"GOD'S REMEDY FOR DEPRESSION"

Good Evening to All!

I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. (2) He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.
(Psalm 40:1-2 Amp.version)

I personally think the author of the devotion which I read tonight should have included verse 3 as well, because it brings clarity to this passage.

It reads: (3) And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

God's Word tells us to wait patiently on the Lord. First of all, His time is not the same as our time. One day to Him may be a week or a month to us. We don't know. The only reference I remember in the Bible to time is the scripture that talks about one day being as a thousand years.

The point I'm trying to make here is that God's timing is the best timing. He knows what is best for us more than we do. What we want, when we want, may not be right for us at the time. So God waits.

Something else about this passage tells me that Jesus is always talking about "servitude". He washed the disciples' feet to get His point across about being a servant. In Matthew 25:35-40, He said (35) For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, (36) I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me. (37) Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink? (38)And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You? (39) And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You? (40) And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.

It brings to my mind when I was a server in a restaurant. It was our job to make sure our customers were satisfied and had what they needed. We should do the same for God. Not that He "needs" anything, but we, as the body of Christ, are His hands, feet, and mouths. We are to be about our Father's business, which means we are serving God. We are to do His bidding whether it means witnessing to someone, by telling them about God's love and His Word, or witnessing by our actions and deeds. According to His Word, it should be a combination of all three. Deeds alone will not get us into Heaven. As we are suppose to be "planters of seeds", then someone else will come along and water, then God will do the increase.

I know this passage speaks about God bringing us out of depression and despair. We have to put our trust in Him to do this. We have to believe that He can and will do this. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Therefore, the feelings of depression, and despair are not of God. When we feel these "spirits" (and that is what they are) coming on, we need to turn our focus to God. Think about how great He is, and remember that He is more powerful, and bigger than any problem that may arise. He can handle anything. There are no problems to big for Him because He is all powerful. There are no problems to small for Him either. If he thinks that something as trivial as the number of hairs on our head is important enough for Him to remember, then any problem we are going through is important to Him as well.

I love this passage because it brings several things to mind for me. The Bible tells us to expect miracles. This is called "faith". Without faith, we cannot please God.

The reason I say this is simple. It is a conclusion. It is the answer. In our prayers, when we include praising and worshiping God, by acknowledging how wonderful He is, how much we love Him, that we love Him not just for what He has done for us, but also for WHO HE IS, this will envelope us into His complete presence even deeper.

He always listens to our prayers, but to allow ourselves to be engulfed in His presence will take us to a deeper level in our prayer life.

When I start feeling depressed or even just having a momentary "pity party" because of a bad day, to bring me out of it, all I have to do is change my focus. I start thinking about what God has done for me in the past. Where He has brought me from. I start singing hymns and praise songs to Him and it brings me into His presence and lifts my spirit immediately. I even sing songs that I remember from my childhood days in Sunday School. It brings joy flooding back into my soul.

When you are experiencing feelings of depression, or even just sadness, I hope you will think of this passage and what I have suggested. Refuse to give in to those feelings because THEY ARE NOT OF GOD. They are Satan's way of getting your mind off of the things from God, meaning happiness, love contentment, patience, love, and anything else GOOD you can think of. Don't let Satan have his way by letting yourself be consumed by sadness and depression, or anger. Start singing God's songs and Satan will flee. He cannot handle being around God's praises.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!

Suicidal Season

Good Evening to All!

This season, while for a lot of us it is a joyous occasion, to some it dredges up the ultimate sad and depressing memories for which people who may not understand the peace that God can give to their lives feel. My prayers go out to you this season in hope and faith that you will find the answers you seek in other ways than taking your life.

This statement is just "food for thought", but God's Salvation Plan according to Acts 2:38 is Repent, be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and ye Shall receive the Holy Ghost. To repent means to turn away from your old ways and start going in the right direction. Now think about it. If you take your own life, how will you be able to repent? You won't be able to change your life around for the better. Therefore, knowing that our lives are not our own, but God's, and it is not our right to take our life, how can we believe that we will be forgiven if we commit this act?

God is bigger than the universe, so He's definitely bigger than our problems. God Can Handle Anything.

