The Lord, Plans For Welfare And Not For Evil

In this paper I will review the article “Interventions that Apply Scripture in Psychotherapy.” (Garzon 2005). Overall counseling can be very tricky, especially when the client is religious. This will require the counselor to use multiple resources, such as the Bible, when coming up with a treatment plan. The word of God is superior when it comes to healing. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

The spiritual significance of illness and suffering is a topic Christians continue to grapple with, as Larchet points out in The Theology of Illness. Scripture offers a wealth of wisdom and cues for understanding illness, health, and healing from a Christian perspective. Larchet analyzes the various and often contradictory Christian positions on health and illness, revealing how attitudes have shifted over time and with changes in medical technology, practice, and ethics. For example, St. Barsanuphius presents a comprehensive analysis of the spiritual significance of illness and suffering. One view holds that illness signifies a lack of faith; another presents illness in terms of a person who is offered the opportunity to develop a stronger faith, or whose faith is being put to a test like the story of Job. Ultimately, the latter remains the most helpful way to approach illness and healing from a Christian perspective. The essence of Christian health care is that, "Healing itself, while resulting from natural processes, actually comes from God," (Larchet 116).

he is preparing me for my greater good . With everything That I have shared with you my purpose is

Spirituality and religion are often seen as significantly positive resources for individuals dealing with hardship and adversity throughout the life course. Spiritual coping is often effective and most often employed when in unfathomable situations or faced with "problems of human insufficiency" (Pargament, 1998). However, spirituality may also be diminished when it becomes associated with demoralization or negativity, such as when one feels abandoned by faith or condemned by the world (Van Hook, 2013) in their current situation or experience. Higher powers and spiritual connection then begin to appear either irrelevant or beyond reach, and viewpoints become fatalistic as individuals resign to the belief that their faith has not helped them.

By making depression seem ambiguous and less severe than it really is, the general population became more inclined to use the antidepressants. By depicting depression as kokoro no kaze, “it implied that [depression] was not the severe condition it was once thought to be and therefore should carry no social stigma…[and] suggested that the choice of taking a medication for depression should be as simple and worry-free as buying a cough syrup or an antihistamine” (Watters 524). The last message portrayed to the general public is the phrase “depression [is] ubiquitous” (Watters 525). By using the analogy to connect the common cold to depression, GlaxoSmithKline downplayed the severity of the mental illness and as a result, made the general population more open to acknowledging the possibility of having a mental illness and thus making depression a social and societal norm. “Depression was so broadly defined by the marketers that it clearly encompassed classic emotions and behaviors formerly attributed to the melancholic personality type” (Watters 525). Depression became “intentionally ambiguous and ill-defined, applicable to the widest possible population and to the widest possible range of discomforts…. The only feature that distinguishes depression as a ‘disease’ from an ordinary depressed mood seems to be the length of time…” (Watters

Mental illnesses are generally characterized by changes in mood, thought, or behavior. They can make daily activities difficult and impair a person’s ability to work, interact with family, and fulfill other major life functions (SAMHSA, 2015). Contemplated early on in history, treatments for mental illness looked to cure the reflections of the anger of gods, demonic possession, sorcery, the evil eye, or an angry deity, responded with equally mystical, and brutal treatments (Nash, 2007). Attempts to treat mental illness date back as early as 5000 BCE as verified by the discovery of trephined skulls in regions of ancient world cultures (Porter, 2002, p. 10). Only a few realized that individuals with mental illness should be treated humanely rather than exorcised, punished, or banished. Psychiatry has come a long way since the days patients were shunned from society and shackled in asylums. Experiments and techniques for treating mental illness from ancient times to the turn of the 20th century have paved the way for the treatment plans used today.

