Posts Tagged ‘depression’

Vain Regrets!

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian Living, tagged , , , , , , on February 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

1corinthians15_10

Spiritual Depression: #4 “Vain Regrets,” a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

 

 

Here is another very important sermon regarding the unhappy Christian.  Sometimes people get hung up on the past, and constantly dwell on it.  Is that you?  When this happens we become unable to do the works Christ has for us, and the devil gets the victory.

Dr. Jones says this:

We must never for a second worry about anything that cannot be affected or changed by us.  It is a waste of energy.  If you can do nothing about a situation stop thinking about it; never again look back at it, never think of it.  If you do, it is the devil defeating you.

One scripture that comes to my mind while studying this sermon is what Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14:

philippians3_14

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

He tells us to forget the past and press forward toward the mark for the prize.  Like a runner in a race, we need to set our focus to do the work that God has called us to do.

You may ask, “Do you have regrets?”  Yes, I have many of them.  There were times in my life where I did let my regrets get me down.  I was down-hearted and depressed that I didn’t have the life that many of my friends had.  I was poor financially, physically and spiritually.  But, I kept in the Word and I was able to learn that I didn’t need to stay that way.  I had to focus on Jesus and things above and not on the world around me.  We have a home in heaven and we have all spiritual blessings.  God will never leave us or forsake us.  He is with us always and has the best intentions toward us.

I will never forget one day as I sat in my chair having my prayer time this scripture came to mind.

Joel 2:25 KJV And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten,…

I knew at that moment that this was a promise that God was giving me.  Tears started to run down my cheeks.  It was wonderful!  Yes, God would restore those years that I felt were lost, and I claimed that promise and had a new peace inside.  Do you know what?  God did just that!  Since that time, my health was restored.  I got completely over having panic attacks.  Fear no longer controls me!  I met a wonderful Christian man and got married.  With him I got 4 step-children, and 8 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.  I’d say God restored to me the years the locust had eaten!

How about you?  Are you willing to quit thinking about your past regrets and press on with God? I’d love to hear your comments below, and I do hope you listen to this excellent sermon.  You just might find the answers you look for.

 

 

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That One Sin!

Posted in Bible Study, Christian Living, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2016| 1 Comment »

 

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Spiritual Depression: #3 “That One Sin,” a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

 

 

Are you an unhappy Christian?  We aren’t meant to be that way you know.  But, many are that’s for sure. Why is that?  Do you sometimes feel like David in Psalms 42:5.

 Psa 42:5a KJV Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says, “The moment we become Christians we become very special objects of the devil.”

This is true and it is one reason why we get down and depressed. The devil begins to work in our minds and tries to make us ineffective for the work of Christ.

Are you suffering greatly because of something in your past?  I mean before you even became a Christian?  There might be something that you did, and you keep going over it to try to figure the whole mess out.  Or, it might be something you said to someone that haunts you even to today.  Maybe you made a promise to God that if he answered a certain prayer of yours that you would do something in return, and you didn’t keep your promise.  The devil likes this.  He has us right where he wants us.

When our countenance is gloomy, and we look like we just sucked on a dill pickle we are not a very good example of what a Christian is to unbelievers.  We need to be aware of that and be a good example for Christ’s sake.

You need to listen to this sermon as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains why this happens to us.  We need a right understanding of what happened at salvation.  He helps us understand why our past sins should not affect our moods today.  We can be joyful in the Lord!

For myself, yes, I do get down at times.  But, I don’t stay there.  I know what Christ has done for me by dying on the cross for my sins.  Those, by the way, are past, present, and future sins.  That is a mystery to me, but it is what the Bible says and I believe it.  I’ve noticed that past events of my life come into my mind and truthfully I do have many regrets.  But, I’ve learned not to dwell on them. When I find myself doing that I have to rush to God and ask Him to help me change my thoughts.  I have to focus on how wonderful He is and what great things He has done for me.  I have to praise Him!  For me it is good to start thinking about what I’m thankful for.  I begin with my salvation and then it goes on and on from there.  Soon I am no longer down at heart, but my spirit is lifted up to the heavens.

