Overcoming Mental Health Struggles Through Faith with Kenza Haddock

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There's a mental health crisis in the United States. We see it in the news.

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We see it in our own families. Sometimes we deal with things in ourselves and we don't know what

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to do. And of course, there's different levels, but you know, there's hope. There's hope through

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Jesus Christ. And now there's a new book. It's called The Three Enemies of Your Mental Health.

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It's by my guest today, Kenza Hadid. It comes out October 1st. It's released October 1st. It's a

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brand new book. You can buy it wherever Christian books are sold. And I urge you to get it because

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there's hope. She's a clinical psychiatrist. She's also a spirit-filled believer. She believes in the

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power of the Holy Spirit. She knows that mental health is not just something that you do in the

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clinic, although there's a place for that, but also it's a spiritual war. You don't want to

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miss my conversation with Kenza Hadid. Share this with other people. Get the book when it comes out.

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I'm Stephen Strang and this is the Strang Report.

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Welcome back everyone and welcome to my guest Kenza Hadid. I'm so excited about this new book

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that you've written and I want to start by asking you why you wrote the book and what does it mean

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on the cover where it says, Gain Lasting Victory Over the Devil, the Flesh, and the World? So I wrote

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the book for two reasons. One is personal because I grew up just struggling with so much anxiety and

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depression and one of the reasons why was my misunderstanding of God's nature. And secondly,

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once I became a counselor, once God called me into the field of counseling and I started treating

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people from both a clinical and a biblical perspective, I realized Steve just how many

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brothers and sisters in the faith did not have a concept of their authority in Christ and in

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fighting these three forces, the devil, the flesh, and the world. Well I think that's so important

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and we've done a lot of books over the years on spiritual warfare and there are some in the

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church that you know it's kind of if in doubt cast it out but it's a lot more complex than that isn't

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that and because there's different ways that people can be oppressed and there are so many problems

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in the world nowadays. You know my experience is that you've got depression or some level of

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mental illness or some level of demonic oppression in almost every family. Oh absolutely, absolutely.

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It's to the point where last year the news and even the Surgeon General, they released a statement

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saying that suicide is at its highest numbers in the United States and at this point I mean it's

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it is at its highest and anxiety disorder has reached the number one clinical mental health

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diagnosis in our nation and I mean it's it's been that way for years. Well let's walk through the

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book. I've had the privilege of reading it. The book isn't quite out yet but I want people to find

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out about it because I think it's known so necessary and also I don't know if this is really germane

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but I'll just mention it that there is such a need for this kind of material that we actually had

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people in the book publishing industry saying to us what do you have that deals with mental health

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because there's such a demand in the marketplace for it and we just felt that rather than just

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writing about mental health and there are many good books on that that actually it's not only

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mental illness but there's also the flesh and there's also attacks from the devil so why don't

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you just kind of walk through these three ways that you've actually organized the book to help

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the reader and I guess I was going to say self-diagnose. Is that a correct way to do it?

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Can people kind of read the book and sort of get some understanding over things that they may be

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dealing with or a loved one is dealing with? So the book it would help them with self-reflection

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for sure absolutely and so when I have someone come see me at the office rather than just jumping

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into a diagnosis because here's the thing I'll backtrack really quick psychology does not teach

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you to diagnose a problem from the root. Psychology is just the study of observation so from a clinical

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perspective psychology is just what you see with all of your senses it is the word of God

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that teaches you to see things from the root and that's why I love combining both the science,

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the psychology, plus theology and helping in the spiritual warfare realm and so the first

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first things first is we want to deal with the first enemy and that is the adversary,

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the accuser of the brother and that is the devil right and with the devil his main goal in our

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lives and we call him our infernal enemy and that is he comes against the will of God in our lives

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and God's will is for his plans and purposes and for us to glorify him right and so the devil will

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do his absolute best to get us to split our faith and listen and for anyone that's that's listening

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to this even if he can convince you to split your faith 90% in Jesus and 10% in an object another

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object of your faith then he's got his foot in the door and I can give you examples I mean modern

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day examples of what I see nowadays in the counseling room and you wouldn't believe just

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how I mean it is it's it's rampant I would have someone come see me on a Monday and they would

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go see a medium on a Wednesday and and they wonder why they're struggling with emotional turmoil and

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and just their mood is up and down up and down and that's because their faith is is split between

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the two. So I know in the book that you mentioned Ouija boards and crystals and even yoga can you

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kind of walk through some of the things that people might think are innocent or maybe they just don't

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understand that actually you mentioned going to see a medium which is one of them. Yes practice

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of divination I mean the Bible speaks against that and sometimes I truly believe a lot of times just

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like the Bible says my people fail for lack of knowledge I think we don't get into the word

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enough to understand that hey you're stepping outside of God's will or sometimes we may even

