how to get out of depression…

are you a chronic worrier?  it’s because you’re doubting the goodness of GOD.  whatever gets your attention, gets you.  whatever you resist, persists.  stop fighting it, just refocus.  turn your back on it.

how do you get out of depression?  not by looking at what you are and telling yourself what you are.  that never changes you but focus on what you want. 

this is the day that the LORD has made, i will rejoice and be glad.  it’s a choice.  i will bless the LORD at all times…HIS praise will continually be in my mouth…i can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me.

get GOD’s word in your mind and refocus.  quit fighting the feeling.  what you resist, persists.  you can’t fight a feeling but if you ignore it, you weaken it.

listen, don’t try to argue with the devil.  he’s a lot better at it than you are.  he’s had thousands of years of experience.   when temptation calls, drop the receiver and forget it.

now when you refocus it may mean physically removing yourself from the situation.  if you don’t want to get stung, get away from the bees. 

maybe you need to change the channel on the tv.  maybe you need to walk out of that movie.  maybe you need to get out of that chat room.  maybe you need to change jobs.  maybe you need to change a car pool.

joseph was in a tempting situation and he left his coat and ran.  if you have to leave your coat, leave your coat.  walk out.  1 corinthians 15.33 (niv), bad company corrupts good character.  you know your weakness and GOD does too.  maybe you need to be redirected.

just a thought from the front porch…

something greater than ourselves…

JESUS said, “i am the truth.” HE said, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. the more you know JESUS the freer you are.

you can change. how do you do it?

you start by establishing a personal relationship to CHRIST. you become what the bible calls being born again. that doesn't solve all your depression but without CHRIST in your life, you won't have the power to change. HE wants to be a part of your life and if you give HIM control, HE will help you.

then once HE's in your life, you ask HIM to give you a new purpose and a new meaning to your life. what we need is something greater than ourselves that draws us out of ourselves so we won't be depressed. you need something greater to live for than just your own self. people who live for themselves are guaranteed to get depressed. you need something greater that draws you out of yourself. that is a relationship to CHRIST that takes you out of depression.

maybe you're depressed because you feel guilty. GOD says “I want to forgive you. I want to clear your conscious. I want to set you free from regrets.” maybe you feel depressed because you think, “I don't even like myself. I don't like myself at all!” JESUS said, “I didn't create you for nothing. you are worthwhile, significant. you're special. there's value to your life.” when you start basing your value on the opinions of other people then anytime anybody criticizes you, condemns you, puts you down, disapproves of you, or simply doesn't express appreciation, you're going to get depressed. that's what elijah did. he said, “i've had enough. they don't appreciate me.” he got depressed.

also, when you base your self-worth on your achievements you're going to get depressed. you're always going to find people who have done more than you. you're always going to find people who are doing a better job than you are right now. you're going to compare yourself and say, "why shouldn't i be like that?" and you'll get down.

what do we base our feelings about ourselves on, then? something that cannot be taken away. i am a child of GOD. nothing can take that out of my life. i may lose everything else, but nobody can take that away from me. if i'm a child of GOD, i'm significant. and GOD, in my life, can help me make the changes in my thoughts so that i don't think like the world does, but i think like the truth. the truth will set you free.

just a thought from the front porch…

i’ve got good news…

some of you, i believe, are really struggling with this problem of depression. there are so many things happening in your life. some days maybe you don't even feel like getting out of bed. some days you feel like you can't make any decisions; it's just too difficult. you can't decide on anything. some days you just feel trapped in a hopeless situation. it's like you're in a room with no doors and no windows and you're locked inside. you're constantly tired. you don't have any energy. you're fatigued. it's a chore to get out of bed and turn on the tv. some of you may even feel like elijah. you feel like running away. you want to drop it all, leave, split. get out of the situation.

i've got good news for you. JESUS CHRIST wants to answer your depression. HE will help you. HE will change you. you're not alone. GOD cares about you. i care about you. GOD says “you can change.”

