By Arnie Cole
Maybe the reason for so little empathy from us as Christ Followers is that we have been fooled by Satan and have developed the completely wrong perspective.
Bottom line Upfront: Honestly, Yes or No, would you even consider that there is such a thing as Spiritual Illness? Please let me know your thoughts as we head into this new controversial series. If you haven’t had a chance to download my free, new ebook please do so here: https://bttb.org/Winning_the_War_for_Our_Souls. It will really help inform you for our upcoming interaction.
Imagine if we treated physical illnesses the way we handle spiritual struggles. Picture walking into a hospital with a broken leg, only to be told you're a bad person for not watching where you were going and given a wellness diet.
Envision being diagnosed with diabetes and, instead of receiving insulin and dietary guidance, you're simply advised to "try harder" at managing your blood sugar.
Consider facing cancer and being mocked and ostracized by the medical community because you "should have known better" than to develop tumors.
These all sound absurd, don't they? Yet this is exactly how we approach spiritual brokenness in our faith communities. We've developed sophisticated systems of care for physical ailments and even mental health challenges. Each area of need is complete with trained professionals, established protocols, and compassionate support networks. Why do we take such a different approach with spiritual life?
What if the spiritual struggles we see around us—transgenderism, gender identification, homosexuality, addiction, physical and mental abuse—didn’t start with a reaction of disgust or anger? What if broken relationships, backsliding, purposelessness, and the crushing weight of guilt and shame weren’t just chalked up by us as that person’s personal failings or character flaws?
The unseen illnesses affecting countless lives around us each day aren’t conditions that show up on X-rays. However, they still leave real damage on hearts, minds, and souls. Spiritual illness is the silent epidemic that robs people of peace, joy and connection with Jesus Christ. Just as a body can weaken from disease and a mind can falter under mental strain, the spirit can suffer and deteriorate, leaving people trapped in terminal cycles of despair and dysfunction.
To dismiss the possibility of spiritual illness is to ignore a vital piece of what it means to be human—our need for healing at the deepest level. What if this is the missing link to the wholeness we all long for?
What if there's a better way? What if we began viewing spiritual struggles through the lens of illness rather than moral failure? This shift in perspective doesn't minimize the seriousness of spiritual issues; rather, it opens the door to more effective, compassionate approaches to healing and restoration. Just as we wouldn't expect a cancer patient to "just get better" without treatment, perhaps it's time to develop systematic, caring approaches to spiritual healing that mirror the advances we've made in medical and mental health care.
Please take some time to consider these things and read the ebook: https://bttb.org/Winning_the_War_for_Our_Souls. Answering these questions could change everything. Please let me know by replying Y or N and add whatever comments you like.
Send your comments to me here.
-Arnie
P.S. Time flies and our lives get so busy. If you have a hectic week ahead, our GivingTuesday page is live now and runs through midnight Tuesday. Join with us in meeting the $15,000 challenge: https://bttb.org/gt2024. You can double the impact of your gift!
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