Dealing with Depression
Notes
Transcript
Self-Talk and Depression
day long, “Where is your God?” Why, my soul, are you
downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
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“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for
you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When
can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day
and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your
God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I
used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty
One with shouts of
joy
and
praise
among the festive
throng. Why, my
soul,
are
you
downcast? Why so
disturbed
within
me? Put your hope
in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My
soul is downcast within me; therefore, I will remember you from
the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount
Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your
waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs
his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of
my life. I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My
bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all
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While we don’t know the precise circumstances that led
the psalmist to write these words, many of us can relate to the
depths of despair he describes, where waves of helplessness
seem to wash away every trace of joy. His anguish echoes our
own struggles, especially when sorrow feels overwhelming,
threatening to extinguish any sense of happiness or peace. In
fact, one in five adults is currently experiencing mental illness,
and by the age of
40, nearly half of
Canadian
adults
will have faced
such
challenges.
The multibilliondollar industry of
antidepressants like
Prozac, Paxil, and
Zoloft speaks to the widespread nature of these struggles. While
brain chemistry can certainly play a role, our mindset and selftalk also contribute significantly to feelings of depression. In
times of adversity—whether perceived or real—we often adopt
a negative view of our lives, seeing them as void of meaning or
hope. The prophet Jeremiah captures this feeling when he recalls
his afflictions with "bitterness and gall" (Lamentations 3:19), as
does David, who laments, "My heart pounds, my strength fails
me; even the light has gone from my eyes" (Psalm 38:10). Yet,
as followers of Christ, should we allow ourselves to sink into
such hopelessness when we serve a Savior who reigns sovereign
over all things, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16)? In
this sermon, we will explore the sources of depression and
uncover biblical principles to break free from this stronghold,
making every thought captive to Christ.
Depression in the Bible
You may feel like you're one of the few Christians who
experiences depression, but many key figures in the Bible,
including prophets, kings, and disciples, faced deep emotional
and mental struggles. King David, in a time of despair, lamented,
“I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about
mourning. I am feeble and
utterly crushed; I groan in
anguish of heart” (Psalm
38:6, 8). Job, after
enduring severe suffering,
questioned, “Why did I
not perish at birth, and die
as I came from the
womb?”
(Job
3:11).
Similarly, Jeremiah, after delivering God’s message of judgment
to a largely rejecting audience, fell into depression, saying,
“Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?” (Jeremiah 20:18). Moses,
overwhelmed by leadership and the complaints of the Israelites,
pleaded with God, “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the
burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat
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me, please go ahead and kill me” (Numbers 11:14-15). Jonah,
frustrated with God’s mercy toward Nineveh, expressed his
depression with the words, “Now, Lord, take my life, for it is
better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:3). Even the Apostle
Paul, amid persecution and imprisonment, confessed, “We were
under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we
despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). These examples
show that even God’s faithful servants struggled with deep
sorrow, yet they ultimately found hope in Him.
Patterns of Distorted Self-Talk
We are no more immune to depression than the great
figures in the Bible. Living in a fallen world that is in bondage
to decay (Romans 8:21), both
the
righteous
and
the
unrighteous experience both
good and bad circumstances
(Matthew
5:45).
When
adversity strikes, Dr. Aaron
Beck notes that we often
engage in distorted, negative
self-talk,
drawing
bleak
conclusions about our present
or future based on little
evidence. For instance, despite God's sovereignty, Elijah feared
that Jezebel would succeed in her threat to kill him (1 Kings
19:2). At other times, we fixate on isolated details, as Elijah did
when he believed that being alone in his confrontation with the
prophets of Baal meant he was the last of God's prophets (1
Kings 19:10). We also tend to interpret isolated incidents as
evidence of a general pattern, such as those who grew up in
abusive homes associating raised voices with impending
physical abuse. Additionally, we may blow a wide range of
evidence out of proportion or misinterpret external events as
personal failures, like Jeremiah, who felt abandoned by God
when Judah fell. One of the most damaging forms of self-talk is
perfectionism, where we divide the world into "perfect" or
"worthless," allowing our imperfections to fuel selfcondemnation.
Tips on how to Break the Stronghold of
Depression
Let’s examine key Bible verses that offer four steps to
breaking the stronghold of depression. While some depression is
caused
by
chemical
imbalances or traumatic life
events, we must also
recognize
that
many
feelings of hopelessness and
despair can be traced to
spiritual attacks from Satan.
