The evening crowd at The Shepherds Cafe sounded normal—cups clinking, a chair scraping tile, someone laughing near the register—but the corner table carried urgency.
Elijah laid his NASB open like a map. Jeremiah set down printed pages with dates and charts. Barbara clicked a pen once, then set it beside her Bible as if she didn’t trust herself to speak without precision.
Elijah didn’t soften the opening.
“We are in the middle of a mental health crisis.”
Jeremiah slid the first page forward. “And we can prove it without rhetoric. The CDC reported that from August 2020 to February 2021, adults reporting recent symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%.”
Barbara’s eyes tightened. “More than two in five.”
Jeremiah turned the page. “And the youth numbers are staggering. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported 42% of high school students had persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2021, and 40% in 2023—a small improvement, but still an emergency-level load.”
Barbara lifted a third sheet. “And adults are saying out loud they feel worse year over year. The American Psychiatric Association’s annual poll reported 43% of adults in 2024 felt more anxious than the year before—up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022.”
Elijah’s gaze shifted from the papers to the room. “And you can see the spillover: more volatility, more suspicion, less patience, less careful reasoning. People don’t just disagree anymore; they detonate.”
Barbara nodded. “When minds are exhausted, deception doesn’t have to break in. It just walks through the front door.”
Jeremiah’s voice stayed steady. “That’s the Christian concern: the mind is not only biological. It’s also moral. And it can be targeted.”
How evil deeds and the adversary warp our thoughts
Jeremiah opened to Genesis, because the pattern begins there.
“Satan doesn’t start with a direct command to rebel. He starts with distortion: ‘Indeed, has God said…?’ He bends God’s words, bends God’s character, and then offers a counterfeit interpretation of reality.”
Elijah nodded. “And evil deeds have their own deception built in. Sin doesn’t just violate a command—it trains the heart to defend what it used to fear.”
He read quietly, but without softness:
“‘But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust… and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death’” (James 1:14–15, NASB).
Barbara leaned forward. “That’s a progression—lure, consent, consequence. Deception is often a process, not a lightning strike.”
Jeremiah added, “And here’s why this matters for mental and emotional struggles: depression, grief, anxiety, rage—those experiences can become hooks the adversary uses to deepen lies: ‘You’re alone.’ ‘Nothing will change.’ ‘God isn’t listening.’ ‘You’re justified to explode.’”
Elijah held the line carefully. “Not every mental struggle is demonic. But every mental struggle is a place the enemy can exploit—especially when people isolate, stop sleeping, stop praying, stop seeking counsel, and stop accepting help.”
Saul and the extreme cases Scripture refuses to sanitize
Barbara spoke the name that sobers most Bible readers.
“Saul.”
Jeremiah turned to 1 Samuel. “Scripture says: ‘Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him’” (1 Samuel 16:14, NASB).
Elijah raised a hand—not to disagree, but to keep the teaching responsible. “This is an extreme account. Scripture does not authorize us to label every person with depression or anxiety as ‘possessed.’”
Barbara nodded. “But Saul does show the danger of a life that repeatedly resists God—jealousy that hardens, paranoia that grows, rage that escalates, impulsive decisions, refusal to repent. Eventually the inner life collapses.”
Jeremiah said it plainly. “And it shows something else: people around Saul recognized instability and still didn’t address it in a way that restored him.”
Elijah’s voice stayed controlled. “That is one of the modern traps too.”
He paused, then said it the way he meant it—short, clear, undeniable:
“We don’t just ignore instability—we sometimes celebrate it. We put good labels on bad patterns, and then we stop intervening.”
Mental illness is real, and treatment is not a lack of faith
Barbara set her pen down. “Now we say it clearly: mental illness is real. Some suffering is grief. Some is trauma. Some is medical. Some is spiritual temptation. Often it’s mixed.”
Jeremiah pointed to clinical guidance. “And professionals do not describe ‘ignoring it’ as a virtue. The Mayo Clinic is direct: most mental illnesses don’t improve on their own, and if untreated they may get worse over time and cause serious problems.”
Elijah nodded. “Medicine doesn’t replace faith. It can stabilize a person so they can function—sleep, think, work, relate, pray, serve. Taking medication when appropriate is not a confession of unbelief.”
Barbara added, “Sometimes treatment lowers the noise enough for spiritual disciplines to become possible again.”
Emotionalism: how to recognize it and why you must not ignore it
Jeremiah wrote one word on his notepad: EMOTIONALISM.
“Emotionalism is when feelings become final authority—when reactions replace reasoning and impulse replaces restraint.”
