Mental health is crucial for well-being, enabling individuals to handle life’s stresses, recognize their abilities, learn, work efficiently, and contribute to their community.
Mental disorders involve significant disturbances in thinking, emotional regulation, or behaviour. It’s important to remember that one in every eight people worldwide lives with a mental disorder, and there are effective prevention and treatment options available.
While the Bible does not directly address mental health, it offers much wisdom about the heart, mind, spiritual brokenness, and the soul’s condition. Understanding that mental health is connected to both body and spirit health is vital. Jesus came to save those crushed in spirit, and He is very near to the broken-hearted.
Pastor Brad from Fresh Hope for Mental Health shares ten biblical principles to help improve your mental health:
Express Your Hurts and Frustrations
Like David did in Psalms, cry out in your pain and troubles.
Ask, Seek, Knock, and You Will Find
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”
Matthew 7:7
Call on God’s Name and Cling to His Promises
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13
Account for Your Thoughts, Pull Down Strongholds
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. They have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.”
2 Corinthians 10:4-6
Think Good Thoughts
“Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8
Come Clean and Clear
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
James 5:16
Cast All Your Worries to God
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7
Replace Negative Thoughts with Graceful Thoughts
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
Take Care of Yourself with Medicine if Necessary
“Stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”
1 Timothy 5:23
Give Thanks Through It All
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners of hope”
Zechariah 9:12a
‘Let Me Have My Son’
A film by Cristobal Krusen
‘Let Me Have My Son’ is a deep and insightful creation from Cristobal Krusen, about a father who – having been informed that his son has recovered from schizophrenia – travels to the state mental hospital to take him home, only to discover he’s nowhere to be found.
