Psych

The struggle is real. The ageless struggle afflicting all humanity is based on our common, societal experience. That struggle is the endless war that has raged since our removal from the perfect Garden of Eden until we experience the apocalyptic restoration of the new heavens and the new earth. For much of each of our lives, this struggle has been a silent war, a cold war, fought in the battleground of our minds. This is the place referred to in the New Testament as, “psuché,” where we get, “psychology,” in English. Psychology is commonly defined as the study of the mind. Since our Creator is the origin of our psyche (our rendering of the word), it would be much more advantageous to listen and learn from Him than any of the university professors who have likely been taken captive by the philosophies of previous, fallen men, and the paychecks that purchase their demented loyalty.

Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

Luke 9:23-24 BSB

In the above statement, the word, “life,” is used twice. That word is a derivative of, “psuché.” The scriptures, which give us accurate spiritual acuity, equate the, “life,” one lives with the psyche we have. If you looked that up in a Greek lexicon, it would give you a simple definition of, “breath, to breath, or the human soul.” Yet, that seems a bit disconnected from the context of what Jesus would often minister about. There is more of a need to conceptually grasp the idea than a dictionary definition can provide. This psyche is the part of us that God breathes His divine energy into so that we can exhale the imprint of His ways, thoughts, and character. So, therefore, if we are breathing in some other source of breath, we will exhale a much different expression than what God created us for. When your breathing is, “sick,” your life is sick… when your soul (psyche) is sick, your life is sick. When one tries to save their way of life, it will be lost, but when a person offers to lose their self-made version of psyche to Jesus, it will be saved.

In this passage, Jesus was describing a parallel about life. The first part describes the process of, “denying oneself.” This has a couple of components to it:

1. Taking up our daily cross
2. Submission to following the direction of Jesus

Both of these are extremely challenging in our modern world, just as they were in the disciple’s world (cosmos flashback).

• Taking up one’s cross is directly speaking of purposefully placing your body, your being, in the place of persecution, dishonor, shame, selflessness, sacrifice, and unpopularity. All of these are directly contrary to the selfish drive of carnal humanity that wants to be exalted, in charge, comfortable, affirmed, coddled, and given attention. To willingly choose to do this is crazy, ignorant, or at a minimum, totally uncool. Crosses are a place where someone else FORCES you to go when you are found guilty after being accused of some heinous crime. What fool would drag around a massive sign of humble submission so universally despised? Jesus… and His disciples would. Also, notice the Lord said to take up, “YOUR,” cross… that is personal, that is intimate, that is specific. I cannot carry yours and you cannot carry mine… we have to own that place, all of it.
• Daily… There is something about daily that is so daily. You can almost hear someone say, “Well, I took up that cross that one time ten years ago… I checked that box.” Self has a way of mucking stuff up regularly. This fallen world (cosmos) will efficiently and effectively find ways to bring temptations into your present-tense life (psyche). A very successful tactic for those folks who desire to have a prosperous soul (psyche) is to defeat a temptation before you are presented with the temptation. If you predetermine your response for achieving victory before the opportunity to fail presents itself, then you will be an overcomer through that spiritual momentum. Do not wait until your enemy has you hogtied on the floor to try your best self-defense moves… it’s too late. Learn how to use your sword (Word of God) before the battle begins.
• Following Jesus is one of those statements that people overuse to the degree of making it nearly meaningless. Jesus is a very narrow gate without the crowds. He said it this way, “For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it,” (Matthew 7:13b BSB). To follow Jesus is to go against the crowd, to be in a minority position, to do the hard thing (a true hero). It is a lifestyle of discipline. The masses can go on a diet, do a workout, or say no to the ringing of the Taco Bell bell. But, very few can choose to live a healthy lifestyle incorporating spirit, soul, and body into a revelation of being the actual Temple of the Living God. Jesus walks into the valley of the shadow of death fearlessly. He goes into the wilderness under the leadership of the Spirit to face off against the devil himself. He only says, does, and goes by what the Father’s perfect will is. Following Him means forgiving those unworthy, loving the unlovely, valuing the rejects, seeking the lost, and leading disciples into the same.

