The emotional recession of depression Part 1
Many people these days have encountered what I call a depletion of emotional intelligence or rather a recession on the field of emotional battles. It feels you've lost the battle, but the battle isn't finished yet. You want to close the curtains of your life and exclude yourself from others and kinda isolate yourself - again. That's a normal reaction in a time when things aren't normal around you. If you're feeling somewhat depressed and you started to lose your fight against yourself this reading is for you. Typically you will read through this blog not in more than 10 minutes. I would like to help!!
If this isn't helpful, please tell a friend, a colleague or your pastor that you need help ASAP. Depression can be stopped.
The past few weeks I've been teaching on depression in the Bible school and as well as in the local assembly in the early mornings. How you feel matters to God and it's God's heart that your heart and minds be transformed by His mercies and grace. If you have been feeling overwhelmed by an emotional rollercoaster ride the past year say AI. You can and will overcome any obstacle in your way if you could just for a couple of weeks or so keep doing emotional exercises through awakening yourself spiritually.
We have been created spirit, soul and flesh and no need to say people pay much more attention to the looks than to what's really important and that is the heart of the person. When your heart weakens everything weakens.
L.O.O.K.S. matters more than you take it for. If you say it doesn't matter take off the mirror in the bathroom for one single day and see if you would survive it.
Let me explain the above acronym:
Listen to the Word of God
Listening isn't one of our strong points when we're under pressure. It's as if the whole world is speaking at once and it's so difficult to make any sense in all the voices and noises. The best advice I can ever give you in your time of crisis is to focus on God's Word and listen to what He's got to say to you. He speaks through His written Word and He uses the Word to change and transform our every being and also renew and replenish us. If you do not know how to listen to the Word of God start to read big portions ( biting huge chunks) of it and you will see how the Word will transform you from the inside out. BUT you need to listen!!
Observe the Word of God
Respectfully observe the Word of God. The Word of God is a Book that becomes alive in your hands and hearts. The Word isn't only Paper and cover, but the Word of God is living and sharper than any two-edged sword. The Word of God is not only insightful but also powerful. People who keep their eyes on the Word of God will never be the same or do the same as those who live without observing the Word of The Lord. These Words are from God Almighty and people observing His statutes and law will never fail! They may go through a season and not like it, but will make it! They will enjoy every season of life even when they may not like it. If you don't have a Bible please invest in your future and buy yourself one. Contact the local church and ask if they'd be able to help you. You can also download the Youversion (Bible) App on your phone. It's free.
Obey the Word of God
I guess obedience isn't something that comes naturally to anybody. Most people suffer from obedience due to our human nature. I mean, Adam and Eve were the first people and they didn't find it easy to Obey the Word of God. Although they knew the power of the Spoken or Rhema Word of God they still went ahead and didn't comply, but fell for a lie. Then when God asked them where they were (God is omniscient and knows all) I am of the opinion it wasn't about their physical position only, but also about their spiritual position. And take note of what they answered ".... and I was afraid because I was naked" (Genesis 3:10)They were ashamed of the state they were in and didn't understand the Lord's compassion and love for them. They didn't OBEY!!
Know the Word of God
Knowing and showing the Word of the Lord to the world is very important. We cannot exist without the living (Rhema) Word and we cannot thrive in a world of emptiness and shallowness. Adam and Eve knew His commands, but still chose to ignore and that brought them complete misery. We as modern-day Christians knows also the Lord and that Jesus came into this world and became the second Adam to restore us to God.
Knowing the Word of God is Knowing the heart of God and I've seen far too many Christians that do not know either because of this one fact they don't know the Word of God. Jesus is speaking to those who are willing to listen and notes in John 8 a few very important matters about the Word. He says in John 8:43 - 'Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. ' Not hearing the Word is not hearing what Jesus is teaching us. We can start by opening our ears!
A disciple of Jesus will connect the Truth with the Word and obviously the Word with Jesus. Jesus became the spoken Word of God in this world to set us free from the enslavement Adam brought on the planet.
'So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” ' John 8:31-32
Surrender to the Word of God
To surrender means to hand yourself over or to relinquish your own 'rights' so to speak. Surrendering yourself means also putting God first from now on with your choices and not listening to all of the noises in this world. The noises normally speak a lot of nonsense. Will you not surrender yourself today and put God really first in this time of your emotional depletion and recession? Will you not rather be the activator of good things than the deactivator of the good? God will help you. He's all about you! Let me share two verses from the Book of James 4: 'Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. ' James 4:7,10
Now I'm saying this to the church:
The church plays an important role in what people are facing in our day. God had purposefully and strategically placed the church in the middle of the thick of things and even in the middle of the mess so that He can bless the world through the Church Body. He wants us to move out of our comfortable sanctuaries and make a difference where it will mean something to people. We can preach a thousand sermons, but that moment you make for an individual In the shop or in the marketplace is all that it takes to make them want to move forward to their recovery. The seeds you plant in peoples lives means much more than you could ever imagine. Those seeds give life its greatest significance and HOPE.
You carry the Hope to the hopeless.