Depression

***  We are not medical physicians and are not giving medical advice as a medical physician.  This is a biblical study ***

***  If you feel like hurting yourself or someone else, please go immediately to your nearest emergency room hospital for help ***

When you hold onto Jesus you cannot hold onto anything else.

• What is Depression?

• I feel so bad, what should I pray?

• What are the symptoms of depression?

• What causes depression?

• How should depression be treated?

• Can God really help my depression?

• How can I receive God's help?

• Where is your hope?

• What can I do to overcome my depression?

• Why would God allow me to suffer with depression?

• Should I go see a medical doctor for my depression?

It is easy for us to be overwhelmed with our busy and hectic lives, but we must learn to discern where these thoughts and feelings are originating from and how to dismantle destructive emotions before they overtake us.  We must know how to resist empowering negative emotions and how to expel them from our lives.

Know this - disease and illness - including depression - does not come from God.

The Lord God is for us - God is for you - God is on your side.  God loves you, God thinks about you, God desires you to be with Him now, today, and forevermore.

God loves you and desires the very best for you and for your life. 

Have you asked God to heal you?   If you have not received God's free gift of salvation do it today, don't wait another day, no one is promised a tomorrow.

We are all saved the exact same way - by the grace of God through faith in God, faith that He can and will save us from sin and death.  Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 3:26

Don't delay, ask God today to heal whatever is broken in your life, heal your depression, heal your mind, heal your heart, heal your spirit.

The dictionary defines depression as a pressing down; lowering.  Depression is a state of feeling sad, lowness of spirits (dejection). 

The word 'depression' is a 14th century word, not found in the Holy Bible.  Reference to 'sad' and 'sadness' are in the Holy Bible.  Sadness is being void of happiness, feeling unhappy.

Chronic depression is an illness.  As with any illness that attacks our bodies, we must take it serious and seek treatment.

PLEASE, if you are thinking about hurting yourself or someone else, you should seek immediate medical help from a professional.  Don't delay, call someone.  You can go directly to any doctor's office or emergency room and ask for help.

"Thou shalt NOT kill" goes for yourself, as for others, and is a commandment from God, and cannot be broken for any reason (Exodus 20:13). 

Do not be deceived.  Many people erroneous believe that suicide is their only answer to their problem.  They allow their problem to grow so big in their mind that to them it is bigger and more powerful than even God.  But nothing is bigger or more powerful than God.  God holds ultimate power over all things - there is no power but of God (Romans 13:1).  God can and will help anyone who comes to Him.

Suicide is never the answer to any problem, as it never ends any problem, it only adds to the problem.  Suicide is the great lie told to many by the devil himself, as only the devil seeks to kill and destroy.  1 Peter 5:6-8

God promises to give us a way out of every seemingly hopeless situation (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

God can give you hope and God can change your life, but you must believe that He can and ask Him. 

Through prayer we reach out to God, believing that He can heal us and that He can save us.

The Scriptures tell us that, "whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21).

Call on the name of Jesus, and He promises to help you today, right now, where ever you are.

Prayer for hope:

If you sincerely pray a prayer like this to God, God promises to hear you and answer you, and give you His free gift of salvation, and help you live the life that He has planned for you.  God has a plan for your life today. 

After you pray this prayer, you should seek out another believer and tell them of your decision to follow Christ, find a good Bible teaching group of other believers, read and study the Word of God, grow in the faith and pray to God every day, thanking Him for giving you His gift of eternal salvation.

Depression is marked by sadness, moodiness, helplessness, hopelessness, worry, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, increase or decrease in appetite, increase or decrease in weight, increase or decrease of sleep, and feeling suicidal.

There are many types of depression, acute, chronic, manic.  Depression can go away in a few weeks or be severe and long lasting.

Because every person is different, the symptoms of depression can be different.  It may be very evident that some people have depression, while others may not show any outward signs.

There are many causes for depression - loss, pain, trauma, illnesses, stress, disease, mental disorders, tumors, physical limitations and age.

