Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about DEPRESSION.
We hear so much about depression, it's almost everywhere.
According to ADA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America),
anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US -
affecting 40 million adults in the US, age 18 and older.
And the WHO says that more than 260 million people suffer from depression worldwide.
That's a lot of people. And in a lot of cases it leads to suicide.
So let's talk about this, let's talk about depression, and how we should handle it.
Let's take a look at what the Bible says about depression.
Now just very quick; if it's the first time that you're here, my name is Daniel Maritz,
and WELCOME to DLM Christian Lifestyle!
where we preach biblical truth in a balanced way.
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Now, I'm not going to tell you what depression is because you probably already know,
but depression is often triggered by difficult or hard life circumstances.
Like divorce, financial issues, abuse, the loss of a loved one, low self-esteem or illness.
Now, first you need to know that the Bible does not use the word "depression" specifically,
probably because it didn't exist back then. Just like the word 'dinosaur'.
The word "dinosaur" only existed in the 1800's. The Bible talks about "tannin" - 'dragon'.
And just like it, the Bible uses different words that could describe "depression"
like 'despairing', 'troubled', 'mourning', 'downcast', 'broken-hearted' or 'miserable'.
When we look at the Bible, we see many examples of depression,
even from godly people, like David, Elijah, & Jeremiah.
David said in Psalm 42:11, "Why are you cast down, o my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?"
David experienced great sadness because of times of lowliness, fear of his enemies, he lost his child, and also because of his sin.
And Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 20:18,
"Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?"
Jeremiah was pretty much a loner...
God called him to be a prophet in a very difficult time and people rejected him.
He could not start a family, he could not marry, and he was pretty much poor and a loner.
And Elijah said in Kings 19:4, "'I have had enough, Lord,' he said.
'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.'"
Elijah said this when he ran into the wilderness; he ran for his life - from Jezebel.
And then he just had enough and he wanted to die.
There are many more examples...
The person who probably had it the worst is Job.
He said in Job 3: 25-26,
"For the thing that I fear, comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes."
Most of you already know the story of Job;
sometimes we just read it but we don't actually realize what he went through.
He lost everything: his family, his possessions, and even his health.
And he said in Job 10:1, "I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul."
Take some time to read through these stories to learn why these people felt the way they did.
What did they do to get them into this position and how did they get out of it?
How did God bring them out of this dark hole into the light, into joy and peace?
At the end all of them learned how to fully trust God.
Proverbs 3: 5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
Do you believe it?
Do you believe what I've just read to you? Do you have true faith in God? In His promises?
Let me read it again to you;
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
If you don't believe that then there's something wrong with your faith, because God doesn't change.
He's always the same; yesterday, today and tomorrow.
And He always keeps His promises.
You need to trust Him.
Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
First, you need faith for salvation, believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
But then you need faith to trust in God for your everyday life,
that He will keep His promises and take care of you,
He will give you what He knows you need.
Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to His purpose."
Do you understand this verse?
It doesn't say that everything you experience in life will be good.
NO
It says that God will work everything together for good - that means good times & bad times - together.
I've said this in another video, but let me say it again: It's like baking a cake;
All the ingredients of a cake by its own, does not taste good.
Salt is terrible,
sugar maybe better but unhealthy,
chocolate even better,
flour no thank you,
and the list goes on.
All the ingredients are different, but now put them all together and you get a delicious cake.
And so it is with your life as well; God uses the good and the bad to make a perfect cake - to change you.
God allows good and bad in our lives to change us.
So what you view as bad things in your life are only the ingredients that God uses to change you, to shape you,
so that you will grow more spiritually and become more like Jesus.
Isaiah 64:8 says, "But now, o Lord, you are our Father,
we are the clay, and you are our Potter;
we are all the work of Your hand."
So now you also understand the verse in Romans 8:28 a little bit better.
But what is the condition here for God's promise?
