Why Are We Depressed
Psalm 43:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
The Psalmist ask why are you cast down in soul or why are you depressed. There are many reasons why we get depressed. Some say that if you are a Christian you cannot get depressed. I would argue that point, for I know that I have been saved and I have bouts of depression. You might say why are you depressed? There are things we face in life that pull us down off of the mountain tops. Our enemy the devil will use every trick in the deception book to get us in a place of doubt and fear. I know in my life that he has come by many times and questioned me with this question, “Are you really saved or are you just playing a part that is expected of you”? For a moment in time, I might give his accusations some thought but then I remember that day, Father’s Day 1978 at an altar I came and confessed that I was a sinner and asked God to forgive and save me. I can take you to the spot where it took place and I know that the Lord saved me that day. I am like a Mr. Smith I visited in the hospital early in my ministry and asked him if he was saved and he told me he had done everything he knew to do to be saved according to scripture and if there was something else he needed to do he would. I am like Mr. Smith; I have confessed, asked for forgiveness and received it. Now there is nothing else to do but trust the Lord. If we are holding fast to our confession of faith then how do we get depressed? I am guilty of listening to the devil when he is talking instead of telling him to get away from me in Jesus name. He usually comes by when we are vulnerable. Telling us lies because according to the scripture he is a liar.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
He is not my father but he still comes by and tries to get you and I to listen to his lies.
How many times has he told us that we are not worth anything, we aren’t right with God or He would bless us like He does so and so. Maybe he tells us we have no friends, that no one cares for us not even our own family. If we are going through sickness if we aren’t careful he will tell us if we were right with God we would get well and we might be tempted to listen to his lie. He will come by many times when we are sick and start talking and if we aren’t careful we will listen and will get depressed. I try not to but it still happens. When I first started preaching I would get so depressed every time I preached for the devil would start telling me how stupid I was and that a 5 year old could have done better than I did before I even left the church I was at.
Sin in your life will cause you to be cast down, if you don’t repent and ask forgiveness and you are packing around unconfessed sin it can and will cause you to be down cast.
According to our scripture today the way to overcome depression is to praise God who is the health of our countenance, our hope and our God. So when depression comes just start praising the Lord for He has not changed nor will He ever change and He desires the praise of His people.
Have a great day!!!