Defeating Depression
1 Kings 19:1-18
Depression is a Common Problem
Depression has a Predictable Pattern
The Activation
Physical Causes
Relational Causes
Transitional Causes
Spiritual Causes
The Reaction
The Isolation
The Destruction
Depression can be Defeated because God Cares
Jesus came to help Depressed people
God has the power to cure depression
The Holy Spirit is present to help defeat depression
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This past weekend, Laura was at my cousin’s wedding. In fact my whole family was there. My brother in Law and sister arrived late because they had to go to a funeral of my brother-in-laws friend’s wife. She committed suicide.
Now my brother in law is not a Christian. But, supposedly this lady was. I don’t know this lady or her background or anything else about her, but my brother in law was having a difficult time with the concept of having faith and suffering depression
And I know that this goes on even in the church.
People have said,
“Well, if you are depressed, you are sinning.”
Or
“You just don’t have enough faith.”
How do we as a church respond to that?
Is that true?
As Christians, are we never going to go through times of depression?
If that is true, the reality of it is much different because there are all kinds of people in churches that have experienced depression.
Over the next 2 weeks we are going to be discussing this topic of Defeating Depression.
This week I want to attempt to help us all understand it a little better and in doing so, it is my hope that we will be able to recognize some of the symptoms so that we can defeat it sooner so we don’t have to deal with as much of the turmoil that it can bring into our lives.
The first thing I want us to understand about Depression is
Depression is a Common Problem
Slide 2
It is common in the world
In any given year, about 7% of people will experience depression.
In their lifetime, about 16% of adults will experience depression
20% of women will experience depression in their life.
Slide 2 It is also not uncommon in the church.
Understand this though, Depression is not sin.
It is a sign, however, that something is not right. There could be sin that is causing the depression, but it could be something else also. Whatever it is,we need to take note of that sign and do something about it.
To those who say that Christians should not ever have depression, I would say that there are many examples in the Bible of great and faithful men of God who have suffered bouts of depression.
We see Moses (Numbers 11:4-15) asking God to take his life because he was so burdened by the difficult situation he was in with the Israelites people.
We see David (Psalm 31:9-13)
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends--those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.
We see Job (Job 6:2-3, 8-9)
2 "If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! 3 It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas- no wonder my words have been impetuous…8 "Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, 9 that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off!
We see Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14-18)
14 Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! 15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, "A child is born to you--a son!" 16 May that man be like the towns the LORD overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon. 17 For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. 18 Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?
We see Elijah. (1 Kings 19:1-18)
Slide 3
Slide 3 And this is the text that we are going to focus on today. (p. 255 in pew Bible)
1 Kings 19:1-18
19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 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.
7 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." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 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 are trying to kill me too."
11 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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 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 are trying to kill me too."
15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."
Understand Depression to Deal with it
Now in helping us to be able to deal with Depression, like I said earlier, we need to understand it better, because Satan will use our Depression to depress and discourage us even further.
He wants you to think that only you go through something like this.
Only you are weak,
Everyone else is so much stronger than you.
Nobody else in your church goes through these things
You stink as a Christian!
Well, you need to recognize it as the lie that it is and confront the lie with the truth.
That is why I have pointed out these examples of great men of God who suffered through times of depression.
But now from the story of Elijah, I want us to see that
Depression has a Predictable Pattern
Slide 4 Slide 4
If we can recognize this pattern, we are going to have an easier time and greater chance of Defeating Depression in each of our lives.
Often times there is some event or situation that begins the cycle toward depression.
This event is called
The Activation
Slide 5 Slide 5
In Elijah’s case we find it right at the beginning of Chapter 19
1 Kings 19:1-2
1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
Jezebel says she has put out a contract on Elijah’s life. He is going to be killed.
Well that sure could put a damper on things.
This is the event that begins things going the wrong way in Elijah’s life.
The Activation event may be something different in your own life.
The Causes of Depression
And realize this, there are multiple causes that can lead us to depression.
There may be physical causes.
Chemical imbalances
Pain
Hormonal issues
There may be relational causes
Broken trust of a person
Negative comparisons between people
There may be situational causes
Death
Divorce
Transitions
Or it could be spiritual causes
Disobedience to God
Proverbs 13:15
15 Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
Spiritual attack
Ephesians 6:10-12
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I want you to see something here. In chapter 18 of 1 Kings, do you know what Elijah was doing?
He is coming off of one of the greatest victories that the Lord did through him.
He had a contest between the false god Baal and the prophets of Baal and the Lord God and himself.
The prophets built and alter and they were to see who the true God was.
The 450 prophets of Baal lost and Elijah killed them all.
Then he prayed for rain when it hadn’t rained in 3 years and it rained.
Then he out ran King Ahab who was on a horse to town about 30 miles away.
Wow! God’s was working powerfully through Elijah.
