Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

No for being too stupid to know what depression is and how it affects people. For giving people genuinely heartless and terrible advice. Some troubled religious teen might read this and actually follow this and actually kill himself instead of seeking real help.

I sincerely hope your website gets shut down. Your responses are absolutely disgusting. I'm all for free speech, but when it threatens lives I'm not okay with it.

So you want to call the police because we don't agree with you about depression. Not that this is against the law, but this is contrary your own special feelings.


Your daddy should have beat you more as a child.

[a.lyin'.kid]

Re: Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

No for being too stupid to know what depression is and how it affects people. For giving people genuinely heartless and terrible advice. Some troubled religious teen might read this and actually follow this and actually kill himself instead of seeking real help.

I sincerely hope your website gets shut down. Your responses are absolutely disgusting. I'm all for free speech, but when it threatens lives I'm not okay with it.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

Can I report you to the police? This is extremely dangerous stuff. I think I actually might.

For what, exercising our right to freedom of religion?

[a.lyin'.kid]

Re: Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

ATTENTION: People who are depressed. Do not read this article. This will definitely not help you. Isolating yourself will not work. You will get more depressed. Do not blame yourself, it will not help. Praying is fine, and can be therapeutic. Never ever ever confess how "horrible" you are. This will not make you happy. Please, remember people love you and you are going to make it through this okay. You just have to try. God loves you. Please please contact a professional if you are depressed. DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS. Remember, it's not your fault. Please remember you matter.


Can I report you to the police? This is extremely dangerous stuff. I think I actually might.

[Johny Joe Hold]

Re: Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

And never forget, if you are not lifted out of the black pit of despair, it is YOUR FAULT! YOU are failing GOD, not the other way around. Seriously examine your character and shortcomings until you realize what is so despicable about you that God won't answer your prayers. You are clearly unworthy of His attention, so fix the problem.

Thank you, Pastor and Brother Des, for helping so many with this information. I have printed it and am going make up some cards to give people who mention their depression to me. It will also refer them to you for counseling.

[Des]

Re: Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

As a Theopsychologist, I can not stress enough the importance of darkness that Pastor Sampson mentioned in his first point. Secluding yourself in a darkened place is essential to finding your way through your depression and into God's Divine Light.


Psalm 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Psalm 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

And never forget, if you are not lifted out of the black pit of despair, it is YOUR FAULT! YOU are failing GOD, not the other way around. Seriously examine your character and shortcomings until you realize what is so despicable about you that God won't answer your prayers. You are clearly unworthy of His attention, so fix the problem.

[Elmer G. White]

Re: Depression? It Could Be Your Lack of Faith.

Wonderful exposition, Pastor!

I always find it astonishing how merciful you are towards sinners (see also Jonah 4:2): Many Creation Scientists would have written the Title as "It IS your lack of faith" but in its present form the Title nicely illustrates the possibility of depression being a test of Faith from Jesus! This is really a perfectly executed Creation Science Study!

If I may, I'd like to add some Creative Biochemistry as a sidenote. The moleculics responsible for these emotions are called serotonin and dopamine. Jesus can obviously modify their concentrations in the human brain at will but secular medics have also learned how to meddle with them giving their patients false relief from depression. This has led to serotonin worship by many atheists:



They're walking around boasting their serotonin dependency and mocking Jesus with every step.

Galatians 5:20
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

I am quite sure that this serotonin cult is also guilty of emulations, acting like a happy person when Jesus has given you a message by making you sad and desperate. In fact, the more He torments you with serotonin deficiency, the better the first glimpses of Heaven would feel. In addition, the following image proves the point that during prayer the anti-depressive neurotransmitters are activated.



1 Peter 1:6
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

Hence, depression is necessary. If we consider the fate of, e.g., Henry Hudson, it is possible that during the direst of circumstances, adequate prayer would surely have saved him.




Yours in Christ,

Elmer

[Pastor William Nathaniel Sampson]

If you are feeling depressed, that means Jesus is far from you. One needs to ask what he or she has done to offend the Lord.

