Published by Bridgetree, Inc.

Stomping Out Depression © 2012 by Neil T. Anderson and

Dave Park.

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole

or in part in any form without the written permission from the
publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-9856907-5-5
 FOREWORD
by Josh McDowell
Young people today often define their life experiences in terms
of being "extreme" or "real." To see this, all we have to do is
look at the popularity of extreme sports and reality television.
As I have spoken to hundreds of thousands of young people
through the years, I have found that while the words have
changed, this sentiment has not: The seemingly limitless
energy of youth that lifts you to the greatest highs can also
take you to the deepest lows.
Much is written about the good times, the achievements and
the creative thrust of young people. But very little has been
done to address the hard times. Understandably, young people
prefer to focus on the best moments of life. Few want to talk
about what happens when your world collapses, or at least you
think it has. No one wants to deal head on with one of the
greatest problems young people face: depression. Yet, for all
too many, it is very real.
Several years back, Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park developed
two much-needed books—Stomping Out the Darkness and
The Bondage Breaker, Youth Edition. These excellent
resources point you to the one place where you can gain your
true identity and freedom. Your commitment to the Word of
God and careful study will help you realize the power of your
identity in Christ and help you become the spiritual person you
want to be. These two books are great places to begin.
How wonderful that Neil and Dave have now extended their
work to specifically shed insights into how youth can win their
battles with depression. In this new book, Stomping Out
Depression, Neil and Dave demystify what has for too long
been relegated to the shadows of youth culture. Standing
against the real spiritual forces of this fallen world and learning
how to win the struggle for the mind is a message for today's
youth and people of all ages.
Loss, hopelessness and helplessness are words a depressed
youth knows very well. Here Neil and Dave show how, when
you know who you are in Christ, you can fully confront and
overcome the agony and find freedom from depression.
Stomping Out Depression provides real answers for an extreme
condition. It is must reading for every person who has ever
waded into the debilitating waters of depression, and it
provides "must answers" for every person who wants out of
its harrowing depths. The pages that follow provide a path to
finding hope again.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing a book is a difficult task, especially when your desire is

to help hurting people. We as humans are fearfully and
wonderfully made and not one of us is exactly like another. Our
prayer is that the truths and principles contained in this book
will help you find hope again. First and foremost, we thank our
awesome God and heavenly Father for His love and calling in
our lives. We have sensed His presence as we prepared each
paragraph, and we acknowledge that without Him, we are
nothing. Second, we thank our wives, Joanne and Grace. Their
love, patience, support and encouragement have not only
improved the quality of this book but also made us into better
husbands and people.
We thank Hal Baumchen for his work on Finding Hope Again,
the catalyst for this work. We are indebted to all those who
shared their stories with us. We wish to especially
acknowledge Alice Gray for the wonderful stories she gathered
in her book Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart and for
granting us permission to reprint a few of them. Our hearts
have been enriched because of these wonderful testimonies.
We also want to thank Josh McDowell for his tremendous
support and for writing the foreword.
We thank Bill Greig III and Kyle Duncan for their patience and
support of this project. Special thanks go to Steven Lawson—
you make us look good. Your professionalism has truly
enriched this book. It has been a blessing to work with all the
fine staff at Regal, including Kim Bangs, Deena Davis, Rose
Decaen, Nola Grunden, George Keenen, Elizabeth Lubaczewski,
Bayard Taylor, Hilary Young, Pam Weston and Rob Williams.
Our thanks to you for making this book possible. May the Lord
use it to His honor and glory!

- Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park

INTRODUCTION
Picking up a book such as Stomping Out Depression might
make you feel funny; you might even feel a sense of shame.
Well, don't!
There is no shame in feeling depressed. It is an inevitable part
of growing up. Everyone at some time in his or her life will face
the challenge of depression. In too many cases pride prevents
us from seeking the help we need, and the consequences are
often predictable and tragic. As the Bible makes clear, pride
comes before a fall, and God is opposed to pride.
The fact that you have picked up this book and are now
reading through it signals the beginning of dependency on
Christ and a deathblow to self-sufficiency and pride. Only
people who are secure in Christ can readily admit their need for
one another, and they do not hesitate to ask for help when
they need it.
If you are struggling with depression, there is hope. We wrote
this book to help you establish your hope in God. We want to
enable you to live and walk according to His truth, rather than
the circumstances that surround you. We want to extend to
you the mercy and the wonderful grace of God. If hopelessness
and despair have crept into your life and found a place in your
belief system, we want to show you how to kick them out. It is
our desire that you adopt a biblical view of reality, a true
picture of what is happening in your life, and allow the truth of
God to restore hope.
The process of renewal might seem difficult and even
impossible right now, but it is not. That lie is just part of
Satan's plan to keep you in bondage to hopelessness and
depression. In this book you will read about others whose
depression almost destroyed them, but their hope was
awakened. They had their joy, peace and happiness in life
restored to them. This turnaround in their lives can happen in
yours! We will share many stories about people who found
their freedom from depression. Their names have been
changed, except for some who wanted to share openly their
testimonies of finding freedom in Christ.
For the sake of smooth reading, we usually use "we" without
distinguishing whether we are writing in Neil's or Dave's voice.
When the text requires it to be one voice, we use "I" and then
place the name of the person, either Neil or Dave, in
parentheses.
It is the cry of our hearts that you would find hope again as
Jesus stomps out your depression!
CHAPTER ONE
FINDING HOPE
A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and
doom leave you bone-tired.

PROVERBS 17:22, THE MESSAGE

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

VICTOR HUGO

Jan was an 18-year-old dynamo. She seemed to be able to do it

all. She was a straight-A student, captain of the cheerleading
squad, a volleyball player and homecoming queen. Everything
seemed to be going great until Chad came along. Jan and Chad
had been dating for about a year and a half. The relationship
had started early in their junior year but now, after 18 months, it
was over.
The day after the breakup, Jan met with some of her friends at
Jock Rock in front of the school.
"I can't believe he broke up with me," Jan said. "And he did it
over the phone—he didn't even have enough class to meet me
in person and say it to my face."
"I say you're better off without the creep," Ashley said.
"Don't call him a creep," Jan stammered, fighting back the tears.
Morgan spoke up: "Hey, Jan, snap out of it. Everybody breaks
up. It's not the end of the world. Besides, a girl like you could
get a hundred boyfriends."
"Yeah," Ashley agreed. "If Chad doesn't want to have
anything to do with you, then you should decide that you
don't want to have anything to do with him. Besides,
everybody breaks up—you just have to get over it and move
on, girl."
"Hey, I heard that the new kid, Jason Watson, is available, and
he's cute. Don't you think?" Morgan offered.
Jan didn't answer. She just turned and walked away without a
word.
They don't understand, she thought to herself. I don't want a
new boyfriend—I want Chad.
Chad was Jan's first real boyfriend, and she was planning to
marry him after they graduated this year. Hundreds of times
she had dreamed about the wedding. She would put flowers in
her hair and walk down the hallway at home. She would turn to
the teddy-bear preacher and say her vows.
Jan looked down sadly at the class ring on her finger and
remembered the day Chad had first put it there. From that day
she had decided that she would be everything that Chad
wanted. She had dieted to stay skinny and dressed with him in
mind. She had tried so hard to make him happy and do
whatever she could to please him.
When Chad began to pressure her to go all the way sexually,
she decided to give him what he wanted. She wanted to make
him happy. When Chad broke up with her, Jan was devastated.
She could not believe it; she had given him everything. She
begged and pleaded with him not to leave her. She told him
that she would do anything if he would just stay. But he
refused to listen to her and hung up the phone. Jan had tried to
call Chad several times but got no answer.
Jan's first reaction was anger. Why won't he even talk to me? A
year and half together shouldn't end like this—after all that I
have done for him. Then her anger turned inward, and
destructive self-talk, attacks and accusations from the enemy
began to assault her. You're worthless. You can't do anything
right. No one will ever love you, especially not now—you're
used goods. You call yourself a Christian? You 're just a little
tramp. No man will ever love you.
Over the next few weeks, Jan started to spend more and more
time alone. She didn't want to see her friends; they would just
ask about Chad. It seemed like her room was the only safe
place. So she started to drop out of school and activities such
as volleyball and cheerleading. Her grades took a dive as well.
The only thing she wanted to do was stay home in her room
and escape in her music. She didn't want to eat. At first, when
Chad broke up with her, she couldn't sleep; but now she would
sleep all the time. She started to sleep in class and miss more
and more school. When her parents began to get notes from
the school about her poor grades and behavior, they tried to
talk to her. Jan would listen to their concerns and promise to do
better, but inside she just did not care. Her friends Ashley and
Morgan became distant.
"Can you tell me what in the world is the matter with Jan?"
asked Ashley.
"I don't know," said Morgan. "She seems like a totally different
person!"
Jan was experiencing depression. At one time, depression was
thought to be only an adult problem, but now we understand
that depression affects many teens and preteens. Researchers
even concede that depression frequently occurs in children.1
Josh McDowell reported "nearly 5 percent of all teens are
identified as clinically depressed every year." 2
What do people mean when they say they are depressed?
Well, some use the word "depression" just to relate sadness,
or the blues. But depression is much more. Let's start with a
good dictionary definition.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines depression
as "a state of feeling sad" but adds a second definition: "a
psycho neurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by
sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a
significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent
sleeping, feelings of deject ion and hopelessness, and
sometimes suicidal tendencies." 3
Sometimes teens who struggle with depression do not believe
that anyone can relate to their circumstances or understand
what they are going through. Their reasoning goes something
like this: If no one else understands, then how can God
understand? After all, if God does not like the circumstances,
He can create new ones. He does not have to deal with our
finite limitations; He is eternal and infinite. He has no impure
thoughts, nor does He struggle against insurmountable odds.

JESUS CAN RELATE

All of this is wonderfully true of our heavenly Father, but
remember Jesus' circumstances. Jesus humbled Himself and
took on the form of a man (see Phil. 2:6-8). He voluntarily
surrendered the independent use of His divine attributes. All of
the political and religious forces of His day were united against
Him. In the end, He was alone. His chosen disciples deserted
Him. Peter even denied that he knew Jesus. In the garden of
Gethsemane, Jesus was grieved and distressed to the point of
death. He became the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief.
Finally, He faced the indignities of a mock trial and was found
guilty of trumped-up charges. The most innocent Man who
ever lived was crucified. According to Hebrews 4:14-16,
because of Jesus, we can go to God when we are struggling or
depressed:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been
tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may
receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus made it possible for us to go to God, not only because

He died for our sins and gave us eternal life, but also because
He, by His own experience, can relate to our weaknesses. He
knows from personal experience how we feel.
Have you ever felt rejected and unloved? So has He. Have
people you counted on ever let you down? People let Him
down, too. Do you face overwhelming temptation? He was
tempted in all ways. Do you have to live with the
consequences of someone else's sins? He took upon Himself
the sins of all mankind and then faced what you and I will
never have to face: the Father turned His back on Him.
Yet, in the end, God did not abandon His Son. And we can say
with confidence that He will never leave us or forsake us (see
Heb. 13:5). In spite of all that Christ endured, He never lost
hope or faith in our heavenly Father. The resources that
sustained God's Son are now ours because we belong to Him.
He is the God of all hope.

The resources that sustained God's Son are now ours because
we belong to Him.

CRYING FOR MERCY AND NEEDING

GRACE
We have the assurance that if we go to God, we will receive
mercy and find grace to help us in times of need. He will not
give us what we deserve (which demonstrates His mercy);
instead, He will give us what we need (which demonstrates His
grace).
Young people often turn to a Christian youth group or the
Church when they are hurting and in trouble. Yet they do not
always find mercy there. In too many cases, they receive more
mercy and less judgment in a secular treatment center or from
their unsaved friends. However, these mainstream resources
cannot offer the eternal grace of God—only the Church has the
grace to help in times of need. But we will not have the
opportunity to share it unless we first show mercy.
The cry of a depressed teen is "Have mercy on me. I don't need
to be scolded, judged, advised or rejected. I need to be
understood, accepted, affirmed and loved." If what the teen
needs does not come first, then all the biblical answers we have
to give him will fall upon deaf ears.

HIDING IN THE SHADOWS

Teenage or adolescent depression, as opposed to that
experienced and displayed by adults, can be even more difficult
to categorize and identify. Dr. Ross Campbell writes:

Teenage depression is difficult to identify because its

symptoms are different from the classical symptoms of adult
depression. For example, a teenager in mild depression acts and
talks normally. There are no outward signs of depression. Mild
teenage depression is detectable only by somehow knowing
the child's thought pattern and thought content. Few
professionals even can pick up depression in this state.
In moderate depression, also, the teenager acts and talks
normally. However, in moderate depression, the content of the
teenager's speech is affected, dwelling primarily on depressing
subjects such as death, morbid problems, and crises. Since
many adults today seem to dwell on pessimistic trains of
thought, the teenager's depression may go unnoticed...
In the vast majority of cases, only in severe depression does
the teenager actually appear depressed... There is an exception
to this, however. Teenage depression is difficult to identify
because teens are good at "masking" it; that is, they can cover
it by appearing OK even when they are absolutely miserable.
This is often called smiling depression. This is a front that
teenagers employ unconsciously . . . primarily when other
people are around. When depressed teenagers are alone, they
let down or relax the mask somewhat.
This is helpful to parents. If we are able to see our teenagers at
times when they believe no one is looking at them, we may be
able to identify depression.4

Simply determining the causes and cures of depression

presents a challenge because the symptoms reveal that the
whole person is affected—body, soul and spirit. We know that
many people become physically sick for mental, emotional or
spiritual reasons.5 It is also known that many people who
suffer from emotional problems can establish a physical cause.
Humanly speaking, people often find themselves hoping that a
physical cause and cure can be found for depression, because
there is less of a social stigma associated with physical illness
than there is with mental illness. Somehow we feel absolved of
responsibility if a physical cause can be established. Our self-
image is left intact. We believe other people will be more
sympathetic if they know our physical condition is not our
fault.
With that kind of thinking, people are afraid to share their real
problems. Tremendous needs go unmet when people will
disclose their physical problems, but not their emotional or
spiritual ones. Generally speaking, the Christian community
does not respond appropriately to people who struggle with
their emotions. On the other hand, if a friend breaks her leg, we
flock to the hospital, pray for her and sign her cast. Meals are
brought over to her house. She is treated almost like a hero,
because people understand physical frailties and they can
sympathize.
Compare this to what happens in a youth group when a prayer
request is given for someone who is depressed. A gloom
hangs over the room, and a polite prayer is offered. "Dear Lord,
help Jan get over her depression. Amen." We do not know
how to respond to emotional problems. There is no cast to
sign, and everyone is silently thinking (or the depressed
person believes that others are thinking), Why doesn't she just
snap out of it? I wonder what skeletons she has in her closet.
If she would just pray and read her Bible more, she wouldn't
be in such a state. No sincere Christian should be depressed.
There must be some sin in her life. These critical thoughts do
not help the depressed person and often are not even true.
Contributing to the person's guilt and shame does not help his
or her mental functioning. We must learn to reflect the love and
hope of God, who is close to the brokenhearted.

TWO KINDS OF DEPRESSION

REACTIVE DEPRESSION:
A RESPONSE TO SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE BODY
ENDOGENOUS DEPRESSION:
COMES FROM WITHIN THE BODY OR IS PHYSICAL IN
ITS ORIGIN

Is there a physical cause, and therefore a potential physical

cure, for some forms of depression? Yes, and we will examine
these possibilities. Christians are no more immune to either
form of depression than any other person. Therefore, it is
wrong to jump to the conclusion that it is a sin for a Christian
to be depressed.
We have a far greater hope for cure, however, if the cause of
our depression is not endogenous but reactive—a response to
something outside the body. This is because changing brain
chemistry is far less certain and less precise than changing
what we believe or how we think about external circumstances
or events. However, it is usually easier to get people to take a
pill with the hope of changing brain chemistry than to get them
to change what they believe and how they think.
People who are depressed because of the way they think and
believe are often shunned or judged. But what about those
people whose thinking makes them arrogant, prideful and self-
sufficient? The depressed person would find a more kindred
spirit with the biblical prophets, who thundered against such
arrogance, than they find in many youth groups.

SEEKING A WHOLE ANSWER

In one sense, it does not make any difference whether the
primary cause of depression is physical, mental or spiritual.
Depression affects the whole person, and a complete cure
requires a holistic answer. No human problem that manifests
itself in one dimension of reality can be isolated from the rest of
reality. Like any other sickness of the body and soul,
depression is a whole-life problem that requires a whole-life
answer.
Depression is related to our physical health, to what we
believe, how we perceive ourselves, our relationship with God,
our relationship with others, the circumstances of our lives
and, finally, to Satan, the god of this world. We cannot
successfully treat depression without taking into account all of
these related factors. We have a whole God, the Creator of all
reality, and He relates to us as whole people.

WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER

It is not shameful to feel depressed, because some measure of
depression is an inevitable part of our maturing process. About
10 percent of all adults will suffer from depression in any given
year, according to the National Institute of Health. Only a third
of those people will seek treatment. It is estimated that 10
percent of all children in this country suffer from some form of
depression before they reach the age of 12. As many as 20
percent of all school-age children (including teens) stiffer from
some form of depression. Our children are at risk of being more
than simply down in the dumps. Teen depression has reached
epidemic proportions.6
In too may cases, pride prevents the depressed person, his
family and his friends from seeking proper help, and the
consequences are often predictable and tragic. As the Bible
declares, pride comes before a fall, and God is opposed to the
proud (see Prov. 16:18).
It is more honest to admit that we need help than to pretend we
can live the Christian life alone. Our drive to be self-sufficient
destroys our dependency on Christ. Only those who are secure
in Christ will readily admit to their need for one another, and
they do not hesitate to ask for help when it becomes
necessary. We absolutely need God, and we desperately need
each other. It is the essence of love to meet each other's needs.
King David was said to have a heart for God, yet his numerous
bouts of depression are recorded throughout the psalms.
Martin Luther battled depression most of his life. Abraham
Lincoln said, "I am now the most miserable man living If what I
feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there
would not be one cheerful face on the earth." 7
Let's face it: Living in this fallen world can be quite depressing.
But there are benefits to acknowledging all of our struggles.

Christian growth can come from times of loss and feelings of

helplessness or hopelessness. The richest treasures are often
discovered in the deepest holes. What we need is the
assurance that can only come from a God of all hope. It has
been said, "We can live about 40 days without food, about
three days without water and about eight minutes without air—
but only one second without hope."

RESTORING HOPE
Depression is as serious as any other illness or accident.
Depression can steal our hope and get us to question our true
identity as believers. Yet in the middle of our hopelessness
stands Jesus. He is there to point us to the Father and His
inspiration. Jesus shows us how to see things through the
Father's eyes. Lonni Collins Pratt tells how this happened to
her:

I saw the car just before it hit me. I seemed to float. Then
darkness smashed my senses.
I came to in an ambulance. Opening my eyes, I could see only
shreds of light through my bandaged, swollen eyelids. I didn't
know it then, but small particles of grave l and dirt were
embedded in my freckled sixteen-year- old face. As I tried to
touch it, someone tenderly pressed my arm down and
whispered, "Lie still."
A wailing siren trailed distantly somewhere, and I slipped into
unconsciousness. My last thoughts were a desperate prayer:
"Dear God, not my face, please. . ."
Like many teenage girls, I found much of my identity in my
appearance. Adolescence revolved around my outside image.
Being pretty meant I had lots of dates and a wide circle of
friends.
My father doted on me. He had four sons, but only one
daughter. I remember one Sunday in particular. As we got out
of the car at church, my brothers—a scruffy threesome in
corduroy and cowlicks—ran ahead. Mom had stayed home
with the sick baby.
I was gathering my small purse, church school papers, and
Bible. Dad opened the door. I looked up at him, convinced in
my seven-year-old heart that he was more handsome and
smelled better than any daddy anywhere.
He extended his hand to me with a twinkle in his eye and said,
"A hand, my lady?" Then he swept me up into his arms and
told me how pretty I was. "No father has ever loved a little girl
more than I love you," he said.
In my child's heart, which did not really understand a father's
love, I thought it was my pretty dress and face he loved.
A few weeks before the accident, I had won first place in a local
pageant, making me the festival queen! Dad did not say much.
He just stood beside me with his arm over my shoulders,
beaming with pride. Once more, I was his pretty little girl. I
basked in the warmth of his love and acceptance.
About this time, I made a personal commitment to Christ. In the
midst of student council, honor society, pageants, and
parades, I was beginning a relationship with God.
In the hours immediately after my accident, I drifted in and out
of consciousness. Whenever my mind cleared even slightly, I
wondered about my face. I was bleeding internally and had a
severe concussion, but it never occurred to me that my
concern with appearance was disproportionate.
The next morning, although I could not open my eyes more
than a slit, I asked the nurse for a mirror. "You just concern
yourself with getting well, young lady," she said, not looking
at my face as she took my blood pressure.
Her refusal to give me a mirror, I reasoned, meant it must be
worse that I imaged. My face felt tight and itchy. It burned and
ached other times. I didn't touch it, though, because my doctor
told me that might cause infection.
My parents also battled to keep mirrors away. As my body
healed internally and strength returned, I became increasingly
difficult.
At one point, for the fourth time in less than an hour, I pleaded
for a mirror. Five days had passed since the accident.
Angry and beaten down, Dad snapped, "Don't ask again! I said
no and that's it!"
I wish I could offer an excuse for what I said. I propped myself
on my elbows, and through lips that barely moved, hissed,
"You don't love me. Now that I'm not pretty anymore, you just
don't love me!"
Dad looked as if someone had knocked the life out of him. He
slumped into a chair and put his head in his hands. My mother
walked over and put her hand on his shoulder as he tried to
control tears. I collapsed against the pillows.
I didn't ask my parents for the mirror again. Instead, I waited
until someone from housekeeping was straightening my room
the next morning.
My curtain was drawn as if I was taking a sponge bath. "Could
you get me a mirror, please?" I asked. "I must have mislaid
mine." After a little searching, she found one and discreetly
handed it to me around the curtain.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. An image that
resembled a giant scraped knee, oozing and bright pink, looked
at me. My eyes and lips were crusted swollen. Hardly a patch
of skin, ear-to-ear, had escaped the trauma.
My father arrived a little later with magazines and homework
tucked under his arm. He found me staring into the mirror.
Prying my fingers one by one from the mirror, he said, "It isn't
important. This doesn't change anything that matters. No one
will love you less."
Finally he pulled the mirror away and tossed it into a chair. He
sat on the edge of my bed, took me into his arms, and held me
for a long time.
"I know what you think," he said.
"You couldn't," I mumbled, turning away and staring out the
window.
"You're wrong," he said, ignoring my self-pity.
"This will not change anything," he repeated. He put his hand
on my arm, running it over an IV line. "The people who love
you have seen you at your worst, you know."
"Right, seen me with rollers or with cold cream—not with my
face ripped off!"
"Let's talk about me then," he said. "I love you. Nothing will
ever change that because it is you I love, not your outside. I've
changed your diapers and watched your skin blister with
chicken pox. I've wiped up your bloody noses and held your
head while you threw up in the toilet. I've loved you when you
weren't pretty."
He hesitated. "Yesterday you were ugly—not because of your
skin, but because you behaved ugly. But I'm here today, and I'll
be here tomorrow, Fathers don't stop loving their children, no
matter what life rakes. You will be blessed if life only takes your
face."
I turned to my father, feeling it was all words, the right words,
spoken out of duty—polite lies.
"Look at me then, Daddy," I said. "Look at me and tell me you
love me."
I will never forget what happened next. As he looked into my
battered face, us eyes filled with tears. Slowly he leaned toward
me, and with his eyes open, he gently kissed my scabbed,
oozing lips.
It was the kiss that tucked me in every night of my young life,
the kiss that warmed each morning.
Many years have passed. All that remains of my accident is a
tiny indentation just above one eyebrow. But my father's kiss,
and what it taught me about love, will never leave.8

If you have ever struggled with depression, we have written

this book to help you establish your hope in God and enable
you to live according to the truth of God's Word. We want to
extend to you the mercy and grace of God. Depression, despair
and hopelessness may have crept into your life and tainted
your view of reality. Truth restores hope. We want to help you
see the reality of the world we live in through the grid of
Scripture. Wisdom is seeing life from God's perspective. We
hope that this book will teach you about the Father's kiss.
In this book we hope to accomplish the following:

1. describe the signs of depression;

2. explain medical terms, to show how depression can
have an impact on our bodies;
3. show how thinking and believing affect the way we
respond to the world about us;
4. establish the spiritual connection between depression
and mental health;
5. reveal the Father nature of God and how He relates to
us;
6. explain the gospel and emphasize its message of who
we are in Christ and what it means to be a child of God;
7. uncover the truth from Scripture that replaces our sense
of hopelessness and helplessness;
8. show how to survive the inevitable losses of life and
reinforce the truth that any crisis can be a stepping
stone to greater growth and maturity;
9. show how suffering is an essential part of becoming
like Christ (sanctification);
10. provide a step-by-step process for overcoming depress
ion.

Listen to how Jesus prays in His high priestly prayer: "But

now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that
they may have My joy made full in themselves" (John 17:13).
 To think you are unloved, unappreciated and unworthy is to
believe a lie, because you are a child of the King who has
rescued you from the domain of darkness and brought you to
the kingdom of His beloved Son.

Paul writes, "Not that we lord it over your faith, but are
workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are
standing firm" (2 Cor. 1:24).
God wants you to experience the joy of the Lord. It is a fruit of
the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22), not the fruit of circumstances. We are
coworkers for your joy. However, the Christian walk is not
about trying to be happy; that would be trite, misguided and
self-serving.
We are called to be mission-minded overcomers in Christ. We
are not called to live lives that are continuously beaten down,
defeated or in bondage. To see yourself as rejected, unwanted
and useless is to be deceived. To see the circumstances of life
as hopeless is to take your eyes off Jesus, the Author and
Finisher of your faith. To think you are unloved, unappreciated
and unworthy is to believe a lie, because you are a child of the
King who has rescued you from the domain of darkness and
brought you to the kingdom of His beloved Son (see Col. 1:13).
God's love for you is unconditional because God is love. It is
His nature to love you.
Our prayer is that you will sense our compassion and
understanding derived from years of helping young people
who have lost their hope. It is imperfect; but God's love and
compassion are perfect, and He is your hope. We wanted to be
hard-hitting enough to break down the mental strongholds of
hopelessness and helplessness yet tender enough to bind up
the brokenhearted. We believe the personal presence of Christ
in your life and the truth of His Word are ultimately the
answers. Our desire is to make that truth relevant to your
struggles, as well as practical enough to inspire immediate
action.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the
Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13).

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Hebrews 4:14-16
Reflect:

1. How would you define depression?

2. Why do you think depression is so widespread today?
3. Have you ever felt rejected and unloved, or have you
ever had people you counted on let you down? How
can Jesus relate to these circumstances?
4. Why do you think so many people experience shame
when they go through depression?

Respond:

Oh, Lord, in my hopelessness I cry out to You. I ask You now

to hear me and to touch me and destroy the despair in my life
and body. I pray that every enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ be
removed from my presence, that I might hear only from You,
Lord. I pray that You would fill me with hope, fill me with joy,
fill me with peace. I pray that my belief and trust in You would
spill over into my mind, my will and my emotions. Fill me with
Your life-giving energy, the energy of the Holy Spirit, so I
would brim over with hope. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Notes

1. Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, Handbook on

Counseling Youth (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1996), P.
61.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid., p. 62.
5. It is a well-established fact that some people become
physically sick from mental, emotional and spiritual
causes. It is estimated that between 50 percent and 75
percent of sick people become ill due to these causes.
At least 25 percent of the healings in the Gospels are
actually deliverance from evil spirits.
6. Walt Mueller, Understanding Today's Youth Culture
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1994), P.
296.
7. Abraham Lincoln, in a letter to his friend William Henry
Herdon, quoted in Michael Burlingame, The Inner
World of Abraham Lincoln (Urbana, IL: University of
Illinois Press, 1994), p. 100.
8. Lonni Collins Pratt, "Through a Father's Eyes," Moody
Monthly (September 1992).
CHAPTER TWO

THE WORLD BELOW—THE

AGONY OF DEPRESSION
The joy of the LORD is your strength.

NEHEMIAH 8:10

I have everything I need for joy!

ROBERT REED

"I have everything I need for joy!" Robert Reed said.

