How The Gospel Addresses The Fear Of Men

 

In these modern times, the devil is working hard to make life difficult for the lives of believers. It is very easy for us to curl up in a ball and hide in our homes during this time. I understand all too well how fighting the good fight can become tiresome, especially when we do not see anything good coming our way. However, the Lord does not want us to hide in our homes. He calls us to endure to the very end. Some Christians may think there is no use in fighting and as a result, they cower in fear. But, the attitude we need now more than ever is the same attitude the Apostle Paul had in his lifetime. Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, 

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greeks" 

Paul said this during Emperor Nero's reign and if you know anything about that time you are very much aware that it was not a pleasant time to be a Christian. Emperor Nero would bind Christians up and light them on fire to light up his front lawn. He would also feed Christians to lions in the Colosseum as a sporting event for the Romans to be entertained by. Basically, back then if you identified as a Christian, you were signing your own death warrant. However, none of this stopped the first-century Christians from identifying with their Lord and Savior. As a matter of fact, they were all the more glad to be persecuted for Jesus' sake. Nowadays, we have become too soft and I believe it is because we have had it pretty good in this life. We do not have to worry about being persecuted in the same way as the early Christians were. Sure, we may get mocked on television or yelled at if we are street preaching, but all of that is child's play compared to what our forebears went through. However, all of this is about to change as we come closer to our Lord's imminent return. The Bible clearly tells us that things will get worse. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 

"But understand this, that in the last days there will be times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power" 

As you can see from this text we are currently living in the end times. People are growing from bad to worse with every waking morning. If what I am saying does not make you uncomfortable, then I do not think you properly understand what it is we are facing. However, I am not telling you this to scare you. We should not be scared about what is to come. As Solomon tells us in Proverbs 28:1, 

"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion" 

In this blog, I shall attempt to give you some biblical encouragement that should cause you to be "as bold as a lion". I will separate this blog into three sections: A Sign Of Their Destruction, Only God Can Destroy, and Our Eternal Reward. After you finish reading this blog, my hope is that you will come away from this with a newfound boldness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need more soldiers who are willing to die for the Gospel. It is a sad indictment when false teachers such as the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses act more courageously than Christians do. Now, please allow me to elaborate on my points. 

A Sign of Their Destruction 

Have you ever considered how your courage can be a sign to unbelievers of their impending destruction? Well, Paul tells us this is the case. If we turn to Philippians 1:27-28, we read the following, 

"... I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation" 

The Apostle Paul is clearly telling us that as we take a bold stance for the gospel, it is a sign of our opponents' destruction. We are reminding them of where they are heading. I believe this is why Paul tells us that to those who are being damned, we are an aroma of death (2 Corinthians 2:16). Every time we are boldly confronting the wicked we are reminding them of their impending doom. This is why they hate us. Every time we attend a gay pride parade to preach the Gospel, we are exposing their folly. Every time we pass out gospel tracts, we are showing them where their sin is leading them. However, not only is it a sign of their destruction, but it is also a sign of our salvation. We stand out from the crowd because we are not of this world. We belong to another world, another Kingdom. For this reason, we do not need to show the unregenerate any fear because we know the One who is in control of this creation. Absolutely nothing happens in this creation apart from God's will and He has ordained that in the end we ultimately win. 

Only God Can Destroy

In Matthew 10:28, we read the following words from our Lord Himself, 

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can kill both body and soul in hell" 

Notice how Jesus is not denying that unregenerate man can kill our bodies. He is not saying that that is an impossibility. He is realistic enough to acknowledge that the wicked can kill our bodies. But, what He is rejecting is the notion that the unregenerate can cause us any harm in the eternal sense. The unregenerate may kill us in this life, but that is all they can do. They have no control over us in eternity. Only God Himself can destroy both our bodies and souls in hell. For this reason, and this reason alone, we should only fear Him, not man. This is why the Writer to the Hebrews can tell us it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). You see, an unregenerate man can kill us, and even torture our bodies, but there is always a limit because eventually we will die. When we die, we are no longer in that wicked man's hands. However, when we are in God's hands, He can punish us for an eternity if we are covered by the blood of Christ. For this reason, it makes much more sense to fear God over fearing any man. 

Our Eternal Reward

In Matthew 5:11-12, we read the following Beatitude from Jesus, 

"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" 

In this text, we see that our Lord is telling us that when we endure persecution for His sake, we will be greatly rewarded. This does not mean that we should go out looking for trouble on purpose. Paul tells us elsewhere that we should seek to live at peace with all people (Romans 12:18). However if we find ourselves not being able to live at peace with men because of their wickedness, then our reward is great in heaven. What exactly do we have to look forward to for all our efforts in enduring persecution, you ask? Well if we turn to Revelation 21:1-4, we read the following,  

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away'." 

