I have to tell you that it's SO refreshing to see the proper terminology being used! Depression is iniquitous thoughts. Iniquity started with Lucifer and his wrong thinking. It passed through Adam and it's been leading sheep astray every since.
Sort of going along with the topic, I would love it if you would give me your critique on a little something that I have been writing?
So, we are going to look at addictions, and other mental health concerns, from a biblical perspective and the best starting point is the beginning.
The creation of man, Genesis chapter 2. Some things to notice, as you read are that:
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7
The LORD God (all caps indicate his authority and power) began his relationship with mankind when he formed Adam out of the dust of the ground.
Notice that the LORD God didn’t breathe a living soul into Adam, he breathed "the breath of life” into Adam’s nostrils and then the dust of the ground and the breath of life "became” something new, consisting of the two original components (dust and the breath of life) and a third part, a living soul.
Notice that God placed Adam where he wanted him, God gave Adam a purpose (dress and keep the garden and name all the animals) and he gave Adam a boundary (don't eat from this tree), because God is in charge.
Notice that God planed Eve beforehand, but he let Adam experience being alone before he created Eve. (So much of our human endeavors revolve around the dread of being alone.)
Notice that the LORD God also formed the animals out of the ground (vs19) but he didn’t breathe the breath of life into them. Animals have similarities but they don’t have a soul.
Understanding that we consist of different parts is important in understanding addictions and mental health, but keeping it straight in your mind can be a little overwhelming.
I find it very encouraging that one of the main verses, used to illustrate that mankind has three parts, also calls God "the very God of peace”. Take heart, my friend, you are not alone.
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
You can trust that the LORD God who breathed the breath of life into Adam. He knows your name, he knows your body, he knows your soul and he loves you.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Let’s start with the body. Your body can be physically addicted to things. I’m sure that we are aware of some of the physical reactions to addictions and how the body reacts to suddenly quitting the drug of choice, but it goes so much deeper.
Perhaps King David was thinking about mankind’s multi-faceted parts and complications when, in Psalms 139, he wrote ‘I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”.
We have automatic systems in our bodies that reflect God’s loving kindness towards us. When we get hot we sweat, if we get too cold, our bodies shiver to create heat, if we need more oxygen, we breathe faster, our eyes have eyelids that slam shut instantly when our eyes are in danger. We have an immune system that fights off germs.
We have a nervous system that is designed to run in the background, constantly scanning for danger. It's called the vagal nerve and it was probably not too different from Spider-Man's Spidy Sencees before Adam sinned.
We are going to talk about Adam’s sin a lot, because it's changed some things. Our vagus nerve, for example, is a gift from God and we can see his love for us in that it still functions (after Adam’s sin) despite now having having glitches. The vagus nerve is the shot caller in our fight flight and freeze bodily reactions and it has saved humanity from untold Injuries. The very moment our Vegas nerve perceives danger, quicker than conscious thought, our body instantly goes into fight flight or freeze mode. Bodily systems like digestion or the immune system that aren't necessary for immediate survival are shut down and blood flow goes to the large muscle groups preparing our bodies to move quickly, adrenaline dumps through our vanes giving us amazing strength and our hearing and vision become sharper, as other areas of our minds, like memories or rational thoughts, reduce.
Thank God that our vagal nerve still works but thank Adam that it now has glitches. Sometimes people that have experienced traumatic events like war, accidents, abuse, or neglect, develop a situation where their vagus nerve doesn't completely reset back to the rest and digest mode. Problems with the vagus nerve has been associated with mental health issues and physical health problems like cancer. Imagine going through life in a hyper vigilant mode, your digestive system is limited, and your thought processes are constantly triggered into survival mode.... Some of us don't have to imagine because that has been our reality. Could it be that you don’t have an alcohol problem, you have an alcohol solution?
The vagus nerve begins at the base of the skull, near the back of the throat, and runs to the base of the spine and some of the things that stimulate it to relax are singing, humming. Try taking slow deep breaths, with a paus between inhaling and exhaling, taking longer to exhale than to inhale. It shouldn’t take too much experimenting before you can lower your heart rate, you may even find it impossible to suppress a yawn.
The book of Ephesians mentions spirit in each of its 6 chapters. It contrasts the spirit of disobedience (our corrupted spirits) and the holy Spirit of God. In chapter five we see something very telling. You see, its like our bodies have an ancient memory of the time when Adam’s body was in complete unison with his spirit and soul and in fellowship with God… among the list of counterfeits we see two standouts: sexual sin and drunkenness. And we see true unison with the holy Spirit.
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Ephesians 5: 18-20