If you are a Christian but not really happy please listen to this sermon.  There is so much good teaching in it and it will help you understand why you are not happy.

 

 

 

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Mind, Heart and Will

Posted in Bible Study, Christian Living, Religion, tagged , , , , , , on January 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »

 

Romans 6;17

Spiritual Depression: #2 “Mind, Heart and Will,” a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

 

 

After listening to the above sermon it is sad to think that many who call themselves Christians do feel miserable and not joyful.  The truth is God never promised us a rose garden.  We don’t become a Christian to get a life with no problems.  He offered us salvation from our sins and eternal life by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place on the cross for our sins.  God has given us promises though and they are very precious. He promised to never leave us or forsake us.  He also told us that in this world we will have troubles, but that He has overcome the world.

John 16:33 KJV These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

When we are down we are not much use to God.  We cannot be the witness we should be.  We cannot encourage others and lift them up.  We cannot use the gifts of the Spirit that God has given us in any meaningful way.  So, who do you think gets the victory?  Satan, of course.  He wants us to be out of commission so that God’s work is hindered.  That is his plan.  Let’s not fall for it.

Dr. Jones talks about a balance of the mind, heart, and will. They make up the whole person and must be kept in balance.  When they are not is when we become depressed.  He says that spiritual depression is the failure to realize the greatness of the gospel.  That is an amazing statement.  Just stop and meditate on that for a while.  We should not be depressed when we focus on what Christ has done and is doing for us.  What a Savior!

The mind, the heart, and the will must be involved in salvation, or it isn’t a true conversion.  The mind must hear the truth of the gospel message; that in turn moves the heart to desire it; which gives us the will to practice and live it.  Then, we can grow in Christ and be conformed to His image.

This was an interesting sermon and really showed me how important it is that the gospel is presented in the correct way.  I think there are many Christians who are not balanced.  Some have only accepted an intellectual view of the gospel.  Others, have only had an emotional experience, and still others have decided to “try Jesus.”  It would seem that these people are not really Christians at all, but have been deceived in believing a false gospel.  What do you think?

2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?

After I listened to this sermon my mind went back to when I was first saved.  I thought it through to see if my mind, heart, and will were involved.  I believe they were.  I remember 41 years ago when I was born-again and how I truly turned over the reigns of my whole life to Jesus Christ.  I wanted Him to run it from then on as I had made a miserable mess of it.

I hope this sermon has blessed you as it has me.

 

 

 

 

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Depressed Christians

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian Living, tagged , , , , , , on January 14, 2016| 2 Comments »

Spiritual Depression #1  “General Consideration,” by  Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones.  This is a series of sermons given by Dr. Lloyd-Jones back in the fifties.  To make it easier for you to follow I’m putting at the top of my posts the lesson number, title and author.  I’m doing this because I am also featuring some sermons by my pastor and I don’t want to confuse you.  My thoughts are below.

 

Are you a Christian?  Are you depressed?  Do you think that Christians should get depressed?

psalm34_18Or, do you think we should be joyful all the time?  Some Christians think we should run around with a big smile on our face no matter what.  It is my opinion that Christians do get depressed at times because we are human, and that we can be overcomers of depression because we have the Lord.  I know fellow believers who battle depression.  In fact, I know quite of few of them. I also find myself depressed or feeling down at times, and I don’t like it.  Lately, I’ve had many issues in my life and I sometimes find myself getting really gloomy, and feel like a big weight is on my shoulders.  That reminds me of  scripture:

Mat 11:28-30 KJV Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus is calling me to give him my burdens and He will carry them for me.  Isn’t that wonderful?  He will do that for us.

Recently, I came across a series of sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones given back in the mid-fifties called, “Spiritual Depression.”  I thought it might be helpful to listen to these 24  sermons and see what I can glean from them. Why don’t you join me?

I just listened to the first one, but the audio was not very good at all.  It was difficult to hear so I used my ear buds and that helped some.  Hopefully, the next one will be easier to listen to. You can listen if you wish by clicking on the bar below. Then, it would be awesome if you would share your thoughts in the comment section of this post.

