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Hope and Healing for Those Struggling with Anxiety

Hope and Healing for Those Struggling with Anxiety

Anxiety is to the mind what pain is to the body—it is a signal that something is wrong.

If you experience pain somewhere in your body, your first thought is not, “I have a pain disorder and, therefore, I need pain medication.” No, your first thought is, “What’s wrong?”

Pain causes one to evaluate the cause of the pain—is it a thorn, a cavity, a blister, a fracture, a sprain, an abrasion, a cramp, a heart attack, or something else? Pain is designed to signal us when something isn’t functioning as it should so that we can address the problem quickly, remove the offending source, and prevent more serious injury. And when the cause of the pain is addressed and healing takes place, the pain resolves.

Anxiety serves the same purpose; it alerts us that something is wrong so that we can address the underlying problem, minimize injury, and experience healing. And just as pain can have an almost infinite number of causes, so can anxiety. Causes of anxiety can be physiological—such as hyperthyroidism; relational—a divorce or breakup; existential—the death of a loved one; psychological—negative patterns of thinking, such as false beliefs like “I’m no good; no one will ever love me;” emotional—dysfunctional attachments; spiritual—unresolved guilt and shame or failure to trust God with the unknown (future, outcomes, etc.); situational—pending punishment or objective threats; conditioned responses—learned reactions from previous anxiety-provoking experiences and unresolved trauma.

Anxiety, like pain, not only alerts us that something is wrong, but it also motivates us to action, to do something to resolve the anxiety. With physical pain, the most common initial reaction is to seek to identify the cause and resolve it, but with anxiety, people often take another path. Instead of standing firm, tolerating the anxiety, and seeking to identify and resolve its source, far too often, people seek only symptom relief—through medication, alcohol, marijuana, drugs, comfort foods, entertainment, pleasure-seeking of various kinds, thrill-seeking, offloading the anxiety onto others, comfort in the arms of others, denial and distortion, hyper-scrupulosity, religiosity, the pursuit of control (especially over others), rule-keeping, and more.

The choice to medicate away anxiety instead of resolving its core cause has been markedly worsened by the corporation of medicine (healthcare as a for-profit industry) and the influence of big pharma, which has led to a distorted philosophy that psychological, relational, spiritual, and existential issues can be effectively treated with a pill. This has created a generation of people on drugs to manage symptoms of anxiety rather than recognizing the anxiety as an adaptive signal intended to motivate them to address the underlying cause and resolve it, and thereby not only heal the problem but also gain mental and emotional coping skills, to mature and develop through overcoming and resolving various life problems.

The Bible teaches,

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3, 4 NIV84).

Not only do millions seek to avoid the cause of their anxiety, but far too many healthcare practitioners have been trained by a misguided medical education system—not only misguided by the for-profit motive, but also by the godless evolutionary philosophy that misinterprets the meaning of most things, denies the existence of God, thereby cutting people off from spiritual and biblical solutions, which magnifies the anxiety and leaves people with the false belief that the only option is pharmaceutical—to diagnose people struggling with anxiety with a disorder and then prescribe a medication to treat the symptom of anxiety rather than seeking to identify and understand the cause of the anxiety and resolve it.

In other words, modern medicine teaches healthcare practitioners to see anxiety as a disorder in itself rather than a symptom of something else.

But this would be like treating a pneumonia patient who has fever, cough, and chills, with aspirin, a cough suppressant, and a blanket without ever treating the infection. Or it would be like treating someone with a cavity with pain medicine but never filling the cavity.

Yes, when people are in physical pain, there is a righteous use of pain medication. We can be thankful the dentist uses Novocain while he fills the cavity! But if the dentist only gave medicine to relieve the pain, the intervention would cause more damage by preventing the patient from realizing a pathological process was spreading, thereby delaying the identification and resolution of the offending cause.

Likewise, with anxiety, there are many times when medication is necessary to reduce the anxiety enough for the patient to be able to identify and address the cause. But when we label the symptom of anxiety as the disease and, instead of seeking to address its cause, we seek only to relieve the symptom (through alcohol, marijuana, food, pleasure-seeking, pharmaceuticals, etc.), the pathology causing the anxiety worsens and, rather than helping, we contribute to the dysfunction and worsening of the overall course.

