July 2001

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he mediates day and night."
Psalm 1:1

Dear Reader: These are questions that were posed to our ReformedWomen ministry. My answers are in abbreviated form follow. I pray you will be encouraged as you read:

"When Christians become discouraged, is this what the world calls "depression"? Where do we go for help? Will I lose my mind? Wasn't Christ, the prophets, the disciples depressed?

***

God's Word, the Bible is the guidebook for our life as Christians. Every decision we make must be considered in light of God's Word. When we have a matter, no matter what it is, we are to say, "What does God's Word say on this subject?" We are always to let God's Word shed light on everything, whether theological, practical, or natural. It defines everything. We never let the world define our terms. The Bible defines our terms. So when we look at any subject matter whatsoever, it is with the light of God's Word and prayer.

Psalm 1:1 -- "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he mediates day and night."

Thus, as the verse above states clearly where we are to go for our answers. Read on...

FIRST, we, as Christians, do not use the world's definition of "depression" -- a term used with the intent of meaning "without hope" "desperation" and "no answer" and thus no reason to "live." That is how a clinician would look at you if you say you are suffering depression. But we, as Christians, are not "depressed" in this sense and as the world terms it (i.e, psychobabble). When we say the word depressed, the connotation to others is that we have "no hope" and that is never the case with a believer. A believer's hope is in Christ, his life is ordained by God for his good and God's glory. The trials, sufferings, problems, ups and downs of this life are what God's Word says we will have. We are "promised" tribulation; we are promised to "suffer" as Christians; we are promised to suffer the same illnesses, problems of life that non-believers suffer but we are never without hope. Many times the trials are, as God's Word says, to "purge us" to "refine us" to break the spirit of rebellion in our hearts. Thus, when Christ says to "rejoice always, and again I say rejoice" it is a command and it is teaching you, that no matter what you are suffering, you are to rejoice. The Lord does not contradict His own Word. He does not tell us we can be "depressed" and then ask us to "rejoice" -- what He is saying is that in "everything give thanks" -- so if we are discouraged, in the dumps, etc. we are to "give thanks" "rejoice" and "praise Him." If we do not, then we are in sin. Why is it sin? Because He has told us to rejoice; to praise and glorify Him; to honor Him; to submit to Him; to be empty vessels filled with His Spirit; so if we are "centered in or man-centered" on ourselves, our problems, our afflictions, we will not be Christ-centered. We are to praise, honor, glorify Him IN our afflictions. It is in our suffering that we are more like Christ. Look at our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Scriptures, they suffered every adversity, every trial, every torment, every discouragement possible, but when in prison, they sang praises, when being burned at the stake, they sang praises, when tossed into lions dens, they sang praises and praised the God of heaven in whose hands they were and in whose hands each breath of air was. It is God who is in control of the events of our lives. This is the beauty of understanding God's sovereignty in total as best as we can in our finite minds. That HE has perfectly ordained our life...it IS perfect. It may look terrible, confusing, hard, difficult, painful to us, but it is PERFECT because HE, who is PERFECT, has ordained it. Does God make a mistake? Of course not. So when we are discouraged, we are to praise, honor, glorify and submit our souls, bodies, minds to Him, who is a Faithful Creator and Saviour. Look at these precious verses:

I Peter 4:19: "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."

Psalm 119:71: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes."

Psalm 119:75: "I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."

SECOND, what does the Scripture mean when it says that Paul, Peter, Elijah, Jeremiah and others saints "despaired" of life or were downcast? What it means is the same that it means for us today. That this life is hard, this life is NOT our life, our life is hid in Christ; we moan to be relieved of these sinful, mortal bodies and to be with Christ. We long for heaven and the new heavens and earth. It means that it hurt, it was painful, and especially in the case of Paul. But what do they all say. They say that they rejoiced in being counted worthy to suffer for His sake. The said it was far better to be with Christ but more needful to be here serving Christ in the "mission" that he had ordained for them to do. They said that they would be "purged and brought forth as gold." Now consider these verses:

II Cor. 4:8: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."

Peter 5:10: "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

Philippians 1:29: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."

II Thess. 1:5: "Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer."

II Tim. 1:12: "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

II Tim. 2:12: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us."

II Tim. 3:12: "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

I Peter 4:16: "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."

Rev. 2:10: "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

I Cor. 4:12: "And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it."

Romans 8:17: "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

I Cor. 12:26: "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it."

