Ministering to Those Dealing with Depression

Introduction to Depression

Depression is not something a lot we talk about in church. So what do I exactly mean when i say depression. I break depression down to three categories:

Spiritual

Seasonal/Situational

Clinical

Spiritual depression is a result of Spiritual warfare and sin. Thus it has to be addressed spiritually, if it will get healed.

Seasonal/Situational depression is the depression that comes because of life events. Deaths, divorce, SAD, etc.

Clinical depression is when you consistently struggle with depression because of chemical imbalances in the brain, psychological issues, etc.

So this is the framework we are going to us tonight to discuss depression. The order has importance. I’m ordering them in the order they affect the most people. Spiritual by far affects the most. Clinical the least, even though from a secular viewpoint the spiritual gets clumped with clinical.

No matter the type of depression, Spiritual techniques should always be a part of your plan to combat it.

Spiritual Depression

Introduction To Spiritual Depression

Spiritual depression comes from a result of sin and/or spiritual attacks from the devil.

Job 3 is a result of Job being depressed from a Spiritual attack. Which Job 3 would be a mixture of Spiritual and seasonal. So I am going to start off with discussing spiritual depression as a result of sin. The two passages I want to start with are Psalm 32:1-5 and Psalm 51:12

Psalm 51:12 ESV

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 32:1–5 ESV

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Upon being saved God blesses you with a special joy that is a result of your salvation and the changes He is bringing about in you.

If we are being honest the world does not realize how much joy they are truly missing because their hearts are not in the right place. When our heart issues start to be resolved a lot of the negative feelings we experience start to disappear and we start to live more joyfully.

The world struggles a lot with spiritual depression because they have this emptiness in them but choose the wrong ways to address it.

Rather it is drugs, alcohol, sex, work, false religion, TV, etc. they ignore the numbness and treat it poorly. They choose to medicate themselves rather than seek God. Will any of these fix people’s problems with spiritual depression? No.

As a Christian how will spiritual depression set in? Unrepentant sin. Living in an ungodly way. So anytime I counsel anybody with depression, even if I feel like it may not be spiritual depression, I ask them about their spiritual life. One because if it is spiritual and I’m treating them more like they are clinical are they going to get much of anywhere with their depression? More than likely not. But also spiritual counsel should always be a part of people’s depression therapy.

Also a big cause of spiritual depression is fear. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 says:

2 Timothy 1:6–7 ESV

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

God has not designed us to live fearful. If we live fearful we are going to get depressed.

Fear makes us forget the power of God. Fear gives worldly things power over us. That is not how we are meant to live. Their is nothing more powerful than God. Their is nothing God does not know. Fear is showing a lack of trust in God. Fear is building walls

Also take in mind sometimes some clinical depression could be Spiritual depression. Is there a scientific or psychological test to gauge spiritual depression?

How to Deal With Spiritual Depression

Prayer. How is your prayer life? Take all your cares to Christ (1 Peter 5:7). Spend time in your prayer. Talk honestly and openly with God.

Scripture. Memorize scripture. Meditate upon it. Read it. Seek Wisdom from it. Some apps i find helpful. Bible app. Bible Project. Verses. Dwell. Streetlights. Verses. Find what works for you. Start off with dedicating at least 5 minutes a day to reading Scripture.

Repent. Search your heart for sin that needs addressing. Ask God to reveal every sin to you. Repent for every single one by name.

Fast. Fasting is giving up something for a time to seek out God deeper. Most of the times it is food.

Accountability. Find an accountability partner.

Ask for prayer.

Evaluate how you use your time.

Seasonal/Situational Depression

We all struggle with depression at some point.

We are all human aren’t we? Life has gloomy days, that throws gloomy circumstances and events at us. If life sometimes does not effect you emotionally, something is very off.

SAD

This time of year many people struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is depression that usually sets in during the winter months. Causes you to be less motivated and feel depressed a lot.

The winter makes you get moody. Why? One your circadian rhythm gets a little off because of the changes in sunlight. So internal clock gets a little confused. Your serotonin (mood booster that helps you remain calm and concentrate) levels get out of whack too during the winter. Sunlight triggers an increase in the production of serotonin. Also melatonin levels get out of whack. Winter time your body produces more of it which leads to a decrease in motivation.

How to treat SAD. One is get outside. Drink Milk. Eat yogurt. Exercise. Keep an emotional journal and practice spiritual disciplines (important no matter what type of depression).

DEATH

Loosing loved ones to death causes depression.

Who has all ever lost someone close to them? We do experience a season of depression after the death of someone. There is nothing wrong with this period of grief. How long should it last? Really however long you need. There is not a wrong or right amount of time. Two scriptures i think of is Psalm 34:17-18

Psalm 34:17–18 ESV

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

and I also think of Revelation 21:4

Revelation 21:4 ESV

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Feelings of loosing someone to death?

When our heart breaks God is not going to leave us there alone. God is not going to let you be broken forever. God will heal the brokenness. But its a scary and heartbreaking and at times angry place to be. And if we are honest at times we let our vision fall away from Christ.

Anger

I have been there. When I lost my Granny to cancer, I was angry with God. I asked God why. Why He could take her. Why couldn’t He answer my prayers. I had anger at my parents. I was angry with them for not letting me be there when she passed. You want to know something though, it is alright to experience anger during this time. It only becomes an issue if you don’t come to a point where you process the anger and let your life become characterized by bitterness.

How do we work through this anger in a healthy manner? Again Spiritual disciplines. Also again Exercise. But let us get a little deeper. Let us start by addressing anger with God.

When you pray with God be honest with Him and fully tell Him what you think.

He knows it already, but you need to say it in order to deal with it. Don’t be fake. We know we are in the wrong when angry at God, but sometimes you cannot help when a feeling comes up. The times I have honestly prayed about my anger in the midst of that prayer God starts working on my heart. Many times by the end I am asking for forgiveness and praising.

Evaluate why you are angry with God. What does Scripture say about that issue?

My anger with God on this issue got fixed when I got saved. My anger came more out of free because I realized the fragility of life. I got saved about 6 months after my Granny passed. And God after saving me revealed to me He did heal my Granny, instead of giving her a temporary healing, he gave her an eternal healing.

Anger with people, how to deal with that? Write out why you are angry. Talk with whom you are angry with (when your emotions have calmed). Pray for them. Also be gracious. We are all human and if it is someone who loves you, they were making the decisions the thought were in everyone’s best interest.

In some cases we may be angry at the person who passed. And you may have a right to be angry with them. Anger is not a necessarily a bad emotion but it is if you let it go unchecked. Anger brings our feelings and emotions out and we need to deal with them healthy. I would encourage you to write a letter of forgiveness to the person you are angry at. Unchecked anger turns to bitterness and it only eats at you. We must learn to forgive. Pray for God to give you strength to forgive. It won’t be easy. I have talked with several boys who have lost their parents to bad choices and I feel angry at their parents when they tell me their stories.

How Could you Leave Us by NF

Don’t be afraid to deal with your emotions. Write them out (rather blunt or poetry or story). After writing them out for the day also find three positives from the day to write out because you will be in a season where it is hard to remember anything is good.

The storm does not last forever. The extreme pain doesn’t last forever. Now we do always in a sense carry the scars or the healed broken bones. Now do those places at times hurt or get irritated. Yes. Chris Young puts it well in his song Drowning, “I gotta say missing you comes in waves And tonight I'm drowning”