Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Although living with a mental diagnosis is difficult and can be very disruptive at times, it is very possible to still have a good life. In fact, many consumers (the term NAMI uses to describe people with mental illness) thrive.   Of course the consumers who thrive, usually have a strong mental health team and/or support system. So please be a friend and support anyone you know who lives with a diagnosis, if you can.  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is an excellent resource to educate yourself about mental illness.  Visit www.nami.org for more info and how you can be of help and support to your loved one(s).

The present state is where you are now. You exist in this present state. From the moment of conception, you became a human being, that is, a "soul". Your soul is eternal. 

Scripture teaches us that we exist from conception until death, from death until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the General Resurrection from the dead, and then, the New Heavens and the New Earth. 

In the Bible, "soul" is who you are. Consider Genesis: God "breathed the breath of life" into Adam, and he became "a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). Thus, in the biblical view, Adam does not have a soul; Adam is a soul (i.e., a person, a living being). 

The soul is literally that which breathes, the breathing substance or being. In his article "Soul", G.W. Moon says " In Christian theology the soul carries the further connotation of being that part of the individual that partakes of divinity and survives the death of the body."

Adapted from: biblestudytools.com

This is a tough one for me to answer in this small space as it requires much analysis and exposition of scripture (the Holy Bible). Not to mention some people simply refuse to have faith and believe. Here we go.  

God is inherently good. He is love as well as loving, kind, merciful, just and every good thing in this world. However, we live in a sin-filled, fallen world. Therefore, the just part of Him must allow the consequences of that sin to play out.  

Most of us know the story of Adam & Eve and how Satan tempted and deceived them into eating the forbidden fruit which got them kicked out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). That occurrence also sparked a war between Satan and humankind (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12:17) which is really an extension of the war between Satan and God that started when Satan was cast out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12; Revelation 12:9). 

I realize that scripture can be confusing – especially if one is not familiar with it for themselves or simply chooses not to have faith and believe. So, I’m going to stop there as there are countless other scriptures that help bring the cosmic conflict between God and Satan into perspective and others that support God’s just response to allow sin to play itself out by way of us (Romans 3:23). 

Instead, the Lord has instructed me to focus on His GREATNESS and praise Him for the goodness that does happen in the world. Not only does He allow great things to happen in the world, but in His mercy, He blocks so many of the calamities that could happen and/or does not allow them to be as severe as they could have been had He not stretched His hand to intervene.  

Believer or not. If you’re a human being who has lived any length of time, I am sure you can think of more than a time or two when a bad situation in your life could have been worse than it actually was. That was the merciful hand of God. And He wants you to take a moment to thank and praise Him for it as well as keep praises to Him in mind whenever you experience His mercy. Please forgive me if it seems as though I am minimizing your situation or being insensitive to affliction. For I am simply being obedient in bringing Romans 8:28 to the forefront.  

As His creation, we have to start taking God at His entire word and stop picking and choosing which verses of scripture apply to our lives.