May 2

THE TOTAL REALM OF REALITY

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these

things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33).

A common question I am asked by those who believe the Bible and

accept the reality of the spiritual world is, "When is a problem

spiritual and when is it psychological or neurological?" Our

problems are never not psychological. Our mind, will and

emotions, along with developmental issues, always contribute

something to the problem and are necessary for the resolution. At

the same time, our problems are never not spiritual. God is

always present. Furthermore, it is never safe to take off the

armor of God. The possibility of being deceived, tempted and

accused by Satan is a continuous reality.

Our culture assumes that any problem related to the mind must be

psychological or neurological. Why can it not be spiritual? We

must take into account the total realm of reality: body, soul and

spirit. If we don't, we will polarize into a psychotherapeutic

ministry that ignores spiritual reality or some kind of

deliverance ministry that ignores developmental issues or human

responsibility. The diagnosis and resolution of our problems must

take into account both the psychological and the spiritual. I

have assured hundreds of people under spiritual attack that they

are not going crazy, but that there is a battle going on for

their minds. The relief this insight brings to people is

incredible.

I fully acknowledge that some problems are caused by chemical

imbalances or glandular disorders. For these you had better see

your family physician. But it seems that the last possibility to

be considered is always the spiritual and only after every other

possible natural explanation has been exhausted. But since we are

instructed to seek first the kingdom of God, why not check out

the spiritual area first? Frankly, I approach every problem

hoping it is spiritual in nature, because I know on the authority

of the Word of God that the problem is resolvable. If the battle

is for the mind, we can win that war.

Father God, keep me tuned to the reality of the spiritual world

and mindful of the problems that come when I fail to seek a

spiritual solution to my daily problems.

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This daily devotional is published and distributed by

Crosswalk.com.  It is written by Neil Anderson at 

http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.21556.1.1472430.