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think or the devil may convince us that I'm a believer so it's okay if I check my horoscope

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on a daily basis oh there's no harm in that no there is harm you're opening the door to

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the demonic you're you're opening the door to the kingdom of darkness right there and so yes I've

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had people wear evil eye necklaces saying that that gives them an extra measure of protection as

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if Jesus Christ is not enough so I mean essentially that's what we're saying and in the book you talk

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about how people will be referred to you as patients I guess you call them or clients

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and they've maybe been to multiple counselors and maybe they got some help but it's like pulling off

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the top of a weed without getting the roots the problems come back so how do you get that person

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who's obviously wanting some help or they wouldn't be there they wouldn't be sitting in front of you

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at your office how do you open up how do you get them to open up to understand that it's a spiritual

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issue like the Bible says we're not wrestling against flesh and blood but against principalities

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and powers how do you do that and then I want to move on and talk about the flesh which is our own

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carnal sinful nature and then also the world where things are just getting so crazy in the world

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that that just sucks a lot of people in and causes problems for the individual as well

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yes absolutely so when someone comes to see me now if the person is not a believer I talk to them

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about Jesus because here's the thing I will not do deliverance on someone who is not a believer

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because the Bible is very clear one will leave and seven will come back in and that's just

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that's dangerous and and I I don't think that's that's a good practice now if the person is a

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believer then I require transparency and I talk to them about the importance of transparency

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and I even make a joke with them I tell them you don't want to compare rap sheets with me

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I have done it all and I'm very transparent even in the book about the things I have done

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and the things that Jesus has saved me from right and so that's the thing it takes transparency and

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writing down the things that we have done so that we can renounce those things and closing the door

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to the kingdom of darkness then we can move on to the second enemy and that's the flesh the flesh

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of course that's the term that is used in the Bible so why don't you just so that we're sure

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we understand how do you deal with the flesh and how do I as a believer or or people who are loved

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ones deal with their flesh when it comes to depression other forms of some kind of mental

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health so our flesh is basically our attempt to exert our own will over God's perfect will and

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the way this happens is obviously we live in a fallen world right and enemy number one who's

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the devil he loves using our own sinful nature against us and he does it and I mentioned a cycle

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in the book and so he starts out with our own insecurity because he knows that any insecurity

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that we have will try to get us to over correct wherever whatever area we're insecure in by trying

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to exert power or control in that area and once we do that then we're falling into internal torment

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and that's where I'm telling you that 95 percent of the patients I have treated with anxiety

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that's where it stems from it is on its insecurity that has not been dealt with and that insecurity

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leads to us trying to overpower or over correct and when we do that then it leads to internal

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torment and so that's why the Bible says we have to crucify our flesh daily pick up our cross daily

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it's a it's difficult it's hard well let's drill down a little bit because really every human being

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has to deal with their you know what the Bible would call a carnal sinful nature yeah but what

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what are some steps that people can do maybe people who you know are obviously interested in

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this or they wouldn't be watching or listening but they don't go to a counselor maybe they don't know

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a counselor they could go to or maybe they don't feel they need it but yet they want help

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so what are the steps that you outline in your book about dealing with lasting victory over the flesh

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you know what's interesting I was just right now I was going to go straight to

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paying attention to defense mechanisms right which which is which I've outlined in the book

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but I truly feel like like in my spirit and I've outlined this part in the book

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for whoever's listening it is so important to pay attention to who you're listening to this is so

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important because we have to get into God's word and be able to discern God's voice from the enemy's

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voice and and here's how you this is how you know it's it's it's biblical that if you are in Christ

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there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus right those who walk in the spirit of God

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in the spirit of God right and so if you're hearing voices like you're a loser or you're stupid or

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you're ugly or you're fat that's not God telling you that that's not even yourself telling you that

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that's the enemy and you have to practice casting that casting those thoughts down even if you say

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stop it or say you know the Lord rebukes you Satan you have to act on those thoughts you can't repeat

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those things to yourself because once you start being the the devil's mouthpiece to yourself then

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those thoughts are going to get down in your heart and that's that's one big step that they can take

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and then let's talk about what you call the world and you know when we look at the wider culture

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there are things that at one time would have been considered mental illnesses that some of the medical

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profession and a lot of people the culture are fear are are normative many of which go against

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the word of God which creates a real problem for Christians who are trying to do what's right

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trying to do what's moral the standing against people you know the Bible says calling wrong

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right and right wrong and that's happening so talk to me about how the average person deals with this

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and maybe I should ask you how you deal with it in the book what people what can people get

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from reading the three enemies of your mental health yes so there is a a term that we use in

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the mental health field and that's called desensitization and and this is a very very

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serious term and this is why the Lord I mean I mean it's biblical that tells us to guard our

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heart right in Proverbs 423 because from it flow the issues of life we have to guard the gates of