Amazing, I thought.
His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can't bathe
himself. He can't feed himself. He can't brush his teeth, comb
his hair or put on his underwear. His shirts are held together by
strips of Velcro. His speech drags like a worn-out
audiocassette.
Robert has cerebral palsy.
The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike and
going for a walk. But it didn't keep him from graduating from
high school or attending Abilene Christian University, from
which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral
palsy didn't keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college
or from venturing overseas on five mission trips.
And Robert's disease did not prevent him from becoming a
missionary in Portugal.
He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel
room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant
owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who
would instruct him in the language.
Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed
brochures about Christ. Within six years, he led seventy
people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.
I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in
his wheelchair onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in
his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force open the pages. And I
watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration
from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity,
but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air
and boasted, "I have everything I need for joy."
His shirts are held together by Velcro, but his life is held
together by joy! 1

A SAD EPIDEMIC
How is it that some people are able to find joy in the darkest of
circumstances and avoid the cold grip of depression while too
many others seem unable to escape its icy grasp? How can we
learn to hold our lives together with joy, even in the midst of
great discouragement? The answers to these questions are
what this book is all about.
Depression is an ache that starts in the soul and then crushes
your spirit. It wraps itself so tightly around you that you
cannot believe it will ever leave. But it can be controlled and it
does depart! Depression is treatable. You do not have to live
with it, at least not for long.
At this writing, about 10 million people in the United States are
suffering from depression. It can creep into the lives of all
people regardless of age, gender, education level, social
ranking or economic status. Among college students, 25
percent struggle with some form of depression, and 33 percent
of college dropouts suffer serious depression before leaving
school. Fifty percent more girls experience depression than
boys.
The number of doctor visits in which patients diagnosed with
mental problems received prescriptions rose from 32.7 mill ion
to 45.6 million in the decade from 1985 to 1994. Visits to the
doctor that resulted in a diagnosis of depression almost
doubled during the same 10-year period, from 11 million to more
than 20.4 million.2 This is an incredible increase, especially in
light of the fact that many who struggle with depression do not
seek medical help.
 Many people will have at least one serious bout of depression
in their lifetime.

Depression is a complex yet common physical, emotional and

spiritual struggle. It is so prevalent that it has been called the
common cold of psychological disorders. Many people will
have at least one serious bout of depression in their lifetime,
and all will experience some symptoms of depression due to
poor physical health, negative circumstances or weak spiritual
condition.
Too many Christian teens live in denial about their own
depression, thinking that if they were spiritually mature they
would never have to struggle like others do. Consequently,
they do not reach out to anyone or seek the help they need. It
is actually shameful in some "Christian" communities to be sad
or depressed. "You must be living in sin" is the subtle,
deceptive assumption. That kind of thinking causes depressed
teens to clam up and hide their true feelings instead of
believing the truth and walking in the light.

DEFINITION OF DEPRESSION
Depression is a disturbance, or disorder, of a person's mood, or
emotional state. It is characterized by persistent sadness,
heaviness, darkness or feelings of emptiness. The emotional
state of depression is usually accompanied by thoughts of
hopelessness and sometimes suicide. Those who are
depressed believe that life is bad and that the chances for
improvement are nil. Their thoughts are colored by negative
views of themselves, their future and the circumstances
surrounding them.
It is critically important to realize that sadness or other fact ors
in the emotional state of depression are not the cause but the
symptom. Treating the symptom would only bring temporary
relief at best. Any treatment for depression must focus on the
cause, not the effect. The goal is to cure the disease, not the
resulting pain. As we shall learn later, the cause could be
physical, mental or spiritual. We think it is important to
understand the symptoms of depression in order to better
understand the cause. A proper diagnosis is necessary before
appropriate treatment can be considered.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

While depression moves from spirit to soul, it also directly
affects the body.

Energy Level
"I just don't feel like doing anything" is the song of the
depressed. Loss of energy and never-ending tiredness are the
characteristics of depression. People who suffer from
depression live as though their internal transmission has only
one gear— low—and they would prefer to shift into neutral.
A recurring song in the old television program Hee Haw
captured the image of depression. A bunch of hillbillies are
flaked out in front of an old cabin, clutching their moonshine,
with a droopy bloodhound at their side. Each night they sing
the theme song of the depressed:

Gloom, despair and agony on me;

Deep, dark depression, excessive misery;
If it weren't for bad luck,
I'd have no luck at all;
Gloom, despair and agony on me!

For those who suffer from depression, ordinary bodily

movements and actions are reduced to slow motion. Walking,
talking, cleaning a room, getting ready for school or doing a
project can take considerably longer than usual. The student
suffering from depression often feels that time is moving at a
snail's pace. Everyday activities become monumental tasks or
seemingly impossible to complete. Complaints of tiredness are
common. Lowered energy levels and lessened interest in
activities affect homework and grades. The student can often
see that his or her study habits and performance are sliding,
but the student cannot seem to pull out of the mire.
Approximately 10 percent of depressed students have serious
struggles with endogenous depression, which, as explained
earlier, originates within the body and is characterized by
physical symptoms. Many of these teens simply do not
function on a daily basis. They do not get dressed and either
stay in bed or lie around the house.

Sleep Disturbance
Having trouble sleeping is one of the most common signs of
depression. Although some teens feel like sleeping all the time
when they become depressed, it is actually more common to
suffer insomnia.
There are different kinds of insomnia. Initial insomnia, or sleep
onset insomnia, is the difficulty of falling asleep. Depression is
more commonly associated with terminal insomnia, during
which the person falls asleep out of sheer fatigue but then
wakes up and cannot get back to sleep. Although insomnia is
only a symptom of depression, it contributes to the downward
spiral of those who cannot seem to pull out of it. Inadequate
sleep leaves the sufferer with a low energy level for the tasks of
the next day.
Psalm 77 is a call for help by Asaph, who is so depressed that
he cannot sleep. He writes, "When I remember God, then I am
disturbed; when I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Thou hast
held my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak" (w.
3-4). This sufferer also questions God's mercy and compassion
(see vv. 7-9). His hope is gone because what he believes about
God is not true; and the result is sleeplessness, despair about
God's seeming absence and not enough energy to even speak.
That is depression.

Activity Level
Depression is accompanied by decreased involvement in
activities such as sports and student clubs, which is related to
an overall lack of interest, commitment and follow-through in
day-to-day affairs. Sufferers do not have the physical or
emotional energy to sustain ordinary levels of vigor, so their
performance is often hindered. They lose interest in activities
that they formerly found to be meaningful and fun.
Many teens find it difficult to pray because God seems like a
distant figure. Perhaps they enjoyed playing the piano or some
other instrument, but they no longer find it fun or satisfying.
Why bother? is the question that screams for an answer!
Tragically, the needs for self-expression and to be involved
with others go unmet, which only contributes to the deepening
of depression.

Isolation
A depressed person desires isolation, feels worthless, criticizes
his personal appearance, loses spontaneity and becomes
apathetic. The emotional state of depression usually creates
problems in relationships. It is common to see young people
who suffer with depression pull away from other people. They
feel embarrassed to be with people when they Feel so low.
They do not want to be a wet blanket in the youth group or
drag others down. They just want to be alone.
Although some may think that isolation is a viable short-term
solution, avoiding people often adds to the downward spiral of
depression.

Aches and Pains

When depression strikes, many people report physical aches
and pains such as headaches, stomachaches and lower back
pain. These ailments can be quite severe. Depression-caused
headaches are common. Unlike migraine headaches, they are
usually dull and feel like a band around the head with the pain
radiating down the neck. These aches and pains associated
with depression are not new: King David laments: "I am bowed
down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my
body" (Ps. 38:6-7, NIV).

Loss of Appetite
Depression is often accompanied by a decrease in appetite.
Indigestion, constipation or diarrhea can contribute to weight
loss. People who struggle with anorexia and deny themselves
adequate nourishment are usually depressed as well. On the
other hand, 20 percent of depressed young people experience
an increase of appetite and crave food.

MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS

Most symptoms of depression are emotional. Sometimes what
the average person thinks can cause dejection and some
mental problems can lead to mild and even serious depression.
Some of the most common emotional symptoms and resultant
mental states of depressed people are sadness, despair,
irritability, negative thought patterns and thoughts of suicide.

Sadness
Depression is commonly characterized by a deep sadness. The
blues seem to creep up slowly and bring with them a spirit of
heaviness. Crying or just being in a funk are widespread among
depressed teens. Some can hardly control the steady stream of
tears. The sadness they experience is the opposite of joy,
which is a fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23). Proverbs 15:13
reads, "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart
is sad, the spirit is broken."

Despair
Despair is the absence of hope. It causes a person to see no
light at the end of the tunnel, no prospects at the end of the
day and no answers for the endless rounds of questions. Three
times the psalmist cries out, "Why are you in despair, O my
soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His
presence" (Ps. 42:5; see also Ps. 42:11 and Ps. 43:5). Hope,
despair's opposite, is the present assurance of some future
good; and the psalmist knew where his hope lay. The problem
is that depression seems to mess up the normal process of
memory.

Irritability
Depressed teens have very little emotional reserve. Small
things tick them off, and they are easily frustrated. They have a
low tolerance level for the pressures of life and can be
frequently heard saying "I can't deal with that right now" or "I
just can't take it any longer."

Negative Thought Patterns

Most often, depressed people have trouble thinking and
concentrating. Their minds will not stay focused. Constant
distractions rob them of any mental peace. Just as water seeks
the lowest ground, depression likewise seeps in and drowns
out everything else, including optimism. For a depressed
person, it seems easier to see a problem, think the worst,
predict failure, find fault and focus on weakness.
Teens who are prone to depression have difficulty believing
positive and good things about themselves. Feelings of
worthlessness become the breeding ground for thoughts of
self-destruction.
They cannot think positively about the future. They cannot
stop worrying about tomorrow. They dread it, instead of
looking forward to it.
Depressed teens put a negative spin on the circumstances, in
which they find themselves,

Thoughts of Suicide
Sadness, isolation, loss of energy, strained relationships and
physical problems mess up one's perspective of self and the
future. As helplessness and hopelessness stir in the mind,
many people begin to think of suicide as a way of escape.
Others just wish they were dead or that God would take them
home!
In short, depressed teens become self-absorbed. Mental
exhaustion causes them to take the easy path, which is to think
negatively about themselves. Such self-absorption makes
thinking of others extremely difficult. The depressed person
will avoid hearing any bad news or taking on any more
responsibility. He or she feels overwhelmed, It is a syndrome
filled with misery, shame, sadness and guilt.
Getting to know all the signs and symptoms of depression is
important, but sometimes we can get overwhelmed by the
reality that we are in fact experiencing depression. Here is a
perspective that might help at this point in the book.

One day a father took his rich family and his son on a trip to
the country with the firm purpose of showing him how the poor
people can be. They spent a day and a night on the farm of a
very poor family. When they got back from their trip, the father
asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"Very good, Dad!"
"Did you see how the poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Yeah!"
"And what did you learn?"
The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and
they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of
the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have
imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio
reaches to the front yard, they have the whole horizon."
When the little boy was finished, his father was speechless.
His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we
are!" 3
If we want to reach out to those who struggle with depression,
we must view them as people, not bundles of symptoms.

Depression can have one good quality: It can make us

dependent on Christ—and true dependence on Christ brings a
richness to life that few experience. So are you rich or poor?
It is not enough for Christians to merely be aware of the
general symptoms of depression. If we want to reach out to
those who struggle with depression, we must view them as
people, not bundles of symptoms. We want to show them the
riches that they have in Christ.

KING DAVID
See if you can find the signs of depression in King David's life
as described in Psalm 38:3-18 (NIV):
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones
have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has
overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds
fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed
down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my
body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of
heart. All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing
is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and
companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors
stay far away. Those who seek my life set their traps, those
who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot
deception. I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute,
who cannot open his mouth; I have become like a man who
does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. I wait for you,
O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, "Do not
let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."
For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my
iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.

This passage reveals that David is depressed, even though

he is a man with a whole heart for God. David would have been
diagnosed with most depression symptoms. He describes in
graphic detail his physical, spiritual and emotional pain. He
even feels that he is near death. David knows that his only
hope is God, as he cries out at the end of the psalm, "Come
quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior" (v. 22).
 DEPRESSION CHECKUP
Are you depressed? Do you know someone who may be? Try
filling out the following questionnaire, which can serve as a
rough evaluation and help determine whether the condition, if
present at all, is mild or severe.
Circle the number on a scale of 1 to 5 that best describes you
(or the person you are evaluating). For example, on line 1, circle
number 1 if you are exhausted all the time and 5 if you are a
high-energy person. Circle 3 if you are generally somewhere in
between, having neither high nor low energy. If you are
applying this inventory to yourself, you will get a more
accurate picture of your general condition if you take it when
you are not reacting to a crisis. Some mild depressions are
reactions to temporary setbacks or disheartening
circumstances that may only last for a few hours or days. It is
best to wait a few hours or days after such episodes before
taking the inventory because they can momentarily skew the
results.

123
1. Low energy High energy
45
Difficulty sleeping or 1 2 3 Uninterrupted sleeping
2.
sleep all the time 45 patterns
No desire to be involved 1 2 3 Very involved in
3.
in activities 45 activities
123
4. No desire for sex Healthy sex drive
45
 5. Aches and pains 123 Feel great
45
123
6. Loss of appetite Enjoy eating
45
123
7. Sad Joyful
45
123
8. Despairing and hopeless Hopeful and confident
45
Irritable (low frustration 123 Pleasant (high
9.
tolerance) 45 frustration tolerance)
123
10. Withdrawn Involved
45
123
11. Mental anguish Peace of mind
45
123
12. Low sense of self-worth High sense of self-worth
45
Pessimistic (about the 123 Optimistic (about the
13.
future) 45 future)

If you most often circled numbers 3 through 5, you are not

struggling with depression. Most of the fluctuations on the
rightside of the scale can be explained by general health,
differing temperaments and growing levels of maturity. A
person of average health and maturity, having an introspective
or generally pessimistic temperament, would likely circle many
3s and not be depressed. A young person of good health and
maturity with an optimistic and outgoing personality would
likely circle 4s and 5s.
Temperament and personality can affect many of the individual
items on the inventory. You can get a rough determination of
your level of depression if you add up all the circled numbers
and compare them with the following ratings:

45-75 Likely not depressed

35-44 Mildly depressed
25-34 Depressed
15-24 Severely depressed

DEGREES OF DEPRESSION
Degrees of depression can range from mild to severe. Everyone
experiences mild depression from time to time because of the
normal ups and downs of life. These mood fluctuations are
gene rally related to health issues, mental attitudes and the
external pressures of living in a fallen world. In our experience,
those who scored between 30 and 45 can manage their own
recovery—and hopefully this book will help them do just that.
Those who score 29 or lower should seek the help of a godly
pastor, youth pastor or Christ-centered counselor or if the
cause is found to be endogenous or physical, see a medical
doctor. Those who score low on the inventory need the
objectivity of someone else to help them resolve their conflicts.
Please keep in mind that it is not a sign of failure or weakness
to seek the help of others. We are supposed to "bear one
another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2).
Every person needs God, and we need each other. Usually it is
a sign of pride and immaturity to not admit a need.
Have you ever noticed that few people struggle with seeing a
medical doctor if they are sick? But for some reason, we resist
seeking help for emotional and spiritual problems. In our
observation, people who are secure in Christ have no problem
admitting their weaknesses. They are emotionally honest, as
Jesus was when He wept over the city of Jerusalem and at the
grave of Lazarus. He willingly and honestly admitted His need
for emotional support when He cried out in the garden of
Gethsemane, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death;
remain here and "(Mark 14:34).

What are our emotions? They are to our souls what our ability
to feel is to our bodies.

A WARNING SIGNAL
What are our emotions? They are to our souls what our ability
to feel is to our bodies. Suppose someone had the power to
remove the sensation of pain and offered it to you as a gift.
Would you accept it? It sounds tempting, but if you could not
feel pain, your body would be a hopeless mass of scars within
weeks. The ability to feel pain is your protection from the
harmful elements of the world we live in. Depression is a pain in
the soul signaling that something is wrong.
Think of emotional pain as an indicator light on the control
panel of a car. When that light comes on, you have three
possible responses.

Suppression: Ignoring the Warning

You can ignore the warning signal and put a piece of duct tape
over it. You may even be able to convince yourself for a while
that the light is not on. That is called suppression, and in the
long run it is very unhealthy. It is also dishonest when the
coverup is intended to convince others that everything is
okay.

Let It All Hang Out: Breaking the Signal

Another option is to take a small hammer and break the light.
When applied to our emotions, this is called indiscriminate
expression, or "letting it all hang out." It may feel good for you
to wear your emotions on your sleeves, but if you express them
without discrimination, it is nor healthy for others.
The Bible has a lot to say about being slow to speak and slow
to anger (e.g., see Jas. 1:19). Be cautious about getting
something off your chest at random or letting your feelings be
known to all. Such displays will never bring the desired result.
In suppression, the hurting person pulls away. In
indiscriminate expression, others pull away.

Acknowledgment: Discovering the Cause

The third option is to look under the hood and seek to discover
the cause. That is acknowledgment. In other words, be honest
about how you feel for the purpose of resolving conflicts and
living in harmony with God and His creation. This book is an
attempt to look under the hood to discover the causes and
cures of depression and to gain God's perspective, like the
story of the two boxes.

I have in my hands two boxes Which God gave me to hold. He

said, "Put all your sorrows in the black, And all your joys in the
gold."
I heeded His words, and in the two boxes Both my joys and
sorrows I store But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before.
With curiosity, I opened the black I wanted to find out why.
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole Which my sorrows
had fallen out by,
I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud, "I wonder where
my sorrows could be." He smiled a gentle smile at me, "My
child, they're all here with me."
I asked, "God, why give me the boxes, Why the gold, and the
black with the hole?"
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings, The
black is for you to let go." 4
 We hope this book not only helps you let go of depression
and hang on to the blessing but also nudges you to look under
the hood and see why the warning lights are on. Only then can
the root causes of depression be overcome by the truths of
God.

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Psalm 38:3-18

Reflect:

1. List at least five signs of depression.

2. If someone had the power to remove the sensation of
pain and offered it to you as a gift, would you accept it?
Why or why not?
3. What are the three possible responses we can have to
emotional pain?
4. Why is letting all of your emotions out in one big burst
not a very good idea?
5. Make a list of the signs of depression from the life of
King David from Psalm 38:3-18.
6. Why do you think so many Christians have a hard time
asking for help when they are depressed?

Respond:
Oh Lord, I want to be honest with You and honest with myself
Please reveal to me if I am struggling with depression. Help
me, Lord, not to overrate my emotional state nor underrate it,
but rather face the truth about my feelings and emotions. I
choose not to ignore Your warning signal nor suppress my
problems. And I choose not to coverup my depression and
convince others that everything is okay. I also choose to be
cautious about getting something off my chest at random or
letting my feelings be known to all. Rather, Lord, I want to
know the true source of my troubles, and I put my trust in You
to show me that truth. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Notes

1. Alice Gray, comp., Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart

(Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2000), pp. 158-159.
2. The Denver Post, February 18, 1998, p. 106.
3. Gray, Stories, p. 153.
4. Ibid., p. 254.
CHAPTER THREE

NO END IN SIGHT - THE

AGONY OF THE BODY
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

ROMANS 12:1

Trouble knocked at the door but, hearing laughter, hurried

away.

BEN FRANKLIN

If you talk about skateboarding, then you need to speak the

language. You have to know that an "ollie" is a skateboard
trick and that a "half pipe" is a kind of ramp. You can ride a
skateboard without knowing any jargon, but it is unlikely you
will become very good and you will not know what other
skaters are talking about. In the same way, if you want to
understand your depression and how to overcome it, you will
need to learn some new buzzwords.
Admittedly, reading the medical terms in this chapter will not
be as much fun as doing an ollie on a half pipe, but it is
necessary for you to understand the physical side of
depression. These are the nuts and bolts. At times this chapter
might seem a little technical, but hang in there. Take it slow. If
you need to, look up some terms in a dictionary.

THE WHOLE PICTURE

When we start to deal with the brain and the chemical
functions of our bodies, it is easy to forget that there is a
hurting and confused human being involved. It is important
that we realize that we are not just a bundle of chemical
reactions but rather, children of God who are created in His
awesome image. When we hear that someone is suffering from
depression, we often stay away from that person as if he has
some kind of contagious disease. But we really should show
love and compassion. Do you remember the story of the good
Samaritan? In Luke 10:25-37 (THE MESSAGE), Jesus tells this
parable:

Just then a religious scholar stood up with a question to test

Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"
He answered, "What's written in God's law? How do you
interpret it?"
He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your
passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you
love your neighbor as well as you do yourself." "Good
answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you
define 'neighbor'?"
Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man
traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was
attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and
went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way
down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to
the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also
avoided the injured man.
"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the
man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first
aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him
on to his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable.
In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to
the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any
more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'"
"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to
the man attacked by robbers?"
"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar
responded.
Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

We truly love God when we love each other. This next story
illustrates how easy it is to miss the mark and overlook those
around us who are hurting.

Finals week had arrived with all its stress. I had been up late
cramming for an exam. Now, as I slumped in my seat, I felt like a
spring that had been wound too tight. I had two tests back-to-
back, and I was anxious to get through with them. At the same
time I expected to be able to maintain my straight-A grade-
point average.
As I waited impatiently for the professor to arrive, a stranger
walked up to the blackboard and began to write:
"Due to a conflict, your professor is unable to give you your
test in this classroom. He is waiting for you in the gymnasium."
Oh, great, I thought. Now I have to walk clear across campus
just to take this stupid exam.
The entire class was scurrying out the door and rushing to the
gym. No one wanted to be late for the final, and we weren't
wasting time talking.
The route to the gym took us past the hospital. There was a
man stumbling around in front of it. I recognized him as the
young blind man whose wife had just given birth to a baby in
that hospital. He had been there before, but he must have
become confused.
Oh, well, I told myself. Someone will come along soon and
help him. I just don't have time to stop now.
So I hurried along with the rest of the class on our way to take
that final exam.
As we continued down the sidewalk, a woman came rushing
out of a nearby bookstore.
She had a baby on one arm, a stack of books on the other, and
a worried look on her face. The books fell onto the sidewalk,
and the baby began to cry as she stooped to pick them up.
She should have left that kid at home, I thought. I dodged her
as the class and I rushed along.
Just around the next corner someone had left a dog on a leash
tied to a tree. He was a big, friendly mutt, and we had all seen
him there before, but today he couldn't quite reach the pan of
water left for him. He was straining at his leash and whining.
I thought, What cruel pet owner would tie up a dog and not
leave his water where he could reach it? But I hurried on.
As we neared the gym, a car passed us and parked close to the
door. I recognized man who got out as one of the maintenance
crew. I also noticed he left the lights on.
"He's going to have a problem when he tries to start that car to
go home tonight," the fellow next to me said.
The professor stood with his arms folded, looking at us. We
looked back. The silence became uncomfortable. We all knew
his tests were also teaching tools, and we wondered what he
was up to. He motioned toward the door, and in walked the
blind man, the young mother with her baby, a girl holding the
big dog on a leash, and the maintenance man.
These people had been planted along the way in an effort to
test whether or not the class had grasped the meaning behind
the story of the Good Samaritan and the man who fell among
thieves. We all failed.1

Treating people kindly, loving them even when they are

grouchy, cold and weird, is what Jesus was talking about in the
story He told to the religious scholar.

A NEW AGE
We live in an incredible age. Some people say that knowledge
doubles every two-and-a-half years and that junior high
students have learned more in their few years than Benjamin
Franklin did in his whole life.
Scientists and medical doctors know far more about the brain
and how we function than ever before. Then why has the
number of people seeking treatment for depression nearly
doubled in the last 10 years? Is there a physical explanation for
depression? Has our hope shifted from God to science?
Professing ourselves to be wise, have we become fools? "For
the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the
weakness of God is stronger than man's strength" (1 Cor. 1:25,
NIV). Or are we asked to make a false either/or choice? It
should be both/and—utilizing both the wisdom of God and all
the discoveries He has enabled humans to make.

A COLLISION COURSE?
We do not believe that science and the Bible are on a collision
course. God is the Creator of all things, and He established the
fixed order of the universe "The heavens are telling of the glory
of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands"
(Ps. 19:1). God is the author of science. We are a part of the
creation, not the Creator. The fact that God has revealed
Himself in creation is usually referred to as general revelation.
We can only make scientific discoveries through visual human
research. How we interpret the data we observe from general
revelation must be analyzed through the grid of special
revelation, which is God's Word. A 50-year-old science
textbook reads more like a comic book today. Who can predict
what scientists will say 50 years from now about our present
understanding of scientific discoveries?
Our confidence must be in God, but our faith in Him does not
set us on a collision course with medical science. Advances in
research do not disable or even diminish the power of God, nor
do they collide with the revelation of His Word. We thank God
for advancements in medicine that help reduce human
suffering.

A 50-year-old science book reads more like a comic book

today.
Who can predict what scientists will say 50 years from now
about our present
understanding of scientific discoveries?

INNER AND OUTER ASPECTS

God created us in His image to be spiritually and physically
alive. He formed Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed
life into him. We have an outer person and an inner person, a
material body and an immaterial soul.
God created the Church to minister to the soul and the spirit
through the proper functioning of each member's gifts, talents
and intelligence. Based on general revelation, humankind
developed medical models to cure the physical body. However,
because we are physical as well as spiritual beings, we need
both the Church and the hospital, in a proper balance.
The material, or physical, part of humans relates to the external
world through five senses. We can taste, smell, hear, feel and
see. The inner person relates to God through the soul and
spirit. Unlike the animal kingdom, which operates out of
instinct, we have the capacity to think, feel and choose.
Because we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139:14),
it would only make sense that God would create the outer
person to work together with the inner person. Please refer to
the following diagram:
 THE MIND-BRAIN CORRELATION
The correlation between the mind and the brain is obvious, but
there is a big difference between the two. The brain came from
the dust of this Earth and will return to dust when we die. At
that moment we will be absent from our bodies and present
with the Lord (see 2 Cor. 5:6-8), but we will not be mindless.
To illustrate the working relationship between the brain and the
mind, picture a personal computer. Between our ears is a very
powerful piece of equipment. Like a computer system, it
comprises two distinct parts, the hardware and the software.
The hardware—the computer itself—is obviously the brain.
The brain functions much like a digital computer that has
millions of switching transistors that code all the information in
a binary numbering system of 0s and 1s. The miniaturization of
circuitry has made it possible to store and compile an incredible
amount of information in a computer the size of a notebook.
However, humankind has not even come close to making a
computer as awesome as the one that is now making it possible
for you to read and understand this book. A computer is
mechanic al, but our brains are living organisms composed of
approximately 100 billion neurons. Each neuron is a living
organism that in and of itself is like a microcomputer.
Pretend that you are back at school in your biology class. Do
not panic—you will not be tested on this material! A basic
anatomy lesson should be given at this point because we will
refer to different parts of the body as we discuss possible
causes and cures for physical depression. Every neuron is
composed of a brain cell, an axon and many dendrites (inputs
to the brain cell), as shown in the following illustration:

NEURONS
Each brain cell has many inputs (dendrites) and only one
output through the axon that channels neurotransmitters to
other dendrites. The axon has a covering known as the myelin
sheath for insulation, because the cell sends electrochemical
messages along the axon. Every neuron is connected to tens of
thousands of other neurons. Given that there are 100 billion
neurons, the potential number of combinations is mind-
boggling.
A junction between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites
of another is called a synapse. Through its dendrites, every
brain cell receives information, which it processes, puts
together and sends on to other neurons.
In the axon exist many mitochondria that produce
neurotransmitters. When a signal from the cell reaches the
axon, it releases neurotransmitters across the synapse to other
dendrites.

BIPOLAR DEPRESSION
Physical depression is categorized as either bipolar or unipolar.
A bipolar, or manic-depressive, illness has two poles: highs
(manic moods) and lows (depressed moods). The manic
symptoms include the following: increased energy, unrealistic
and grandiose beliefs in one's own power and ability,
wandering ideas and thoughts, poor judgment, increased
talking or social activity, extreme happiness, irritability and
distractibility, insensitive or irritating behavior, and abuse of
alcohol or drugs. Extremely fearful, delusional and psychotic
thinking is also possible during the manic phase.
Physical depression may have nothing to do with external
circumstances. This may be an internal or physical struggle
due to a chemical imbalance in the brain or possibly a battle for
the mind.
The transmission of a message through the brain cells requires
a certain balance of sodium (positive) and chloride (negative)
ions. In bipolar illnesses, the abnormal polarity of positive and
negative ions is out of balance.

UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION
Episodes of serious depression without corresponding highs
often indicate unipolar depression. Depression of this type
affects nearly 10 percent of the American population and
appears to be increasing.

HELP FROM BOTH SIDES

The temptation among many young people is to believe that
depression is purely a physical disorder requiring medical
attention. That would be incorrect. Depression is a condition
that affects the body, the soul and the spirit. If all three are
linked to depression, then all three must also be avenues for a
cure. Physical assessment or a medical exam is often needed
when depression is moderate or severe.
Marcia struggled with extreme tiredness and felt incapable of
doing even routine things at home. She could not ear and was
not sleeping more than a few hours a night. Later, she wrote
this letter describing what she went through.

The temptation among many young people is to believe that

depression
is purely a physical disorder requiring medical attention.

When I am in my depression, I feel like there is no hope. I see

no way out. I sit in my chair or on the couch and I can't do
much of anything. When I am depressed, everything seems so
overwhelming. It is even hard for me to eat. My mind and body
are weak. I feel this is the way it's going to be forever. I want to
wake up in the morning for once and not dread the day,
knowing it will be filled with fear and hopelessness. No, I want
to wake up and feel joy. The only thing I could do was to cry
out to God. In those times when things felt the darkest, that's
when God would speak to me. He always seemed to bring
scripture to me.

