This is a repost from Godly Dating by Tavares Grey; original link to article is at the bottom
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12)
Ive also noticed that some people dont understand the dynamics of spiritual warfare whatsoever, so they consider anything positive a blessing from God and everything negative the devil. That would be complete nonsense for us to believe the devil has so much power.?Jesus said that ALL power was given to Him?(Matthew 28:18), so the devil has no power over us. It is possible to be blessed and not have much.?Blessings arent in possessions.?It is possible to be cursed and have everything you want. We cannot say God is on our side because things are going our way. God does not change based off of our seasons (Hebrews 13:8). So in some parts of the church, we see there are some believers that really dont understand that spiritual warfare is necessary and they are living based off emotions.
Then there are other believers that tend to over-spiritualize everything:
Dont claim that spirit, depression is of the devil!
- You dont have mental health issues, thats the enemy coming against your mind!
- The reason youre in that season that you are in is because you have been in sin. God must be teaching you a lesson.
Those are just a few statements Ive heard. Sadly, I must admit I used to say and believe things like this. I say its sad because I know now how we as Christians can be both ignorant and/or insensitive to the battles others are facing. Until we are in those shoes.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)
Now before you misinterpret where I am headed with this, just follow me. This verse is not to say Jesus was depressed. However, there are many believers that found themselves afraid, sad, depressed, suicidal, lonely, distressed, overwhelmed etc. There are points in our lives when we are doing no wrong yet we are feeling burdened. Which goes to show us, bad things dont always happen to us because we are living in sin. Yes, sin has destructive outcomes, but righteousness can have negative consequences. People are killed for their faith daily. Moses was leading the people as God commanded, yet they only stressed him out (Exodus 32:19). Elijah was a mighty man of God, yet reached a point where he just wanted to die; maybe he even had a few suicidal thoughts pass his mind (1 Kings 19:4). David was a man after Gods heart, yet he found himself in very low points and feeling away from God (Psalms 13).
If you feel alone, just know that this season will pass. It is a season, God has not forgotten you. I used to think weak-minded Christians are the ones that experience depression or anxiety. Now I know that we are still human and susceptible to weakness.
However, weak moments are some of the most spiritually enriching moments. Jesus said that His grace was sufficient for our weakness and that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
You dont have to feel ashamed to be broken. Jesus will mend the broken pieces of your heart, but you have to be bold enough to seek His presence (Hebrews 4:16). If you are depressed over someone who left, understand that Gods plan for your life is not attached to someone He removed from your life. If you are down about what you dont have, please understand that God can supply all of your needs (Philippians 4:19). If you dont have a reason and this season just comes often, please understand that God is able to to deliver again and again and again and again.
I still firmly believe that many of us are misunderstanding the power of God at times. God is a healer. God is a deliverer. I refuse to believe that God is able to come to earth as a man, die, and rise back up again, only to have SOME power. Jesus said that ALL power is in His hand (Matthew 28:18). So no, you cant medicate a demonic spirit. Some sicknesses and mental issues are spiritual attacks. I know many may not believe that, but you cannot believe in Jesus and the Bible, yet fail to realize there is a devil and he comes to destroy us (Ephesians 6:10-12). That is why Jesus said that He will give us power over the adversary (Mark 16:16-18), because He knows that we will have to bind demonic spirits through His name.
Ive been in many circumstances where I have seen demonic spirits manifest in someones life. Either someone else casted it out of their body, or I had to. Many think that stuff only happened in the bible, but the bible said these signs will follow us as believers. You may have certain spirits plaguing your mind, cast them out by speaking truth. Ive seen many people come to me out of depression and I have to talk them out of suicide or something else very dangerous. When God said He was giving us power, it was so we could rise above the enemys plan and do His will (Acts 1:8).
10 Verses to memorize and quote when youre going through depression:
- Psalm 42:5 & 11
- Psalms 34:1
- Philippians 4:8
- Deuteronomy 31:8
- Psalms 34:17
- Psalms 40:1-3
- 1 Peter 5:7
- John 16:33
- Isaiah 41:10
- Jeremiah 32:17
Of course, depression doesnt leave overnight. I remember going through the lowest point in my life, because I was ostracized over a rumor. The only people I could trust were family and a few friends. It didnt make sense to me because everyone that cut me off were so close to me. David said that he could understand if his enemies hated him, but being hurt by church family can be overwhelming (Psalms 55:12). The trick of the devil though is to allow you to isolate yourself from people, he wants you to shut down so you can become an easy target. However, when you feel the most alone is when you need to seek God the most. Have a spiritual leader to lean on and help strengthen you. When you feel no one understands, that is when you need to learn to express yourself instead of assuming that no one cares. Im praying for all of you who may struggle with this.
Grace and peace,
Tovares Grey