The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Exodus 14:14 NKJV
In 2006, I was diagnosed with clinical depression.
“Day after day, tears escaped unceasingly. Anything and everything produced an emotional avalanche. I picked over my food with no real interest, except for sweets. I gorged on them begging them to numb the pain. Nothing beckoned to me. No interest in any activity. Life held no attraction either. It became a horrific task I had to endure until it ended, and I begged God to take me home.
When I found the luxury of sleep, I dreaded the moment I awoke. Each time I did, I had to relive the nightmare of my life.
I had unintentionally penciled God out of my schedule that year. Actually, both times I survived depression; I had overextended myself. My world centered around my daughter. Little time remained for God between home school activities and making arrangements for my mom in a halfway decent nursing facility for dementia patients. Now, my mom didn’t recognize me, and my daughter became the prodigal.” * (Excerpt from Eyes of Faith: Winning the Battle between Our Feelings and Our Faith)
Depression comes with multiple symptoms in different varieties. If you can relate to anything in the above paragraphs, or you suffer differently, but you think you or a loved one is depressed, please seek help!
Last month, a well-known preacher took his own life because of depression. He had been an advocate for mental health. He worked to remove the stigma depression carries in the church. How can someone be in such a dark place feeling so hopeless without anyone knowing?
Actually, the people the devil wants to attack will be the advocates. He will seek people in ministry who have a voice, like me. And he certainly will try to take you down after a spiritual victory, because the further you fall, the deeper you plunge into that pit.
Child of God, if you have suicidal thoughts or anxiety that lingers on, please seek medical help. There isn’t a command in Scripture that says, “Thou shalt not take anti-depressants.”
Hang on, because we have a fight on our hands. The enemy knows his time is limited. He’s attacking God’s people. Depression is one way he gains some real estate in our minds, the battlefield. But it is a battle we can win. With the right treatments, the right therapy, the right meds, and with God. We can take back the control of our minds. It is a choice we must make daily. The choice for faith over our feelings. The choice to say, “Oh no devil, you won’t win today!”
I will be posting more about depression this month, but today, I want to tell you that you are not alone. Depression is very real. Today, I urge you to get help. Today, I want to remind you that God is fighting for you. Today, I want to encourage you to read your Bible and pray, because friend, we can win this battle when we don’t give up.
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Originally posted on September 16, 2020 @ 7:37 pm