Archive for the ‘Depression’ Category

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REJOICE IS A CHOICE

Friday, July 30th, 2010
Genevieve used to pass out buttons that said, “REJOICE IS A CHOICE.”
She made a point to help other people recall that you can choose whether or not you will keep your focus on the good or the bad things in life. Granted we get good and bad things to focus on every day. What will you choose to focus on? When someone you love dearly dies then you are going to have more sad days than happy days. When you suffer sad tidings like divorce or disease or both you may have more sad days than happy days. If you are not suffering through such sad tidings then what do you have to complain about? No matter what you can choose what your mind will focus on. What do you choose to focus on today? Do you think you can muster the strength to smile focusing on good things?
 
The Word of God tells us to think pure thoughts.  It is hard to keep the mind under our own control  when we are surrounded by both good and bad things.  It is possible to focus on the good.  It is healthier for us and for those around us if we concentrate on good things.
 
There will be times to weep with those who are weeping and there will be times to rejoice.  We know there is a perfect time for all events. 
 
Do your best to keep the enemy of God from keeping you from seeing the thorns instead of the roses. 

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Friday, July 30th, 2010

It is said that depression can come from a chemical imbalance in the system. 

There are other things that cause depression. 

I heard a tape recording of Mrs. Jones when she talked at Christian Retreat decades ago.

She said something like this:

Look at the Word  D E    P R E S S    I    O N – write it out on paper or on a chalkboard.

Cross out the first 2 letters ” D E “  and cross out the letter ” I ” thinking of the fact
that the devil ( D E – first 2 letters) is the one that motivates people to be selfish ( I )

Selfish thoughts and actions come from the devil.  Read the book of James in the Bible seeing
where God’s Holy Word tells us selfish thoughts come from the evil spirit.

If you get rid of selfish thoughts and the devil you can press on  toward the high call of God.
James 4:7-8, “7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands,
 ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

Phillipians 3:13-15, “13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

 14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

 15Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded,
God shall reveal even this unto you”.

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I Bless You In The Name Of Jesus

Monday, July 26th, 2010

A Pastor’s wife I knew used to teach a lot of good things to a women’s group.

There was a little song we shared often.

The words went like so:

I bless you in the name of Jesus, Brother

I bless you in the name of Jesus, Sister

I bless you in the name of Jesus

in the name that heals & frees us

I bless you in His precious Holy name.

Repeat – using brother, sister, & so on interchangeably

Be blessed in the name of Jesus. Be free from guilt, sin, shame, depression, & all those other things that Jesus died on the cross for.

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One Solution To A Problem

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

There was a song a woman sang in an old tv version of “Cinderella.“

The words I recall her singing said something about being in her own little corner in her own little chair where she could be what ever she wanted to be.

The imagination can be used for good things.  We know we need to control our thoughts. 

If we meditate on bad things we are apt  to have bad things come out of our mouths. 

If someone took the first words of the Cinderella song and they pulled just part of it out of context and they meditated on only the words that said, “In my own little corner in my own little chair” too much they may just end up thinking about their own selfish desires.  Selfishness is devilish.  The book of James says that selfish thoughts come from the devil.

I don’t believe God designed us to be people that are cooped up spending time alone in corners of the world.  I believe the enemy would like people to think that is where they will get true satisfaction.  Granted there are times when we need to get alone with God spending time in Bible reading and prayer but if we are going to fulfill the call God has on our lives then we are going to have to learn to be unselfish with our space and time.

No wonder Jesus spent time with people.  He talked to people on the mountainside.  He talked to them in their homes, in the city, outside of the city, and he talked with them by the waters.  He got out in the world and he got involved.

The great commission is all about spreading the good news.  Go ye into all the world!  I read a question on a church billboard once that said, “What part of Go don’t you understand?”

I’m not one who loves to focus on fables.  The Cinderella story is a fable.  It isn’t all fairy tale lessons though when you consider how Cinderella was delivered from the prison her wicked stepmother put her in.  Cindy was set free and her prince found her.  Our Lord sets us free from bondage if we will let him.  He wants to be our Savior and he wants to keep us from all the wicked people who do dark and ugly things.

If there was a Cinderella I’d think that when Cinderella got out of the dark days of life serving wicked people who didn’t care about her well being she was ready to do new things.  I doubt it she wanted to spend a lot of time sitting in her little corner in her own little chair after that. 

It’s hard to break loose from old habits and bad dreams.  It can be done though.  You don’t have to live in the past bombarded with evil images of what happened to you.  You can be free in the name of Jesus.

Jesus came to set the captives free.  Jesus came to give you a new life.  The new life Jesus wants you to live is a whole new way of living.