One would think that no way this guy would be easily discouraged.
He has just seen the Lord do unbelievable things.
But as we read, Jezebel puts a contract on his head and a quick downward spiral begins.
Why? I will tell you why.
Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
We are fighting a spiritual war. The minute we begin to fight this war in our strength, we begin heading down the wrong path.
We must keep our focus.
1 Cor 10:12-13
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
(from New International Version)
Spiritual victories do not make us immune from depression. Understnd this and be aware.
Understanding this, will help us to be aware of a possible onset of depression when changes occur in our lives so that we can take steps to stop the progression of it or at least to be aware of what is happening.
A second aspect of this pattern that we see is Elijah’s story here is
The Reaction
Slide 6
Slide 6 1 Kings 19:3a
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
He was afraid.
He worried and he ran. That is how we know he was worried.
What is going to happen to me?
I need to get away.
You ever felt like running away?
Have you been so afraid of what your circumstances might hold, that you just want to flee, or
Maybe you have even been to the point of thinking of ending your life.
The fix for your problems is not found in running from your problems.
As Christians, when we are afraid, it usually means we have taken our eyes off of the Lord. When we have problems, this is the time that we most need to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus.
In times when we feel fear creeping in, we need to refocus our eyes upon Jesus and stand firm in His word and His promises.
When we don’t and we let fear come into our lives that is when we often see ourselves moving to the next stage of this pattern,
The Isolation
Slide 7
Slide 7 1 Kings 19:3b-4
When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert.
Elijah isolated himself from those closest to him.
This is a very common thing that happens in our life when depression starts to take hold and we need to recognize it so that we can defeat it.
When we start to become depressed, we tend not to want to be around other people. As Christians we will find ourselves
Not wanting to go to church
Not wanting to go to small group Bible study
Not wanting to hang out with Christian friends
Now while this may be a normal part of the depression cycle, it is not good. We need to recognize what is happening and seek to battle this and through the power of the Holy Spirit, strengthen ourselves to do what we need to do.
That is
Go to church
Go to Bible study
Go and hang with other Christian friends.
Respond to phone calls from friends
Make phone calls.
We need people around us when we are going through times like this.
When there are changes going on
When we are afraid
When we find ourselves wanting to run away.
Call a friend at those times.
But recognize that you should be with a Christian friend.
Someone that can be with you,
Encourage you
Help you see the truth of a situation
Because when we don’t isolate ourselves, it will help to avoid the next pit fall.
The Destruction
Slide 8
Slide 8 1 Kings 19:4b-5
He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
Ultimately, Depression leads to destruction. It does not always lead to death, but it will destroy life as we know it.
But I have good news.
Depression can be defeated because God Cares
Slide 9
1 Kings 19:5b-18
All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 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.
7 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." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 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 are trying to kill me too."
11 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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 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 are trying to kill me too."
15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."
God loves us even in our depression. He cares about the things that affect us.
He feeds us,
He strengthens us,
He confronts our faulty thinking,
He gives us things to do, and
He encourages us.
He cared about Elijah in his depression.
He cares about you when you are depressed.
He cares enough to be patient with you.
He cares enough to feed you during these times.
He will send people into your life to strengthen you by encouraging you.
It may be a long journey, just like Elijah had, but He cares enough to strengthen you for it.
I don’t know if you are experiencing any depression today.
Sometimes it is so hard to see the Lord working when we are depressed. But know this. He is working and He is providing the strength that you need to get through, just like He did for Elijah.
So often we want God to do some huge and mighty thing to blast us out of our depression.
But more often than not, He doesn’t speak to us in the big and mighty acts, but in a gentle whisper, in a still small voice.
David wrote
Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
If you are a Christian today who is struggling with being depressed,
Struggling with believing God to lift you out of the slimy pit out of the mud and mire,
Struggling to trust that He is there right now bringing you through giving you the strength you need to get through this time,
That is when we need to stop and correct our faulty thinking and remember you we are.
We are a child of the King.
You matter to God.
Why?
Because he died for you.
You are His!
1 Corinthians 6:20 says “you were bought at a price.” You are God’s
That is who you are.
No matter what is going on in your life right now, you are still a child of the Father who is watching over you even if you can’t see Him working right now.
If there is one thing that I could help you to understand it is that.
We are going to close in a song today.
It is a song by Casting Crowns called Who Am I
Listen to the words and worship the Lord and thank Him that He is there for us, even when we can’t feel it.
If you want to come forward and pray and worship feel free to do that.
If you want to come up and just cry out to God feel free to do that.
But listen and know that you are His.
Play song
After song
Next week we are going to continue this with part 2 and now that we understand how depression typically progresses, we are going to talk about some steps to take to stop depression in its tracks so we don’t have to be held captive by it, no matter what we may be going through.
