God's Promises For Every Need Series: Depression Series

God's Promises for Every Need Series: Depression

Isaiah 43:1-2

#EveryNeed

SERMON SERIES INTRODUCTION

I wanted to share with you where we are going in terms of sermons and thoughts as we finish out 2020. In October and November, we are going through the series we are starting today, “God’s Promises for Every Need.” We will go over topics like depression, anger, unsaved loved ones, and lukewarm faith. Then Braeden and I will focus us on Thanksgiving around the end of November. Then we will focus on Christmas and the wonderful gifts we have through Christ because of His birth. Then in the New Year… 2021… I thought I would freestyle it a little bit and see where God takes us.

INTRODUCTION

Today, we start thinking about God's Promises for Every Need. 2020 has been a banner year that has brought many emotions for all of us. Here is what I remember so far…

January: mysterious drones flew over the skies of Colorado and Nebraska, some as big as a car.

January – March: there were huge fires in Australia.

March – April: COVID19 hit and is currently still a concern with so many deaths and sickness.

April: DOD officially released UFO videos to the public

May: Poland accidentally invaded the Czech Republic

May: Graduations are all canceled

May-June: George Floyd is killed and riots and unrest begins along with protests and violence

June: Feral pigs eat a stash of cocaine in Italy and run rampant and crazy

June: A woman’s body was found in a suitcase on a beach in Philadelphia

July: Two words… ‘murder hornets’

August: There were 2 hurricanes at the same time in the Gulf of Mexico that hit

September: Brain eating amoeba in the drinking water in Houston

September: A massive deadly fungal disease is killing off frogs on every continent and a new never-before-seen species of frog was discovered in Peru.

September-October: Huge fires in California and the west coast with a side of earthquake.

October: 2 full moons in one month

None of that even mentions politics. None of that even mentions personal things such as relatives being sick, surgeries, loss of jobs, reduced hours at working causing financial stress, social pressures to conform, not to mention Taco Bell stopped selling the Mexican Pizza.

There is so much going on around us right now that the world is definitely all over the place with reactions and feelings and attitudes. Our families may not have much peace or stability. Emotions are all over the place. I would like to focus on one emotion today that you may be dealing with. It might be brought on by circumstances. It might be brought on by this unsettling year we are living in. It might be brought on by a chemical imbalance in your body and so you deal with it often or all the time well before the world endured the craziness of 2020.

The feeling of being depressed is what I would like to talk about today. The emotional, physical, and psychological state of depression is what I would like to talk about today. I want to share with you one promise God gives in the midst of depression.

SOURCE: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007 [adapted]

Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes of depression or it could be something you deal with on a regular basis and may or may not take medicine to help try and control.

Depression can be:

* Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness

* Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters

* Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as hobbies or sports

* Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much

* Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort

* Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain

* Anxiety, agitation or restlessness

* Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements

* Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame

* Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things

* Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide

* Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. It is a disruption. We notice. Others notice. Some of us may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.

SOURCE: https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/inside-head-depressed-person-0110134

Even if nothing was wrong before depression descends, everything seems wrong when it descends and settles into the heart. Suddenly, no one seems loving or lovable. Everything is irritating. Work is boring and unbearable. Any activity takes many times more effort, as if every movement requires displacing quicksand to make it. What was challenging feels overwhelming; what was sad feels unbearable; what felt joyful feels pleasureless and flat—or, at best, a fleeting drop of pleasure in an ocean of sadness.