Depression: Taking Care Of The Psychological Needs Series

I Kings 19:1-18

Depression: Taking Care of the Psychological Needs

Introduction

A. Today we are going to finish our study on depression

B. I hope you have found it to be very beneficial to you

C. I am sorry that I did not tape these sermons, It is something I have to get in the habit of doing I know

D. The full notes are available however just by asking me or by going on Sermon Central looking for sermons by contributors last name

E. Last week we looked at the physical ways to treat depression, today we are going to look at the psychological ways.

F. Now keep in mind that God waited until he had Elijah stable. He did not do this when Elijah was flipping out back in verse 4. Waited about 6 weeks

G. There is good reason for that. It is hard to do much of anything when you’re that upset.

H. Follow the same course when you are helping someone. Show them that you love them, help them with the physical stuff and then move on to the psychological areas

I. Today we are going to look at what God showed Elijah and said to Elijah and apply it to our lives

J. Today we are going to be keying in on verse 9-18 (Read them)

I. Discover the Problem

A. Explanation

1. Notice what it says in Verse 9

2. “What are you doing here Elijah?”

3. This sounds like a question, but it is not a question of God

4. See God knew the answer, in fact God always knows the answer

5. There is never anything that God does not know, He know everything.

6. The point of the question was to get Elijah to focus on the actual problem

7. Often a depressed person will become so depressed that they forget the actual problem in the first place

8. So God make Elijah focus on the problem

B. Application

1. When you are trying to council with a depressed person, focus on the problem

2. Do no focus on everything that is wrong

3. Once a person is depressed sometime they will forget why there depressed in the first place

4. Next thing you know they are depressed because their breakfast wasn’t good. Which is obviously not the case

5. Once you find out the root problem then you can move on

6. Often the case is when you find out what the problem actually is, you realize it is not that big of a deal

7. And if you just talk through it, quickly you can solve the problem

C. Illustration

1. When I was counseling up at Edinboro I had a kid who started to cry and cry during the service. I had no idea why. So after the service I was talking to him and talking and talking and asking him different questions to figure out what is wrong, finally I got him to reveal that he was scared cause he did not know Jesus, well then I had the privilege of telling the him about God’s salvation, and he accepted Christ as his savior.

2. Once we got to the root, the solution was easy.

3. Take the time to try and figure out the root cause, it will help you tremendously when dealing with a person

4. Some are easier to detect then others, if you are dealing with a person whose kid or spouse just died a month ago that is a good place to start.

5. Others will take more investigating

II. Realize God is in Control

A. Explanation

1. Vs. 11 through 13 can be the some of the hardest verse to understand in the whole Bible

2. But in a couple of minutes you will be able to understand them

3. Wind

a) 18:45 Wind – God was in that wind, but God is not there this time

4. Earthquake

a) 17:22 – That was an earth shaking miracle, but God is not in this one

5. Fire

a) 18:38 – The Lord was in that fire, but not this one

6. Gentle whisper

a) God was in the gentle whisper

B. Application

1. See Elijah had experience some of the most powerful miracles ever recorded

2. But just because there is not a miracle going does not mean that God is not there

3. We often get this thought that if we don’t feel God, He is not there

4. If we are just going through an ordinary time in our life, He is not there

5. But God is proving to Elijah, that He is always there for Him

6. God has never left. Bad times, he there. Good times, he there. God is always with us!

C. Illustration