There is also a book you can purchase with these sermons.  Here is a link to that: Spiritual Depression: It’s Causes and It’s Cure

The first sermon, “General Consideration,” is actually an introduction to this series.  It is based on Psalm 42:5.

Psalm 42:5   KJV Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

The first thing that jumps out to me is that David sounds depressed.  So, I see that men of God got depressed.  We are not so different. In this Psalm David is having a conversation with his own soul.  He is actually talking to himself, and asking his soul why it is so down. He asks why he is not at peace. Then he tells his soul to hope in God.  Isn’t that where we need to put our hope? And he says he will praise God.

So, in a nutshell we can see that David became depressed in his lifetime.  He had to have a talk with his soul, and get himself back on the right track.  I have to do that myself at times.  This is a good illustration of how David handled his depression.

In this first sermon Martyn Lloyd Jones talks about the general causes of Christians becoming depressed.  They are temperament, (introvert or extrovert) physical conditions, and reactions.  With the primary cause being unbelief.

My takeaway:  The devil uses our “self” in order to depress us.  We must take control.

Hope you enjoy this study along with me.

 

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Relief or Victory?

Posted in American culture, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , on January 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

As I listened to a sermon this past week something stuck in my mind.  The speaker talked about how we think, and said, “Today the focus is on self, which is all about relief, instead of victory in spite of their circumstances.”  He also mentioned the fact that we are today a medicated society.

I’ve pondered that for a few days now.  “relief instead of victory.”  At first, I didn’t get it.  I thought relief would be victory.  Then, I thought deeper, and realized what he said is actually true. 

We are a society who want quick fixes.  We take a pill for just about everything that ails us.  And, we don’t want to wait for anything.  We have fast food, instant coffee, microwaveable meals, instant soup, phones on our ears, fast cars, instant news, the Internet, instant messaging, and fast texting. 

Everything is speeded up in our lives today, and when we have problems we want quick fixes.  We don’t think we should suffer at all.  We look for that magic bullet that will fix everything.  We buy the latest self-help books, videos, tapes, CD’s and DVD’s.  We go to the latest guru or therapist.  We simply want quick relief.  We pop whatever pill is in vogue. Have you noticed all the television ads for prescription drugs lately?  It seems there is a pill for every thing imaginable that could happen to us.  But, you’d better not listen to the disclaimers or you will not take anything. 🙂

We have problems with relationships, and we want things to be instantly fixed.  But, it doesn’t work that way.  So many times people turn to the wrong things for relief. 

I know a girl who lost her fiance in an accident.  This girl is in her 30’s I believe.  She took it very hard, and rightly so.  It is not bad to grieve, but how you handle it is another thing.  Two years have gone by.  

She desperately wanted relief from the pain of losing the person she loved and  was about to spend the rest of her life with. So, she began drinking even more and did not get the relief she desired so began medication for depression.  Alcohol and anti-depressants are a bad and dangerous mix.  She still hasn’t found the relief she wanted. 

What this person needs is victory.  But, how can she find that?  First, she needs to become a Christian.  Then, as she studies and learns from the Bible she will find that God will comfort her and give her a supernatural strength to get through the tough times. 

1Co 10:13 NASB  No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

This verse is talking about trials and temptations that come into all our lives.  If we are Christians God will be in control of the situation and will not allow it to overwhelm you.  He will provide a way for you to endure.  Isn’t that a wonderful promise?  I loved it when I first found that verse.

Now, that would be victory for this girl!  We are not to eliminate the bad circumstances that come our way in life, but instead learn how to live through them with Christ at our side.  I’m sad to see this poor soul suffer when she could be praising God, and get on with her life.  God has something for her if she would only realize she needs to turn to Him.

Another example of how people want relief instead of victory is of a Christian married couple who have had many problems and they end up with a divorce.  Why does that happen?  They want relief from the misery they live in.   Relief instead of victory is not the answer. 