Marcia discovered through Christian counseling that truth

could indeed set her free, but she was also helped by seeing a
doctor who examined her physically. An antidepressant
medication was prescribed to improve her concentration. This
helped her deal with issues in her life that needed to be
resolved. Even though doctors readily admit to a low degree of
precision, medication is still accepted as a primary way of
treating depression. Prozac has been prescribed for more than
17 million Americans. As of this writing, 580,000 teens and
preteens are on the drug— which now comes in peppermint
flavor.

TOWARD A COMPLETE SOLUTION

If you were to stop reading at this point, you could easily
conclude that depression can be cured simply by taking the
right medications. That kind of thinking would be unfortunate
and very wrong. We have helped many teens resolve their
conflicts and find their freedom in Christ without medication,
but we have seen few, if any, find total resolution of personal
and interpersonal conflicts by using medications alone. Only
truth can set a person free.
Medication cannot change circumstances or resolve personal
and spiritual conflicts, but they can fix the computer in our
heads, so the proper program can run. Similarly, it is hard to
pray and read the Bible when we have the flu.
The fact that medications help depressed people feel better is
not arguable—they do. But that is not the whole picture. After
having been on an antidepressant medication for almost three
weeks, one girl declared, "I didn't know the promises in the
Bible were true for me until now." A proper use of medication
enabled her to assume a responsible course of action!
Now check out this awesome testimony:

I am writing in regards to your seminar in Minnesota, The day

it was to start, I was to be admitted to a hospital for the fifth
time for manic depression. I have been dealing with this for
almost two years. We had gone to several doctors and tried
about every drug they could think of. I also had shock
treatments. I attempted suicide twice. Unable to work any
longer, I spent most of my days downstairs wishing I were
dead or planning my next attempt. Also, it was a good place to
protect myself from people and the world around me. I had a
history of self-abuse. I have spent 30-odd years in jail or
prisons. I was a drug addict and an alcoholic. I have been in
drug and alcohol treatment 28 times.
I became a Christian several years ago but had always lived a
defeated life. Now I was going back to the hospital to try new
medications or more shock treatments. My wife and friends
convinced me your seminar would be of more value. The
hospital was concerned, because they believed I needed
medical help. As the four days of the conference progressed,
my head started to clear up! The Word of God was ministering
to me, even though I was confused. and in pain. I told one of
your staff that I was in my eleventh hour. He set up an
appointment for me.
The session lasted, seven hours. They didn't leave one stone
uncovered. The session was going great until I came to
bitterness and unforgiveness. The three things that motivated
my life were low self-esteem, anger and bitterness which were
the result of being molested by a priest and suffering from
many years of physical and verbal abuse in my childhood. I
can honestly say I forgave them and God moved right in, lifting
my depression. My eyes were now open to God's truth, I felt
lighter than ever before. I did go to the hospital, but after two
days they said I didn't need to be there. My doctors said I was
a different person. They had never seen a person change so
fast. They said, "Whatever you are doing, don't stop." I have
been growing in the Lord daily. There is so much before Christ
and after Christ that I could go on forever.

Non-Christian counselors seldom, if ever, see that kind of

victory. Too many people continue in their depression because
professionals with whom they have consulted have considered
only one possible cause and therefore only one possible cure.

ONE-SIDED VIEWS
One Christian said, "My problem is just physical, and my
doctor says I shouldn't let anyone tell me differently." She did
admit that she had not found the right combination of drugs,
but she had all the hope in the world that her doctor eventually
would.
In the same church, another Christian said, "Taking drugs only
shows a lack of faith." Of course, he had never experienced
depression!
How could two people in the same church draw such different
opinions? In our churches, we have observed the following
four views that do not reflect a balanced Christian approach to
helping depressed teens:

1. Taking medications shows a lack of trust in God.

2. Depression is a physical illness that can only be
resolved by taking medications.
3. Depression is a spiritual attack and deliverance from
demons is the only answer.
4. Depression is the guilt we feel as a result of
unconfessed sin.

Such views are incomplete, wrong and not helpful for those
who suffer from depression. We believe that God relates to us
as whole people—body, soul and spirit. He sees us as people
who live in a physical as well as a spiritual world.

FOCUSING ON THE SOFTWARE

We close this chapter by looking again at our computer
illustration. If our brains represent the hardware, then our
minds represent the software. The tendency of the Western
world is to assume that mental or emotional problems are
primarily caused by faulty hardware. There is no question that
chemical imbalances take place. It would be a tragedy for a
godly pastor or Christ-centered counselor to try helping a
person who is physically sick without suggesting some
medical attention, On the other hand, for a doctor to think that
he can cure the whole person with medication alone is equally
tragic. Taking a pill to heal the body is commendable, but
taking a pill to mend the soul is wasteful. Fortunately, most
doctors know that the medical model can take you only so far.
Many in the medical profession acknowledge that a majority of
their patients suffer for emotional and spiritual reasons.
Our view, however, is that in dealing with mental or emotional
disorders the hardware is not the primary problem. We believe
it is the software—the mental, emotional and spiritual parts of
the whole person.
Other than submitting our bodies to God as living sacrifices
and taking care of ourselves, we cannot do a lot to change the
hardware; but we can totally change the software. How we
think and what we choose to believe can actually change our
biochemistry. In the next chapter, we will explore how this
software, the mind, functions in relation to the rest of the body
and in relation to the external world in which we live.

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:
Romans 12:1-2

Reflect:

1. Why don't we believe that science and the Bible are on

a collision course?
2. How does the brain function much like a digital
computer?
3. What are bipolar and unipolar depression?
4. Why is medication only part of a possible solution for
depression?
5. We have observed four views in our churches that do
not reflect a balanced Christian approach to helping
teens who are depressed. Can you list them and state
why these views are harmful to people struggling with
depression?

Respond:

Oh, Lord, I want to have balance in my life, so I am asking

You to help me both physically and spiritually. Give me
wisdom to seek both a doctor's care and a pastor's care. I
want to see that my mind, body and spirit are healthy Help me
not to look just to medication for help but also to take
responsibility for my spiritual life and resolve any spiritual
issues that I might have with You or others. Lord, I know that
You can and will help me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Note
1. Bernice Brookes, Staff You Don't Have to Pray About
(Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers,
1995), n.p.
CHAPTER FOUR

FROZEN IN TIME - THE

AGONY OF THE SOUL
For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

PROVERBS 2:3:7

Have your heart right with Christ, and He will visit you often,
and so turn weekdays into Sundays, meals into sacraments,
homes into temples, and earth into heaven.

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

I (Dave) was speaking at a conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota,

to a crowd of about 1,400 young people. The room was filled
with excitement, the worship band was playing, and the
students were wound up and excited for the Lord. As I walked
through the large room greeting people, one student in
particular caught my eye. She was not sitting with the rest of
the teens; rather, she was sitting on the floor, up against a side
wall. She sat in a fetal position and wore a dark hat that
covered most of her face. It was obvious that she was in a
huge spiritual battle for her mind and that it was incredibly
difficult for her to stay in the room with so much worship going
on. I was drawn to her and as I stood over her, she was not
even able to acknowledge my presence. Careful not to touch
her or get too close, I softly said "I'm so glad you're here
tonight. Do you mind if I pray for you, so you'll be able to hear
what the Lord has for you?"
With a barely perceivable nod she shook her head yes. As a
last ditch effort to bring hope back into her life, she had come
to the conference with a youth worker she trusted. She was so
deeply depressed that she could not carry on a tiny
conversation. She had been dabbling in the occult, had been
sexually involved with a number of people—including some
same—sex relationships—and now her life was a fog of
suicidal thoughts and depression. As I prayed for her, I asked
that God would speak to her and surround her with His
presence. I asked that He would allow her mind to be her own,
a quiet place for just her and Him.
That night I spoke about our identity and freedom in Christ,
and I introduced a tool to help resolve personal and spiritual
conflicts called the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Before I could
leave the hail, the girl with the dark hat came up to me with her
youth pastor in tow. He stated that she wanted to resolve some
stuff in her life and asked if she could go through the steps. I
asked the girl, "Is that what you want?" "Yes," she whispered
back.
We set up a time for her and her youth pastor to meet with an
encourager from our staff. She dealt with many issues and lies
in her belief system. During the next day of the conference, a
young girl bounced up to me like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.
She was smiling ear to ear. She said, "I want to thank you for
speaking this week and for the Steps to Freedom in Christ. I
went through the whole thing and for the first time in my life, I
feel free."
I was polite and said, "Thank you for your encouragement."
With a silly grin on her face, she smiled at me and said, "You
don't know who I am, do you?"
I'm afraid I don't," I replied. "Have we met before?"
"I was the girl you prayed for by the wall—remember?"
My jaw hit the floor. The girl standing before me was a totally
different person—smiling, bubbly and animated. She had a
peace and calm about her and hope for the future. How can
such a change be explained? And can it last? Two year later I
was speaking at Northwestern College chapel service in
Minneapolis when the same young girl bounced up like Tigger
to me to say "Hi." This time I recognized her. She was in her
second year of Bible college and doing great.
Freedom can last. To show you how this works, we need to
explain more about how our body (material, or outer, self), soul
and spirit (immaterial, or inner, self) function in relationship
with the external world and our Creator.
In the preceding chapter, we pointed out the connection
between the brain and the mind. The brain records input from
the external world through our five senses. It enables us to
taste, smell, see, hear and feel. Every external input is recorded
in the brain and processed by the mind. The mind is the
compiler, interpreter and programmer in our computer analogy
(the software). One cannot operate without the other.

HOW OUR COMPUTER GOT

PROGRAMMED
Before we came to Christ, we were spiritually dead in our sins
(see Eph. 2:1). In other words, we were born physically alive
but spiritually dead. We did not experience the presence of
God; we did not live or act like Him. We all learned to live our
lives without God, as if we did not need Him. From our earliest
days, our minds were programmed by the world around us.
That is why the heart of an unsaved person is filled with lies
and very sick (see Jer. 17:9).
Our view of life came from the environment around us: our
home, the neighborhood we played in, the friends we had and
the church we attended—or did not attend. We took in
attitudes from bad experiences such as a death in the family,
our parents' divorce and/or emotional, sexual or physical
abuse. These lasting impress ions, both good and bad, are
burned into our minds over time.
We also live our lives according to what we choose to believe
about ourselves and the world around us. We are not always
aware that we continuously gather information that changes
our beliefs. Many people cruise through life with a carefree
attitude and are unaware of how the world in which they live
influences them.
Our belief system is always changing as we process good and
bad information and experiences. Unfortunately, not every
piece of information we receive comes clearly marked as good
or evil, true or false!

THE NECESSITY OF REPROGRAMMING

OUR MINDS
Without Jesus, each of us would be nothing more than a
product of our pasts. But Ezekiel prophesied that God would
put a new heart and a new spirit within each of us (see Ezek,
36:26).

That actually happened when we accepted Christ as Savior.

We became new creations (see 2 Cor. 5:17) and we now have
the mind of Christ (see 1 Cor. 2:16) in the center of our beings
(our inner selves).
Jesus was punished for our sins, so we might have new minds
and walk free. We are even free from the punishment that
everyone who sins deserves (see Rom. 8:1). Philip Yancey
illustrates this point in his book What's So Amazing About
Grace.

In the movie The Last Emperor, the young child anointed as

the last emperor of China lives in a magical life of luxury with a
thousand eunuch servants at his command. "What happens
when you do wrong?" his brother asks. "When I do wrong,
someone else is punished," the boy emperor replies. To
demonstrate, he breaks ajar, and one of the servants is beaten.
In Christian theology, Jesus reversed that ancient pattern:
when the servants erred, the King was punished. Grace is free
only because the giver himself has borne the cost.1

If Jesus did that for us, then when we make mistakes, why
don't we just change our thinking and feel better? Because
everything that has been previously programmed into our
computers from the world is still there, and it only takes a few
seconds to recall it. Nobody pushed the clear button, because
there is not one to push. Because the computer that is our mind
has no delete button, it needs to be reprogrammed. The lies of
this world must be replaced by the truth of God's Word. That is
why Paul wrote, "And do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what the will of God is, that which is good and
acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2).
Before we came to Christ, each of us was conformed to this
world—and we will continue to be as long as we allow it to
influence us. In Christ, however, although our brains still
receive and our minds still interpret messages from this world,
we now have a new internal input, "which is Christ in you, the
hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). The Spirit of truth will lead us into all
truth, and that truth will set us free (see John 8:32).
At this point, you might be asking "If the truth sets us free,
why do I still feel so bad?" In a general sense, we do not have
direct control over feelings. We cannot will ourselves to feel
good or like someone we hate. We can, however, exert indirect
control of our emotions by what we think and believe.
Just as our glands are regulated by our central nervous system,
so our emotions are primarily a product of our thoughts. The
circumstances of life do not determine how we feel. Negative
events do not cause depression. How we feel is primarily
determined by how we interpret life's events (i.e., what we
choose to think and believe) and secondarily by how we
choose to behave. We can become depressed by failing to
believe what God has said.
 How we feel is primarily determined by how we interpret life
events.

WHEN STRESS BECOMES DISTRESS

Let's look at the problem of stress. Some would say "But teen's
don't experience stress!" Nothing is further from the truth.
Today's teens experience a new level of stress. Walt Muller,
the executive director of Parent/Youth Understanding, writes
about "Sarah an average teen."

Several years ago I asked teens to send me a list, ranking the

five greatest pressures that they face. The results opened my
eyes to the way things have changed.
One of the kids who responded was Sarah, a sixteen-year-old
from New York. Her list was representative of the other lists I
received. As number one she listed the pressure "looks." She
was consumed with self-conscious worry about her hair,
makeup, shape, and clothes. Next, she listed "grades for
getting into the right college." Third was "drinking," with "sex"
and "popularity" fourth and fifth.
Sarah's list was helpful, but the real eye-opener was what
followed:

Walt, I suffer from a combination of anorexia and bulimia. It is

very hard to recover from the devastations caused largely by
pressure to be thin and to be perfect. I hope that I have helped.

I had never heard of anorexia and bulimia until I was twenty-

one years old. Even then, I only knew one person who had had
anorexia. Most of today's junior high girls know at least one
friend who suffers from an eating disorder. Sarah not only had
both but also knew about their causes and the difficult road to
recovery.
Sarah and I began to correspond. She greatly helped me
understand the pressures facing teens these days. Perhaps her
story in her own words will give you the opportunity to peek
into the window of the pressures, fears, and choices facing
today's children and teens.

I come from an upper middle-class home. I'm a straight-A

student, class president, and an overachiever in every way. I
don't really know why I am anorexic, but I think it's partly
because I thought that if I got really sick, people would pay
attention to me. The irony of it is that my father is a
psychologist. He doesn't know.
My mother always compares her life to mine, so much that
sometimes I feel smothered by her. I cannot talk to my Father at
all about important things. I never could. My father is home
every evening at 6 P.M., but my mother is never home. She
recently opened a business so she has to work from 9 A.M.
until midnight. Sometimes she comes home to see me in
afternoons, and sometimes she is around on weekends.
Incidentally, my parents do not get along very well.
My mom says that if I get therapy, it will go on my record and
may keep me out of Princeton or Amherst, the colleges to
which I am applying.
I know my parents love me, but they think that I am so bright
and capable that I don't need help or attention anymore. I just
want people to realize that I don't have a perfect life and that I
am lonely. I want people at school to notice me more and like
me. Actually, I'm not at all sure what I want.

I have met many Sarahs over the years.

What happens to us when we live under constant stress and

pressure? When the pressures of life put demands on our
physic al system, our adrenal glands respond by secreting
hormones into our physical bodies. This means that our bodies
automatic ally respond to outside pressures—as in the natural
"fight or flight" responses. If the pressures last too long, our
adrenal glands cannot keep up, and stress becomes distress.
The result can be physical illness or, in milder cases, we may
become irritated about things that in less stressful times would
not bother us physically or emotionally.
Why, then, do different people respond differently to the same
stressful situation? Some actually seize the opportunity and
thrive under the pressure, while others fall apart. What makes
the difference? Does one have superior adrenal glands? We do
not think so. Although we may differ considerably in our
physical conditions, the major distinction lies in the software. It
is not just the superior glands or outside factors such as
deadlines, schedules, trauma and temptations that determine
the degree of stress. The major variable is how we mentally
view the world and process the information our brains receive.
Our minds can choose to respond by trusting God with the
assurance of victory or by seeing ourselves as the helpless
victims of circumstance. Do you remember the Israelites in the
Old Testament? They viewed Goliath in reference to
themselves, not in reference to God. To them, he was a huge
giant. To God, Goliath was just a man with big feet. When the
Israelites saw Goliath, they stressed out. David observed the
same giant in reference to God and triumphed in the same
situation that had left others in defeat. Faith in God (what we
believe) greatly affects how we view and deal with the
pressures of this world.

THE SPIRIT CAN AFFECT THE FLESH

Does the presence of Jesus the Wonderful Counselor
transform the outer self or the inner self of a person? In other
words, what physically changed in our lives at the moment we
were born again? Nothing changed that was observable to the
naked eye. In a similar fashion, we might ask what physical
changes we observed on the outside of our computer when we
loaded a new software program. Even though the same number
of hardware components existed in the computer, the screen
began to display a different image.
Would we begin to live differently if a new program were
loaded into the computer that is our brain? There should be
some change because our eyes have been opened to the truth,
and the power of the Holy Spirit has enabled us to live by faith.
However, the change does not stop on the inside. The
presence of God in our lives will slowly affect even our
physical being. According to the words of Paul, "He who
raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you" (Rom.
8:11). This is evident when we walk by the Spirit because "the
fruit of the Spirit is love [the character of God], joy [the
Opposite of depress ion], peace [the opposite of anxiety],
patience [the opposite of anger], kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23). The
connection between the initiating cause, which is the Spirit of
truth working in our lives, and the end result, which is self-
control, is the mind. The mind directs the brain, which in turn
regulates all our glands and muscular movements.
 The presence of God in our lives will slowly affect even our
physical being.

BIBLICAL FAITH LEADS TO WHOLENESS

Jesus asked the blind men, "'Do you believe that I am able [to
heal them]?' They said to Him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then He touched
their eyes, saying, 'Be it done to you according to your faith'"
(Matt. 9:28-29). The external power of Jesus was made effective
by the blind men's choice to believe. In other words, the Lord
chose to bring about a physical healing through the channel of
their belief.
This is also true in every other way God works in our lives. We
are saved by faith (see Eph. 2:8), sanctified by faith (see Gal.
3:3-5) and walk, or live, by faith (see 2 Cor. 5:7). God never
bypasses the mind. He makes possible the renewing of our
minds by His very presence. We respond in faith by choosing
to believe the truth, to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and
to not carry out the desires of the flesh (see Gal. 5:16).
Jesus is "the way [how we ought to live], and the truth [what
we ought to believe], and the life [our spiritual union with
God]" (John 14:6). Even the operation of spiritual gifts
incorporates the use of our minds. Paul concludes, "I shall pray
with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing
with the spirit and I shall sing with the mind also" (1 Cor.
14:15).

TRUTH AND THE BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM

Research strongly suggests a link between brain chemistry and
hope. Our bodies are affected when we think we are helpless,
hopeless and out of control. Symptoms of depression, such as
sadness, despair, loss of appetite and sleep problems, increase.
Once hope is restored, depression leaves.
This has major implications for people who struggle with
depression and for those who minister to them. God
established faith as the means by which we relate to Him and
live our lives. Because He does not bypass our minds, then
neither should we as we try to help others live whole and
productive lives. If the way we perceive reality and choose to
believe has an effect on our bodies and biochemistry, then
treatment for depression shoi.ald not be limited to medication.

WHAT ABOUT MEDICATION?

If God works through our faith, should we, as Christians, ever
take medications for an emotional problem? Let's use an
analogy to help sort out an answer. Consider a person who
suffers regularly from acid indigestion because of his eating
habits. Should he take medication to relieve the heartburn?
Most people would, and there is nothing wrong with getting
temporary relief. However, the long-term answer to this
person's physical discomfort is to change his eating habits. We
are what we eat, drink and breathe. Acid indigestion is our
bodies' way of screaming, "Stop feeding me this junk!" Of
course, in some cases there is also the possibility of a serious
stomach illness such as an ulcer, cancer or a heart problem.
Taking medication to relieve pain is advisable, but the wise
person will seek to discover the cause of the condition. In tile
vast majority of cases, a change in lifestyle will be necessary in
order to regain good health. Good health is a product of a
balanced routine of rest, exercise and diet.
No matter how well we learn to take care of our physical
bodies, they are still destined to deteriorate over the course of
our natural lives. Is this an argument to let our bodies go, never
exercise and binge on junk food? Not at all! Our bodies are
designed as temples of the Holy Spirit and meant to glorify God
(see 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Even with this God-given purpose, our hope does not lie in the
preservation of our mortal bodies. Our hope lies in proven
character (see Rom. 5:4) and the final resurrection when we will
receive resurrected, immortal bodies. "Therefore we do not lose
heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man
is being renewed day by day" (2 Cot 4:16).
If negative thinking has affected a depressed person's
neurochemistry, then taking antidepressants may be advisable
to alleviate the depressed mood; but it is not the long-term
solution in the vast majority of cases. The danger lies in
establishing a person's hope in medication for the cure of
depression instead of establishing hope in God and learning to
live a balanced life according to His truth. However, we must
also be open to the possibility that there really could be an
organic brain problem or some other viral infection or chemical
imbalance.
It is also possible that some of us will have to live with
physical consequences of having been depressed over long
periods of tune. Lasting damage to the neurological system
may make it necessary for a person to take medication, even for
the rest of his life. That would be similar to the alcoholic who
has done irreparable damage to his liver. The Lord may heal
such a person in response to prayer, but Scripture gives no
absolute assurance of that happening. There would be little
incentive for us not to sin or believe incorrectly if all
consequences were always miraculously removed.
In the Western world, we have been programmed by our
culture to first search for every natural explanation; then if
none is found, we conclude there is nothing left to do but pray.
Yet the Bible does not quite put it like that. In the context of
explaining how faith in God is the answer for anxiety, Jesus
concluded, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be
anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself" (Matt.
6:33-34, emphasis added). When we struggle with emotional
problems, go to God first, as He instructed us to do!

RENEGADE THOUGHTS
Renegade thoughts produce wandering, defiant and
independent patterns of thinking that oppose the nature,
character and Word of God. To entertain such notions leads to
confusion and despair.
Here are some examples of renegade thoughts (there will be
more on this in chapter 7).

I'm no good.
God doesn't love me.
I'm going to fail!
I'm a failure.
I'm going to lose (or going down).
I'm stupid (or ugly or unlovable or arrogant).

If the negative messages we receive from other people and we

create ourselves are not enough, add to them the devil's
attacks, He relentlessly accuses believers of all sorts of
wrongdoings and weaknesses (see Rev. 12:10). Remember, the
devil is a liar. Just because he says something does not make it
true. In fact, most of his charges are false.

Finding the Truth

If what people believe does not conform to truth, then what
they feel does not conform to reality.
We are continually making evaluations and judgments based
on past experiences that affect our actions and our feelings.
We think, The mail carrier should have been here by now: I'll
go and get the mail. The thought about the mail carrier is a
judgment call based on previous behavior and the reliability of
the mail carrier.
When such a thought pops into your mind, you make a
decision to go get the mail or wait until later. If you believe the
mail carrier has not come, you are less likely to go check the
mail. If you are anxiously waiting for an important piece of mail,
you may get angry if the carrier shows up late. But the fact that
the carrier was late does not make you angry. You become
angry because you believe the carrier should have been there
sooner, and the plans you made based on the carrier's timely
arrival are dashed when he or she comes late. You would not
have become angry if you had told yourself, I have no right to
expect the carrier to arrive at a time that is convenient for me,
therefore I will patiently— patience is a fruit of the Spirit—
wait until he or she comes.

TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE

The most damaging thoughts are lies about ourselves and God.
That is the subject of the next two chapters, but we should
note here that the apostle Paul makes a critical connection
between thoughts we have toward God and the spiritual battle
for our minds.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the

world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of
the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish
strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take
captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-
5, NIV).

Computer programmers have coined the term "GIGO," which

means garbage in, garbage out. If we put garbage into our
minds, we will probably live lives that look and smell a little bit
like garbage. Jesus said, "The good man out of the good
treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil
man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his
mouth speaks from that which fills his heart" (Luke 6:45).
We have to be very careful what we put into our minds—
hence the urgency of taking every thought captive and making
it obedient to Christ. It does not make any difference whether
the renegade thought originated from the television set, the
Internet, a book, a speaker, our own memory bank or deceiving
spirits. Even if it is a thought of our own, we must take every
thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
If what we think is not true according to God's Word, then we
should not pay attention to it. Instead, we should do what the
apostle Paul says we should do:

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if
anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things
(Phil. 4:8).
 We do not get rid of negative thoughts by trying not to think
them. Rather, we overcome them by choosing the truth and
continuing to choose it until the negative thoughts are
drowned out, or replaced, by the truth. If we want to experience
the freedom that Christ purchased for us and the peace of mind
that surpasses all understanding, then we must choose to think
only those thoughts that are in perfect alignment with the
Word of God.

We do not get rid of negative thoughts by trying not to think

them.
Rather, we overcome them by choosing the truth.

DETECTING VIRUSES
Computer owners have been warned about the danger of
viruses. A virus can cause severe damage to a program already
loaded into the computer or to the hardware itself. Computer
viruses are often not accidental but intentional. They may
come from store-wrapped software that gets contaminated by
disgruntled employees. Or the source may be some devious
people who have purposefully created programs that are
designed to introduce a harmful virus into any system that
accesses them over the Internet or through sharing disks.
Therefore, most computer systems have programs that scan for
viruses. Similarly, we need to have the capability to stand
against the deceiver, the devil.
It is not always easy to detect a virus in our own belief system,
because the major strategy of the enemy is deception. Every
Christian is subject to tempting, accusing and deceiving
thoughts. That is why we are to put on the armor of God. That
is why we are to stand against the fiery darts Satan aims at our
minds by taking up the shield of faith.
The most devious of Satan's schemes is deception. If you were
tempted or accused, you would know it. But when you are
deceived, you do not realize it is happening. That is why Jesus
prays for those who follow Him, "I do not ask Thee to take
them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one....
Sanctify' them in the truth; Thy word is truth" (John 17:15, 17).
From the beginning, Eve was deceived and she believed a lie.
Therefore, Paul writes, "But I am afraid, lest as the serpent
deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led
astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2
Cor. 11:3). Commenting about the latter days of the Church
Age, Paul also wrote, "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later
times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to
deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1).
We have seen evidence of this around the world—people
struggle with their thoughts, have difficulty concentrating and
even hear strange voices. These voices or negative thoughts
are usually self-condemning, suicidal, delusional and phobic.
They result in feelings of guilt, hopelessness, sadness and
deep despair.
How can our neurotransmitters fire in such a way that they
produce thoughts that we oppose? It should not be difficult for
a Christian to believe and understand that negative thoughts
are the ongoing result of patterns of the flesh learned from
living in a fallen world or the fiery darts from Satan that
Scripture clearly warns us about. Unfortunately, a therapist
with a secular worldview would never consider such
possibilities.
In our experience, these symptoms usually indicate there is a
battle for the person's mind. Instead of medication, or in
addition to medication if the person is under a physician's care,
we help such a person resolve personal and spiritual conflicts
by encouraging him or her to submit to God and resist the devil
(see Jas. 4:7). The intervention we use is outlined in the Steps
to Freedom in Christ.
The apostle Paul spoke of "the peace of God, which surpasses
all comprehension, [that] shall guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). Potentially, every born-again
Christian should be able to experience this peace.
Sadly, most Christians do not experience this freedom in Christ;
however, we believe that they can—God desires freedom for all
of His children.
 REPLACING LIES WITH LAUGHTER
We cannot experience the fruit of the Spirit if we believe a lie,
dabble in the occult, hold on to bitterness, sink in pride, live in
rebellion or sin without repentance, Depression is riddled with
contaminated thinking and wrong beliefs built upon lies. "The
LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are
truthful" (Prov. 12:22, NIV).
To illustrate this, let us close with the following testimony from
a friend of our ministry:

A year ago, Simon fell captive to severe depression. The

doctors did what they could, but without much effect. From
time to time I had the opportunity to speak with him about the
love of Christ, but he wasn't very responsive. Last fall we
began to meet more frequently, but I always came away
frustrated. Nothing seemed to change, and our conversations
ran in circles around the same morbid themes. However, God
used these times to show me that I was relying too much on my
own efforts and not nearly enough on His power to effect
change. In desperation, I was driven to seek God in a more
profound way through prayer. God worked on Simon's
distorted view of truth, while He worked to cut through the
pride that was in my own heart. Just before Christmas, Simon
made a commitment to follow Christ as Lord and Savior. His
depression, however, was only mildly improved.
Simon had a history of occult and New Age involvement, and it
became evident that there was demonic oppression in his life.
For this reason, I lent him The Bondage Breaker.3 At the end
of the book, the believer is invited to walk through the seven
"Steps to Freedom in Christ." I told Simon that I would help
him work through these steps when I returned from a trip.
During our time away, I called Simon to see how he was doing.
The voice that spoke to me was changed. Simon had not
waited for me to take him through the seven steps. He had
done it himself the previous evening. The old thoughts which
had constantly filled his mind were gone. I heard him laughing
for the first time. Praise the Lord.