We are looking forward to the time when God will create the New Heavens and New Earth where there will be no more suffering or sin ever again. During this time, God Himself will dwell with us and we will reign as kings and queens with Jesus Christ for all eternity. This is what we have to look forward to. This life right now is temporary, but the life to come is eternal. This is why we can boldly stand up to our persecutors because we know where we belong in eternity. 

I hope that this blog better helps you understand why we have every reason to be bold in this life. We do not need to cower before our persecutors. As a matter of fact, our courage should give them every reason to be afraid because they are reminded of their destruction and of our salvation. Thank you very much for reading this blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

My Before & After Medications Story

 

For many of us with mental illnesses, it is very tempting for us to consider going off of our medications. We do this for a variety of reasons. Some of us think there is no longer anything wrong with our minds or sometimes we even think that the medication is poisoning us. Regardless of the reasons we give, it is inevitable that the temptation to quit the medications will come up. As someone who has been on both ends of refusing to take medications and taking medications, I can honestly say that life is better when I am properly medicated. If you are someone who is considering putting an end to your medication, this blog is for you. I want you to know that I perfectly understand why you are considering this. It can be a real hassle trying to remember to keep taking the medication every day. Also, why should you keep taking the medication when you feel just fine, right? If this is how you are feeling, then please keep reading. This blog aims to help you understand why medication is important for people like us. It literally could be a matter of life or death. As you read this blog, you will see that the decision to go off medication can lead either to death or prison. Now, it is time for me to tell you my story. 

13 years old to 15 years old
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When I was 13 years old, I was diagnosed with Major Depression Disorder. In retrospect, I was a pretty depressed child, but it was because I was taken from my family and placed into foster care. What child in that predicament would not be depressed? Well, as a result of this, I believe I was misdiagnosed. I was put on antidepressants, which caused me to go into mania episodes. I was getting very little sleep, yet I was so full of energy. Also, during this time, I began eating a lot of food too. What is mania, you ask? According to Dictionary.com, mania is, 

"mental illness marked by periods of great excitement, or euphoria, delusions, and overactivity" 

I remember that during this time I would write many stories because I kept getting ideas flooding my mind. I also constantly tried to wrestle with my foster brothers because I was obsessed with WWE, or as it was called back then WWF. I was getting into numerous fights with my foster brothers too. No one knew what my deal was, but my psychiatrist at the time kept giving me antidepressants, which did not help at all. Also, around this time, I experienced my first hallucination. I would see a giant fly with a human face who would taunt me in the school hallway and chase me around. It was terrifying because I did not know what was happening. 

16 years old to 18 years old
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Around this time, I ended up going into juvenile detention because I set my foster home on fire. The reason why I did that was because I was feeling unloved and I thought if I did something heroic, then people would love me. Needless to say, that did not happen. Instead, I spent two months in a detention center called Spring Creek Youth Services Center, and then I went to a treatment facility called Southern Peaks Regional Treatment Center. My stay in the treatment center was only supposed to be for 6 to 9 months, but I turned it into a two-and-a-half-year program because I would constantly jeopardize my discharge date. 

During this time, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type 2 Depression. As a result, I was put on mood stabilizers such as Depakote, Geodone, and others. I was also put on antidepressants too. This helped me a little bit but I would still go into manic episodes. During these manic episodes, I would "moon" the other kids in my unit and get into constant fights. It was also during this time that I began to hallucinate a man named Tom who would befriend me and tell me to do things that would get me into trouble. I would listen to him because he seemed to be the only person who understood me and who cared for me. Also, during this time, I became very anti-Christian because I grew to hate God. As a result of this, I would bully and harass Christians for their faith. I would also have frequent bouts of depression where I would attempt to commit suicide and even resorted to cutting myself too.  The psychiatrist tried me on a whole host of medications at this time and some of them made me into a zombie while others made me less depressed, but more manic. He just could not find the right medication for me because I was misdiagnosed again. 

19 years old to 26 years old 
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Once I was able to move out on my own and not be considered a ward of the state, I decided that I would stop taking my medications altogether. I decided on my own that I did not need them anyway. I would just self-medicate by smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Around this time, I had an encounter with some Mormons, whom the Lord strategically used to pique my interest in reading the Bible. I became saved as a result of this and then afterwards I believed I was healed of my mental illness. As a result of this newfound belief, I definitely concluded that I no longer needed medication. I even stopped seeing my therapist too. Shortly after this revelation, I began creating fake profiles on social media sites. My intention was not to be deceptive. I honestly believed that these fake profiles were real, even if I was just talking to myself. 

