Depression: King David (part three)

David ( 2 Samuel 12)

Most of us have lost someone in our lives that we really loved, and when they were gone, some of us didn't want to face each new day with out them.

King David had not only wanted to not eat but he didn't want to get out of bed after his son had died. That son was born of the affair he had had with Bathsheba after David had had her husband killed in battle so that he could be with her.

God forgave him of his sin with Bathsheba, but he still had to pay the consequences for it. When the child became ill, David pleaded with God to not let him die.

After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. The elders of household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused and he would not eat any food with them. (verses 15-17)

David's son died on the seventh day and his attendants were afraid to even tell him because he wasn't listening to them while the child was still alive and if he found out he had died, David might do something desperate. But David figured it out without them telling him and so he asked them if the child had died.

It was only then, that David finally got up and and started living his life again. His attendants asked him why, now that his son was dead would he react this way. David had fasted and asked God to let the child live, but God chose to take him, and David knew that it would do no good for him to go on fasting for something that God had said "no" too.

His life had to go on and he chose to get cleaned up and go on with it. There seemed to be, by this scripture-that he himself did not contemplate taking his own life as some do when God does not take it from them when they cry out to him in their desperation, 


David struggled with much more then just this, and wrote about them in other scripture. . He was human, after all. But, what hits home the greatest to me, is that Jesus Christ was from the lineage of David. 



And God thought David's life, no matter what he faced-thought it was important enough to add it for us to learn from today. If you stop to think about all that entails, in the last 4 or 5 sentences that I have written, it is an amazing thing that God has provided this for us to learn from. 
Sometimes our own depression is rooted in sin. But by David's example, we know God is a forgiving God and he wants us to get ourselves up, dust ourselves off and go on with life until he calls us home. I know from experience that doing that isn't always easy. But I also know that it is possible. There is help for those that struggle. We just have to sometimes look for it and more then that keep praying and trusting in God to answer our cries for help. No matter how he chooses to answer us. 

October 31, 2019 Promise: For everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected, if it received with thanksgiving. 1 Timothy 4:4

Thanks for visiting with me today Friends. May God bless you and yours!

Depression: Jonah (part two)

Jonah (Jonah 4)

Have you ever  been so depressed that you thought you would be better off dead? If so, you aren't alone. Many people from almost the beginning of time, have been in that dark place where they have cried out to God to take their lives. When he doesn't, many have tried to take their own. Many fail, but many succeed as we know.

Jonah was one that wished that God would let him die. He had been called to preach to the city of Nineveh because it was a wicked city. Jonah was not pleased with this at all. He had tried to run away and as we know, he ended up in the belly of a fish that had come along and swallowed him up. 

He was there for three days and three nights praying that for God to save him. and then  the fish vomited him out.

How depressing that would have been to first be swallowed by a fish and then be vomited out. But, Jonah knew that God was serious about his command to go and preach to the city of Nineveh. So he did as the Lord asked him to.

God had mercy on all that turned to him during Jonah's preaching. But this did not make Jonah happy either.And why was that?

Because they were wicked perhaps and he felt they did not deserve God's mercy. He would rather see them destroyed. 

 He in fact, got very mad..And he prayed:

"Now O Lord, take away my life. For it is better for me to die then to live." (verse 3)

Jonah was angry. And God had mercy on him anyway. And yet, after that, he was still angry. (verse 9) and wanted to die.

Sometimes we get angry with God. Sometimes our own mistakes and disobedience takes us to the place that we just want God to end it all. Maybe even those things that were out of our control can get us to that point.

What a tragedy especially for those that do end their lives. Not just for them but for their loved ones that are left behind.

Instead,  God has mercy on us when we turn to him. Those things do not have to define who we are or what he can do for us to bring us to where he wants us. I don't believe it is a sin to be depressed. at times.There are reasons for depression. But we should not turn away from God and be angry with him as Jonah had done. That would be the sin that we would need to confess.  Instead we need to look to him because he is where our help comes from.It may be through our church or bible study. It may be through our friends that will listen and pray for us. It may be through Christian doctors and mental health services. It is out there and God can get us to the place that we need to get past those dark places where satan wants to destroy us. Because friends, satan is the root of our despair and God wants deliver us of it. 

And that church that I mentioned yesterday that had taught we should always be happy? Instead, they could have better helped us if they would have taught us about the people in the bible that were depressed at times, and then gave us the other side. That God can and does have mercy on us when we truly turn to him.There are answers and sometimes we just have to look for them. Either for ourselves or for those that we know are suffering with it. 

October 29, 2019 Promise:Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows James 1:17

Thanks for coming by today Friends. God bless you and yours!. 

