Face it….And Seek Help
(Editor’s Note: Phillip Marks has pbulished a book of devotionals, and it is available on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Word-Day-30-Devotional/dp/1720504989/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527772359&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fresh+word+of+the+day. He also will have a book signing in Monticello later this summer.)
Luke 8:27
“When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.” (NIV)
There are three areas that we should focus our attention daily…..mind, body and soul. We have to do better when it comes to our mental health. Mental illness is real and it’s serious. There are people we see all of the time who are smiling but we don’t know what’s happening in their minds.
Just as sure as you are reading this devotional, the enemy wants to take up occupancy in your mind. He will do whatever it takes to take your sanity. And the last thing he wants is for you to seek help.
I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the laying on of hands. I believe in healing and that God is a healer. But I also believe that God can and will use the knowledge of trained specialists to bring healing to our minds.
Pastors, family members, community leaders and many others are not exempt from mental illness and lack of balance striking in their lives. The recent celebrity suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade show us that not even money and fame can exempt everyone from the dark place of mental illness.
When you are carrying weight within that nobody knows about; you can find yourself in a sunken place of depression and loneliness that is difficult to battle back from.
In Luke 8, many people saw this man’s condition. They knew he was living in the tombs. They knew that he cut himself. But they didn’t take the time to encourage him to get help. Thankfully, his help showed up one day (Jesus).
Let’s do better. What can we do? We need to be encouragers. But also, when we know people who have issues, they don’t need to be in leadership. When people change at the drop of a dime, they may be suffering through something that’s never been diagnosed. We can’t resolve that it’s just that person’s personality.
PRAYER OF THE DAY:
“Dear Lord, guard my mind today. You said in your word that I am to let this mind be in me that’s also in Christ Jesus. Let me think your thoughts with purity and clarity. Clear the clutter in my mind so that I can be found pleasing in your sight.
In Jesus’ Name….Amen!”