The causes of depression vary.  Different people have different types of depression.  Not all depression is the same.  Not all depression lasts for years.  Not all depression is clinical depression.

For a medical diagnosis of depression, see a physician.

Some times we become depressed when we focus on a problem and let it consume our thoughts.  God asks us to give Him all our problems, as He is able to take care of us and because He cares for us and loves us.

Some times we become depressed because we hold on to past hurts, we relive the past over and over, we cannot forgive someone and that unforgiveness turns into bitterness that causes us illness and depression, we think on things that we shouldn't think on.

Scriptures tells us what we are to think about, what we are to focus on, who we are to center ourselves on, who and what we are to follow after, how we are to occupy our minds, how we are to keep our hearts, how to forgive all people for all things, how to press on forward, how to leave the past behind.

Jesus said we err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29).  Not all times, but many times depression is the result of not doing what God has for us to do, following His instructions, following His map for our lives, that He has so preciously, lovingly, graciously given to us all in His Holy Word.

• Do what God has for us to do:  Philippians 4:9
• Trust in God:  Psalm 56:11; Proverbs 3:5-7
• Be content in what you have:  Philippians 4:11
• God abundantly supplies all your needs:  Philippians 4:19
• Forgive all people for all things:  Ephesians 4:32
• Don't let bitterness into your life:  Ephesians 4:13
• Think on these things:  Philippians 4:8
• Focus on God not problems:
• Give God all your problems: 1 Peter 5:7
• Pray and ask God for His help:  Philippians 4:6
• Leave the past behind you:  Philippians 3:13
• Press on, move forward:  Philippians 3:14
• Rejoice in the Lord always:  Philippians 4:4
• Trust in God to give you peace:  Philippians 4:7
• Know that with Christ Jesus you can do anything:  Philippians 4:13

As with any drastic changes in your health, you should consult your doctor.  If any illness continues for a substantial period of time, then you should seek medical help.

As with any problem - emotional, physical, mental, or otherwise, you should seek help from the Great Physician, the Master's help, God's help.

God is always waiting to help us with all our problems, with every illness and disease, with every pain and discomfort. 

The Scriptures tell us that we are to give all our cares to our Heavenly Father, because He cares for us.

Absolutely, YES!  God can help your depression.

With God all things are possible!  (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27).

God can not only help, but God is able and willing to cure your depression permanently.

God is waiting and willing to heal all people of all things, who come to Him in faith to heal them.

The key is faith.  We must have faith that God is able to cure what ails us, in order to be healed.

Nothing is greater than God, even depression.  Nothing is too difficult for Him.

God heals people from depression every day, every hour of the day, seven days a week, all year long, every year.

God is waiting to heal you, all you need to do is ask in faith and receive His healing, today.

God promises to answer all the prayers of all His children.

For more information see - PRAYER

God wants us to ask Him for His help. 

God desires that you come to Him in faith, and believe that He is God and He is able to help you.

And, the wonderful grace of God, will even help you with your unbelief, all you must do is ask Him in faith, just say, "Please God, I believe in you, help me in my unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

When you come to God, seek God, believe in God, trust that He is the one true living God, when you have faith in God, then all the doors to His blessings and His healing are wide open to you.

The first step you must take to receive God's help is to receive His salvation. 

By seeking God, looking to Him, believing that He alone can save your soul from sin and death, you can be saved.

Salvation is the gift of God, from God alone, to all people who come to Him in faith, faith that He is able to save them from sin and death, and that He will save them, because God is love.

The love of God makes our salvation possible, because God sent His very own Son down to this earth, to shed His blood on His cross, so that the whole world might be saved.

Receiving the salvation of God is the first step on the road to recovery from depression, or any illness or disease, hurt or pain.

The salvation of God is available to anyone who asks God for it, who comes to God and asks.

For more information see - SALVATION

Our salvation comes from the God of Hope, not the god of depression.  

