Are you discouraged, by some events in your life? If you are, you are not alone.
There are many Christians around the world, who have felt discouraged in their life, in one way or another, by what has happened in their life, or by what is happening now. Perhaps you are one of them. You see, we all pass through discouraging and difficult situations in our life, from time to time, not because God wants us to suffer, but because of many factors in this world, and our life. There always are people or circumstances and various things, which can cause our hearts to be sad, and painful. We leave in a world, which is full with people, who do not know God, and do not like to know him, and because of that, all they have, is the sinful nature in their bodies, which is often dictating what they do or say. And we have natural disasters and pandemics, which add to our suffering. Another one, who has come to steal, kill and destroy, is the enemy of our souls, who is having only one purpose, to destroy as many people as he can, so that people can not go to heaven, but join him in hell, because he hates people going to heaven, the place where he was kicked out by God. We wonder sometimes, if God is good, why does he allow so many people to suffer, and Christians to suffer too. But we should not forget, that Jesus gave us a clear promise, in the Gospels, that in this world, we would have trouble. But he did not say just that. He also said that he has overcome the world. And he said, that we should not allow our hearts to be troubled. Why did he say that? Because he has overcome the world, and if he did, so can we, because he lives in us. Jesus did not promise us a problem free life. No. He promised to be with us, in the midst of our problems, and not just be with us, but to help us and comfort us, by either delivering us from our troubles, or by giving us grace, to endure and go through them. If we read 2 Thessalonians 2:17, that God will encourage our hearts, and strengthen us in every good word and deed. But notice that it first says that God will encourage our hearts. How can do and encourage other people, if we are discouraged? Before we do the good work of encouraging somebody, we need to be comforted and encouraged by God ourselves first. Then when we have the encouragement and the comfort from God, we can encourage other people, and they can see it easily, if we are discouraged or encouraged and comforted by God ourselves. They can notice if we are full with comfort and encouragement from heaven, or full with discouragement and sadness. Some more literal translations of the Bible, like the New American Standard and the King James version, use the word 'comfort', instead of 'encourage', for the 2 Thessalonians 2:17. No matter how many discouraging and depressing news you watch on the TV everyday, God has promised to encourage and comfort your heart, so that you can cut like knife through butter, through all those depressing TV news, and though any challenges you face, in your daily life.
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From day to day, just switch on the 'false prophet', I mean the TV, and it starts to 'prophecy' lies to you. Not just lies, but terror and all sorts of suffering, everywhere. The suffering everywhere, the one of the signs that it is the end times.
But, we as Christians, are not left alone to wallow, in all the misery, that is going around, no! Although God is allowing suffering to take place in many parts of the world, he is not careless about our own suffering, because of various reasons, but he cares about it, just as he has promised in his Word. Do you find yourself sometimes, in a position of waling and crying, because your situation is too heard to bear? And what does God think or wants to do about that? What do you think, he wants to do about that? Well, just look to Psalm 30:11, and you can see that God turned the suffering of king David, into dancing. That is his will for you too! No doubt! God is not a respecter of anyone! Your are his favourite just like any other Christian there is! If you read about the life of king David, you can see how many times, he was in a serious trouble, and plenty of suffering in his own heart, and yet, the Bible tells us, that he was the man after God's own heart. So, do not ever think, that just because you feel depressed or worried because of the painful situation you find yourself in, that God does not pay enough attention to you, or is ignoring your own suffering! No, he never does that and never will! Just look at how so many times in the Bible, God has promised to help people who are suffering and in pain, and he has promised to deliver them. You can start with Psalm 34, because in that Psalm alone, God has promised that the righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him out of them all! Do you see that? Who is the righteous man? Well, me and you if we are in Christ. Yes, God says in Psalm 34, that you and me can have many troubles, but has promised to deliver us of them all! And that is not just a promise in Psalm 34, but in many other parts of the Word of God! That is what God wants to do, in your own personal situation of pain and suffering! What are the troubles God will deliver you from? Well, any trouble! God does not categorise your or my own troubles, but as much as that is a trouble in my or your life, he wants to remove it! Or look at Psalm 147:3. It says that God heals the brokenhearted, and binds their wounds. What does it mean? It means that he wants to heal you from depression, because what else can a broken heart mean, than a depression or sadness, and he wants to heal that condition of your heart, that is your spirit. So, God is always involved in your suffering, no matter what your needs are, for healing, provision or anything else you need from him, and he wants to help you. Just believe that he does, ask him for help, and thank him that he will do it for you personally, because he cares! Ah, depression! It is prevalent in these days in the life of many people, and even in the life of Christians, the very children of God! But what is the difference?