The parallel was these points all combined into the equivalency of losing our life (psyche) for His sake which will then lead to our life (psyche) being saved. A saved life is a healthy, prospering, submitted soul. A saved life is one breathing in and exhaling that very breath of God that Jesus was animated by.

Our psyche is of priceless value to our Father, the Author of Life. If we choose to utilize our psyche, that breath we have been given, to offer it in praise and gratitude unto our King and His Kingdom, we position our life to become the very friends of God.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.”

John 15:13-14 BSB

Jesus laid down His psyche, His very last breath on the Cross of Calvary. This was His outstretched hand of friendship, a covenantal relationship offered to any who would take it. Taking that covenantal hand offered from the sacred space of a different life (psyche) will look like something… it will look like something, that something is listening to Him. In Biblical terms, this is a huge hyperlink back to a deeply grounded principle in the, “Shemah.” You have heard me talk about this before, and this is the divine perspective behind obedience. The Hebrew word, “Shemah,” means to, “hear,” which is the first word of, “The Shemah,” in the Torah (first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses). Here it is:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 BSB

In Hebrew thinking, the term for, “hear,” is nearly identical and interchangeable with the word, “obey.” God believes that if a person truly heard His word, they would naturally respond with obedient actions. Notice the language is, “And you shall…” This terminology denotes that the love they would have for God would naturally flow out of the knowing, obedient hearing. Not a command TO love Him, but more of a declaration that they WOULD love Him if they truly heard Him. This is the revelation Jesus was leaning on when He spoke these powerful words above, too. Jesus was about to offer the sacrifice of His psyche (life) for His disciples which would be an infinite and eternal display of His love, commitment, and covenantal friendship towards them. His genuine expectation for their response was to do what He asked of them… “Do what I command you.” This would show their sincerity in accepting and responding to His precious gift. This same covenant is being offered to you and me today, the same selfless sacrifice of His psyche, the same outstretched hand of friendship, the same anticipated response from those who are authentic in their hearing and knowing.

According to a 2023 study by the National Institute of Mental Health, 45.5 million adults in the United States had a mental illness in the past year, representing 18.2% of the adult population. Of those, 20.9 million (8.3%) had a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder. The study also found that 11.5 million adults in the United States had a mental illness that was severe enough to impair their daily functioning, representing 4.6% of the adult population. Of those, 3.9 million (15.8%) had a serious mental illness. The number of Americans seeking psychiatric help has been increasing in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 130 million Americans (39.8%) take at least one prescription drug, and 49 million (14.9%) take five or more prescription drugs. Opioid pain medications, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, are the most commonly prescribed controlled substances, with over 20 million Americans receiving them in 2017. If we updated all these numbers to present reality, we would more clearly understand the motive of mankind’s enemy with the advancement of the plandemic and associated tyrannical oppression.

One out of five adults walking around has a diagnosed mental problem and 40% are on prescription drugs… add the non-prescription and illegal drugs in and you have just taken a snapshot of America’s psyche. The struggle is REAL.

How much more evidence do we need to declare there is a broken psyche catastrophe happening right in front of us? Modern, progressive church-i-anity has been a major contributing factor to this epidemic because the Christians are the only ones who have the cure for broken psyches. And we are honestly some of the biggest numbers in those stats. Sick people make sick people. Only healed people can heal people.

The Gospel, the almost-too-good-to-be-true news about Jesus offering His very life (psyche) for us is freely offered. The Gospel is free, but it will cost you everything. Part of the, “everything,” it will cost us is our psyche. Our whole soul, the way we think, our personality, our worldview, and the breath that animates our existence is what is asked for in exchange for His quality and quantity of life. It is one of those all-or-nothing kinda deals. Jesus is either Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.

His nail-scarred hand is open to us all today, Beloved. We will need His guidance, strength, and provision to traverse this Great Awakening. The world has rejected Him, His hand, and His psyche in their prideful pursuit of their way. That road has led them to the destruction of their psyche, their families, their children, and their future.

Our world needs us, Beloved. Our King needs us. Let us honor His faith.

I love you,
Steve