Emotionally exhausted, she lay her head down on the table at Perkins Restaurant and almost fell asleep. For weeks she had been telling herself lies –
-I just can’t take it
-Nothing seems to go right
-I’m no good – maybe God doesn’t love me
-I can’t help the way I am
-My children would be better off without me.
Visiting a Christian psychologist, the diagnosis came back – acute depression. The doctor asked, “You’re a Lutheran, aren’t you? Do you believe the words of the catechism?” “Yes,” she answered in a tiny, insecure voice. “So when you read in the catechism ‘the Holy Spirit called me through the Gospel - He daily forgives abundantly all my sins,’ you believe that, don’t you?” “Yes.” “And you believe ‘He redeemed me - with His holy and precious blood - that I might be His own and serve Him...?’” “Yes,” she said. “And how about the meaning to the 2nd Commandment, ‘We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, conjure, lie or deceive?’” “Yes, I believe” was her response.
Over the course of a few weeks, the counselor helped her to understand that she had a CD that played over and over again in her brain – and some of what the CD played did not aligned with God’s truth as taught in the Bible and expounded in the catechism. He explained that the way to emotional health is to record over the lies by telling herself the truth. He taught that she needed to act on the truth, rather than the lies conjured up in her brain. As she did so, she began to improve, psychologically speaking. She resisted the false statements and began persevering rationally and believing in the truth.
Seeking the truth became an ongoing, continuous process in her life – and the Lord enabled her to be an emotionally healthy and confident woman.
Now this woman had been called by God to be a pastor’s wife. One morning in church a young woman approached and said, “Would you consider being my mentor?” “yes,” was her response, and inside she was saying, “Yes, Lord.” The young woman, with tears in her eyes, explained that her dad was emotionally unstable and that furthermore, everyone in the family said that she resembled him. She was fearful that her behaviors were leading her in the same psychological pathway her dad had taken. What did the pastor’s wife say in response? What did she teach this younger woman? After giving comfort and confidently explaining that she knew something that would help, she began …………… “In each of our brains we have a CD playing...”
Titus 2:3-5 “Train the younger woman... so that no one will malign the word of God.”
LIES lead to bondage – TRUTH sets us free.
-I just can’t take it
-Nothing seems to go right
-I’m no good – maybe God doesn’t love me
-I can’t help the way I am
-My children would be better off without me.
Visiting a Christian psychologist, the diagnosis came back – acute depression. The doctor asked, “You’re a Lutheran, aren’t you? Do you believe the words of the catechism?” “Yes,” she answered in a tiny, insecure voice. “So when you read in the catechism ‘the Holy Spirit called me through the Gospel - He daily forgives abundantly all my sins,’ you believe that, don’t you?” “Yes.” “And you believe ‘He redeemed me - with His holy and precious blood - that I might be His own and serve Him...?’” “Yes,” she said. “And how about the meaning to the 2nd Commandment, ‘We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, conjure, lie or deceive?’” “Yes, I believe” was her response.
Over the course of a few weeks, the counselor helped her to understand that she had a CD that played over and over again in her brain – and some of what the CD played did not aligned with God’s truth as taught in the Bible and expounded in the catechism. He explained that the way to emotional health is to record over the lies by telling herself the truth. He taught that she needed to act on the truth, rather than the lies conjured up in her brain. As she did so, she began to improve, psychologically speaking. She resisted the false statements and began persevering rationally and believing in the truth.
Seeking the truth became an ongoing, continuous process in her life – and the Lord enabled her to be an emotionally healthy and confident woman.
Now this woman had been called by God to be a pastor’s wife. One morning in church a young woman approached and said, “Would you consider being my mentor?” “yes,” was her response, and inside she was saying, “Yes, Lord.” The young woman, with tears in her eyes, explained that her dad was emotionally unstable and that furthermore, everyone in the family said that she resembled him. She was fearful that her behaviors were leading her in the same psychological pathway her dad had taken. What did the pastor’s wife say in response? What did she teach this younger woman? After giving comfort and confidently explaining that she knew something that would help, she began …………… “In each of our brains we have a CD playing...”
Titus 2:3-5 “Train the younger woman... so that no one will malign the word of God.”
LIES lead to bondage – TRUTH sets us free.
