Biblical Ways to Deal With Depression!!!

[Guest]

Are there biblical examples of depression and how to deal with it?

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“The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14

“I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word” (Psalm 119:25).

Photo Courtesy of Films for Christ. Copyrighted.There are numerous biblical references to depression, one of the human race's most common and distressing afflictions. It is likely that the first humans to experience depression were Adam and Eve, after they sinned against God.
Examples of people in the Bible who suffered bouts of depression

* Abraham (Genesis 15)
* Jonah (Jonah 4)
* Job (Book of Job)
* Elijah (1 Kings 19)
* King Saul (I Samuel 16:14-23, etc.)
* Jeremiah (Book of Jeremiah)
* David (Psalms 6, 13, 18, 23, 25, 27, 31, 32, 34, 37-40, 42-43, 46, 51, 55, 62-63, 69, 71, 73, 77, 84, 86, 90-91, 94-95, 103-104, 107, 110, 116, 118, 121, 123-124, 130, 138, 139, 141-143, 146-147)

King David — “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. …I groan because of the turmoil of my heart” (Psalm 38:6,8 - NKJV).

Read David's prayer
Depression due to guilt

CAIN, son of Adam (having disobeyed God)
“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’”
-Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV)

DAVID, King of Israel (having committed adultery was depressed until he confessed his sin)
"When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
-Psalm 32:3-4

Release from depression caused by guilt came from confession and seeking God's forgiveness…

"For I said in my haste, 'I am cut off from before Your eyes'; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.

Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.

Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. …

I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
-Psalm 31:22 - 32:2, 32:5 (NKJV)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 - NKJV).

David's humble prayer for forgiveness (an example for us all)

“Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight; That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. …For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;

You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:1-13, 16-17 - NKJV

When you're depressed, place your hope in God.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. …For You are the God of my strength…” (Psalm 42:5, 43:2 - NKJV).

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."
-Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13 - NKJV)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:4-8 - NKJV).

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Although things may be difficult, Christians can avoid deep depression.

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 16-18 - NIV).

Remember what Jesus Christ went through for us. Remember what the apostle Paul experienced, yet remained focused on the eternal rather than the temporary.

When we maintain faith and keep our focus on God's love and the hope He has given us for eternity, Christians can weather the storms of life. It can be done.

Paul — "…I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.

I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.

I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."
—2 Corinthians 11:23b-28 (NIV)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
—Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

When the Israelites were depressed, God called them to put their faith into action.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

[Guest]

Hi: My Husband passed away August 25th and boy am I depressed and I am having a hard time with it. I have asked the Lord to help me with it, but the pain is so bad at times. The holidays especially are rough and we never had any children so I feel totally alone. I know that I am never alone because God is always by my side but I seem to keep forgetting that. can you offer any advise? Thank you Gomer (Roxanne)

[Guest]

Hi Roxanne
I am soooo sorry to hear about your hubby
It is only normal to grieve when we lose someone so very dear to our hearts!!!

Time will help ease the pain, my friend!!! I am sooooo sorry that you are feeling so alone!!! I will remember to lift you up in prayer!!!

I do know that through prayer we can be comforted, but honestly my friend, it takes time to overcome grief!!!

Have you ever considered grief counseling??? I think you might want to check in this type of thing!!!

I also pray that you surround yourself with friends/loved ones!!! You need to be around people during this very difficult time in your life!!!

I also suggest that you keep in mind that the two of you will meet again and that we can never really lose someone, if we know where they are!!!

Again, I am soooo sorry and I extend a hand of warmth to you and offer you my deepest empathy!!!

I pray that God touches you and comforts your little heart in the precious name of Jesus...Amen and Amen!!!

God Bless You Tonight and Always ((((((((((((Roxanne))))))))))))) is my prayer for you!!!

BTW: If you ever feel a need to talk, then please send me a (PM)...private message, my dear friend and sister in Christ Jesus!!!

[Guest]

Hi Again Dear Roxanne,
Here is a little video for you to watch!!! I pray that it helps you in some odd way!!! Know that you are not alone because God sees your pain and so do I!!!

Enjoy my dear friend and sister!!! Letter From Heaven!!!

May your pain lessen as the days go by, knowing that God is taking such excellent care of your hubby and that we are the ones who are suffering...Those of us who are left behind!!!

So, dry those tears and know that God has your entire life right in the very palm of His hands!!!

He sees your loneliness and feels your pain!!! He loves you dearest sister with a Love that never ends!!!

And always remember, that you are NEVER ALONE, NO MATTER HOW ALONE YOU MAY FEEL!!!

God is right beside you!!! He loves you sooooo very much!!! He has not forgotten about you and there are better days ahead my friend!!!

And always remember that the darkest hour is just before dawn!!!

Have a beautiful night all warm, safe and cuddled beneath the wings of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!!

[Guest]

bumping for those new to the little forum!!!

[Guest]

Thanks for the list of scriptures. It is wonderful that you are posting here Mrs. T. Thank you

[Guest]

Aaaaw you are soooo welcome Marty Ann!!! I have missed you soooo much, my dear friend

[Guest]

Thank you for missing me, Mrs. T.
Happy Resurrection Day!
This is a new day and I am pressing on in the Lord. I need everything He has to offer.
Mrs. T I love the vision of having a beautiful night all warm safe and cuddled beneath the wings of OUr Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I can rest there. But my mornings require the mighty strength of His Word to slay my imaginations to start my day. Please pray that I will think clearly enough to call on His Name and trust that He is sufficient in my morning confusion. God bless

[Guest]

Good Afternoon Marty Ann ,
My dear friend, the Bible says, "He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in HIM"...

I suggest when you get up in the mornings to begin the day with gratefulness!!! I also suggest that you say, "Jesus, You created this day for me to enjoy and I will "rejoice" in it"...

I suggest that every single night upon your bed, that you upload all of your concerns, fears, frustrations and other things upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!!

Make sure to say, "Jesus I am uploading all of these things upon you"..."I am giving them to YOU"..."They know longer belong to me, because they are YOURS"...

"My battles YOU will fight for me!!!"

While saying this, make sure to "visualize" yourself doing these things!!!

Remember to do your deep breathing, listen to your relaxation CD and to blindly trust in Jesus...Stay in the moment...When Satan tries to bring these "negative scary thoughts" back to your mind, then take him back to the place where you gave it all to our Savior!!!

Remember our Savior has a "soft still voice" and it is soooooo calming, soothing, warm and relaxing!!!

I firmly believe that Satan places those "negative scary thoughts" into our minds to try and tear us down!!! Always remember, he is a liar and the father of all lies, so do not give these type of thoughts any weight at all!!!

Christ came to build up!!! Every good thought comes from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and it is "impossible" for HIM to lie!!!

I think this Scripture will help your tremendously...Here it is...

<span class="ev_code_BLACK">Philippians 4:8</span>

<span class="ev_code_RED">Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.</span>

I will be praying for you, my dear friend!!! Just hold up that banner of faith and wave it!!!

May God richly bless you with a beautiful day free from fear and all "types" of bondage, since Jesus came to set up free and we are "free" indeed!!!

Love Ya Dearly, Cloie