God Has Your Back, Even When Your Going Through A Tough Time!

There was a man who was 24 years old, He believed at the time he was called to preach, so he load up his wife and two children and headed to Bible College. His wife wasn’t happy leaving the state and leaving her father who was very ill with cancer.

The young preacher boy struggled with school, trying to work, be a father, and keep up with his grades. The wife had to drive back and forth between the her husband and her father. they husband and wife were separated weeks at a time. This caused stress on the family.

The young man started showing signs of depression and anxiety. He came to the point the young man attempted suicide. After spending sometime in a mental hospital ward. The young man decided to move his family back home and quit Bible College.

The young man suffered years of depression, and had many illnesses, and suicide attempts. He went as far as cussing and blaming God for his depression and illnesses, He even burned up his Bible, and his study books. He thought that God had abandoned him.

The young man sank rock bottom,he stopped going to church and quit following God. He did things he shouldn’t, and didn’t take responsibility for his action. He made the commit that he would never walk back in a church building again. Little did he know that God had a plan for his life.

One day his daughter invited

One day his daughter invited him to go to church with her for Easter, he really didn’t want to go, but he did. The pastor preached a messaged that went straight to his heart, moved him to repent and get right with God. He realized that he was the problem. He rededicated his life to God. He started going back to church.

He became a hospital chaplain, serving God. Later he felt his calling back to the ministry. He look round for a church who needed a pastor, and just couldn’t find one, so he felt that God had lead him to start a new church.

Everyone setting hear today is in the church he started. This is a true story and my testimony. I am that young man.

This morning I want to take about depression in a Christian’s life.

I’m going to list the different types of depression.

List some causes for depression

List a few myths about depression

Then, I’m going to talk about seven Biblical Characters who suffered from anxiety and depression.

I will show you how God had their backs, intervened and helped them to over coming.

Every person alive suffers from some sort of depression, if a person tells you they have never been depressed. I would find it very hard to believe.

A. The Different Types Of Depression.

Major Depression;

It’s when a person feels depressed most of the time, for most days of the week.

Persistent Depressive Disorder;

It’s when a person has depression that last 2 or more years.

Bipolar Disorder;

This type of depression is also known by the name Manic Disorder.

This type of depression has mood episodes that range from extremes of high entergy with an “up” mood to low “depression” periods.

Seasonal Affection Disorder or (SAD);

it’s a period of major depression that most often happens during the winter months and around holidays.

Psychotic Depression;

This is a major depression that comes along with “Psychotic Symptons

Hallucinations (Seeing or hearing things that are not there.)

Delusions (False Beliefs)

Paranoid (Wrongly believing others are trying to harm you.)

Postpartum Depression or the Baby Blues;

This type of major depression occurs weeks and months after a women give birth to their child or children.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD;

This type of depression a person gets after a serious and or frightening experience.

War, soldiers who where in combat. (Shell Shock until after the Vietnam War)

Natural Disaster, (Earthquake, Flood, Hurricane, or Tornado.)

Terrorist Attack

Serious Accident

Seeing someone, (Killed or Dying)

Violence against you. (Rape, Robbery, Assault)

All these forms of depression are known as clinical depression and should be treated by a doctor and counseling, before it get to far out of hand.

Situational Depression;

This is the most common type of depression.

Most people has had or have this type of depression.

This is a depressive mood when a person is having trouble managing a stressful event in their life.

A death of a love one or close friend.

A divorce or marital problems

Losing a job

Being or someone close to them being diagnosed with a life altering illness; such as, Cancer.

B. A Few Myths About Depression.

There are many out there today that say depressions is just an excuse to not work!

There are some out there they are just trying to get attention!

There are churches out there including some untrained pastors who say, “that Person is living in sin and just need to get right with God.”

They say, “If your truly saved you have no reason to be depressed.”

They say, “if your saved you should be to blessed to be depressed.”

I Say, “Hog Wash, you can be in a state of depression and still be a born again Christian!”

I’m now going to give you seven Biblical Characters who suffered from anxiety and depression. My last character will probably shock you.

I. Job.

Job, suffered through great loss, devastation, and physical illness.

Job 1:1 KJV 1900

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

I know some of you are thing, Bro. Mike, you said only Jesus was perfected on this earth, and that’s right.

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the Hebrew word for perfect is “Tam”

Translation: for the perfected man in the book of Job doesn’t imply absolute sinlessness. Remember Jesus was sinless, Job wasn’t

It does signifies completeness, integrity, sincerity

He was perfected in the sight of God.

We see this righteous man of God, lose literally everything.

So, great was his suffering and tragedy.

His own wife said:

Job 2:9 KJV 1900

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

b. That had to hurt.

v. Just look at what Job lost in a single day.

Oxens

Asses

Camels

Children

vi. I know Job had to be depressed! after hearing all this bad news look what Job did!

Job 1:20 KJV 1900

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

Job 1

vii. Job maintained his faithfulness to God throughout his life.

vi. Job maintained his faithfulness to God throughout his life.

Job

Job 1:21 KJV 1900

21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.

II. Moses.

Moses, was grieved over the sins of his people.

He had feelings of anger and betrayal from his own people.

Moses, as a leader, was about to quit.

Just think about it.

He lead his people out of bondage.