i speak from personal experience. i've experienced depression and the deepest despair. there were times i didn't think i would make it another hour. i can tell you that JESUS CHRIST can heal you of depression. you don't have to go through life being manipulated by your emotions. your emotions are controlled by your thoughts. you cannot control your emotions but you can control what you think about. if you choose to change your thoughts and you choose to let GOD change the misconceptions – misconceptions like if somebody criticizes me, that must mean i'm worthless, misconceptions like i have to be loved and accepted by everybody to be fulfilled in life, misconceptions like i cannot admit any area of weakness. i have to be perfect, otherwise i'm a failure. those are the kind of things that cause depression.

just a thought from the front porch…

you blew it? big deal!…

let GOD give you a new purpose and a new direction for your life. 1 kings 19.15 (niv), the LORD came to elijah and said, “go back the way you came and go to the desert of damascus and when you get there here's what I want you to do.” HE said, “i want you to anoint ... this king, that king.” GOD gave him a new assignment. HE put him back to work.

the quickest way to defeat depression is to quit sitting around in self-pity, get your eyes off yourself and start looking at the needs of other people. get involved in their lives and get a ministry where you are giving out and GOD is giving to you. when you're looking at yourself, you're going to get discouraged. JESUS said, “lose your life to find it.” get involved in helping others.

GOD gave elijah a new job. HE said, “i'm not through with you and the job that I’m giving you is going to help people.” when you're depressed we think, “how can GOD ever use me? i am such a failure. i keep blowing it. i keep making mistakes. i discourage myself. i disappoint myself. surely i must be disappointing to GOD.”

listen. you can never disappoint GOD. why? because disappointment can only happen when somebody expects you to do something else. the fact is, GOD knows everything about you. the bible says, HE knows we're human. HE made us. the psalms says, “HE knows our frame. it is dust.” HE knows what makes us tick.

let GOD give you a new purpose and a new direction. HE's not through with you. so you blew it? big deal! GOD will pick you up and start you over. one mistake does not make you useless the rest of your life.

just a thought from the front porch…

a fresh awareness of HIS presense…

in fighting depression in your life, get a fresh awareness of GOD's presence in your life. 1 kings 19.11-13 (niv), the LORD said, “go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. after the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. after the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. and after the fire came a gentle whisper. when elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and [he knew it was the LORD] went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

GOD said, elijah, i've got something for you to see. elijah stood there and GOD put on a fireworks show. first HE did a wind, then HE did an earthquake, then HE did a fire. it was showing HIS tremendous power as a reminder to elijah. the interesting thing is it says that GOD wasn't speaking to elijah in any of those. what really got elijah's attention was the still small voice, the gentle whisper.

the fact of the matter is, GOD usually speaks to us in stillness and quietness. not in some big dramatic demonstration of fire or power. GOD reminded elijah that HE was still right there beside him.

if you're depressed, get your bible and go out to nature, a quiet spot and read the bible. get alone with GOD and just let GOD love you. let HIM speak to you. let HIM meet your needs. let yourself feel HIS presence.  that is the greatest anti-depressant there is.  get a fresh awareness of GOD's presence in your life.

when we're depressed, we think GOD is a million miles away. you say, “i feel HE is so HE must be” but HE's not. HE's still just as close to you when you don't feel HIM as when you do.

just a thought from the front porch…

pushing your frustrations down…

another step in GOD's remedy for depression is don't suppress your frustrations; tell them to GOD. 1 kings 19.9-10 (niv), then he [Elijah] went into a cave and spent the night. and the word of the LORD came to him: “what are you doing here, elijah?” he replied, “i have been very zealous for the LORD GOD almighty. the israelites have rejected YOUr covenant, broken down YOUr altars, and put YOUr prophets to death with the sword. i am the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me too.

