Depression - A Disability You Can Do Something About

YES, you can gain the victory over depression. Even though we can’t always control how we feel when life presents us with a difficult trial, we can determine how we behave. Not choice of feelings, but choice of behavior.

The question is not, “HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT MY SITUATION?” The question is, “WHAT DO I NOW DO IN VIEW OF MY SITUATION?”

So, simply stated, we must learn how to change our way of THINKING. The Bible calls it “renewing the mind” (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23). Instead of allowing our emotions, and resulting feelings, drive our thinking, we must focus our thoughts on WHAT IS TRUE. And there are four Biblical truths that we must bring into focus as a means to prevent difficulties, disappointments, and trials from turning into depression.

The FIRST Biblical truth we will discuss, that we must learn to apply to change our way of thinking, is that YOU OWN NOTHING! That’s right, you don’t own one thing; not even your life! Understand, most depression comes as a result of a sense of loss. It can be a loss of health, death of a loved one, loss of a relationship, loss of finances, loss of career, etc.

Any sense of loss can become a “trigger” for depression. But the truth is, YOU CAN’T LOSE WHAT YOU DON’T OWN! And the truth is, YOU DON’T OWN A THING! Your LIFE isn’t yours. Your SOUL isn’t yours. Your TIME isn’t yours. Your SPOUSE isn’t yours. Your CHILDREN aren’t yours. Your PROPERTY isn’t yours. Your MONEY isn’t yours. Your HEALTH isn’t yours. It is all in God’s hands and control because it all belongs to God! You simply have been granted stewardship over these things for just a short period of time.

This is a reality that we must learn to mentally condition ourselves to accept. And the logic that necessarily follows this truth is that you cannot lose what you do not own. As God’s people, our attitudes about life MUST conform to Scripture. When Job had lost it all; I mean absolutely everything; his attitude was fully expressed by his statement, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

Until we learn to develop a REAL godly outlook on life (not the outlook of most professing Christians in America today), our mental health will continue to suffer. It has been said, “We are either in the midst of a trial, coming out of a trial, or heading into a trial.” LIFE HAPPENS. And it “happens” to all of us. That’s not even in question. The question is, “How are we to react when it does happen?”

The “key” to good mental health, and gaining the victory over depression, comes from learning how to properly interpret the events of our life. And this first step in the transforming of our mind comes when we begin to accept the reality that God is the creator and owner of ALL things. And as a result, He has the right to give, and take, as it pleases Him.

Let’s look to a couple of places in Scripture that speak to what I’ve just stated. In Romans 11:33-36, the Bible says, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hast first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him.” You see, God owns it all. And He doesn’t owe us anything.

EVERYTHING was created by Him and for Him. Whatever blessings we receive at the hand of God are undeserved and unmerited. Everything we have and enjoy, temporal and eternal, flows from the grace and mercy of Almighty God.

And even though it is quite true that it is not easy to adopt this attitude about our life and our “losses” in life, it is necessary; it is Biblical. This renewing of our mind is the essential first step in learning how to gain permanent victory over depression and to maintain a mentally healthy perspective about our life. This is the cornerstone from which every other attitude about our life must be measured.

Rev. Gary E. Williams, B.D.
biblical.counselor@yahoo.com

Depression - A Disability You Can Do Something About

Depression & Learned Behaviors

A man once wrote, “I write this with all reverence: God Himself cannot deliver a person who is not in trouble. Therefore, it is to some advantage to be in distress, because God can then deliver you. Even Jesus Christ, the Healer of me, cannot heal a person who is not sick. Therefore, sickness is not an adversity for us, but rather an advantageous opportunity for Christ to heal us. The point is, my reader, your adversity may prove your advantage by offering occasion for the display of divine grace.”

On an another occasion, this same man said, “I often feel very grateful to God that I have undergone fearful depression. I know the borders of despair and the horrible brink of that gulf of darkness into which my feet have almost gone. But hundreds of times I have been able to give a helpful grip to brethren and sisters who have come into that same condition, which grip I could never have given if I had not known their despondency. So I believe that the darkest and most dreadful experience of a child of God will help him to be a fisher of men if he will but follow Christ.”

