EMOTIONAL HEALTH

“To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” – Isaiah 61:3b

The package of Total Health includes EMOTIONAL HEALTH: “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isa.61:3). God wants us to be whole spirit, soul, and body (1The.5:23-24). He desires “Peace” for us, which in Hebrew refers to wholeness, completeness, soundness, and fullness.

The SOUL is the seat of SELF, and it has three main faculties: the Intellect (the seat of thinking or reasoning); the Emotions (the seat of feeling); and the Will (the seat of decisions). All three dimensions should be in top shape if we’ll fully fulfil destiny. Emotional health is a scriptural issue which has been closely linked with spiritual maturity. The healthier we become emotionally, the healthier and more mature we become spiritually. It is therefore strange that some Christians and Church-goers, in spite of their faith and love for God, still end up as emotional wrecks! What could be the missing link?

God’s approach is to bring the submissive soul to a place of Intimacy with His Spirit, where emotional wounds can be identified, safely exposed, soothed, and healed. Symptoms of emotional sickness include: feelings of inferiority; terrible feelings of extreme fear; being over-demanding and critical of oneself; obsession with winning other’s approval; fear of rejection; unease at receiving criticism; inability to say no to other’s demands; self-doubt; weakness in expressing one’s thoughts and feelings; avoidance of conflict by any means; scattered attention; and carrying emotional scars from the past.

Emotional Health is high on God’s agenda for three main reasons:

First, God’s Plan is for His children to be whole as we are being “transformed into His image” (2 Cor.3:18). He wants us to be spiritually holy – set apart and pure, and emotionally whole and complete. James 1: 2-4 encourages: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing...” An emotionally healthy person has an inexplicable sense of wholeness or completeness! To ignore the emotional aspect of life is to miss the experience of divine peace.

Second, God wants His church to function optimally. As Christ’s hands and feet, we should not be weak and isolated, steeped in anxiety, depression or defeat. Some people put on the right smile, say the appropriate prayer, yet never feel safe enough before God. They raise hands and feign the celebration of victory from hollow hearts! True spirituality is real, not make-belief. Jesus often operates in the messy scenes of life. He is at home with the brokenhearted, the discouraged, and the downtrodden. His House is like a hospital where the broken could feel comfortable exposing their wounds, where they could be invited in and welcomed to bring their bruised selves to experience a fellowship of compassion, grace, and healing.

God wants the the light of His love to shine radiantly into the world through our lives, as models that are  “set-apart” to make a difference in our spheres of influence. Emotional abundance fills us with a reservoir of strength, stability, and peace in Christ that overflows into how we relate with others. We live in a broken world, in hurting communities made up of dysfunctional relationships between wounded individuals. Praise God – the OIL of JOY makes the difference.

Now, I can declare, in Jesus’ Mighty Name: By the anointing of the Holy Spirit, my broken heart is healed and I am liberated from emotional captivity and bondage (v.1). I am comforted and shall not mourn in Zion. I obtain beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, as I become a tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, for His Glory! (vv.3). Instead of shame and confusion, I receive double honour and everlasting Joy (v.7).