NEIL ANDERSON DAILY DEVOTIONAL
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

April 11

The Reality Of The Spiritual World

Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Here’s another common misconception about the spiritual world
that must be dispelled: What the early church called demonic
activity we now understand to be mental illness. One counselor
argued, “There is no way his problem can be demonic; he’s a
paranoid schizophrenic.” Simply accepting secular psychology’s
definition of a human problem in no way establishes the actual
cause of the problem. Terms such as schizophrenia, paranoia,
psychosis, etc. are merely labels classifying symptoms.

But what or who is causing the symptoms? Is it a neurological or
hormonal problem, or perhaps a chemical imbalance? Certainly
these options must be explored. But what if no physical cause is
found? Then it must be a psychological problem. But which school
of psychology do you choose: biblical or secular? Why not explore
the possibility that the problem may be spiritual?

We should not be surprised that secular psychologists, limited to
a natural worldview, supply only natural explanations for mental
problems. They offer their explanation from a viewpoint with no
concept of God, much less the demonic. Even many Christians who
vociferously reject the scientific community’s explanation for
the origin of the species naively accept the secular
psychologist’s explanation of mental illness. Research based on
the scientific method of investigation of human spiritual
problems is not wrong; it’s just incomplete. It ignores the
reality of the spiritual world because neither God nor the devil
submit to our methods of investigation.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is.” Science is
inadequate to explain matters of faith. We must trust God’s Word
to explain the reality of the spiritual world.

I praise You, Father, that I don’t have to accept fallible man’s
knowledge as the last word on life. I know Your Word stands above
all human reasoning and will remain forever in heaven.

This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.GOSHEN.net/ . It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.freedominchrist.com/ .