I remember that in my younger years in the faith, I had a delusion that told me that three separate women at my church were going to be my wife and I would excitedly report this news to them. Obviously, they did not share the same excitement. This caused me to slip into a depression episode where I would feel suicidal. I ended up in the psychiatric hospital for a week, but as soon as I got out I threw away my medication.

Shortly afterward, I had a series of serious relationships with women whom I should not have been dealing with. This inevitably led me to a woman in New Jersey who turned out to be a narcissist, who only wanted to control me. I lived with this woman for an entire year. That year was a literal hell on earth. I am not sure why I put up with her for so long, but I think my Separation Anxiety would not allow me to let her go. Finally, when I dared to leave her, it was because the voices in my head became too overbearing for me. They were telling me to harm her. As a result, I gathered as much of my things together, along with a month's worth of my medication, and left via Greyhound back to Colorado. It was for the best because the psychiatrists I was seeing in New Jersey did not know how to help me either. After all, they did not know what my proper diagnosis was. 

Once I was in Colorado, things seemed to be alright. I was staying with a friend at the time when one day he and I got into an argument that sent me into a mania episode. In this episode, I believed that it was biblically prophesied for me to harm Donald Trump. I made a video expressing this on YouTube and ended up in the psychiatric hospital for a week and a half. After I got out, however, I was able to convince Social Security to make me my own payee and I was able to get back on my medication. At this point, I realized that I needed them. As a result of being medicated again, I became much more stable, but I still was not diagnosed correctly. As a result, I still would fly into manic episodes. One such episode had me wandering the streets of Colorado Springs in the middle of the night telling random people about my new epiphany about life being a giant episode of Punk'd and God being the ultimate Ashton Kutcher. Shortly after that episode, I found out about my mom being released from her institution and being homeless in Barstow, California. In a fit of rage and mania, I immediately gave up my residence to go out and find her to bring her back to Colorado. I was not sure where we would live, but I figured we would figure that out later. All I was concerned about was getting my mom off the streets.  Eventually, the Secret Service paid me a visit and told me that if I did not stay on my medication they would come back to arrest me.

27 years old to the Present Day 
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Shortly after having my mother with me, we decided to move to Ohio because that is where my sisters live and I needed their help in taking care of our mother. We arrived in Toledo, Ohio, and immediately stayed in a couple hotels. Eventually, I found a rooming house for my mom and me to stay in. I also ended up enrolling myself in a mental health clinic called Unison. While participating in Unison's program, I went through five or six different psychiatrists and one nurse practitioner. Eventually, one of the psychiatrists diagnosed me with Schizoaffective Disorder Bipolar Type. The news of this diagnosis was refreshing because it finally made sense of all of my experiences. I was immediately put on a cocktail of medications such as Risperidone, Lithium, and Seroquel. In retrospect, I was being overly medicated but I did not realize it at the time. I was just relieved to have a proper diagnosis. 

Next, I met my wife, Lydia, in an AMBW (Asian Men Black Women) Facebook group and we chatted for a few days online before exchanging phone numbers. What seemed to be only a friendship quickly developed into a love interest, as we decided to meet for the first time in Chicago because of a race she was participating in. When we first met up, I know she noticed I was overly medicated because I was moving slowly, but she never let that bother her. After our visit, we decided to make our dating relationship official, but I decided that she was the woman I wanted to marry. So, as soon as I returned to Ohio, I began making plans to propose to her. 

Eventually, my mother was hospitalized for having a stroke and ended up in a rehab facility and then the global pandemic started. Since Lydia and I had no idea how long this pandemic would last and when we would see each other again, we decided to get married right away. So, we went to the Toledo Courthouse to get our marriage certificate and then we had our ceremony at a chapel called Simply Married. Things seemed to be looking up. My medication seemed to be working well with keeping me stable and life seemed to be on the optimistic side. Then, one day my life almost ended because of a medication a nurse practitioner put me on. 

I am not entirely sure why this nurse practitioner felt the need to put me on a medication called Clozapine, which was for medication-resistant patients. I definitely was not medication-resistant. This medication ended up perforating my colon and landed me in the hospital for three months. As a result of all this, I had my medication reduced to just Risperidone and my reflexes became much quicker as I became more animated. However, I was not so animated that I would become manic. Things seemed to be alright once I was back home. 

Over time I seemed to do well, but then the voices started bothering me in church too much. Also, one day I got into a heated discussion with my biological father which threw me into a manic episode. This time I believed that Donald Trump was sending messages into my head. My wife and one of my sisters would be able to talk me down from the mania episode, but I still felt like I should admit myself to the hospital. As a result of doing that, I began seeing my current psychiatrist in private practice. This is better than going to a mental health clinic by far. My current psychiatrist has me on Risperidone and Zyprexa and while I still deal with the voices sometimes, it is not nearly as bad as it was. Furthermore, my moods are not rapidly fluctuating anymore either. They appear to be more stable. Overall, I am in a better place than I've been in many years. 

