No, it’s not a demon.
It is the result of you poorly managing your life. The demonic realm is simply taking advantage of your inability to take control of your daily routine.
I have spent decades in the non-denominational world, and most of the time, when issues of mental health arise, they are often either hyperspiritualized or overdiagnosed. We either resort to intense deliverance sessions or corporate mental health clinics with Christian therapists. Don’t get me wrong, both are important, but I believe that true healing lies somewhere in between those two truths.
A Necessary Disclaimer
Before I proceed, I want to preface this by saying that I’m not a mental health professional nor a member of the clergy, and this is not professional nor spiritual advice. I am simply a Christian who has struggled with mental health my entire life. Over the years, the Lord has taught me how to manage it and discover its root cause through Scripture, church community, and mental health professionals. I’m here to share the love.
The Problem of Overspiritualization
Let’s first discuss the overspiritualization of mental health, especially in non-denominational churches.
No, not everything is a spiritual attack. Don’t get me wrong, the demonic realm is real, and it is “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). And believe me when I say that I have had my fair share of demonic experiences —from seeing demons on my bedside, to experiencing the flames of hellfire on my body. You name it, I have seen it, probably more than an average Christian would or should in their lifetime. But that’s a post for some other time.
One of the issues that I have encountered quite often among Christians is that they tend to give the devil too much credit. Way more than he deserves. We tend to overestimate his power over our lives. Don’t get me wrong, the devil is powerful. He is a supernatural being and is called “the ruler of this world” for a reason. But remember, when you are a child of God, you begin to navigate this world from a different perspective and identity. You now know who your Father is, and you know who your enemy is. You realize that, as a Christian, you navigate this world from a place of victory, not defeat. You recognize that what Jesus did on the cross destroyed the enemy in a sense forever. It is only a matter of time until this whole thing is over, and he will no longer have the power to torment us.
I have noticed over the years that Christians tend to forget that. They think about the devil way too much. They prefer to blame the devil for all the bad things that happen in their lives when, in reality, they are mostly responsible for. While the dark minions certainly like to harass Christians, too often, we prefer to hyperspiritualize things rather than take accountability or work on our inner healing.
Here is the truth: when you come to Christianity, especially later in life, your life does not change overnight, nor do you. I believe that people can and continue to encounter supernatural deliverances where their lives change dramatically quickly. A crackhead despises cocaine immediately; an alcoholic develops an intense aversion to the smell of liquor; a rambler loses his appetite for cheap dopamine; and a thief gives away his possessions to the poor.
This is the Gospel, and it is supernatural.
However, for the vast majority of Christians, healing is a long and sometimes painful process. Once you give your life to Jesus, the devil’s role is now controlled by God because the Holy Spirit dwells in you. You are now God’s child, and your Parent (God) is responsible for your safety and well-being. The enemy is now only allowed to disrupt your life if you or the Lord permit it. And the enemy’s primary goal is not just to get you to sin, but to drive you to a point of despair, essentially to turn you away from God and His plans for your life.
The faster you can learn to control your mind, the harder it will be for the enemy to attack you. This is why therapy should be complementary to your spiritual walk with God. Therapy will help you take control of your thoughts! It will help you to hold your thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Therapy is science. Your brain and nervous system are perfectly designed systems, created by the Lord to keep you safe. Because we live in a world infested with sin, it affects us, and while we cannot escape it, we can minimize its impact on our lives.
This is the process of sanctification, and it takes a lifetime to achieve. So, give yourself grace and do not rush it. Take your healing one day at a time, and allow healing to “marinate” in you.
I know that when we are dealing with something negative in life, our immediate reaction is for someone to make it stop as quickly as possible. Let your body feel the pain. I’m not asking you to be a masochist and let the pain harm you; I’m asking you to partner with God and walk through the suffering with Him. One day at a time. Let Him illuminate the broken parts of your soul that need healing. If you are dealing with severe traumas (often from childhood), I highly recommend going to therapy in addition to prayer, fasting, and deliverance. It should be non-negotiable if you want to live a fulfilling life.
The Holistic Nature of Healing
The journey of healing cannot happen in isolation. Let’s take depression, for example. You can’t cure depression by doing just cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or serving the homeless on weekends. These things can certainly help reorient your sadness and get you out of despair, but to fully overcome depression, you must approach it from all sides. If you have a poor diet, bad sleeping habits, a messed-up gut, and no support system, a spiritual leader who cares for you, just therapy and deliverance won’t solve the core issue.
Healing must be holistic. It needs to encompass all aspects of your life: what you eat, your sleep schedule, your stress level, therapy, and the people you surround yourself with. I’m not asking you to change all of this all at once because you will fail. I’m asking you to make one change at a time, and stick to it until it becomes a habit.
This is how you heal depression.
You ready?
Go to therapy (do a blood test before to see what vitamins your body is deficient in), eat clean (heal your gut with food), go to bed early, move your body, hydrate, reduce stress (I promise you can do this), find the right church community, get rid of the toxic, good-for-nothing people in your life. Pray, fast, and serve people who can’t do anything for you (the marginalized). And most importantly, love God (The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) and let Him love you.
That’s it. This is the formula.
Mental Health and Christianity
When it comes to therapy in Christian circles, there are generally three categories of Christians:
- The Full Believer: This camp fully believes in mental health treatment and does not spiritualize the issue at all. It’s all science.
- The Skeptic: This camp does not consider counseling a valid form of healing, believing it is ineffective or “worldly.” These are the “Harry Potter is demonic, and science is all a conspiracy” type of Christians.
- The Balance Approach (The one I subscribe to): This camp acknowledges that the demonic realm is real and some mental health issues may be a direct result, requiring deliverance. However, they also recognize that mental health involves chemical imbalance, trauma that requires counseling, and sometimes even necessary medication.
No matter which camp you fall into, the goal should always be sanctification and humility, not pride. Everything we do should get us closer to our Creator and make this world a better place for our fellow human beings. When we feel whole and healthy from the inside out, we naturally make this world a better place to live for everyone.
We ought to do everything for the Glory of the Lord.
We ought to surrender our passions (our mental health) to Him, and whatever means He uses to heal us, whether therapy, deliverance, or a combination of both, should be embraced.
Let us heal our mental health issues so we can lift the fog of despair and confusion that prevents us from fully seeing the Glory of our Lord and Savior.
Don’t forget that God loves you and wants to see you happy and healthy.
Healing is possible. You got this!
Fariza 