I’ve been considering this question —almost placed this under Health—because to me it does apply to mental health.
surely we have read the passages concerning those brought out from the House of Slavery in the OT. Concerning mental health: mind, body, and soul…consider their passage in the wilderness…
would you want complaining, doubtful, nay-saying …a company of constant “what are we going to eat?” “What are we going to drink?” A company with you that tells you over and over “you are not going to make this journey to the land.” A constant “you will fail.” A constant “God brought you out from the house of slavery to strand you here.” Prophesying over and over “God brought you out to let you die in the wilderness.” An Urging over and over, a shouting loud uproar daily “God, we were better off back where we come out from!”
It feels like this often on this board, in daily life …all the voices fighting over “faith lost”, “salvation loss”, “not able to finish the race”, “missing the mark”, “not going to be able to make it to a better land” “falling short”, “sinking” “not having sufficient food”, or “not having sufficient drink”
for a three day journey in the wilderness…to the point that it mentally sucks the potential for Life, and any mental health of focus on He who Provides stability —right out of you.
Where—with so much convincing or pleading. As if badgering you into an agreement to the certain failure—repeated daily—or certain doom of it…the certain impossibly of not having the sufficiency for the three day journey out and away from the House of slavery…
All the naying screams “turn back” … “turn back to what you came out from” … “you (we)were better off in the house of slavery, then to be brought out of God from the House of slavery, to then be here out in the wilderness with God left to die!” There comes a point you want to cover your ears, screaming in agreement that “ok, You are right! I’m not stable!!” “ok, IF you love me, then why do you want me so hard and so long to Fail!”
you want to cover your ears and to not listen anymore to the love or watching over you coming failure. But all the naying has be planted and has gotten in deep, to where even with your ears shut” you hear “you Tare!” “God, The Father, is going to pluck you up by the roots!” “you better listen to what I’m telling you in Love; or you will fail.” “Not having sufficient food.” “Not having sufficient drink.” For the three day journey in the wilderness…
In all the uproar and fear naying…fear gets planted deep, no trust gets in, no Faith gets in…the voice must be right…there isn’t sufficient food for me out here in the wilderness or sufficient drink for me out here in the wilderness … “I don’t belong in this company” failure is certainly convincingly this way, out here, leads death. “turn back, return to the house of slavery God brought you out from”! Maybe there you will find life, maybe there you will have strength.
you do as the company instructs because all the doubting has won …being planted. Doubt has grown and sprouted, grown up like a weed so they must be right, return to the House of slavery you were better off there. “Run” “turn back” or you will surely die!
Will you be missed from their company?
No.
They are too busy planting and sowing fear to see you return to that house from which God brought you out from…too busy to see they have won, too occupied shouting at God “Give us enough food to eat that we don’t starve!” “give us enough drink that we don’t go thirsty!” to care or to even notice you go back to where God brought you out from.
what company do you want with you on a deserted island? I think about Christ temptation in the wilderness, how angels came to minister to Him. And then the devil left off and depart for a while from all the badgering of tempting Christ of “you should serve me. I can give you all this!” Calling and tempting “return you Son of man to the House of Slavery” and “serve me”
and you surely won’t die. I will give you life.
