Dealing With Depression (Part 1)

Psalms 69:20  “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” 

God needs some comforters today to help folks who face many difficult circumstances. I believe the greatest weapon the enemy is using against God's people is depression. Hopefully I can share some things this week that will assist you in knowing how to minister to individuals who face this terrible affliction in their lives. We've all been there, but God was faithful.

If you love someone who is depressed, please resolve never to ask them why.  They don’t know.  Depression isn’t a straightforward, thought-out response to a tough situation, depression just is. Be mindful of the darkness, lethargy, hopelessness and loneliness they’re going through.  Be there for them, day in and day out, until they come through the other side.  It’s hard to be a true friend to someone who’s depressed, but it’s one of the kindest, finest and most impactful things you will ever do because depression is not something a person consciously chooses.

When you’re lost deep in those woods, it might take you some time to realize that you’re lost.  For a while, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’ve just wandered off the path and that you’ll find your way back any moment now.  Then night falls, again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and although it’s agonizing, it’s time to admit that you’ve disoriented yourself so far off the path, so deep into the woods, that you can’t even tell which direction the sun rises or sets from anymore.

You’re not choosing to be where you are, but you can’t see a way out.  That’s how depression feels to people who are struggling through it this very day.

Depression is one of the most helpless and tiring emotional experiences a person can live through:

-Sometimes it’s feeling lost.

-Sometimes it’s feeling despondent, 

-Sometimes it’s feeling absolutely nothing at all.  

There are times when depression can leave you feeling completely dead inside, incapable of moving and doing the things you used to enjoy.  Depression is not just a bad mood, and it’s certainly not something you can just “get over” when you feel like it.  No one chooses to be depressed, and no one can turn it off or on in an instant whenever they feel like it.

Be the comforter God wants you to be. Help those that you can with prayer and a kind ear. You'll never know how much of a blessing you will be.

A Strong Tower (Part 2)

-His name provides the power of salvation.                          

Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

-The church was commissioned in His name.                                   

Mark 16:15-18 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. "

-Prayers are answered in Jesus’ Name.                                                        

Acts 3:1-9 “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

-Jesus' name is the hope of the nations.

Philippians 2:9-11 "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

-Jesus' name is so powerful that the devil and his people will try to stop you from using it.

Mark 16:17, 18 "In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." 

People curse and swear in the Lord's Name, but you never hear people cuss using the name of Buddha or Allah because the devil hates the powerful name of Jesus.

John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

A Strong Tower (Part 1)

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

The Lord Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus the Lord, or other combinations of the these words occur more than 80 times in the New Testament. Jesus' name is to us a source of strength and safety. It is, as the Wise Man says, a strong tower that we should run to. 

When we speak the name of the Lord Jesus Christ against evil spirits His name always prevails because there is no name like the name of Jesus. When the name of Jesus is spoken we declare to the devil all the things about Jesus that are true according to the Word:

-His eternal power. 

-His eternal wisdom. 

-His eternal knowledge. 

-His eternal purpose. 

-His eternal love toward to all creation.

-His eternal kindness to those who trust in Him.

-His readiness to forgive all sin and blasphemy when men ask Him. 

All of this indicates to us that God is totally for us, entirely with us, and everything that belongs to God is engaged to do us good and to give us safety. That is the meaning of this expression "the name of the Lord is a strong tower." 

There are some 200 names and titles of Christ found in the Bible. Here are just an example of some of the more prominent ones reflecting the power and authority of His name. He is the:

-Chief Cornerstone


-Firstborn over all creation 


-Head of the Church
-Holy One


-King of kings and Lord of lords

-Light of the World

-Prince of peace


-Son of God


-Son of man

-Word
-Word of God


-Word of Life


-Alpha and Omega

-Emmanuel


-I Am


-Lord of All


-True God

-Author and Finisher of our Faith


-Bread of Life


-Bridegroom

-Deliverer


-Good Shepherd


-High Priest


-Lamb of God
-Mediator

-Rock


-Resurrection and Life


-Savior


-True Vine


-Way, Truth, Life


Victim or Victor? (Part 3)

Believe God will do what He says.
1 Peter 5:8, 9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

The adversary is out to destroy you. He will use the most drastic means imaginable to make you believe that God is not there. But if you believe the Bible and have faith that God will do what He says He will do, then nothing in life can defeat you. Instead of telling God how big your problems are, start telling your problems just how big your God is! And start watching your victories multiply.

Don't ask why.
James 4:13-15 "Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

Too often when tragedy strikes, you get so lost in the why questions that you struggle to remember that God is in control. You get so lost in the circumstances, so lost in trying to make sense of the senseless, that you lose sight of the One who knows what's going on from beginning to end. You become a victim to every circumstance you encounter. Instead of asking God why, ask, "Now that it has happened, what should I do to become a victor?"

Meet Every Challenge with Enthusiasm.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."

Rise to the challenge, put your whole heart into it, and meet the challenge with enthusiasm!                                                                                                                      

Forgive Your Trespassers.
Matthew 6:14, 15 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

OK. This is the tough one, especially for victims. And I'm not going to pretend that it's easy. In fact, in many cases it's downright impossible, if you try to do it on our own. But, if you'll rise above the tragedy, and genuinely forgive the perpetrators, you can turn the whole ordeal into a victory. You are no longer their victims; you become a victor.