he just poured out all of his inner feelings. GOD let him let off steam. GOD was not shocked. GOD says, “when you're uptight, let me hear your inner emotions. i already know what they are. i'm not going to be shocked by them.” he allowed elijah to express pent up emotions without criticizing him or condemning him.

sometimes it helps to have a CHRISTian friend to share with. it's a catharsis, a cleansing, a venting. all that stuff that's been pushed down inside is going to cause depression.

notice the six emotions elijah had. verse 3 of 1 kings 19 says elijah was afraid. he had fear. verse 4 he had resentment. he said, “1’m fed up with it. then he said, “I’m no better than my ancestors.” that was low self-esteem. he felt guilty. then in verse 10 he says, “I’ve worked hard for nothing.” he was angry. then in the last part of verse 10 he says “I’m all alone.” he was lonely. then he said “and they’re trying to kill me too.” he was worried.

when you take fear and resentment and guilt and low self-esteem and anger and loneliness and worry, you're asking for depression. and GOD just let him spew it all out. he just said, “elijah, what's bugging you? what's on your chest? what's frustrating you? what's eating you?” GOD just let him spill it all out.

sometimes that's what we need to do. don't repress it or express or suppress it, confess it to the LORD.

just a thought from the front porch…

the first thing to do…

what is GOD's remedy for elijah's depression? it's the same remedy for your depression.

first of all take care of your physical needs. 1 kings 19.5-7 (niv), then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. all at once an angel touched him and said, “get up and eat.” he looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals and, a jar of water. he ate and drank and then lay down again. the angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “get up and eat for the journey is too much for you.” so he got up and he ate and drank. strengthened by that food.

GOD's remedy for elijah's depression was rest and food and relaxation. sometimes a good night's sleep does wonders for your attitude. when you're physically tired, fatigued, mentally drained, physically exhausted you're prone to depression.

the thing i like about this is GOD dealt so tenderly with elijah. this guy had just copped out. yet GOD did not come to him scolding him, “you coward! what are you doing over here on the desert.” he didn't put him down. he didn't criticize him. he didn't condemn him. what he did was give him some food and some rest. he got him restored physically. that was the starting point.

maybe if you're depressed, the starting point for you is to get your life in shape physically. maybe you just need to watch your diet. maybe you need to get more sleep. the physical thing is the first thing GOD takes care of.

just a thought from the front porch…

too heavy a burden …

1 king 19.10 (niv), elijah said, i have been very zealous for the LORD GOD almighty. the israelites have rejected YOUr covenant and broken down YOUr altars and put YOUr prophets to death with a sword.

he blamed himself for negative events that weren’t his fault. he said, “i have worked my tail off for three years and they're not any closer to GOD than before. i have really tried. i’ve been zealous but what did they do? they're still living the same way.”

elijah blamed himself for failing to change the nation. he took it personally and when we do that, we get depressed. when we assume responsibility that GOD never intended us to have, we get depressed. it's too heavy a burden.

any time you help people, you sooner or later realize that people do not always respond the way you'd like them to. your children, your friends, your husband, your wife, people you work for or people who work for you. people just don't always respond the way you want them to. you can't assume responsibility for their response and when you do that you're carrying a burden that's only going to depress you. you can influence people, but you cannot control them. the final decision is theirs. so don't get yourself depressed over something you cannot control. that's what elijah did.

just a thought from the front porch…

comparing and depressing…

in 1 kings 19.4 (niv), elijah said, take my life. i'm no better than my ancestors. the first mistake we make in depression is we focus on feelings not facts. the second mistake he made in depression he compared himself to others. we compare ourselves to others.

inevitably, in counseling people will say “if i could just be like ... then it would be ok.” but when you start comparing yourself to other people, you are asking for trouble.

the bible says over and over, don't compare yourself. everybody is unique. there's only one person that you can be and that is you and if you try to imitate other people and be like them, you're just going to get depressed because everybody is unique and the only person you can be is you. that's all GOD wants. that's all he expects.

so when you start comparing yourself to other people, you will get depressed and you will fall into three traps.

