There is a great difference between thinking we have committed a sin and knowing we committed a sin. Those whose minds are not functioning normally due to either weakness or illness are particularly vulnerable to such illusions. An illusion is something we imagine to be true, but which is not substantiated by facts.

Such illusions are frequently related to a previous experience, or to something one feels at the moment something that we label and upon which we base our conclusion. People who suffer from such illusions are greatly troubled. They are first of all troubled because they are completely convinced that what they imagine is true. They are furthermore troubled because no one but the Lord can deliver them from such an illusion. As long as their mental state does not improve nor change, no one will be able to change their mind about such illusions. It is impossible to deal rationally with such illusions.

Obviously this does not mean that we should refrain from speaking to a person who suffers from such illusions, simply because we cannot reason with him. That is not at all the case! We must indeed dialog with such a person, so that he will not become more isolated and sink even more deeply into the pit of misery. In conversations with such individuals, an effort must be made to ascertain what is the cause of such illusions. They can be symptomatic of the disease symptomatic of those who are either burnt out and/or depressed. It is far from easy to deal and live with people who suffer these problems.

Such illusions can vary in nature. When they are of a religious nature, we will need divine light to be able to distinguish illusion from reality. Who can determine whether someone is suffering from imaginary or real problems? The one who is in distress will certainly not be able to do so. He will not be able to evaluate his thoughts objectively. A competent counselor will have to do this – and not everyone who presents himself as such, or is esteemed to be such, is competent in this area.

Before turning to a professional counselor – be it a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or whoever else may have been professionally trained to give therapy – it first needs to be investigated whether such an individual is competent to render assistance in specific cases. A recommendation from within one’s own immediate circle of family and friends can be very significant in such a situation.

Quite often we must regretfully come to the conclusion that even those who have been professionally trained to give therapy (especially in the realm of psychiatry) cause those from our own circles who are entrusted to them to be more anxious rather than to find relief. It is a most formidable challenge to deal with those whose illusions pertain to matters of religion.

A child of God does not necessarily have the expertise to give appropriate counsel to people who have problems of a religious nature. Even though he or she may have learned either by the Holy Spirit’s teaching or by experience to distinguish between illusion and reality, this does not mean that they are therefore the most suitable person to counsel people who are mentally distressed. Believers can utter words that inflict such deep spiritual wounds that they are beyond the realm of human restoration. This will particularly be true when such words are uttered by one whose judgment we value because he is deemed to be either a child or servant of the Lord. Ministers, elders, and deacons must therefore be very careful in such situations. In difficult cases, they ought to seek the counsel of those who are knowledgeable and experienced in this area. Let them practice self-denial by referring such troubled souls (upon mutual consultation and concurrence) to someone they believe will be more capable than themselves.

Above all, we should not forget as either patient or counselor to seek the help of Him who is mighty to save. By His Word and Spirit, He can furnish solutions and bring about deliverance, also from illusions. He can do so even in cases where we find ourselves utterly helpless to render assistance or to rid ourselves of our illusions.

The Lord will indeed be merciful to those who humbly seek Him – who in the midst of all their trouble continue to turn to God’s throne, and in spite of all setbacks, continue to hope in His goodness (cf. Psalms 145 and 147). However hopeless everything may appear to be – yes, even when you utter groan upon groan when thinking about God (cf. Psalms 77 and 86) – do not cease to lift up your heart and eyes on high for yourself and others. I know what it is to be in such circumstances – to hope against hope and to believe that there will yet be deliverance. I know how impossible it is in our own strength to continue to hope in God in the face of the most discouraging circumstances – yes, how foolish it often seems. Thanks be to God, I also know that the Lord is a God who performs miracles. Miracles are those phenomena for which no one can give a scientific explanation. God can work such miracles without the use of means, or sometimes by way of people, medication, and rest.

If we really desire to help those in distress, we must first of all learn to listen. This is exceptionally difficult, especially when such individuals cannot or will not say anything about the cause of their distress. Then we must very carefully seek to draw them out. This takes time, demands patience, and necessitates prayer.

When I fully listened to the man who feared that he had committed the unpardonable sin, I was convinced that this was an illusion. I obviously endeavored to convince him of this, but in vain. I also discussed other matters with him about which he was most surprised.

One of the things that surprised him was that I asked him whether he had recently been working much over-time. I could read in his face that he thought, “What does this have to do with my spiritual problems?” With some hesitation, the man admitted that for quite some time he had worked many extra hours. Consequently, he had frequently gone to bed late and had gotten little sleep, having to be at work early the next morning.

When I advised him to visit his family doctor to find ways and means to recover from the physical and mental exhaustion caused by his lifestyle, he was speechless for a moment. He looked at me with amazement, saying after a few moments, “But pastor, you are the one who must help me with my problems rather than my doctor! Only the Lord is able to help me. My sins are the cause of my misery rather than my work!” After having calmed and reassured him that he had done the right thing in coming to me with his problems being the first in line, as his shepherd, to help him in his need – I told him why he should go to the doctor. I was convinced that the spiritual distress of this man was related to physical problems.