Our lives are not our's to take. We were bought with a price of Jesus' death on the cross. Our lives belong to God. They are His to do with as only He sees fit.

If you are alive tonight, this means that God has a plan for you, and therefore you should not cut your life short before God's plan is accomplished by you.

When you start feeling depressed and having these hopeless feelings, please start praying and talking to God. He will answer you. All you have to do is listen for that still, small voice inside of you. If you feel that "you don't know how to pray, then just talk to God like you would a friend. I talk out loud to Him all the time. Nothing says that every time you pray you have to be on your knees with your head bowed. I often talk to Him just like I would talk to you or anyone who is visible. I also get answers in my spirit from Him.

I hope this post will help bring some peace and comfort to some of you tonight and even the coming nights. I will pray that you will work through your momentary (it can be momentary if you will talk to God and focus on Him rather than your problems). Just remember GOD IS BIGGER THAN ANY PROBLEM. The problem with us humans is we tend to focus on how big our problems are instead of how big God is. The following is an email which I received from a friend who thought that my blog may be an ideal one to post it for all to see.

FEELING SUICIDAL?

Dear Friend,
I'm so sorry you’re going through a hard time. Good news, though—there
really is hope. Time will change your current situation. You’ll soon find that
these dark feelings are temporary. Peace and joy are available to you.
I'm not promising that you’ll never have losses, but the pain will pass as you
keep praying and seeking God. Keep your head high in this storm until the
sun shines again. Soon this dark period of your life will be behind you.

There is hope. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Recommendations:
(1) Go to other believers for encouragement.
Find a church home. Join a small Bible study in a home or church
setting. Surround yourself with others your age who seek God and
study His Word. (2) Listen to inspirational music.
You can find Christian music in your favorite style. Try your local
Christian radio station or one online. (3) Take time to read the Bible.
If you don't have a Bible, there are versions available on the Web
that you can download. Or ask your church for assistance. (4) Read the book, Purpose Driven Life. This is a great Bible study and will give you a sense of direction
and purpose for your life so you feel plugged in. (5) Get help.

Call 9-1-1 or go to an emergency room if you fear you are no
longer able to prevent taking your life. Allow someone outside
your situation to intervene. Also, consider going for counseling.
Seek out a pastor or other professional who will listen, care, and
help you with your struggles.

You are in our prayers during this difficult season in your life.

Linda Evans Shepherd

www.GodTest.com
Suicide Helpline: 1-800-SUICIDE


Sometimes good things happen suddenly. It was New Year's Eve 2003 when I considered
all the people contemplating ending their life that very night. As a person who has also experienced a dark night of the soul, I understood how a crisis, circumstance or depression could create a state of hopelessness. It’s only by the grace of God that I survived my dark night to live a life of joy.

Sometimes all it takes to survive a dark time is a little hope and encouragement as well as a fresh perspective of God's love. That's when I decided to hook up my interactive website, GodTest.com, with the suicidal lanes of the Internet.

That night 20 people came to Christ. By Monday morning 100 people had escaped suicide and found faith. Two weeks later, we were at 12,000 hits and 2000 souls coming to faith.

I soon added other features to the site. With each improvement, we experienced greater statistics. More than that, we received personal reports to show the site served a purpose. A depressed pastor wrote, "Thank you. This was the worst ministry day of my life. Your site helped me feel better." A dad of a disabled child wrote, "You saved two lives tonight. You see, I was going to kill both myself and my child, but your story has encouraged me. The two of us will live."

Since then, we have seen thousands of suicides prevented and over half a million people have come to faith. Millions have found the encouragement they need. We’ve recently redesigned the site and hope this will attract even more people to the site and encourage them to draw close to God.

As the president of a tiny nonprofit, Right to the Heart, we are delighted to help and encourage so many. Please visit the site, link to it from your online presence, and spread the word.

Linda Evans Shepherd
www.GodTest.com

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2005)

• 1.3% of all deaths are from
suicide.
• On average, one suicide
occurs every 16 minutes.
• Suicide is the second leading
cause of death for 25-34
year olds, as well as
college students.
• More people die from suicide
than from homicide.
• There were over 800,000
suicide attempts in 2005.

My Prayers are with you during this trying time.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!