Mission Trip Journaling
Day#4
Tuesday, April 9th, 2025
Disclaimer: I'm not a professional of the faith nor a Doctor. My theology, knowledge & understanding are always being refined. Just a layman's thoughts & exhortations from the Holy Spirit to ownself during intimate devotion, which later were shared collectively and are now broadcasted socially. But hey, don't take my word for it if not desired.
Referenced verse
Romans 6:12-23
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-Romans 6:12-23
According to Andrew Huberman, Professor in Neurobiology & Oftalmology at Stanford School of Medicine, Bipolar depression is a mental disorder that is characterized by producing irregularities in our Serotonin levels within the brain (Hormone/Neuromodulator in charge of the sensations of contentment and gratification.) Making us have Episodes of Mania which are elevated levels (or peaks) of Serotonin beyond what is usual, causing us to go out of ourselves in someway an irresponsible and unrealistic manner, followed by extreme drops in our Serotonin levels (or lows) typically known as a "Depressive State."
As a personal opinion I think Having to navigate through this particular mental illness might even be more challenging than just maybe struggling with depression itself because you get to experience both ends of the spectrum, most of the time simultaneously, it has to be contradicting and most certainly confusing while going through it, and it seems like one sets you up for the effect of the other to be worse, for your actions under the influence of one state positions you higher making the pain of the drop to be greater.
As a Christian many times I've seriously questioned myself: " What the Heck!, am I Bipolar?" (And "heck" has not been the word I've used in particular, but trynna keep it "churchy")
And apparently, According to Apostle Paul, We are all by nature bipolar as beings (Romans 7: 15-24), for we all have a mortal body ("Flesh") corrupted by sin who delights in pursuing its own passions & desires, yet we also have available (by rebirth) a spirit to dwell in us (Enabled by Jesus´ sacrifice) who delights in pursuing what pleases the Spirit of God.
Our being requires a master to serve, for we are bound and created to be servants, not masters.
My flesh with its desires, if allowed, will become a servant to sin.
Sin will not enter our lives as a servant, but will become my master. "Taking me further than I want to go, retaining me longer than I wanna stay, costing me more than I wanna pay", I heard my Pastor preach once. Making me free of righteousness and a slave to sin, whose ultimate purpose is to bring a harvest of death. (Both: spiritual, in the first place, and physical ultimately)
However, if allowed also, the spirit Jesus made available to come to live within me will not come as a servant, but as my master. A master whose delight & desire is to do that which pleases the will of the Spirit of God. Making me free from sin, but a slave to righteousness, whose ultimate purpose is to bring forth a fruit of eternal & abundant life. (Both in this life and the next.)
I have been a slave to both masters. Serving either feels pleasing while serving them, one is pleasing to the flesh and numbs the action of the spirit & the power of the Spirit in me, while the other is pleasing to the Spirit and numbs the action of the flesh and power of sin upon me. The main difference relies on the fruit and outcome each produces.
I guess depending on what we want personally, either a harvest of eternal life and abundance or one of death & despair, we already know which master to go to and present ourselves as a surrendered servant.
And my personal experience tells me this will be a daily decision.
0 comments