With Jesus in our lives, our hearts are always 100% of the time filled with joy and love. Christianity sets us free from our guilt and shortcomings, as long as we are following all 67 rules in the New Testament.


Philippians 4:11-13, 19
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.


And we know the only thing that can make you happy is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Nothing that comes from the world can bring that joy.

1 John 2:16-17
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.


Without Him, we have already know what will happen. We can't do anything. We are not meant to live without Christ in our lives. We will wither up and die.

You without Jesus in your life.

John 15:1-6 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.


So you are withering and dying because there's no Jesus in your life. You may have some doctors or other scientific type liars tell you some mumbo jumbo about brain chemicals or imbalances, but what are they really telling you? Lies, that's what they're spewing! The Bible says only Jesus can make you happy. Are you calling Jesus a liar?


Of course not. We all know the Bible is 100% true because the Bible tells us it is 100% true.


But what should we do if we find ourselves depressed because Jesus is far from us? How do we placate Him?

1. Isolate yourself.

Go into your closet with the lights off (Matthew 6:6). The last thing you need is anything keeping you from concentrating on Jesus, like other people.


I recommend a proper attire, like sackcloth and and good place to lay, like a pile of ashes. And don't just take your nice clothes off and fold them. Rip them off before putting on a sackcloth. (Gen. 37:34, 2 Sam. 3:31, Job 16:15, Job 42:6, Lamentations 2:10, Joel 1:8, 1 Kings 21:27, 1 Chronicles 21:16, Nehemiah 9:1, Jonah 3:5-9, Isaiah 15:3, Jeremiah 49:3, Ezekiel 27:31, Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13)
God is more likely to notice how serious you in your atonement for upsetting Him and fix you for doing this.

2. Pray like Jesus did.

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do"

Sometimes people are the cause of our stress and depression. Ask God to not do what you know He is going to do to them for harming your peace of mind.

What might God do in revenge on your behalf? He could send them to eternal torture (Matt. 25:46, Matt. 18:8, Matt. 3:12, Mark 9:43, Luke 3:17).

He may decide to wipe out everything they have and utterly destroy their lives down to destroying their farms, killing the children and raping the women. (Deuteronomy 28:15- ). He may melt them like a miscarried fetus in the sun. (Psalm 58:6-8). Are you sad because your man or woman cheated? God could kill their children for their fornication (Revelation 2:20-23).

By praying God doesn't do ALL that to them shows how humble and right you are.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

As we have discussed before, God won't hear the prayers of sinners. Until you remove the sin that is causing God to remove His presence from you, you will continue to wither and die. The hope here is by calling out to God in your unlit space, he will reveal to you what sin is blocking His presence from your life so you can atone for it.


3. Admit to God that you are not in control of anything and He is in control of everything.



(Proverbs 19:21, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Isaiah 45:6-7, Isaiah 55:8-11)


Don't try to do anything until you receive a clear vision from Jesus of what the next steps should be. It may be days in sackcloth and ashes, but you'll be fine. Jesus managed to not eat for 40 days and nights.

4. Be silent be still.

Just keep looking on the face of Jesus until the revelation comes of what to do. (Zechariah 2:13, Psalm 37:7, Habakkuk 2:20).
You can't hurry these things. The Prophet Ezekiel once laid on his side three hundred and ninety days for Israel. (Ezekiel 4)

5. Seek only people who are going through the same thing as you.

The two of you can bounce ideas back on forth on how best to get Jesus to love them again If you can't find another depressed person, only seek out people who will encourage you to get back into the sackcloth and ashes until you have a revelation.

6. Confess to God how horrible you are.

Keep saying the Sinner's Prayer emphasizing how you deserve eternal hell and torment.

Oh God I'm a sinner. I deserve to go to hell. Please forgive me and come back into my heart right now! I’m trusting You to make me a child of God, please don't throw me into hell when I die, and to help me live the rest of my life for You. In the name of Jesus, Hallelujah.

Don't worry about paying bills. God will provide everything you need, if you have enough faith in Him. (Matthew 6:26-34)

Doctor Jesus promises if you follow His prescription, you will have a happy life.