This was sent to me by one of my clients, not my bag but I figured some might appreciate it.
GODS PSYCHIATRY
Charles Allen
As summarized by Dr. George Haddy
The healing of the mind and the soul
With faith you can work miraculous changes in your life- in seven days!
Psychiatry comes from the Greek word Psyche meaning the mind or soul and iatrea which means healing, thus it means the healing of the mind and soul.
Often a minister is a psychiatrist because he deals not only with the mind of people but also with their souls. The very essence of religion is to adjust the mind and soul of man. Only God can heal the soul.
The physician is a minister of God. All true scientific research is merely an organized effort to learn the laws of God and how they operate.
The teacher is also a minister of God. The teacher seeks to train the mind to seek the truth. A mind which thinks error is a sick mind.
The author of this book is a pastor of a big church. He had the opportunity to council many people and he notes I have not yet found one in need of healing of his/her mind or situation, where I have not also found that one of the basic principles was violated. So i say that most of all we need Gods psychiatry.
If a man lives according to these principles, his life will be whole and healthy. If he violates them, he will be sick. As someone put it: he who formed our frame, made man a perfect whole; and made the bodys health depend upon a soul.
HOW TO THINK OF GOD
PART I PSALMS 23
GODS PSYCHIATRY PART II
GODS RULES FOR LIVING
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GOD BEFORE ME
People cannot be happy and successful merely by the possessions of things. The way they live is more important than what they have. The ten commandments are the ten rules of living. These rules will never go out of date and never be changed. If people live by them they will be blessed. They not only provide moral and spiritual basis, but also basis for peace and prosperity.
The fool has said in his heart that there is no God, and it is only a fool who thinks he is big enough or smart enough to violate the unchangeable laws of the eternal God and get by with it. No man can break Gods law, he breaks only himself.
Very important is the order in which God stated his laws. The first four deal with mans relationship with God, the last six with mans relationship with man. Before man can live rightly with each other, he must first get right with God. As HG wells puts it until a man has found God he begins at no beginning; he works at no end
The first commandment is somewhat surprising . We would think that it would be thou shalt believe in God a law against atheism. There is no such law. God took care of that in our creation. Man is incomplete without an object of worship; the yearning of his soul demands attention. But man can turn from the one true God and make for himself another god. God said Thou shalt have no other God before me.
There are five objects of worship which the multitudes today have put before God: wealth, fame , pleasure, power and knowledge.
Wealth: we will never be satisfied by what we possess. Maybe that is good, maybe that is good except when that dissatisfaction obscures our feelings for God and divers our search for Him. You can be so preoccupied with what you have and forget your soul.
Fame: Even little children say see how high I can jump or watch me. We are born with the desire to be noticed. That is not wrong and it is not wrong to look our best but it is wrong to put ourselves before God.
Happiness: All men want to be happy, but we make the mistake of thinking that pleasure is happiness. Pleasure is like dope, gradually we must increase the dose for more excitement. One of our greatest temptations is to put pleasure before God.
Power and knowledge: Power is not wrong, neither is knowledge. But power worshiped turns us into little Hitlers. Knowledge is good, but the worship of knowledge destroys obedience, just like the worship of power destroys character.
2. Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee Any Graven Image
Most people feel less guilty of breaking this rule, yet more is said about it in the bible. The danger lies in the fact that it is easy to worship the means instead of the goal. The Bible, churches, music, and ministers are sacred only because they lead us to God. For example denominationalism can be a violation of this rule. A methodist can be just as good a Christian as a Baptist or any denomination.
3. Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of The Lord Thy God in Vain.
The 1 st rule is to put God first, the 2 nd rule is to get the right picture and the 3 rd rule is to think about God in the right way. The secret desires of our hearts show up in our very appearance. Some psychiatrists have made extensive studies which show that a persons thoughts show up in his features. Godr 3 rd rule is to put something high and holy in our thinking about God. To talk about God and not live like God, is profanity worse than vile language. An empty meaningless faith maybe worse than none. If I say a man is my friend yet never want to be with him and never ask his help then I am lying when I use the word friend. Fellowship with God and seek his help.
4. Remember the Sabath Day, to Keep it Holy
Each one of Gods Ten Rules for living is vital , but God said more abut this one than any other. God says man needs to set aside a day each week and to keep it holy. It is a reward for your labor to rest, but to forget Gods gift is to cheat ourselves. It is by the Sabath that we know that we are not working animals. It is the Sabath that should be mans goal and not labor. It is well established that one can do more work in 6 or 5 days than in seven. A run-down person is an unproductive person. The philosopher Santayana said a fanatic is one who, having lost sight of his aim, redoubles his effort. We get high strung in the race of life that we forget we need relaxed recreation and spiritual inspiration.
