Christian Psychology

The Science of the Mind: or mental states and processes. The science of human nature.
2. The Science of human and animal behaviour.

One area of Science that has caused a lot of intrigue is the science of the mind – Psychology. It is a fairly standard University course and many students take at least one semester of Psychology. Just how does the human mind work? What makes a criminal, a criminal? What is going through his mind? What makes a person become a prostitute, or a slave to some sort of addictive habit, or then on the other hand, what makes a person become a success in life? What thought processes go through their mind? Often the ‘experts’ on this subject can predict the outcome of a person’s life by his early upbringing and hereditary tendencies. Due to the way they are acting today, this is where they will end up… However, humanly speaking, God is left out of the picture. When God is considered, all these human theories are cast out into the rubbish. They just don’t make sense. God has come to reverse the normal pattern of human behaviour and thinking in such a way that only God can. No outside influences can cause this change; it is the inner working of Someone higher than human reasoning.

If someone should pursue a course of study on Psychology, they go into much depth studying about human behaviours and then they graduate as experts in the field of Psychology. These experts sometimes become counsellors and people come to them for counsel when they are depressed or stressed out, to ask for solutions or just to simply have an ear to listen to their problems, helping them to understand them.

However intelligent these experts believe they are, they will never be able to completely understand and predict human thought processes and activities.

So they continue to study. They study one case after another. They create one study after another, never seeming to make any concrete conclusions. And this is the way God created man. You can’t fit him into a box and predict the outcome of his life. Man is a complex
creature. Every man has a free will to choose which way he will go in life; whether he will follow God or whether he will follow the prince of darkness. Each person is an individual and is completely different in every way from every other person.

Here’s what Ellen G. White has to say about the study of Psychology.

The Christian and Psychology: Laws of the Mind Ordained by God. – “He who created the mind and ordained its laws, provided for its development in accordance with them.” Ed 41

[NOTE: THERE IS PERFECT HARMONY BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND TRUE SCIENCE. PSYCHOLOGY IS THE SCIENCE AND STUDY OF THE MIND AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR.–COMPILERS.] 1MCP10

True Principles of Psychology in Scriptures. – The true principles of psychology are found in the Holy Scriptures. Man knows not his own value. He acts according to his unconverted temperament of character because he does not look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of his faith. He who comes to Jesus, he who believes on Him and makes Him his Example, realizes the meaning of the words ‘To them gave He power to become the sons of God.”

“Those who pass through the experience of true conversion will realize, with keenness of perception, their responsibility to God to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, their responsibility to make complete their recovery from the leprosy of sin. Such an experience will lead them humbly and trustfully to place their dependence upon God.” 1MCP10

“Dangers in Psychology: Satan a Student of the Mind.~For thousands of years Satan has been experimenting upon the properties of the human mind, and he has learned to know it well. By his subtle workings in these last days he is linking the human mind with his own, imbuing it with his thoughts; and he is doing this work in so deceptive a manner that those who accept his guidance know not that they are being led by him at his will. The great deceiver hopes so to confuse the minds of men and women that none but his voice will be heard.

Satan Master of Subtle Arts – ‘Satan is continually seeking to influence human minds by his subtle arts. His is a mastermind, given of God, but prostituted with all its noble capabilities to oppose and to make of no effect the counsels of the Most High.

He Comes in Disguise. ‘- Satan’s plans and devices are soliciting us on every hand. We should ever remember that he comes to us in disguise, covering his motives and the character of his temptations. He comes in garments of light, clad apparently in pure angel robes, that we may not discern that it is he. We need to use great caution, to closely investigate his devices, lest we be deceived.” 1MCP 18

Either God or Satan Controls. “—Satan takes control of every rnind that is not decidedly under the control of the Spirit ofGod.”TM79.