Who wrote and said these things? Charles Spurgeon!

When observing depression in the life of its “victims” whether they be Biblical characters like Job, Elijah, Jonah, or Kind David; historical figures like Abraham Lincoln; great Christian leaders like Charles H. Spurgeon; or people like you and me; you’ll observe two learned behaviors manifested in nearly every case.

FIRST: They allow their emotions to interpret the seriousness of their situation, which provides fertile ground for depression to set in.

SECOND: They allow their emotions to prevent them from seeing anything beyond themselves, which gives root for depression to take control of their life.

It must be understood that your emotions do not tell you what is true. They simply tell you how you feel about your situation. And for those of us who battle depression, we must learn how to free ourselves from the control our emotions have over us.

In order to illustrate what I’ve just stated, we are going to examine the real case history of a great man that we find in the Bible.

In 1 Kings 19:1-4, we find a man by the name of Elijah. Elijah has just experienced a remarkable victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. But when Ahab tells Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had slain all the prophets of Baal, Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah telling him she intended to have him killed within 24 hours. What did Elijah do? He RAN! That’s right. Here we have this great man of God, who had just stood up against and defeated 450 prophets of Baal, running from this wicked woman, Jezebel! He runs into the wilderness, sits down under a juniper tree, and asks God to kill him. He has allowed his emotions to take control of his thinking, to the point he is now suicidal. Why? What happened to this great man of God, who had before demonstrated such courage and faith? Let’s diagnose the situation.

FIRST: He allowed his emotions to interpret the seriousness of the situation, instead of understanding the situation in light of what was true. What was true? God was just as capable of delivering Elijah from the hands of Jezebel, as He was to hand him the great victory over the 450 prophets of Baal. He allowed his thinking, and resulting behavior, to be ruled by his emotions, instead of what he should have known to be true. We must remember in the “dark times” what we learned in “the light” of God working in our lives.

SECOND: He allowed his emotions to prevent him from seeing anything beyond himself; instead he needed to look to God for understanding.
Simply stated, Elijah lost sight of two fundamental truths that all of God’s people must learn to live by. ONE: The situation is never outside of God’s control; i.e., God was certainly capable of helping him. TWO: God is always going to act in our best interest. God’s working in our lives will ALWAYS be motivated by His perfect love for us, no matter how it feels while we are going through it.

The problem we have is, what we feel is in our best interest (our emotions), and what actually is in our best interest (what is true based on God‘s perspective), many times conflict with one another. And it is at these times we must discipline ourselves to shift our focus from what we are FEELING to what is actually TRUE. When our focus is on what is true, we are enabled to rise above how we feel.

In upcoming articles, I will be discussing the four bedrock truths of Scripture; truths that if we’ll learn to apply them to our lives, will help us through any trial or period of despair, and will actually changes our lives by empowering us to gain the victory over depression.

Rev. Gary E. Williams, B.D.
Email: biblical.counselor@yahoo.com

Depression - A Disability You Can Do Something About

DEPRESSION

Is There Any Real Hope of Victory?

Long-term victory over depression ultimately requires addressing the underlying causes, instead of merely treating the symptoms, such as what is commonly described as “chemical imbalance.” Even though we recognize that studies indicate a link between depression and certain neurochemicals (such as a surplus of noradrenaline, the presence of the stress hormone cortisol, or the depletion of serotonin), depression is still triggered by some traumatic or stressful event. Therefore, the underlying cause of depression is not a direct result of physiology or a genetic propensity to become depressed. Rather, the underlying cause of depression is a direct result of how we cope with the trauma or stressful event that carries with it the potential to trigger depression.

Simply stated, learned beliefs and behaviors play a more significant role in depression than does human physiology. One of the most important truths we must learn is that the stressful and traumatic events in our life do not cause depression. Rather, what we believe about those events determines how we emotionally cope and whether or not depression results.

