1 Samuel 19: 3-4 “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life when he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, he came to the tree broom .. . sat down under it and prayed that he might die, “I've had enough, Lord,” he said, “Take my life, I am not better than my ancestors” ..
Here we have a classic example of the depression. A great man of God, who cried drought on the land of Israel for more than 3 years, experienced the wonders and providing fire from heaven, plus killing the prophets of Baal could not even face a single woman or prepare your own meals, all he wanted to do was die. It seems strange that such a mighty man of God would experience such a thing, why did not he just reproach of depression, as it would be false prophets? Why does God allow it in the first place? His disciple Elisha did twice as many miracles as Elijah and even raised the dead, but he died from the disease in later life as well.
2 Samuel 13: 14 “Elisha is suffering from illness, he died.
There are some things that we can not explain. Kathryn Kuhlman healing evangelist amazing died of cancer and as Isaac Newton and Spurgeon, who had an excellent positive Christians have suffered from depression. In the old days they do not call it that, but called it “melancholia.” Today it is a 'bipolar' instead of 'manic depression and the stigma has gone. I listened to the testimony of soldiers who returned from WW2 in 1945, which was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is suppressed because of their experiences. He said that he could not tell anyone how he feels, not to mention go to a physiotherapist because of stigma would prevent him from getting a decent job, how sad.
My father suffered from depression and would never admit it, and a large medicinal doses of alcohol on a regular basis. As I got older I learned that he was “manic-depressive psychosis,” which explained his extreme mood swings. His mother suffered from it as well and was admitted for treatment during a particularly bad period in her life. I am sure that if she had drugs and understanding of what we have today, she would have lived a long and happy life. Only photos I have of her eye, as if she was baptized in lemon juice. I am also convinced that my father would be alive today if he had taken the medicine we have now. In those days it was an electric shock or drugs that left you stunned.
Throughout my life I can see times when I also suffered from depression. For the first time, it became obvious it was when I left home and went to his toAucklandon and worked in the Farmers Trading Company in its advertising department. At that time I was boarding with a lady who was on dialysis machine for her kidneys and the atmosphere in the house was really depressing. I was very ill with influenza and remember it gets dark and gloomy. Some of my relatives inAucklandsaid then that they were really concerned me, because I was so moody. Not only that depression, like that affect mood, but also endurance, as well as you do not feel motivated.
I've noticed over the years, as this is what happens inside of you seem to influence what is happening around you. Since that time, I bounced in and out of depression and when I was rolling with a string of bizarre inSandringhama guy's worried about me, to prove their point.
The first thing that happened was the fire in our trumpet after I decided to burn the garbage. Fire Brigade came to the rescue and gave me good words away. A week later, I was preparing the sausage after work and forget about them and went across the street to my friends saw the plane and fire to come again. If you thought I had a good talk from the first time, you were there within seconds. Still smelling of smoke, I was in the staff canteen for lunch, when the lady in front of me fell down dead, and lay staring at me. The man who scared me. Still a shame Then I received a letter from the New Zealand Government that I was selected by a vote of the army. This is really caused by the bottom fall out of my world as I had planned to leave on a trip abroad, and now I could not go for the next 3 years. The fate of that once managed to get out of this, I traveled toRhodesiawhere following year I participated in a real war, not “play play” one.
Since then, I noticed (in general), such as depression, does not seem to attract miracles or good things in his life. In fact, it kills creativity and no motivation to succeed.
Last week I listened to the minister of high power, full of mental disorder (if you can call it that). It was strange that he was very much like the ministry and do the Lord's work with energy and enthusiasm, when the symptoms came on him from nowhere, which eventually left him incapable of ministry and not be able to pray or read the Bible. In the end he came out of it and even better than before, but not without medications. Basically, the doctors told him that the level of serotonin in the brain were over, and he was not able to restart them without help. He used to serve couples to marry, but now he is in the field of depression, there is a need now a days.
Listening to his story, I thought I would share a bit about my experience with depression. After the first period, when I graduated from high school came into my head again and again until I was rescued inJohannesburgin 1971. My experiments with drugs did not help, actually one time I took LSD I ended up having a bad trip, when all is darkness and death kicks in. It was the depression that led me to Christ and his experience of life within. You would think that being a Christian will solve the problem, but not so soon after I got worse than before, for my dark layout made me look at myself and find not a good thing. With lots of prayers and constant struggle to remain positive, I lived half-a victorious Christian life and went into the ministry with success wherever we went.
As the years she would come back again and again, and I would blame it had little effect. Eat and calorie intake. I've always been one who believes in providing healing through the cross and will consider this condition, respectively. The trouble is, when you're suffering from depression you do not feel like God cares, and the word means nothing to you, so it makes it difficult to come from something that you do not have the power to fight and in this state, you just do not care in any case. “Whatever.”
Many years later, after another sharp attack Christian pharmacist friend told me what was happening, and prescribed a mild antidepressant, and it seemed to work instantly. I felt like a new person right away and my stamina is back, along with creativity.
There have been times, so I stopped taking the pills and I thought I was healed, but slowly but surely, darkness returned, and I was struggling to keep on top again. I know I could do without taking anything, but my life will be mainly focused on overcoming negative thinking and despair all the time. When I take something for it I am free to focus on others and be creative again. Why does not God heal me, why is not my faith come through for me in this situation? I think Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Keep me from becoming conceited 7To because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. 8Three times I begged the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he told me: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in difficulties, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
All I can say that this condition keeps me humble, like a secret Paul did, and made me put my trust in God more and more. I do not think that drugs are currently the only way for each disease, we have, but I'm sure that if I did not take it I would not have been in the ministry today. I would find the pressure too great and just prefer to be a Christian, not too many responsibilities.
When it comes to colds and flu, I use a word against the symptoms and they run over and over again, not taking drugs, so I still believe that treatment is available today. I think another factor is watch our eating habits and stay in shape, otherwise we will be sick when we do not need to be. For his work can also cause us to get run down and no word of prayer and make it go away.
I am sure that many Christians suffer from depression and would not allow it for different reasons. They will be wearing glasses to help her eyes, and taking medications for other symptoms, but not for depression, thinking that Christians should not have this condition. Depression illness, too.
I understand that not everyone who reads this story is a Christian, but if you, being filled with the Holy Spirit a real bonus. Look at my sermons on this topic.