Barbara listed signs she had seen in friends, relatives, church members, and coworkers:
conversations escalate instantly disagreement becomes personal threat constant catastrophizing or suspicion decision-making in peaks and crashes rehearsing grievances until anger feels righteous withdrawal, isolation, and hardening
Elijah read from the NASB:
“‘Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God’” (James 1:19–20, NASB).
Jeremiah added, “And ignoring these patterns is not neutral. Early warning signs should not be dismissed. NAMI explicitly says they should not be ignored, downplayed, or dismissed.”
The interruption: “Mind your own business”
A chair scraped from the next table. A man in his mid-40s turned toward them, not shouting—just irritated.
“This is exactly what people need to stop doing,” he said. “Mind your own business. If someone is struggling, that’s their issue. You’re not their counselor.”
Barbara didn’t flinch. “Would you say that if someone was having chest pain?”
“That’s different,” he snapped.
Jeremiah stayed calm. “The field doesn’t view ignoring warning signs positively. It’s viewed as risky—because the condition often doesn’t correct itself.”
Elijah added, “And ignoring it can cost relationships, jobs, safety, even life.”
The man crossed his arms. “Still feels intrusive.”
Barbara answered evenly. “There’s a difference between intrusion and care. Scripture calls us to responsibility toward one another.”
Jesus and the man everyone feared
Jeremiah turned to Mark 5.
“The townspeople chained a man and tried to contain him—isolated, feared, living among tombs.”
Elijah’s voice softened. “And Jesus walked toward him.”
Barbara spoke carefully—because accuracy is part of compassion. “Scripture doesn’t tell us what his parents did or didn’t do. But it does show how alone he was in suffering, and how uncertain community can be even after healing—many begged Jesus to leave, while the healed man wanted to go with Him.” (Mark 5:15–20, NASB)
Jeremiah’s voice lowered. “That’s still happening today. People can be alone in suffering—and then still lonely in recovery—because others don’t know how to re-welcome them.”
Elijah nodded. “Jesus didn’t treat him as an embarrassment. He restored dignity and clarity.”
Spiritual tools for anxiety, grief, depression, anger, and rage
Elijah placed his finger on the page like a shepherd marking safe ground.
“These are not magic lines. They’re God’s tools for rebuilding stability.”
Against anxiety and spiraling thoughts
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God… will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, NASB) “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NASB)
Against rage, bitterness, and corrosive reactions
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger… be put away from you… Be kind to one another, tender-hearted…” (Ephesians 4:31–32, NASB) “Slow to anger…” (James 1:19–20, NASB)
For self-control and discipline
Elijah looked at Jeremiah. “You wanted discipline texts that directly build steadiness.”
“The fruit of the Spirit is… self-control.” (Galatians 5:22–23, NASB) “Applying all diligence… in your faith supply… self-control… and in your self-control, perseverance…” (2 Peter 1:5–6, NASB) “The grace of God… instructs us… to live sensibly, righteously and godly…” (Titus 2:11–12, NASB) “For the moment all discipline seems not to be joyful… yet… it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:11, NASB) “Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit.” (Proverbs 25:28, NASB)
Barbara summarized it with sober clarity. “God does not call His children to emotional chaos. He forms a steady people.”
Psychological and medical supports that can complement faith
Jeremiah spoke without stigma and without theatrics:
Evidence-based counseling (CBT, trauma-informed therapy, grief counseling) Medical evaluation (sleep disorders, thyroid problems, nutrient deficiencies, chronic pain, and medication side effects can intensify anxiety, depression, irritability, and fatigue) Medication when appropriate, with careful monitoring and follow-up Lifestyle supports: consistent sleep schedule, regular physical activity, balanced meals, hydration, structured routines, reducing overstimulation (especially constant doom-scrolling), and rebuilding healthy social connection Crisis planning when someone is unsafe, suicidal, or at risk of harming others
Elijah added, “Using these supports doesn’t compete with devotion. It can protect a person’s ability to be stable and consistent spiritually.”
The attitude Christians must have
Barbara’s voice turned gentle, but firm.
“We approach sufferers with truth and tenderness—no gossip, no labels, no shame.”
Elijah nodded. “We don’t enable sin. We don’t pretend problems aren’t real. And we don’t abandon people when it gets inconvenient.”
Jeremiah added, “And many sufferers don’t realize how far they’ve drifted. So we intervene humbly, privately, early—and we stay present.”
Resources to learn and seek professional help
If someone needs help finding credible support, these are reliable starting points:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call/text/chat 24/7 for immediate crisis support.
NIMH — Help for Mental Illnesses (Find Help) — guidance on where to start and what to do in urgent situations.
SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP) — free, confidential treatment referral and information. FindTreatment.gov — searchable national treatment locator.
Psychology Today Therapist Directory — major directory to search by location, insurance, and specialty.
NAMI — warning signs, education, and family support resources.