THE CAVE OF DEPRESSION

People most times ask: “What is the difference between discouragement and depression?” The answer is…depression is perpetual discouragement.

Everyone is discouraged or disappointed at some time in our lives. But, if discouragement becomes a way of life, depression can be the result. And, deep and prolonged depression can be very destructive... even life-threatening. Families have been destroyed by depression. Maybe you have also read about suicides committed by depressed people who had been disappointed emotionally or financially. Yes?..

Physical illness... loss of a loved one... the sense one has "failed in life"..., dashed expectations…may all lead to depression. A depressed person may suffer more real pain than a person with a physical illness.
Certain physical conditions (such as a chemical imbalance, menopausal change, viral infections, drug misuse, low blood sugar etc.,) may cause depression. (when one is diagnosed with one of these physical maladies and depression has resulted, it is important to get professional help.. no self medication pleeease!!!) Pretending that nothing is bothering you will not cause your depression to go away. That is ‘flirting with the enemy’ whose mission is to get you into the ‘cave of depression’ and end up in real trouble.

Most depression has a spiritual cause. Studies show that depression is most serious among the hurting: the divorced, the widowed, the unemployed, the guilty, the lonely, the rejected, and the empty (a hollow inside). This could bring about condemnation – a fiery dart from Satan to destabilize. Loss of meaningfulness to one's self and to others almost always causes serious depression. Lack of self-worth, lack of feeling essential to others, and a lack of intimacy with God may all contribute to one's becoming depressed. Since God is the "God of all comfort," He is the only source of victory over spiritual depression. Whether we want to admit it or not, non-biological depression is a spiritual problem. A harvest of bad seed!

Even great men of God in the Bible became depressed for significant periods of their lives. Take the story of a prophet of God whose name was Elijah. The nation of Israel had turned away from God because of ungodly practices. Sin and idolatry had taken root and Elijah challenged the people to take a stand…worship the true God or the heathen god worshipped by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel; Baal, representing strength and fertility and reflecting lust for power and sexual pleasure…They wavered!…they enjoyed the sinful pleasures and other benefits that came with following Ahab in his idolatrous worship. That is what happens to most people... the lure of sinful pleasure and other benefits become too tempting. So Elijah, alone, stood against 450 heathen prophets and the power of God was made manifest. (you can read this wonderful story in full in the first book of 1 Kings chapter 18.) Thereafter, he slew all the prophets of Baal at the Brook Kishon. Jezebel, enraged by the death of her prophets, sent a message to Elijah that by the same time next day, she would make sure he was dead and you know what happened? Elijah took off like a shot!!! He ran for his life! A man, who slew 450 prophets and had humiliated the ungodly King Ahab, ran thousands of miles before he hid in a cave around Mt Sinai. When God asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" the prophet responded with a litany of self-pity: "Israel has forsaken God, they have killed the prophets and I am the only one left and now they're trying to kill me!" (He brought out the violin and played the familiar song…Poor me! Everybody hates me…!) Have you ever felt that way? Like the whole world is against you? Nobody understands? Nobody cares? That is how Elijah felt. He had risked his life for the cause of God and now he wondered if it was really worth it.

Most times the spiritual conflict that underlies a person's depression will always come to the surface with definite physical and emotional consequences. These include hopelessness, pessimism, constant headaches, loss of physical energy, withdrawal from people, and fear of the future…. Depression feeds on self-pity and paranoia.

But do you want the truth? Whenever we become discouraged, defeated, or embittered by our circumstances, we are really questioning God's sovereign control over those circumstances. “How can He really be in control,” we think to ourselves, “and let this happen to me?” Our problem is that we have a self-centered view of the world. And when we are at the center of our world-we can't see God at all.

God made Elijah to come out of the cave and used him greater than ever before. Broken people become changed people. When we are broken, there is nothing superficial about us. When we come to the end of ourselves, we find that God is what we really needed all along. You can come out of that Cave of Depression. Believe that God is greater than your problems. Whatever circumstances have you down; it is not the end of the world. Look up - God can help you. Turn all those problems over to Him in prayer. Don't pray that God will take each problem away, but instead pray that He will give you a means to really understand the problem from His perspective and to survive with spiritual victory. What is He trying to accomplish in your life through these hurtful circumstances? What is the victory that overcoming depression is awaiting you? Are you resisting Him? Have you run into a ‘cave’ because the person you thought was meant for you has played you for a fool? You feel the whole world is laughing at you? Come out of that cave! The truth is that you are at whatever particular place in your life you are at due to your choices of attitude and actions you’ve previously made. You must begin to take responsibility for the ‘bad fruit’ in your life. Do not just patch things up on the surface. Deal with your deeper problem of a poor self-image. The opposite of depression is joy. "The joy of the Lord is your strength!" When joy is missing, your strength is gone!

Don’t play around with depression. As soon as you start feeling disappointed, do something about it or you will ultimately get discouraged, then depressed. Jesus gave us ‘the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness’ to put on. The depressed person puts on the garment of heaviness.. Remember, God is the source of real joy. Let Him fill the void and restore the joy of your salvation. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine..." Keep away from negative people; spend time with happy people. Spirits and anointings are transferable. Depression does not need to defeat you or destroy you. It can actually become God's tool to help you; to ultimately produce good results in your life. Cry a bit, grieve a little and then wipe those tears away!!!

Take the first step toward a full recovery. Turn your life over to Jesus Christ. He died upon Calvary's cross to pay your sin debt in full forever. He rose from the dead to grant you everlasting life. Trust Him today to take you out of the ‘Cave of Depression’. You are loved and not alone…..
Call/text me for counseling/advice on 0805 727 3161 or Email: jeandaniel@actsgeneration.org Visit our website: www.actsgeneration