If for a sustained period of time we are guilty of abusing our bodies, our minds, or both, we will have to deal with the consequences. This will manifest itself sooner at times with one person than with another, the reason being, that one person will be stronger in mind and/or spirit than the other. No one can sin against his body without consequences. This is true first of all because our body is in need of diligent care in order to function well. This is true in all areas of life. If someone neglects his car and fails to secure timely maintenance, he should not be surprised when on a given day, at a most inopportune and unexpected moment, he will have difficulties. Would then our body, this complex masterpiece of God’s creation in which every component of the body and the mind are interdependent in such a harmonious manner, not be in need of diligent care?

Secondly, one cannot continue to sin against his body without consequences, since this renders us guilty before God who calls us to be stewards of our bodies and minds by using them in a proper fashion.

It is, of course, possible that one can become exhausted without being guilty of such things. I am thinking of exhaustion as a result of illness, pregnancies, miscarriages, difficulty in giving birth, etc.

Whether someone’s troubles during a certain period of difficulty are directly and objectively connected to a committed sin, is a matter which the distressed or depressed person cannot judge. When one is in such a state, he will be vulnerable to the illusion of having committed certain sins.

When we are troubled about sin because of our state of mind, such troubles will vanish in proportion to the improvement of our mental state. Being troubled about sin as a result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit will not be relieved until we, by faith, humbly take refuge to the blood of Christ, which is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Since the Lord has also provided medications which can be subservient to the healing of our mind, we should consult our physicians in situations in which our trouble about sin is neurotic in nature. To properly digest matters of a religious nature, we need a healthy mind. It is therefore my opinion that it is the Lord’s will that we use prescribed medication that facilitates the healing of our mind. When the Lord is pleased to bless such means, using His Word at the same time unto our salvation, our neurotic distress will vanish and a healthy concern about truly committed sins will remain. At the time and manner of God’s choosing this will lead to the experience of God’s salvation as articulated, for example, in Psalm 32.

One will later thank God for having led us in such a way to the knowledge of salvation. In that way we learned to distinguish between illusion and reality. The disappearance of such neurotic distress and the remaining of a healthy concern about sin is something I have observed in myself as well as others.

This was, for instance, also the case with the man whose experiences I have just described. After he had consulted his physician, had for some time taken some appropriate medication, and had enjoyed an extra measure of rest, his concern about having sinned against the Holy Ghost vanished slowly but surely. Subsequent to this I never heard him speak of this again.

If one experiences something of what David experienced in Psalm 32:3-4, it will certainly have an effect upon our psychological condition. We read there,

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.

In Psalm 51:5, we read about the same period in David’s life: “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” It should obvious to all that he is not referring here to sins he imagined to have committed, but to sins he knew that he had committed.

When one is weighed down by this sense of guilt, being bowed down by the crushing accusations of an accusing and condemning law, an accusing conscience, to which the accuser of the brethren, Satan, joins himself, this will not fail to leave deep furrows in the psyche of such an individual. When such an experience is long in duration, it can cause a serious mental disturbance, along with all the misery that accompanies it.

The Bible makes clear that Satan will make use of all the vicissitudes of a person’s life. When did Satan approach Jesus with his temptations? It was after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights. It is self-evident that He who was truly man had become weak as a result of this lengthy fast. Satan could make no inroads upon Christ, but he can do so with us, especially when we are physically and/or mentally exhausted. Happily the Lord restricts Satan in his activities in which he aims to seduce and destroy us, or else no one would be saved.

Heredity can also contribute significantly to the occurrence of depressions. When depressions frequently occur in someone’s family, we refer to such a person as being genetically predisposed. One ought not to think, however, that if there is a frequent occurrence of depression in his family, that he will be afflicted likewise and thus become a patient himself. That is not necessarily the case! In fact, when one senses himself becoming depressed, it can be profitable to think, “No wonder, this is part of our family profile.” This makes it possible to face this issue much more calmly.

Experience also teaches us that things can be so different from day to day. Things can look so much brighter, just as this is true for the weather. Even the difference in weather can make a significant difference as to whether we are more or less depressed.

By way of such logical deductions much anxiety regarding this can be prevented. Instead, it can help us to relax and accept this, knowing that the Lord knows and governs all things. The Lord knows very well what our constitution is, since He caused us to be born of specific parents belonging to a specific family.

Therefore, instead of anxiously focusing on the “why” of our circumstances, we should be much more in prayer about the purpose of our circumstances. I know too well that this is far from being simple, but also that it is more than worth the effort. I know from experience that the Lord is willing to give us what we need, as well as that such circumstances can be beneficial when they are blessed by the God who is mindful of both man and beast and never causes one to seek His help in vain.