Why Christians need to stop being so terrified of the practical!

“Can I ask you an awkward question” I asked my doctor yesterday. Which to a doctor, awkward is their business! They get paid for awkward! In fact, I’m pretty sure that awkward makes them feel challenged, excited and ready to make your awkwardness so normal! But it wasn’t a medical awkward question this time, I wanted to know if he was okay with me acknowledging him in my book Fearless in 21 Days.  My family doctor who is a very strong Christian man was one of the greatest catalysts in my recovery.  As a Christian he prayed for me and encouraged me that God had this under control but at the same time, he was the one who pushed past my “let’s just leave it to God” mentality and offered me practical and medical life saving help.

He would often sit down, lay his stethoscope on the counter and get out a pad of paper and pen and walk me through practical ways to get a handle on my anxiety. He introduced me to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the Emergency Cue Card (that I emphasis in my book and online course)  and ways to help me understand what was happening to me and my mind.

So yesterday, I thanked him (awkwardly) for all he did for me and that led us to a great conversation on the practical healing of God.

I shared last year my thoughts on a painful and very demonic overspiritualization of mental illness in my post called Why Prayer is Not Enough .  This post covered a heart breaking story of some Christian communities abroad that chained their patients to trees and had a severe emphasis on prayer and the casting out of demons.  I cried as I read this story knowing personally that God is powerfully impassioned by your captivity and WILL NOT let you remain in chains until you have met the appropriate spiritual standard!! 

Let me yell this!

God is powerfully impassioned and sorrowed by your captivity and WILL NOT let you remain in chains until you have met the appropriate spiritual standard!! 

one more time for twitter..

God is powerfully impassioned by your captivity and WILL NOT let you remain in chains until you have met the appropriate spiritual standard!! #mentalillness #anxietyhelp #freedom Click To Tweet

one more time for Pinterest..

 

You guys, prayer is not enough. Why? Because it limits God to your intention and doesn’t free him into your action!! When we reach out to God he ignites our practical steps in a powerful way!

 

Stop overspiritualizing your anxiety, depression and bondage. Begin by taking practical steps forward asking God to meet you in them and watch the miraculous happen!

 

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