5. Honor Thy Father and Mother
God gave us ten rules to live by. The first 4 deal with our relationship with him, the last 5 deal with our relationship to others. The fifth one has been called the centerpiece of Gods laws. This rule means 1- The parents must be honorable, 2- Children should recognize, love and respect their parents, ( may be our parents have made mistakes, but they gave us life, they nurtured us as babies which is far more than anyone else has done or ever can do) and 3- This rule goes beyond our immediate parents, we must recognize our debt to the past and be thankful for it.
6. Thou Shalt Not Kill
God made us to live with each other and the very process of living requires certain rules. Without rules to go by the process of living would be impossible. Here is a highway over which many cars can travel safely if they obey the rules of driving. To break the rules would make the highway unsafe to all who use it. Instead of an instrument of service, the highway becomes an instrument of death. Now life can be good or bad- it depends on how well we keep the rules as we go along.
This commandment forbids exposing ourselves or others to needless physical risks, such as excessive speed on the highway, unsafe work conditions, improper housing, harmful pleasures and the like.
Also forbidden is exposing ourselves or others to needless moral or spiritual risks. We can kill by killing faith or ideals. Also, such things as ingratitude, neglect, cruelty, indifference can be slow but sure instruments of death.
To live and let live is only half the meaning of Thou Shalt Not Kill. Positively it means to live and help live. This is the positive side of living. Such beasts as hate, greed, prejudice, war, ignorance, poverty, disease leave us unmoved until they endanger someone we love. It is then we exert all our strengths against them. And if we come to love all men, so we enter the war against all enemies of men.
The day in whose clear-shining light, All wrong shall stand revealed, When justice shall be clothed with might, And every hurt be healed. - Frederick Hosmer-
7. Thou Shalt Not commit Adultery
It is a sin that should be discussed as little as possible, but , since God lists it in seriousness next to murder, and since a large area of our modern society tends to consider it more a harmless moral breach than breaking Gods eternal law, we need to be reminded that God says , Thou Shalt not
What is adultery? Adultery is a violation of the marriage vow of faithfulness to each other. Any sex experience outside the marriage bond is adultery. Jesus goes even a step further and says lust in our hearts, even though unexpressed, is adultery. We know that sometimes wrong thoughts slip into our mind and we cannot help it, but to turn that thought into lust means to keep it in the mind, secretly to enjoy it, to make friends with it.
Why is adultery wrong? It is wrong because God said it is wrong. He said it is wrong because it hurts people. It is wrong because it destroys marriages. It cannot be justified. Thus, having broken the law, our minds becomes wounded. A marriage needs love and trust, adultery destroys both.
8. Thou shalt not steal
Gods eighth rule for life is the foundation of our entire economic system. To take away from one that which is rightfully his is wrong in the sight of God. Stealing does not only mean aggressive stealing by a robber, included is also living beyond your mean, or going into debt without a reasonable probability of paying back, or to fail to give an honest days work. Also we can steal from another his inner support, one does not live by bread alone. Shakespeare puts finger on the worst form of stealing he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor indeed
Everything belongs to God, we are only the caretakers. How can I give to God what is rightfully his? There is only one way, that is service to others. A gentleman is one who puts more into life than he takes out. What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
9. Thou shalt not bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor
Of the 10 commandments, the one we break the most is the ninth. The reason for this is that we talk most bout people. Those of great minds discuss ideas, those of mediocre minds discuss event, and those of small minds discuss people. Another reason we break this commandments is because it ministers to our needs. It takes some of the sting out of our own failures if we can rub off the glitter of someone elses crown. It is a sure sign of an inferiority complex when a person tells of the faults of another. Back of much gossip is jealousy. Sometimes we gossip in the form of sympathy, or by asking questions. Then we gossip just by listening. There cannot be gossip without an ear to hear.
We should remind ourselves by the old saying: There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behooves the best of us , to talk about the rest of us.
The person who talks about one who sins, is worse off than the one who actually commits the sin. This may be extreme, but it may also be true.
10. Thou shalt not covet
Gods final rule for life is Thou shalt not covet That does not mean that all desire is wrong. Without desires, no one would have any ambition, we would not work, we would not make progress. To covet means I think of myself and of what I can get. God would have us forget ourselves and think of what we can give. It is more blessed to give than receive
God gave us these ten laws for our good. He wants us to be our best and to get the most that is possible of life. His last rule brings us to the very climax of living, which is contentment. That is what we all want. Contentment gives peace and joy in our minds and hearts.