Conclusion
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As you can see my medication story is a very scary one that has brought through the highs of elation to the bottomless depths. If it was not for my medication I shudder to think where I'd be today. I understand what it is like to think you do not need medication for whatever reason you may have. However, if you seriously consider your life, I am almost 100% certain that you would realize that your life is better on medication than without. Even if you have had the wrong medication due to a misdiagnosis, as I was, that is still no excuse to give up on medication. As you can see, it took me a whole lifetime to find the right medication that works for me. However, I am relieved to have finally found it. To be honest, I think it would have happened sooner if I had been  more honest and transparent with my psychiatrists about my symptoms. This is a lesson I learned over time. When dealing with psychiatrists, it is vitally important for you to remain completely honest about everything with them. If you hide anything from them, they cannot help you because they are not mind-readers. We can trust our psychiatrists, even if they are unbelievers, because of God's common grace. What is Common Grace, you ask? According to Ligonier Ministries, 

"By common grace, God restrains sin, evil, misery, and wrath in this fallen world, while conferring general, nonredemptive blessings on all mankind" 

In other words, God has blessed all of His creation with common blessings that we can all benefit from, regardless of whether or not we are believers. This means even an unregenerate psychiatrist will have the blessing of knowledge to know how to properly diagnose and treat mental illnesses. We do not have to fear them nor distrust them. As James 1:17 tells us, 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows"

Psychiatry and Psychology together are good gifts from the Father above for His creation to benefit from. 

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope that my story has encouraged you to consider remaining on your medication. When I say that Psychiatric medication could save your life, I do not say that lightly. I give this advice as someone who has experienced the horrors of not being medicated due to my own stubbornness. Please learn from my mistakes and do not make the same ones I did. My life would not have been as rough as it was if I just accepted the fact that I needed professional help. There is no shame in taking psychiatric medication just like there is no shame in taking diabetes medication. It is all one and the same because they both treat your health. May the grace of the Living God, Jesus Christ, richly bless you all! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate, 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

How To Edify Someone With A Mental Illness

 

In the many years that I have been a Christian mental health advocate, I have personally witnessed many brothers and sisters in the faith who fail to understand how to properly care for someone dealing with a clinical mental illness. Sometimes these people are well-meaning, but they just hold to some harmful views concerning mental health. At other times, these people are just downright nasty in their attitudes concerning mental health. I have been the victim of both sides of this coin and know of other brothers and sisters who have also fallen victim. It is for this very reason that I am writing this blog now. I want to help my brothers and sisters who do not have mental illnesses to better know how to edify those of us who do have a mental illness. What does it mean to edify someone? According to Dictionary.com, to edify someone means, 

"instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually" 

In other words, to edify means to build someone up. In the Bible, we are commanded to edify one another. For example, Romans 14:19 tells us, 

"So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding"

and 

Romans 15:2 tells us, 

"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up"

As you can see from these texts, we are called to build one another up in the faith. Paul is not concerned with us building up unbelievers but believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1st Corinthians 12, Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body when he talks about how we need one another. He says in verses 14-20, 

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body', that would not make it any less part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body', that would not make it any less part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But, as it is, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 

Paul is clearly telling us that every member of the Body of Christ is important. I sometimes feel like those of us with mental illnesses are akin to an ingrown toenail in the Church. However, when I read this passage, it gives me great comfort because it shows how important each of us really is. As a matter of fact, Paul goes on to tell us that those who seem the least significant in the Body of Christ are deserving of even more honor! (verses 22-23). 

Now, that I have established that it is our Christian duty to edify one another, I would like to spend the remainder of this blog discussing what it looks like to edify someone with a clinical mental illness. I am not saying that you should treat us any differently than you would treat another brother or sister in Christ who does not struggle with mental illness. Actually, treating us differently than others would have an adverse effect because those of us with mental illnesses do not want to be treated differently. However, there are some things you should keep in mind when communicating with someone who has a mental illness. I will get into these things now. 

Make Your Presence Known, But Do Not "Fix" Us 
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Most of us who deal with mental illnesses feel very alone because we feel like no one understands us. As a result, we tend to isolate ourselves from other people because we feel it is safer that way. If you see us isolating, do not be afraid to approach us. We will not bite, I promise! However, when you do approach us, do not come to us to try to "fix" us. We are not broken so trying to "fix" us can be one of the most detrimental things you can attempt to do. Instead, come to us to want to get to know who we are better. If you do that, then it will go a long way in establishing rapport and trust with us. It may even soften our demeanor toward you too. 