I will illustrate. A man receives a phone call from his wife, who is frantically requesting that he leave work and immediately rush to the hospital emergency room, as their young daughter has just collapsed on the playground and remains unconscious. Nearly panic-stricken by the news, the husband rushes to the hospital with his mind being flooded with self-defeating thoughts; thoughts like, “why is this happening to me?; why does life have to be so hard?; why doesn’t God love me?; why is God treating me so unfairly?” As fear and confusion builds in his mind, depressing thoughts begin to capture him as he approaches the hospital. As he runs into the emergency room, his wife rushes toward him, weeping. His heart leaps in his chest, as he now anticipates the worst.

Now, let’s pause the scene. What this man didn’t realize, was that his wife’s tears were not tears of sadness or tragedy, but tears of joy! Why? Because his daughter’s collapse on the playground was the result of nothing more than a minor blood sugar imbalance. However, because of the tests conducted at the hospital, the physicians discovered that his little girl had an aneurism, that if left undetected and untreated, would have likely resulted in her death. What he thought to be a curse, was actually a blessing. What he felt to be an unfair event in his life, turned out to be God showing him favor!

We have to learn to think differently, and therefore react differently, during the stressful and traumatic events that happen in our life, if we are to have the victory over the vicious cycle of depression.
The truth is, it is not the events in our life that shapes our life. Rather, it is how we see those events. Some call it attitude.

We'll discuss this in greater depth in our next article.
Rev. Gary E. Williams, B.D.

Depression - A Disability You Can Do Something About

DEPRESSION. For many, the word is ominous and frightening. It represents a stronghold, a trap, or pit that captures their entire being and spirals them downward into an abyss so dark that it cripples their ability to function normally. And for others, it means little more than a bout with the “Monday morning blues.”

It has been said that depression is so common in our society that it is known as the “common cold” of mental health. The reality is, nearly everyone will at sometime in their life be affected by depression; either their own or someone else’s they love. Millions of people suffer from major depression every year in the United States.

Let’s look at some startling statistics.

80 percent of people suffering depression are not currently receiving any help. Two primary reasons for this are embarrassment and expense.

15 percent of people suffering from depression will commit suicide.

Depression results in more lost time from work than almost any other disorder or illness, and costs employers in excess of 51 BILLION dollars per year in lost productivity, not including the high medical and pharmaceutical costs associated with depression.

Depression is common among CHRISTIAN people.

Studies show that depression is a major contributory factor to fatal coronary disease and that depression will be the 2nd largest killer after heart disease by the year 2020.

Recent studies show that anti-depressants work for only about 30 percent of the depressed population.

Studies show that traditional methods of behavioral therapy have an 80 percent relapse rate.

In view of these statistics, the question that must be asked and answered is, “What real hope exists for conquering depression in one’s life?”

In my next article, I will begin to answer that question, as we begin to unmask the real enemy behind depression and begin our journey to discover the pathway for real, lifetime recovery.

Check back often, as my next article will be coming soon.

Rev. Gary E. Williams, B.D.

P.S. Please feel free to contact me with questions you may have. I will do my best to respond in a timely manner. Again, hopefully you will find our information on depression, disability and online work at home helpful for you and those you care for.

Depression - A Disability You Can Do Something About

Hopefully this information on overcoming depression will be helpful to you. Thank you for stopping by.

My name is Gary Williams, I am an ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with an earned Bachelor of Divinity Degree. I have served in Christian ministry since 1978, including service as a pastor, Christian educator, author, newspaper columnist, and Christian Counselor.

I believe it is mportant for you to understand why I have created this BLOG.

I have battled depression for a number of years and know too well its debilitating effect on my life. I have also counseled an untold number of others suffering from depression and have learned a great deal from these experiences. It is my hope that through this BLOG I can help a significantly greater number of people than I could otherwise in just my local ministry.

Please feel free to contact me at williams.amazingrace@gmail.com with any questions you may have. I will do my best to respond in a timely manner.