Mental and Spiritual Health Transformation

How do you know when you are mentally healthy? As you know, mental health is complex, but it is affected by your spiritual health. I discovered that when I am spiritually healthy, I am also mentally healthy. When I am mentally healthy, I am also emotionally healthy. I also discovered that sin in our lives and in the world affects our mental health, so the first thing to do for your mental health is to deal with your sin and the sins of others that hurt you.

I know when my spiritual health is down by the thoughts I am thinking, which reveal my mental health, so I ask God to show me why I am thinking negative or unforgiving thoughts. Here is the process I go through to transform my mind.

1. Recognize what I am thinking, especially if I am feeling sad, anxious, or mad.
2. Ask God why? If you don’t hear from God, then get your concordance out and find the word that best fits how you are feeling. You can also bring up Biblegateway.com or Biblehub.com and search for verses to address your current mental state.
3. Look up the scriptures to discover what unhealthy belief you have that is affecting your thoughts. I wrote a blog that lists various unhealthy beliefs and the truth to replace them: EXCHANGE OPPRESSIVE LIES FOR FREEDOM.
4. Take captive the wrong thoughts and beliefs, commanding them to be gone, and put in biblically true thoughts and beliefs in your mind.

A recent example:

I was feeling sad and angry. I ask God to show me why I was sad. My mother, who is 83 with dementia, was put on comfort care at the nursing home. My Aunt said to have her evaluated at the hospital. It turns out she had pneumonia. I was sad and angry that the nursing home was going to let her die without being evaluated. I took my thoughts captive and put them out, forgave those in charge of her care, and then put in the scripture truth that God knows all things and only He knows when our last breath will be. Apparently, I signed a paper stating that comfort care only would be provided if she had an irreversible condition. But without an evaluation, how did they know the illness was not reversible? I was also sad because I spent 10 days in the hospital with her, and hosted my Aunt many of those days, which totally disrupted my plans. I took those thoughts captive and replaced them with the truth that Jesus would want me to be with her in her time of need, and everything else can be put on hold. Matthew 25:45 states, “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’” 

How to Become Spiritually Healthy and Transform Your Mind (Eph. 4:22-24; Rom. 12:1-2; and Col. 3:10). 

What you think dictates what you feel and how you behave. Read each of the passages several times to put these truths into your heart and mind. If you struggle with any point in the passage, then ask God why. You may have a wrong belief that needs to be put off before the truth can be put on.

I died with Christ, now sin does not rule my life (Rom. 6:11 & 16), and I was buried, raised, and made alive with Christ (Col. 2:12-13). To die with Christ is to consider my worldly and sinful desires as dead, so they no longer control me (Rom. 6:6-7). Since I have died to my fleshly desires, I no longer live for myself, but for Christ (2 Cor. 5:14-15; Gal. 2:20 & 5:24). My life is now hidden in Him, and Christ is now my life (Col. 2:20; 3:3; Rom. 6:11-12). Now I can do what is right and loving since Christ is in my heart by faith (Eph 3:17).

I am free from the power of sin over my mind, and I can passionately pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1Tim. 6:11), and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2Tim. 2:22). I will also add to my faith; moral excellence (virtue), then knowledge of God, then self-control, then steadfastness and endurance; then godliness, then brotherly kindness, and then love (2Pet. 1:5-7). I will walk by the Spirit and not gratify my sinful flesh (Gal. 5:16). I will set my mind on the Spirit to have life and peace and not on my sinful flesh, which is death to my spirit (Rom. 8:6).

I am firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built up in Him (Col. 2:7). As I become rooted in Christ, I will begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which is Christ’s character of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-24). I can only bear fruit as I abide in the vine, Jesus Christ, and in His word (John 15:5-9). Because of Christ in me, I have been made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). Now I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13).

When I live in Christ and keep my mind on the Spirit of God, I have His divine power to live a godly life through the knowledge of Him who called me to His glory and excellence. And I have been given exceedingly great and precious promises by God by which I am a partaker of His divine nature to escape the corruption of the world because of sinful desires (2 Pet. 1:3-4). I have divine power to put to death all earthly desires: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col. 3:5). I can put on my new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator, Jesus Christ (Col. 3:10). I put on a compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with others and, if I have a complaint against another, forgiving them; as the Lord has forgiven me, and above all these I put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony (Col. 3:12-14). 

Because Jesus understands my weaknesses, I have the confidence to come boldly before the throne of God to find mercy and grace in times of need when I am being tempted (Heb. 4:16; Heb. 2:18). I have a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline, and I am not afraid (2 Tim. 1:7). Fear, anger, and anxiety no longer controls my mind; if it does, then I pray and put it out and put in the spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. My words have the power to influence my mind; therefore, I will set my mind on the things of the Spirit and on Christ and not on the things of the world (Col. 3:1-3).

I am chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless and predestined for adoption to become a child of God (Eph. 1:4-5; Rom. 8:15-16). Therefore, I have been washed, regenerated, and renewed by the Holy Spirit. I have a holy calling (saved and set apart) according to God’s purpose and grace through Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5). I am being renewed day by day (2Cor. 4:16). Now I am blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3).

Conclusion

If you apply all the Scriptures above, then you will be spiritually and mentally healthy. Sin causes hopelessness and mental illnesses and destroys your relationships. Only when you live through Christ will you be free to truly enjoy life and peace. There is much more to being spiritually healthy. For more details, please read Are You Spiritually Healthy? 

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright-protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91. 

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, the 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.