He lead them between the divide Red Sea.

He came down from a mountain with the Ten Commandments God gave him

Only to find the Israelites in complete chaos and sin.

His heart-cried out to God on their behalf.

Exodus 32:32 KJV 1900

32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

Exodus

III. Jeremiah.

Jeremiah wrestled with great loneliness, feelings of defeat, and insecurity.

Jeremiah was known as the “Weeping Prophet.”

He suffered from constant rejection by the people he loved and reached out to.

God called him to preach, yet he was forbidden to marry or have children.

He lived alone

He ministered alone

He was poor

He was ridiculed and rejected by his people.

In the mist of it, he displayed great spiritual faith and strength.

Yet he wrestled with despair and a sense of failure.

Jeremiah 20:14–18 KJV 1900

14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born: Let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. 15 Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; Making him very glad. 16 And let that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew, and repented not: And let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide; 17 Because he slew me not from the womb; Or that my mother might have been my grave, And her womb to be always great with me. 18 Wherefore came I forth out of the womb To see labour and sorrow, That my days should be consumed with shame?

Jeremiah

IV. Elijah.

Elijah, was discourage, weary and afraid.

After great spiritual victories over the prophets of baal.

The mighty man of God feared for his life and ran away.

He sat down and prayed, defeated and worn.

1 Kings 19:4 KJV 1900

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

V. Jonah.

Jonah, was angry and wanted to run away.

God called him to go to Nineveh to preach to the people.

Jonah was angry, he hated the Ninevites, and want to see God destroy them.

So, he ran in the opposite direction, got caught up in a storm, cast over board, and swallowed by a giant fish. (A Wail)

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales and how she had heard in Sunday School about how a whale had swallowed Jonah.

The teacher said, “It’s was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was very large mammal it’s throat was very small.”

The little girl remained steadfast in her position and reiterated that indeed, a whale had swallowed Jonah.

Irritated. the teacher again stated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said”I’m not sure how it happened, but when I get to heaven I will ask Jonah.”

The teacher replied smugly, “What if Jonah isn’t in Heaven?”

The little girl replied, Then you ask him.”

iv. God gave Jonah a second chance.

This timed he obeyed God

He preached God’s message

Ninevites repented and where spared God’s wrath.

Instead of rejoicing, Jonah got mad.

Jonah 4:3 KJV 1900

3 Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Jonah 4:9 KJV 1900

9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

Jonah 4:

VI. King David.

David was troubled and battled deep despair.

Many of his Psalms , he writes of his;

Anguish

Loneliness

Fears of enemies

His heart-cries over sin

Guilt he struggled with because of his sins

He grieved over the loss of his infant son.

1 Samuel 12:15–23 KJV 1900

15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers. 16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king. 18 So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; 21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. 23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

2 Samuel 12:15–23 KJV 1900

15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. 17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. 18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? 19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

1 Samuel 12:15 KJV 1900

15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.

2 Samuel 18:33 KJV 1900

33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

2 Samuel

1 Samuel

:

There are Five Stages of Grief.

Denail

Anger

Brargaing

Depression

Acceptance.

There is no set time for a person to stop grieving over a loss of a love one.

It’s different for everyone.

I have heard a person say, “There dead, there not coming back, just get over it.”

Grieving is important, and takes time for a person to deal with a lost.

Animals grief the lost of their master

Jesus grieved the loss of Lazarus

John 11:33–36 KJV 1900

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

John 11:35 KJV 1900

35 Jesus wept.

iii. David’s honesty with his own weakness’s gives hope to us who struggle today.

Psalm 38:4 KJV 1900

4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: As an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

P

Psalm 42:11 KJV 1900

11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 42:

VII. Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself was deeply anguished over what lay before Him.

He knew what was to come.

He knew that God had called Him to a journey of great suffering.

He knew what must happen in order for us to live truly free.

Isaiah prophesied that Christ would be. “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Isaiah 53:3 KJV 1900

3 He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah

b. In the garden, throughout the night, Jesus prayed, all alone, calling out to His Father.

Asking Him for another way.

Mark 14:34–36 KJV 1900

34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

ii. The Bible said great was His anguish that He sweet drops of blood .

Luke

Luke 22:44 KJV 1900

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

iii. We can be assured, that in whatever we face, Jesus understands our weakness and suffering.

c. What’s true about all these stories and many others like these, is that God was with them and had there backs.

Psalm 34:18–19 KJV 1900

18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Psalms 34:

Psalm 34:18 KJV 1900

18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

We often wish we could escape troubles,

The pain of grief, loss, sorrow, and failure.

Even the small daily frustrations that constantly wear us down.

God promises to be our source of power, courage, and wisdom.

Helping us through our problems.

Sometimes He chooses to deliver us from those problems.

When trouble strikes,

Don’t get frustrated with God.

Instead, humbly admit that you need God’s help and think Him for being by your side.

As I’m closing out this message, I want to give you a few scriptures that will help when you fall into depression, despair or become anxious.

Philippians 4:6–8 KJV 1900

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:6

1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV 1900

31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:

1 Peter 5:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Matthew 6:34 KJV 1900

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

James 5:15 KJV 1900

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

James

My favorite scripture verse when i’m feeling depressed.

Psalm 23:1–6 KJV 1900

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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