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Your hope lies in remembering what God said…that the good He is bringing about in your life through trials is to make you like His Son, Jesus. Your hope also lies in your understanding of the problem. Depression comes when we do not handle feeling low, physically or mentally, in God’s way. It comes when bad feelings hinder us from carrying out our duties. Bad feelings are addictive and get worse and worse, producing a downward spiral. Lack of obedience to God’s principles in the following areas can and will cause this downward spiral:
Other contributing factors are unbiblical thoughts and thought patterns such as:
Below is an example of a student caught in the downward spiral adapted from the Biblical Counseling Foundation’s Self-Confrontation Manual:
Tempted to follow fleshly desires instead of a commitment to God (thought life) (Titus 2:11-12)Lazy – doesn’t want to study (thought life) (Proverbs 6:9-11)Doesn’t study (actions) (2 Thessalonians 3:11)Keeps bad company (actions) (1 Corinthians 15:33)Worries about failing course (thought life) (Philippians 4:6)Lies to parents about readiness for exams (words) (Ephesians 4:25)Cheats on exams (actions) (Ephesians 4:28)Fails course (consequence) (Proverbs 28:13)
You may choose to solve this problem through the use of drugs, alcohol or food. This only increases the guilt and intensity of bad feelings, resulting in deeper depression. The depressed person not only gets down; he also gives out! What have we learned from all this? Feelings affect physical conditions and physical conditions affect feelings. The Bible says:
It's difficult to have a 'cheerful heart' in the midst of depression, but God has a plan just for that very thing. Click onto that link and look at His ideas. |
The source of these bad feelings can be either sin
(defined as wrong responses to life’s happenstances) or sickness,
which will be discussed further on. If any of the above contributing
factors are not dealt with in a biblical manner, they may tempt you to
continue in a "downward spiral", which can result in depression.
Heart level
(thought life)
When sickness gets in the way of our lifestyle, work can pile up
when we have little strength. You may think, "I’ll wait until I
feel better". When health returns so much may have piled up that hope
is lost and procrastination sets in. This leads to deeper depression. You
are following your feelings instead of your responsibilities to
God, to family or to community. As you fail to meet responsibilities
properly your conscience triggers bad feelings which leads to
depression. This is called guilt. It is described in Psalm 32:3-4:
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