Spiritual Depression Part 2

I wasn't planning on a series on this topic, but for whatever reason, this has been on my mind. Due to a variety of circumstances this week, I've been noticing that a key aspect of depression is emotion. When I am depressed, I have feelings of depression. I feel sad. I feel angry. I feel bitter. I feel hopeless. And I think this is common to man. When we are dealing with some level of depression, our feelings become the predominant guiding force in our lives.

And while God created us to enjoy life, specifically, enjoy Him through our emotions, often our emotions lead us away from God. The relationship between emotions and truth is the key to properly doing that. When our emotions lead us, often they lead us away from God. We feel sad so we wonder why God doesn't seem to love us. We feel angry so we question why God has allowed something we don't like in our lives. We feel hopeless so we think that God isn't being good to us.

When our emotions come first, our deceptive hearts distort the truth. Sin uses our emotions to lead us away from God by believing lies. It's always been that way - Genesis 3:6 "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate;" Eve desired the fruit. It was her emotion that led her to sin.

Unfortunately, people often try to fight feelings with feelings. I don't feel close to God so I try and manufacture feelings for God. I don't feel joy so I try and do things to foster joy. Or people simply try and suppress those depressive feelings as if all emotion were bad. Instead, God wants us to have great joy, but that joy comes through the mind. The means to overcoming depressive feelings is by knowing, believing and thinking about the great truths of God. Thinking truthful thoughts is what creates deep affection, joy, peace and hope.

Take for example:

• Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

How do we enter the presence of God which contains fullness of joy and pleasures forever? The knowledge God reveals to us.

• Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;" 

What is the joy for all the people? The angel brought good news [truth] of Jesus' birth to the shepherds.

• Psalm 97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad.

Why should the earth rejoice? Because of the truth that the Lord reigns. The rest of the psalm goes on to describe God's glorious power and sovereignty. The knowledge of God brings joy! And the Scriptures go on and on - starting with truth which leads to godly emotion.

It seems counter intuitive, but the way to overcome feelings of spiritual depression is by using the mind to think, learn, be reminded of, meditate on and memorize God's Word so that we learn more truth and more about God. This will lead to different emotions that are joyful, hopeful and happy.

Often times when we are in a rut and do the same reading or the same devotional or have the same schedule, our brain tends to go through the motions. I'm all for consistency and discipline, but I think it is wise to use that discipline to create diversity. That is, plan to do something different. When our minds are forced to learn God's Word through a different format, it forces our minds to engage better. And when the mind engages better, it learns more about God better. And the more we learn about God's splendor and majesty, hopefully the more our emotions will transform from self-centered depressive ones to God centered joyful ones.