“I have been shown that we must be guarded on every side and persever-ingly resist the insinuations and devices of Satan. He has transformed himself into an angel of light and is deceiving thousands and leading them captive. The advantage he takes of the science of the human mind is tremendous. Here, serpent like, he imperceptibly creeps in to corrupt the work of God. The miracles and works of Christ he would make appear as the result of human skill and power. If he should make an open, bold attack upon Christianity, it would bring the Christian in distress and agony to the feet of his Redeemer, and his strong and mighty Deliverer would put the bold adversary to flight. He therefore transforms himself into an angel of light and works upon the mind to allure from the only safe and right path. The sciences of phrenology, psychology, and mesmerism are the channel through which he comes more directly to this generation and works with that power which is to characterize his efforts near the close of probation.” IT 290

Satan is trying to destroy God’s church and he has the most success by coming from within the church, bringing discordant voices to cause division. To divide and conquer is one of his most successful attacks. He comes with friendship and kindness, clothed as an angel of light.

There is a right way and a wrong way of dealing with human minds. True Christian Psychology deals with how to guide a person to make the right decisions for the Lord. The wrong way can lead people away from the Lord. Worldly Psychologists try to analyse why people do specific actions. Is there something in then” past that makes them what they are presently. Are there influences that can be introduced that could change the course of action? Often this leads to the idea that people are some times a product of their upbringing and there is no hope of changing their behavior. They are what they are, and they have to learn to accept it and deal positively with it; to understand and learn to cope with present circumstances.

With the Lord, there is hope of change. Sometimes it takes much wisdom on the part of the person attempting to guide the hurting soul, as to what is the right counsel to give in order to comfort and encourage them.

Satan works on human minds to try to lead people away from Christ, while we are to understand workings of the human mind as best we can in order to try to bring them back to Christ.
MELT HEARTS

The message that God has for the world today is that He is love. He came to seek and save the lost. He came not “to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17.

When giving Bible studies and sharing the faith, it takes much wisdom from the Lord as to how to present the message to different persons. This is when an understanding of the human mind is essential. Each person is different and reacts differently to different words and actions. Careful planning is necessary before each Bible study. There is no standard method and words to use, because what is successful for one person may not be for another person. The Holy Spirit is needed to direct and guide, and we are to seek wisdom in understanding the variety of human minds.

“It requires much forethought and wisdom from God to labour successfully for the salvation of sinners. If the soul of the labourer is filled with the grace of God, his teaching will not irritate his hearers, but melt its way to their hearts and open them for the reception of the truth.” 4T 263

Truth can be brought in a stern and harsh manner, and while it may be 100% truth, it will only turn hearts away from the Lord. It takes much wisdom to lead souls to Christ. Each person is different and requires different words in order to be helped. There is no set formula to leading souls. Through the help of the Holy Spirit only can we have this wisdom.

LACK OF COMMUNICATION

Since every mind is different, there are times when people completely misunderstand what others are saying. This can happen to two people at any time. Communication can break down. Either communication is lacking, or it is misunderstood, which leads to honest miscommunication; Miscommunication that is not done on purpose. In this case both parties are to recognize what the problem was and that neither one was at fault. There can hopefully be a peaceful solution in such a case.

It is possible to offend someone without meaning to at all, simply from a lack of proper communication or proper methods of communication. Some people just have poor communication skills. Communication skills are not always natural, they are sometimes learned, and we have to be willing to be taught. The wisdom of the most wise man is of no value if he is unable to effectively communicate his wisdom.

You may have all the right words and arguments, however if you present your issues in the wrong manner, your influence is lost. The lesson you are trying to bring is completely gone. Perhaps you raise your voice slightly and people perceive that you are angry, when you are really not. What is your duty in such situations? Do you confess this as a fault of your own, or do you tell the other people that the fault is their’s because they took it the wrong way, and they have to learn to not be so sensitive? After all you really were not angry, it was simply a perception on their part. Who is wrong – who is right?

One of the hardest things for a person to do is to say, Tm Sorry.’ It is especially more difficult if we feel we are completely right, but we were misunderstood. Still the other person looks at us as an offender, even though we may feel we are not. In these situations it is even more difficult, but the Bible says, “if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Mat. 5:23,24.

It didn’t read that if you have a problem with your brother, but if your brother has something against you. Maybe you did nothing wrong, but your brother thinks you did – he is offended by something you did. Go find out what it was and make it right.