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Reflect:

1. From our earliest days, our minds were programmed by

what powerful forces (see Jer. 17:9)?
2. If the truth sets us free, then why are there times when
we still feel bad and experience depression?
3. We know that at times depression has a physical cause.
But list some of the possible spiritual causes of
depression.
4. Why is taking every thought captive and destroying
renegade thoughts that come into our minds so
important when it comes to overcoming depression?
5. Why is deception one of Satan's most powerful
 devious schemes? And how does it relate to
depression?

Respond:

Oh, Lord, I know that one of Satan's most powerful schemes is

deception. It's my desire to learn how to take every thought
captive to the obedience of Christ and destroy any renegade
thoughts in my mind. Lord, I confess that at times I have
believed that I was helpless. I renounce that lie and declare
that I have all that I need for life and godliness. Lord, no
matter how big or small, I want every lie to be exposed and
replaced with the truth from Your Word. I know that what I
believe can even affect my body, so I ask You to show me Your
truth so that my body and my soul might begin to be healed.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Notes

1. Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace (Grand

Rapids, Ml: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), n. p.
2. Walt Mueller, Understanding Today's Youth Culture
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1994),
pp. 37-38.
3. Neil Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene, OR
Harvest House, 2000).
CHAPTER FIVE

SECRETS REVEALED
UNDERSTANDING YOUR
HEAVENLY FATHER
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction
of things not seen. And without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

HEBREWS 11: 1,6

A five year old child's version of John 3:15: "For God so love
the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever laughing
life."

AUTHORS CARL AND ROSE SAMRA

In this chapter we look closely at faith and knowing our

heavenly Father. Often as we go through life and experience its
pains, we forget about God's unseen acts of love and mercy.
We tend to see only the present problems of life and the
accompanying pain. When we focus on the pain, we lose faith.
This next story illustrates how easily we miss God's love and
protection.
"Life's a little thing!" Robert Browning once wrote. But a little
thing can mean a life. Even two lives. How well I remember.
Two years ago in downtown Denver my friend Scott Reasoner
and I saw a tiny and insignificant event change the world, but
no one else seemed to notice.
It was one of those beautiful Denver days. Crystal clear and no
humidity, not at cloud in the sky. We decide d to walk the ten
blocks to an outdoor restaurant rather than take the shuttle bus
that runs up and down the Sixteenth Street Mall. The
restaurant, in the shape of a baseball diamond, was called The
Blake Street Baseball Club. Tables were set appropriately on
the grass infield. Many colorful pennants and flags hung
limply overhead.
As we sat outside, the sun continued to beat down on us, and
it became increasingly hot. There wasn't a hint of a breeze, and
the heat radiated up from the table-top. Nothing moved, except
the waiters, of course. And they didn't move very fast.
After lunch Scott and I started to walk back up the mall. We
both noticed a young mother and her daughter who was
holding her by the hand while reading a greeting card. It was
immediately apparent to us that she was so engrossed in the
card that she didn't notice a shuttle bus moving toward her at a
good clip. She and her daughter were one step away from
disaster when Scott started to yell. He hadn't even gotten a
word out when a breeze blew the card out of her hand and over
her shoulder. She spun around and grabbed the card nearly
knocking over her daughter. By the time she picked up the card
form the ground and turned back to cross the street, the shuttle
bus had whizzed by her. She never knew what almost
happened.
To this day, two things continue to perplex me about this
event. Where did that one spurt of wind come from to blow the
card out of that young mother's hand? There had not been a
whisper of wind at lunch, or during our long walk up to the
mall. Secondly, if Scott had been able to get his words out, the
young mother might have looked up at us as they continued to
walk into the bus. It was the wind that made her turn back to
the card in the direction that saved her life and that of her
daughter. The passing bus did not create the wind. On the
contrary, the wind came from the opposite direction.
I have no doubt it was a breath from God protecting them both.
But the awesomeness of this miracle is that she never knew. As
we continued back to work, I wondered at how God often acts
in our lives without our being aware. The difference between
life and death can very well be a little thing.
Miracles often blow unseen through our lives! 1
God is at work in our lives everyday, what we now call 24/7. His
unseen protection and love continue whether we realize they
are at work or not. Because God is faithful, He never stops
loving us.

AWAKENING FAITH
An attractive, talented 18-year-old woman made an
appointment with me (Neil) to deal with a multitude of
problems. She was the daughter of a pastor and had grown up
in the Church. She had made a decision for Christ and was
committed to follow Him.
Her immediate problem was a serious eating disorder.
Reluctantly, she revealed a tormented secret life, which was
riddled with starvation, manipulation, depression and thoughts
of suicide. She was obsessed with her appearance and hated
herself. Realizing this, I shared with her how Christ saw her, I
reminded her that she was a loved, chosen daughter of the
King. I told her she was a new creation in Christ and a personal
friend of Jesus. Tears streaming down her face, she got to the
core of her problem: "I wish I could believe that!"
Believing is not a matter of wishing. It is a matter of knowing
and choosing. It is not something we feel like doing; it is
something we choose to do based on what we have come to
believe is true.
Faith is the operating principle of life. Everyone lives by faith.
We drive our cars by faith, believing that they will run, that the
road will be safe, that the traffic signs will be right, that the
lights at the intersection will perform up to standard and that
other people will drive safely. If we did not believe all of this,
we would probably never get into a car or would at least be
very anxious about driving.
We eat by faith, believing that canned food and packaged meat
are safe. By eating the product, we show great faith in the
rancher or farmer and the food processor. Our confidence is
bolstered by the law, which is enforced by the Food and Drug
Administration and by county health departments.
The only difference between non-Christian faith and Christian
faith is the object of that faith.

THREE PRINCIPLES OF FAITH

Faith is first and foremost dependent upon its object. The
primary issue is not how much we believe, rather it is what or
whom we believe in. The only difference between non-
Christian faith and Christian faith is the object of that faith.
Christian faith is not wishful thinking; it is based on truth
revealed by God. The person and nature of God and His Word
are the only valid objects of our faith. By contrast, non-
Christians place faith in themselves, false gods, science,
wealth, fame, other people and any of numerous other worldly
objects, all of which fall short and some of which are outright
deceptive.
The writer of the book of Hebrews lists in chapter 11 several
biblical heroes who believed God. They had great faith because
they believed in a great God. Then the writer says, "Remember
those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and
considering the result of their conduct, mutate their faith"
(Heb. 13:7, emphasis added). He did not say that we should
imitate what these heroes did but that we should imitate their
faith—because what they believed is what determined their
conduct. The next verse reveals the object of their faith: "Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever" (v. 8).
The fact that God is immutable—which means He cannot
change—makes Him the only reliable object for our faith. Nor
can His Word change: "The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God stands forever" (Isa. 40:8). The fact
that God and His Word never change is what gives us stability
in an ever-changing world. God is always faithful, and His
Word is always true. Because God is faithful, we can live with
the confidence that His promises are also true: "For as many as
may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes" (2 Cor. 1:20).
Herein lies the basis for our hope, according to Hebrews 6:16-
19:

For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them
an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the
same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the
promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with
an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it
is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong
encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of
the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the
soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.

How Faith Grows

The second principle of faith is that it cannot be inauthentically
pumped up. How much faith we have depends on how well we
know the object of our faith. If we know seven promises from
the Word of God, the best we can have is a seven-promise
faith. If we know 7,000 promises from God's Word, we can
potentially have a 7,000-promise faith. That is why "faith comes
from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).
Any attempt to step our on faith beyond that which we know
to be true is presumption, not faith. If your faith is weak, then
seek proper counsel to make sure that what you believe is
indeed true. The consequences of trying to figure it out on
your own are predictable: "Through presumption comes
nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is
wisdom" (Prov. 13:10). Remember, faith is dependent upon its
object, and we are called by God to walk by faith according to
what He says is true.
If I wanted to take away your hope, all I would have to do is
distort your concept of God and of who you are as His child.
Ask Christians who have been depressed for any length of
time about their concept of God and what they believe about
themselves. They question God or their salvation, and they
believe things about themselves and God that are not true.
Visit a psychiatric ward in a hospital and you will find some of
the most religious people in the world. But what they believe
about themselves and God is usually totally distorted.
To illustrate this second principle of faith, look at Psalm 13:

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will
you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my
thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long
will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O
LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will
rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing loves my heart
rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has
been good to me (vv 1-6, NIV).
This psalm portrays King David with many of the classic
symptoms of depression, including hopelessness, negative
self-talk, thoughts of death and sadness. Even though he
believes in God, David is depressed because what he believes
about God is not true. How can an omnipresent and omniscient
God forget David for even one minute, much less forever?
"Wrestling with my thoughts" is nothing more than talking to
himself, which is not the answer. So David asks God to
enlighten his eyes, and by the end of the psalm his reason has
returned. He remembers that he has trusted in God's unfailing
love and then expresses hope that his heart shall again rejoice.
Finally, he exercises his will by singing to the Lord.
In this world where it is easy to lose perspective, how do you
see life? As if there is no God or as if God is ever present?

A young man was desperately seeking God. He sought out a

wise old man who lived in a nearby beach house and posed the
question: "Old man, how can I see God?" The old man who
obviously knew God at a depth few of us experience, pondered
the question for a very long time. At last he responded quietly:
"Young man, I am nor sure that I can help you—for you see, I
have a very different problem. I cannot not see Him." 2

Faith Determines Our Walk

If we really believe the truth, it will affect our walk and our talk.
This is the third principle of faith.
If there were five frogs on a log and three decided to jump off,
how many would be left on the log? The answer is five—we
only said that three decided to jump off. They may have come
to this decision because they thought it was the right thing to
do, but it is only wishful thinking until they actually hop off the
log.
"But someone may well say, 'You have faith, and I have works;
show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my
faith by my works'" (Jas. 2:18). James is not contradicting the
truth that we are saved by faith and by faith alone. He is saying
that the way we live our lives reveals what we believe. People
will not always live according to what they profess, but they
will always live according to what they believe. The road to hell
is paved with good intentions, and the apparent profession of
faith by some is just wishful thinking.
The same can be said about hope. When somebody says "Oh,
I hope so," that person probably means "Wouldn't it be nice if
that were really true!" That is not biblical hope. Hope is the
present assurance of some future good based on the Word of
God.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction
of things not seen. And without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that
He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11:1,6).

If you want to experience the blessings of God, hop off the

log! "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do
them" (John 13:17).
In the Bible, the English words "faith," "trust" and "belief" all
derive from the same original Greek word. Believing something
is not just giving mental assent to something. Scriptural belief
is a demonstrated reliance in the object of faith.
It is also important to understand that believing something
does not make it true. In Christianity, the Word of God is true;
therefore, we believe it and we will live accordingly by faith.
Believing does not make it true, and not believing does not
make it false. Truth is truth whether we believe it or not.
According to Paul, if we renew our minds according to the
truth of God's
 Truth is truth whether we have believe It or not

Word, we prove that the will of God is good, acceptable and

perfect (see Rom. 12:2), and other people will see this truth as
they observe how we live our lives.
New Age philosophy distorts this. In New Age thought, if you
believe hard enough, it will become true. That is false. New
Age teachers would also have us believe that we can create
reality with our minds. To do that we would have to be God,
and that is exactly what they claim to be. That is the same lie
the devil tried to get Eve to believe in the Garden of Eden. We
are created in God's image, but we are not God. We do not
create reality with our minds; we respond to reality by faith
according to what God says is true. God has not given us the
right to determine what is true or false. He has given us the
privilege of responding by faith to what He has said is true.
Suppose you just bought a new computer, but you did not
bother to look at the manufacturer's handbook that explains
how it should work. You attempt to use it the way you think it
should work, but it will not start. That computer was designed
to operate only one way. Any attempt to use it any other way
will fail.
Similarly, the wise man said, "There is a way which seems right
to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prov. 14:12). God
created us in His image and told us what the truth is and how
we are to live by faith. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth,
and the life" (John 14:6). Try another way and we will be lost.
Believe something other than the truth as revealed by God and
we will never become the people God created us to be, nor
experience the freedom of forgiveness He purchased for us on
the cross. If we try to "get a life" other than the life of Christ,
we will remain dead in our trespasses and sins.

DISTORTION AND DAMAGE

The nature of God will never change, but our perception of Him
has been changed if it has been filtered through the grid of
living in a fallen world.
Note the following diagram. We have seen good students of
the Bible point to the left side of the diagram when asked which
side reveals the true nature of God. But when asked how they
feel about God in their personal experience, they pointed to the
right side! Somehow during their experience of growing up,
they entertained thoughts about God that were not true.
Remember: If what we believe does not conform to truth, then
what we feel does not conform to reality. Consequently, there
are young people sitting in youth groups all over the world
who intellectually know that God loves them but do not feel
loved or saved. It would be safe to say that each of us has
come up with some thoughts against the knowledge of God.
But we have divinely powerful spiritual weapons to tear down
those strongholds (see 2 Cor. 10:3-5).

LOVING AND KNOWING GOD

Matthew records the time an unnamed Pharisee asked Jesus
the question, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the
Law?" (Matt. 22:36). Today we are more inclined to ask, "God,
what is the secret for living a successful and victorious life?"
For either question, Christ's answer is the same:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the great and
foremost commandment. The second is like it, "You shall love
your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments
depend the whole Law and the Prophets (Matt. 22:37-40).

The whole purpose for having the Bible is to govern our

relationship with God and humankind. We are commanded to
love God more for our sake than for His. He does not need our
love, but we need to love Him.
The commandment to love God is not a directive to feel good
about Him. How we feel is the product of what we choose to
believe. However, a joyful countenance would certainly follow
if we really knew Him, because to know God is to love Him.

We need to know that God is love and that He is

beautiful beyond comprehension.
We need to know that God is omnipresent
(everywhere). No matter where we go, God is there.
We need to know that He is omniscient (all knowing).
He knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.
We need to know that God is omnipotent (all powerful).
Consequently, we can do all things through Christ who
strengthens us (see Phil. 4:13).
God is faithful and true. God is light and in Him is no darkness
at all. He is holy and just.

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Hebrews 11:1-6

Reflect:

1. Why do we tend to focus on the present and visual

problems of life and the pains of this world, rather than
God? What can be damaged if we do?
2. Why is it so easy to miss Gods displays of love and
protection in our everyday lives? How can we focus
more on Him?
3. What are the three principles of faith taught in this
chapter?
4. How is true faith built up or increased in a believer's
life?
5. Why should true faith have an effect on our life and
Christian walk? How should it affect what we do and
say?

Respond:

Dear Lord, You said that without faith it is impossible to

please You, for he who comes to God must believe that You
 are a rewarder of those who seek You. Lord, I believe in You
and know that You want what is best for me in my life. I
confess that I have believed lies about You and not trusted the
truth of Your Word. Forgive me for my lack of faith. I choose
now to put my trust in You and to believe that You are loving
and all powerful, kind and merciful even when the
circumstances of my life seem to tell me something different. I
will trust You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Notes

1. Yitta Halverstam and Judith Leventhal, Small Miracles II

(Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation, 1999), n.p.
2. Alice Gray, comp., Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart
(Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2000), p. 258.
CHAPTER SIX

OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO
KNOWING GOD - BREAKING
DOWN THE WALL
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have
counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count
all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

PHILIPPIANS 3:78

A Bible that is falling apart probably belongs to someone

who isn't.

REV. CHRISTIAN JOHNSON

FROM DISTANCE TO INTIMACY

We can intellectually know all about our heavenly Father and
not really know Him at all. In the same way, we can know all
about Abraham Lincoln. He was the sixteenth president of the
United States of America. He knew a lot of the Bible and
quoted it frequently. John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln
in April 1865. We know these and many more facts about
Abraham Lincoln; but we have never met him, nor do we know
him personally. Similarly, knowing about God and spending
time with Him are very different things.
Jesus said, "Look I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me
calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a
meal as friends" (Rev. 3:20, NLT).
Paul knew all about God from an Old Testament perspective.
He was taught by the best. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, a
Pharisee who kept the law and was found blameless until Christ
struck him down on the Damascus road. Reflecting on his past
self-righteousness, Paul wrote:

The Bible also declares that nothing can separate us from the
love of God.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have

counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count
all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain
Christ (Phil. 3:7-8).

Paul no longer just knew about God. Now he knew Him. He

realized that he was a child of the King and that he was in a
love relationship with his heavenly Father.

FROM REBELLION TO OBEDIENCE

If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you have a
relations hip with God. But many Christians are not living very
close to Him. Let us explain. When we were born physically, we
each had a relationship with our earthly father. Could we do
anything that would change the fact that we were related to
him? What if we ran away? Would we still be related? What if
our father kicked us out of the house? Nothing would change
the fact that we are related by blood. It is a biological fact.
But could we do some things that would cause us to no longer
live at peace with our earthly fathers? Sure—and we probably
discovered almost every way by the time we were five years
old. Although living in harmony with our fathers has nothing
to do with our blood relationship, it has everything to do with
trusting and obeying.
This was even true of Jesus: "Although He was a Son, He
learned obedience from the things which He suffered" (Heb.
5:8). We also learned to trust and obey our earthly fathers. If
we did not, chances are the relationship we had with them was
not very personal and we really did not know them other than
as taskmasters or absentee parents.
Now that we are children of God, is there anything we can do
that would change the fact that we are related to our heavenly
Father? The answer is the same, and for the same reason. We
are blood related.

You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or

gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and
spotless, the blood of Christ. For you have been born again
not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is,
through the living and abiding word of God (1 Pet. 1:18-19, 23).

The Bible also declares that nothing can separate us from the
love of God (see Rom, 8:35), and no one can snatch us out of
the Father's hand (see John 10:28). Our eternal life is not
dependent on our ability to hold on to Him in our strength; it is
primarily dependent upon His ability to hold on to us. The Lord
said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Heb.
13:5). Not only that, but he has also declared, "You were sealed
in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge
of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14).

FROM DEFEAT TO VICTORY

If two people are going to grow closer to each other, they must
overcome any problems that happen between them.
The same holds true in our relationship with God.

We can be related to our heavenly Father as His children, but

our relationship with Him will not be very personal or intimate
and our knowledge of Him will be very shallow if we do not
learn to trust and obey Him. Although our destiny may not be
at stake, our daily victory is.
If two people are going to grow closer to each other, they must
overcome any problems that happen between them. You may
desire to know a new kid at school better, but you will not be
able to befriend him if you have offended him or if he has
offended you. First, you would have to forgive and seek
forgiveness.
The same holds true in our relationship with God. You will not
be able to relate personally to God and get to know Him better
until you get right with Him. Even your ability to read the Bible
and understand truth will be hampered until you have resolved
personal and spiritual conflicts that affect your relationship
with God.
You must also straighten things out with other people.
Remember, the great commandments are to love the Lord your
God with your total being, and your neighbor as yourself
Paul teaches that these problems must be resolved before we
can understand God's Word:

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet
able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for
you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife
among you, are you not fleshly, and ate you not walking like
mere men? (1 Cor. 3:2-3, emphasis added).
We have observed this happening around the world. Young
Christians try to read their Bibles, but it does not make any
sense to them. They try to pray, but it is like talking to the wall.
They hear a message at youth group, but it goes in one ear and
out the other. It is not enough to know the Word of God; we
each need the life of Christ present within us if we are to
change. We have had the privilege of encouraging thousands
of teenagers and helping them work through personal issues
by taking them through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. After
getting radically right with God, teens report that now they can
read the Bible and understand what it says. Jesus becomes a
personal friend, instead of a religious icon.
The discipleship counseling process and biblical principles
that have helped other teens resolve their relationships with
God can help you resolve the issues that are critical between
yourself and God. Let's take a look at these issues.

COUNTERFEIT VERSUS REAL

When early Christians made a public confession of faith, they
would stand, face the west and say, "I renounce you, Satan,
and all your works and all your ways." This was the first step
in repentance.
In addition to that broad statement, Christians would
specifically renounce every one of their counterfeit religious
experiences, every false vow or pledge they had made and
every false teacher or doctrine they had believed. We
encourage every person we counsel to do the same.
"Renounce" means "to give up a claim or a right." To renounce
means that you make a definite decision to let go of past
commitments, pledges, vows, pacts and beliefs that are not
Christian. "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but
whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy" (Prov.
28:13, NIV).
Some people commit themselves to Christ and choose to
believe the Word of God, but they hold on to past
commitments and beliefs. That would make salvation a process
of addition, instead of a transformation.
Every believer must decisively let go of the past, which is the
first step in genuine repentance. If we totally embrace the truth,
then we also define what is not true. The apostle Paul reveals
the close link between renouncing the past and not losing
heart for the future (not being depressed or discouraged):

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy,

we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden
because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the
word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending
ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God (2 Cor.
4:1-2).

Paul is contrasting the truth of divine revelation with that of

false teachers and prophets. Knowing God's holiness and His
call for Church purity, Paul asks us to renounce every immoral
practice, every distortion of truth and any deceitfulness of the
heart.
God does not take lightly false guidance and false teachers. In
Old Testament times such teachers were to be stoned to death,
and there were serious consequences for those who consulted
them. "As for the person who turns to mediums and to
spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face
against that person and will cut him off from among his people"
(Lev. 20:6). Similar warnings about false teachers and false
prophets are found in the New Testament. That is why it is
necessary to renounce any and all involvement with false
guidance, false teachers, false prophets and every cult and
occult practice. We do not want to be cut off by God; we want
to be connected to Him.

DECEPTION VERSUS TRUTH

The ultimate battle is between the Kingdom of light and the
kingdom of darkness, between Christ and the antichrist,
between good and evil, between the Spirit of truth and the
father of lies. Therefore, an important step in being set free
from depression is the process of sorting out the lies from the
truth, and then choosing what is right.
We are told to speak the truth in love (see Eph. 4: 15, 25) and to
walk in the light (see 1 John 1:7). Many people who struggle
with depression believe lies, walk in darkness and avoid
intimate contact with others. In order to overcome depression
and live free in Christ, we must choose the truth by winning the
battle for our minds. This requires an uncompromising
commitment to God's Word.
The first step in recovery is to admit that we have a problem
and then find at least one person with whom we can be totally
honest. The worst thing we can do is to isolate ourselves and
sit alone with our troubled thoughts.
An anxious person is double minded, and James writes that a
double-minded person is unstable in all his ways (see Jas. 1:8).
Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and
despise the other.... For this reason I say to you, do not be
anxious for your life" (Matt. 6:24-25). We cannot have mental
peace or emotional health if we are double minded.

BITTERNESS VERSUS FORGIVENESS

We have never met a depressed teen who is not struggling
with bitterness. Depressed people carry the emotional scars
and bear the pain of wounds others have inflicted upon them.
They have never known how to let go of the past and forgive
from the heart. Some have chosen not to get better. They hang
on to their anger because they think it will protect them from
being hurt again—but they are only hurting themselves even
more.
Forgiveness is the key to overcoming bitterness. Through
forgiveness the captive is set free—and once the captive is set
free, only then do we discover that we were the captive! We
cannot be liberated from our past or be emotionally free in the
present without forgiving from the heart. The future threat of
torture that Christ promised to the unforgiving (see Matt.
18:34) turns out to be a present reality.
But God is not out to get us; He is out to restore us. He knows
that if we hang on to our bitterness, we will only hurt ourselves
and. others (see Heb. 12:15). As Paul said, "Let all bitterness
and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from
you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender
hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has
forgiven you" (Eph. 4:31-32).
We forgive others for our own sakes and for the sake of our
relationship with God. What is to be gained in forgiving others
is freedom. We are also warned by Paul that we need to forgive
others so that Satan does not take advantage of us (see 2 Cor.
2:10-1 1). This critical issue must be resolved if we are to find
freedom from depression. Trying to overcome depression while
holding on to our bitterness is like expecting physical
wellbeing while simultaneously eating both healthy foods and
poison.
 God is not out to get us; He is out to restore us

REBELLION VERSUS SUBMISSION

We live in a rebellious age. Many people seem to think it is
their right to criticize and sit in judgment of those who are in
authority over them. Those with a rebellion problem may have
the worst problem in the world. Scripture instructs us to submit
to and pray for those who are in authority over us. Honoring
our mother and father is the first of the Ten Commandments
that is accompanied by a promise (see Eph. 6:1-2). The New
Testament clearly calls for submission to authorities:

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God, and those which
exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists
authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who
have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For
rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do
you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and
you will have praise from the same (Rom. 13:1-3).

There may be times when we must obey God rather than

humans (see Acts 5:29). When a human authority requires that
we do something that is forbidden by God and restricts us from
doing what God has called us to do, then we must obey God
rather than a human. The same principle applies when someone
tries to exercise control over us when it exceeds the scope of
his authority. A policeman can write a ticker if we break a traffic
law, but he cannot tell us what to believe or prevent us from
going to church. It is proper to protect ourselves from abuse;
however, we will rarely have to do that.
It takes a great act of faith to trust God to work through
authority figures who are less than perfect, but that is what He
asks us to do. This is critical for a right relationship with God,
and such a relationship is essential for complete recovery from
depression.

PRIDE VERSUS HUMILITY

Depressed young people are usually filled with shame and
guilt, whether it is real or imagined. Pride often keeps them
locked in a pattern of false thinking that robs them of the help
they need. I should be able to work this out myself! they
commonly think. That is tragic, because we were never
intended to live this life alone. God created Adam and Eve to
live dependent upon Him. All temptation is essentially an
attempt to get us to live our lives independent of God.
Pride is an independent spirit that wants to exalt self. "God is
opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (Jas.
4:6). Pride says, "I can do this. I can get out of this myself." Oh,
no, we can't! Such arrogant thinking sets us up for a fall
because "pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before stumbling" (Prov. 16:18). We absolutely need God and
we need each other. Paul says, "We... glory in Christ Jesus and
put no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3, emphasis added).
Shame and self-deprecation are not humility. Humility is
confidence properly placed. That is why we put no confidence
in our flesh; our confidence is in God. Any attempt to be self-
sufficient robs us of our true sufficiency in Christ because only
in Christ can we do all things (see Phil. 4:13). God intended for
His children to live victoriously by having great confidence in
Christ and in His ability to make us able. "Not that we are
adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from
ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us
adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but
of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor.
3:5-6).

BONDAGE VERSUS FREEDOM

It has been estimated that 25 percent of those who struggle
with severe depression are chemically addicted. This addiction
may be to prescription drugs, alcohol or street drugs.
Drowning sorrows in drugs and alcohol only adds to the
downward spiral of depression.
On the other hand, the Fear of becoming addicted to
prescription drugs has kept many people from taking
antidepressants, which might help them. That is unfortunate
because the possibility of becoming addicted to
antidepressants when properly administered is virtually nil.
There is also a strong correlation between depression and
sexual bondage. Many girls who struggle with depression have
been sexually abused, and many depressed young men are sex
addicts. Addictive behavior is degrading and spiritually
defeating for those who are supposed to be alive in Christ and
dead to sin (see Rom. 6:11). The sin-and-confess cycle only
adds to feelings of defeat and depression. If the bondage is not
broken, the sin is likely to be repeated.
We believe that Christ is the only answer for anyone who is in
bondage to sin, and that the truth of God's Word will set them
free. If you are struggling with a sexual bondage, we encourage
you to check out two of our books, Purity Under Pressure and
Ultimate Love.
Habitual sin keeps a person in bondage, which is very
depressing to those who want to live free in Christ. Paul wrote,

The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us

therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor
of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing
and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not
in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts (Rom.
13:12-14).
Repentance and faith in God are the only answers for breaking
the bondage to the sin that so easily entangles us. We can be
free from such bondage, because every believer is alive in
Christ and dead to sin (see Rom. 6:11).

CURSES VERSUS BLESSINGS

The last step in helping teens find freedom in Christ is to
renounce the sins of the past. The Ten Commandments reveal
that the sins of our ancestors can be passed down to the third
and fourth generation. This is evident in our society by the
well-documented cycles of abuse. Jesus said:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build

the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the
righteous, and say, "If we had been living in the days of our
fathers, we would not have been partners with them in
shedding the blood of the prophets."

Consequently you bear witness against yourselves, that you

are sons of those who murdered the prophets (Matt. 23:29-31).

In other words, "Like Father, like son." We are not guilty of

our fathers' sins, but because they sinned, we will have to live
with the consequences of their sin. And we are doomed to
continue to live in the way we were taught by them unless we
repent. "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after
he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40).
The primary teachers in the first five years of our lives were our
parents, and much of our personality and temperament was
established in those early and formative years of our lives.
When God's Old Covenant believers repented, they confessed
their sins and the sins of their fathers (see Lev. 26:39—40; Neh.
1:6; 9:2; Jer. 14:20; Dan. 9:10-11). We have the same
responsibility today, "knowing that you were not redeemed
with perishable things like silver or gold From your futile way
of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood,
as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" (1
Pet. 1:18-19, emphasis added).
Every born-again Christian is a child of God and a new creation
in Christ. Do not let incomplete repentance, a lack of faith in
Him and unresolved conflicts keep you from experiencing your
freedom in Christ. This lack of connectedness with God often
results in depression.