Victory would be if that couple who are Christians would get into the Word and apply it to their lives.  They could change how they see and treat each other.  They could fall in love all over again.  They could with God’s help have victory if they would only do it God’s way.  The man needed to become the leader in that home and the woman needed to step back and be submissive to her husband instead of trying to run him and bad mouth him all the time.  You see there is a difference between relief and victory.

Eph 5:22-25 NASB  Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  (23)  For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.  (24)  But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.  (25)  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

God knows everything.  Nothing happens to us that He doesn’t allow.  Everything that comes our way is passed through God’s grid.  Nothing happens by chance.   God is Sovereign, and He can allow bad things to come into our lives.  But, there is always a reason.  He is either teaching us or chastising us.  He wants us to grow more in the likeness of Christ as we mature in the faith. 

Rom 8:28-29 NASB  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  (29)  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

Well, I guess it comes down to this.  We have a choice.  Do we want to live our lives our own way, living by emotions and feelings.? If we do we will find ourselves full of stress and anxiety and looking for relief, not victory. We will turn to medication, or something to numb our brains, perhaps alcohol, or illegal drugs.  We will say, “God, please just take these horrible feelings away.  I’m tired of the suffering.”  Instead we should say, “God, you know how I feel.  Please give me the wisdom to learn how to live in a way that I can handle adversity with you at my side. Help me Lord to see the lessons in this that you want me to learn.  Help me to judge my own heart and expose any unconfessed sin so that I may confess it and repent of it.”   

Or, do we want to live our lives God’s way.  Obeying everything He commands us to do in the Bible.  If we choose God’s way we will have victory in all our trials and tribulations.  God truly is good and I’m so thankful that He has given us the Bible as a standard to live by.  We live in an age where people want to say the Bible is out-dated, and that it is too hard for any of us to really understand.  Yes, we hear that. But, that is not true.  God is not a God of confusion, but of logic, and reason.  He is rational. 

The key to not merely find relief but to gain victory is when we choose God’s way and our focus is turned from ourselves and toward Christ.  Do you see that?

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How Faith and Christianity help Depression

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Christian, Faith, Health, inspirational, tagged , , , , , on October 26, 2009| 5 Comments »

How Faith and Christianity help Depression
by Christine Howell

Depression can be a feeling of hopelessness that ranges from a minor inconvenience in the Christian life to life-threatening. Throughout the ages even mature Christian leaders have lived with and wrestled with the pain of depression.

Jesus is uniquely able to help us with depression. The gift of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit provides strength and healing to a degree not available to those who are not His. Even so, belonging to Jesus’ doesn’t mean we will automatically be free from the clutches of depression, much to the surprise of many who call on His name with the expectation of smooth sailing ahead.

How can faith in Christ help us in overcoming depression? There are several ways.The cause of depression can be due to a sinful lifestyle or other disobedience to the will of God. Jesus has an easy solution to this one. Submit and obey. When we line up with the understood will of God and do what He says, this depression will lift.

When depression is caused by stressful life situations such as marital strife, financial ruin or the loss of a job, Jesus is available. He will help us to understand that the eternal transcends the temporal and that problems, as difficult as they may be, are not a sign that he’s abandoned us. In the midst of severe stress He offers a spiritual peace that is deeper than the peace the “good times” offer.

Some depression results from the lack of accepting the circumstances we find ourselves in. The key to finding help is in developing the willingness to say yes to Him when the time comes for us to share in His sufferings or tolerate life’s unpleasantness.

Another form of depression originates with a physical problem.   Some Christians believe that medical intervention in depression is wrong and that it illustrates a lack of faith or trust that God can and will heal. Other Christians believe that medicine is a gift from the Father and should be enjoyed to the fullest.   If the problem is a physical one which can be diagnosed by testing then medication might very well be the solution.  If you are suffering with depression make sure you go to a physician and have a good physical to rule out any physical cause before you beat yourself up with not having enough faith.

Jesus Christ helps us cope with depression. He is qualified to identify the origin and perfect treatment in every case. Just as Jesus physically healed people in a variety of ways that are uniquely personal and unwaveringly accurate, so He treats depression in His people today.

Christine Howell is a writer who regularly writes about Online Degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college directory and comparison web site.

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