Mental Illness?

In Mark 7:24-30 we read - 'Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He was saying to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs." And He said to her, "Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter." And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.'

Today the common attribution to demon possession is 'mental illness'. Counseling, Psychiatry, and Psychology have become the cure - the religion - for this condition. We have little, to no, recognition and admission of the demonic.  So, in this regard, there is no 'cure'. 

When among the homeless I witness that demon possession is rampant, as much as drug addiction. The churches in America are not equipped to help the situation because they are overwhelmingly inhabited by doctrines of demons (demons/fallen angels), as well - having loved and chosen a lie in preference to the Truth. 

One cannot begin to think of 'helping', aside from continually abiding in Christ Jesus, worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth. We cannot pass along something we do not have.  We must seek, first, God's Kingdom and His righteousness - which cannot be achieved outside the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

We must not take the scriptures as suggestive.  It is wisdom to heed their instruction.  The Way is narrow, and few find it.  This is not the fault of GOD.  He is not willing that ANY should perish.  GOD has made every provision for ALL to have life in Christ Jesus - we need only believe, repent, and be baptized for the remission of sins.  THIS is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

In consideration of dealing with demons remember and heed this warning from Acts 19:13-16 - 'But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.'

Here is another account of Jesus dealing with demonic possession, which we can learn from, in Mark 9:14-29 - 'When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it." And He answered them and said, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!" They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" And Jesus said to him, "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again." After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead!" But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."'

For those of us who ask, "What can I do to help?", we can begin with prayer for those we see, or encounter, on the street.  I, personally, do not have a deeper knowledge or understanding of how I should deal with these cases I encounter on the streets, except to begin with prayer.  I cannot go off on my own self driven initiative.  I must always seek to be in the will and counsel of my Heavenly Father. 

The Book of Jude gives instruction on dealing with the demonic.  We are not to revile the demonic (fallen angels).  Rather, when in a battle (even, and often, personal), we are simply to say, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 1:9 - But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!")  And, we must adhere to scripture as Jesus did when tempted in the wilderness by Satan.  And, we must seek God's counsel - then to obey.  Amen.