HELP IS AVAILABLE
In our curriculum Busting Free, we describe the discipleship
process that has helped thousands of people resolve their
conflicts and find freedom in Christ. Ultimately, God is our only
hope, and we must live in harmony with Him if we are going to
be free from depression. These issues must be resolved and
they can be. You can resolve these personal and spiritual
conflicts on your own by going through the Steps to Freedom
in Christ (found in Neil's book Finding Hope Again).
Those who are severely depressed will also need the help and
objectivity of a trained encourager. Such was the case of a girl
who attended one of my (Neil's) seminars in Europe. She
shared the following testimony:
I was born and raised in a very legalistic and abusive
"Christian" home. Church attendance was mandatory, but the
physical and emotional abuse I suffered at the hands of my
parents distorted my concept of God. In our church was a large
sign that said, "God is love." But I had no idea what love was.
If what I experienced at home was supposed to be the love of
God, then I wanted no part of it. I moved away from my parents
to attend college and get away from God. I studied psychology
and worked as a professional counselor. During this time I
suffered continuously from depression. Finally I realized that I
couldn't help myself, much less others, so I went into
educational psychology and finally into vocational
psychology.
In desperation, I started to attend an international church. A
Sunday School class was going through a video series by Neil
Anderson. I learned who I was supposed to be in Christ and
finally someone explained to me the battle that was going on in
my mind, I found out that there were trained encouragers at the
church who were taking people through the Steps to Freedom
in Christ. I made an appointment with great apprehension and
much fear. I didn't know what to expect but I knew I had
nothing to lose and possibly much to gain.
It was an amazing encounter with God. I could feel the layers of
self-righteousness, pride, rebellion and sin come off. Every
step was meaningful to me, but the biggest release came when I
forgave my parents for their abuse and for distorting my
concept of God. As soon as I was done, I knew I was free from
years of living in bondage to the lies I have believed about God
and myself. And I was connected to God in a living and
liberating way. His Spirit was now bearing witness with my
spirit that I was a child of God. I was set free. I never struggled
with depression again.

THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT

God is your protection.
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in.
your word (Ps. 119:114, NIV).
God is always available when you need help.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in.
trouble (Ps. 46:1, NIV).
God will not abandon you.
I will never leave you nor forsake you (Josh. 1:5, NIV).
God will comfort you in times of trouble.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort
those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have
received from God (2 Cor. 1:3-4, 1 NIV).
God has a plan for you.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and
come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek
me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer.
29:11-13, NIV).
God knows you intimately.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in
 my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that
full well (Ps. 139:13-14, NIV).
God longs to help those who are hurting.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those
who are crushed in spirit (Ps, 34:18, NIV).

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

2 Corinthians 4:1-2

Reflect:

1. How is it that we can intellectually know all about our

heavenly Father and not really know Him at all?
2. Why do some people, even though they have accepted
Christ as their Savior and have a relationship with Him,
still not walk or live very close to Him?
3. List the Seven Steps to Freedom in Christ that are
outlined in this chapter.
4. Of the Seven Steps to Freedom in Christ, which do you
feel you need to hear from the Lord about?

Respond:

Dear Lord, You said, "Look! Here I stand at the door and
knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come
 in, and we will share a meal as friends" (Rev. 3:20, NLT).
Lord, I know at times I have locked You out of my life and thus
opened the door to depression and sin. I confess that I have
allowed depression and sin to have their way in my life. I
know that I can never be free from depression until l am right
with You. So I ask You to reveal to me any doors that I have
opened to depression and sin. I want to be free and walk close
to You. Thank You for Your love and mercy. In Jesus' name I
pray. Amen.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HOUSE OF STONE UNDERSTANDING
YOURSELF
We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him,
because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has
this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 JOHN 3:2-3

Find joy in everything that leads to God.

TERESA OF AVILA

Depression is primarily a software (mental programming)

problem rather than a hardware (brain) problem. The Christian
psychiatrists with whom we have talked estimate that
medication is probably essential only in 10 percent of all the
cases diagnosed as depression.
If the problem is primarily due to the software, then how much
of the problem is mental and how much is spiritual?

THE PRIMARY BATTLEFIELD: THE MIND

The answer is seldom either/or; rather, it is usually both/and.
Spiritual problems are also mental problems because the
spiritual battle is waged in the mind. To solve the problem of
depression, we need a complete answer that takes into account
all reality. The least understood and therefore most often
neglected piece of the puzzle is the spiritual battle that is going
on in the minds of young people around the world.
Scripture clearly warns us about the reality of the kingdom of
darkness. Paul said, "I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived
Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the
simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). He
also wrote, "The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some
will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits
and doctrines [teachings] of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1).
We have counseled hundreds of teens who are struggling with
their thoughts, who have difficulty concentrating or reading
their Bible, and there are many others who actually hear voices
in their heads. In the majority of cases, these common
symptoms are evidence of a spiritual battle for their minds. This
spiritual battle requires spiritual protection and weaponry.
Again Paul writes:

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.

Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm
against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able
to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand
firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth,
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and
having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of
peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which
you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil
one (Eph. 6:10-16).

THE PRIMARY PROTECTION

The "heavenly places" are a present reality. The New
International Version of the Bible translates this phrase as
"heavenly realms." This phrase does not refer to heaven where
God has His throne, nor does it refer to some physical planet,
such as Pluto or Mars, that exists in the natural realm. It refers
to the spiritual world, or atmosphere, in which we live. The god
(ruler) of this world, "your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devout" (1 Pet. 5:8, NIV).
John says, "We know that we are of God, and the whole world
lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). Herein lies the
problem and the answer in one verse. People are kept in
spiritual bondage because of the lies they believe about God
and themselves, and Satan is the father of lies (see John 8:44).
Jesus is the truth (see John 14:17), and the Holy Spirit is the
Spirit of truth. He will guide you into all truth (see John 16:13),
and that truth will set you free (see John 8:32). That is possible
because we are children of God.
 Every defeated young Christian we have worked with,
regardless of his or her problem, had one thing in common.
None of them knew who he or she was in Christ nor
understood what it meant to be a child of God.

Every defeated young Christian we have worked with,

regardless of his or her problem, had one thing in common.
None of them knew who he or she was in Christ nor
understood what it meant to be a child of God. Almost all of
them questioned their salvation. If the Holy Spirit is bearing
"witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom.
8:16), then why were they not sensing it? "Because you are
sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,
crying, 'Abba! [or] Father!'" (Gal. 4:6). Where is the "Abba!
Father!" in the depth of depression? He is there, but depressed
people often do not sense His presence because of ignorance
or lack of genuine repentance. This true story by Janis
Whipple shows the Father's love:

It was cold, gray January morning. I'd gone to the beach to

walk. I had a lot on my mind, and I wanted to be alone. I wanted
to feel close to God again. As I walked, I picked up a stick and
wrote in the sand. I named four things that had hurt me and
disappointed God. And I wrote the word peace, which I
wanted, but did not have. I dropped the stick and kept going.
As I walked, I prayed, crying on God's shoulder.
When I noticed the tide coming in, I turned back. I looked for
the words I had written. The stick was there, but the water had
washed away all the words except one: peace. God had washed
away my pain and left a promise of peace.1

OUR IDENTITY AND POSITION IN CHRIST

The devil does not want us to know that we are children of God
and seated with Christ in heavenly places (see Eph. 2:6). From
that position in Christ, we have authority over the kingdom of
darkness. Every believer is alive in Christ and therefore united
with Him:

In His death—Romans 6:3; Galatians 2:20; Colossians

3:1-3;
In His burial—Roman5 6:4;
In His resurrection-Romans 6:5,8,11;
 In His ascension-Ephesians 2:6;
In His life—Romans 5:10-11;
In His power—Ephesians 1:19-20;
In His inheritance-Romans 8:16-17; Ephesians 1:11-12.

ANXIETY AS A BATTLE FOR THE MIND

Anxiety is fear without an apparent cause. Fear is not the same
as anxiety, in that fear is actually identified by its object. For
instance, we might fear other people, death, snakes or enclosed
places.
Many people are paralyzed by fears that seem to be irrational
to others who do not see or question the existence of the
object of the fear. When people fear something that others
cannot hear or see, we usually say that they are suffering a
panic, or anxiety, attack.
These cases often prove to be spiritual battles for the mind.
Remember, we wrestle flesh and blood" (Eph. 6:12). In other
words, our enemy does not materialize in the physical realm
because the battle is spiritual. It is also very real.

The Origin of Our Thoughts

It is critical to distinguish between deceiving thoughts from the
enemy and thoughts that are truly ours. If we think that
tempting or accusing thoughts are our own, then we are going
to reach some very bad conclusions about ourselves. God
does not tempt us, but the devil will. "Let no one say when he
is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be
tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone" Gas.
1:13). Jesus will never accuse you, because there is "no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).
But the devil "deceives the whole world" (Rev. 12:9) and
accuses believers day and night (see v. 10).
A very mature Christian girl discovered that she had cancer.
Her doctors immediately treated her with chemotherapy. Then
she became fearful. When I (Neil) visited with her, she said,
"I'm not sure if I am a Christian." I asked her why she would
even question her salvation, and she said, "When I go to
church I have these blasphemous thoughts go through my
mind, and many times I struggle with evil and perverted
thoughts."
"That's not you!" I told her. "Scripture teaches that you
'joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man'" (Rom.
7:22).
If such thoughts originated from the girl herself; then what
would she logically conclude about herself? She reasoned, If
those thoughts were actually coming from my own nature,
then I must not be a Christian. Consequently, she was
frightened about the prospect of dying. After all, how can a
Christian think those kinds of thoughts? Any Christian can
choose to think them, but these thoughts do not originate from
anyone who is in Christ. Because of this girl's maturity, I was
able to help her get rid of those thoughts within an hour. She
never questioned her salvation again.

False Identity or True?

Every Christian has thoughts about sin, but many do not
understand the battle for their minds. Suppose a young man
had a sexually tempting thought about another man. At first he
might be a little surprised and would probably just brush it off
He certainly would not tell anybody. If the thought persisted,
he might start wondering why. If I am thinking these thoughts,
then may be I am homosexual, he might wonder. If so, he just
bought a false identity, and it could be years, if ever, before he
shares what went on in his mind. People struggling with
depression are plagued with lots of thoughts that are not true.
True mental health is characterized by "the peace of God,
which surpasses all comprehension [guarding] your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). It begins with a true
knowledge of our heavenly Father and a true knowledge of
who we are in Christ. If you knew and believed that

your heavenly Father loved you (see Eph. 3:14-19);

you now have eternal life in Christ (see John 3:16);
you are spiritually alive right now (see 1 John 5:11);
He would never leave nor forsake you (see Heb. 13:5);
He has completely forgiven you (see Col. 2:13-14);
He would supply all your needs (see Phil. 4:19);
you were a child of God (see Rom. 8:16);
there was no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus (see Rom. 8:1);
you have an eternal purpose for being here (see Eph.
2:10);
you can do all things through Christ who strengthens
you (see Phil. 4:13);
God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power and
 love and discipline (see 2 Tim. 1:7);
the peace of God was guarding your heart and your
mind in Christ Jesus (see Phil. 4:7);

then you would have the foundational beliefs necessary to

establish mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Mental Strongholds
Believing thoughts and feelings about ourselves that are not
true inevitably establishes mental strongholds. Do not get the
impression that all the lies we have learned to believe about
ourselves and God come directly from Satan. The world and the
flesh are also enemies of the soul. Most false beliefs about
ours elves and God come from living in a fallen world. They are
patterns of the flesh that can only be changed by renewing our
minds through the truth of God's Word.

Taking Our Thoughts Captive

In one sense, it does not matter whether a thought comes from
our memory bank, the television set, another person, Satan or
our own creativity. The answer to what we are to do about it is
always the same. Regardless of its origin, we are to rake "every
thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5,
emphasis added), If what we think is not true or editing, then
we should not think it.
Regardless of its origin, we are to take "every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ."

Telling people just to stop thinking negative thoughts is not

a complete answer. We overcome negative thinking by
choosing to think and believe the truth. As Paul says in
Philippians 4:8 (NIV): "Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things" (emphasis
added). In other words, we are not called to dispel the
darkness; we are called to turn on the light.
It is our experience that we can win the battle for our minds if
we are free in Christ. But we cannot win if we have many
unresolved personal and spiritual conflicts. Paul drives this
point home in 1 Corinthians 3:2-3, when he tells Christians at
Corinth that they were not able to receive the truth because of
the jealousy and quarrels among them.
That is why when we work with teens, our first step is to help
them resolve their conflicts through a process of repentance,
which includes submitting to God and resisting the devil (see
Jas. 4:7). Establishing freedom in Christ and staying free are
different issues, however. We maintain our freedom as we
continue to believe the truth and live by faith. After giving us
that list of what to think about in Philippians 4:8, Paul
continues in verse 9 (NIV), "Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you."
You are not alone in your struggle to manage your thoughts.
Every believer has to contend with the world, the flesh and the
devil.

Lies We Often Believe

The following statements are some of the most common lies
that depressed teens tend to believe about themselves, life in
general and their relationships with God:

I'm worthless and would be better off dead.

I have no value and no meaningful purpose in life.
I'll never amount to anything.
No one loves me or cares about me.
My situation is hopeless. I see no way out but to die
I'm stupid! I'm ugly!
I'm a mistake!
God doesn't love me and He won't help me.
 Life is the pits.
My future is hopeless.
Nobody can help me.

The list could continue with many other blasphemous

thoughts about God and negative thoughts about the teens
themselves and others.
Nobody is going to fix the past. Not even God will do that.
Nevertheless, the gospel assures us that we can be free from
the past because we are not primarily products of the past. We
are primarily products of Christ's work on the cross and His
resurrection. Our primary identity is no longer in the flesh; it is
in Christ, If that were not true, then all Christians would remain
helpless victims of the past.

WEEDING OUT FALSE PERCEPTIONS

Realizing who we are in Christ and what it means to be a child
of God is the basis for victorious living and an essential basis
for overcoming depression, People cannot consistently behave
in a way that is inconsistent with how they perceive
themselves, nor can their feelings about themselves be any
different from their perceptions about themselves.
For example, we will struggle with a poor self-image to the
degree that we do not see ourselves the way God sees us.
Such negative perceptions of ourselves ate based on lies we
have believed. They are like weeds in a field of grain. They
stunt the growth of the good seed and rob the harvest.
"Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who
sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but
the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal
life" (Gal. 6:7-8). If we sow a lie, we will reap corruption-garbage
in, garbage out. We cannot plant weeds, hoping to reap a
harvest of grain!

Truth or Consequences
Holding false perceptions about ourselves has some
predictable consequences.

1. False perceptions erode our confidence and weaken

our resolve. Many depressed people think they are
losers and choose to believe they cannot do whatever
it takes to overcome their problems. Of course, if they
believe that lie, then they will not be able to overcome
anything. Failures fail, losers lose and sinners sin; but
children of God live righteous lives and do all things
through Christ who strengthens them.
In his first epistle, John writes, "Dear friends, now we
are children of God... Everyone who has this hope in
him purifies himself, just as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3,
NIV). It is not what we do that determines who we are—
it is who we are that determines what we do. That is
why the Holy Spirit "bears witness with our spirit that
we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16).

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in

his name, he gave the right to become children of God
—children born not of natural descent, nor of human
 decision or a husband's will, but born of God (John.
1:12-13, NIV).

2. False perceptions drive us to seek our own

acceptance, security and significance. We try to
accomplish this through appearance, performance and
status. No matter how hard we try, we will still suffer
from morbid introspection, hostile criticism, overt
rejection and endless accusations. That is depressing!
Acceptance, security and significance are already
provided in Christ. Many young Christians are
endlessly looking for what they already have in Christ.
Others are desperately trying to become the people
they already are. "Coming to Him as to a living stone,
rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of
God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a
spiritual house for a holy priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:4-5).
3. False perceptions precipitate a fear of failure. To
stumble and fall is not failure. To stumble and fall
again is not failure. Failure comes when you say you
were pushed. When we blame others for our mistakes,
we fail to see what we can do to prevent the mistake
from happening again.
There are no unforgivable failures in the kingdom of
God, but there are many people who live far below their
potential because they have never learned the truth of
who they are in Christ. "There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom.
8:1).
 We probably learn more from our mistakes than we will
ever learn from our successes. A mistake is only a
failure when we fail to learn from it. "For though a
righteous man falls seven times, he rises again" (Prov.
24:16, NIV). If you make a mistake, get back up and try
again—and again and again.
Depressed teens have a tendency to ask, "What do I
stand to lose if I do try again?" They should ask,
"What do I stand to lose if I don't?" This is not a
question of self-confidence. Our confidence is in God.
Paul said that we "worship in the Spirit of God and
glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the
flesh" (Phil. 3:3).
4. False perceptions cause us to seek the approval and
affirmation of others. The need for affirmation and
approval is universal. This need is so great that it
should draw us to our heavenly Father because we are
not going to get the need perfectly met from people in
this world, no matter how hard we try.
Jesus lived a perfect life, and everyone rejected Him.
But He had the approval of His heavenly Father. Paul
asks, "Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?
Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to
please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ"
(Gal. 1:10). You will be a servant of humankind instead
of a servant of God if you try to win the approval of
others and seek their affirmation.
We cannot do things for God with the hope that He
may some day accept us. We do those things because
 we already have His approval and affirmation in Christ.
We do not labor in the vineyard with the hope that
some day God may love us. We are already loved
unconditionally by God because we are His children.
Scripture warns us not to exalt ourselves (see Luke
14:7-11), and to be aware of those who stroke our egos,
"for such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but
their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they
deceive the minds of naive people" (Rom. 16:18, NIV).
Paul's written exhortation to the Thessalonians and to
us is a reminder to be less concerned about the
opinions of others and more concerned about what God
thinks:

We speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines

our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as
you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness
— nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or
from others" (1 Thess. 2:4-6).

5. False perceptions rob us of the courage to stand up for

our convictions and beliefs. A person who has a low
sense of self-worth thinks, My opinions do not matter.
If I share what I really believe, others will only squash
me. Caving in to the fear of rejection undermines the
courage to stand up for our convictions.
Depressed teens frequently think of themselves as
weak or cowardly. The book of Daniel records the story
of three teenagers who stood against the cultural
 trends and mandates of their day. They refused to bow
down to the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon. He put himself on a pedestal as tall as a water
tower—but Nebuchadnezzar was about to be knocked
off.
Courageous acts of independence and the fortitude to
hold true to your convictions are only possible with an
inner confidence in God. Believers find their strength
not in themselves but in the knowledge of who they are
in Christ. "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the
strength of His might" (Eph. 6:10).
6. False perceptions lead to codependent relationships.
Every Christian is interdependent in a healthy sense
because each of us needs God and each other. We are
under the conviction of God to love one another,
Relationships become unhealthy, however, when we
begin to think, I cannot live without you, your
acceptance or your approval.
The intense desire to have our emotional needs met by
other people can often lead to compromising our own
standards and values.
7. False perceptions make it difficult to receive ordinary
compliments. Affirmations, praise and compliments do
not remove the terrible pain that depressed people feel.
Because the pain did not go away with an expression of
praise or gratitude a depressed person wrongly
concludes that the kind words were not genuine.
Acceptance and affirmation accomplish more when
directed toward the person's character and when the
 words reinforce who he or she really is in Christ. On the
other hand, rejection and criticism of any kind, even
unintentional, contribute to the depressed state of an
insecure person. He or she will likely match such
comments with his or her existing false perceptions.

INADEQUATE SOLUTIONS
We cannot think of topics that produce a bigger and more
tangled mess with more inadequate solutions than the topics of
identity and self-esteem. The world has a lot of things that
sound good but cannot deliver when it comes to true freedom
in Christ, and struggling young people deserve to be warned of
these less-than-adequate approaches.
Secular approaches will have us pick ourselves up by our own
bootstraps and stroke one another's egos. This, however,
clearly does not meet our needs.

Even among Christians we hear many inadequate solutions. It

has been suggested that a man should derive most of his
identity from his work and a woman should get hers from
bearing children.
But these are fallen identities. What happens if the man loses
his job? Does he lose his identity? What happens if a woman
never marries or cannot give birth to children? Does she lose
her identity? In creation and through redemption, God has
already established who we are.
If the "traditional" source of getting our identity is misplaced,
then from where should our self-worth come?
Spiritual Gifts?
Do we get a sense of worth from spiritual gifts? No! Right in
the middle of the most definitive teaching about spiritual gifts,
Paul says:

Those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on

these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly
members come to have more abundant seemliness, whereas our
seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed
the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which
lacked (1 Cor. 12:23-24).

Talents?
Do we get our sense of worth from talents? No! God has given
some of us one talent, some two and others five (see Matt.
25:14-30). We might ask, "God, how could you do that? Don't
You know, Lord, that only the five-talent person could have
any legitimate sense of worth?" That is not true. In fact,
supergifted and talented people often struggle more because
they attempt to find their worth in their talents, drawing
attention to themselves rather than using their gifts to edify the
Body of Christ, the Church. The attempt can also distract that
person from developing his character and relationship with
God, which is the source of true fulfillment.

Intelligence?
Surely our sense of worth must come from intelligence. No!
"God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the
wise" (1 Cor. 1:27). God has not distributed intelligence equally
any more than He has given out the same number of gifts and
talents. He has, however, equally distributed Himself Only in
Christ is there equality:

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of
you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with
Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in
Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise (Gal. 3:26-29).

Our identity and sense of self-worth come from knowing who

we are as children of God and then becoming the people He
created, us to be.

Appearance, Performance or Social Status?

Perhaps the most fickle of all false foundations of self-worth

are appearance, performance and social status. A fallen
humanity labors under the following wrong equations:

APPEARANCE+ ADMIRATION = A WHOLE PERSON

PERFORMANCE + ACCOMPLISHMENTS= A WHOLE

PERSON

SOCIAL STATUS+ RECOGNITION= A WHOLE PERSON

Recognition is not the same as acceptance, and the respect

given by others may be more for the position than the person.
No matter how hard we try, someone will come along and look
better or outperform us. Talents and appearances also fade
with time. When we strive for the acceptance, recognition or
admiration of others, then they determine our worth. If they
judge us unworthy, are we then worthless?
What a tragedy occurs when we put our identity and sense of
self-esteem in someone else's hands. Who is qualified to judge
our worth? Who has the right to declare us to have value? Will
a pot declare another pot seemly or unseemly? Only the Potter
has the right to determine who we are. The value He placed on
our lives cost Him His only begotten Son. The true equation is

YOU + CHRIST = YOU AS A WHOLE PERSON

Certainly nothing is wrong with having gifts, talents,

intelligence and appearance. They are life endowments given
to us by our Creator. We are to be good stewards of such gifts.
But if someone endowed us with a new car, we would not find
our identity and sense of worth in the car. We hope we would
understand that the giver had already found value in us and
that is why he gave us the car. And even though no strings
were attached to the gift, we would want to use the car in a way
that would show appreciation for the gift. To abuse the free gift
would be to insult the giver.

THE ONLY ANSWER—CHRIST

Our identity and sense of worth come from knowing who we
are as children of God and then becoming the people He
created us to be. Nobody and nothing on Earth can keep you
from being that, because it is God's will for your life. "For this is
the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3).
If, as Christians, we knew who we were in Christ and if our lives
were characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, would we
feel good about ourselves? Of course we would! Who can
have that sense of self-worth? Every child of God has exactly
the same opportunity, because those traits ate the fruit of the
Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23), of which every Christian is a partaker.
Such characteristics cannot come by way of the world, the
flesh or the devil. They can only come by abiding in Christ and
by walking by faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit
according to what God says is true.
Paul says, "My God shall supply all your needs according to
His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Our material
needs are minimal. The most critical needs that must be met are
the "being" needs, and they are the ones most wonderfully met
in Christ.
The greatest need is life itself, and Jesus came that we might
have life, Then there is the need to know who we are, and the
Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Finally, we need to feel accepted, secure and significant. We
wrote Stomping Out the Darkness and a devotional called
Extreme Faith to show how those needs can only be met in
Christ. The verses from the Bible found in the appendix reveal
who we are and how our needs are met.

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Ephesians 6:10-16

Reflect:

1. Why, in most people's lives, is depression primarily a

software (mental programming) problem, rather than a
hardware (brain) problem?
2. In some ways all of us experience a battle for our minds.
In what ways have you personally experienced a
spiritual attack in your mind? How are you taking those
thoughts captive?
3. List the seven ways that we as believers are united with
Christ that we covered in this chapter?
4. What are the seven false perceptions that young
people might have about themselves?
5. Read through the "Who I Am in Christ" list in the
appendix and select at least one verse to memorize.

Respond:

Dear Lord, You said, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in

the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that
you may be able to stand firm against the devil's schemes. For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this
darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that
 you may be able to resist in the evil day" (Eph. 6:11, NIV).
Lord, I choose to put on this armor, every piece of it, that it
might destroy depression and hopelessness in my life. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.

Note

1. Janis Whipple, "Washed Away," DevoZine

November/December 1997, n.p.
CHAPTER EIGHT

OVERCOMING
HOPELESSNESS—THE
BELLY OF THE BEAST
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within
me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior
and my God.

PSALM 42:5-6 NIV

If you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think.

CLARENCE DARROW

The psalmist is not only depressed, but he is also in deep

despair. He is overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. The
hopelessness that comes with depression was described by
one girl who said, "It feels like I am in a well 1,000 feet deep.
From the bottom I look up and see a faint light the size of a
pinhole. I have no ladder, no rope and no way out."

THE LIE OF HOPELESSNESS

The hopelessness of depression is based on a lie. With God
there is always hope, and that hope is based on truth.
However, when we are bound by the chains of hopelessness,
this seems too good to be true. Consider the following parable:

A newly adopted child found himself in a big mansion. His new

father whispered in his ear, "This is yours and you have a right
to be here. I have made you a joint heir with my only-begotten
son. He paid the price that set you free from your old
taskmaster, who was cruel and condemning. I purchased it for
you because I love you."
The young boy couldn't help but question this incredible gift.
This seems too good to be true. What did I do to deserve this?
he wondered. I have been a slave all my life and I have done
nothing to earn such a privilege!
He was deeply grateful, however, and began to explore all the
rooms in the mansion. He tried out some of the tools and
appliances. Many other adopted people also lived in the
mansion, and the boy began to form new relationships with his
adopted brothers and sisters.
He especially enjoyed the buffet from which he freely ate. Then
it happened! While turning away from the buffet table, he
knocked over a stack of glasses and a valuable pitcher. They
crashed to the floor and broke. Instantly he thought, You
clumsy, stupid kid! You will never get away with this. What
right do you have to be here? You better hide before someone
finds out, because they will surely throw you out.
At first he was caught up with the wonder of living in the
mansion with a new family and a loving father, but now he was
confused. Old tapes laid down in early childhood began to play
again in his mind. He was filled with guilt and shame. The self-
condemning thoughts continued. Who do you think you are,
some kind of a privileged character? You don't belong here,
you belong in the basement! My old taskmaster was right
about me—I don't belong here. As his mind filled with these
thoughts, the boy descended into the cellar.
The basement was dreary, dark and despairing. The only light
came from the open door at the top of the long stairs from
which he had come. He heard his new father calling for him, but
he was too ashamed to answer.
The boy was surprised to find others in the basement. Upstairs
everybody talked to each other and joined in with daily
projects that were fun and meaningful. In the basement,
however, nobody talked to each other. They were too
ashamed. Although no one liked it there, most felt that the
basement was where they really belonged. They didn't see how
they could ever walk in the light again. If they did, others
would see their imperfections.
Some of the people who lived upstairs would occasionally
come to the door and encourage them to come back up where a
place was prepared for them. Some "friends" were worse than
others and would scold those in the basement, which only
made it worse.
Not everyone stayed in the basement for the same reason.
Some, like the boy, thought, I deserve to be here. I was given a
chance, but I blew it. Others didn't think they could climb the
stairs. Even if they mustered up the strength to try, the stairs
would probably break under their weight. They always had a
reason why they couldn't return to their father upstairs.
Some would gather the courage to go up for a short time, but
they didn't stay long enough to resolve their conflicts and
learn the truth that would enable them to stay. So they returned
to the basement.
Still others were afraid that they would not be accepted. Their
old taskmaster would not accept them, so how could they
expect this adoptive parent to welcome them back after what
they had done? Each had his own story about what he had
done wrong.
At first, the newly adopted boy groped around in the darkness,
trying to find a way to survive. The longer he stayed in the
basement, the more the memory of what it was like to live
upstairs began to fade, along with his hope of ever returning.
Those old tapes from early childhood questioned the love of
this new father, and he began to question whether he was ever
adopted in the first place.
The noise of people having fun upstairs irritated him. He
remembered the light in the house being warm and inviting, but
now, whenever the basement door opened, the light seemed
penetrating and revealing. He recalled hearing his adopted
father saying that most people loved the darkness rather than
the light, for their deeds were evil.
The boy made a few halfhearted attempts to return to the light,
but eventually he found a dark corner and lay down in it. To
survive, he ate grubs and moss off the damp walls.
Then one day a shaft of light penetrated his mind, and reason
returned. He began to think, Why not throw myself on the
mercy of this person who calls himself my father? What do I
have to lose? Even if he makes me eat the crumbs that fall
from the table, it would be better than this. So he decided to
take the risk of climbing those stairs and facing his father with
the truth of what he had done.
"Father," he said, "I knocked over some glasses and broke a
pitcher." Without saying a word, his father took him by the
hand and led him into the dining room. To the boy's utter
amazement, his father had prepared a banquet for him
"Welcome home, Son," his father said. "There is no
condemnation for those who are in my family!"

