I got saved at aprox. age 11, so have been a Christian 33-34yrs of my life. After that, being a child, I just presumably thought the rest of my life would be lollipops & rainbows. I thought well if I read my Bible, loved the Lord, went to church & made some solid biblical choices then my life would be without the illnesses, tragedies, pain & heartaches that this world brings. Well much to my surprise, it wasn’t. I do believe that if I obey God & follow His guidance in my life that He will bless me abundantly, as He has, but that doesn’t mean my life is perfect. In fact, it’s far from perfect!
I have struggled with depression since my teenage years…so basically the majority of my life. I have probably had more downs than ups during these many years, unfortunately. But I have come to realize that I, myself, am to blame for a lot of the downs. Being a Christian, God has NEVER left my side, yet I left His many times. When negative thoughts seep in & negative choices are made, as a result of that, we are unconsciously distancing ourselves from God.
Unfortunately, those of us who struggle with depression know all too well the disturbing thoughts and feelings that we have to battle daily. Depression can, and usually does, have a major negative impact on a sufferer’s life. Experts say the effect it has, can be compared to that of other chronic conditions; such as diabetes. We suffer from one or many symptoms of depression such as: sadness, thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, self hatred, hopelessness, helplessness, feeling like crying, guilt, irritability-even trivial things become annoying, angry outbursts, intolerance toward others, thoughts of self harm, suicide, worry, and persistent anxiety.
Merriam Webster defines depression as such; 1. a state of feeling sad 2. a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, & unimportant & often is unable to live in a normal way 3. a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking & concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite & time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection & hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies
Depression is a real disease/medical illness! A person that is sad only occasionally, is not dysfunctional. A person that is clinically depressed is. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) causes a person to be incapable of performing duties & destroys relationships. It is as serious and as real of a handicap as any physical one. Research has shown that individuals coping with depression have a higher level of stress hormones in their bodies and decreased activity in some areas of the brain upon brain scan. Depression is caused by chemical changes in the body which obviously cannot be overcome simply by positive thinking, determination, or willed away; any more than heart disease or diabetes can. It’s normal to feel sad at times, but if you’re sad all the time & it affects your daily life, you probably have clinical depression like me. So…..it’s pretty obvious that we “suffer” if we are struggling with these things mentioned, often on a daily basis, some days more than others. And anyone who suffers with all of these many things, that affects their physical AND mental well being, is going to have some major negative consequences in their life. That makes it even more important for us to stay near to God.
I used all of these symptoms as an excuse or a crutch for many years. Did they cause me much pain & suffering? Absolutely! I struggled with, not just 2 or 3 of these symptoms but, every single one of them. Often I would struggle with many at one time. It is not easy being a victim of such a chronic illness but with God in your heart & on your side you can do it.
The reason I am to blame for a lot of the depressing times that I’ve experienced in my life is because of the times that I strayed away from God. I allowed negative thoughts into my mind & did not fight them, but instead, I was weak & gave into them.
These negative thoughts turn into negative feelings which allow the devil to take charge. We begin with negative feelings of others or ourselves, we become irritable, angry, helpless, & hopeless which extends to feelings of guilt, thoughts of self harm, or even suicide.
We, as Christians, must learn to stop those negative thoughts or feelings as soon as we experience them! This is not at all an easy task! For those of us who struggle with depression, it can be extremely difficult. Often, we are already sad or depressed or feeling down when the devil attacks, and are sometimes too weak to fight back. Well it’s true, “we” alone, (meaning without God) are! We must stay close to Him in prayer & Bible study to be able to fight back.
Satan is so powerful & clever that no human being can successfully resist his influence…without God’s help. Therefore, the key to resisting the devil is to sincerely & consistently draw near & remain close to God. God’s word assures us: “Therefore submit to God, resist the devil, & he will flee from you.” James 4:7
See my next post to see how the devil kept me from enjoying life for so long….and for a continuation of submitting to God & resisting the devil…..& how to do this!