Depression

Those in leadership (pastors in particular) hold a unique position that places them in situations that can be very stressful. Pastors are pulled between performing God’s service, raising family, counseling members (and others), running the church “business”, and the multitude of other jobs that are listed as other duties in small print in their job description. Given such pressures it’s a wonder that we don’t have a greater fall out among Pastors than we do. Pray for your pastor!

Depression is a problem for Christians as much as it is in the general population. There are various strategies that can be learned to deal with the problem. I personally have to remain alert for signs that I’m becoming melancholy and depressed. Counseling helps to give people ideas to battle the problem. Don’t look on it as a weakness that shouldn’t be confronted!

 

Amen Deacon: I was also a depressed christian. Mine was caused by diabetes. This caused an imbalance in my brain, which in turn caused the depression. Through many prayers and very good treatment by the doctors in my area, I have recovered. Like you Deacon, I must be on guard all the time. Satan knows this and will use it against you. I pray that each one out there that has this problem, will receive the care I did. I also pray that Jesus will help you through it. Always remember "If God leads me to it, He will lead me through it". Perservere. Rick Sr.

 

This should read that an estimated 33% of staff and clergy aren't trusting in the God that they profess.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. The Holy Spirit sent from God gives you joy, not only in good times, but in all times and in all things. No physical ailment can overcome or overpower the Holy Spirit. To suggest that it can, gives that ailment more power than the power of God.

We need to focus on Christ and not how we feel. Only keeping our minds on Him can we overcome, but we can overcome if we do just that.

~Lorelei

 

This should read that an estimated 33% of staff and clergy aren't trusting in the God that they profess.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. The Holy Spirit sent from God gives you joy, not only in good times, but in all times and in all things. No physical ailment can overcome or overpower the Holy Spirit. To suggest that it can, gives that ailment more power than the power of God.

We need to focus on Christ and not how we feel. Only keeping our minds on Him can we overcome, but we can overcome if we do just that.

~Lorelei </font>[/QUOTE]Thats like saying that people with cancer, high blood pressure, diabettes aren't trusting God. Come off it, christians get sick just like anyone else, and theres nothing in the bible that says otherwise. Depression is not a mood, it is an imballance in the brain. Which makes it a sickness, just like anyother sickness. The feeling(mood) of depression is a symptom of the chemical imballance in the brain. You can have the checmical depression and still have the joy from knowing Jesus. Thast like saying if you aren't happy and joyful today you aren't trusting God. Nope, joy is much more then that.

 

The fruit of the Spirit does not include good health, it does include joy. The medical profession also says that the craving for alcohol is caused by a chemical imbalance. Does that excuse the alcoholic according to the word of God?

Is there evidence that the imbalance causes the depression or is it possible the depression caused the imbalance?

Did God not offer us peace? Did not Jesus promise us rest? If these promises were only made to healthy people, then that isn't fair for the millions of people who didn't have a pill to cure their depression in centuries past.

You can't live in a state of joyful depression and a "depressed christian" is an oxymoron. The joy from the Holy Spirit is not only much deeper, it is more powerful than you give it credit for.

~Lorelei

 

God chooses to humble us in a variety of ways. Sometimes just to remind us that we can’t stand on our own. Paul relates to us about times that were not so joyful in his life:

We also need to remember that we are fighting a spiritual battle. At times there will be defeats or setbacks. The enemy will exploit us in anyway he can.

Concerning Christians, Peter writes:

Depression is not a “mind over matter” thing. A counselor can direct a person battling depression by suggesting strategies to deal with the problem. Sometimes its simple; the person is not dealing with sin in their life. Other times it’s much more complex. In any case knowing that it is an “oxymoron” for a Christian to be depressed doesn't change the fact that it happens. It only makes it more important that we change that situation.

 

Like I said, depression is more then the mood your in, you can suffer from the chemical imballance and have depression and still have the joy of the Lord, nothing over powers Him, either your chirsitan or not.

As you may know medical science does not know everything there is to know about the brain, such as the casue of migraine headaches. Would you then suggest migraine headaches either do not exsist or they are casued by sin, or that the person is not living with God? For a great many years people did not believe PMS exsisted either,and that crampoing pain was just in your mind, therefore if you ever cramp your are in sin. Fact is that you can not prove anything.

Once again you are not address the actual depression but the symptoms. Most people misunderstand depression and believe it is whatever mood you are in today, like being happy, sad, mad. But it is not. You can not blame sickness on the lack of God in a persons life.
A pill does not 'cure' depression. If you knew as much as you think you do you'd know that.
So you want to talk about wether or not God is fair? Then to play your game, what about people who have died from any disease in the past that is now curable? Was He unfair to them? You explain. It's your game.

 

Kate,

It's not a game. I am looking at the word of God and I don't see any way that depression can effect a Christian who is walking in the Spirit and trusting in God.

The definition of clinical depression can not co-exist with joy and peace (both part of the fruit of the Spirit), for they are extreme opposites.

It's not an illness, it's a condition of man that only God can cure.

~Lorelei

 

Been doing some research of what medical science does say.

I guess a mother like this is in sin and not focused on God.

 

Dr. Bob,

If you would like to discuss "Biblical Clinical Depression" maybe you could start by showing me how each of these people were "cured."

What was their solution to getting out of depression or did they even ever recover?

~Lorelei

 

I at least went to the facts, not personal flawed opinion.
So what fruit of the spirit is your dislike is ill people come from? Sounds real loveing from here.
NOT!

And I'd like your answer to Dr. Bob, or were you not aware of the biblical people who also had depression?

 

For the record, I never said that depression was a result of sin. I never stated that if you are depressed you are "in sin."

I merely pointed out that to have a clear mind, we must focus on Christ.

~Lorelei

 

So then according to you, a retarded person cannot have a right relationship with God and be retarded either? Or a women with palsey? Or a woman with cancer? Or someone with heart disease? Or someone with Psoriasis? This is a sick, sad, prejudice topic. Now you are telling God what kinds of people He can have relationships with.

All I can do is shake my head in total disbelief that anyone could think because someone is depressed, they cannot have a relationship with God.

Sherrie

 

Kate,

I will await Dr. Bob's answers. In the meantime, instead of quoting secular doctors would you care to share some scripture with me that says the Holy Spirit can not overpower depression?

~Lorelei

 

Sherrie,

Please quote where I even suggested such a thing.

~Lorelei

 

I found that depression is also realted to hormonal imballance, to pregnancy and menopause. Are these women sinning? According to your theory they are. HBow about depression from the death of a loved one? Have you never been unhappy when someone died? Never lacked joy at the death?
Are these things sin?

Sin?

Sin?
According to you all these people are in sin and do not have a relationship with God, they have somehow over powered God and rejected His joy, all becasue they are sick.
Prephaps when your sick or you children are sick you are all in sin, after all God did not create sickness, we are not supose to be sick ever, we were created perfect, therefore when your child gets another cold, he is in sin.
According to your theory.

 

The Scriptures clearly indicate that the power of God can overcome leprosy, crippled limbs, and even death. We can learn two things from this: God can cure any illness and God does not cure every illness.

The fact that God has not cured someone's depression is no more of an indicator that they are out of favor with God than the fact that God has not cured someone else's diabetes.

Joshua