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus and the matchless grace of
God! The door is always open for those who are willing to
throw themselves upon His mercy. "In love He predestined us
to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved" (Eph.
1:4-6). If people could accept our heavenly Father's grace and
love, they would never confine themselves in the basement of
depression or the grip of hopelessness.
Our heavenly Father does not want us to live self-condemned
in the basement. He wants us to know that we are seated with
Christ in heavenly places as joint heirs with Jesus. "Now if we
are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with
Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may
also share in his glory" (Rom. 8:17, NIV).
 If people could accept our heavenly Father's grace and love,
they would never confine
themselves in the basement of depression or the grip of
hopeless.

ACCEPTING GOD'S GRACE

How can we help a depressed person understand the love and
grace of God? How can anyone fully understand it? Everything
we have learned in the world has taught us that life is a jungle
and that only people who are mentally, emotionally and
physically fit enough will survive. We learn that justice
demands that we get what we deserve. It strikes a discordant
note when we hear: "But when the kindness of God our Savior
and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the
basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but
according to His mercy" (Titus 3:4-5).
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul offers two prayers in the book
of Ephesians. He first asks God to open the eyes of Christians
to who we are and what we have in Christ.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that

you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is
the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe
(Eph. 1:18-19).

In the second passage, Paul approaches God on our behalf.

Personalize this prayer by putting your name in the spaces
allotted:

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom
every family in heaven and on Earth derives its name, that He
would grant ------------------, according to the riches of His
glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in
_________ inner man; so that Christ may dwell in
__________'s heart through faith; and that ___________,
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length
and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which
surpasses knowledge, that__________ may be filled up to all
the fullness of God (see Eph. 3:14-19). "[God] made Him who
knew no sin to be sin on [my] behalf; that [I] might become
the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). I cannot do
for myself what Christ has already done for me. "For by grace
[I] have been saved through faith; and that not of [myself], it
is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should
boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Turning Down God's Gift

Some people refuse to accept this free gift of life, because they
do not feel worthy. But understand that such a rejection is not
true humility. Instead, it will lead to defeat and hopelessness.
Many people have then reasoned, I believe that Jesus died for
the sins I have already committed, but what about the sins I
commit in the future? What if I broke the glasses and the
pitcher after I was invited to live with my new family? When
Christ "died to sin, once for all" (Rom. 6:10), how many of your
sins were still to happen in the future? All of them were! This is
not a license to go on sinning. It is a glorious truth that enables
us to know that we are truly forgiven and can now live a
righteous life because we are "dead to sin, but alive to God in
Christ Jesus" (v. 11).
Without the grace of God and Christ's death on the cross, we
would be guilty and we could do nothing about it. Every
attempt to live a righteous life in our own strength would fail.
But the penalty for the sins of the world has been paid in full,
and the payment is applied to our account when we trust in
Christ.
Then why do so many of us feel so guilty? After we receive
forgiveness of sins, guilt is just a feeling based on a lie or a
humanly developed conscience—in which case the guilt is
only psychological. The conscience is a part of the mind and is
not the same as the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Even
nonbelievers have a conscience, and they will feel shame or
guilt when they violate it.
The process of renewing the mind will bring the conscience in
conformity to the nature and character of God. The devil first
tempts us to sin. Then, as soon as we make a mistake, he
becomes the accuser, saying "You will never get away with
this" or "How can you even consider yourself a Christian if
you do those kinds of things?" But the Lord has forgiven our
sins and defeated the devil, as Paul so clearly reveals:

And when you were dead in your transgressions and the

uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with
Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having
canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees
against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out
of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had
disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of
them, having triumphed over them through Him (Col. 2:13-15).

Discerning Truth and Lies

The Lord will not tempt us, but He will test us to perfect our
faith. He will also convict us of sin to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. How then do we know the difference
between the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, and the
accusations of the devil or a condemning conscience that has
been programmed by the world? Paul gives one answer in 2
Corinthians 7:9-10:

I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you
were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were
made sorrowful according to the will of God. . . . For the sorrow
that is according to the will of God produces a repentance
without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the
world produces death.

The word "sorrow" is used to refer to both the convicting

that comes from God as well as the false guilt produced by the
world, the flesh and the devil. Both experiences may feel the
same, but the end result is totally different. The conviction God
sends us leads to repentance without regret.
This is a wonderful truth we have witnessed many times. I have
never seen any teenager regret going through the Steps to
Freedom in Christ and resolving their personal and spiritual
conflicts through repentance and faith in God. What stays with
the teen afterward is the freedom he or she achieved, not the
pain from the past. It was nailed to the Cross.
Peter betrayed Christ by denying Him three times. Later he
came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and became a
spokesperson for the Early Church. Judas betrayed Christ,
came under the sorrow of the world and hanged himself.

NOT LIVING UP TO THE GOOD NEWS

During the American Civil War, General Sherman burned
Atlanta and then waged terror against the civilians of the
South during his long march toward the Atlantic coast. His
theory was that soldiers fight wars but that civilians support
the soldiers and pay for war. He wanted to defeat the South's
ability to supp ort the battle. He broke the back of the war
effort the moment the civilians felt defeated, hopeless, useless
and helpless and no longer believed the conflict could be won.
This is exactly what Satan wants us to believe. He wants us to
be demoralized in the spiritual battle between good and evil.
But our war with the world, the flesh and the devil has already
been won! We just have to believe it.
Slavery in the United States was abolished on December 18,
1865, by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. How
many slaves were there on December 19? In reality, none; but
many still lived like slaves—because they had not learned the
truth. Others knew and even believed that they were free but
chose to live as they had been taught under slavery.
Several plantation owners were devastated by this
proclamation of emancipation. "We're ruined!" they cried.
"Slavery has been abolished. We've lost the battle to keep our
slaves." But Satan, the chief spokesman against the truth, slyly
responded, "Not necessarily. As long as these people think
they're still slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation will have no
practical effect. We don't have a legal right over them anymore,
but many of them don't know it. Keep your slaves from learning
the truth, and your control over them will not even be
challenged."
"But, what if the news spreads?"
"Don't panic. We have another bullet to fire. We may not be
able to keep them from hearing the news, but we can still keep
them from understanding it. They don't call me the father of lies
for nothing. We still have the potential to deceive the whole
world. Just tell them that they misunderstood the Thirteenth
Amendment. Tell them that they are going to be free, not that
they are free already. The truth they heard is just positional
truth, not actual truth. Someday they may receive the benefits
but not now."
"But they'll expect us to say that. They won't believe us."
"Then pick out a few persuasive ones who are convinced that
they're still slaves, and let them do the talking for you.
Remember, most of these free people were born slaves and
have lived like slaves all their lives. All we have to do is to
deceive them so that they still think like slaves. As long as
they continue to do what slaves do, it will not be hard to
convince them that they must still be slaves. They will maintain
their slave identity because of the things they do. The moment
they try to profess that they are no longer slaves, just whisper
in their ears, 'How can you even think you are no longer a slave
when you are still doing things that slaves do?' After all, we
have the capacity to accuse the brethren day and night."
Years later, many people still had not heard the wonderful news
that they had been freed, so they continued to live the way
they had always lived. Some had heard the good news, but
they evaluated it according to what they were doing and
feeling. They reasoned, I'm still living in bondage, doing the
same things I have always done, My experience tells me that I
must not be free. I'm feeling the same way I was before the
proclamation, so it must not be true. After all, our feelings
always tell the truth. So they continued to live according to
how they felt, not wanting to be hypocrites!
One former slave hears the good news and receives it with
great joy. He checks out the validity of the proclamation and
finds out that the highest of all authorities has originated the
decree. Not only that, but it personally cost that authority a
tremendous price, which he willingly paid, so that the slave
could be free. His life is transformed. He correctly reasons that
it would be hypocritical to believe his feelings and not believe
the truth. Determined to live by what he knows to be true, his
experiences begin to change rather dramatically. He realizes
that his old master has no authority over him and does not
need to be obeyed. He gladly serves the one who set him free.1

The gospel is the Emancipation Proclamation for all sinners.

The gospel is the Emancipation Proclamation for all sinners.

Because of the Fall, we were all enslaved to sin. We were dead
in our "trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1) "and were by nature
children of wrath" (v. 3). The good news is that we are no
longer slaves to sin. We are now alive in Christ and dead to sin
(see Rom. 6:11). We have been set free in Christ. We are not
sinners in the hands of an angry God. We are saints in the
hands of a loving God. We are forgiven, justified, redeemed
and born-again children of God.
You may not feel like it, you may not act like it, and others may
tell you that you are riot, but you have been justified in Christ.
"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD

According to Hebrews 6:13-20 (NIV), God stakes His own
credibility on the fact that our hope is in Him:

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no

one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, "I
will surely bless you and give you many descendants." And so
after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath
confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because
God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose
very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it
with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take
hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We
have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It
enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus,
who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

Two unchangeable things are God's promise and the oath

confirming the promise. Our hope in God is a solid anchor for
our souls, and He is the answer to hopelessness and
depression. If God cannot lie, then the basis for our hope is
found in the truth of His nature, character and Word.

Hopelessness from Faulty Perceptions

Although God cannot change, our perception of Him can. Such
a change will greatly affect how we feel. To illustrate this, look
at how Jeremiah became depressed because his perceptions
about God were all wrong:

I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His
wrath. He has driven me and made me walk in darkness and not
in light. Surely against me He has turned His hand repeatedly
all the day. He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away,
He has broken my bones. He has besieged and encompassed
me with bitterness and hardship. In dark places He has made
me dwell, like those who have long been dead (Lam. 3:1-6).

Jeremiah believed that God was the cause of his physical and
emotional hardships. He actually thought that God was out to
get him, when in fact He was out to restore him, Instead of
being led by God, Jeremiah felt that he was being driven to dark
places where God had abandoned him. Jeremiah was in the
basement! Read his feelings of entrapment, hopelessness and
fear:

He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my

chain heavy. Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts
out my prayer. He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He
has made my paths crooked. He is to me like a bear lying in
wait, like a lion in secret places. He has turned aside my ways
and torn me to pieces; He has made me desolate. So I say, "My
strength has perished, and so has my hope from the LORD"
(Lam. 3:18).

Jeremiah was depressed because his perception of God was

wrong. God was not the cause of his affliction. God did not set
up the circumstances to make his life miserable. God is not a
wild beast waiting to chew up people. But Jeremiah thought He
was, and consequently he lost all hope in God. Then suddenly
everything changed:

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and

the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within
me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because
of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his
compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is
your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those
whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to
wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD (Lam. 3:19-26, NIV).

Nothing had changed externally in Jeremiah's experience. The

only thing that had changed was his perception of God. He had
won the battle for his mind by recalling what he knew to be true
about God. Hope returns when we choose to believe in the true
nature and character of God.
This is why it is so necessary for us to worship God. Our
heavenly Father is not an egomaniac who needs His ego
stroked every Sunday morning. He is totally secure within
Himself. He does not need us to tell Him who He is. We
worship God because we need to keep the divine attributes of
God constantly on our minds. We do not worship God to
change Him; we worship God to change ourselves, as Jeremiah
did.

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Ephesians 1:18-19

Reflect:

1. Why is accepting our heavenly Father's grace and love

so important when it comes to overcoming depression?
2. What would you do to help a depressed person
understand the grace of God and how would you help
that person overcome the lies that he or she has learned
from the world?
3. Some people refuse to accept this free gift of life chat
Jesus offers because they do not feel worthy. Why is
this both false humility and a sure road to defeat and
hopelessness?
4. What are two unchangeable qualities of God?
5. Why is having a proper perception of God so import
ant when it comes to overcoming depression?
Respond:

Dear Lord, I, like Paul, pray that the eyes of my heart might be
enlightened so that I may know what is the hope of Your
calling, the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the
saints and the surpassing greatness of Your power toward me,
because I believe and trust in You. Lord, I know that You are
the God of hope and that at times I have lived a hopeless life. I
turn from my hopelessness and turn to You. I, like Jeremiah,
have not always thought and believed the truth about You.
Thank You for forgiving me, setting me straight and giving me
hope again. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Notes

1. Neil T. Anderson, Living Free in Christ (Ventura, CA:

Regal Books, 1993), pp. 56-58.
CHAPTER NINE

OVERCOMING
HELPLESSNESS - INTO THE
LIGHT
I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and
earth.

PSALM 121:1—2, NIV

When we live in joy, the virtue of joy, we live in the Kingdom

of God.

MEGAN MCKENNA

Do you sometimes feel helpless and useless? Do you

sometimes think you have no good qualities or redeeming
value as a person? As children of God we still have
weaknesses and flaws but our value never changes as this next
story shows us.

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each
end of a pole which he carried across his sneck. One of the
pots had a crack in it, and all the other pots were perfect and
always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long
walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot
arrived half full.
For a full two years, this went on daily, with the bearer
delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's
house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its
accomplishments . . .perfect to the end for which it was made.
But the poor, cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection,
and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it
had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it
spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am
ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half
my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out
all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws,
you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value
from your efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old, cracked pot, and in his
compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I
want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old, cracked pot took
notice of the sun warming the beautiful wildflowers on the side
of the path, and the scene cheered it some. But at the end of
the trail, the pot still felt bad because it had leaked out half its
load, and so again, the pot apologized to the bearer for its
failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "If you notice that there were
flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other
pot's side? That's because I have always known about your
flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your
side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the
stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to
pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table.
Without you being just the way you are, he would have not
had this beauty to grace his house."
Each of us has our own unique flaws to grace His Father's
table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be
afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be
the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our
strength.1

Teenagers who struggle with depression frequently complain

about feelings of helplessness. They point to a series of life
circumstances which are beyond their control. These often
include job loss, death of a loved one, parents' divorce and
serious illness or injury. Because they have no control over
these events, they begin to believe that they are inadequate,
incompetent and powerless. Consequently, they feel helpless.
Although the Bible declares they can do all things through
Christ who strengthens them (see Phil. 4:13), they are
overwhelmed by the belief that they are unable to affect their
world or keep from being overtaken by it!
God did not create His children helpless or emotionally
paralyzed. Helplessness creeps in when we do not know or do
not believe the truth. Helplessness is something we learn. It is
very hard to unlearn.

AS GRASSHOPPERS IN THEIR OWN EYES

The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years when
God revealed to Moses His plans to set them free. God
challenged Moses:

Therefore, say to the Israelites: "I am the LORD, and I will bring
you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you
from being slaves to them, and I will you with an outstretched
arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my
own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I
am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the
yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore
with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I
will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD" (Exod. 6:6-8,
NIV).

Pack your bags, Israelites! God is about to set you free! He

knows your plight. He loves you, and He wants to redeem you
and bring you back to the land of your dreams.
But look at the Israelites' response to this good news: "Moses
reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him
because of their discouragement and cruel bondage" (v. 9,
NIV). Years of conditioning created in the Israelites a sense of
learned helplessness, even when God Himself said He would
deliver them.
When God did deliver them, the people stalled in the
wilderness. They became greatly discouraged and wanted to
go back.

They rebelled and complained about Moses' leadership. About

this time, "The LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Send out for
yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan,
which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a
man from each of their fathers' tribes, every one a leader among
them" (Num. 13:1-2). They came back to Moses and Aaron and
the whole Israelite community and gave this report:

"We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow
with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live
there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.
We even saw descendants of Anak there."... Then Caleb
silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up
and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." But
the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack
those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread
among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had
explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those
living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We
saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from
the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes,
and we looked the same to them" (Num. 13:27-33, NIV,
emphasis added).

The people believed the bad report and rebelled against

Moses and Aaron. But Joshua and Caleb said to the entire
Israelite assembly:

The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.

If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a
land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only
do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the
people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their
protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of
them (Num. 14:7-9, NIV).

Unfortunately, the Israelites again believed the bad report,

rather than the truth. The Lord delivered them into the
Promised Land anyway, but because of their disobedience they
would be delayed in the wilderness for another 40 years.

A GIANT OF A LIE AND A YOUTH WITH

THE TRUTH
Even after they arrived in the land God gave them, the Israelites
still encountered many obstacles. At one time, the Philistines
challenged God's people to a winner-take-all match between
their champion, Goliath, and anyone the Israelites chose. They
were paralyzed by fear until David came along and said, "Who
is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies
of the living God?" (1 Sam. 17:26). Then David said to Saul:

Let no man's heart fail on account of him [Goliath]; your

servant will go and fight with this Philistine. . . . Your servant
has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised
Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the
armies of the living God.. . . The LORD who delivered me from
the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver
me from the hand of this Philistine (1 Sam. 17:32,36-37).
Even more impressive is what David said to the giant:

You come to me with sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come

to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies
of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will
deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and
remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of
the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and
the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that
there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know
that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the
battle is the LORD's and He will give you into our hands (1
Sam. 17:45-47).

In their learned helplessness the Israelites saw the giant in

relationship to themselves, whereas David saw him in
relationship to God. The spies also saw the giants in the land in
relationship to themselves, but Joshua and Caleb saw through
the eyes of faith. They knew that the battle was the Lord's.
 In their learned helplessness the Israelites saw the giant in
relationship
to themselves, whereas David saw him in relationship to God.

Just like the Israelites, when we reach God's promised land

for each of us, we too will still face difficulties. Therefore, we
must also see through eyes of faith if we are ever going to
experience any victory in this life. In Christ, God has given us
the promised land. Jesus has pulled up the stakes that are
keeping us immobilized. He has taken the glass partition away.
God is with us, and nothing is impossible for Him. We can be
like Joshua and Caleb and believe that we are never helpless
with God, or we can be like those who choose to believe they
are just as helpless now as they were before they believed in
Christ.
 ROOTS OF HELPLESSNESS
Most learned helplessness is the result of early childhood
experiences. Lacking the presence of God in our lives and the
edge of His ways, we learned how to survive by defending and
protecting ourselves.
Many people have felt defeated at a very young age because
the messages they received from the world were often
negative:

It has been estimated that 95 percent of the world's population

is pessimistic by nature. Even the weatherman says," There
will a 35 percent chance of rain tomorrow." He never says
there will be a 65 percent chance of sunshine.

"You can't do that. You'd better let me do it." "You're not big
enough or smart enough." "You'll never amount to anything."
"It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, so be careful and watch
your backside." Upon hearing these kinds of messages, it is no
wonder that we start to believe in our own helplessness.
It has been estimated that 95 percent of the world's population
is pessimistic by nature. Even the weatherman says, "There will
a 35 percent chance of rain tomorrow." He never says there will
be a 65 percent chance of sunshine. The news anchors rarely
tell us about the good things that happened during the day—
they mostly tell the bad news. Three news helicopters and 25
policemen will follow a fugitive in a car pursuit for hours, but
nobody follows the good guy who spends his day
encouraging others. What we see on the news distorts reality.
Blessing snatchers can be found everywhere. A teenager is
likely to hear this from a friend or relative: "Oh, I see your
parents bought you a new car. You know they will kill you if
you wreck it." Even in churches, people are prone to point out
the imminent dangers and the sad state of affairs in the world,
rather than to encourage one another to live above difficult
circumstances by having confidence in God. How many times
has it been said: "I heard that you have just become a
Christian. Congratulations—now you have an enemy you
never had before"? The fact is now you have an all-powerful,
loving God on your side!

OVERCOMING HELPLESSNESS
People in the world have told us what they think success is;
yet no one can ever live up to that definition. Thankfully, God
is not interested in the worldly version of success; rather, God
focuses on our faithfulness. This next story illustrates our
point.

One night a man was asleep in his cabin when he was suddenly
awakened by the appearance of the Savior. His room was filled
with light. The Lord said, have work for you to do." He showed
the man a large rock, and told him to push against that rock
with all his might. This the man did, and for many days he
toiled from sunup to sundown, with his shoulder set squarely
against the cold, massive surface of the rock, pushing with all
his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and
worn out, wondering if his whole day had been spent in vain.
Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement,
Satan decided to enter the picture. He placed thoughts in the
man's mind, such as, "Why kill yourself over this project?
You're never going to move that rock." Or "Boy! You've been
at it a long time and you haven't even scratched the surface,"
etc., etc. The man began to get the impression that the task was
impossible and that he was an unworthy servant because he
wasn't able to move the massive stone.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened him and he
started to ease up on his efforts. "Why kill myself?" he
thought. "I'll just put in my time, expending a minimum amount
of effort and that will be good enough." And that he did, or at
least planned on doing, until one day he decided to take his
troubles to the Lord.
"Lord," he said, "I have labored hard and long in Your service,
putting forth all my strength to do that which You have asked
me. Yet, after all this time, I have not even nudged that rock
half a millimeter. What is wrong? Am I failing You?"
"My son," the Lord answered, "when long ago I asked you to
serve Me and you accepted, I told you to push against the
rock with all your strength. That you have done. But never
once did I mention that I expected you to move it, at least not
by yourself! Your task was to push!
"Now you come to Me all discouraged, thinking that you have
failed and ready to quit. But is that really so? Look at yourself.
Your arms are strong and muscled; your back sinewed and
brown. Your hands are calloused and your legs have become
massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much
and your ability now far surpasses that which you used to
have.
"Yet, you haven't succeeded in moving the rock; and you come
to Me now with a heavy heart and your strength spent. I, My
son, will move the rock. Your calling was to be obedient and to
push, and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. And
this you have done."

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but

what are those "things"? In other words, what is God's will for
our lives? Paul clearly tells us, "This is the will of God, your
sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3). This means that we are to
conform to the image of God, and this we can do only by His
grace. We do not have any power to change ourselves; that
also must come from Him. Allowing ourselves to be influenced
by the world, the flesh and the devil will interrupt the
sanctifying process.
We will also interfere with the process when trying to change
the world becomes our primary focus. On the other hand, if our
goal is to become the person God created us to be, no other
person or thing on Earth can prevent that from happening. Not
even Satan can stop us.
For example, how should we respond when the government
turns a deaf ear to the Church or when other people show
contempt for the Lord? Is it our job to take on the government
or try to change those who are blasphemous? Those who try
will only become angry controllers or very depressed. We are
called by God to submit to governing authorities and pray for
them (see Rom. 13:1-6; 1 Tim. 2:1-2). We are also to accept one
another as Christ has accepted us (see Rom. 15:7). That does
not mean we approve of sin or allow others to determine who
we are. All Christians must learn how to establish scriptural
boundaries to protect themselves from further abuse.

THE CAN-DO SPIRIT

It is a sin to take away another person's courage when they can
do all things through Christ who strengthens them (see Phil.
4:13). Anyone who sows the seeds of helplessness and
discouragement will reap the harvest of depression. On the
other hand, anyone who sows encouragement will reap a rich
spiritual harvest.
Christians have been somewhat reluctant to buy into what is
called the "power of positive thinking." And some of the
arguments against it are good ones. However, we cannot
ignore the affect the mind has on our lives. Thinking is a
function of the mind and it cannot exceed the mind's inputs and
attributes. Any attempt to push the mind beyond its limitations
will only result in moving from the world of reality to the world
of fantasy.
However, what people can do when they believe in themselves
is impressive. Most of humankind live far below their potential.
It is estimated that most people use only 5 percent of their
brain capacity.

The Sky Is Not the Limit

Some people in the 1950s were saying humankind would never
reach the moon. But when Russia launched Sputnik, the United
States rose to the challenge. Within a few years, the United
States had not only surpassed the Russians, but also Neil
Armstrong had actually set foot on the moon. His achievement
inspired a lot of confidence in what humans could do if they
only believed they could.
About the time the Apollo space program was shutting down,
a new program was envisioned. Originally it was called Shuttle
Bus. The idea was to create a reentry rocket or capsule that
could be used again and again. When the government issued
proposals and requested bids from aerospace companies, the
technology to build such a craft did not exist. But flushed with
the success of the Apollo program, supporters actually
believed it could be done, given enough time and money.
Today, launching a space shuttle is so commonplace that the
public barely notices.
There seems to be no limit to what humans can do. Endowed
by the Creator with incredible mental and physical powers, we
have launched satellites that make global communication
routine. We have learned how to transplant hearts, kidneys,
livers and other organs, allowing people to live far longer than
ever before. Some people have climbed the highest peaks,
descended to the lowest depths of the ocean and probed outer
space, going where no man has ever gone before. Others keep
adding inches or chopping seconds off world records that were
deemed impossible to break decades ago.

Yet There Are Limits

Even with all of the impressive accomplishments, there is a limit
to what finite humans can do. We still have not solved the
problems of poverty, war, crime or corruption. In spite of all our
accomplishments, faith in science as the hope for humanity has
actually diminished in this postmodern era.
People, nonetheless, still try to come up with their own
answers. Enter the New Age. Out with humanism, in with
spiritism. "Of course, people as finite creatures are limited,"
some people will say. "But what if we are really gods and only
need to become aware of our divine nature? There would be no
limit to what we could do. We wouldn't need a Savior; we
would only need to be enlightened. We could create reality
with our own minds. If we believed hard enough, it would
become true."
This kind of thinking is nothing more than old-fashioned
occultism dressed up in New Age clothing. It seems that when
mediums are called channelers and they speak of spirit guides
instead of demons, a naive public will buy it! We have come a
long way yet returned to the beginning—all the way back to
the Garden of Eden, where Satan whispered the ultimate lie:
"For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will
be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil"
(Gen. 3:5, emphasis added).
To have knowledge of good and evil implied to Adam and Eve
that they could be the origin or determiner of what is good or
evil, and what is true or untrue. When they ate the fruit of the
forbidden tree, they were in essence saying, "We reject God as
the One who determines what is right and wrong. We will
determine for ourselves what is good for us and what is true."
They played right into the hands of the devil, who is the
deceiver and the father of lies.
In a distorted way, Satan was right. Adam and Eve acted like
gods in determining for themselves what is true and what is
right. But what they determined was not right, and rather than
embrace the truth that would preserve their lives and freedom,
they believed a lie that led to death and bondage to sin.
Today Satan is up to his same old tricks, and they are
dangerous because they are built on this half-truth. We are not
gods, and we do not create reality with our minds. Believing
something does not make it true, no matter how hard we try.
God is the ultimate reality. He is the truth, which means that
what He says is true. It is for that reason we believe it. Both the
humanist and the spiritist are playing god and are creating
disastrous results.

The Power of Believing the Truth

We are created in the image of God. We are not helpless,
because, by the grace of God, we can respond in a responsible
way to the reality of this world. We have access to a greater
power than human potential: the power of believing the truth. If
we knew the truth as revealed in God's Word and chose to
believe it, the Word would set us free from artificial limitations.
We would rarely, if ever, feel discouraged or helpless.
If men can accomplish what they have while exalting
themselves as the object of their own faith, imagine what they
could accomplish if the object of their faith was God! Jesus
said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible" (Matt. 19:26).
We do not determine what is included in "all things." We
cannot decide for ourselves all that we can do or what is true
by twisting this verse to say "I believe it, so I can do it." That
would be playing god. Every believer has to assume
responsibility for being "transformed by the renewing of your
mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will
is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Rom. 12:2, NIV).
The real issue is: Do you believe that God's will is good,
pleasing and perfect for you? When we were dead in our
trespasses and sins, we lacked the presence of God in our
lives. In such a state we wanted and needed much more than
we had, but we were unable to obtain it on our own. Without
the knowledge of God's ways, we developed a "learned
helplessness."

Applying "I Can" Thoughts Practically

Paul wrote to the Romans:
 Jesus defeated the devil and made us brand-new creations
Himself. He set us free from our pasts. We have to destroy
those old strongholds that say "I can't," and replace them with
the truth that "we can" in Christ.

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so,
but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because
God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we
were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:2-6,
NIV).

