Hope and Assurance

If there is something you want to say to God, you can talk to Him as you would a friend. He loves you and wants to help.

These verses from the NIV Bible were used in writing the response to the Question of the Month:
Jeremiah 29:11

Past Questions of the Month:
August '05

Hope and Assurance

This website was created for those acquainted with mental illness and in need of hope and assurance.

Question of the Month

Mental illness is horrible. It is ruining my life. What can I do?

On August 31, 2005, Katrina became the worst national disaster in the history of our country. Many people with mental illness have experienced their own Katrina. Mental illness has destroyed marriages, taken away children and jobs, and left homes in shambles.

When a storm like Katrina or mental illness strikes, we make a choice. We either turn toward God or we turn away from Him. We decide to trust God or we decide to curse Him.

What we choose to embrace and believe can depend on how well we know God. As children, our knowledge of Him came from what others told us about Him and how others treated us. Our childhood experiences were seen and heard through the eyes and ears of a child. As an adult, we need to examine our views of God for accuracy. If people only knew you from what others told them, would they have a true picture of you? It was surprising for me to discover that some of my basic beliefs about God were based on distortions and misconceptions passed down to me from my family.

God wrote at length about Himself in the books of the Bible so that we could know Him personally and intimately and not just by secondhand information. The Bible is a book of directions and answers that tell us how we can live in victory over the problems of this world. Read it day and night; because in it you will find your way. Your life will be rebuilt on a foundation of truth so strong that future storms will not destroy it. Get a study Bible written in today’s language which will explain hard concepts and make the stories come alive. There are many wonderful individual Bible studies that can be purchased at Christian bookstores. Many churches do periodical group studies addressing such areas as divorce and depression.

Let God’s people become your friends and second family. Ask God to put friends in your life who will point you to God and love you with His love. Actively seek out persons you admire and want to be like. Spend time with them and learn from them. Check your hospitals and churches for support groups. Finding a therapist you trust and respect can help to resolve issues. A medical doctor can address your health concerns through medication. Sometimes this makes it possible to function and get vital rest in a way that is impossible otherwise.

Immerse yourself in books or tapes that address your needs and concerns. Books can be like sitting down in your living room and having a one on one conversation with some of the most knowledgeable men and women of the world. Lack of knowledge and confusion about our problems can many times be readily explained by skilled and experienced teachers and professionals.

There is much you can do to help yourself; and what you cannot do, God promises to do for you. Your answers will be found in knowing God and His Word, having friends who believe in and care about you and acquiring the ability to help yourself.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Contact

Hope and Assurance
P.O. Box 3041
Jonesboro, AR 72403-3041