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our eyes we have to guard the gates of our ears because everything that's going around us all the

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external messages that we're getting if we allow them on the inside of us they will influence us

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and they will desensitize us to to both start believing that what is truly abnormal is normal

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and so that's why the Bible says do not do not be conformed to the path to the to this world but be

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transformed by the renewing of your mind and so one of the things that I say you have to do and

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and this is it may be difficult but it is a step that we have to we have to take and that is get

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before God get with God and surrender every aspect of your life to him and I am I'm talking to busy

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parents even if your kids are in a million sports right busy parents surrender every aspect of your

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life every role that God has called you to in your life and and say Lord I surrender every aspect of

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my life and every role you've called me to whether that's a spouse whether that's me being a teacher

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maybe whatever it is a parent and ask him to organize those according to his will now when

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you do that he's going to shift it he's going to shift certain friends he's going to get some

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friends out and bring some friends in and you want him to do that because you want to evaluate

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your relationships as well and that is another step the people you are closest to your guard

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comes down and they have the capacity to influence you and so that's another one I think that is so

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important and I remember that a mentor told me one and I'm sure this has been written about that

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the two things that will affect your life five years from now more than anything else are the

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books you read and the people that you hang with and I think that's so true and you know I believe

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that your book is one that people should read people seem to be reading less and less these days

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but when they're looking for answers books are some of the best ways to do it they can read it

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at their own pace they can reflect on it and so forth why would you tell someone who

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maybe has someone in their life who needs to read this book you know that's hard to sometimes get

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somebody else to do what you need because even if you speed read it it's going to take an hour and

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if you read it word for word it'll take three hours which is a commitment of time now if it's

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going to be life-changing it is absolutely worth it and a whole lot less expensive to buy a book

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than it is to go for even one hour of counseling or therapy but just talk to me about what you

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would do it I guess you know in your practice you would have this too because you probably

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encourage people to read certain materials to help them out and of course in your own ministry

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you're going to be encouraging people to read this book absolutely yes so in the book I contained

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everything that I usually would provide throughout a about six weeks to a three month period of

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counseling and put it all in one book because I know that not everyone has the time to go to

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counseling and I know there's still that stigma surrounding counseling and so they can't afford

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it absolutely paycheck to paycheck they have maybe miserable lives but you know that's just

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the facts of life yes absolutely and there are moms with little kids who they literally they just

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can't leave the house without bringing all their kids to counseling with them and so they just

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can't go and so I put all of the problems that I normally assign my patients in the book this way

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they can work on it at their own pace and they can gain that freedom because at the end of the day

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the helper is the Holy Spirit I'm just a conduit right he just used me to write it I'm just a

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conduit of of the book I just think that you have some things like little helpful things like this

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says the destructive cycle of the flesh which points to insecurity which points to power control

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which points to internal torment that's just one it's in here several times there's questions for

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reflection there are charts you know here's one with some pictures of our old nature from Ephesians

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chapter 2 but the but because there's great love for us which is the cross and then finally our new

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nature which is Ephesians same chapter a few verses later I just found that as I went through it

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you know that just kind of grabs your attention and I think it's so important I want to encourage

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people to read the book but even for people who don't read the book who are watching this podcast

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which by the way if this is ministering to you and you know someone that needs it you need to send

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the link to them you need to put on social media of course we encourage that for every podcast

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but I think that it's particularly important because this is a book that will help people

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those are the kinds of books we try to publish of course at charisma media and I I'll admit I'd

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brag on all my authors but I just really want to give my personal endorsement to this book and just

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say how important it is to read it so to help help us in the few minutes we have left some

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practical things that people can take away that will help them in their walk you had a reason for

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writing the book what are some of those reasons that you want the reader because really when you

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write it you're not writing it for a group no if it's a broadway play or something like that

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or concert you're performing for a group no a reading experience is a very personal experience

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one one reader one book one author so what are you hoping to accomplish you know I am hoping and

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praying that for that person for you if you're listening that you feel the peace that I once felt

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because I struggled with anxiety to the point where I I had suicidal ideations in my life and so

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and so I approached this book from not only a personal perspective but also a professional

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perspective and and I want to add one thing to anyone who's struggling with depression

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a lot of depression that I've seen in the counseling room stems from there's unresolved

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unprocessed emotions that that we haven't been able to deal with and so the and I highlight

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all of that and if you have like for example there's like a disagreement that happened between

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you and a loved one whether or not it's a spouse or mom dad your child and if you don't take that

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to God then you and you allow it to fester over and over you're going to attach meaning to it right

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and then once you attach meaning to it and it gets down deep in your heart then it turns into

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a disagreement and then it turns into a depression and so a lot of times what you want to do when

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you're holding on to that unforgiveness is take it to God listen there's a reason why the Lord

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tells us to forgive people and forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation at all

