Is This a Spiritual Battle or Should I See a Therapist?

Almost since the emergence of the field of psychotherapy in the mid-20 th century there

has a been tension with mental health and the faith community. This tension has drawn

battle lines with experts on both sides lining up to prove they are right. And make no

mistake, it has been a battle that many have fought as if their life depended on it. The

faith community has stood upon the letter the apostle Paul wrote to the church in

Ephesus when he wrote, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but

against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this

dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT) The

push from expanding mental health community simply stated there were deficiencies in

the mind or at least scientific explanations that could answer the emotional issues

people were experiencing. Whether it was Sigmund Freud’s “conscious vs the

unconscious mind” or Carl Rogers’ “client-centered” approach, they were pushing back

against the idea of some sort of spiritual battle.

As decades passed and the mental health field grew and matured with research and

even showed positive results in helping those struggling with mental illness, there still

were battle lines drawn and one could usually find themselves on one side or the other

based on their religious affiliation, if any at all. This meant if you believed in God and

practiced that belief through the reading of scripture or worshiping in a church then most

likely you were to find yourself in the camp that all mental illnesses could be solved and

conquered through prayer and faith in God, and to look anywhere else for help usually

meant judgment from your community stating you did not have enough faith or you did

not believe in the spiritual battle that was happening. As a Christian, who is also a

pastor in a local church, and a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family therapist, I must say that

while this is one of the beliefs that is still permeating in some of the faith communities

out there, it is a belief that breaks my heart. It is crushing for me because I know there

are many who are struggling with a mental illness that trained professionals could help

heal and guide to a place of peace. Too often as people of faith we have looked at

passages of scripture and taken them out of context and then used those passages as

“magic incantations” rather than reaching out to “Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of

faith” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV). The apostle Paul is correct that there is a spiritual battle

going on in the unseen realm that has consequences in the physical world. However, as

Christians, we do not need to fear this enemy because we have a savior who has

already overcome this battle (John 16:33). As much as we have all our hope in Jesus,

we still await his return and until that day we have these “weak, mortal bodies”

(Philippians 3:20) which break down and decay and are not perfect. And yet, we have

each been created with precision and purpose by the creator of the universe! Created

not only to thrive and love and to worship the creator but also created to use the gifts

and talents that he has given to each of us. Those gifts cover an infinitely wide spectrum

which also includes doctors and medicines. We see all throughout scripture the use of

medicines and doctors as part of the healing process (Isaiah/Jeremiah/Proverbs) and

we even see that Luke was a doctor that was spoken of positively (Colossians 4:14).

Paul also gave practical suggestions for physical ailments in Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23).

So to assume or imply that all mental and physical illnesses are spiritual and should

only be addressed through prayer and spiritual means is not what scripture speaks of as

we read it. God has created doctors, he has created therapists, he has given each

wisdom to use their gifts to help and to heal. God is the ultimate healer and all gifts are

to be used to point to and worship the one who gave the gifts and so to bypass those

gifts given by the creator would be to reject those gifts he gave you, the opposite of

using them for his glory (1 Peter 4:10-11).

The final word on this debate should be directed at those that claim to be followers of

Jesus. In the Gospel of John he writes in 8:12 “Jesus spoke to the people once more

and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in

darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” And in 1 John 1:5 he writes

that “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” This all leads to 2 Corinthians

5:17 in which Paul writes, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become

a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” What is all this saying? As a

Christian, one who follows Jesus as the lord and savior and king of their life, we have

been made new, made new with the light of the world living in us making it impossible

for darkness, evil spirits, demons to inhabit that same space. That is not to say that

Christians don’t sin, but it is saying being inhabited and controlled by a demonic evil

presence is not possible with Jesus, the light of the world, living within us. So for

Christians, when mental illness arises within we should pray, we should ask others to

pray for us, we should trust and believe that the God of all creation is actively at work

and can and will heal us in his time AND we should reach out for help from

professionally trained therapists that God has created and given the specific gifts and

talents to help you walk through from all mental illnesses that you may encounter. There

is a spiritual battle happening. And God has overcome all evil that is fighting his creation

causing this battle. He will make all things right in his time, according to his purpose,

and until then use the gifts he has given you to love and to help heal others and in so

doing glorify the creator who gave you those gifts!

Mark Grochocki, MS, LAMFT