You’ll put the past behind you.  You’ll be happy. Joy will flood  your soul.  No more looking back over old albums trying to recapture days gone by. 

It’s more like putting your hand to the plow and not looking back!

You can be free from depressing days.  The shackles satan used to bind you are broken in JESUS mighty name.  Once you are free don’t go back to the old way of life.

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The Valley

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

God is able to do anything.

We’ve heard it before and we will probably hear it again and again.  God is able to do anything.

I read from Ezekiel this morning.  Ezekiel 37 talks about a valley of dry bones.  Ezekiel was led by the Lord to see this valley of dry bones.  He was told to prophesy over the bones and then he saw a reminder of what God can do.

God can do anything.  God can even make a valley of dry bones have tendons get attached to them, flesh can come upon them, and skin can reappear.  This was all symbolic of how God planned on restoring the people of Israel to be alive again.

The life that is most important to the believer is the connection they have with God.  If a Christian isn’t alive spiritually then it’s as if they have no hope and they are as dead as the dry bones talked about in that valley of bones. 

God asked the prophet if those bones could become alive.  The Priest stated that God alone knew if that could happen. 

We may have times in our lives when all looks hopeless.  There are situations we may encounter when we think there is no way things will look up.   God tells us things just like He told the people of Israel.  God tells us that He can do anything. God created the whole earth and all that is in it.  God made man to begin with and He is able to revive dry old bones.  God not only told the prophet to prophesy about the bones receiving life but he let the man see those bones come to life.  Ezekiel was able to see the bones get reconnected and he was able to see God’s Spirit give the bones new breath. 
The different members of the family of Israel had been divided, too.  God told through the prophet that a healing would come that would restore the tribe of Israel so Israel would again become as one. God can even repair relationships that once looked broken forever.

God can bring those who are divided into a place where they unite again. 

Have you ever thought restoration looked impossible?  Have you wondered if something broken could ever be fixed? 

When all looks lost remember the valley of dry bones.  Remember you have a God that can repair anything. 

God wants people to live in unity.  God wants His peace, love, and life to be yours. 

I almost cried when I read this passage from the Bible today.  I’ve seen so many people that are hurting because of the things they face and how impossible some of their circumstances look to them. 

The tears I had were tears of joy.  I knew when I read from Ezekiel 37 I was reading about things that our God is able to do.  God can restore.  God can heal.  God can do anything.

Whatever hardship you are facing right now look up to the Lord.  Your Redeemer lives.  God is able to bring health and healing in a perfect way. 

Put your trust in the Lord.  Trust God to handle things in a perfect way and in a perfect time frame. 

Be encouraged!  God is able to do things exceedingly abundantly far above what you can ask or think.

Posted in Depression, Restoration | No Comments »

It Is All About Jesus Afterall

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

We know that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Jesus is Lord, Messiah, Deliverer, Savior, Son of God, Prince of Peace, Mighty Counselor, the Chief Cornerstone,  the Stone that the Builders rejected. . . .

Jesus

When we focus on Jesus instead of on our problems we find truth.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Jesus.

I pray to God saying,  “Lord God send your truth. Shine your light.  Make a way where it looks like there is no way.  Let your truth prevail. Expose the deeds of darkness.  Set the captives free.  Loosen the bonds of those that are in slavery to sin.  Help the broken hearted.  Deliver us all from evil.  Open our eyes that we may see the truth at all times. Help us speak the truth in love.  Help us turn from evil ways and live.  Forgive our sins and forgive those that have sinned against us.  Prevent us from harming others.  Thank-you for doing things that no one else can do.”   

PRAISE  goes to the FATHER, SON, & HOLY GHOST.   

Have you ever had circumstances hit you that kept you from keeping your focus where it belongs?  Has anyone or anything ever dominated your thought realm to the point of what seems like an unending battle that cannot be won? Don’t let unholy thoughts permeate your being.  Don’t let satan rob your joy.  Quickly go to Jesus.

Go to Jesus.  Get your mind on the Lord.  Stay in touch with God.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Resist the devil and he will flee. 

 

Posted in Anxiety, Deliverance, Depression | No Comments »

God Wants Us Happy & Blessed.

Monday, November 16th, 2009

HABAKKUK 3: 17-19,  “17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”

Phillipians 4:4, “4Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.“

Our time on this earth is short.  See Psalm 90:9-10,

“9For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

10The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

  Our days may be 70 or 80 years +/-
according to the will of the Lord.  The things we spend time doing while we are
here matters to God.  

