Tag: nouthetic counseling

Mental Illness is Really Moral Illness

Mental means the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought, relating to the mind; “mental faculties”, “mental phenomena”. Carried out by or taking place in the mind: “a quick mental calculation”. Mental is the term used to describe things of the mind. Mental and mind are synonymous in the secular, or unGodly, world.

Mental does not just connote brain, where thought occurs. It’s much more encompassing than that.

In the bible, the New Testament Greek word for mind is ‘nous’: mind, understanding, reason. It is listed in Strong’s Concordance as entry 3563, which goes on to define it as a masculine noun – the God-given capacity of each person to think (reason); the mind; mental capacity to exercise reflective thinking. For the believer, the organ of receiving God’s thoughts, through faith. In the New Testament, as Greek thinking emerges, we see more delineation between the mind, heart, and soul. The word phroneo is used frequently, most often translated as mind (meaning thoughts, reasoning, or views). Another Greek word used for “mind” in the New Testament is dianoia, as used below:

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ~Matthew 22:37

For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. ~1 Corinthians 2:16

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. ~Romans 12:2

In the Old Testament mind is usually simply translated as ‘the heart’, which is the inner workings of man. One Hebrew term for “heart” (leb) refers to the inner person. It would encompass both thought and intention, understanding and determination. There are hundreds of bible verses about the heart in the bible. And the bible is clear: only God can see and know what is in a man’s heart! The heart is God’s domain:

And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. ~Luke 16:15

People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart. ~Proverbs 21:2

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ~Psalm 51:10

Okay, but if the mind is really the heart, and the heart is clearly God’s domain, then why are modern men trying to take over what God has already claimed, and giving its problem a new name, mental illness?

Because we are in a spiritual battle

We do not wrestle with flesh and blood. This is another sneaky way the devil has gained access to man. And he has done it all on our watch.

Dr Jay Adams, founder of the Institute for Nouthetic Counseling teaches that there are 3 biblical reasons for the problems of man: 1) Sin, 2) Organic disease, and 3) Demon possession. And I think we could all agree given these 3 options that sin is about 95+% accountable. Problems with the mind are simply spiritual. Sin is the domain of God and as such requires a Godly prescription. And that prescription is contained in the bible, which we can only know and understand after we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.

However, when secular psychology and psychiatry co-opted the domain of the mind and labeled its problems ‘mental illness’, they created a new religion and theology. Their gods are they themselves. The new religion needed a new language with training in how to use it, so you have to go to school to become a psychologist or psychiatrist and receive specialized training to become a ‘therapist’. Their ideology and doctrine are showcased in their bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the ‘DSM’. And this is changed every few years. Now they are on the 6th version of it. (In contrast the bible never changes). The genre of ‘mental illness’ is a new field of ‘psychology’ that was born in the mid to late 1800’s and it hails Sigmund Freud as its father, not God. The definition of psychology is: the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. This reminds me of how JRR Tolkien invented the fantasy tale ‘Lord of the Rings’ and created whole new life forms and language and lore. But we understand this is make-believe!

I am always harping on about how modern medicine for the body is of the devil, doctors are his demons/gods, and hospitals are his temples. This new genre of mental illness is the same concept applied to the mind. It is a way of excusing mans’ sin by diagnosing it with an organic etiology, and giving it a man-made prescription.

What God has called sin let no one call otherwise.

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. ~Proverbs 30:5-6

Unlike Christianity, or even Judaism, most psychologists disagree about the etiology of the problems originating in the mind, and the treatment strategy. Their main methodology is completely self-centered and is based on people talking about themselves or denigrating others using ‘talk therapy’ for years upon years! They are encouraged to have a higher self-esteem, which is antithesis to the bible’s entreaty to humble yourself. They employ voodoo, as I call it, for their more difficult cases. Invented procedures such as EMDR, hypnosis, tapping, and regression therapy which literally place people into a trance-like state, are just forms of manipulated meditation. There are probably a lot of rituals I do not know about. Attempts to reset the brain by electrocuting it in small doses are employed, as in electric shock therapy. Doctors even perform lobotomies for ‘mental illness’. And then when all this fails, the experts consign them to a ‘mental institution’. Because of the propensity for abuse in these places, they had to be shut down within about 100 years of their creation. Now our modern mental institutions are the streets where lost men and women mill about homeless, displaying their sin and sickness for all to see.

This is how man has decided to cure what God calls sin. Man does not have the capacity to cure man. Only God can cure, and He does it predominantly through His Word Jesus, His word, and the Holy Spirit. ‘Mental illness’ is on the rise because man has fallen away from God, stopped going to church, and stopped reading the bible, all of which are the prescription for sin. Mental illness is on the rise because it has been deceitfully camouflaged as something it is not because

Mental illness is really moral illness

And only God can cure that.

~Selah

Nouthetical Counseling

Nouthetical counseling is a phrase coined by Dr. Jay Adams after much study and experience providing therapy as a Christian minister. Although the Greek word ‘nouthetical’ has fallen out of use and has been replaced by the simpler term, ‘biblical’, Dr. Adams preferred the former word because he states in his book, Competent to Counsel, that, to him, there is not a good English translation for its meaning. Noutheteó is entry number 3560 in Strong’s concordance, and it means to admonish or exhort.

Original Word: νουθετέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: noutheteó
Phonetic Spelling: (noo-thet-eh’-o)
Definition: to admonish, exhort
Usage: I admonish, warn, counsel, exhort.

Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish [νουθετεῖν (nouthetein)] one another. ~Romans 15:14

Nouthetical counseling differs from secular counseling modalities because it seeks to speak the truth in love and to help guide the person back onto the right path of God which is made clear to us in the Bible. It also contradicts classic and modern theorists and theories about mental and psychiatric illness because it reminds us we are born sinful, that we are all sinners, that we need to repent for our sins, and that sin can cause physical and spiritual illness (and death). Instead of Sigmund Freud, we should look to the Apostle Paul for elucidation into a cause for illness; instead of Carl Rogers, we should read James the Just for how to help someone who is ailing; and instead of a clinical psychiatrist, we should call upon Jesus to heal those who are sick.

As a new nurse practitioner, it is incumbent on me to work within my Christian worldview while still adhering to the standards of practice for my licensure and certification. This is quite a challenging task because there is very little ‘God’ in western medicine. As I forge my way ahead in my new role as a healer of God, I must make a path that provides a safe passage for someone to be truly healed, and for God to receive the glory. This cannot just involve taking a history, doing a physical exam, and writing a prescription for a pharmaceutical drug. I realize that to truly follow my God-given calling, I must first and foremost create a sacred space for someone to relate their physical and mental health issues, confess any sins to me if need be, pray over them, anoint them with oil, and follow up frequently as to whether they were healed. I cannot do this over text, via telehealth, or in a sterile setting. To be a healer of The Way I must follow the examples of Jesus and the saints who came before me.

Thankfully, over the years with God’s leading, I have accumulated resources and knowledge that rely on Christian beliefs and ways. These include mindfulness, meditation, preparation, sanctification, confession, prayer, therapeutic listening, gentle rebuke, essential oils, speaking in tongues, miraculous healing, and traditions reminiscent of the early church. I have to find a way to fuse these with modern medicine, tests, referrals, and pharmaceuticals when needed, with the overarching goal of primum non nocere– first, do no harm.

What a mission God has entrusted to me, the healing of His people. I am so blessed. ❤