Thoughts like 'everything is
my fault,' 'I'm not good
enough,' or 'nothing will
ever improve' often have their roots in the enemy's schemes. As
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the Apostle Paul explains, 'we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and the powers of this
dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms' (Ephesians 6:12). Although life’s challenges
may leave us feeling hard-pressed and struck down, we are not
crushed by despair (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) because greater is He
who is within us than the one who sends these attacks (1 John
4:4). In this broken world where we live as sheep among wolves
(Matthew 10:16), God works all things for the good of those who
love Him (Romans 8:28). While He may not immediately
remove our trials, His power is made perfect in our weakness,
and His grace is sufficient to help us see His purpose beyond the
storm. Once we recognize that spiritual forces are a significant
source of our depression, we can confidently call upon the same
God who empowered David to slay Goliath to tear down the
walls of our negative self-talk.
While depression can be a result of spiritual attacks, it’s
important to recognize that professional help is often necessary
as well. Some cases of
depression are rooted
in chemical
imbalances, trauma, or
other physiological
factors that require
medical treatment or
counseling. Just as
God works through doctors to heal physical illnesses, He also
equips mental health professionals to assist in the healing of
emotional and psychological wounds. Unfortunately, there can
be a stigma in Christian communities surrounding mental
health struggles, where seeking help is sometimes viewed as a
lack of faith. However, seeking therapy or medication is not a
sign of weakness or doubt, but can be part of God's plan for
healing. The Bible reminds us that 'every good and perfect gift
is from above' (James 1:17), and this includes the wisdom and
skills of mental health professionals. Combining spiritual
support with professional help allows us to address both the
physical and spiritual dimensions of our well-being, bringing
us closer to the wholeness God desires for us.
The second step in breaking the stronghold of depression
is to exchange your heavy yoke for the light burden offered by
Christ. After King David feigned madness before Abimelek,
king of Gath, to escape, he wrote Psalm 34, declaring, “The Lord
is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed
in
spirit”
(v.18).
Similarly, in Psalm 42,
the Sons of Korah
confronted their own
despair, asking, “Why,
my soul, are you
downcast? Why so
disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God” (v.5). Later,
in Psalm 46, they remind us that “God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.” The Apostle Peter exhorts us to
humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand so that He may lift
us up in due time, casting all our anxieties on Him, for He cares
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for us (1 Peter 5:6-7). In times of affliction, when the dark clouds
of depression overwhelm us, we must cling to God’s promise:
“Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:8).
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, invites all who are weary and
burdened to come to Him, where He offers rest and a yoke that
is easy and light, taking upon Himself the burdens that crush our
souls (Matthew 11:28-30).
The third step in breaking the stronghold of depression
is to embrace the truth that God’s plan for your life is truly
extraordinary! Despite the Israelites enduring 70 years of exile
due to their disobedience, God still gave them a message of
hope: “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” (Jeremiah 29:11). Similarly, the Apostle Paul
reminds us that “we are
God’s
handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to
do good works, which
God prepared in advance
for us to do” (Ephesians
2:10). God does not
desire for us to be
paralyzed by negative self-talk or consumed by our
circumstances; rather, He calls us to “trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your
ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight”
(Proverbs 3:5-6). When we place our trust in Him, King David
assures us that God will “instruct you in the way you should go;
He will counsel you with His loving eye on you” (Psalm 32:8).
As we surrender control to God and serve Him with all our heart,
mind, soul, and strength, we experience inexpressible joy,
knowing that while the journey may not always be easy, it is
filled with hope. Ultimately, we are guaranteed the reward of
“the salvation of our souls” (1 Peter 1:9) and the promise of
eternity with the Lord, our portion and inheritance
(Lamentations 3:24).
The family of God is a universal body, bound and sealed
by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), and the local church is
where we gather to celebrate the diversity of our gifts, united
under one Lord, Savior, and King (Ephesians 4:4-6). Just as
Christ comforts
us in our trials,
we are called to
comfort others.
His command to
love one another
is fulfilled when
we carry each
other’s burdens
(Galatians 6:2), encourage one another, and build each other up
in faith (1 Thessalonians 5:11). So when we see someone
drowning in the sea of depression, let us not pass them by, but
stop, pray, and remind them that we, too, have walked through
valleys devoid of hope. Yet, in Christ, we found a Good
Shepherd who trades His yoke for ours, offers shelter under His
wings, and reveals His glorious plan to love and not harm His
own.
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