Because you can't just quote the part that you like and leave the rest,
you can't just say 'Well God works everything good together'.
There's a CONDITION for this promise.
It says "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good,
for those who are cold according to His purpose."
This is only a promise for true children of God.
It is not for those people who say that they are Christian but their fruit are just like the rest of the world - they keep living in sin.
There are a lot of fake Christians today.
Jesus says in John 15:1, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
You need to know that even Christians, yes even the most mature Christians,
can still fall in depression if they don't fully surrender every aspect of their lives to God -
if they don't fully trust Him, trust Him even in difficult times, with an unknown future...just like the people of the Bible.
But Jesus said in John 16:33, "...in Me you have may peace.
In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart;
I have overcome the world."
The biggest challenge for you as a Christian is to let go and let God.
And by 'let go' I don't mean you just pray a little bit and sit back and wait for God to do everything.
No, I mean you have to let go of your control, trying to force everything according to your will instead of trusting God's will.
This is also what Jeremiah learned.
Jeremiah 17:7 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Are you rooted in Jesus Christ?
If you are then you won't fear hardships, it won't have any effect over you.
Why? Because you trust God, you have real faith in Him.
You trust God almighty and you know that He is in control of every situation of your life,
even in the unknown future, He is already there - He's not limited by time.
But if you are not rooted in God then you are just an easy target for the devil and easily led by your fickle emotions.
James 1:6 says, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
Verse 7 says, "For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
If you are rooted in Jesus Christ you are stable,
because you know that this temporary world will always bring you ups and downs, hard times, difficult times,
but now you are able to go through it with joy!
Why? Because your eyes are fixed on Jesus and not your circumstances so it cannot take away your joy.
Isaiah 26:3 says, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in you."
You will not have peace if you don't accept what God allows in your life -
even if it is difficult, because He will allow difficult times in your life to change you and to test your faith.
1 Peter 1: 3-7 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading kept in heaven for you,
who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Now listen to this: "In this you rejoice,
though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
so that the tested genuineness of your faith
- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire -
may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Our first reaction when we experience a difficult time is usually
"Oh no. Oh man, I don't want this to happen"
ARRGGHHH
That's our first reaction right,
but if we truly have faith in Jesus Christ then the reaction will be so different.
We will look at it with joy because James 1: 2-4 says,
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And lets steadfastness have its full effect,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
We focus too much on the things of this world, too much on ourselves, selfish people,
and not enough on God, on the eternal things.
This world is passing by, it's gonna be gone in an instant.
And when you stand in front of God one day, all these things that you're worried about will actually have no meaning at all.
You need to focus on God - keep your eyes fixed on Him while you still have time in this world.
Focus on your relationship with God because at the end that's all that matters.
And He wants you to go to Him if your burdens are too much to carry.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me,
all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
You need to learn to live within the 'rest' of Jesus, the rest that He gives you.
The moment you go and do your own thing, you kind of move out of the 'rest' of Jesus,
and that is also the moment when you lose your inner peace.
Learn to trust God fully.
Fully surrender to Him with every aspect of your life.
If you do it, He promises that He will take care of you.
Matthew 6: 25-33 says, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life,
what you will eat or what you will drink,
nor about your body, what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they?
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
And why are you anxious about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
will He not much more clothe you, o you of little faith?
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
for the gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all."
And here's the condition for His promise:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you."
Now listen to me very carefully;
I'm saying this with a lot of love,
if you truly trust God and have true faith, if you truly understand who God is,
you will not have depression.
So let me read this verse to you again;
Proverbs 3: 5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
If you have depression, go to God.
Take all your burdens to Him. Go to Him seriously, in prayer, and let Him break you free of it.
Surrender your whole life, every aspect of your life to God.
If you want to grow more spiritually, stronger in Christ,
then please watch one of these videos here, and I'll see you there!
And always remember:
GOD LOVES YOU
and I love you too!
BYE!