Bott 2023

[Costeon]

Originally Posted by diakonos

Uhh… actually, they do stop you.

I was there. Your past can't stop you. God can help you overcome your past.

[Nicodemus1968]

Originally Posted by Costeon

I was there. Your past can't stop you. God can help you overcome your past.

How does God help you?

I’m asking this because the solution to problems have scattered all over the field. Does the church needs licensed therapists that are not even in the faith? Do we need medication for depression or anxiety?
Does God help us through the arm of doctors and medication?

Not asking for a debate, just want to get your point of view.

[Costeon]

Originally Posted by Nicodemus1968

How does God help you?

I’m asking this because the solution to problems have scattered all over the field. Does the church needs licensed therapists that are not even in the faith? Do we need medication for depression or anxiety?
Does God help us through the arm of doctors and medication?

Not asking for a debate, just want to get your point of view.

It seems to me that God does help us through doctors and medication. If the source of someone's mental issues is physical--something is wrong with their brain--then I would definitely think medication was in order if they were not healed through prayer. I'm not sure about other situations with depression and anxiety. I guess if after repeated prayer they were not healed, and their depression or anxiety was a great hinderance to them in life, medication might be in order.

My preference would be for God to simply heal. Obviously. I would want him to do this so that he gets all the glory and credit in every situation, and it seems to me that saying that God heals through doctors and medication does not seem to give him the same glory or credit as doing it directly would.

If God alone is supposed to heal all our issues if we have faith, I have never been around anyone with this kind of faith. The greatest men and women of God I know of have not healed everyone, and they themselves have needed the assistance of doctors.

[Nicodemus1968]

Originally Posted by Costeon

It seems to me that God does help us through doctors and medication. If the source of someone's mental issues is physical--something is wrong with their brain--then I would definitely think medication was in order if they were not healed through prayer. I'm not sure about other situations with depression and anxiety. I guess if after repeated prayer they were not healed, and their depression or anxiety was a great hinderance to them in life, medication might be in order.

My preference would be for God to simply heal. Obviously. I would want him to do this so that he gets all the glory and credit in every situation, and it seems to me that saying that God heals through doctors and medication does not seem to give him the same glory or credit as doing it directly would.

If God alone is supposed to heal all our issues if we have faith, I have never been around anyone with this kind of faith. The greatest men and women of God I know of have not healed everyone, and they themselves have needed the assistance of doctors.

I just find it very interesting that in modern Pentecost, a preacher can go to churches all over this country and preach on depression and anxiety and how many in the church are struggling with this condition.

[diakonos]

Originally Posted by Nicodemus1968

I just find it very interesting that in modern Pentecost, a preacher can go to churches all over this country and preach on depression and anxiety and how many in the church are struggling with this condition.

Maybe the stigma has been removed and now they’re not afraid to talk about it!?

[Nicodemus1968]

Originally Posted by diakonos

Maybe the stigma has been removed and now they’re not afraid to talk about it!?

Just hope by them “talking” about it, isn’t going to give them some sort of false premise that their “condition” is normal and thereby accept it…..

[jediwill83]

Im sitting on the edge of my bed struggling to work through my thoughts on this topic. I have a lot of first hand experience masking through my "issues" pretending everything is ok.


Some of these issues do indeed stem from childhood.


I also know what its like to recognize when others who behave as if they have no issues and they rail against those with this issue and that issue only for them to drop their mask and reveal that they too have deep struggles stemming from the past.


The enemy isolates.


One way he isolates is encouraging you to think that you are alone in your struggle.


I dont know if Im misreading the room in this discussion but I almost get the feeling that some of you would be more comfortable if people would be less transparent with their struggles and pretend everything is a ok than to be open and honest.


I used to attend POA.


The outreach they are doing is phenomenal.


Ive seen it with my own eyes.


We like to believe that we are so spiritual that we are above such mundane things like trauma and addiction.


We arent.


The last two weeks Ive woken up weeping and hyperventilating from anxiety.


Ive had many things over the years that God has helped me with and still many things that weigh on my mind and my spirit.


Sometimes after we have had a victory, the battle preceeding the victory can leave wounds and scars.


There are times where things can trigger flashbacks for me and mentally and emotionally I feel like Im in a different time...a worse time.


It takes a bit of time for me to reacclimate myself to the reality of my current circumstances.


Sometimes my wife struggles and I flashback to that same panicked emotional and place.


The hypervigilence...trying to prepare for a battle that I dont know how long will last...or even if we will come out of it.


I believe that the spirit of what Sis Mickey was trying to convey is that no matter your current struggle, that you can come out.


We we continue to provide an envirionment where we are not bearing the burdens of others we cannot fulfill the law of Christ.


Thats not something you do in a one time altar service.


Its what you do through connection, relationship and accountability.


What happens in our altar services?


Buncha folks shouting, getting loud telling God what He needs to do to fix someones life thats at the end of their rope?


Thats not bearing their burden...and its certainly not been a way that MY burdens get lightened or lifted.


When someone is able to drop the mask and be vulnerable Ive seen amazing miracles of ministry occur.


Just some thoughts and opinions here.


Lotta people lately out of nowhere doing something tragic that nobody expected and Id hate the thought that something I said, did or promoted contributed to someone not feeling like they could be real about what they were dealing with.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Costeon

It seems to me that God does help us through doctors and medication.

That's what Ram Dass said.

[Nicodemus1968]

Originally Posted by Costeon

It seems to me that God does help us through doctors and medication. If the source of someone's mental issues is physical--something is wrong with their brain--then I would definitely think medication was in order if they were not healed through prayer. I'm not sure about other situations with depression and anxiety. I guess if after repeated prayer they were not healed, and their depression or anxiety was a great hinderance to them in life, medication might be in order.

My preference would be for God to simply heal. Obviously. I would want him to do this so that he gets all the glory and credit in every situation, and it seems to me that saying that God heals through doctors and medication does not seem to give him the same glory or credit as doing it directly would.

If God alone is supposed to heal all our issues if we have faith, I have never been around anyone with this kind of faith. The greatest men and women of God I know of have not healed everyone, and they themselves have needed the assistance of doctors.

In the case God doesn’t answer their repeated prayer of healing, do we then take it to the hands of the medical field? In Bro. Morgan’s message he talked about the medical field being ministers of the body (he may of said, flesh or physical body). So, when the answer of faith doesn’t arrive do we go to the medical field for the relief that an individual needs?

[n david]

Originally Posted by Costeon

I was there. Your past can't stop you. God can help you overcome your past.

Unfortunately, she wasn't talking about the past. She gave that quoted statement and went directly into "I hang out weekly with the most beloved, struggling, honest, overcoming addicted people in this church. People who have been in and out of recovery centers so many times they've lost count."

In context what she said was, "Current alcoholism and current addictions cannot stop us from being who God has called us to be."

I don't agree.