1. we always compare our weaknesses to other people's strengths forgetting that those people might also have weaknesses that you might be strong in. that always happens and it's a trap.

2. we try to motivate ourselves through criticism and condemnation. we do it by “should”ing ourselves. “i should be able to be like that person... i should be able to act better ... i ought to be able to accomplish it ... i should be able to stop it.” as if whipping ourselves verbally is going to motivate you.

if i were to ask you, “do you believe you should go to church every weekend?” you'd probably agree. if i said, “do you feel that motivates you to do it?” it doesn't. nagging doesn't work when you do it on another person. and self-criticism doesn't work either.

3. don't label yourself. we always do that when we get depressed. we label ourselves. instead of saying, “i made a mistake” we say, “i’m a total failure”. instead of saying, “i accidentally tripped” we say, “I’m a klutz!” instead of saying, “i ate too much”, we say, “I’m a pig!” we label ourselves with titles that only make it worse.

elijah said, i'm no better than my ancestors. he was comparing himself and that made him more depressed.

just a thought from the front porch…

feelings or facts…

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…

incorrect attitudes corrected…

i want to deal with something that is very prevalent. depression is the number one health problem in the world. it has been called the common cold of emotional illness. everybody gets depressed from time to time. some people are depressed all the time. even great CHRIStians, great saints get depressed. and the holidays are a prime time for depression.

now over in the old testament book of 1 kings in chapter 19 there is a story about the prophet elijah who was a great example of this.

you will see in this chapter that he was a prime candidate for depression. he was physically tired. he was emotionally exhausted. somebody had threatened his life. he was a prime candidate, an emotional fruit basket at this point. and in james 5.17 (niv) it says, elijah was a man just like us. he had the same problems we do. he had a problem with depression.

so why do we get ourselves in such an emotional mess? the answer is faulty thinking. misconceptions. your emotions are caused by your thoughts, by how you think and if you think in a negative way, you're going to feel in a negative way.

if you look at life from a negative viewpoint, you're going to get down. if you want to get rid of negative emotions, you have to change the way you think. that's why proverbs 23.7 (njv) says, as a man thinketh, so is he.

the only way you change your emotions is by changing the way you think and to overcome depression you've got to get incorrect attitudes, or incorrect ideas about life, corrected. that's why JESUS said in john 8.32 (niv), you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. if you look at things from the right point of view, you will not be depressed. you can be free from depression.

so why did elijah get depressed? he got depressed because he played some mental games that everyone of us play when we get depressed.

1 kings 19.3&4 (niv), elijah was afraid. he ran for his life... the result of it: he came to a broom tree, sat under it, prayed that he might die. what did he say? i have had enough. he said, “GOD, i'm fed up! i don't want to put up with it anymore. i'm wasting my life. i'm trying to be your servant but nobody's doing what's right. i'm fed up. there's no use trying. i'm giving up.”

so his first mistake is the same mistake we make when we get depressed. 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

just a thought from the front porch…

a reason for depression…

now i meet all the time people who are depressed and the number one reason for depression is low self-esteem. people just don't feel good about themselves and especially among teenagers, low self-esteem is rampant. they don't feel worthwhile. that's why teen suicide is so high. what's the use.

why is low self-esteem so rampant in our society? they have done studies on that and the studies show that the more free time that we have in our life then the less meaning that our life has.

and we have kids today who get out of school and they don't have anything to do and the parents just subsidize them and subsidize them and they don't have any jobs around the house or they aren't in any extra activities at school or they do all there school work at school, they don't have any homework, so they have all of this free time, they don't have any purpose, they don't have any job.

the truth is some kids need to get a job. it's a part of life. now you have to teach them responsibility. don't let their work take the place of their school work or church. you need to put first things first. they need to be taught priorities but work is a part of life and too much leisure is dangerous. work is not a curse, it is a blessing.

just a thought from the front porch…