TEXT: 1 Kings 19:1-9
"And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a days journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord take my life for I am no better than my fathers!" Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
INTRO: Disclaimer: I am not a doctor / counselor / psychiatrist
I am a preacher and pastor with a mission:
1. Reach the lost
2. Build great lives
* People get offended because they think I am preaching directly to them
„« Please understand that I can't preach a message to one person
„« I am usually preaching to me
* Hole...the wounds in our souls...come from
1. Accidents / abuse
2. Planned / purposed
* When those wounds are exposed
* The tendency can be to respond in hurt...manifested in:
1. Anger...Explosive
2. Depression...Implosive
* The question is anger or depression a sin?
Anger...Ephesians 4...Be Angry / Sin Not
Depression... In itself is not a sin
It is, however, the result of a sinful world
It is also a symptom (fruit)
Of something disturbing
The balance of our life either:
1. Emotionally...Soul
2. Chemically...Body
3. Spiritually...Spirit
Simply: It is an indicator that something is wrong...
...like the engine light on a car
Moses suffered from depression
Job
David
Paul
Charles Spurgeon
Abraham Lincoln
* According to Psychiatrists Minrith and Meier:
The majority of Americans suffer from serious
depression at some point in their lives
* I've never suffered from any serious depression
* I have suffered from anger
* But, I've been around plenty that have
* I know a little bit what it looks like
¡÷ WHAT DEPRESSION LOOKS LIKE
1. Persistent sad or anxious mood
2. Anger -- restlessness -- irritability
3. Sleeplessness
4. Reduced appetite and weight loss
5. Increased appetite and weight gain
6. Sexual disinterest
7. Loss of pleasure or interest in things once enjoyed
8. Persistent physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment (chronic pain, digestive disorder)
9. Difficulty remembering, making decisions, concentration
10. Fatigue, no energy
11. Feeling guilty, hopeless, condemned
12. Thoughts of suicide or death
¡÷ COMMON CAUSES
1. Death or serious illness of someone close
2. Loss of love or attention from someone close
3. Break-ups, divorce, loss of romantic relationship
4. Family problems, parents divorce
5. Isolation, loneliness (nursing home)
6. Rejection
7. Physical, verbal, sexual abuse
8. Generational vulnerability (grew up in that environment)
9. Chemical imbalance
10. Hormonal changes
11. Substance abuse
12. Hospitalization
* Today I want to give some simple beginner steps to help!
* Next week we will dive a little deeper
1. SILENCE COMPLAINTS
* Complaining is like fuel to the fire
* It reinforces the stronghold
* Lock that devil into that hole / habit / habitation
* We reap what we sow
* Sow bitterness...you won't reap peace and joy!
* Remember Jude 6...Devil roams in dark places
Philippians 2:14
"Do all things without complaining and disputing."
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 and 10 (NIV)
"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. ... And do not grumble, as some of them did -- and were killed by the destroying angel."
* We sabotage ourselves
o We've got to stop binding and loosing
o Binding negative
o Loosing blessing
* The tongue has the power of death and life
* When our complaint is toward someone
* It's an attempt to put blame on them and bring them down
o It's usually in an area we already feel inadequate in
EXAMPLE: Money
Look at her; she thinks she's so pretty
2. STAY CONNECTED
* Forsake not the assembling of yourself
* Body parts die when not attached to the body
EXAMPLE: My pastor wouldn't let me leave on my motorcycle when I was discouraged
* Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God
* The Word of God gives life even when you don't feel anything
* We walk by faith not by sight
* You will not get victory in a room with the curtains drawn
- Elijah in a dark cave...alone
* He is a God that is touched by our feelings
* Don't hide from God
* Stay Connected to Him
EXAMPLE: Reading exercise books to stay connected and motivated.
3. SHAPE UP
* I mean...get your body in shape!
* Doctor told someone that they weren't in good enough shape to get into shape!
* If you work for the body...the body will work for you.
* It is said that regular exercise toughens the mind as well as the body. After working out three times a week for six months, one group was found to be 20% fitter. Bonus: they also scored 70% better in a test of complex decision making.
* Not only does exercise improve the body and mind, it also improves the spirit of the person. It can help to relieve some of the effects of depression.
* Fitness Magazine Article:
A young mother was feeling terribly low about life. She said, "I made an appointment to see a family doctor in our area, hoping he might be able to recommend some vitamins to help me feel better. Instead, he gave me a checklist to fill out. He evaluated my answers, then said the three magic words that brought both terror and hope into my life: "you're clinically depressed.""
She said, "The doctor handed me a prescription. He also gave me some advice: 'Exercise for half an hour, three to five times a week. As much good as the medication will do, the exercise will do that much or more.'"
She said, "I thought Prozac and sweat made an odd combination. I know now that it's not so strange after all. Long-term depression can occur as chemistry in the brain gets out of whack."
"Think of a swimming pool: with the right balance of chemicals, a pool stays clear and clean. But when the chemistry gets out of balance, the pool becomes cloudy and algae-filled, and it can take months to get things balanced and clear again. Both medication and exercise impact brain chemistry in a positive way. Medication can replenish serotonin, while exercise releases feel-good endorphins."
4. SEPARATE YOURSELF
* It has been said that as much as 77% of everything we think is negative and counterproductive and works against us. People who grow up in an average household hear "No" or are told what they can't do more than 148,000 times by the time they reach age 18. Result: unintentional negative programming.
Proverbs 13:20
"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Proverbs 12:26
"The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads then astray.
1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits.""
EXAMPLE: Young bride cutting off end of ham
5. STRENGTHEN OTHERS
* The best way to get help
* Is to give help
* The best thing God ever did for my healing
* Was call me to pastor
* You get what you give
* It's time to get involved in ministry...
...youth
...children
...gym
...worship team
...drama team
...nursery
...bus
...food pantry
Proverbs 11:25
"The generous soul will be made rich. And he who waters will also be watered himself."
* When Dr. Mark Guy Pearce of England was in this country he related an experience that presents a good lesson for the soul-winner. He said he was out fishing for trout; he had worked hard and caught none. His equipment was excellent but he was unable to catch any fish. Finally he came upon an old fisherman whose sack was full of trout. He asked him how he was so successful.
* The old fisherman answered: "There are three rules to follow in trout fishing; first, keep yourself out of sight; second, keep yourself further out of sight; third, keep yourself still further out of sight."
* The preacher walked away musing upon this thought; that is the best advice I have ever heard for becoming a successful fisher of men. I must keep myself out of sight and put Jesus Christ in full view.
* And that's the best advice I know of how to get rid of depression in my life. Get my mind off myself and get it on Christ and others. The more I learn to love Christ and love others, the less depressed I will be.
