In today’s world, we see numerous people struggling with mental health issues. Whether it is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, uncontrolled anger, depression or a host of other psychological diagnoses, these numbers are growing hastily, in both children and adults. Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting over 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population)? Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than $42 billion a year, almost one-third of the country's $148 billion total mental health bill, according to "The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders," a study commissioned by ADAA (The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry,60(7), July 1999). Likewise, the number of people on mood altering medications has hit the roof and no one seems to have an answer as to why mental illness is at rampant levels.

We now live in a world where mental problems are so common that we tell ourselves that they are just a normal part of life. We become so busy with our hectic lifestyles that we learn to just try and live with our problems. As time goes by, we slowly become broken and bruised and too scared to open our lives and share our past hurts to heal our wounds. But yet we want stronger marriages, deeper friendships, and lives that are more meaningful so we look for simple fixes. Meanwhile, talk show hosts, self-help books, Internet sites, friends, family, and even expensive counselors tell us they have the answers to our problems. So, we invest the time, the effort, and the expense to try their answers only to discover that either they do not work or they work for a short while and we find ourselves right back where we started. Before long, we conclude that there are no answers for our life issues and we sink into despair.

Sadly, many people feel this way. The answers they so desperately need to solve their problems are never offered or found. This is because the answers that work have been abandoned in search for “better ways.” Unfortunately, these “better ways” have produced depressing results and the answers that work have been forgotten by nearly everyone.

The answers we are talking about come from the Bible. Many Christians, especially those involved in biblical counseling, believe the Bible contains all that is necessary to overcome any issue, psychological or otherwise; psychology is unnecessary because the Bible alone is our life manual. While many people think of the Bible as one of many “religious books,” what they do not realize is that the Bible is full of practical teaching that addresses all of life’s issues. The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB):

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Finally, Biblical counseling recognizes that neither the counselor nor the client is the healer. Only God can truly heal. Counseling is one tool that can help us come to an understanding of who we are in Christ and find meaning in our lives. However, it is not a quest to find worth in and of ourselves or to find healing apart from God. Biblical counseling is correct in stating that the deepest problem is in the soul, and only the Holy Spirit can truly transform that. You don’t have to live life broken and bruised so let Christ cleanse and heal, and totally restore you.