Just the other day the White House issued an urgent bulletin from the Department of Health and Human Services about the massive rise in anxiety and depression disorders and warned if something doesn’t change, there will be increasing tragic consequences. They concluded, “It doesn’t have to be this way” and went on to say the solution is “mental health treatment and awareness.”
The federal government is right that there is a near pandemic level mental health crisis. They are also right that it doesn’t have to be this way. But they are wrong when they say the solution is mental health treatment and awareness. America has more mental health resources than any country in the world, yet our collective mental health is in free fall.
There must be a better way. As a former sufferer of depression, I’m glad to report I have found it.
It should be abundantly clear by now that pharmacists and psychotherapists can ease anxiety and depression temporarily by putting people on drugs and regularly scheduled counseling appointments, but obviously they can’t cure it. The reason is because they don’t understand the root cause. They think the root cause is a physical problem in the brain, when in fact the the root cause is a spiritual problem in the SOUL.
Humans are spiritual beings with souls, and our souls have food and nourishment needs just like our physical bodies. If our souls don’t receive spiritual nourishment, they grow famished, tired, confused, and exhausted. When our souls go dark, so do our minds and hearts since both are part of our souls. There is only one spiritual “food” for the empty, broken, lonely, disillusioned, fearful, and confused human soul, and it is the “Bread of life” called the Word of God.
Jesus Christ explains the necessity of spiritual food for the human soul in Matthew 4:4, saying essentially, “A person cannot be fully healthy on physical food alone; the spiritual human soul must receive the spiritual words of God in order to be spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy.” He is saying that we cannot have inner peace and hope in this life, let alone happiness, unless we receive the word of God.
What is the word of God? It is the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ and the words Jesus Christ speaks in the Bible about mankind’s sin, God’s love for mankind, and God’s forgiveness of our sin through faith in Jesus and repentance. This message is called the Gospel, and every word of it spoken by Jesus and other writers in the Bible is food, light, love, and LIFE everlasting that the human soul must know and believe to be healed from its dark and disillusioned state.
The mental health crisis is due to the absence of spiritual life in the soul. Jesus tells us how to find the spiritual life our souls need in John 6:63, saying, “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life.” John 6:63
The Spirit and words of Jesus are LIGHT for our souls. We need this light to prevent us from growing weak, weary, depressed, and hopeless. If our souls are dark and don’t have the word of God, our minds will be dark also. Jesus said, “If the light in you is darkness, how tremendous will that darkness be?” Matthew 6:23. He’s saying if our souls are dark, our minds and whole bodies will be dark too.
Only the word of God can fill our souls with light and bring lasting peace and hope to our minds and hearts. And Jesus is the word of God.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me (his words and wisdom) will never walk in darkness.” John 8:12
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never go hungry again.” John 6:35
In both of those scriptures Jesus is referring to the spiritual bread of Truth in the words He spoke in the Bible that our souls need to be at peace and fulfilled and loved and hopeful. The Holy Spirit of God nourishes our souls with the words Jesus spoke.
“Jesus said, “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life.” John 6:63
The world has become a very dark place and people are despairing about life because they don’t have the spirit of life in them because they have not repented and followed Jesus and received the Holy Spirit yet. Though the widespread depression might seem like an unexplainable phenomena, it shouldn’t be because it was foretold in the Bible.
Jesus prophesied, “Due to the increase of sin due to the increase in people who don’t follow God, the hearts of most people will wax cold.” Matthew 24:12. This means people’s hearts and minds will become dark and they will be without hope. This is the very tragic outcome of a society that chooses to put its trust in the wisdom of mankind rather than the word of God.
It’s true it doesn’t have to be this way. But only if people will believe in Jesus and repent and be made free by Him. John 8:32
If you need help learning about the real Jesus and following Him, please contact us asap.
