your life to Jesus before it is too late. And if you have dedicated your life to Jesus, but living a worldly life of modern Christianity, hiding your sins, rising and falling into sin or ignoring to do necessary restitution, then you are also at the danger of hell. Until you surrender all to Jesus Christ, ALL! Are you ready to rededicate your life to Jesus now and start a new life?
The repent! Confess all your sins, ready to forsake them all and ask Jesus to forgive, cleanse you and save you.

Dealing with temptations

TEXT: GENESIS 3:1-13

INTRODUCTION

 The serpent, Satan, tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God’s goodness. He implied that God was strict, stingy, and selfish for not wanting Eve to share his knowledge of good and evil. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her and instead focus on the one thing she couldn’t have. We fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on the few things we don’t have rather than on the countless things God has given us. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself and thinking about what you don’t have, consider all you do have and thank God. Then your doubts won’t lead you into sin. Note that sin always begins either by questioning God’s word, or God’s goodness.

A. TEMPTATION OFTEN HITS HARDEST IN OUR AREAS OF WEAKNESS (1 KINGS 11:1-10).

For all his wisdom, Solomon had some weak spots. He could not say no to compromise or to lustful desires. Whether he married to strengthen political alliances or to gain personal pleasure, these foreign wives led him into idolatry. You may have strong faith, but you also have weak spots-and that is where temptation usually strikes. Strengthen and protect your weaker areas, because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If Solomon, the wisest man, could fall, so can you.

TEMPTATION CAN STRIKE ANY AREA OF LIFE (MATTHEW 4:1-11).

The devil focused on three crucial areas when he tempted Jesus: (1) physical needs and desires, (2) possessions and power, and (3) pride (see 1 John 2:15-16 for a similar list). But Jesus did not give in. Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus “faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” He knows first hand what we are experiencing, and he is willing and able to help us in our struggles. When you are tempted, turn to him for strength.                                                

B. HOW CAN WE RESIST TEMPTATION?

 RESISTANCE BEGINS WITH BEING AWARE OF TEMPTATION WHEN IT STRIKES.

How could Eve have resisted temptation? By following the same guidelines we can follow. First, we must realize that temptation in itself is not a sin. We do not sin until we give in to the temptation. To resist temptation, we must (1) pray for strength to resist, (2) run, sometimes literally, and (3) say no when confronted with what we know      is wrong. James 1:12 tells of the blessings and rewards for those who don’t give in when tempted.

RESIST IMMEDIATELY; ANY DELAY MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT (2 SAMUEL 11:2).
As David looked from the roof of the palace, he saw a beautiful woman bathing, and he was filled with lust. David should have left the roof and fled the temptation. Instead, he entertained the temptation by inquiring about Bathsheba. The results were devastating.
DO NOT BE SURPRISED BY TEMPTATION AT UNLIKELY TIMES AND IN UNLIKELY PLACES (MATTHEW 4:1-11).
Jesus wasn’t tempted inside the temple, or at his baptism, but in the desert where he was tired, alone, and hungry, and thus most vulnerable. The devil often tempts us when we are most vulnerable-when we are under physical or emotional stress (for example, when we are alone, tired weighing big decision, or faced with uncertainty). But he also likes to tempt us through our strengths, where we are most susceptible to pride. We must guard at all times against his attacks.

HAVE A PLAN FOR RESISTING TEMPTATION.

To flee temptation, (1) ask God in earnest prayer to help you stay away from people, places, and situations that may tempt you. (2) Memorize and meditate on portion of scripture that combat your specific weakness. At the root of most temptation is a real need or desire that God can fill, but we must trust in his timing. (3) Find another believer with whom you openly share your struggles, and call this person for help when temptation strikes.
Discuss some ways that believers may expose themselves to temptation.
MEMORY VERSE: Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his lust, and enticed (Jam.1:14).