God does want us to take time to be Holy and to listen often to His Word.  He
also wants us to be happy for He is the One that told us to rejoice in the Lord
always.  He wants us blessed and happy even if we go through trials.  This world
we live in does have it's trials but we can be of
good cheer because Jesus told us He has overcome the world.

Blessed does mean happy.

The Lord is not the author of depression or confusion.
God is the God of hope.  He wants us to be blessed & happy.
He wants us to walk in the light of His Holy Word.
God wants us to persevere through the dark days.

Let's face it there are severely rough times and it's not
always easy to praise the Lord in all circumstances.  We will
have times of tears.  We will have times when we feel as though
our strength is weak.  

We must not give up.  We must keep on doing what we know is right
no matter what anyone else does.

"If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!"  ~Proverbs 24:10

How many people can join me in saying that they know they have had times
when they have faltered in times of trouble?  How many can say they
realize how small their strength is?

Be not dismayed.  Take courage from the Living God.  He says to you
that you strength will come from Him.  He says that joy in Him will
give you strength.  See Nehemiah 8:10 for a reminder of how His joy
becomes your strength.

It is not by your own strength that you can overcome during trials.
You need Jesus. We need Jesus.  We need God's Holy Spirit to help us
in our times of need.  We need God's Living Word in us to help guide us.

Our Pastor told us yesterday that God will direct our paths.  We know our
steps are ordered by the Lord.  God may even redirect our paths if we
are headed in a wrong direction.  The Pastor also reminded us that God will
not lead us to do anything contrary to His Word.  

God's Word reminds us that we are to be different than the rest of the world.
We are a chosen generation and a peculiar people.  We are different because
we believe in the power of the Living God to help us.  We are different because
we walk by faith not by sight.  We willingly choose to follow God doing what we
know is right no matter what others may do or say.

When we make commitments to the Lord we are expected to fulfill every Godly thing we
said we would do.  God wants a people that will be faithful to their Word.  

God is faithful.  You can trust in God.  He will never fail you or forsake you.

Keep your trust in God. Obey Him and do what you know is right.  

Ignore the voice of the enemy.  The enemy wants you to walk around like a defeated foe
because he is a defeated foe.  The enemy of God's people wants them depressed.
The enemy of God's people wants them to falter in times of trouble.  

God wants a people that will walk around like Job.  Job blessed God even though
he lost everything.  Ha...... Of course Job lost a lot. The worldly possessions
Job lost were bad but losing all his children in a day was a sorrow far greater
than most people have known.    Job still blessed God.  Job's body hurt and he still
blessed God.  Job got his mind on God.  Job reached out to the Lord when others
may have quickly listened to the voice of the devil.

The devil wanted Job to turn away from God.  The enemy believed and said that
it was only because Job was blessed that he had the mind to bless the Lord.  

We want to be ones that will rejoice in the Lord always.  We want to give praise to
God during the storms.  We want to be the kind of Christian people that will have
spiritual strength that comes from God no matter what goes on around us.

We must always recall to go to God asking Him for strength to do things His way.  His way
is the Only good way.  He will guide us to do things His way if we really want to.

The Pastor also talked about how a person should be ready and willing to obey the Lord.
If you want to hear from God then you must be prepared to do what He says.  Many people
think or say they can't hear from God.  It makes sense that there may be times when
God's voice can't be heard because God knows the heart of a man.  

If you don't plan on obeying God's Word it is very possible He will keep you from hearing
what He has to say because He knows you haven't obeyed Him in the past or you are walking
in disobedience when you ask Him for direction.  

When the Pastor talked about how rebellion could keep a person from hearing from God I
knew this to be true.  It may be that there will be times when God is
waiting for you to obey Him before He will give you new direction.

If you want to be really happy and blessed God has made a way for you to be happy.
Hearing from God is something that brings joy.  Obedience to God brings blessings.

If you will not obey God once He has spoken to you it is possible you will miss the
blessing of hearing clearly from Him in a time of need.  

It seems right and good to encourage fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to go
to God in prayer asking Him if there is anything hindering your prayers being answered.
Ask Him if there is anything you have done or are doing that displeases Him.  Ask Him
if there is anything you need to do to fulfill a promise you made to Him.  Seek His
forgiveness if He shows you an area of your life that needs corrected. 

If there is any way
you can correct something you've done that is wrong then do it with God's help.  Recall
that God will not tell you to sin.  Two wrongs do not make things right.  There are times
when you can't go back and correct the past.  You can determine in your heart that you will
do things God's way from now on. God will help you do things His way.  I believe God
delights in helping you do things that are right and good.

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life then obey God.  Obeying God gives you a peace
in your heart that passes understanding.  