The difference is, that we as Christians, believe in God, who has promised to comfort us. And the people without God, trust the doctors and other people, to get comfort, when they become depressed or sick. There even can not be any comparison, of us as Christians being comforted by God, and the unbelievers, without God, and without hope in the world, who get comforted just by prescription drugs, people and some alternative remedies! God knew, from very long time ago, that people in the world, Christians or not, will become depressed, just by everything getting worse in the world, year after year, and decade after decade. Therefore, he has made sure to promise us, who believe in him, that he certainly, will comfort us, in all our troubles! In all, not just some! He has promised to comfort us, in all our troubles! Just read 2 Corinthians, 1:3-7, and see what God has promised his children! And that is not the only passage in the Bible, where God promises to comfort us. I believe there is not degree of depression, even the worst type of depression, called 'Clinical Depression', which God can not heal! Why should he heal only mild cases of depression? No, there is not limit with God, and he can, and will heal all types of depression, only if you believe that he will! That is all that is necessary! To believe! In Isaiah chapter 61, and verses from 1 to 3, God says that he will set the prisoners free, and give comfort and joy, to those who have sank into despair. Do you see that? He is talking about comforting all, not some, but all who mourn, and giving the oil of joy, to those in despair. That is what God promises you, if you are a child of God. But you have to believe it. You have to receive that promise, and apply it to your situation and accept it by faith. Than, and only then, it can work, for you, me, or whomever else. God has provided all we need, in order to be comforted. And it is there, promised in his Word, and is like medicine, ready to be applied. Now, in the natural, you can have all the best medicine in the world, just the best and right medicine, able to release you from your misery, sickness, and depression. But, it is only valid, working and effective, if you take it, and apply it! If you doubt that the medicine will work or help you, even if it could be the most effective medicine in the world, it will not help, you until you apply it. It is similar with the promises of God, for the life of the Christian. You can know all those promises of God, for your situation, for your depression, for your healing, but unless you really believe that they will help you and heal you, and apply them in your life and situation, you will remain just as before, sick, and depressed. It is like a man, drowning in the sea, and somebody comes to help them, and gives them the lifebelt to put on their body, and be saved from drowning. Unless that drowning person takes that lifebelt, and applies it to their body, they will perish. It is similar with the promises of God, for your situation, depression or sickness. You can have the 'lifebelt' from heaven with you all the time, but unless you take it and apply it, you will continue in your suffering. Take what is given you from heaven, be healed, restored and saved from depression, and live. Even our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, although it is provided from God for us, it will not work, unless we believe it, accept and apply it, in our life. How often you think, when you get depressed, that you are stuck with it, and can not get rid of it?
I have got good news for you! If you are a child of God, and you have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit in your heart, you can definitely be free from depression! Why do I say that! Because the Word of God says that! And there is nothing better to hear, when you want to be free from depression! You see, the more you watch the News, the more depressed you will feel, because, most of the News out there, are a depression producing news! in most of them there is no good. And vice versa. The more of the Good News you listen to, the Word of God, the better you will feel, and the Word of God has the potential to heal and remove the depression from you, because the Word of God is living and active, as the Bible says. If you look at Psalm 10 verses 14 and 17, you can see that God really cares for the afflicted, and that includes all those who are depressed. In a matter of fact, verse 14 in the NIV translation of the Bible, says that God considers your grief, and takes it in hand. Do you know what that means? That means he cares enough for you, to heal and deliver you from grief and depression! Why should he take it in hand, and consider it, if he did not plan to heal you and deliver you from suffering? God is not only sympathetic with our suffering, but he cares enough to be willing to deliver us from it. In verse 17 of Psalm 10, in the NIV version, it says that God wants to encourage you, and he listens to your cry. What are you crying to God for? Are you depressed? Do not forget what it says in verse 17, that God wants to encourage you! Just go to him, remind God what he has promised in his Word, that he will encourage you and that he listens to your cry for help, and than thank him for the answer, and believe that he has done it! That is all! It is not complicated. If he says that he will, he will and you just accept it with faith and thank him for that! |
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