Right now I am having struggles and I am very discouraged and I have to find myself somewhat concerned that there does not seem to be a component to effectively deal with those suffering from Psychological problems. I am rather concerned because a lot of weak Christians or potential Christians could use the kind of knowledge that isn't taught in depth in the bible and that is Psychology. Jesus had no problem communicating to the sick because he was the son of God but regular people such as Deacons, Preachers and Elders don't necessarily have the know how to reach these people. I find it alarming how this lack of training could negatively effect congregational growth and retention.
I am not a big fan of emotional nonsense babble without the bible however keep in mind, sometimes people just need to be understood and allowed to vent and I think it might be wise that congregations think about either training someone in the congregation to act as a psychologist with Christian values or hire someone to do that.
I am not convinced that simple scriptural utterance, will work on the weak of faith without knowing how to deal and identify their sickness. Satan will modify his warfare against us so I believe strongly that we 21st century Christians should modify ours against Satan.
I also am of the opinion that some churches need to have seminars or retreats on developing the congregations interpersonal skills. Some people just don't necessarily know how to interact with people especially weak Christians and through no fault of their own, could alienate some members and cause coldness or distrust. I believe this class would include not only a bible study of how Jesus reacted and talked to people but an elementary exam of interpersonal skills typically used by human resources courses and public relations course and that the 2 could somehow be incorporated together.
Spreading the word of God and keeping its members is not as elementary as it looks. The world is an interesting and scary place and again although Satan uses the same tactics here and their, the warfare is rather different and so we really should alter ours.
Andrew, you make some valid points. Having said that, I would like to caution you. I believe Satan would have us believe that the bible is not enough to guide our lives and make us 'complete'- and 'fit for ever good work'. The bible actually contains a lot of psychological insights - especially Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. I have a collection of biblical counseling 'keys', and I was amazed at how many psychological truths are put forth in scripture [which would make sense - our almighty Creator is qualified to write the 'owner's manual'. The human mind is amazing and complex; so are the scriptures when one takes the time to study.
I guess I finally have discovered and realized that I have been suffering from social phobia and have had panic/ anxiety attack lately. It finally got out of hand when I got attacks at church and bible studies and had to make up stories for the most part saying I had a headache or I was feeling nausea so I had to stay home.
I found out another thing that was not helping either. Apparently I am addictive to caffeine products and have been suffering for a long time until recently I discovered I may have overdosed and suffered "caffeine toxicity" which can be fatal depending on the dosage so I have been without coffee now for 2 days and feeling much better.
As far as the social phobia goes, I am on a drug called Effexor which was prescribed to me by a doctor so my body has now basically gotten used to its side effects so now I can go back to church and enjoy worshiping and praising God without worrying about social anxieties. My long term goal of course is to be off that as well because I don't like putting strange chemicals in my body that limit my control hence why I won't miss coffee overly much. I might have a coffee every now and then but certainly will not consume anywhere as near as I was taking.
I'm glad for you to have found out the "riddle" of the problems you have experienced. The caffeine is an interesting one - I'm amazed you didn't wind up with a doozie of a headache having cut it out so suddenly [I get a migraine if I go without too long!]. As to the use of Effexor, don't be too hard on yourself - you are treating a chemical imbalance in your system. That is a medical problem, and the Lord has given man the wisdom to find solutions to such problems so if you need to take it to balance your system, don't worry about having to be off them.
