Confusion continues to grow in the church over one critical question: when is a struggle spiritual and when is it mental health? In a recent Q&A session, Alexander Pagani addressed this tension head-on, offering a clear and balanced framework rooted in Scripture, discernment and practical wisdom.
Not Everything Is a Demon
Pagani challenged the tendency to over-spiritualize every struggle. “Don’t view everything from the lens of deliverance,” he said. He made it clear that some issues are not demonic at all but rooted in the heart. “The issue with turning their back on Christ, that’s a heart issue, not a demon issue.”
He emphasized that deliverance is not a one-size solution. “Deliverance is for people who know they need deliverance. If they don’t need it and they’re fine and they’re growing, then don’t seek it.”
Mental Health and Medical Wisdom
Pagani strongly rejected the idea that all conditions are demonic, especially when it comes to neurological or mental health struggles. “I have reservations in calling all epilepsy a demon. That’s terrifying. That is destructive.”
He urged believers to embrace medical help without guilt. “I work with doctors, man. I don’t say don’t take no medicine. If you need to take something, take something.” He added, “I got a headache, I’m not binding a migraine spirit. I drink some water, I take a Tylenol, I call it a day.”
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Discernment Comes From the Holy Spirit
At the center of Pagani’s teaching is spiritual discernment. “The Holy Spirit will reveal that,” he said when asked how to distinguish between a medical issue and something demonic.
He pointed us toward a posture of faith and surrender. “Continue to believe God for healing,” he said, while also reminding us that God’s will remains supreme. “Not my will, Your will be done.”
Deliverance Requires Faith, Not Force
Pagani warned against forcing deliverance on others. “You can’t force them. If anything, forcing them is coercion and their heart is not even in it.”
He also clarified that deliverance is not essential for salvation. “Deliverance is not a salvation issue. They don’t have to embrace deliverance until Christ comes.”
A Call for Balance in the Church
Pagani’s message calls us back to biblical balance. We are not called to extremes but to wisdom, faith and discernment. We pray, we seek God and we use the resources He provides.
As we navigate spiritual warfare and mental health, we test what we encounter and hold fast to truth, just as Scripture instructs us to “test all things and hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21).
We pursue Christ first, trust the Holy Spirit to guide us and stand together as a community that brings both truth and compassion to a complex and deeply personal issue in a world that desperately needs biblical wisdom.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
