It Is Also Written: Finding Healing Beyond the Quick Fix
Natalia buried her face in her hands and wept, choking out her story to the therapist. “My small group leader told me to memorize Philippians 4:6-7 and repeat it over and over until I believe it. So I’ve been doing that and writing a gratitude list every day. She said I wouldn’t feel so anxious if I got deeper into the Word and grew in my faith.”
“I want to,” Natalia insisted. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me! I believe in God’s promises, but I’m still in so much pain. It’s like my body is telling me to freak out but the Bible tells me to be still, pray, and trust God. I wish my faith was strong enough to conquer my fear!”
When Scripture Becomes a Burden Instead of a Balm
As Christian counselors, we are sadly far too familiar with stories like Natalia's. Some believers wrestle with reconciling their faith in God's promises with ongoing mental health struggles. They may have been taught that believing Scripture should be enough. When healing doesn't come quickly or easily, they can feel ashamed, discouraged, or confused; they may wonder what they’re doing wrong or begin to lose faith altogether.
At Boundless Hope, we believe deeply in the power of Scripture. We read the Bible, love the Bible, and incorporate it into our therapeutic relationships IF our clients desire. However, we also recognize that Bible verses can be, and have been at times, misused to condemn, accuse, judge or manipulate. Additionally, well-meaning Christians may reference verses out of context and unwittingly add to the load that their spiritual brothers or sisters carry by oversimplifying the recovery process for deep spiritual, mental, or emotional wounds.
Healing is not about simply believing the Bible and pushing through the pain. It's about integrating faith, emotional health, and wise support.
Faith and Mental Health Are Not Rivals
The Bible tells us that God made humans in His image and He made us stewards of His creation (Genesis 1:27-28). YOU are His creation. It is not unspiritual to devote time, energy, and resources to being a good steward of your own heart, mind, soul, and body. No doubt, reading and studying the Bible is one form of soul stewardship. However, as we learn more about how our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are intricately connected, we can incorporate additional stewarding strategies.
Good stewardship requires wisdom, growth, and adapting to new understanding. As you think about stewardship of yourself, consider a farming comparison. Centuries ago, farmers planted seeds and prayed for rain. Over time, they learned about crop rotation, soil health, irrigation, and sustainable practices. Gaining knowledge and applying it wisely does not stop godly farmers from praying that the LORD will bless their efforts. In the same way, as we learn more about how our brains, bodies, and emotions work, we have better tools to nurture mental and emotional health.
Faith and science aren’t in opposition. They can work together, just like a farmer’s prayer and their plow.
The Bible Invites Us Into Relationship
Scripture absolutely holds powerful truth. Memorizing and meditating on Bible verses can be an excellent mental health strategy. However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all, miracle cure to whatever ails you. Sometimes, people treat the Bible like a list of quick fixes. This approach, although often well-meaning, can reduce Scripture to a prescription pad in an attempt to manage symptoms.
Jesus Himself showed us a deeper way to engage with the written Word. He considered Scriptures in context, with compassion. He did not use it to shame those in pain, but to guide them toward a deeper relationship with the Father. It’s this attachment and connection to the Father that ushers in healing and hope, in God’s time. When we turn the Bible into a spiritual band-aid, we risk missing the deeper invitation God offers: a relationship, not a performance.
Healing in Christ is rarely instant. It’s a journey through valleys, deserts, and wilderness seasons, guided not by quick fixes, but by steady, faithful love. Similarly, Boundless Hope Counseling offers more than surface-level advice. We consider the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. When faith-based counseling integrates both Biblical truth and psychological wisdom, it creates space for real, lasting healing.
Twisted Scriptures
In the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11), Satan tempted a hungry Jesus to prove His divinity by saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus did not argue or try to prove himself. Instead, He grounded Himself in truth and replied, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then Satan took Jesus to the highest point of the temple and said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you… they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Here, Satan was essentially saying, “If you really trust God, put yourself in danger and see if He saves you.”
This tactic is eerily similar to how Scripture is sometimes misused today to pressure people, especially those struggling with mental health, to prove their faith through reckless or harmful choices. Some modern equivalents might sound like:
“Jesus healed every disease and sickness. You need to stop using your medication as a crutch and start putting your faith in the Great Physician.” (Matthew 4:23)
“Perfect love casts out fear. If you really knew God’s love, you wouldn’t still be having panic attacks. You don’t need to go to a doctor. You need to go to church.” (1 John 4:18)
“You're a new creation in Christ and your depression is part of your old self. You need to claim the victory of the cross and rejoice in your true identity! Deny yourself and give to others. You’ll feel better.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“You are having suicidal thoughts? Don’t say that out loud! The tongue has the power of life and death.” (Proverbs 18:21)
These statements may be framed as spiritual truth, but they can actually shame people into silence or self-neglect. They reflect a misunderstanding of both Scripture and the compassionate heart of God. Jesus never used Scripture to shame or manipulate the vulnerable. In fact, He pushed back against those who did.