Is It Sin for Christians To Be Depressed? (part one)

Have you ever known anyone to be depressed? Have you ever been depressed? I mean really depressed, not just the blues that everyone gets from time to time. I mean downright, stay in my bed depressed. That kind. The kind that stifles your every activity so that you don't want to get up everyday. Maybe so deep is your depression that you don't even want to live another second.

Years ago, when I was going to a certain church, one that I have told you about in other posts-we were taught that because we had "the light" on that subject, we had to always be happy. Because after all, scripture says "The Joy of the Lord is my strength." (Psalm 28:7)  Right?

And there wasn't anyone that ever suffered depression in the bible. Right? Everyone we ever read about there, has always had a joyful attitude. Right?

Wrong, oh so wrong. You see, that church I mentioned above-they failed to preach specifically on some people that did struggle with it. And they also laid on the guilt to us as a congregation,  that found ourselves struggling with it in the church.

If you yourself are among us that have gone through or are now going through depression, I urge you to come back. Starting tomorrow I will be telling you some of the stories of God's people that had problems so great that they suffered with it. For if we believe God gave us his Word so we can learn from it, there had to be a reason why this subject is there for us to learn about as well. Otherwise, if he hadn't included it, it would never have been put there. I do not believe it to be a taboo subject that means we always have to be happy or else we are sinning.  And I think it is something that we can learn how to deal with it. Because there are ways.

In the meantime, I hope you had a wonderful weekend and may God bless you this week. Thanks for coming by.

October 28, 2019 Promise: As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:9

                             

Christians Can Laugh Too!

Hello Friends. The week is about over and has it ever been busy. For today, I thought that I would do something I haven't done in awhile and reprint a joke that I found on another Christians site. I hope you find it as funny as I have.

Top Ten Reasons Why God Created Eve

10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the garden because men hate to ask for directions.

 9.God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote.

 8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when his seat wore out and would therefore need Eve to get him one. 

7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctor's appointment for himself. 

6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was garbage night. 

5. God knew that if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle child-bearing. 

4. "As Keeper of the Garden" Adam would never remember where he put his tools. 

3. The scripture account of creation indicates Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him caught him hiding in the garden. 

2 As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone!"  

1. When God stepped back from him his creation of Adam, he said, I can do better then that!" 

(source:Joke of the Day - Beliefnet)

I ask you ladies, do you have a husband that has any of the qualites in this joke. Well, I for one am not commenting. lol. Anyway, I think that whoever came up with it, has it right on! 

October 24, 2019 Promise: The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love and rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Thanks for coming by today Friends. May God's richest blessings be on you today!

God, Move That Mountain!

Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, "Why couldn't we drive him out?" (the demon that was in the boy. see verse 17) He replied " Because, you have so little faith. Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible to you." Mathew 17:19-20

Say What?

Wouldn't you have loved to be a fly on the proverbial wall (or rock) during that teaching of Jesus to his disciples? What must have they been thinking especially when Jesus said that they could have the faith as small as a mustered seed to move a mountain?

When have you ever had the faith no matter its size, to move a mountain from here to there. Or anywhere?

I sure never have. 

On the way to Florida, we have gone through some pretty high mountains. I could not imagine trying to climb them, let alone trying to move them. But moving them is not what this passage is really about in so far as "literal mountains."

So what is it about?

It is about the mountains (problems) in  our own life, that seem to be overwhelming and impossible to get resolved is what it means. Believe me, there have been many of those mountains of all kinds through out my life. Once I got a hold of the fact that I need to rely on God, from then on, I watched him work them out, and even move them out of my way to a life that held so much more than what it had been through prior to that time. And it did just start with a tiny mustard seed amount to get started. 

I can't not honestly say I have gotten that perfected in my life, even so. Because I am human. And I make mistakes. And surely life still is not easy some 30+ years later. But, when in doubt, I do have the option to go back to that scripture and realize that just because I can't solve my problem, God can.

Hebrews 11:1 says: Faith is the substance hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

That means, that we have have what we ask for, even when we don't see it yet. 

If we believe and trust in God, he will do what we ask. Maybe not today or next week. But in his own time, and in his own way. And you know what? As he moves one mountain out of our way on that tiny seed of faith, it will grow for the next one, because it is God that moves it and not us.

But, we have to use it. Or our mountain will just sit there. Because, faith with out action on our part, is dead. James 2:17

Is it silly to tell the mountain you are facing to move out of your way? Absolutely not! Tell it to move and believe God will do that for you, never doubting and he will move it for you when the time is right. Trust him to do it because he will when we put these things into action. 