Hang on to your victory!
The victory belongs to all of us if only we will grab hold of it and refuse to let go. In Christ nobody has to end up a victim.

1 John 5:4 "For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith."

 

 

Victim or Victor? (Part 2)

Your first step is to make a conscientious decision not to be a victim. Avoid any situation that might set you up to be victimized, either by another human being or sheer circumstance.

Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

You're fighting against forces you don't even see. Your only protection against such a formidable foe is Christ. He is the difference between you being a victim and being a victor.

Be prepared through every day events for whatever comes your way.
Romans 8:37 "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Everyday life is filled with opportunities to help you prepare for the real emergencies in your life. You can use minor inconveniences and small tragedies to practice putting things in their proper perspective, and rolling with the punches. You have to keep our hand tightly in Christ's, and trust that He will see us through every circumstance.

Think positively.
Romans 8:38, 39 "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Make this your motto: "I shall live each day knowing that nothing could possibly happen to me today that God and I can't handle together."

This too shall pass.
Luke 8:34 "And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm."

Sometimes, no matter how much you've prepared yourself to stand with Christ and keep a positive outlook, something happens to throw you completely over the edge. Even the disciples felt doomed when a storm came upon them at sea. And Jesus was right there in the boat with them!

Four simple words have given me courage in situations such as these: "This too shall pass."

No matter how bleak circumstances may seem right now, if I can just hang on a little longer and remain calm while the storm rages around me, I will get through this. Jesus is right here in the boat with me.

Victim or Victor? (Part 1)

 

1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

A victor is a person, nation, or army that has defeated an adversary in war or combat. A victor is the winner of any contest, conflict, or struggle. The word victor in Latin comes from the word, vincere, which means to conquer.

We are affected today by the victim mentality. What breaks the victim mentality?

-We have to learn to free ourselves for our future by letting go of our negatives and our past.

-Each of us everyday makes the decision on how we respond to life’s challenges.

-It's our choice to play the role of a victim, feel sorry for ourselves, seek pity, blame other, and become very angry or to achieve a victory through faith, trust, and the grace of Almighty God.

-We can choose to look forward to the positive things yet to come out from negative situations when they behind us.

Those who have been victims understand what I'm saying. You never forget the details, and you relive them again and again in your mind. Being a victim becomes a part of who you are. It influences your own perception of your self-worth and affects your response to everyday events for the rest of your life.

Jesus Christ was a victim. He carries the scars to prove it. His scars are in His hands and feet. But it was sin that left the biggest scar--right in the middle of His heart. The Bible says that He will carry these scars forever, to remind us that He too was a victim.

But there's something different about Jesus. While we avoid being victimized, He willingly came to this earth for the express purpose of being a victim. And those who loved Him most were also victims. They watched helplessly as the man they believed to be the Promised One surrendered His last breath on a cross. All their hopes were murdered with Jesus. They were so sure that He was the Messiah. Now He lay in a tomb. How could everything they believed in fall apart so quickly, so violently?

If the story were to end there, we victims would have no hope. Like Him, we would remain victims--some of us in graves, others walking witnesses to the tragedies in our own lives. People covered in scars with little chance of recovery, and no chance to overcome our circumstances.

But the story doesn't end there. On the third day Jesus Christ rose victorious from the grave. In that moment He won the victory over sin. Since the wages of sin is death, He also won the victory over death. And just as He was willing to come to this earth to experience our pain and our anguish, our death and our grave, He is willing to share His victory with us!

Once we realize that we don't have to remain a victim, our focus changes. We cling to His victory, and claim it as our own. The scars remain, and they continue to influence our actions and responses, but we need something to remind us that we are victors, and can remain victors in any situation.

 

Praise Your Way Out Of Your Pit (Part 1)

Genesis 37:23, 24 "And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it."

When we read the story of Joseph there are some things that cannot be denied, because the scripture makes it clear that:


-Joseph was chosen by God.

-Joseph was anointed by God.

-Joseph had a destiny given by God.


-Joseph was favored by God.

-Joseph was favored by his earthly father as well.




Judging from those criteria it would look like Joseph had it made. But when we read the bible we find out that this same Joseph who had everything going for him, who was anointed by God, who was favored by his earthly father and had so many great advantages, one day found himself in a pit.

 If somebody told you when you became a Christian that all your problems would be over, and that you would never be hurt again, you would never cry again, you would never suffer again-they lied.



Psalm 34:19 says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all."

Christians have problems too:

-Christians get sick.

-Christians get in debt.

-Christians get divorced.

-Christians get their hearts broken.

-Christians get in places they shouldn’t be.


Sometimes you fall in, sometimes you jump in, and sometimes you’re pushed in; but regardless of how you got there or why you’re there, a Pit is a Pit and if you stay there you will die.


-Dreams die in the pit.

-Ministries die in the pit.

-Gifts, callings, marriages, die in the pit.

BUT there is a way out of the pit!