Somebody Help Me I Think I’m Insane!
Don DeVlieger Jr
4/23/13

 Insanity defined by Webster’s Dictionary.com:

 
           1: A deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a
           specific disorder (as schizophrenia)

2: Such unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or as removes one from criminal or civil responsibility

3:            a : extreme folly or unreasonableness

b : something utterly foolish or unreasonable

You can see varying degrees of mental disorders in these definitions; from flat out, out of your mind, to being very unreasonable. There is a definition I’ve heard being kicked around by teachers that narrows things out for this article today and that is this: to continue to do the same things you are doing but expect different results.

This gives us a picture not of a person who has “lost his mind” and can no longer function normally; but of people who hold down jobs, pay their bills, care for their families but find it very hard to behaving better. They just keep living the same ‘ol way but expect something to change in their lives. This is a person who keeps doing the same bad things but still continue to believe their life will change. Now that’s insane. If I keep doing the same dumb things that got me in trouble before, I am not too smart.

I’ve heard Christians say that if you just believe hard enough then God will change things for you. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in God and I believe He still does miracles today. But to think that your life is going to change if you can believe hard enough is just as crazy as expecting different outcomes while doing the same dumb things that got you in the mess you’re in right now. Believing God for help is only one part of a formula that will bring change in your life. There are other principles we must employ to see better results; Believing is just the first step. You can’t just believe anything you read from the WWW… You can believe all day long you’re going to quit doing a bad habit because you read in a blog that all’s you have to do is to eat more eggs, wheat toast and force your mind to think you’re a good person with no bad habits. I’ll save you some time here; in a general sense most will still wake up a drunk, a drug addict, angry, bitter, a gambler, people abuser… I believe in self determination and self discipline yet words we read whose derivation is not supernatural simply lack that power to enable you to experience change! If the genesis of a principle is only from a human opinion then there is no God power inherent in principle to propagate the change. My argument here is if I am going to experience change in my life there has to be a supernatural power at work within the guiding principles that I received! Said another way, I will see change if I read the Bible and I see in there that God never leaves or forsakes me, and again in a different place, that I will go over and not under, and The Spirit of God is in me to enable me to change in line with what I just read! Now there is supernatural God power at work in me. So #1) I must believe I can change and that belief must be inspired inside of me supernaturally. PERIOD!

Now let’s add a second principle and that is once we believe we have to do more than just sit on our butts and wait for it. James, an Apostle of God that lived in the Holy Land 2025 some years ago said this “Do not just hear [read] the word of God but do what it says”. It’s not enough to read that you can be free, you must start acting like you are free. Another apostle of God, Paul said it this way “Take off the old man that grows corrupt… and put on the new man... He’s using theatrical terminology here. That sentence is one that refers to a costume change during a play. Our application is this, #1 – read and believe what the Bible says and that His Spirit lives in you to help you live out what the Bible says and #2) live it out. Put on the new man. That last half of that sentence, put on the new man, means to act out as if you really are the person that the play requires you to be. In the case of a substance abuser that person we would put on would be a sane, sober and vigilant individual. He must begin to think and behave like that new man!

#3) Talk about what you read in the scriptures and how that power is working in you to help you overcome your bad habits. Some people think they can just read a verse from the Bible and they are good to go for the day. Well I’m glad you read your verse for the day but if you want to see change in your behavior you are going to have to read and read - and do and do - and say and say. This is a way of life not a hobby. If you think about it clearly, we often speak about what we are going to do and the results we want to have happen before we see our actions, our behavior change even in a secular sense. In fact your brain and body will follow your mouth! The more good godly stuff we speak the closer and closer to a new life change we will get! You’ll also want to put a lock on your lips to keep them from saying the wrong things.

So #1) our source for supernatural literature is the Bible, read it and believe in your heart what it says. #2) Start living it out in real time, real life. #3) Whenever you have a chance, confess/talk about the promises of God you are believing to bring change in your life! Another summery; have the right resource, strive to live out what that resource says and then talk about it or confess what your resource says as often as you can.  I’ll close this article with a couple of passages from the Bible that will help drive this home.  Mar 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith  in God. [The words faith and belief are the same thing]23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes [has faith] that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. And then 1Jn 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. There you have it in black and white. Get God’s will for your life from the Bible, Believe it’s true, and then talk about it a lot and live it out. As time goes on you will see change. If you’ll do these simple things I know you will have to cry out less and less “Somebody help me, I think I’m going insane!”

Peace to you all,

Don Jr