I remember an occasion, when I was getting on in years and working as a prison doctor, when a young guy looked at me askance and began to turn away from addressing me, as if he were expecting to be met with official nonsense. But then an old lag standing nearby nodded in my direction to the lad and kindly said, “Go on, he’s all right!” which the guy accepted and which paved the way for a fruitful conversation. Furthermore, I was known to be Christian.
Goodwill is helpful when we parley with resistance. And Scripture says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children” (Eph 6:4), and “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt…” (Col 4:6); and also “…there is no other name under heaven given to men [other than that of Jesus Christ] by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Faced with a young person addicted to computer games, it might be possible to melt the adrenalin-mediated fantasy-hype through mutual recognition of our common humanity. After all, everyone periodically suffers conflicts and emotions, although we often try to hide the fact. People mess up, get sick, die. All sorts of prejudices and strongholds get built into our psyche. Meeting all that sort of thing in the light of Holy Spirit can melt resistance bit by bit. (You can see Jesus in action in John 4). The empathy necessary1 for salted conversation is no problem for those of us who know our own sin to be forgiven and can listen to God. The Lord saves a genuine Christian from being overcome by evil.
The empathy necessary for salted conversation is no problem for those of us who know our own sin to be forgiven and can listen to God.
To hear a person’s real, heartfelt experience when they feel free to speak can begin a process of healing if they are openly receptive to godly revelation. Yet such open conversation can seem challenging, even dangerous, to people who have become so confused or traumatised that they are unable to tolerate the uncertainty of trusting any stranger. Such people defend themselves with rejection, and sometimes with aggression, and tend to isolate themselves in narcissism.
Bad company corrupts good character2
Confusion and trauma can be inculcated intentionally, but more often unintentionally, by family and friends, educationalists and media. Obfuscation of the true significance of facts, and restriction of self-expression, can prevent true understanding. Confronted with present-day challenges (not least regarding belief, sexuality, earning money, housing, poverty and displacement), a person’s soul can naturally become pathologically confounded with fear, hopelessness and insecurity.
An individual can become so closed-off that it can seem impossible to share sense with them. Narcissistic people make do with facts as they see them and accordingly insist on their own private version of events - which might even be dangerous. Their conversation is often circumstantial and superficial, nevertheless presenting no apparent threat to the prevailing culture of diversity, equality and inclusivity into which we are all being manipulated. No wonder that autism and narcissism (conditions in which interpersonal relationships are very difficult) are diagnosed with increasing frequency.
Their conversation is often circumstantial and superficial, nevertheless presenting no apparent threat to the prevailing culture of diversity, equality and inclusivity into which we are all being manipulated.
In recent years it has become almost impossible for genuine Christians to be employed in any sort of government service that involves personal influence. Christians and Jews, God’s chosen people, are reckoned to be divisive. Godly, biblical truth is said to be exclusive. Politically correct ‘relative truth’ - your ‘truth’ being different from my ‘truth’ - has now been substituted for it. In order to be inclusive, language must always be 'woke' and inoffensive. Genuine emotion is considered ephemeral and insignificant; and if anyone is offended, the emotion must be controlled with ’treatment’ instead of making true sense of it, submitting it to God and receiving His self-control (Gal 5:23).
The official system objectifies you, diagnoses you, and manages you. That can be helpful sometimes but it has become difficult to avoid pressure to conform to what government funded education and academia, health services, law, civil services and mainstream media believe to be correct. Science is often corrupted3 and, unless we are constantly discerning, it is easy to be conned. No longer is there common acknowledgement that God is the healer (Ex 15:26) and godly truth for the salvation of the world is available to all if they will truly accept Jesus, receive Holy Spirit and believe the words of Almighty God.
The truth that will set you free (John 8:32) is consequently denied to many who desperately need it. People no longer have the courage and concepts to face hardship and evil, or to give their infirmities, agonies, sicknesses and sin to Lord Jesus and thankfully receive His shalom. No wonder that so many people blank out the pain with drugs.
Trusting God instead of mankind could lead to the discovery of some gift planted by God in your heart when you were formed in your mother’s womb ...
God’s healing
Instead of that, of course, you could have a living relationship with God. Instead of trusting another human being, you could speak with the one true, good, loving, eternal Father, the One who is actually in charge and is working His purposes out and knows all things, and knows all about you and wants to lead you into His healing.
Trusting God instead of mankind could lead to the discovery of some gift planted by God in your heart when you were formed in your mother’s womb, and developing it. If you’ll muster the courage to thank His Son Jesus for enduring a horrible crucifixion, dying in order to save you, and rising from the dead, God will lead you eventually to say, “Jesus Himself took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses; with His wounds, I am healed.”4
Satan believes he’ll win the day when liars who hate the God of Israel are allowed by law freely to strut about in arrogance and pride (Ps 12:8). If Satan is allowed to have his way, mental health will deteriorate to an alarming extent. But Satan will soon have his comeuppance when Jesus reigns with His saints from Zion (Zech 8:3). Final victory belongs to Jesus.
Endnotes
1. The word ‘empathy’ is used instead of ‘compassion’ because the word ‘compassion’ has become too tainted with self-righteous condescension.
2. 1 Cor.15:33
3. Two books that incontrovertibly illustrate common scientific failings are Thomas Sowell (1995) The Vision of the Anointed and Mattias Desmet (2022) The Psychology of Totalitarianism.
4. This quote from Derek Prince is based in Isaiah 53:4 and 1 Peter 2:24.
John Gordon was formerly a GP, a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst. He is now a licensed minister in The Order of Jacob’s Well.
