There may be a sin pattern--a weakness--that is at the lava-hot center of your spiritual battle. It's the main topic of your thought and concern. It's what you want to overcome...but it's overcoming you.
No End In Sight
The battle has become such a loss that you may be beginning to lose hope that you will ever change--and that is what, through the lie of condemnation and spiritual depression, that Satan yells loudly in your face at times like these, isn't it?
The Bottom Line of the Lie
The bottom line is, Satan takes advantage of lack of Godliness to tell you and attempt to snag your belief into the lie that your God is not mighty or sovereign enough--that He doesn't provide the "way of escape" from temptation promised in Scripture (1 Corinthians 10:13), and that no one cares and is only better off without you in the world. He can take you all kinds of directions on any given shortfall.
But...
But, God is still God! I have been facing a fierce battle in my own walk where I have never felt (or been) weaker. During worship at church recently, my wonderful mother-in-law sensed a word from the Lord for me as I wept, and it was this (paraphrasing as accurate as possible):
"I believe, Franz, as you face the areas of your life that you have expressed you feel weak in and you have told us that you have fallen short in, that the Lord is saying to you, simply come--just as you are--in your current condition, with all of your failures. Come to Him because you are simply a child of God and for no other reason."
That hit the nail right on the head.
Fight the Battle Already Won
God wants to show us His captivating majesty and glory. He wants to pour out His blessing, His refreshment, His strength on us. He has won against sin, He has won our hearts (even with our failures), and He will see us win this battle. Run forth in the freedom of grace, soldier!
And now to close with one of my all-time favorite songs:
Mighty to Save
by Hillsong
Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
And fill my life again.
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.
Savior, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus
Challenge and Application Questions
- Do you take comfort in the words above?
- Will you ask God for confidence in His promises and delight in His care for you?
- Think or even write down the lies Satan has led you to believe, then find truth in the Word for each one. It's there!
- Meditate on these passages, and see that the invitation to return to the Father and remain in His arms is wide open:
"...return to the Lord"(Isaiah 55:7),
"...return to the Lord" again (Lamentations 3:40),
"...return to the Lord" yet again (Hosea 6:1),
"...so turn, and live" (Ezekiel 18:30-32),
and Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).
This is just a sample of the abundance of hope found in the Word. May we dive into it and find our only hope!
Article: Hope for the Depressed by Ed Welch
3 comments:
I know about deep depression. I went through a time in my late 20s that lasted for many months. It was like I had become a different person.Looking back I can see that it was a very self-focused time,(not saying that's what it was/is with you) but I had taken my eyes off of the Lord because I wanted something more, and the more things and relationships that took His place the more miserable I became. I thought that the remedy was more things and more relationships and always thinking that just around the next
corner(s) was just the thing that would make everything better. I even remember thinking that if the dark depression didn't lift that I didn't want to live anymore. Not that I would've ended my life, but I thought it would be so good to go to sleep and not wake up. I would never want to go through that kind of depression again but I can see what happened when I wasn't satisfied with God--I just naturally turned inward and focused on my emptiness and dryness. I thank God that all the things that I thought I needed came to be such a disappointment. He allowed me to see that even dry times with Him are so much better than anything apart from Him. I think the remedy is contentment with what God has blessed you with, and looking away from yourself and being genuinely interested and concerned about others and being a friend to those who need a lift--and that's pretty much everybody!
Also change can bring on depression, and change is just something we have to come to terms with in life. I do think we should try to keep the important things in our lives from changing or slipping away, as much as is in our power to do so.
This may sound simplistic, but if God has blessed you with some talent or creativity you should have a passion for developing those talents. Whatever abilities you have God expects you to do something with them, and with excellence! How can one not be joyful when they are being creative, especially when God is glorified by it? God gives us our abilities and interests for a reason.
Sorry this was so long, but I just wanted to tell you what has worked for me and that depression usually isn't ongoing. It just has to be ignored, starved, or put aside because we are just so occupied with the wonderful things that our Lord would rather we be occupied with!
Thank you so much, Franz. I know God had many people He intended to use this post for, but I am sure that one of them was me. Thank you for using your God-given gift of encouragement to minister to others!
Your third application question is very wise. Satan's lies seem to be undoubtedly true all too often, but that is only because his is the only voice we are hearing and we are forgetting the truth in the Word! Those passages you shared are excellent weapons against condemnation.
Our failures should point us to the Gospel. God has succeeded where we could only fail. As you said, the battle is already won. But not by us.
Hey Joel:
Your words are always so meaningful! I'm glad it served you if even in a slight way.
Let's keep in this race together! I am thankful for the fellowship you and I have been blessed with and greatly look forward to more in the future.
In Him,
Franz
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