The approach to anxiety that seeks only to relieve the symptoms interferes with development, maturity of character, autonomy, and self-sufficiency. People do not learn how to cope with the challenges of life and, when confronted with intense emotions of anxiety, instead of possessing the mental and emotional strength, skill, and ability to stand firm, work through the emotions, identify the cause, and make adaptive, intelligent, reasonable, and effective decisions, they seek “safe spaces” where they can avoid the feelings and pretend they are healthy.

Genuine healing requires we deal with reality—what is true, what is actually happening; thus, if we want to help people with anxiety, we must go beyond the symptom to identify the cause and seek to eliminate it. This is what we do at Honey Lake Clinic.

Honey Lake Clinic is a holistic residential treatment center in which we help people identify and resolve the underlying causes of their anxiety. We treat the whole person, mind, body, and spirit, with proven, reality-based interventions that help people experience restoration to wellness—to harmony with the laws of health, the protocols upon which life is built to exist and operate

So if you or someone you love is struggling with unremitting anxiety that is interfering with life and undermining health, if you have struggled to find solutions that bring healing, and you would like an intensive, Christ-centered holistic treatment program, consider Honey Lake Clinic as a therapeutic option.

The next time you experience anxiety, step back and ask, “What is the cause? What is the anxiety trying to alert me to? What is the problem that I need to address for the anxiety to go away?” Is it physical, psychological, relational, spiritual, or situational? And then seek God, His wisdom, methods, and principles, and pursue a path designed to resolve the cause, not just relieve the symptom.

 

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I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

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I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

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It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

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Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 30

God lead me to your book “The God-Shaped Brain” while I was searching for another book about the brain and then to your interview about your book on HeartWise Ministries [where] I found out about [Come And Reason Ministries]. I’m now devouring the webcasts of your Bible studies. I have been so greatly blessed and I thank God so much for your courage to speak the Truth in love no matter what. Listening to you contrast the two opposing systems (laws) and digging deep to unearth the hidden treasures in the Bible makes me so incredibly happy and I feel very blessed to be part of your Bible Study Group although I live far away. I am just so excited that there is a group of people that is spreading the Truth about the character of God and it saddens me how few realize what our Father in Heaven is really like.

Kessy B., Australia

 

Testimony 72

I am blown away by the truth that you present. God’s Design Law makes so much sense! You have validated my impression that, if God is love, He would not kill those who don’t want to know him. If God gives us choice, then how can He destroy us if our choice is not to follow him. Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to the pure love of God seen through Jesus. The love I now have for Jesus is deeper and free from condemnation. My heart has been opened to love others as Jesus loves me. May God continue to bless your God-given insight into His word and your ministry. The truth has set me free!

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I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

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I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

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I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

Testimony 26

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 34

I was introduced to Come and Reason Ministries by accident, via a passing comment made in a bible study class we were visiting. I checked this website out and my life was changed. The understanding of the truth of God’s character, and how we apply it, is so right. The tricky part is consistently applying which “lens” to look through. As I began to understand, I started sharing the basics of this understanding with a discussion group I was leading and, suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense that never used to. At the same time, I enjoyed an amazing opportunity. I was able to conduct a full bible study at WORK! What an amazing experience! It is such a joy to share the truth about God and to share how it all fits in the war between God and Satan. So many people benefit when we have a correct understanding about how God works and who He really is! Thank you for this transformational understanding. Keep up the good work! God Bless you!

Tony P., CA, USA

 

Testimony 69

After reading your book, ‘Could It Be This Simple,’ someone was explaining Christianity in a way that made sense to me for the first time in my life. One morning, I simply prayed “I’m sorry and I love you.” As soon as I silently said that, I could literally feel God’s presence and light flood down on me from above and fill me up with love and joy. I sat there crying my eyes out, because I was so overpowered with this feeling of love and joy. It was just so incredible. I hope that more people can read this book and get a blessing from it. It’s really amazing.

Rachael H.

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Testimony 58

I have been watching your videos in The Power of Love seminar and I must say these have liberated me and have improved my relationship with the Lord. I am no longer terrified of him as I was before following your teachings.

Thando N., South Africa