Listen To Us, Not Argue
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As you are getting to know us better, it can be tempting to disagree with something we said, especially if we are in an episode. However, expressing your disagreement can, and often is, the worst thing you can do in these circumstances. I say this because it can cause us to spiral out of control and fall further into our own delusions. Instead of arguing, the best thing for you to do, and it may be the hardest thing to do, is to sit and listen to us talk. You can accomplish a lot more by listening to us rather than trying to argue us down into a stalemate, 

Remind Us That We Are Loved 
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Another reason most of us who deal with mental illness tend to feel alone is because we are not aware of the fact that we have people who love us. Many of us equate understanding with love and since we are very much misunderstood, we tend to feel unloved. It is up to you to remind us that even though you may not understand us you still love us regardless. We may understand how you could love us, but by you reminding us of this fact it will go a long way in making us feel comfortable. If you constantly remind us that you love us, eventually we will learn the difference between understanding and love and how the two are not exactly the same. 

I hope that this helps you to better understand how you can edify those of us with mental illnesses. It is not an easy task but if you can learn to utilize these tips, it will greatly help you to edify your mentally ill loved one. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you found it to be edifying to you. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

How To Stay Calm In The Midst Of A Crisis

 

Recently our country just experienced a cyberattack, which blocked us from logging into our Facebook accounts. Fortunately, no one was seriously harmed by this attack. However, that does not mean that this inconvenience was not very frustrating and overwhelming to many people, myself included. It is during these times that it would do good for us to meditate on some biblical truths so that we can keep our peace. Every single one of us knows what it is like to experience some form of crisis in our lives. Whether it is something as serious as a death in the family or simply being caught in a traffic jam, we all experience difficulty in life. As a matter of fact, our Lord even tells us in John 16:33, 

"In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world"

Jesus was realistic enough to acknowledge that this world would be full of trials. He did not promise us an easy life. However, He also reminds us that He has overcome the world on our behalf. As our Messiah, we just need to keep our eyes on Him. If we do this, then we will not be overwhelmed by our trials. So, how exactly do we keep our eyes on Jesus? In this blog, I will give you some tips from Scripture that will help you remain calm during your storm. The purpose of this blog is to remind you that no matter what you are going through, you can always trust in the Savior because He is sovereign and in control. 

Focus on God's Sovereignty 
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In Matthew 6:30 and 33, we read the following from the words of Jesus, 

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these will be added to you"

In this text, our Lord beautifully demonstrates that just like God takes care of the plants and animal life, the Lord will do much more for us. Birds of the air and the grass of the field do not worry about anything, yet the Lord takes care of them. We are definitely much more valuable to God than they are. The only thing that should consume our thoughts is pursuing God's kingdom, which we have because we are in Christ. If we passionately seek His kingdom, then God will take care of all the details of our lives. Another verse that I'd like to draw your attention to that demonstrates His sovereignty is my personal favorite. Romans 8:28 tells us, 

"And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose"

Here Paul is not telling us that everything we go through is indeed good. What he is telling us is that literally everything we go through, whether it be good or bad, will in the end work out for our good. I know that this is a hard pill to swallow, but we must not gloss over this truth. No matter what you are going through at this moment, you must believe that it will work out for your good. How is this possible? Because God is infinitely more powerful than any of our circumstances and there is not a single rogue molecule in space that is outside of His will. He is not only omnipotent, but He is also omnibenevolent too. For this reason, we can trust in Him no matter what our circumstances are telling us. 

Bring Your Anxieties To God 
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Philippians 4:4-7 tells us, 

"Rejoice in the Lord Always; again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" 

If you thought these words came from someone who has not experienced many trials in their lives, you would be wrong. The Apostle Paul penned these words while locked away in a Roman prison. Roman prisons back then make our modern prison system look like a child's daycare. Yet, Paul still found a reason to rejoice and thus, he encourages us to find reasons to rejoice during our trials too. Notice how he is not saying that anxiety is a sin? It is not a sin, but the solution to our anxiety is to bring them to God because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). When we bring all of our cares and concerns to Him in prayer, His peace will cover our minds. 

