We don't see one place in the Bible when God addresses such a thing as mental illness, however, He did speak a lot about demonic activity and our sinful nature.
Whether it be possession or influence, the devil has been working since the very beginning of time to influence the thoughts of man to do evil.
There is no physical scientific test to measure someone's mental health. Any diagnosis is based on actions and reactions. There can be imbalance in the brain of fluids but that can also be affected by devils. We know this because of the people who seems to have physical problems that went away when the devils were cast out of them.
The mental health problems we see today often are drug induced or lack of self control in someone's life that leads to sinful behavior. Out of control emotions can cause all kinds of physical problems.
All mental health drugs can do is remove the inhibitions toward destructive behavior that is already in someone. Most everyone uses self control to stop themselves from doing things they know are wrong or would bring consequences they don't want to have.
When the inhibition is removed by the dulling of the brain, then the real self, what is inside all along, is able to emerge without restraint.
The removing of consequences from the lives of people in our country has increased the violence and disrespect. Rather than requiring a child to sit still in school, they are put on drugs to dull them into compliance.
Just because someone does not kill another person for whom they have contempt, does not mean that person lacks the ability to kill. God said if we so much as hate our brother we have a mentality of murder in our hearts. Many people have sin in their hearts that they do not carry out because of the consequences that would come after.
We now live in a culture that views many actions and reactions as illness rather than sin. This is why we see evil increasing, the root problem of sin is not only not being addressed it manages to coddle those who use mental illness as an excuse for sinful behavior.
There are those who will actually say, "I do what I do because I am bi-polar", or some other mental disposition to excuse them.
It is interesting that none of these mental illnesses ever make a person nicer, kinder or more giving. NO, they always without exception cause the mentally ill to be meaner, more selfish and irrational. That is a clue to me, that these are demonically inspired illnesses, using the word illness for lack of a better word, nonetheless often devastating to families.
If the devil can get people to falsely diagnose sin as illness, then he can continue unchallenged by believers. The last thing the devil wants is for believer to be praying them away, people becoming stronger and the antics of the devil less effective if not eliminated.
My guess is that many people who say they are Christians never believe in the demonic world any more than they have trust in Christ. We cannot believe in Christ unless we also believe in the works of the devil.
Genesis 3:4
"The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "
The devil is a liar, he is using the same tactics now that he used in the garden with Eve, only now he is saying this; "you are not sinful, you just have an illness, its not your fault."
When the devil is able to get people to feel sorry for the "ill" person, then they will make no attempts to turn them from their sin toward God, instead they will merely drug them up to keep them under control. It is also interesting to me that in many if not most cases the depression drugs used today only work for a short time and then there must be a change in the drug. In other words they are not very effective for those who are using them.
In the life of David the king, the devil influenced him through thoughts and ideas to do exactly what God did not want David to do.
1 Chronicles 21:1
"Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel."
So many Christians are working against God because the devil gave them popular ideas that sounded good, or attractive preachers who looked good, the very things the people wanted. The devil knows what the wicked heart wants and will use that to influence the minds of many.
Even in Christian churches, so many people are following strange teachings because it sort of makes them feel superior or special to know the fantasy they are being fed. They go with the flow and refuse to evaluate what they have heard. This too is influence from the devil, he is constantly putting ideas and thoughts into minds, that sound good but negate God.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 "…13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.…"
The devil pits one person against another for little to no reason at all, merely to stand back and watch the fight.
Job 2:7
"Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head."
The devil will work on the minds of those who are defenseless against him, to accuse believers of things that are not true, on purpose to watch them squirm as they attempt to explain themselves to the person who does not want to listen. A recipe for destruction of a relationship, over nothing important.
Zechariah 3:1
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him."
One of the devil's favored tactics is to cause emotions to rise even when there is no rational reason to feel anything.
Matthew 13:38
"and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;"
The devil is busy sowing tares in among the sheep, to cause division, corruption of truth and chaos everywhere he goes. He can get people to remain silent for fear of "starting trouble", in effect, the ones who refuse to obey God have become in control of the gatherings. The righteous ones who desire to follow God's Word are the ones who are driven out or completely silenced.
Is the devil influencing this culture all around us, you betcha!
Our best and only defense is Christ and His truth. Speak it often, boldly and with courage, no matter who comes against you, then you will be victorious in your own spiritual growth. Never mind that you might lose friends, those friends that you lost were not walking the same path, they cannot go with you where God is taking you.
Philippians 2:1-3 "1 Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by BEING OF ONE MIND, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.…"
As God has said; "two cannot walk together if they are not agreed."
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