Can Christianity and Depression Coexist? - Website Post #1
Here is the first blog post I will be posting on my website tomorrow when it launches! Please give feedback and let me know what you think! As always if you enjoyed the article, upvote and resteem! Thank you for all of your support!
Depression is one of the largest epidemics in the United States today, especially among teenagers. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) suicide rates have been slowly increasing to 13.26 individuals per 100,000 across the United States in 2015. Which means that approximately 44,193 committed suicide in the US alone. Depression is a major factor in suicide, and it seems to be affecting much of today's future adults regardless of religion, gender, social status, or financial status. It's been on the rise for many years, and it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. So how does this affect us as Christians?
Depression is a feeling that becomes a lifestyle of hopelessness. It begins when one person becomes so frustrated and beaten down by life that they start to despair over everything. Even when they do get through that hard time in their life, that mental state sticks. It applies itself to other parts of that person's life to the point where the victim starts feeling this overbearing weight in their life, holding them down from accomplishing even everyday tasks. Everything becomes hopeless and nothing seems to go right. How do we heal from such a daunting wound, from this feeling of impossibility every day? It gets to the point where they lose hope that it will go away.
Personally, I struggled with depression for a long time. I sometimes thought that I had beaten it, and just as I got to share it with some people it would hit me again, harder than before. Feelings of inadequacy and loneliness surrounded me, even around my closest friends. I experienced it every day for about 4 years and it became so overbearing that suicidal thoughts set in.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
— Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)On the contrary, God is hope, love, and peace. Nowhere in the Bible does it say for us to be discouraged. Furthermore, if you are experiencing depression in your life, there might be something keeping you from God. Examine your life. If you have something keeping you from your relationship with Jesus, give it to God and use it to draw nearer to Him.
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
— Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
Depression is part of the process.
The process of?
Kyalspeaks, I am sorry but this approach to a complex illness for me and I suspect other Christians is just too simple and one-sided. I had struggled a lot with depression in past years and I am a born again Christian since 12 years old. Your faith can definitely help you to overcome it somewhat but often times you would need antidepressants. Depression is caused by a lack of serotonin in your brain. Its not just a mental or lack of faith problem or a proper relationship with Jesus Christ.
I know this approach is unpopular. I hope you read my story which is also on here on a previous post because it gives some insight to what I know about depression. Here is my thought process... Is depression from God? Does he give us the depression to deal with? My knowledge of God says no. Furthermore, if it is not from God, biblically that means that it's "not good" or as the bible says "evil" (I don't want to put that label on it because that would definitely not sit well with those who have depression). Here's the thing, I believe in spiritual matters. I myself have seen a demon twice and that demon harassed me for over a year. Later appearing to me through some random person that I met. Furthermore, hopelessness is not in God's character. I personally know that depression is a very common tactic for demonic attack. Yes I know there is a scientific aspect to it, but I also know that in and of itself, the nature of depression is not from God. God can and will heal it, but us as humans have to understand where its coming from and how it affects us in our spiritual life.
I am sorry that you had to go through depression, I went through depression and so many others have as well. I definitely know what it was like as for most of my life I was also suicidal.
Please read my story as well as my series I am writing called "On Demons and The Spiritual". To see a little bit more where I am coming from.
My Story
On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 1 - Introduction
On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 2 - A Divine Appointment
Thank you for your in-depth reply, I can agree with everything you said above. What I did not think about is that it is a demonic attack. I will investigate this and pray about this. After years of being free of depression I just recently got very depressed in a very short time even to having suicidal thoughts and only now you opened my eyes that it could be a demonic attack. I could not understand why it happened to me so quickly. I confess to God the sinfulness of this thoughts and that God reminded me that I must be grateful for this life that He breathed into me and in a matter of days I was back to my old self. I will make sure to read your other posts. You write very well.
Thank you! Please do pray and let me know what God reveals to you I am most intrigued to hear what He says to you.