Think Positive Thoughts
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At the risk of sounding like one of these false "prosperity gospel" preachers, I would like to direct your attention to Philippians 4:8, which says, 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things"

Contrary to what the "prosperity gospel" preachers will tell you, your thoughts do not dictate reality. You and I cannot change our circumstances just by changing our thoughts. However, I do believe that our thoughts concerning our circumstances can affect the way we deal with our circumstances. For example, I had no control over whether or not my mother died. She was going to die regardless of how I thought or felt about it. However, I could have let her death completely destroy me by thinking all hope was lost or I could have chosen to remind myself that she is saved and is now in the arms of Jesus. If I allowed myself to think of the former, I probably would have committed suicide. However, by choosing to think on the latter, I now have the hope of one day seeing my mom in glory when either I go to be with Jesus myself or at His glorious return. The bottom line is this: No matter what your circumstances are, you have control over how you choose to view your trials and tribulations.

I hope that this blog has given you some encouragement to face your storms. Always remember that no matter what you are going through, you are not alone because you have the Holy Spirit and the Body of Christ with you. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Can You Sin Your Way Out Of God's Grace?

 

God's grace is a very controversial subject in many Christian circles today. Some well-meaning brothers and sisters in the Lord fear preaching God's grace "too much". This is because they are afraid that if they preach about His grace too much then people will see that as a license to sin. To be fair, some brothers and sisters say that God's grace gives one a license to sin and they would be wrong for preaching that message. However, I do not believe that that is enough of a reason to deter us from telling people of God's radical grace in the lives of believers. I have personally witnessed the harm caused to my brothers and sisters in Christ when they do not have a proper understanding of God's grace. The purpose of this blog is to explain to you just how radical this grace really is because I believe the Gospel does revolutionize people's minds. I do believe that His grace does not give you a license to sin. As Paul tells us in Romans 6:1-2, 

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can you who died to sin still live in it?"

As you can see, Paul considers those of us who are in Christ to be dead to sin. For this reason, we are not to keep on living in perpetual sin. However, this does not mean that we will never sin again, contrary to what the Sinless Perfectionists say. As Paul later says in Romans 7:14-17, 

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now, if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So, now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me" 

I know that there is a little bit of a controversy here concerning whether or not Paul was speaking of himself pre or post-conversion. However, the context of this passage seems to indicate that Paul is speaking of himself in the present tense, which would mean that he admits to struggling with a sinful nature AFTER conversion. If the Apostle Paul still dealt with indwelling sin after his conversion to Christ, then what makes any of us think that we won't deal with indwelling sin? What was Paul's solution to the problem of indwelling sin? Well, he answers that at the end of Romans 7:24. He says, 

"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

His solution was to look outside of himself unto Christ for his redemption. This goes contrary to what our culture says because our culture tells us to look within ourselves. Paul is telling us to look outside of ourselves because there is nothing good within us. When we look outside of ourselves unto Jesus Christ, that is when we can say with Paul the words of Galatians 2:20, 

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me".

This does not mean that we will never sin again, but it does mean that we will no longer live in perpetual sin anymore. I heard someone once say that being born again in Christ does not mean we will be sinless, but as we are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we will sin less. I wholeheartedly concur with that statement. Also, when we do sin, we have our Great High Priest speaking on our behalf to the Father. As the writer to the Hebrews tells in Hebrews 4:14-15, 

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sin" 

Our Lord Jesus was tempted in every single way that we are tempted, yet He was without sin. This means that being tempted is not sinful in itself. Also, since Jesus has been tempted like us, this means He understands us in ways that we cannot understand ourselves. This is why we can come boldly to the throne of grace and find forgiveness and acceptance from God. It does not matter what sin you commit or how many times you have committed said sin. There is always forgiveness for those of us who are in Christ. It is for this reason that Paul can tell us in Romans 8:1 that, 

"There is therefore now no condemnation  for those who are in Christ Jesus" 

It does not matter what you have done in this life because Christ has paid the ultimate penalty for your sin when He went to the cross. As a matter of fact, when God sees you now in Christ, He sees you as "holy and blameless" before His eyes (Ephesians 1:4). As a result of how God sees you in Christ, Paul can conclude in Romans 8:37-39, 

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" 

Did you catch that? Paul is clearly telling us that absolutely nothing in all of creation will separate us from the Father's love in Christ. In other words, God is completely giddy about His bride. We are the apple of His eye and nothing will ever change that fact. Our pesky sinful natures will never change how God sees us because He never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). It is for this fact that we can find rest in Jesus and not worry about if we committed the sin that will take us from His grace. 

So What? 

Right now, you are probably wondering what all this has to do with mental health. Well, I know from personal experience what it is like to constantly worry about if I just committed the one sin that will send me to hell. I know full well the type of anguish that worrisome thought can cause a belief in Christ. I have not only experienced that feeling myself, but I also know many people who have felt the same way. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 11:28-30, 

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" 

Our Lord is offering us rest for our souls, but how many of us can say that we truly feel that rest? I know that in my life I did not know how to rest in Christ until fairly recently. The yoke of Christ is supposed to be light, but we tend to make it heavy by adding all these rules and regulations to follow. Christianity is not a religion of rules, but of a relationship with the One True God who appears as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We do not need to complicate our relationship with God by adding impossible demands for us to follow. We merely just need to come to Him as little children. 

