Christian Survival Kit: Chapter 1 - part 3

Depression — Getting Christians Down?

As I travel, the biggest problem I encounter in the body of Christ is discouragement and depression. At least three-fourths of the people I deal with constantly battle these emotions. There is no excuse for it — there are reasons, but no excuses. 

We've gotten to the point that we think these kinds of emotions are normal. A lot of people try to resist and walk in victory, for a brief period of time. They have bounds, or limits, to how far they'll go in believing God. When certain things happen, such as someone dying, they say, "Well, how could you expect anybody not to be discouraged or not to grieve?" 
{There is no limits on God's Love!}

Well, I guarantee you that the Lord Jesus Christ has borne our sorrows and carried our griefs! That's not to say that you don't miss a person, but there is no justification for getting into grieving which becomes destructive. 

Who's in Control Here?

{In your life - You or the devil?}

We have an authority as believers that most Christians have missed. Satan doesn't have any control over your heart and circumstances — he cannot control you unless you let him. 

In Deuteronomy 30:19, God speaks through Moses, 
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live." 

If you were to diagram this sentence, "you" is again the implied subject: therefore, you choose life. God gave you the choice over your heart.
 This is powerful, but again, people have missed it and have allowed themselves to justify feelings and emotions that are contrary to God's Word. 

For example, we say, "Sure, I'm supposed to love my brother and sister, and I'm supposed to walk in love." We try to do that at church and sometimes in the world. But everybody has one person who really gets under their skin. So we justify feelings that are contrary to what God commanded us to do. We say, "Well, God can't expect me to love that person." 
 

A Marriage of Convenience?

{This is what many want - but it does not wash with God!}

In my marriage counseling, people invariably say to me, "But look what this person did," and they begin to tell me all the terrible things their mate has done. The purpose of this is to justify their feelings. They say, "I know I'm not supposed to be depressed and discouraged. I know I'm not supposed to be angry, but look what they did." 

What they're really saying is, "Well, this justifies my feelings, this justifies my depression, this justifies my actions." But there is nothing that justifies our being less than what God called us to be. 

It doesn't matter what comes your way — death, physical problems, financial problems, relationship problems — whatever the devil is fighting you with. 

God has given you the ability to overcome it. But you have to choose. If you identify with discouragement, doubt, and depression, you set a precedent that will enslave you the rest of your life.