Depression is a demon

Yesterday, a dear friend sent me a link to a sermon on depression, and I finally got a chance to listen to it today. Let me just say – thank you, Lord, for my friends!! I’ve heard sermons on depression before, and they generally aren’t helpful. While the intent is usually to convey an uplifting, encouraging “Jesus can fix it” message, they take a wrong turn somewhere and end up making it seem as if I’m only depressed because I’ve done something to screw up my closeness with God, which then leads to guilt and shame, which leads to more depression….it’s a nasty cycle. This sermon, though, was different. A few minutes in, Steven Furtick said one sentence that made all the difference in the world and brought tears to my eyes:

“Sin can cause depression, but depression doesn’t mean that you’ve necessarily sinned.”

Now, if you’ve never been depressed, OR if you’ve never sought solace in the church world for depression, this might not be a profound statement. But, for me, it was HUGE. Depression is something I’ve struggled with my whole life, and I’ve always felt guilt and shame about that struggle. Every time depression really gets a hold on me, I feel like it’s my fault – and many, many fellow believers have said things to reinforce that belief. Don’t get me wrong, none of them even realizes what’s happening, and every statement is from a place of love and meant to be encouraging, just like every sermon on depression. Unfortunately, depression is a demon that can take anything someone says to you and twist it into something ugly and discouraging. Depression can take your statement that God is bigger than my problem and turn it into an assertion that I must not trust Him enough, so if I could just have more faith, I wouldn’t feel this way. It can take your suggestions for relaxation and stress management and turn them into criticism about how I don’t manage my stress well enough and therefore, the depression is my own fault. It can take your offers to do things for me as hints that I’m not good enough to do things myself and the world would be better off without me. Depression is toxic.

Pastor Furtick went on to say that while only God can heal depression, he can use man-made tools in the process – another idea that’s completely contrary to the inherent belief that Christ-followers should have enough faith and fortitude to conquer this demon within themselves. I’ve realized for a while now that medical intervention is probably something I need to consider; I’ve been depressed enough in my life to realize that I’m past the point where I can just suck it up and fake my way out. But there are obstacles standing n the way of that, and that sneaky demon has convinced me that those obstacles are signs that I just don’t have enough faith, or I just don’t pray enough, or I just don’t spend enough time in the Word, or that I’m not quite depressed enough to seek help, or that it’s my own fault I’m at this point and I don’t deserve help to get out. I need to stop believing that lie, and I need to use every tool available to fight off this toxicity. So, yet again, I’m asking for your help. Pray, please, that God will give me the courage to push through those obstacles, and the means to get the help I need.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

To listen to the sermon “Depression: A New 24" from the "Treatment" series: http://elevat.io/n/trea2