I hope that this blog helps you better understand what it means to live the Christian life. It is because of what Christ has done on our behalf that we can finally rest in Him. We will never sin our way out of God's grace. As a matter of fact, the more we sin, the more grace abounds (Romans 5:20). Paul did not shy away from preaching a radical grace just because people could accuse of him being antinomian. As a matter of fact, he responded to that accusation by preaching even more grace! Let us follow in his example. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

The Sin That Affects Us All

 

As some of you may know already, I have frequent delusions and hallucinations that tell me that I am God and that people are praying to or worshiping me. These delusions and hallucinations are very troubling for two reasons. The first reason they are troubling me is because I am afraid that no one will be able to understand me. This is a real fear I have because I do not want to be looked upon as some sort of freak of nature. The second reason they are troubling me is because I am afraid that one day I will act on these delusions and hallucinations. Currently, I know and understand that they are lies, but what will happen one day when my mental state progressively gets worse? I think about this often as I go throughout my days on this earth because when you have a severe mental illness every moment is like a ticking time bomb. However, as I contemplate this issue more, I have come to a startling revelation. I am no freak of nature. Regardless of the fact of my hallucinations and delusions, everyone has the same ultimate desire, and that desire affected even our First Parents. In this blog, I shall discuss exactly what this phenomenon that plagues us all is. The purpose of this blog is to give people who deal with anything similar to what I deal with some hope in thinking they are normal people. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, 

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide a way of escape, that you will be able to endure it" 

There are two primary takeaways we can get from this text. The first one is that any temptation we struggle with is common to all people. This means none of us are freaks. Temptation of any kind is perfectly normal for our human condition. The second one is that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability. He knows our frame and He knows what we can handle. In His Sovereignty, He is holding us together even when it does not feel that way. We can trust Him no matter what our feelings or experiences are telling us. The reason I need you to grasp this point is because I understand all too well how it feels to be the only person who experiences auditory hallucinations and delusions telling you that you are God in the flesh. It is tempting to think that no one else in the Christian church has ever dealt with this before and thus, we should keep these things to ourselves. However, that is precisely what we should not do. The devil knows full well that when we keep our temptations quiet, we are fair game to be preyed upon. Anyways, so let us go into what is The Sin That Affects Us All... 

Ye Shall Be As Gods... 

As you may have already guessed by now, any discussion of Original Sin must go all the way back to the beginning. Genesis 1 and 2 lays out how God created the heavens and the earth in six days. It also lays out for us how God created man and woman in His image from the dust of the earth. Things seem to be pretty good so far, right? Well, in the third chapter of Genesis, things take a turn for the worse. In verses 1-7, we read the following exchange, 

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'? and the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die'. But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths" 

As you can see from this passage the devil attacked our First Parent's in exactly the same way he attacked us. First, he asks a question to cast doubt upon God's word. When Eve rightfully corrected the devil's misrepresentation of His word, he then played off her legalism by causing her to believe God was holding out on them. Adam and Eve were commissioned to work and tend the Garden and this means they were to rely on God's interpretation of reality. Before the devil came to Eve, they had no other interpretation to rely on. Now, the devil was offering his own interpretation of the facts. It was now up to Eve to decide whose interpretation she would accept and listen to. Would it be her Creator's or the devil's? All of eternity was hanging on a thread. As we can clearly see, Eve chose poorly. She decided that she was not content with knowing reality based on what God says is real. She wanted to decide what was reality for herself. In other words, she wanted to be autonomous from God and be her own God. Tragically, Adam, who was her figurehead, made the same exact choice. Adam and Eve thus became the first atheists, in the sense of being "against God". As a result of our First Parent's decision to rebel against God and His authority, all of us who are born afterward, are faced with the same choice they were faced with: Will we rely on God's interpretation of reality or will we try to be gods ourselves by forging our own realities? Whatever decision we make on this earth concerning that important question will have eternal consequences. 

The truth is, to some extent we all worship ourselves. We all want to be as little gods in this universe. We want to think that we are the masters of our own destiny. This is why paganism seems so attractive to our carnal hearts. Deep down, we all want to be gods. We got this desire from our First Parents and if we do not put it in check it will eat us alive and destroy us. We were never meant to be gods, but we were called to serve the One True God who manifests as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we properly understand the Creator-Creature distinction between God and us, it will help us to properly understand our place in this creation. It is when we do not have a proper understanding of the Creator-Creature distinction between God and us that we tend to blur the lines between the two. 