To avoid saying these two words many people have created all kinds of fancy excuses as to why they did a certain act, or said certain words. It began with Eve blaming God for making the serpent. How ridiculous does that appear to us now? However I am sure we have all shared this kind of guilt at one time or another in our lives.

It is also possible to say Tm Sorry,’ and not really mean it. We do it to appease the anger of the other person. God judges motives and He knows who is sincere.

Getting back to the original question in this section as to who is at fault when one erroneously perceives some wrong attitude in a person due to a lack of communication. Who is at fault? We could say that both are. It is wrong to feel offended, but it is equally wrong to bring an appearance of an offence. I believe that the counsel to “avoid the appearance of evil,” goes much further than what we normally think – being that of two people of the opposite sex being in a situation that could be perceived to be something more sinful than it really is. This counsel could also cover many areas of life where appearances look as though we are sinning, when we really are not, whether in actions or in words.

While it is not necessary to go to school and take a course on Psychology, the true principles of Psychology we are to be aware of, praying for wisdom from the Holy Spirit to understand others and respect all people with their different frame of mind, working together for the common cause of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE:
(an example)

In those instances when we feel we have done nothing wrong, but a brother is offended, we are still to go and try to make matters right with our brother. Here is an example from the days of Sister White of a brother who did just this.

“Years ago, when the company of believers in the soon coming of Christ was very small, the Sabbathkeepers at Topsham, Maine, met for worship in the large kitchen in the home of Brother Stockbridge Howland. One Sabbath morning Brother Howland was absent. We were surprised at this, because he was always so punctual. Soon he came in, his face aglow, shining with the glory of God. “Brethren,” he said, “I have found it. I have found that we can pursue a course of action regarding which the guarantee of God’s word is: ‘Ye shall never fall.’ I am going to tell you about it.”

“He then told us that he had noticed that one brother, a poor fisherman, had been feeling that he was not as highly respected as he ought to be and that Brother Howland and others thought themselves above him. This was not true, but it seemed true to him; and for several weeks he had not attended the meetings. So Brother Howland went to his house and knelt before him, saying: “My brother, forgive me. What is it that I have done?” The man took him by the arm and tried to raise him to his feet. “No,” said Brother Howland, “what have you against me?” “I have nothing against you.” “But you must have,” said Brother Howland, “because once we could speak to one another, but now you do not speak to me at all, and I want to know what is the matter.”

“Get up, Brother Howland,” he said. “No,” said Brother Howland, “I will not.” “Then I must get down,” he said, and he fell on his knees, and confessed how childish he had been and how many evil surmisings he had cherished. “And now,” he said, “I will put them all away.”

“As Brother Howland told this story, his face shone with the glory of the Lord. Just as he had finished, the fisherman and his family came in, and we had an excellent meeting.

“Suppose that some of us should follow the course pursued by Brother How-land. If when our brethren surmise evil, we would go to them, saying, “Forgive me if I have done anything to harm you,” we might break the spell of Satan and set our brethren free from their temptations.

“Do not let anything interpose between you and your brethren. If there is anything that you can do by sacrifice to clear away the rubbish of suspicion, do it. God wants us to love one another as brethren. He wants us to be pitiful and courteous. He wants us to educate ourselves to believe that our brethren love us, and to believe that Christ loves us. Love begets love.” 9T, 191-193

MISPLACED GUILT:

Misplaced guilt is guilt that is felt or not felt at the wrong times. It all comes from the mind. Satan is manipulating people’s minds. He is a master in the science of Psychology – he has per verted the proper use of psychology and has been successfully leading souls to perdition for 6000 years.

Feeling guilty when you really should not.
“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” 1 John 3:20.
There are some people who are naturally pleasant, positive and regularly thinking of others and their needs. For others this is a character trait that needs to be worked on a little bit more.

Those who try to please everyone are in danger of being manipulated. They are afraid of offending or hurting anyone so when someone places guilt on them, they respond through that guilt and sometimes do things they would not normally want to do, or feel is correct to do.

There are times when people are aware of a certain person who is sensitive to guilt and they will purposely lay guilt on them in order to manipulate them to their way of thinking.

