Shall
We Despair?
Steven R. Cook
Depression is a mental attitude of despair
and hopelessness toward the circumstances of life. Depression occurs when the pressures of life
invade the soul of the believer who for whatever reason has opted to operate on
the energy of the flesh rather than on the filling of the Spirit and Bible
doctrine. Depression is characterized by
a prolonged state of unhappiness coupled with an overall apathy towards
life.
Depression was not part of the original
design when God created man; however, God has provided for every believer the
ability to live a life free from depression.
This is not to say that believers will not get depressed; indeed, many
believers in the Bible and history have been depressed at some point. This is merely to say that if a believer does
get depressed, he can know that there is a solution from God if he will only
listen to and apply Bible doctrine.
Nine factors that influence depression:
1.
The World = The realm and system of Satan that promotes his values and
agendas which are against God. The world
includes governments, schools, social systems, and every other organization
that promotes ideas and programs that are in opposition to God. The pressure of the world is actively against
the growing believer who is living in God’s will.
2.
The Flesh = The Sin Nature inherited from Adam. The Flesh refers to man’s fallen nature,
which desires to act contrary to God (Romans
3.
Arrogance = An overbearing self-importance that excludes God from one’s
thoughts and actions. The believer who
arrogantly operates outside God’s will is helpless to cope with the pressures
of life.
4.
Thinking
like the world = This refers to what the Bible calls
“worldly minded” (James 4:4; Jude
5.
Failure to
reach spiritual maturity = Just as a baby cannot cope with the pressures of
life, so a spiritual baby cannot cope with spiritual pressures. The believer who fails to reach spiritual
maturity will eventually find himself thinking like a child while living in an
adult world.
6.
A humanistic
worldview (i.e. evolution, atheism, relativism, etc.) = A humanistic worldview
leads one to the conclusion that God does not exist, the universe is purely
material, and man is of no greater value than anything else, including the rock
or fly. Such a philosophy leads to
despair about man’s significance and purpose.
7.
Focusing on
self = A self-absorbed mentality leads to depression because one is continually
aware of one’s own deficiencies when it comes to facing life.
8.
Focusing on
circumstances = The person who thinks about
circumstances all the time, eventually becomes controlled by them. Focusing on circumstances eventually wears a
person down with resultant depression.
9.
Complaining
about life = Complaining leads to habitual behavior that treats people and
circumstances as negative things to be avoided.
The person who complains eventually winds up depressed.
For the Christian, depression is the product of bad choices over time
by focusing too much on things contrary to God and His Word. According to God’s Word, there is no such
thing as a “hopeless situation.” God has
a solution for every situation in which a believer may find himself. Below are eight biblical steps that will help
the believer overcome depression:
1.
Confess your
sin to God on a daily basis (Ps. 32:3-5; 1 John 1:9).
2.
Make time to
worship God. This can be done at church
on a weekly basis, but can also be done daily in your home or car (Deuteronomy
6:13; John 4:24).
3.
Read the
Bible on a regular basis as this will help equip you to think about life from
the divine perspective (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17).
4.
Pray to God
several times every day and let Him have your cares (1 Thess.
5.
Find ways to
serve God wherever you are (Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8).
6.
Learn to
think and live by faith in God’s Word for every area of your life (Matt.
7.
Focus on the
essence of God and learn to be aware of His presence and power over your life
(Isa. 26:3-4; Col. 3:1; Heb. 12:2).
8.
Learn to
love others and help them know God and His Word (John