| "Drifting Away From God" (aspects of the email were changed to protect the sender and to give insight to its answer) | ||||||||||||||
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Mark,
I
need
you
to
pray
for
me.
I
feel
like
i
have
been
getting
farther
and
farther
away
from
god.
I
need
help!
I
know
God
is
their
and
he
will
love
me
no
matter
what
and
that
hes
showing
me
the
path but it
just
feels
like
ive
been
going
the
other
way.
Please
pray
for
me!
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Answer:
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Hey
Buddy,
Thanks
for
the
email
that
you
sent
me...so...to
answer
your
request,
check
out
this
verse:
Trials.
Hard
times.
Silence
from
God.
Temptaions.
All
these
things
have
the
potential
to
help
us
to
grow
in
our
faith.
The
author
of
the
book
of
Hebrews urges
us
in
chapter
11
that
faith,
REAL
FAITH
means
believing
even
though
we
don't
"feel"
anything.
Real
faith
says,
"I
am
going
to
believe
that
God
is
here
even
though
I
cannot
see
Him."
After
all,
is
really
faith
if
we
have
to
see
it?
Also,
James
is
telling
us
that
its
making
it
through
these
hard
times
that
helps
us
to
grow
in
our
faith.
It's
not
very
comforting
this
side
of
heaven
however;
I
LOVE
the
word
EARNESTLY
there.
It's
like
a
4th
quarter
BUCS
fan
who
refuses
to
go
home
until
the
time
clock
has
run
completely
out!!
Even
though
they
may
behind,
they
believe
it
STILL
may
be
possible
to
come
from
behind.
THAT's
a
good
definition
of
being
EARNEST.
I am
just
trying
to
encourage
you
that
as
you
continue
to
EARNESTLY
seek
Him
2
things
will
happen:
I am
praying
for
you.
It
takes
a
tremendous
amount
of
courage
for
ANYBODY
to
be
able
to
write
an
email
that
is
this
transparent.
AND
the
fact
that
it
was
written
gives
light
to
the
fact
that
you
are
MUCH
closer
to
the
answer
than
you
think.
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"Dealing
With
Depression"
(aspects
of the
email
were
changed
to
protect
the
sender
and to
give
insight
to its
answer)
|
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Email:
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Mark, I am so confused. I feel sad all of the time. I think I might have depression. ...what does the Bible say about depression? I always feel like there is a big cloud hanging above me all of the time. Is it weird that I am depressed and I am only [a teen]. |
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Answer: |
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Depression
has been
called
the
"common
cold" of
mental
disorders,
and one
source
estimates
that it
disrupts
the
lives of
30 to 40
million
Americans. Depression is too complicated to solve with a single pat answer. Gary Collins, in Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide (Dallas: Word, 1988), lists seven major categories of causes for depression,[1] and six major approaches to treating it. Each one has multiple options within each category. In addition, people use the word "depression" to cover everything from disappointment over losing a baseball game to the terrifying gloom that drives people to suicide. The Bible does not use the word "depression," although it describes people whom we might call depressed. It certainly doesn't mention antidepressant drugs. However, there are a few general principles I would recommend when trying to deal with depression: Aim to work on the causes of your depression, not just the symptoms. Scripture points to many issues of sin or conflict that can affect your emotions; most counselors would agree that depression can result from other underlying issues. Don't just worry about the depression itself; check to see what other problems need attention. You can't base life on emotions. Christians base life on truth, not feelings. Philippians 4:1 commands us to rejoice (whether we feel like it or not!). And James 1:2 asks us to "Consider it all joy when we fall into various trials." Notice that James doesn't tell us to feel joyful; he tells us to reckon, to choose to think about your situation as a spot where you can have joy. Choosing to trust truth rather than your feelings may require a lot of faith. And if that is what we mean by asking if faith can solve depression, then faith may be enough in some cases. Trusting what God says rather than your feelings is certainly a more realistic approach to life! FAITH. However, many people talk about "faith" and only mean a vague hope that God will somehow pull them through. That's too nebulous a concept to be reliable. Many of the same people who claim to have faith keep plunging through life ignoring God's principles for healthy living. If we spurn the good advice that the Bible contains, we won't escape the consequences - even if we have faith. Chemical Imbalances. Some cases of depression may be caused by chemical imbalances. If that is the cause, then antidepressant drugs may be the answer. God has allowed mankind to learn about many medical tools, and He sometimes uses medicine to heal. There may also be some cases of depression so severe that medications are necessary to bring the sufferer to the place where they can tackle some of the other issues; such cases might require medication, at least temporarily. I know of no Scripture that forbids such use. Author: Dr. John Bechtle |
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