In family situations, when one spouse is converted and the other is not there is danger that the unconverted spouse makes the converted one feel guilty for dividing the family. Whether they come from the world or from another church, the unconverted spouse sees that there is too much of a change in lifestyle of the converted spouse and so they try to make the converted one feel guilty for disrupting the peace in the family with these strange religious beliefs and practices. Sometimes this guilt works and the converted one backslides, capitulating to the pressure put on by the unconverted – trying to preserve family unity. Also with parents and children. It has happened that teenage children see the truth and want to follow it, but unconverted parents restrict them, telling them they are guilty of disobedience to their parents if they follow the truth. While it is correct to obey parents, it is better to follow the Lord.

This is misplaced guilt and it happens all the tune. Satan loves to make sensitive souls feel guilty for betraying and neglecting someone by following in the way of the Lord. Many have fallen into this trap and departed from the Lord.

It is often the case that some try to please others because they want to ‘look good’. They don’t want people angry with them. This often leads them to condone others in wrong because they don’t want them to be offended. Satan has much success with people who follow their emotions rather than following principles. Emotions are fickle and will betray us. It is impossible to please everyone so sometimes we have to tactfully let people know that we can’t condone them in their wrong, nor should we allow them to guilt manipulate us into wrong action. They may get upset, but if we do it in love, through the help of the Holy Spirit, there is a chance that their hearts will melt under the influence of the love of God also. Here again Christian Psychology is needed. An understanding of the human mind and how to deal with this misplaced guilt. This knowledge comes from the Holy Spirit.

White Lies

This leads us to what is called, ‘white lies’. People tell these kinds of lies so as not to offend someone. If someone dresses in sloppy clothing and is dirty and smelly, if we tell them they look great today – we are lying. Oh, but we didn’t want to hurt their feelings. Is it ever ok to tell these kinds of lies? Or maybe we go out with some friends and another friend asks to also come along. Well we decide that we don’t want this extra friend just today, but we do still want to maintain their friendship so a lie is created so as to not hurt this individual. A lie that perhaps there is not enough room in the car or some other excuse. Here again we see some sort of manipulation of someone’s mind. The facts are not correctly stated in a manner to innocently deceive someone to avoid hurting them. The truth has nothing to fear and we should never fear to tell the truth.

A lie is a lie and it is the breaking of the 9th commandment. All lies are black. There is no such thing as a white lie.

Not feeling guilty when you should.

It is dangerous to have the wrong kind of guilt. Either feeling guilty when we should not – being manipulated, or then not feeling guilty when we should for things like watching too much TV or neglecting to pay tithes, eating wrong foods, wrong reading materials. We are in danger of taking sin too lightly thinking that God will overlook minor sins—He doesn’t.

Those who would rather die than perform a wrong act are the only ones who will be found faithful.” 5T53.

“Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. The prevalence of a sinful desire shows the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens the soul’s aversion to God. The pains of duty and the pleasures of sin are the cords with which Satan binds men in his snares.”5T 53.

If you read the chapter entitled, “Geth-semane” in the book Desire of Ages, you will understand a little better the terribleness of sin, every sin, even the smallest sin. No sin can be indulged in with safety. All of it leads to death.

So what is true Christian Psychology?

It is the science of leading souls from a variety of different backgrounds to the safety of the fold of Christ. It takes much wisdom and understanding, as each person is different and has different needs. As new souls come into the faith they come from a variety of backgrounds and have recently left the ways of the world. They may still possess a few rough edges that we may be offended by, however by understanding them, respecting them and helping them, we can help them to smooth the rough edges.
True Psychology also includes effective communication with fellow believers within the church, making matters right when miscommunication has occurred.

One of the signs of God’s church today is the unity in the church. We all come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, however we can worship in unity. We don’t need to divide the cultures as other organizations do into dif-;ferent language and culture groups. We see so many Chinese churches, Korean ichurches, Spanish churches, etc. In God’s church we can worship together. May God help us to help our fellow Christians on the way of Salvation, regardless of their past – we are all going forward to salvation.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1.
AMEN

Wendy Eaton