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there those are two totally different topics and so I also outline how to go about forgiving someone

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in a healthy way and you don't have to talk to the person forgiveness is something that's between you

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and the Lord and there are also three types of forgiveness that we go through and sometimes you

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have to forgive someone who's dead you know maybe and of course there can be no reconciliation there

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but what are the three areas actually I have two questions I want to I want you to talk through the

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three areas because it's so important but I'm also interested first in what was the turning point for

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you was there a turning point where things were so bad and then suddenly something happened that at

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least set you in I know it's not one and done it's usually a process and it's usually complicated

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but often there's a turning point or maybe I should ask you was there a turning point for you

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I'm smiling because there was a turning point and my turning point was I had a dream about Jesus

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when I was Muslim so yeah I was I was in a very very bad place I'm gonna not cry it was really bad

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and it was because Islam was very oppressive and I it was to the point where I believed that God

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hated me and that's I mean that's what a lot of times what it teaches if you don't do enough for

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God then when I say God I mean Allah if you don't do enough for Allah he hates you and it's so

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oppressive and and you know we're not meant to carry that load and that's I mean that's the load

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that Jesus was was came and he came and it was placed on him right and I was just crushed

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underneath my own sin underneath the weight of my own sin and I cried out to God and God had been

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reaching out to me before then but finally one night I had a dream that it was the end times

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and I saw in my dream I saw the the sky open and in my dream I saw a man in a white robe descending

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from heaven and that man was Jesus with his hands wide open and I felt a peace that I had never felt

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in my life before now mind you before this anxiety was my norm so panic attacks anxiety depression

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bad thoughts all of that were my norm and then I saw Jesus and that's what my turning point was now

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it didn't those thoughts didn't stop then but hope was born then and so I had someone tangible to hold

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on to for the time what a beautiful story and in the couple of minutes we have left

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the three areas of forgiveness I think are so important and that causes me to remember something

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I read one time you've probably heard this before it says that holding unforgiveness is like drinking

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poison and hoping the other person dies I mean unforgiveness just hurts you so bad so it's so

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important tell us the three areas of forgiveness and then I want you to pray for our Lord Jesus

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and viewers who may need help maybe an area of unforgiveness or other areas but go ahead and share

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the three areas absolutely so the first one is forgiveness or unforgiveness against someone and

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that could be someone who is alive or to your point someone who has passed away and I go through

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the steps to forgiving that person the second one is forgiveness and forgiveness and forgiveness

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through the steps to forgiving that person the second one is forgiving ourselves for things that

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we have done see a lot of times we are unwilling to receive God's forgiveness because we somehow

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convince ourselves that hey if I don't forgive myself then I'm going to keep myself from making

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the same mistake again and that's no that that's a lie from the enemy self-will never helps it is by

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the power of the Holy Spirit that we can overcome the flesh it is not by willpower alone so

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forgiveness or unforgiveness against someone unforgiveness against self the third one is the

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one that's rarely ever talked about and that's holding trespasses against God not that God has

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done something against us but sometimes when we go through a terrible tragedy like losing a loved one

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sometimes when we don't understand why that happened to us we will not process through that

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grief with God we won't go to God for it and we'll hold bitterness against God and the enemy will

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have a field day with that and he will try to turn us away from God. That is so important and now

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will you pray that the Holy Spirit will make some of these truths alive from this podcast which I

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hope people share of it also through your book. Absolutely yes. Faithful Father, Lord thank you

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for this opportunity God thank you for Steve and Lord and every listener God on this podcast. God

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thank you for the call you have on their lives. Lord for anyone who's struggling with depression

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or anxiety Lord I pray that by your Holy Spirit that your presence would fall tangibly on them

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right now God. God I pray that in the coming days and the coming weeks Lord that you would wake them

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up with a new song Lord. God I pray that they would feel your tangible presence. God I pray that you

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would silence the enemy's voice from them Lord and I pray that you your voice would be louder. I would

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pray that you will equip them with everything they need God to overcome anxiety to overcome depression.

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Lord I pray that you'd give them discernment beyond their ears and wisdom to walk in everything that

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you have purpose for them and I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. I hope you prayed that

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prayer I hope it helped you. I hope that you will get this new book of course many people see this

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after October 1st but the book actually releases on Tuesday October 1st. I believe that this book

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will really help you. I've read it myself as we talked about in the podcast today there's so many

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people that need help and this book like we said is quicker and easier and cheaper than going for

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than going for some kind of counseling and you'll get a lot of the truths that Kenza Hedik has to

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share. Please share this with other people put it on social media email it to someone that you know

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and enjoy it. I thought of three friends I'm going to send it to because I think that the book will

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help them and so be sure to subscribe to The Strength Report if you don't already click the

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little bell so you know when we're on live every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m. Eastern time until

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next time God bless you.