Doug Murren really gets on his “soapbox” in this section. He believes there is a theology that teaches, “…if they “confess” properly, avoid doctors, ignore their symptoms, and act like they are healed, they will be healed.” (p. 182) He called this a fantasy belief. In his experience, he has met some that believe in this type of faith. He argues that staying away from doctors, counselors, and other professionals does not show faith, but stupidity (p. 182). I think Murren’s strong language is due to the experience with his bipolar disorder and the medication to control it. There is another side to the equation, which he does not talk about, but that is for another time. He cites examples of using the acknowledgement and his handling of his bipolar disorder to help others who found out they have the same issues. There is another fantasy called secularism, which declares that there is nothing beyond the visible, physical world. It is a “closed system.” The physical world is the only reality and God does not intervene. As Christians, we know there is a

Numerous amount of studies have taken place on why new religious movements are so popular. It seems to be people have some mental disorder that leads them to believe that they have no purpose in life and everything they do is just a sham.”recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that approximately 20% of the general population has at least one psychiatric

"Sit down and look at your choices, blocking out all the voices of distraction, so that you can clearly see God's plan of good work in action for your life." ~ Jon Barnes

However, with changes in society it has come to describe those who suffer from pervasive lowering of mood preventing them from living a normal life. Conditions range from person to person. It may vary from mild, brief occasional dips in a person's mood to a severe lifelong persistence in extensive depressive episodes characterizing a person with intense feelings of self-worthlessness. Overall depression is a very common mental health disorder, however it is still highly misunderstood. This disorder is seen to be “one of the greatest, if not the greatest disease burden of the twenty first century”. (Mulholland.1) As this disorder brings distress to millions of households across the nation, it is frequently misdiagnosed or simply not seen as an issue of concern at all. Leading to “a great deal of suffering and a substantial number of deaths”. (Mulholland.1) Alas, the condition sadly evokes a lot of stigma. The lack of personal experience and knowledge residing with most people causes feelings of superiority in those who the condition does not affect. This causes tears in the social fabric and worsens things for those that do have

This statement sums up the whole focus of my life. All other priorities, concerns, and pursuits of mine stem from or are secondary to the commandments and teachings of this church. My future is in God’s hands, my passion to follow Him, and my desire to align my will with His. Contrary to what some may think, this doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t work hard and plan ahead. Instead, I believe that this is exactly what God wants me to do, having a mindset that is open to counsel from Him.

The article 5 Lies Christians Tell About Mental Illness, written by Reba Riley on patheos.com, identifies a few mistruths about some Christian’s opinions on mental illness. The first untruth she covers is “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle”. She voices, “This statement echoes across the Christian landscape. Intended to comfort the afflicted, it actually lays an ugly guilt trip on the person suffering. To say that mental illness is something that “God gave you” implies that God wants you to suffer.” God does not want his believers to suffer, hence why Jesus is going to return for his followers to save them from eternal suffering in hell. The second mistruth is “Daily prayer and bible reading alone cures mental illness.” The author references to a recent poll that says almost half of Evangelical

“We all long to be in the flourishing section, but we stay in the safe section”(Mr. Mustard.) I want to be able to stand up for what is right no matter who it is for or when it is. “ For I know the plans I have for you, Declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future(Bible Gateway.) This is has helped through this year because it has helped me to know that I am the temple of God and I am the body of Christ. I know that my plans and God’s plans are different. I learned that through this year. I always wanted to make my own plans like I will study this or I want to do this. But it I have found out that it doesn't work that way. I know I have to believe in him and he will show me the way. “Also tht I am the body of Christ, when God looks down onto this earth, He will look down on us and see the image of Christ in us”(Pastor Matt.) That just blew my mind, I don’t know why, but it did. That is why I want to grow more in my faith and my action because we all are made in Christ image, and we should fulfill

The author suggests that theology, psychology, and spiritual formation should all work together in order to help a client reach a state of health (McMinn, 2011). When reading this book, I recalled a point in my life where I wanted to reach out to a counselor in order to get help due to abuse that I had experienced in my life. I had left home and had begun to experience mental breakdowns in the workplace. My employer approached me and told me that I needed to go and seek help, but I refused. I remember thinking about conversations that I had previously with my father about counseling.

While working on the Depression project the author found a way to sum up their depression in a way that took both philosophies. Instead of confronting them with statistic, or medical data the blog put a face to the problem and the realities of being stuck in your own head sparling down.” I wake up in the morning and I feel like I can’t get up that if I just stay in bed everything even the dark shadow that is my constant companion will melt away. It never does though so I have to pick myself up and go through the day. While I can fake the smiles and the looks I never can just live without the thoughts and shadow following me. It almost feels like I’m walking around with the grim reaper. Tempting me to play a game with him just so I can lose.” (Content) Looking at this scenario put forth by the author it becomes clear that the two philosophies that people have about depression aren’t going to help.