Jesus defeated the devil and made us brand-new creations in

Himself. He set us free from our pasts. We have to destroy
those old strongholds that say "I can't" and replace them with
the truth that "we can" in Christ.
The human tendency is to say "This home is hopeless" and
then think the solution is to try to change our home by running
away. The same holds true for any depressing situation. The
answer is neither to try to change the situation nor to let the
situation determine who you are. The answer is to work with
God in the process of changing yourself
According to Paul, our hope does not lie in avoiding the trials
and tribulations of life, because they are inevitable. Our hope
lies in persevering through those trials and becoming more like
Christ. The hope that comes from proven character will never
disappoint us. Only through proven character will we
positively influence the world.
Phil Callaway in his book Who Put the Skunk in the Trunk?
illustrates this point:

I'm learning that some of the most successful people I know

didn't have a clue what the future held on graduation day.
I'm learning that a good sense of humor is money in the bank.
In life. On the job. In a marriage.
I'm learning that a good attitude can control situations you
can't. That any bad experience can be a good one. It all
depends on me.
I'm learning that you can do something in an instant, that will
give you heartache for life.
I'm learning that bitterness and gossip accomplish nothing, but
forgiveness and love accomplish everything.
I'm learning that it takes years to build trust, and seconds to
destroy it.
I'm learning that if I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, the best
way forward is to back up. You don't fail when you lose, you
fail when you quit.
I'm learning that too many people spend a lifetime stealing time
from those who love them the most, trying to please the ones
who care about them the least.
I'm learning that money is a lousy way of keeping score. That
true success is not measured in cars, or homes or bank
accounts, but in relationships. Put God first. The others will
follow.
I'm learning that having enough money isn't nearly as much fun
as I thought it would be when I didn't have any. That money
buys less than you think. A house but not a home. Vacations
but not peace. Sex but not love.
I'm learning that helping others is far more rewarding than
helping myself. That those who laugh more worry less. That
when I grow up I wanna be a kid.
I'm learning that you cannot make anyone love you. But you
can work on being lovable.
I'm learning that I will never regret a moment spent reading the
Bible or praying. Or a kind word. Or a day at the beach.
I'm learning that laughter and tears are nothing to be ashamed
of. To celebrate the good things. And pray about the bad.
And I'm learning that the most important thing in the world is
loving God. That everything good comes from that.2

TWENTY CANS OF SUCCESS

Someone once said that success comes in "cans," and failure
comes in "cannots." Here are 20 cans of success you would do
well to read for the next 40 days and memorize:

1. Why should I say I can't when the Bible says I can do

all things through Christ who gives me strength (Phil.
4:13)?
2. Why should I worry about my needs when I know that
God will take care of all my needs according to His
riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19)?
3. Why should I fear when the Bible says God has not
given me a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound
mind (2 Tim. 1:7)?
4. Why should I lack faith to live for Christ when God has
given me a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3)?
5. Why should I be weak when the Bible says that the
Lord is the strength of my life and that I will display
strength and take action because I know God (Ps. 27:1;
Dan. 11:32)?
6. Why should I allow Satan control over my life when He
that is in me is greater than he that is in the world (1
John 4:4)?
7. Why should I accept defeat when the Bible says that
God always leads me in victory (2 Cor. 2:14)?
8. Why should I lack wisdom when I know that Christ
became wisdom to me from God and that God gives
wisdom to me generously when I ask Him for it (1 Cor.
1:30; Jas. 1:5)?
9. Why should I be depressed when I can recall to mind
 God's loving kindness, compassion and faithfulness,
and have hope (Lam. 3:21-23)?
10. Why should I worry and be upset when I can cast all
my anxieties on Christ, who cares for me (1 Pet. 5:7)?
11. Why should lever be in bondage when I know that
there is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is (Gal.
5:1)?
12. Why should I feel condemned when the Bible says
there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus (Rom. 8:1)?
13. Why should I feel alone when Jesus said He is with me
always and will never leave me nor forsake me (Matt.
28:20; Heb. 13:5)?
14. Why should I feel like I'm cursed or have bad luck when
the Bible says that Christ rescued me from the curse of
the law that I might receive His Spirit by faith (Gal. 3:13-
14)?
15. Why should I be unhappy when I, like Paul, can learn
to be content whatever the circumstances (Phil. 4:11)?
16. Why should I feel worthless when Christ became sin
for me so that I might become the righteousness of God
(2 Cor. 5:21)?
17. Why should I feel helpless in the presence of others
when I know that if God is for me, who can be against
me (Rom. 8:31)?
18. Why should I be confused when God is the author of
peace and He gives me knowledge through His Spirit,
who lives in me (1 Cor. 2:12; 14:33)?
19. Why should I feel like a failure when I am more than a
 conqueror through Christ who loved me (Rom. 8:37)?
20. Why should I let the pressures of life bother me when I
can take courage knowing that Jesus has overcome the
world and its problems (John 16:33)?

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

1 Samuel 17

Reflect:

1. Although the Bible says we can do all things through Christ

who strengthens us (see Phil. 4:13), why are we sometimes
overwhelmed by the belief that we are unable to affect our
world for Christ? 2. What is learned helplessness and how did
it affect the children of Israel? 3. How have you personally
been affected by learned helplessness? How can we overcome
it? 4. How is biblical trust, or faith, different from the power of
positive thinking? 5. What are some of the dangers of the New
Age power of positive thinking system?

Respond:

Dear Lord, why should I say I can't when the Bible says I can
do all things through Christ who gives me strength (see Phil.
4:13)? Lord, I know that I have been conditioned by the
world and developed many patterns of hopeless thinking. I
turn from this hopelessness now and turn to You, the God of
 hope, and choose now to believe that I can in fact do all the
things You have for me to do. I know that without You I can
do nothing, but with You, Lord, all things that are in line with
You and Your will are possible for me. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.

Notes

1. Alice Gray, comp., Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart

(Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2000), pp. 164-165.
2. Phil Callaway, Who Put a Skunk in the Trunk? (Sisters,
OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1999), n.p.
3. Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park, Stomping Out the
Darkness (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1993), pp. 103-
104.
CHAPTER TEN
SURVIVING THE DARKNESS-DEALING
WITH LOSS
Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the
morning

PSALM 30:5

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what

he cannot lose.

JIM ELLIOT, JOURNAL ENTRY, OCTOBER 28, 1949

Fourteen-year-old Greg and fifteen-year-olds Jonathan and

Todd squeezed into the back seat of the tiny compact car.
Marcus climbed into the front seat, and Matt who had obtained
his driver's license two weeks earlier, slid behind the steering
wheel. The quintet of classmates and teammates headed to a
surprise birthday party for a friend. Matt steered the car out of
the little town where they all lived and onto the county road
heading west. The road soon turned northwest, and the car
topped sixty-five miles per hour. Suddenly the right tire went
off the side of the road onto the uneven shoulder; Matt swung
the steering wheel sharply to the left. The car immediately went
into a slide that carried it across the road, where it slammed into
a utility pole and rolled over on its top, crumpling the roof.
At some point, the boys in the front were thrown free of the car
and received relatively minor injuries; Jonathan, Todd and
Greg, who were pushed tightly against the rear of the car as it
spun off the road, were crushed as the roof crumpled beneath
the weight of the car. All three died before help arrived.
The school and community reeled from the news. The three
victims, all A or B students, were well liked. Their families were
highly involved in school and community events. Their friends,
classmates, teachers and coaches sobbed in each other's arms
in the school hallways on the Monday morning following the
accident. Some walked the halls in a daze. Others became
physically sick.
The school administration arranged for counselors to be
present all day Monday and Tuesday, and students were not
required to go to classes; they were permitted to linger in the
cafeteria, talking to counselors and friends, for as long as they
needed. The school's compassionate response was appreciated
by the friends and family of the boys, but the grief felt by so
many was nonetheless overwhelming.
"We're a very tight-knit community," the high school principal
told the local newspaper, "and it's going to take us all a very
long time to completely heal." 1

THE RESPONSE OF SADNESS

The melancholy at the school that followed the loss of the
three boys is called reactive depression. This emotional
response to any crisis of life is the most common form of
depression. But the crisis itself does not cause the depression.
Our mental perception of external events, based on what we
believe and the way our minds have been programmed, is what
determines how we feel and react.
People typically go through a very predictable cycle when they
experience a crisis, as depicted in the following diagram:

CRISIS REACTION CYCLE

 Most of us settle into a lifestyle we assume will continue
indefinitely or will, hopefully, improve. We make plans for the
weekend and summer vacations, counting on life to go on as
scheduled. We schedule daily events with the hope that we
will still be alive, our health will be fine and all of the conditions
necessary for life to go on as it has will be favorable.
Some people take a fatalistic approach to tomorrow. They say
with Solomon, when he limited his view to things under the
sun, "That which has been is that which will be. ... So, there is
nothing new under the sun" (Eccles. 1:9). Such people make no
realistic plans, and consequently they end up having no
meaningful future.
Others, even Christians, presume upon the future. James has
some sobering advice for anyone who does that:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to

this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and
make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen
tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a
little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it
is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you
boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who
knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins (Jas.
4:13-17, NIV?).
The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot
keep us.

The good, which we ought to do, is the Lord's will; therefore,

we must choose to live responsible lives, one day at a time.
The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot
keep us.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us not to worry about
tomorrow. If God takes care of the lilies of the fields and the
birds of the air, will He not much more provide for us? (see
Matt. 6:26-30). Because our heavenly Father knows our needs,
we must "seek first His kingdom and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added to [us]. Therefore do not be
anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day
has enough trouble of its own" (Matt. 6:33-34).
This does not mean that we should make no plans for
tomorrow. We have to have some foresight to live responsibly.
However, the primary purpose for setting goals and making
plans for the future is to give us meaningful direction for our
lives today. Because we do not have control over many
circumstances that can totally disrupt those plans, we need to
say, "Lord willing, tomorrow we will do [fill in the blank], and
regardless of what tomorrow holds, we will trust Him." This
requires us to mentally and emotionally prepare for
impermanence.

BE PREPARED FOR CHANGE

In five years, nothing will be as it is now. There is no
permanence—there is only change. The Lord tried to prepare
His disciples for this reality when He told them three times
"that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected
by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, be killed,
and after three days rise again. And He was stating the matter
plainly" (Mark 8:3 1-32).
The disciples' first response was denial. Peter actually rebuked
the Lord (see Mark 8:32). When He told them a second time
what was going to happen to Him, they did not understand
what He meant and were afraid to ask (see Mark 9:32). They did
not want to talk about it.
Finally, as Jesus and His fearful disciples approached
Jerusalem, He told them a third time what was going to happen
(see Mark 10:32-34). His purpose for telling them in advance
was to teach them the principle that the Messiah must die to
purchase salvation for humankind and to give them hope when
they faced persecution. He wanted to assure them that even
though He would be killed, He would rise again.
Hope does not lie in the possibility of permanence or in
avoiding trials and tribulations. Hope lies in the proven
character that comes from persevering through them. Neither
does our hope lie in the eternal preservation of our physical
bodies. Our hope lies in the Resurrection.
To survive the crises of life, we must have an eternal
perspective. Without such a perspective, we cannot see the
hope of summer during the emotional winters of our soul. The
"deceptive present" masks the possibility of any hope for
tomorrow. The psalmist's statement "Precious in the sight of
the LORD is the death of His godly ones" (Ps. 116:15) does not
make sense from a time-bound perspective. But it makes
complete sense from an eternal perspective.

STAGES OF GRIEF
Grief and reactive depression can arise from any crisis that
interferes with our plans. It could be the loss of a job, a health
problem (our own or a loved one's) or the end of our dreams.
Such losses sow the seeds of depression when we fail to see
that our times are in His hands. Let us take a look at the first
three stages of grief as diagrammed in the preceding chart—the
phases teenagers often go through on the way to the depths of
depression.

Denial: No, Not Me!

The first response is often denial, a refusal to accept the crisis
or the loss. Some people may find it too painful to face the
truth. They consciously or subconsciously think, This is all a
bad dream or a trick that someone is playing on me. I refuse
to even consider this as real. Or they may consciously choose
to not entertain thoughts that this crisis or loss actually
happened. I'll deal with this tomorrow or maybe next month.
Some people may make many attempts to recover what has
been lost or go on living as though the loss never happened.

Anger: Why Me?

Denial can last for 30 seconds or 30 years. When people finally
face the truth, they feel angry or resentful, because what
happened to them was not fair. They think, Why is this
happening to me? Their anger can be directed toward others,
including God, whom they think caused the crisis. Those who
feel guilty or ashamed direct their anger toward themselves.

Bargaining: Maybe I Can Change It

After the anger has simmered, some people start to bargain.
They reason, Maybe I can change the situation or undo the
events that led up to this crisis. They become depressed when
they discover they cannot do anything to change what has
happened nor can they reverse the consequences. They then
believe the situation is hopeless and that they are helpless to
do anything about it. They tried to undo it all but could not.
Now they are not sure if they can go on living with the present
circumstances. The tragic loss seems too much to bear. It is the
winter of the soul. How can a person in these circumstances
even possibly imagine what summer is like again?
 A TIME TO MOURN
It is natural, normal and certainly not sinful to mourn the loss
of anything that is morally good or even morally neutral.
However, inordinate, destructive or inappropriate grief can lead
to serious depression. It is normal to grieve the loss of a loved
one, but note how Paul would help us guard against
destructive grief over a loved one who has died in the Lord:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about

those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest
who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen
asleep in Jesus(1 Thess. 4:13-14).

We are protected from destructive grief when our hope lies in

the finished work of Christ, not in the things of this world that
we have no right or ability to control. We grieve for that which
we have lost because we have become attached to certain
people, places, ideas and things. The extent of the grief is
determined by the degree of attachment we had, whether
appropriate or not.

IN LOSING, WE WIN
Paul was deeply attached to the Pharisaic traditions and
customs of his people, and he had worked hard to achieve his
status and place in life. For him to give all that up would require
a massive intervention by God.
It came suddenly on the road to Damascus. Paul was struck
down and blinded by the power of God. All his hopes for a
successful future were dashed in a moment. "Why, God?" he
must have asked. "Why did You do this to me? Nobody has
been more zealous for You than I." To make matters worse, his
only hope would come from the Church he had so fervently
persecuted. Reflecting on this later in life, Paul wrote:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have

counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count
all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things,
and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ
(Phil. 3:7-8).

Missionary Jim Elliot wrote in his diary, "He is no fool who

gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."2
There is nothing on Earth that we cannot lose. This is the
central teaching of all four Gospels. "For whoever wishes to
save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake
shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the
whole world, and forfeits his soul?" (Matt. 16:25-26).
The first reference to life in this passage refers to the soul,
which is life that comes from humans. The second reference to
life refers to the spirit, which is life that comes from God. He
who finds his life within himself will eventually lose it. He who
funds his life in God will keep it for all eternity.
In other words, those who find their identity, security and
sense of worth in the natural order of things will lose them. We
cannot take them with us. Whatever name we made for
ourselves, whatever fame we achieved, whatever earthly
position we attained and whatever treasures we were able to
amass—all will be left behind. Attachments to this world
subtract from our attachment to Christ.
On the other hand, nothing can separate us from the love of
God, and we will suffer no debilitating loss that we cannot
endure if we find our life, identity, acceptance, security and
significance in Christ. Destructive, reactive depression
signifies an overattachment to people, places, ideas and things
that we have no right or ability to control. It indicates that we
simply will not let go of something we are going to lose
anyway or have already lost.
In Africa, monkeys are caught using a hollowed-out coconut
shell that has a chained attached to it. The other end of the
chain is tied to a tree or a stake in the ground. Then the hunters
put some favorite monkey food in the hollowed-out shell, The
monkey comes along and puts his fist into the shell to get the
food. But when he makes a fist around the food, he car no
longer take out his hand from the shell, Then the hunter simply
detach the chain from the tree or stake and walk off with the
monkey.
Why doesn't the monkey just let go? Who knows? Why don't
we?

EXPLANATORY STYLES
Difficult times will set up roadblocks on the path to wholeness
and maturity. Some people bounce back quickly, but on hers
struggle for weeks or months, and some never recover. Most
people learn how to accept and grow through all kinds of
childhood mistakes, adolescent embarrassments, young-adult
misunderstandings and adult problems. Some have had more
than their share of bad times. God must have known that they
had broad shoulders—or perhaps He was preparing them for a
special ministry of helping others through their own crises.
Why do some people recover faster than others who face the
same crisis? Does one have greater health or greater support
from others? The major difference in our ability to recover is
found in the way we perceive events that befall us. Our beliefs
about these events, ourselves and God will determine if we
respond in fear, despair or faith.
We interpret trials and tribulations through the grid of our
previous learning experiences. We attempt to explain what
happened and why it happened. How we explain difficult
circumstances and painful events is drawn from our beliefs
about God, ourselves and others and the way we think the
world works.

Permanence: It Will Last Forever

The speed of our recovery is greatly affected by whether we
think the consequences of the crisis will have a short-term or a
long-term effect on us. If we think our problems today will
negatively affect us all our lives, then we will become
pessimistic, believe that the situation is hopeless and
consequently feel depressed.
This kind of thinking is so commonplace that we are hardly
aware of it. Suppose a student thinks, My dad is cranky. He
must be in a bad mood. That is a short-term problem, and it will
have very little lasting effect upon the student. The student
may decide to avoid confrontation until the mood passes. But
if the student thinks, My dad is cranky. He is an irritable
person, the student is viewing the situation as a long-term
problem. His response could vary:

"I'm going to ignore him." That is denial.

"I'm going to try controlling him." That is anger.
"I'm going to try appeasing him." That is bargaining.
"I'm going to try to change him." That will be
depressing!
"I'm going to avoid him." That is resignation.
"I'm going to love him and learn to live with him." That
is acceptance.
"I cannot change what has happened, but by the grace
of God I can change. I can come through this crisis a
better person." That is growth.

There are many crisis events and losses that cannot be

altered, and that will result in our having to live with the
consequences all our lives. Difficult circumstances are
opportunities to adjust our course of life. When a pilot
encounters turbulent air while flying, he may consider going
higher or lower, but stopping is a poor option. Someone once
said, "A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you
fail to make the turn."
Joni Eareckson Tada must have felt that her life had come to
the end of the road when as a young woman she found herself
paralyzed after a swimming accident. In an interview recorded
in June 1993 for a Focus on the Family program, she said, "I
wanted to end my life, and the Frustration I felt at not being
able to do that only intensified my depression. I was so
desperate, I begged one of my friends to help me end it all."
Thank God that she could not, and thank God that He enabled
Joni to make the bend in the road and become a blessing to
millions through her ministry, Joni and Friends.
The Lord said, "For I know the plans that I have for you...
plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a
hope" (Jer. 29:11).
When we are in the darkness of depression, it is easy to
believe the lie that God's favor is only momentary and His
anger will last forever. But the truth is, "His anger is but for a
moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the
night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning" (Ps. 30:5).
Winter is not permanent. Even if we cannot sense the warmth
of summer, we must choose to believe that summer will come.

When we think our crisis is permanent, then we can consider

again the words of Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:19-23 (NIV):

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and

the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within
me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of
the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his
compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is
your faithfulness.
Pervasiveness: It Will Ruin My Whole Life
The grid of pervasiveness refers to the extent to which a crisis
can affect other areas of our lives. For example, this happens
when we think that because we failed in one endeavor, we must
be a total failure, or when we think that our lives are over
because we were turned down or rejected by someone on
whom we based our future.
Remember Jan's story in chapter 1? She went through a painful
breakup with her boyfriend. She mourned the loss of a loved
one with whom she hoped to spend the rest of her life. Would
anyone ever want to marry me? she wondered.

"His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Jan cried incessantly for the first two and a half days—and
on and off after that. She did not want to be around anybody,
and she began skipping school. Jan's explanatory style led her
to think that her family and friends would eventually discover
her to be inadequate, so why should she bother trying? Her
friends called, but she often did not return their calls. When
she did, she was cold and distant. The loss in one area of her
life was projected onto every other area. Consequently, she felt
there was no hope.
Do not let one loss take over other aspects of your life. If you
experience loss, it does not mean you are a loser in life. If you
fail to accomplish one goal, you are not a failure. If you get laid
off at work, it does not necessarily mean you are irresponsible.
The tendency of this kind of thinking is to rest our whole sense
of worth on one relationship, experience, idea or plan. When
plans or relationships do not last or fail to materialize, we
wrongly tag ourselves failures.

Personalization: It's Me! It's All My Fault!

In personalization, the depressed person feels responsible for
another person's anger, for the downsizing of a corporation, for
bad weather, for not knowing the future and for a host of other
uncontrollable circumstances and situations.
Many teens become depressed and think it is their fault when
their parents get divorced. Many perfectionists struggle with
depression, because they have a tendency to blame
themselves for everything that goes wrong. One little crisis
upsets their idealized world and they think, It's my fault. They
become so driven to achieve their self-made goals that they
become super-sensitive to any failure or crisis.
Personalization distorts a person's perception of reality. When
a crisis erupts, some people immediately think, What did I do
now? They may go to their room and obsessively review the
incident, looking for what they did wrong. They live on "if
only":

"If only I had done that, she would never have left me" or "If
only I had studied more when I had a chance, I would have
gotten a better grade."
Much of the identity of such people rides on the successful
outcome of life's pivotal events. That is backward thinking.
Their identity and their future rests on identifying who they are
in Christ and the truth that there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Him (see Rom. 8:1).
Many of these people were wrongly accused in early
childhood, and they have come to believe they have a part to
play in every negative thing that happens. Paul says, "Let no
one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-
abasement" (Col. 2:18).
Others are just victims of the accuser, Satan, who accuses them
day and night. They have never understood the battle for their
minds, nor learned how to take every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ.
Blaming ourselves for every crisis in life and for every slight
imperfection is a sure way to open the door to a failure identity
and to depression. On the other hand, blaming others is a sure
way to become bitter, angry, proud, self-serving and abusive.
Self-exaltation is as bad as self-condemnation. "For through
the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to
think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to
think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to
each a measure of faith" (Rom 12:3). It does not do any good to
blame others, and it does not do any good to blame ourselves.
Neither pride nor false humility is a proper response to the
trials and tribulations of life.

GETTING OUT OF THE RUT

It's my fault that our football team didn't win all of its
games (personalization).
Now I'll never get the scholarship I wanted
(permanence).
I'm a total failure in life (pervasiveness)!

The elements of personalization, permanence and

pervasiveness dominate the way depressed people think. How
can we change these grids that distort our perception of
reality?
If we experience loss in one area, we must avoid expanding that
into a total life crisis. We must keep it specific. If we experience
a crisis today, we cannot allow it to affect us tomorrow. We
must keep short accounts. If the world is disintegrating around
us, we cannot accept the blame unless we really did make the
mistake that caused it all.
If we suffer the consequences of a bad decision, then we must
change what we can, cut our losses and move on. If we have
committed a willful act of sin, then we must own up to it. "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Depression is an intertwining of the body, soul and spirit, all of
which are regulated by what we believe. Jesus said, "You shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
Choosing to believe the truth and living by faith must be in
place for us to live an emotionally healthy and productive life.
The converse is also true. Believing a lie and thinking
unwholesome thoughts will fuel depression and lead to
bondage. You can change what you believe and how you think
— and this change must happen if you are going to be free
from depression.

Changing Wrong Beliefs

The story is told of a frog who was hopping around a pasture.
It had rained the day before, and the soil was very damp. A
truck had driven through the pasture and cut deep ruts in the
ground. Unintentionally, the frog bounced into one of those
ruts and got stuck. He made a halfhearted attempt to hop out
but did not make it. The rut was too deep.
The next day a few of the frog's friends came looking for him,
and they found him stuck in a rut. They encouraged him to try
again to jump out, but the frog said it was hopeless. He was
permanently stuck in a rut and was no longer good for
anything. The frog further thought, It was probably my fault
that it rained the other day. That was just God's way of getting
even with me for not being a better frog. For five straight days
the other frogs came by to encourage the stuck frog, but he
remained in the rut.
On the sixth day, the frog's friends were surprised to see the
frog hopping around the field. They ask how he managed to
get unstuck. "Oh," he said, "a big truck came along and I had
to get out of there!"
Fortunately, we do not have to stay in the rut of accepting
fatalistically any of the three preceding explanatory styles. We
can change these grids:

From: To:
Personal: "I'm the problem" Impersonal: "It's a problem"
Permanent: "Forever" Temporary: "For a season"
Pervasive: "In everything" Specific: "In this one thing"

How do we get unstuck? The first step is to define the crisis

and then put it into perspective. We can never change if we
deny the crisis.

Is the Loss Real or Imaginary?

Analyzing the crisis helps to determine if the perceived loss is
real or only imagined. Many young people have gone all the
way to the bottom of the crisis cycle only to find out that what
they had believed or heard was not true. This can easily
happen in the early stages of diagnosing a physical illness.
One lady was so sure that her husband was going to die from
cancer that before the doctor ever gave a diagnosis, she was
bargaining with God to save his life. It turned out that her
husband did not have cancer at all.
It is possible to go through all the stages of anger, bargaining
and depression when the crisis is only a feared or potential
loss.
We can choose to mentally dwell upon facts or assumptions.
The soul does not need facts to begin to worry. And that
worry easily turns into fear and fear turns into despair. The
emotional result is the same whether the crisis is real or
imagined.
Every real loss that is acknowledged will result in some degree
of mourning. Denying the loss only robs us of the comfort we
need. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall
be comforted" (Matt. 5:4). Christians are real people who bleed
when they are cut and cry when they are hurt. It takes time to
adjust to a loss.

Beware of Excessive Attachment

Excessive grief about any loss can turn into depression. It may
indicate that too much value was placed on one or more
attachments. This requires an honest evaluation of the loss in
light of eternity, and a decision to let go of the past and grab
hold of God. Paul tells us:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been
made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I
press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature
should take such a view of things. And if on some point you
think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let
us live up to what we have already attained (Phil. 3: 12-16, NIV).

Avoid Blame and Guilt

Casting blame or feeling guilty are inappropriate responses to
loss and will only prolong the grieving period. We must accept
the cards that have been dealt to us, realizing that God "causes
His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt. 5:45).

Evaluate What You Have and Who You Are

We are all in the same boat. None of us will make the journey
through life without facing many trials and tribulations. Even if
we lived a perfect life, we would still experience considerable
loss. Therefore, we should never forget: What we have to gain
in Christ is far greater than any loss we will be called to endure.
We do not bargain with God. We humbly submit to Him. And
we pray the serenity prayer:

God, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot

change, The courage to change the things I can, And the
wisdom to know the difference.

Recovery from any crisis is going to call for a deeper

evaluation of who we really are. We may have placed too much
of our identity in the things we do and not enough in who we
are in Christ.
Crises not only help us clarify who we are and why we are here,
but they also create the need for new relationships and the
need to construct a new, godly plan for our lives. These
changes were probably necessary for our growth in the Lord,
but we would never have made those changes if we had not
been forced to do so.
Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, said, "My
depression forced me, at the age of 41, to stop and, for the first
tune, examine my life."3 We can easily get stuck in the same
old ruts until God brings a truck along and we have to move.
Read the words of Hebrews 12:7-11 (NIV):

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For

what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not
disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are
illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all
had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them
for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our
spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as
they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we
may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the
time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by
it.

God wants us to share in His holiness. The purpose of His

discipline is to produce godly character. In addition, we will all
be victimized as the inevitable consequence of living in a fallen
world. Whether we remain victims is our choice. We have the
potential to come through every crisis and become a better
person. When we do, our resultant lifestyle will be higher and
more godly.
Therefore, in the winter of your discouragement, lift up your
eyes to heaven. Recall that your hope is in God and that you
will again experience the warmth of summer and the harvest of
fall.

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Philippians 3:12-16

Reflect:

1. What is the most common form of depression that

young people face?
2. List the typical crisis reaction cycle that we talked
about in this chapter.
3. What are the three explanatory styles that we talked
about in this chapter?
4. Have you experienced a loss or losses in your life? If
so, what explanatory styles did you experience in your
life? Were you able to get out of the rut?

Respond:

Dear Lord, I confess that at times I have not always forgotten

my dark past, what is behind, and strained toward what is
ahead—a new life in Christ. Lord, I want to grab on to my
future and not my past. I want to trust in Christ and not my
bad track record. I choose now to press on toward the goal to
 win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus. I want to walk in freedom and not depression. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Notes

1. Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, Handbook on

Counseling Youth (Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1996),
p. 92.
2. Jim Elliot, "Jim Elliot Quote," from Elliot's journal,
October 28, 1949, Billy Graham Center Archives, May
17, 2001.
http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/faq/20.htm
(accessed August 1, 2001).
3. Buzz Aldrin, "Return To Earth," quoted in Current
Biographic Yearbook, 1993.
CHAPTER ELEVEN

CLIMBING TO THE TOP-

SUFFERING FOR
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you,
which comes upon you for your testing, as though some
strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that
you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that
also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with
exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are
blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 PETER 4:12-14

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our

conscience, but shouts in our pains.

C. S. LEWIS, THE PROBLEM OF PAIN

We live in a fallen world, and life on this planet is not always

fair. We want things to go our way, but they often do not. We
want justice to prevail, but that will not always happen in this
lifetime. God will make all things right in the end, but until then
we will have to live with many injustices. Many Christians
struggle with depression because they have never understood
the role that suffering has in our sanctification and the fact that
suffering is an inevitable consequence of living in a fallen
world. We are tempted to think that Christians should not have
to suffer if we live a righteous life. Early Christians, however,
suffered greatly at the hands of the religious establishment.
One account of suffering for Christ is told about 40 athletes
who gave up everything to follow Christ:

During his reign as emperor of Rome, Nero had powerful young

wrestlers who competed on his behalf. Every day during their
long, arduous workouts and before each tournament, they
would chant in unison, "We wrestle for thee alone, O Nero, to
win for thee the crown." Among these mighty athletes was
Vespasian—a brilliant leader—outstanding in strength and
loyalty.
One winter a message was sent to Nero advising him that forty
of his wrestlers had become Christians, and they no longer
dedicated their power and strength to Nero, but instead to
Christ. Nero summoned Vespasian and told him that all forty of
the wrestlers were to be killed if they did not renounce their
loyalty to Christ. However, rather than kill them outright, the
wrestlers were stripped naked and sent out in the bitter cold to
spend the night on a frozen lake until they froze to death or
renounced their faith.
A group of Roman soldiers built a campfire close to the shore
and huddled around the warmth as they guarded the freezing
wrestlers. Vespasian joined the soldiers in their vigil.
Throughout a frigid night, the wrestlers called out in unison:
"We forty wrestlers for Thee alone, O Christ, to win for Thee
the crown." During the darkest hours when the temperature
dropped the lowest, their voices became weaker and weaker
but still they called out "We forty wrestlers for Thee alone, O
Christ, to win for Thee the crown."
Shortly before dawn, one wrestler lost courage and stumbled
toward the soldiers and the warmth of the fire. Rather than
freeze to death, he would relent. At the edge of the lake you
could still hear the faint voices of the other wrestlers, "We
thirty-nine wrestlers for Thee alone, O Christ…"
As Vespasian heard their pledge, he stripped himself and
walked out on the frozen lake to where the others stood. As
they rose, the soldiers heard Vespasian's strong voice mingled
with the others, "We forty wrestlers for Thee alone, O Christ." 1

In Early Church times, suffering was something every

believer knew was coming his way. Acts 5:41 records this
about some of the early followers of Jesus, after they were
beaten for sharing what they believed: "They went on their
way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had
been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name."
"Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12).
Persecution is not limited to the past. More Christians were
martyred for their faith in 1997 than in any other year in Church
history.
Scripture uses many terms to describe suffering, including
"affliction," "anguish," "distress," "grief," "misery," "pain,"
"tribulation" and "chastisement." In addition, various
metaphors depict suffering, such as refining fire (see Isa. 48:10;
1 Pet. 1:6-7), overflowing waters (see Isa. 43:2) and birth pangs
(see John 16:20-22; Rom. 8:18-22).
Although most of us would rather not face the facts, suffering
and anguish are a part of the process of conforming to the
image of God. Many Christian teens are depressed because
they believe they should not have to suffer. However,
suffering plays a critical role in our sanctification. To
understand more about sanctification check, out our books
Sold Out and Higher Ground or the devotionals Real Life and
Righteous Pursuit.