Who is the god of depression?  The devil is the god of the dead, the devil is the god of the wicked and all evil, the devil is the god of this wicked world, the devil is the god of all sickness and disease and all depression and the father of all lies (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 8:44).

The God of our salvation promises us hope, peace, rest, comfort, joy, and a sound mind.  Hope is from God, depression is NOT from God.

We serve the God of Hope, who promises to fill us overflowing and abundantly with all joy and peace, that we may abound in hope continually (Romans 15:13).

Through salvation we receive Christ by faith, who is the Hope of Glory Himself (Colossians 1:27). 

As believers our hope is in Christ and our Hope is Christ.  The believers of Christ have hope in the Lord (Psalm 31:24).  The unbelieving, the lost of this world are without hope (Jeremiah 18:12). 

We are to place our hope continually in our Lord God, renewing our faith and pledge to Him every day.

Happy is he whose hope is in the LORD his God, but hope deferred makes the heart sick.

Where is your hope?  Has your hope been deferred, derailed, misplaced?

Take ownership of your hope today.  Place your hope in God, defer it no longer.  Get right with God today.

Cast the devil out of your life for good.  Take back what the evil one has stolen from you, and refuse to take part in the devil's sickness of depression.  You aren't ignorant of what you must do, God gave you a mind, use it and get right with God today.

God gives us answers to all our problems through prayer and in His Holy Word. 

God desires to guide us through every issue of life and death.

Salvation

The first step to overcoming depression is salvation.

First and foremost, God wants to give us His free gift of salvation.  By accepting God's gift of salvation, God Himself sets us free from sin and death.  Through faith to salvation we are all given the power of God to overcome all things, even depression.

For some people, depression is dissolved when they receive the salvation of God, but not for all.

Prayer

Prayer is communication with God.  Through prayer we communicate with God. 

God loves us and cares about everything that concerns us.

God desires to hear the desires of our hearts.

God waits to hear from us every morning, every day, every hour.

God delights in us.  The love of God passes all understanding.  We cannot comprehend the love that God has toward us.

God promises to answer all prayers according to His will.

Praying to God has never made any situation worse, only better.

Guarding and guiding your thoughts

We are to take responsibility.  We are to guard our thoughts.  We are to train our minds to think on the things of God, think on what He says to think on. 

We are to guide our thoughts to God, to Christ. 

We are to think on these things - not whether or not we feel depressed.

Our focus is Christ, not what is going on around us, and especially what has happened in our past. We are to let go of the dead past - leaving that which is behind and pressing forward, upward.

Accept the promises of God

God promises to heal all people who come to Him in faith believing that He can and will heal them.

The God of peace

Our God is the God of peace.  God will give you His peace, which will extinguish any depression.

Depression is not peace.  Depression is sadness, melancholy, suffering and pain.

What do you speak to yourself?  What are you telling yourself?  What did you say when you woke up today? 

Are you telling yourself that you are depressed?  If you are then you need to stop it.  Our words have influence over how we feel.

Our thoughts matter a great deal.  Our thoughts - what we think about - our mental recordings - is what we are speaking to ourselves.  God instructs us to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs - why? - because singing and making a melody in our hearts to the Lord alters our mood, focuses our thoughts on God, and ultimately results in peace and rest in the Lord.

God specifically instructs us what we are to think about in His Word - for a reason - so that we can have the peace of God - Philippians 4:7.  Because God knows that good thoughts, peaceful thoughts, godly thoughts affect our very being to the core.

Those things you are thinking about may be the cause of your depression.

Affirmations - telling yourself good and positive things - have a direct affect on your mood, your health, and your well being. 

The Scriptures are full of positive affirmations from God, so read the Psalms, read Proverbs, or go the the Affirmations page in this website.  Start speaking to yourself the things that God says speak.

God desires that you have an abundant joy filled life.  God desires that we be at peace at rest in Him.  God gives us all instruction in His Word as how we can have a wonderful life, lived in Him, and through Him, every day of our lives.

The saved in Christ are not exempt from illness or disease. 

Depression like any other illness or disease affects the lives of faithful believers.

