Titus 2 Men And Women

The Biblical Remedy For Depression
by Jay Allbright

What I am about to share is very foreign to modern psychology. Before we talk about the Biblical Remedy for Depression, let’s lay a foundation first. There are three parts of man: Body, Soul and Spirit. The Body is the physical attributes, or those things that bother us physically which bring about depression. This is what scripture is talking about when it says, "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing." II Thessalonians. 3:13.

When you wear yourself down physically, you are more prone to depression. There should be a regular exercise time that is not work or responsibility related. A walk around the neighborhood would be a good example of stress-relieving exercise. Carrying the burdens of others can make you weary in well doing. Learn that you cannot carry everyone’s burdens on your shoulders. There are burdens you can share, i.e. husband, wife, children, or close friends, but do not take their entire burden on your shoulders.

Secondly, there is the Spirit that involves our personal relationship with Christ. Depression comes from this portion of our being if we have never been saved or if we have somehow quenched the Holy Spirit’s moving in our life. Maybe the Holy Spirit prompted us to do something in particular and we did not respond, or maybe He called us into a particular field of service and we did not follow His guidance. It may be that we are spiritually immature, which makes it difficult to understand the spiritual things in life. It may also be that your spirit has been wounded by the actions of someone you were close to spiritually.

If depression comes about due to the spirit part of man’s makeup, then it can only be corrected through a spiritual decision. Often times that spiritual decision is to gain forgiveness from either the Lord or others that you may have offended.

Now, the third way depression comes is through the Soul. This is one of the most critical ways depression gains a foothold in our life. Our soul is made up of a Mind, Will and Emotion. The Mind deals with what you think. We have unfortunately been taught that you correct your thinking by not thinking thoughts that are damaging to you emotionally and spiritually. The problem with that advice is that it is impossible. No one can think nothing on purpose. Your mind is always in operational mode. It doesn’t matter if you are asleep, awake, busy or playing your mind is always active. Here is the biblical remedy for changing your thinking. Phil. 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

The Bible remedy is quite different from the secular, psychological remedy. The Bible doesn’t direct us not to think wrong thoughts but rather to think right thoughts on purpose. If you think right thoughts on purpose it leaves little time to think wrong thoughts by accident. When you are not thinking right thoughts on purpose, Satan reaches into the file folders of your mind and pulls out every wicked, damaging thought that has ever been filed there. The only way to overcome Satan’s reminding us of every wicked thing we have ever heard or seen is for us to "Think Right Things On Purpose."

The second part of the soul that brings about depression is our Will. Sometimes we want to be depressed because it is a way for us to demand the care of others.

The third portion of the soul that brings about depression is Emotion. Both men and women suffer depression due to this element of the soul. We are emotional beings, which makes life enjoyable and our relationship with Christ so rewarding. Think of all the emotional responses we make in regard to Christian service. The times we say amen, the tears we shed, or the laughter when something wonderful happens are all expressions of emotion.

The Bible tells us, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones", Proverbs 17:22. The opposite of a merry heart is a broken spirit. A merry heart is laughter and a broken spirit is depression. So, if you find something to laugh about, you are less likely to be depressed. 

When I think about depression I can’t help but consider the greatest biblical example of the subject: Job.  In Job 3:1-13, Job is obviously going through depression. We would certainly agree that if anyone had a right to be depressed he did. We see him suffering from depression due to all three parts of man. His body is suffering physically; his soul is suffering due to the emotional stress of losing his family, wife, and friends; and his spirit is even suffering because God seems so far from him. What was he to do, how would he recover? We know that he did recover but how? We see Job depressed in chapter 3 of Job, and then in the next 34 chapters we read the counsel he received from his counselors.

Just to sum up the counsel he received, I will refer to the counselor and a brief statement of the counsel given. First, Elipaz offers his counsel. He summarized that God was simply correcting Job.  Then, Bildad offers somewhat the same counsel, except he magnifies it a little. He says God is correcting you Job, and you must just give up because if God doesn’t judge you He has perverted judgment. Zophars is a real help. He tells Job that he is nothing more that a hypocrite and recommended that Job quit asking for help. Then Elihu comes on the scene. He simply tells Job that he is self-righteous and a liar.

Notice all of these counselors offer the same opinion and none had the answer. So how did Job get better, how did he get victory over the depression? Well he did receive counsel from one more counselor. In Job 38, God had had enough of the counsel Job was getting from his peers, and God himself offered the counsel that would change Job’s life. God wanted Job to know that He was God, and, as God, He created Job. He knew everything about Job. He knew him better than Job knew himself.

We tend to determine what our problem is and take our own advice as to how to deal with it. God then showed Job his ignorance. We tend to always look at our life and what we have as that which is owed to us, and yet God explains to Job that Life itself is a gift. Job had forgotten his own words in Job 1:21, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD". When Job’s trials began, he recognized that God was in control, but as the trials increased he turned his focus from God to himself. That’s when depression set in.

You see, depression, in many instances, is the worst form of selfishness. If this is true then the best way to overcome depression is to redirect our focus from ourselves and to God. Rarely do you see depression when people are focused on their personal relationship with God and helping others. There are cases when chemical imbalances bring about depression, but I believe this to be the exception not the rule. Here then is the prescription to follow:

First, realize that life is a gift from God. We did nothing to deserve to be born. Since it is a gift we shouldn’t get upset when it doesn’t work out exactly the way we planned. Life is a gift.

Secondly, determine to laugh.  Remember a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.

Thirdly, when you feel bouts of depression coming on, invest time helping others. Remember the end of Job’s story? When he listened to God’s advice he received everything he had lost, except it had doubled. 

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