Recall that the enemy of God does not want you to
have God's peace at all times.  The enemy of God wants to steal that peaceful relationship you
have with God.  The enemy wants to destroy the Godly relationships you have.

If you want to hear from God show Him that you are a person that will obey Him when He speaks
to you.  Do not falter to do the right thing especially when the enemy attacks you.  

May it be that your faith remains in tact every minute of the day.
May it be that your strength will come from the Lord.
May it be that you will be able to rejoice in the Lord always.
Know that God inhabits the praises of His people and many times it is sacrificial
to praise Him when the days look dark and gloomy.  Praise God anyway! Praise the Lord
no matter what.  God will give you strength to do things His way.  God wants you to do
things His way. 

Recall the words of John 14:6, "Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man
cometh to the Father but by Me."  - Words remembered - 

We want to do things God's way.  God's way will bring joy and happiness that has no limits.

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Manipulation/Stubbornness/Demanding Your Own Way

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Have you ever been upset because you didn’t get your own way?

There are countless stories I’ve heard about how some people react when they don’t get their own way.

Some people use intimidation or fear to try to control other people.  Other people can be very quiet about how they will try to gain what they want.

Think of how you’ve seen others act when they aren’t happy with the way things are going.  Have you met the ones that start yelling or raising their voices?  Those kind of people may just look at you as if they want to hit you.  What about the ones that get real quiet? Have you met anyone that gets your attention by discontinuing communication with you?  There are many ways to hurt people. 

I read about King Saul seeing that he ended up being tormented by evil spirits because of his stubbornness.  He didn’t want to obey God in every way.  He only wanted to obey God when it was convenient for him to do so.  I think about old King Saul when I want to steer clear from evil patterns of demanding my own way.

King Saul was head and shoulders taller than the other men.  He was favored by God at one time in his life.  That’s how he gained the position he had.  He lost everything because of his stubborn and selfish ways. 

Saul did not instantly lose all he had been blessed with.  God allowed him to continue being King for a while.  Saul was pretty miserable while he was still alive because of those demons that plagued him. 

It was evident to those around Saul that something was wrong.  He attacked his own son and attacked the very man that helped him find peace.  Saul wanted to control others and he couldn’t even control himself.

I believe it’s  important  for Christians to recall that the fruit of the spirit called self-control is to be desired above the evil spirit of manipulation.

We are told in the Bible that we should examine ourselves.  Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean that we walk on this earth doing everything right all the time. 

I’ll end this writing with several thoughts that may help you or a loved one if they have trouble with manipulation.  Many thoughts shared come from I Corinthians 13:

  1. Love Does Not Demand It’s Own Way
  2. Self-Control Is A Fruit Of The Spirit
  3. Stubbornness Is As Witchcraft
  4. God Leads The Devil Drives
  5. Love Is Patient
  6. Love Is Kind
  7. Love Rejoices In The Truth
  8. Love Is Not Puffed Up
  9. Love Suffers Long
  10. Love Does Not Seek It’s Own Way
  11. Love Hopes, Believes, & Desires Good For Others
  12. Love Is Not Selfish

Posted in Depression, Fear, God Will Tend To Evil Doers, Good VS Evil, Obedience To God, Rebellion, The Sin Of Stubbornness | No Comments »

When The Devil Reminds Me Of My Past Sins

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

A Christian friend of mine said when the devil reminds her of her past she reminds him of his future.

Ha…….. That is a good one.  I think I’ll rebuke that old devil if evil taunting thoughts come my way.  Once I’ve asked God to forgive me and I’ve done all I can do to make things right with anyone I may have harmed I want to put the past behind me.

It’s not easy to put the past behind us but it is possible.

Posted in Deceivers, Depression, Faith | No Comments »

Woe Is Me Syndrome

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Have you ever had it?

You know, the WOE IS ME SYNDROME, have you ever had it?

I’ve seen it and had it more often than I’d like to talk of it.

I’ve been waking up thanking the Lord for each new day.  Even when I woke up feeling a little extra tired thoughts of how God made the day helped perk me up.

If you ever find yourself wallowing in self-pity thinking about how you wish things were instead of how they really are maybe it will help you to ponder on new thoughts.  Open the Bible and renew your mind with Holy thoughts. It may also be helpful to think about how it’s very possible that there are others who have endured larger trials than you have.

I am blessed.  God has given me strength to face another day.  I have people in my life that love me.  God has opened my eyes allowing me to see how much He has blessed me.  I AM BLESSED INDEED!!!!

It is my prayer that you will be able to see how much God has blessed you.  May the Lord help you share your blessings with others by putting a wonderful smile on your face.

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