I hope that this blog better helps you understand two things: 1) It is normal to have delusions and hallucinations that tell you you are God. That was the lie that first affected Adam and Eve. So, you are not a freak of nature. We need more than anything to stay in His word, remain in the fellowship of a local body of believers, and psychiatric medication.  2) We must resist these voices at all costs by reminding ourselves of the Creator-Creature distinction between God and humans. When we truly understand this, then we will understand what our true purpose is in this life and the next. We are not called to be God nor can we ever be God. So, we might as well rejoice in that fact and be content in being creatures in God's hands. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I will look forward to seeing what you all think about what I am saying here. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all! 


-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

How To Overcome Seasonal Depression Biblically

 

We are in the time of the year when everything gets much colder. As a result, people's moods tend to change for the negative. Countless studies have proven that when the weather changes, it has tremendous effects on one's mood. This is why it is so very important for us to keep track of how we are feeling, especially during these cold times. How must we deal with these winter blues? Does the Bible offer us any solutions? In this blog, I shall give some very important tips on how to deal with what psychologists have called Seasonal Depression. Before I get into this, however, I would like to establish that I used to be someone who dealt with depression a lot during this time of year. As someone who was taken from his family at such a young age, I know all too well how it feels to be lonely. So, please understand that I fully comprehend how tough this time can be for some people. The advice that I will give in this blog is not only stuff that has helped me, but it is also stuff that I wish someone would have told me when I was younger. It could have saved me from a lot of unnecessary stress and grief. I would like to point out that these are not the only ways that can help you overcome Seasonal Depression. These are just the main things that I'd like to focus on for the sake of this blog. If you can think of anything more, please feel free to comment below. Now, it is time for me to get into this biblical advice. 

Prayer 

This may seem like a trite point to make but prayer is actually the most valuable tool we have in our arsenal. As it says in 1 Peter 5:7, 

"...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" 

The infinitely holy and omnipotent God cares for you. This is incredible news for those of us who are Christians. God is in control of every minute detail that goes on in this creation and He has promised to work out all things for our good (Romans 8:28). No matter what you are going through this season, we can learn to trust Him to heal our hearts. So, do not be afraid to go to Him with your anxieties and/or sadness because our God is big enough and strong enough to carry us through them. 

Community 

This next piece of advice is also vitally important for us to understand because God did not create us to be alone. I understand that when you are depressed, it is very tempting to isolate. However, isolation is never good for anyone. All isolation does is cause us to be even more depressed. As Hebrews 10:25 tells us, 

"...not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day draw near" 

I understand that this text is commonly used as an exhortation for people to not neglect going to church. I agree that going to church is one of the most important things a Christian can do because it strengthens our faith when we worship God together. However, I also believe this text speaks to the fact that we need to be around one another outside of the church walls too. It is not good enough for us to just see each other every Sunday. We need to also be around our family during the week as well. When we are around people who care for us, it really does go a long way in healing our depressed minds. 

Think Positively 

I understand that this piece of advice can be taken with some offense because when someone is depressed it is very difficult for the person to just "think positive". However, Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8. 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" 

We are commanded to make an intentional effort to think about positive things. Cognitive psychologists have found that our thoughts dictate our feelings. This means that if our thinking is positive, then our feelings will become more positive. This may not happen right away, but if we change our thinking, eventually our feelings will follow. I know this is the hardest piece of advice to accept all too well because I am always thinking negative thoughts. However, I have noticed that when I do think about everything I am thankful to God for, my feelings become much more positive. I am not saying that our thinking can change our circumstances, as some false teachers would suggest, but I am saying that our thinking can change how we perceive our circumstances. For example, last year I was facing a life-altering surgery and it caused me to worry about it because I thought I would die as a result of it. I was not afraid to die, but I did not want to leave my wife alone. As a result of this kind of thinking, I started "preparing" people for my demise. It did not matter to me that all the evidence pointed to the fact that I would be ok after the surgery because my mind convinced me that I would not be ok. My point in telling you about this is that if I had changed my thinking about my surgery to something more positive, such as thinking about the fact that I'll be able to live without an ostomy bag again, then I would have gone into the surgery room with a more positive outlook. Instead of thinking that I would die, I would have been thinking about what I would do once I awoke and saw that I no longer needed an ostomy bag. Our thinking about any circumstance affects how we feel about the circumstance. 

I hope that this blog helps you better understand how you can overcome Seasonal Depression this year. I know that the winter blues are not any fun to deal with, but with faith in God, we can overcome anything. Thank you very much for being willing to read this blog and please share this with anyone you feel needs to read this. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website