Jesus countered Satan’s 2nd attempt to weaponize the Bible by saying, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” In saying this, Jesus anchored Himself back to His relationship with His Father and who He knew Him to be.
Jesus reminds us that Scripture is not a weapon to wield against the suffering but a guide to lead us into a relationship. The Bible holds many spiritual truths that require the Holy Spirit to discern their proper application and use. It is a living testimony of God’s love, patience, and invitation to walk with Him through every season—including the ones marked by pain, confusion, and mental struggle.
Have you been hurt by Christian counseling?
We’d like to speak to a challenging, but real dynamic that can happen during faith-based counseling. In recent decades, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which teaches that thoughts influence feelings and actions, has become a popular approach for many therapists, including faith-based counselors. While CBT is helpful for many people, it can be overly simplistic for those with trauma or chronic conditions. Distorted thinking is not the root of all emotional distress. Emotions and bodily sensations can arise without conscious thought. Trauma-informed CBT acknowledges this and it’s essential that clinicians be well-trained to use CBT appropriately.
When Christian counselors misapply CBT principles and support their assertions with scripture, it can be harmful. For example, they may have a linear understanding of CBT and say, “Emotions come from thoughts. The Bible tells us how to think. Change your thoughts to the biblical truths and you’ll change how you feel.”
A harmful dynamic develops where deep emotional pain, trauma responses, or mental health struggles are reduced or even spiritualized in ways that increase shame. For example, a person experiencing depression might be told, “You need to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. You’re feeling this way because you believe lies. Believe the truth and you will feel better.” Instead of receiving empathy and support for what could be a complex combination of neurochemical, emotional, and relational pain, they are urged to “think better” and “believe more”. Now the depressed person has the additional weight of believing they are failing spiritually.
Someone with PTSD who feels constant anxiety in seemingly safe environments may be labeled as having a spirit of fear and be counseled, “God does not give you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. You’re allowing yourself to be ruled by the enemy.” This can be devastating to someone who needs help exploring the roots of their hypervigilance or validation of their nervous system’s response to past trauma. Such advice can make them feel like they’re far from God when, in fact, their body is doing what God made it to do.
Someone wrestling with intrusive thoughts or obsessive-compulsive behaviors might be told, “You can be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The key to stopping these compulsive behaviors is to change what you’re obsessing about. You need to become obsessed with God instead of worldly things.” This dismisses the underlying neurological basis of their condition and reinforces internalized guilt for something that requires clinical and compassionate care.
This approach can treat the symptoms of mental illnesses and injuries as sin that needs to be repented of rather than wounds that need to be healed. It is invalidating to tell someone who has endured years of abuse that their feelings of worthlessness are merely lies from Satan that they need to stop believing. Instead, we want to honor their pain, validate their story, and gently guide them toward a new, redemptive narrative. Healing isn't about snapping out of pain with a verse or a thought. It's about walking patiently, hand-in-hand with Christ, through the valley.
Start Your Healing Journey Today
If you’ve ever felt torn between trusting God and seeking professional mental health support, you’re not alone. The good news is that you don’t have to choose.
At Boundless Hope Christian Clinical Counseling we frequently witness redemptive healing and abounding hope. We believe this healing is cultivated through premier psychotherapy services aligned with biblical theology, provided by well-trained, supervised, clinically astute followers of Christ. We implement evidence-based therapeutic methods while remaining open and sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible was never meant to be a self-help manual or a checklist of emotional cures. It’s the living story of God's love, our brokenness, His redemption, and our ongoing reconciliation to our Creator. Jesus didn't walk up to hurting people and say, "Here’s a verse, now feel better."
He walked with them. He touched them. He listened to them. He wept with them.
Faithful engagement with Scripture is not about forcing feelings to change immediately. It’s about seeking and abiding in the God who transforms us over time. If you're ready to begin walking toward wholeness, with counselors who honor both your faith and humanity, we would be honored to partner with you. Contact us today to schedule a FREE 15-minute phone consultation.