Many faithful believers of God suffer many different illnesses and diseases.  Many believers in the Bible suffered.  The more famous would be the believer Job.  Most of us who grew up in a church have heard the history of Job.  Job was a child of God, and a faithful believer.  Satan believed that if Job lost all he had that he would turn away from God.  God allowed satan to take everything away from Job, except his life.  God holds all power, satan has limited power.  Job suffered great losses of family, property, wealth, and finally his own health.  Through it all Job remained faithful to God and refused to reject God.  As always, satan was wrong, Job had lost everything in his earthly life, but did not turn away from God.  God removed satan from Job's life.  God restored Job's health, and gave him more than he had had before.

Just like Job, no matter what happens to us externally, no matter what losses we experience, no matter what illness consumes our earthly bodies, we are never to abandon our faith in God, our hope in God, and our trust in God.

God never promised that His children would be void of suffering.  In fact, God promises that we will suffer, but with hope of a glorious, victorious end.  (Acts 14:22)

Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

I love this Scripture.

Absolutely nothing in this earth, nothing that happens to me in this world, can be compared with the Glory that will be revealed to me, when I see my King.

My strength is in God, not in the conditions around me.  Nothing can touch me, really, because God has promised to be with me always (Matthew 28:20).

In God I have put my trust, my hope, and my life, and I will not be afraid what man, or illness, or disease, or suffering can do to me.

Our focus is never to be on our present situation, or circumstances, whatever they may be, but on focus is to be on our God, on our Lord and Saviour, on our future with Him.

This earthly body and life is temporal.  God defines our life here as a vapor, like steam evaporating, short.

Our life with God is eternal, to all who believe in Him. 

The pain and suffering we experience in this present world is nothing to be compared to the glory that will be given to us who believe in God.

Pain and suffering is part of the human condition.  No person is exempt from hurting or feeling pain, whether physical or emotional, pain is pain.

Most of us are born in pain and many die in pain. 

Any person who has lived for any length of time has developed ways to cope with pain.  The longer you live the more ways you develop to deal with pain.  An 80 year old person deals with their pain differently than a 2 year old.

Different people cope with pain differently.

Depression can be emotional and physical pain.  Depression can be emotional pain brought about by a physical pain. 

Depression can occur and go away suddenly.  Depression can last years or even a lifetime.  Depression is a real medical condition and cannot be wished away.  Depression can turn very serious when thoughts of suicide develop. 

If you feel like hurting yourself or someone else, go immediately to an emergency room and tell them so that a doctor can evaluate your condition and give you immediate medical treatment.

Know that you are never alone - God is with you wherever you are - and God will help you when you ask Him.

Absolutely, if your depression has not gone away, go see a medical doctor.

Again, as I stated earlier, if you are depressed, go see your physician.  I am not a physician and will not give you medical advice.

I am a believer and child of God, an ambassador of Christ, and offer spiritual direction, that is found in the Word of God.

If I see a medical doctor for my depression, does it mean I don't have faith in God?  Absolutely not.  If you had a depilating pain in your arm, that just would not go away, you would seek medical help.  The same goes for depression, because it is a medical condition that needs treating.

The word of God never stated that we are not to see a doctor when we are sick.  God created the minds and abilities of our medical doctors to help us maintain our earthly bodies health through this earthly life. 

Our faith in our healing is to be in God, not placed in doctors.  God wants us to place our complete trust for our life in His hands.  God sustains us, none else. 

Our faith is placed in the hands of the Great Physician, who is our God, not in our earthly physician.

God is the giver of life, He alone gives life and He alone can heal us.   The one who created us is able to heal us.

Medical doctors do not heal people, God heals people.  God gives life.  God saves our lives.  God gave medical doctors the tools to treat our illnesses and diseases.

Life and death is the power of God alone, none else.

Going to a doctor does not mean that you do not have faith in God to heal you.  God helps those who help themselves.  We are to take care of our bodies, given to us by God, and treat them with respect.

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