the prophet elijah in 1 kings 19 in the ot got depressed because he played some mental games that everyone of us play when we get depressed.
his first mental game he played was he focused on his feelings rather than the facts. that always happens when we're depressed. we focus on how we feel rather than reality.
elijah felt like a failure. because of one little incident, he got afraid and ran. then he started condemning himself. “i'm such a coward. what am i doing running.” he felt like a failure so he said, “i must be a failure.” that's called emotional reasoning and it's wrong. it's the idea of “i feel it so it must be true.”
the truth is that feelings are not facts. they are highly unreliable.
i don't always feel close to GOD and you don't either. that doesn't mean i'm far away from HIM. i don't always feel like a CHRISTian, but i am one. feelings lie! when you focus on your feelings rather than the facts you're going to get in trouble.
secular psychology says the key to health is to get your feelings out in the open. become aware. vent your feelings. get them out. but that's not enough. feelings are not always true. the bible says don’t get in touch with your feelings, but get in touch with the truth. it's the truth that sets you free.
some of you are depressed right now because you're living by your feelings instead of the promises of GOD. you say, “i feel overwhelmed and i feel hopeless, therefore the problem must be impossible to solve,” but that's illogical. you may say, “i feel like GOD is far away, therefore HE must be mad at me.” not true. maybe you're saying, “i feel inadequate, therefore i must be worthless.” that's not true. don't focus on your feelings. focus on the facts. the bible says in john 8.32 (niv), the truth sets you free.
just a thought from the front porch…
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