Rob Carman: The Toxicity of the Mind
In this episode, I talk with Rob Carman. Rob has been in ministry for over 44 years with his wife Ginger. They were lead pastors for over 22 yrs in Albuquerque, New Mexico before going into evangelism and leadership training. Rob has traveled to over 70 nations and trained over 60,000 ministry leaders worldwide.
Rob has also sat as the Executive International Director for the Christ of the Nations Bible College and their 40 schools worldwide. Rob and Ginger started and continue to head up Victory World Missions that supports many projects around the world including a hospital in Papua, New Guinea. He also provides the 412 Leadership school for free on his website. He has written several devotionals for the YouVersion Bible app and also host his own podcast.
We talk about the issue of depression men are facing in society today and why it has become such a passion of his. Rob explains how suicide is at an all time high and especially in California recent studies showed that the suicide hotline has increased over 8000% during the pandemic and that there have been more deaths in one month from suicide than the six months from covid.
Rob tells of a personal experience of dealing with and being diagnosed with clinical depression. We see that in todays society that 1/3 of Americans suffer with some sort of depression. The root is not all physical but a majority is traced back to the Bible of how to get and keep out of depression. It had to be dealt with from a Biblical standpoint.
Just as the need to wash the body that gets dirty, we need to also wash our mind of the toxicity of the debris we pickup throughout the day. Rob shares the reference of a plank suspended between two blocks on each end and you begin to layer dirt at the center of the plank that over time the board can no longer hold the weight and breaks; much like the human soul. This is caused by fear, anxiety, stress, bitterness, unforgiveness and many other issues. This can then develop into an attitude of being negative and having resentment.
Rob tells that while reading a book on the diplomat from the 1800's by the name of Lawrence Townsend and when a young man asked what was the secret to why God used him powerfully. He took the young man and showed him that he prayed. He took about 15 minutes at the conclusion of each day as if communicating with God to remove from his mind anything that wasn't in harmony with Him and then to fill him with his Holy Spirit. Rob shared how this moment impacted him profoundly to not just at night remove the toxicity of the dayl, but to start each day by inviting the presence of Jesus each morning to set the stage for your day.
The cure for depression can start with thought replacement. God gives us over 7,000 promise of hope in the Bible. Hope is the anchor to the soul and a place of refuge.
To say that a situation is hopeless is to say that God is helpless; and God is never helpless, so nothing is hopeless.
Men need relationships with other men, because isolation will kill you. We were not made for isolation; we were created to gather together in fellowship.
Our life follows our thoughts. Our feelings are the results of your thoughts and then manifest themselves into emotions. If we can change a day, we can change a life of devotion.
How can I change?
You can't change dramatically, but you can do it for a day. Live for God one day at a time joyfully. Life is an accummulation of days, We need a purpose or we will die in boredom.
Our greatest adversity is the evil twins of fear and worry. To counter this we must inject hope into our lives.
You are the right man in the right place at the right time!
Resources:
https://www.robcarman.com
This has a list of weekly devotions and the devotions available on YouVersion Bible app.
Also the 412 Leadership School