THIRD: II Tim. 1:7: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" As a believer, your heart, mind and body is kept by Christ. You have the Holy Spirit living in you. You have a sound mind. It is a promise of Christ and He gives us a sound mind. We do not fear "losing" our minds or "going insane." That would be contrary to the Word of God. It is a lie of the devil. It is also a lie of modern psychobabble. We have a sound mind because Christ, who is our covenant-keeping God has given it to us and He sustains us.

FOURTH: As pertaining to Christ, Christ was never "depressed" -- He is Almighty God and ordained everything and in His office as Christ, our Saviour and sinbearer, was perfect. He could not sin, He is God and incapable of sinning. He was a "sinbearer" of OUR sins. His was afflicted for us. He rejoiced in laying down His life and taking it up again." It was the devil who tempted Him to throw Himself down from the temple and "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Matthew 4:7 Jesus anguish in His spirit was not depression, it was that He was going to the cross for OUR sins and the separation from God that He would suffer" and that is something that no human will ever understand, no one, except Christ Himself, as He is the only one who could bear our sins, be separated from God and be God and suffer hell on our behalf. This is a huge theological matter but Jesus is God and was perfect. He did not have a "pity party" of depression because He was going to the cross. He came into "this world for this very purpose." "He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world." He laid down His life and raised it again.

To sum up: The bottom line for us as Christians is this. The Word of God is our guidebook for our life. We do not use the worlds terms or methods. The world uses the term "depression" in covering over sin. If it is sin, it needs to be confessed and turned away from. We are not to have "pity parties" or wallow in discouragement. We are to rejoice always and especially in our afflictions. Does that mean we will not be discouraged, down, stressed? No, of course not. But what it does mean is that we rejoice in it. We look to the Word of God for our answers. If we cannot by ourselves apply this, then we get help from our husband, pastor, elders and if needed, a nouthetic counselor who counsels by the Word of God. We are not to go to the psychobabblers of the world but men/women that God has raised up to point us in the right direction in God's Word and to help us get medical attention (for hormones, chemical imbalance, etc.) if that is needed. God's Word is sufficient for "all things" -- go to it and to Christ for your answers and you will surely find "rest for your soul."

May Christ richly bless you and give you understanding in this matter.

