Depression Archives - Pastor Terry Lema's Daily Devotions

Ever been depressed? I have. In fact, I think many of my younger years were marked by depression. Depression can be extremely debilitating. It affects how you feel, think, and behave. It can be a major mood disorder, marked by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. When people suffer with clinical depression, they often need medication and/or therapy to move beyond it.

Some of the new medications for various illnesses also carry the potential side effect of depression. Most of us at some point have probably suffered from mild depression (the blues) or even to something more intense.

The enemy of our soul loves to see us depressed. He seeks to remind us constantly how dreadful we are, what terrible Christians we are. He will dredge up our mistakes and sins and try to move our focus from our Savior. If he can convince us with his lies, depression is often a result. That it is why it is so important to make sure that we are following our LORD and not the inclinations of the enemy.

When you read Psalm 43 you will notice that the psalmist admits his depression. Because of that acknowledgement, he asks God to “Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place. Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the lyre, God, my God.” [Psalm 43:3-4 HCSB]

That reminds me of the fact that Jesus said He was both light and truth. As believers, we need to focus on the Light of Christ and the Truth of His Holy word. We need to let Him lead us out of the darkness the enemy of our soul wants to keep us in. When we keep our focus on Christ Jesus, and remain in the Presence of God Almighty, we will have joy! The darkness has to flee when light is present.

Thank you, LORD. Today I focus on you as Light and Truth. I thank you for leading me into the very Presence of God and filling me with joy. I will praise you God, my God! Amen

When was the last time you had a good fight? I mean a real good debate-style dispute. I am not talking about the nasty, in-your-face hate-filled posts that you often see where “I am right and everyone else can just shut up.” I am talking about the type of disagreements where both sides present their views and we learn and grow from the thoughts and views of others.

And specifically, I am talking about a good dispute with yourself. Kind of like the ones found in the psalms. “Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.” [Psalm 42:5 HCSB]

Paul in 2 Corinthians 10 reminds us to engage in good arguments. “The weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.” [vs 4-5 HCSB]

Every now and again, more often probably than we know, our old sin nature decides to go for a walk in our minds. Prompted by the enemy of our soul, that old nature demands that we focus on everything that is wrong, our fears, our anxieties, our troubles. When those things capture our attention, they capture everything and demand to sit over our souls as rulers and kings.

That is when we must recognize the tactic and start a good argument. The psalmist was depressed. He was in turmoil. His old sin nature was demanding that become the focus of his life. Instead, he began to argue with himself. “What are you doing focusing on what is wrong? Your hope is in God, He is your Savior and Your LORD, and He will keep you in the palm of His hand. Stop it!”

What was the first thing you started thinking about this morning – all the things that are wrong with your life? Or did you have a good argument with yourself (and remember our minds are the battlefields in our lives), and put your focus and attention on Christ Jesus, Almighty God, your Savior and King?

Depression

Light & Truth

Arguments Abound