By Wendell Tenison
APPENDIX:
MENTAL DISORDERS AND THE SPIRIT:
It seems best to me to exclude this topic from the text because many questions are unanswerable. Medical science has not yet established cures for most mental disorders, as a result, they do not have answers for their absolute causes. We do not intend to discuss mental disorders that are a result of a self imposed degenerate lifestyle of sin, but rather make reference from time to time to those disorders that are brought about by disease, old age, birth defects, accidents, political oligarchies, religious groups, the influence of Satan, and legally prescribed mind altering drugs by the medical profession.
The term mental disorder is not a term that automatically indicts one as a bad person, but they could become very dangerous to themselves and society.
I will be very brief by comparison, because of our limitations in the scripture and the lack of information provided by the medical profession. Perhaps as time goes by we will become much more knowledgeable on the subject from a medical point of view.
Our Lord cast out many unclean spirits in his personal ministry of which the scheme of the devils were to harness the mind and render the victim powerless to function in a normal manner. We will only discuss the one of most notoriety, the man who lived among the tombs.
The account begins and ends with Mark 5:1-17: the verse we will look at is verse 15.
(Mark 5:15) "And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid."
We know that there are those who are not in their right mind, who are extremely strong, as was this man who lived among the tombs. In view of what we have learned from the scripture, the spirit goes wild when not controlled by the heart. I vehemently deny that Satan has unlimited power to inhibit the minds of men since the victorious resurrection of Christ over death. To prove this point just read James 4:7; "resist the Devil and he will flee from you." However, Satan is ready and willing to direct the soul who will let him come in. Because of a lack of knowledge on this subject, countless superstitious souls have the fear and dread of Satan that he might send evil spirits upon them.
A most pertinent question that I have not addressed is why is the spirit unruly if we let our guard down? Unlike flesh and blood wherein the body and mind must develop from birth, the spirit for a lack of a better word, is full grown at conception. The child must advance in maturity in order to harness his spirit which has to do with the mental capacity to perform the task. I find nowhere in the scripture where the spirit is weak under any condition. However, that is not the same thing as the spirit becoming submissive to the heart.
(Isa.45:7) "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things."
God makes all spirits of which some are good and some are evil: all for the purpose of his own good pleasure to perform his tasks. We have already discussed this subject of God sending evil spirits in "Heart-Soul-Spirit." Man lies directly in the middle of the bitter conflict between God and Satan, but he has the choice to go in either direction. For this reason our spirits are not puppets that are pulled by strings. The spirit is free to do as it sees fit providing the heart will allow it: That is why God will perfect the spirit in that day of transition from the natural body to the spiritual body; then and only then will there will be harmony in the soul. There are countless thousands who act like animals, live like animals, therefore, they must be animals. The reason being is that their spirits have gone wild.
Of the various causes why many suffer a deficiency in mind, not all are to the same degree in consequence. For instance, birth defects, disease, old age, and accidents, place far greater restraints on the soul than do the others mentioned earlier in this discussion. Of the mental disorders imposed by political oligarchies (governmental agencies or governments themselves), religious groups, the influence of Satan, and legally prescribed mind altering drugs, the victim can overcome all of these if he so chooses.
In our modern times mind control was introduced by the Chinese government when socialist communism engulfed much of the world. For the sake of power and money, religious groups exercise mind control over their slaves. From the beginning of time Satan has been the catalyst for all mental disorders imposed upon mankind. The legally prescribed mind altering drugs are for nothing more than the lust for wealth by the makers and distributors (medical profession.)
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE:
In general, this disease is the loss of memory at first and the intellect becomes disoriented. The decline is gradual and devastating. Just recently one of my grandsons incurred a mild concussion while playing football. The symptoms are the same as an Alzheimer's patient where the short term memory is gone. It is just as frustrating to one who has a concussion as the one who has Alzheimer's disease. The major difference with the concussion is that the short term memory will return.
This disease perhaps is the most feared by all who begin to enter the downward and fading years of their life. Not only by the ones who will be directly affected, but also by those who are close family relatives. Assuming that care is provided by a close relative in the home, the demands upon the provider become relentless to the extent that their health is at tremendous risk also. The greatest obstacle that must be overcome when the final decision must be made to have their loved one placed in a professional care facility is, the guilt complex of having to make that awful decision.
Speaking from experience as one who knows first hand, you suddenly realize that the parent becomes the child and the child becomes the parent. This goes against the natural order of the family structure, but due to the nature of the illness, God permits the child to become the parent.
Now speaking in general of the disposition and actions of the afflicted, they do things that they never would have done in their right minds. Having to give up the driving of their car, bank account, disposing of their household furnishings and finally going to a nursing care facility, seems to them as harsh and cruel punishment done to them by their children. Their life long accomplishments seem to vanish before their very eyes.
Godly men and women who would never use a curse word often begin to use them along with saying other things not becoming of a Christian. Where those children choose to keep their parents at home with them, they are faced with taking security measures unheard of while rearing their own children. This is where the spirit begins to do things of a carnal nature, because the mind is not in control. Does God hold them responsible? Absolutely not! They become as little children again, but to a far worse extent because of the things stored in the back of their minds from a life of trials and temptations. It would be a grand thing if we knew why they do such things so that we might understand them better.
Regardless of the reason that the mind suffers loss, the spirit too often does not reflect the real nature and personality of the one who is afflicted. We now can more fully understand and appreciate the promise of God, that in heaven, there will no more sorrow and pain.
This has been a feeble effort on my part to understand Alzheimer's disease, but maybe this will help those children who might have to endure seeing the agony of their parents going through this fearful and frustrating time of their life.