Not that we don't have to try to do what we can to take care of what ever we are facing. For example if our mountain is because we lost our job. We can't just sit back and wait for a job to come to us. We must go out and look for one. And in the mean time, trust in God to meet our prayer by  providing the job that he wants us to have while we tell our jobless situation to move out of our way, is the key to getting it. And then what ever your mountain happens to be, watch as God brings it to fruition. Because when he does, it can truly amaze you and more than that, you will have more faith for the next one. Believe me. I know.

October 23, 2019 Promise: The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God endures forever. Isiah 40:8

Thanks for visiting today Friends. Have a blessed day! 

Thinking Outside The Box About God

God    

Thought for the day. Who is God to you? What denomination is he? Is he Baptist, Methodist,Catholic, or Lutheran? Or is he any other denomination?

Some people think their church is the only "true religion."

Believe me, this mentality has in the past existed in my own family with members of the the family that felt that they had "the light," were apart of the "full gospel,"or were above anyone that did not believe exactly as they did.

                                       These beliefs are so far from the truth and inspired by none other then satan.

So what is the truth?

It is this: There can be Christians in any church that teaches the bible. And there are non-Christians in any church that teaches the bible as well. The difference is whether the denominations are teaching the Word of God and who has accepted Christ.

God is a big God. And he won't be put in a box. If we try to put him there, he is there but only in our own minds.

In Eastern Ohio, there is a city there that puts on outdoor theater productions of the life of Christ, during the summer months of every year.  Is it just put on by one denomination? Nope. It is a community effort with churches from different denominations that believe in God's Word. They work together to put this production on for all who come to see it.

We need to stop thinking we are the only ones going to heaven because of our church affiliation. Our eternal home does not depend on that at all. It depends on if we know and have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. And in the mean time, we need to accept people, no matter if they go to the same denomination as us or not. On judgement day, he is not going to care what church we went to.

Granted, we do have to be careful about the denominations that are not teaching Jesus Christ. Some are cults and we do need to.stay far away from those that would lead us away from him and his teachings. And as we know, there are plenty of those that are willing to snap us up into their membership to teach other messages that are not from God at all.

October 21, 2019 Promise: Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Mathew 11:29-30.

Thanks for visiting today friends. Times for me are quite busy these days. I am sorry for the times I am not here. But I will not give up and plan to be here as much as I possibly can. God bless you!

PAID IN FULL: OUR FINAL DESTINATION

Heaven Our Final Destination:

Yes, heaven is our final destination. But what about our journey in getting there? Do we just live a fly by night existence? One that requires no responsibility to learning and doing the things that God has called us to do?

We are called to do good works, (Ephesians 2:10) though no amount of good works will get us to that final place that Jesus has prepared for us.  Ephesians 2:8-9)

Do we feed the hungry because we think they are too lazy to work and feed themselves. Do we give them clothes because what they have on is tattered and worn? Can we even spare so much as a drink of water for them let alone a few dollars for a hot meal?

Or.....do we actually look for those that we can bless with our time, and resources.

Earlier this year, a man shared something with us, whom we didn't even know.. My husband and I had been out shopping that day. And on the way home, we had stopped at the local Dairy Queen in our neighborhood for a sandwich and some ice cream. I went to pay with my debit card, and their machine refused to take it. I didn't know why. I had just used it not long before and it had worked then. And I knew that the money was in my account. But it was declined. I went to our vehicle to get the cash-which was about twenty dollars total,  from my husband, and went back to pay for our order. The girl behind the counter said that it had already been paid by the man that was standing there. I looked around and there he was waiting for his own order. I was amazed. We had never had this happen to us before. And I tried giving him the money back but he refused to take it as he smiled at me. Our order had been stamped PAID even before I knew it was. And he wouldn't take anything back for it.

I don't know what religious background he had to this day and have never seen him again. But it was obvious to me that day, that no matter what it is, he was doing the works the bible says for us to do in this life, on his journey to his own final destination.

Will it get him to heaven? No. But hopefully, he is a born again Christian. Because if not, the fact that he was on the lookout for someone to bless, those acts will do him no good when his time is up on earth. And it will make all the difference to him at that time.

So while it is a wonderful thing when we meet someone's need, especially to those that are homeless, or to the struggling parent that is trying to keep her kids fed, or whatever the case may be, we must remember that the most important thing we can do for another is offering Jesus to them. 

Because even before we were born, even before we knew it or him-he had paid for our way to heaven. He had stamped our bill PAID IN Full. And no matter what we do or how much we give try to give it back, it is ours to keep. All we have to do is admit our sin and ask for forgiveness and accept him as our Lord and Savior. 

And at the same time, be looking out for those that may be in need.While we travel on our way to this place that Jesus has prepared for us. Our final destination. 

October 19, 2019 Promise: I will sing unto the Lord because he has dealt with me bountifully. Psalm13:6.

Thanks for coming by today Friends. God bless you today and through the weekend!