Blessings in Christ, joan
JoyPals.com
ReformedWomen

* * *

	July 2001 Issue 1 Volume 7
Title: "What About This Matter of Depression?" Author: JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he mediates day and night." Psalm 1:1 Dear Reader: These are questions that were posed to our ReformedWomen ministry. My answers are in abbreviated form follow. I pray you will be encouraged as you read: "When Christians become discouraged, is this what the world calls "depression"? Where do we go for help? Will I lose my mind? Wasn't Christ, the prophets, the disciples depressed? * God's Word, the Bible is the guidebook for our life as Christians. Every decision we make must be considered in light of God's Word. When we have a matter, no matter what it is, we are to say, "What does God's Word say on this subject?" We are always to let God's Word shed light on everything, whether theological, practical, or natural. It defines everything. We never let the world define our terms. The Bible defines our terms. So when we look at any subject matter whatsoever, it is with the light of God's Word and prayer. Psalm 1:1 -- "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he mediates day and night." Thus, as the verse above states clearly where we are to go for our answers. Read on... FIRST, we, as Christians, do not use the world's definition of "depression" -- a term used with the intent of meaning "without hope" "desperation" and "no answer" and thus no reason to "live." That is how a clinician would look at you if you say you are suffering depression. But we, as Christians, are not "depressed" in this sense and as the world terms it (i.e, psychobabble). When we say the word depressed, the connotation to others is that we have "no hope" and that is never the case with a believer. A believer's hope is in Christ, his life is ordained by God for his good and God's glory. The trials, sufferings, problems, ups and downs of this life are what God's Word says we will have. We are "promised" tribulation; we are promised to "suffer" as Christians; we are promised to suffer the same illnesses, problems of life that non-believers suffer but we are never without hope. Many times the trials are, as God's Word says, to "purge us" to "refine us" to break the spirit of rebellion in our hearts. Thus, when Christ says to "rejoice always, and again I say rejoice" it is a command and it is teaching you, that no matter what you are suffering, you are to rejoice. The Lord does not contradict His own Word. He does not tell us we can be "depressed" and then ask us to "rejoice" -- what He is saying is that in "everything give thanks" -- so if we are discouraged, in the dumps, etc. we are to "give thanks" "rejoice" and "praise Him." If we do not, then we are in sin. Why is it sin? Because He has told us to rejoice; to praise and glorify Him; to honor Him; to submit to Him; to be empty vessels filled with His Spirit; so if we are "centered in or man-centered" on ourselves, our problems, our afflictions, we will not be Christ-centered. We are to praise, honor, glorify Him IN our afflictions. It is in our suffering that we are more like Christ. Look at our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Scriptures, they suffered every adversity, every trial, every torment, every discouragement possible, but when in prison, they sang praises, when being burned at the stake, they sang praises, when tossed into lions dens, they sang praises and praised the God of heaven in whose hands they were and in whose hands each breath of air was. It is God who is in control of the events of our lives. This is the beauty of understanding God's sovereignty in total as best as we can in our finite minds. That HE has perfectly ordained our life...it IS perfect. It may look terrible, confusing, hard, difficult, painful to us, but it is PERFECT because HE, who is PERFECT, has ordained it. Does God make a mistake? Of course not. So when we are discouraged, we are to praise, honor, glorify and submit our souls, bodies, minds to Him, who is a Faithful Creator and Saviour. Look at these precious verses: I Peter 4:19: "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." Psalm 119:71: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes." Psalm 119:75: "I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." SECOND, what does the Scripture mean when it says that Paul, Peter, Elijah, Jeremiah and others saints "despaired" of life or were downcast? What it means is the same that it means for us today. That this life is hard, this life is NOT our life, our life is hid in Christ; we moan to be relieved of these sinful, mortal bodies and to be with Christ. We long for heaven and the new heavens and earth. It means that it hurt, it was painful, and especially in the case of Paul. But what do they all say. They say that they rejoiced in being counted worthy to suffer for His sake. The said it was far better to be with Christ but more needful to be here serving Christ in the "mission" that he had ordained for them to do. They said that they would be "purged and brought forth as gold." Now consider these verses: II Cor. 4:8: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." Peter 5:10: "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." Philippians 1:29: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." II Thess. 1:5: "Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer." II Tim. 1:12: "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." II Tim. 2:12: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us." II Tim. 3:12: "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." I Peter 4:16: "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." Rev. 2:10: "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." I Cor. 4:12: "And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it." Romans 8:17: "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." I Cor. 12:26: "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." THIRD: II Tim. 1:7: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" As a believer, your heart, mind and body is kept by Christ. You have the Holy Spirit living in you. You have a sound mind. It is a promise of Christ and He gives us a sound mind. We do not fear "losing" our minds or "going insane." That would be contrary to the Word of God. It is a lie of the devil. It is also a lie of modern psychobabble. We have a sound mind because Christ, who is our covenant-keeping God has given it to us and He sustains us. FOURTH: As pertaining to Christ, Christ was never "depressed" -- He is Almighty God and ordained everything and in His office as Christ, our Saviour and sinbearer, was perfect. He could not sin, He is God and incapable of sinning. He was a "sinbearer" of OUR sins. His was afflicted for us. He rejoiced in laying down His life and taking it up again." It was the devil who tempted Him to throw Himself down from the temple and "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Matthew 4:7 Jesus anguish in His spirit was not depression, it was that He was going to the cross for OUR sins and the separation from God that He would suffer" and that is something that no human will ever understand, no one, except Christ Himself, as He is the only one who could bear our sins, be separated from God and be God and suffer hell on our behalf. This is a huge theological matter but Jesus is God and was perfect. He did not have a "pity party" of depression because He was going to the cross. He came into "this world for this very purpose." "He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world." He laid down His life and raised it again. To sum up: The bottom line for us as Christians is this. The Word of God is our guidebook for our life. We do not use the worlds terms or methods. The world uses the term "depression" in covering over sin. If it is sin, it needs to be confessed and turned away from. We are not to have "pity parties" or wallow in discouragement. We are to rejoice always and especially in our afflictions. Does that mean we will not be discouraged, down, stressed? No, of course not. But what it does mean is that we rejoice in it. We look to the Word of God for our answers. If we cannot by ourselves apply this, then we get help from our husband, pastor, elders and if needed, a nouthetic counselor who counsels by the Word of God. We are not to go to the psychobabblers of the world but men/women that God has raised up to point us in the right direction in God's Word and to help us get medical attention (for hormones, chemical imbalance, etc.) if that is needed. God's Word is sufficient for "all things" -- go to it and to Christ for your answers and you will surely find "rest for your soul." May Christ richly bless you and give you understanding in this matter. Blessings in Christ, joan JoyPals.com ReformedWomen * * *** Current Bible-Book study: "The Ancient Love Song - Discovering Christ in the Old Testament" If you are interested in studying "The Ancient Love Song" with us, you may subscribe here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReformedWomen JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen Editor & Publisher, “Heavenly Notes 2001” To view previous articles: Heavenly Notes Archive
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