WHY WE SUFFER
Why do Christians have to suffer for the sake of
righteousness? This next story compares a worldview of
suffering with a heavenly perspective and can help us see how
God uses suffering.

A loving mother once saved her little girl from a burning house,
but suffered severe burns on her bands and arms. When the
girl grew up, not knowing how her mother's arms became so
seared, she was ashamed of the scarred, gnarled hands and
always insisted that her mother wear long gloves to cover up
that ugliness.
But one day the daughter asked her mother how her hands
became so scarred. For the first time the mother told her the
story of how she had saved her life with those hands. The
daughter wept tears of gratitude and said, "Oh Mother, those
are beautiful hands, the most beautiful in the world, Don't ever
hide them again." 2

The blood of Christ may seem to be a grim and repulsive

subject to people who do not realize its true significance, but to
those who have accepted His redemption and have been set
free from slavery of sin, the blood of Christ is precious. "He is
so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the
blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven" (Eph. 1:7, NLT).
That girl will never question her mother's love for her, and we
never have to question Jesus' love for us. Christ's suffering
and sacrifice on the cross demonstrate just how much He loves
us. Suffering at times produces terrible scars, but sometimes
nothing can better communicate love. We will share in the
glory of Christ only if we "share in his sufferings" (Rom. 8:17,
NIV). "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12).
"For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so
also our comfort is abundant through Christ5 (2 Cor. 1:5).
Much of the suffering believer's experience is related to living
for Christ in a hostile world. Trials are destined to come "in
spreading the gospel of Christ" (1 Thess. 3:2, NIV). The Word
further declares, "We must go through many hardships to
enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22, NIV).
Suffering will also come as the consequence of our own sin
and as correction from our heavenly Father. David felt the
heavy hand of God in the form of physical and mental suffering
as a result of his sin (see Ps. 32:3-5). Even apart from sin, our
heavenly Father will discipline us so that we can share in His
holiness.
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but
sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11).

Finally, suffering comes simply from our human frailty—we

are part of a fallen world. The decaying of the outer man and
the accompanying afflictions are part of our normal existence in
the present life which is "subject to a thousand troubles and
under sentence of death."

THE VALUE OF SUFFERING

Physical pain is a necessary warning signal. Even a lack of
proper bodily nourishment causes pain. Suffering in the
Christian life can be a sign of sickness, warning us that further
problems are coming unless something is changed. Suffering
may be God's way of trying to motivate us to change.
Sometimes it takes great suffering to get our attention. As
someone has said, "Small trials often make us beside ourselves,
but great trials bring us again back to ourselves." Such was the
case of the prodigal son. It was only after his food ran out and
he said, "I am dying here with hunger" that he "came to his
senses," repented and returned to his father (see Luke 15:17-
20).

Suffering Builds Character

The trials of life do not break us—they only reveal who we are.
The fact that suffering can build character is very clear in the
Bible. Our earthly fathers discipline us for a little while, as they
think best. However, God disciplines us for our own good, that
we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at
the time it is given—just painful. Later, however, it produces a
harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been
trained by it (see Heb. 12:10-11).

Suffering Draws Us to God

Our love of God is often tainted with our love of the good
things He gives us. Suffering strips away any pretense from
our relationship with God. It weans us from all that is not of
God, that we might learn to love Him for who He is, rather than
fo r what He gives. Augustine said, "God wants to give us
something, but cannot, because our hands are full—there's
nowhere for Him to put it." Suffering empties our hands so that
God can give us Himself, the true treasure of life.

Through Suffering We Understand God and His Work

We live in a world of conflict. Biblical history reveals a battle
between good and evil that has brought much suffering. Even
God shares in this suffering because of what sin has done to
His creation. As the prophet reveals, God also suffers in the
suffering of His people: "In all their affliction He was afflicted"
(Isa. 63:9). This reality of evil and the true nature of God's love
for us would not be known except through the experience of
suffering.
Our suffering in depression can be an opportunity to tell other
people about God's sustaining grace and thus be used to draw
them to God. Doctors and nurses are far more impressed with
godly patients who hold up well under suffering and face death
without fear, than with begging, pleading Christians who have
no sense of their immortality.

In His infinite wisdom and love He allows suffering to come

our way for
His ultimate glory

No matter what the source of our suffering, whether directly

from God's discipline, from the hand of another person or
simply from the evil that is part of the fallen world, it is all under
the control of God. In His infinite wisdom and love He allows
suffering to come our way for His ultimate glory, our growth in
character and our witness in this world.

ONLY WHAT TOU CAN BEAR

All of God's reasons for our sufferings may never be fully
known in our lifetime. But we can be assured that God always
limits the suffering He allows for each of us. Just as He clearly
set limits on the suffering Satan could bring on Job, so He does
for each of us. Some, such as Job and Paul, obviously had
broader shoulders upon which God allowed more suffering to
rest for righteousness' sake.
With suffering always comes the temptation to respond with
the sin of unbelief; either in despondency that says "God has
forsaken me and there is no hope" or in the anger of rebellion
that says "I hate you, God, for letting this happen, so forget
You. I'm going to go my own way from now on." Satan has
scored another victory when the victim believes such lies and
walks away from his only source of hope.
Our heavenly Father assures us He will not allow any suffering
that we cannot bear:

No temptation [testing or trial] has seized you except what is

common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear [or beyond your strength].
But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so
that you can [or have the strength to] stand up under it (1 Cor.
10:13, NIV).
The will of God will never take us where the grace of God will
not sustain us.

This promise affirms that God places a limit on our suffering.

He knows our strengths and weaknesses in every area of our
lives—physically, emotionally and spiritually. He will not allow
any suffering on any occasion that we cannot handle with His
grace. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God
will not sustain us.

GOD'S PROVISIONS IN SUFFERING

It is clear by the reference to standing up under suffering that
the way out that God provides does not mean an immediate
end of suffering. The Bible does not promise that God will keep
us from all suffering or even remove it quickly; rather, it
assures us that He will supply certain provisions, so we can
stand strong under the pressure. Trusting in God's faithfulness
and promise of a way out is what makes it possible to endure
suffering.

Grace and Comfort

God promises to provide the grace and comfort necessary for
us to faithfully endure suffering. The psalmist does not say,
"Cast your cares on the Lord and go free from care," but rather,
"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you"
(Ps.55:22, NIV, emphasis added). Similarly, we are not told that
the causes of our anxieties will be removed but that in their
midst we can experience the peace of God (see Phil. 4:6-7).
During his imprisonment and trial, Paul testified that "the Lord
stood with me, and strengthened me" (2 Tim. 4:17). Not only
God's strength but also His comfort is available. He is the
"Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in
all our affliction" (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

Joy in Suffering
James wrote, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you
encounter various trials" (Jas 1:2). But the idea of joy as a
result of trials and suffering is not unique to this verse. Paul
exhorted, "We also rejoice in our sufferings" (Rom. 5:3, NIV).
Similarly, Peter said: "Rejoice that you participate in the
sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his
glory is revealed" (1 Pet. 4:13, NIV).
Each of these passages shares part of Jesus' pronouncement,
in the Sermon on the Mount, of a state of blessedness (being
fortunate, happy or divinely privileged) on the poor, the
mourning, the hungry and the persecuted (see Matt. 5:3-4, 6,
10-12).
These references to joy or blessedness, in trials and suffering
are not for the suffering but for the outcomes. Finding joy in
painful trials is possible because we know that "the testing of
your faith produces endurance" (Jas. 1:3) and that we are to
"let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect
[or mature] and complete, lacking in nothing" (Jas. 1:4; see also
Rom. 5:3). In the word picture drawn by Peter, trials produce a
genuine faith just as a refiner's fire produces gold (see 1 Pet.
1:6-7).

Hope and Assurance

In order to find joy in the midst of trials and suffering, we must
have hope. Joy is present because we anticipate future glory.
The right attitude in suffering is therefore to focus on hope.
Remember that biblical hope is not wishful thinking but the
present assurance of some future good. We do live in a vale of
tears, but this is not the end. There is a new day coming for the
Christian, a day that is described as fullness of joy where there
will be "no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the
old order of things [with its trials and suffering] has passed
away" (Rev. 2 1:4, NIV).
The suffering itself helps to build up this view of hope that is
so critical for overcoming depression. There is a grand circle in
the thinking of Paul in Romans 5 in which hope stands at both
ends and tribulation sits in the middle. We "rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2, NIV) and we glory in our
sufferings because we know that they lead to a sanctifying
process that ends in hope. "Suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Rom. 5:3-4,
NIV).
Hope not only undergirds our steadfastness in trials and
produces joy, but it is also strengthened by such trials. We can
accept the sufferings that come our way if we understand their
purpose and if we have the hope that God will make things
right in the end.

THE PERCEPTION OF GOD'S ABSENCE

What if you could not sense God's presence? What would you
do if you were faithfully following God when suddenly your
whole life went down the drain? That was the case with Job.
Job was enjoying the benefits of living righteously when one
day they were all taken away. His health, wealth and family
were all gone! Your mind would spin with questions. What did
I do to deserve this? Did I miss a turn in the road? Is this what
I get for living a righteous life? Where is God? God, why are
you doing this to me? Like Job, you would be tempted to curse
the day you were born.
It is a marvelous life when we sense the presence of God, live
victoriously over sin and know the truth that sets us free.
Thank God for the mountaintop experiences when the
circumstances of life are favorable. But are they always?
Something like Job's experience of being stripped of all
awareness of God's blessings has happened twice to me (Neil)
and my family. Both times preceded significant changes in my
ministry. If it was not for the message given in Isaiah 50, I am
not sure we would have survived those trials:

Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of
His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him
trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all
you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with firebrands,
walk in the light of your fire and among the brands you have
set ablaze. This you will have from My hand; and you will lie
down in torment (vv. 10-11).

Isaiah is referring to a believer when he asks, "Who is among

you that fears the LORD?" He is addressing someone who
obeys God and yet walks in darkness. Isaiah is not concerned
here about the darkness of sin nor the darkness of this world.
He's zeroed in on the darkness of uncertainty, a blanket of
heaviness that hovers like a dark cloud over our very being.
This darkness comes when the assurance of yesterday has
been replaced by the uncertainties of tomorrow and when God
has suspended His tangible blessings.
In such a state, even attending church may be a dismal
experience. Friends seem more like a bother than a blessing.
Could this happen to a true believer? What is the purpose for
such a dark time? What is a person to do during these times?

Walk in the Light of Previous Revelation

First, the passage in Job informs us that we are to keep on
walking. In the light we can see the next step. We know the
difference between a friend and an enemy, and we can see
where the obstacles are. The Word is a lamp unto our feet. It
provides direction for our steps. In our anguish we may begin
to wonder if this is true. Darkness has overcome us. We are
embarrassed by how much we rely on feelings rather than light.
Every natural instinct tells us to drop out, sit down, stop! But
the Scripture encourages us to keep living by faith, according
to what we know is true.
The Bible gives us the only infallible rules of faith and
knowledge of God, but we learn to live by faith in the arena of
life. This is especially true when circumstances are not working
in our favor. The Lord has a way of stretching us through a
knothole, and just before we are about to break in half,
suddenly we slip through to the other side. But we will never
go back to the same shape we were in before.

Do Not Create Your Own Light

The second lesson to learn from Isaiah is this: Do not light
your own fire. In other words, do not create your own light.
The natural tendency, when we do not see things God's way, is
to proceed in our way. Notice the text again: "Behold, all you
who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with firebrands, walk
in the light of your fire" (Isa, 50:11). God is not talking about
the fire of judgment; He is talking about fire that creates light.
Notice what happens when people create their own light: "This
you will have from My hand; and you will lie down in torment."
Essentially, God is saying, "Go ahead: Do it your way. I'll allow
it, but misery will follow."
Let us use an illustration from the Bible. God called Abraham
out of Ur into the Promised Land. In Genesis 12, a covenant
was made in which God promised Abraham that his
descendants would be more numerous than the sands of the
sea or the stars in the sky.
Abraham lived his life in the light of that promise and then God
turned out the light. So many years passed that his wife, Sarah,
could no longer bear a child by natural means. God's guidance
had been so clear, but now it looked as though Abraham would
have to assist God in its fulfillment.
Who could blame Abraham for creating his own light? Sarah
supplied the match by offering her handmaiden to Abraham.
Out of that union came another nation that has created so
much conflict that the whole world now lies in torment. Jew and
Arab have not been able to dwell together peacefully to this
day. This all happened because Abraham tried to provide his
own light.
God superintended the birth of Moses and provided for his
preservation. Raised in the home of Pharaoh, he was given the
second most prominent position in Egypt. But God had put
into Moses' heart a burden to set his people free. Impulsively,
Moses pulled out his sword, attempting to help God. He killed
an Egyptian taskmaster, and God turned out the light.
Abandoned to the back side of the desert, Moses spent 40
years tending his father-in-law's sheep. Then one day, he
turned and saw a burning bush that was not consumed—God
had turned the light back on.
We are not suggesting that we may have to wait 40 years for
the cloud to lift. In our life span, that would be more time than
an average person's faith could endure. But the darkness may
last for weeks, months and, possibly, for some exceptional
people, even years. God is in charge, and He knows exactly
how small a knothole He can pull each one of us through. We
must only remember "the One forming light and creating
darkness, causing wellbeing and creating calamity; I am the
LORD who does all these" (Isa. 45:7).

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Isaiah 50:10-11

Reflect:

1. How does suffering play a role in our sanctification, our

becoming more like Christ?
2. Is suffering inevitable or can it be avoided?
3. Why do you believe some people mistakenly think that
Christians should not have to suffer if they live a
righteous life?
4. How does hope in the Lord relate to the times we go
through suffering when we cannot sense the Lord's
presence?

Respond:

Dear Lord, You made it clear that no temptation, testing, trial

or suffering can overcome me. God, You are faithful; I know
that You will not let me to be tempted or suffer beyond what I
can bear. I know that You will always provide a way out for
me so that I can stand up under any burden (1 Cor. 10:13,
 NIV). Lord, thank You for Your great strength and love. At
times I don't feel it, but I know it's there, and I know You are
there. So I choose to hold on to You ad the hope that I have in
You, knowing that Your great love will carry me through. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Notes

1. Alice Gray, comp., Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart

(Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2000), pp. 188-189.
2. Billy Graham, Unto the Hills (Nashville, TN: Word
Publishing, 1996), n.p.
CHAPTER TWELVE

BACK FROM THE EDGE—A

C0MMTTMENT TO FREEDOM
FROM DEPRESSION
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.

ROMANS 8:38-39

Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that

has crushed it.

MARK TWAIN

The apostle John records the story of a man who had been
lame for 38 years. The Lord singled him out at the pool of
Bethesda, where many other blind, lame and paralyzed people
gathered.
The people who were there believed that an angel would
occasionally stir the waters and that anybody who was in the
pool at the time would be healed. But this poor man could
never get to the pool before the waters stopped stirring.
"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been
in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to
get well?"(John 5:6, NIV).
That is either the cruelest question in the New Testament or
one of the most profound. Obviously, it is the latter because
Jesus asked it.
The lame man answered:

"I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is
stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down
ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your
mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his
mat and walked (John 5:7-9, NIV).

The context suggests that the man probably did not want to
get well. He never asked Jesus to be healed, and he had an
excuse as to why others could get to the pool and he could
not. Later, Jesus found him in the Temple and said to him, "See,
you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may
happen to you" (John 5:14, NIV). Then the man actually went
and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well,
turning Him in for healing him on the Sabbath!
When applying this incident to the problem of depression,
there are nine commitments to be made if you can answer yes
to Jesus' question "Do you want to get well?"

COMMIT YOURSELF TO COMPLETE

RECOVERY
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit
within me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain
me with a willing spirit (Ps. 51:10, 12).

Do you want to get well as much as this psalm indicates King

David did? Are you willing to humble yourself and seek the
help you need from God and others? Are you willing to face
the truth and walk in the light? Do you want a partial answer or
the whole solution?
We ask these tough questions for your sake. More than 50
percent of the people who struggle with depression never ask
for help or seek treatment. There are adequate answers for
depression, but you have to want it more than anything and be
willing to do whatever it takes to be free.
The key to any cure is commitment. We are not offering a
Band-Aid. a quick fix or a partial answer. We believe that if you
will follow the procedure in this chapter in the order in which it
comes, you will have a comprehensive and adequate answer
for your depression.
 Recovery begins by saying "I have a problem and I need help.

Recovery begins by saying "I have a problem and I need

help." Your diligence in reading to this point demonstrates a
commitment to seek the help you need to gain total victory. We
have a God of all hope. He is "our refuge and strength, an ever-
present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1, NIV). The story of the lame
man reveals that God is fully capable of healing someone, even
against his will and regardless of his faith. Our heavenly Father
will be faithful in all that He has said and in all that He is.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes anti
forever" (Heb. 13:8).

COMMIT YOURSELF TO PRAYER

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7,
NIV).

We are asking you to pray, not to get tough and try harder.
That kind of advice and attitude could itself lead to burnout
and depression.
Human effort alone will not be an adequate answer. Besides,
adding one more thing to your plate would only contribute to
your crisis, not solve it. Instead, we are encouraging you to
trust God by submitting yourself to Him and His ways and by
seeking a holistic answer through the godly counsel and
assistance of others.
If you have the desire to get well and if you are willing to
assume your responsibility for your own attitudes and actions,
then we believe there is hope for you.
He alone can bind up the brokenhearted and set the captive
free. God can do wonders with a broken heart if you give Him
all the pieces. The world will encourage you to seek every
possible natural explanation and cure before you consider God.
When that is not successful, people will say "There is nothing
more that we can do but pray." Scripture has a different order.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).
The first thing a Christian should do about anything is pray.
May we suggest that you read aloud the prayer at the end of
this chapter in the response section to begin your process of
recovery?
 COMMIT TO AN INTIMATE
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-
30, NIV).

A whole answer will require the presence of God in your life.

Jesus is not just a "higher power"; He is our Lord and Savior
who took upon Himself the form of a man and dwelt among us.
He was tempted in every way and suffered a humiliating and
agonizing death so that we could have access to our heavenly
Father.
Jesus says, "Come. Come to Me." We are being invited into
the very presence of God. We need His presence in our lives
because He is our life. We must do what is recorded in
Hebrews 10:22-25 (NIV):

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of

faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty
conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who
promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up
meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.
 The greatest crisis humankind has ever suffered was when
Adam and Eve lost their relationship with God. The ultimate
answer is to reestablish an intimate relationship with Him who
is our only hope. What Adam and Eve lost was life. Jesus came
to give it back.
We possess that spiritual and eternal life the moment we are
born again. That relationship was established by the blood of
Christ and His resurrection. We need to maintain that relations
hip by living in harmony with our heavenly Father. This may
require resolving certain personal and spiritual conflicts
between ourselves and God.
The Steps to Freedom in Christ (found in Neil's book Finding
Hope Again) is intended to help you resolve these conflicts
through repentance and faith in Mini.
Essentially, the process assists you in submitting to God and
resisting the devil (see Jas. 4:7). This removes the influence of
the enemy in your life and connects you with God in a personal
and powerful way. You will then be able to experience the
peace of God that guards your heart and mind (see Phil. 4:7),
and you will sense the Holy Spirit's bearing witness with your
spirit (see Rom. 8:16). With this understanding and by the
grace of God, you will be able to grasp the remaining issues in
this chapter.
Many people will be able to walk through these Steps to
Freedom without outside help, because Jesus is the Wonderful
Counselor. The likelihood of your gaining freedom will be
greatly increased, however, if you first read Neil and Dave's
books Stomping Out the Darkness and The Bondage Breaker,
Youth Edition.
Before you go through the Steps to Freedom, find a quiet place
where you will not be interrupted and you can be alone with
God. Give yourself three to four hours. You have nothing to
lose by going through this process of submitting to God and
resisting the devil, and you have a lot to gain.
The Steps to Freedom in Christ are nothing more than a fierce
moral inventory intended to help you clean house and make
room for Jesus to reign in His temple. There is one major
caution, however. In our experience, severe cases will require
the assistance of a godly encourager. If you really want to get
well, you will not hesitate to ask a Christ-centered pastor or
counselor for help.

COMMIT YOURSELF
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The
reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be
has not yet been made known. But we know that when he
appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is,
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he
is pure (l John 3:l-3,NIV).

Knowing who God is and who we are in Christ are the two
most essential beliefs that enable us to live a victorious life.
God loves you because He is love. It is His nature to love you.
He could not do anything else.
 God is omnipresent. Therefore, you are never alone, and
He will never leave you nor forsake you.

As we wrote in chapter 5, God is omnipotent. Therefore you

can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (see Phil.
4:13). God is omniscient. Therefore, He knows the thoughts
and intentions of your heart (see Heb. 4:12-13). He knows your
needs and is able to meet every one.
God is omnipresent. Therefore, you are never alone, and He will
never leave you nor forsake you. You have become a partaker
of His divine nature (see 2 Pet. 1:4), because your soul is in
union with Him. That is what it means to be spiritually alive in
Christ. He has defeated the devil, forgiven your sins and given
you eternal life. You are now His child if you have received Him
into your life. "To all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"
(John 1:12, NIV). If the devil wanted to discourage you, all he
would have to do is get you to believe a lie about who God is
and who you are in Christ.
Recall King David's depression, as expressed in Psalm 13:1-2:
"How long, O LORD? Wilt Thou forget me forever? How long
wilt Thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I cake counsel
in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long
will my enemy be exalted over me?"

David is depressed because what he believes about God is

not true, and there goes his hope. An omniscient God could
not forget him even for a moment, much less forever! And who
is David taking counsel with? Himself! There are no answers
there.
The New International Version translates "take counsel with
my soul" as "wrestle with my thoughts." All depressed young
people wrestle with their thoughts. Negative self-talk only fuels
Satan's forces in the battle for the mind. We must take every
thought captive to the obedience of Christ (see 2 Cor. 10:5)
and. then choose to think upon that which is true (see Phil.
4:8).
Notice how David overcomes his depression: "But I trust in
your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will
sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me" (Ps. 13:5-6,
NIV). David overcomes his depression by turning to God, who
loves him, and by recalling to his mind the good that God has
done for him.
Then David chooses to sing to the Lord. The immediate result
of being filled with the Spirit is to give thanks, sing and make
melody in our hearts to the Lord (see Eph. 5:18-20). That is an
act of the will we can all freely exercise. Singing Christian
hymns and choruses helps us refocus our minds.
We strongly suggest that you flood your mind with Christian
songs and choruses and stop listening to dark and destructive
music.
The appendix of this book includes a list of Scripture verses
that affirm who you are in Christ and show how He meets our
need for acceptance, security and significance. The appendix
also includes an Overcomer's Covenant, based on your
position in Christ. When you feel discouraged and depressed,
these will help you refocus your mind on the truth of who you
are in Christ and the position you have in Him.
Recall that this is what Jeremiah did in Lamentations 3:21-24
(NIV):

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the
LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions
never fail. They are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him."

COMMIT YOUR BODY TO GOD

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—
this is your spiritual act of worship (Rom.12:1, NIV).

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not
your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God
with your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20, NIV).

Depression is a multifaceted problem that affects the body,

soul and spirit. Consequently, a comprehensive cure for
depression will require a whole answer. There are many forms
of biological depression, and most can be detected by a
comprehensive medical exam. However, a 10-minute checkup
will not be sufficient nor will a visit to a psychiatrist who only
reads the symptoms to prescribe antidepressant medication.
There is no precise way to measure brain chemistry.
If your depression is truly endogenous (originating within your
body), you need some evidence to validate any medical
treatment. Find a medical doctor or psychiatrist who can
administer the appropriate tests and who understands the
value of good nutrition.
Medical tests for most conditions related to depression are
fairly routine and effective. In addition, each of us should
assume personal responsibility for finding the proper balance
of rest, exercise and diet. To live a healthy life, we must be
health oriented, not illness oriented.
We see the same dynamic in winning the battle for the mind.
The answer is not to renounce all the lies. The answer is to
choose the truth. But if we are not aware that lies exist and if
we ignore what our bodies tell us, then we will likely fall victim
to the father of lies and the disease.
If you sense that you are physically and mentally slipping back
into a depression, do not just give in to it; take charge of your
life by praying as follows:

Dear heavenly Father, I submit myself to You as Your child,

and I declare myself to be totally dependent upon You. I yield
my body to You as a living sacrifice, and I ask You to fill me
with Your Holy Spirit. I renounce the lies of the evil one and I
choose to believe the truth as You have revealed it to us in
Your holy Word. Give me the grace and the wisdom to resist
the devil so that he will flee from me. I now commit myself to
You, including my body as an instrument of righteousness. In
Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.

COMMIT YOURSELF TO THE RENEWING

OF YOUR MIND
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God's will is— his good,
pleasing and perfect will (Rom. 12:2, NIV).

Depression can be related to lifestyle or brought on by some

crisis event. By lifestyle depression we mean a depressive state
that began in early childhood or has existed for many years. It
is possible that lifestyle depression can have hereditary
connections. That possibility is more likely with bipolar than
unipolar depression. In such cases, medication may be required
for complete recovery, but always seek out godly counsel as
well.
It is far more common, however, for the cause of lifestyle
depression to be traceable to early childhood development or
living in an oppressive situation that created or communicated
a sense of hopelessness and helplessness.
Learned helplessness can be unlearned by the renewing of our
minds. Over time, our computer like brains have been
programmed to think negatively about ourselves, our
circumstances and the future. These negative thoughts and
lies have been deeply ingrained. Thousands and thousands of
prior mental rehearsals have added to the feelings we have
right now.
How can we win the battle for our minds? Should we rebuke
every negative thought? No! If we tried, that is all we would be
doing for the rest of our lives. We would be like a person stuck
in the middle of a lake with 12 corks floating around our head
and a little hammer in our hand. All our energy would be
expended trying to keep the corks submerged with the hammer,
while trying to tread water. We should ignore the corks and
swim to shore.
Similarly, we overcome the father of lies by choosing the truth.
You can do that if you have successfully submitted to God and
resisted the devil. If you have not, then you are bopping corks
and treading water.
There is a major difference between winning the spiritual battle
for your mind and the long-term growth process of renewing
your mind. It does not take long to establish your freedom in
Christ, but it will take the rest of your life to renew your mind
and conform to the image of God. Although getting free in
Christ can happen in a relatively short period of time, there is
no such thing as instant maturity.
It does not take long to establish your freedom in Christ, but it
will take the rest of your life to renew your mind and conform
to the image of God.

Changing false beliefs and attitudes is necessary to

overcome depression. The world will put you down, and the
devil will accuse you, but you do not have to believe either
one. You must take every thought captive to the obedience of
Christ. In other words, you have to believe the truth as
revealed in God's Word. You do not overcome the father of lies
by research or by reason but by revelation. To this end, Jesus
petitioned our heavenly Father in His high priestly prayer on
our behalf:

I am coming to you [God] now, but I say these things while I

am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of
my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world
has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I
am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the
world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not
of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth;
your word is truth (John 17:13-17, NIV).

God is not going to remove us from the negativity of this

fallen world, but we are sanctified and protected by the truth of
His Word. Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you,
that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have
tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John
16:33).
Renewing our minds with truth is fairly easy, but this renewal
will not continue if we do not actively work to sustain it. David
said in Psalm 119:15-16, "I will meditate on Thy precepts, and
regard Thy ways. I shall delight in Thy statutes; I shall not
forget Thy word."
Every mental stronghold that is torn down in Christ makes the
next one easier to dismantle. Every thought we take captive
makes the next one more likely to surrender. Lifestyle
depression is the result of repeated blows that come from living
in a fallen world. Rehearsing the truth again and again is the
key to renewing our minds.

COMMIT YOURSELF TO GOOD

BEHAVIOR
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen
in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with
you (Phil. 4:9).

No one can be instantly delivered from lifestyle depression;

everyone who suffers from it must grow out of it.

And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering; but for
Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became
very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to
Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance
fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?
And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its
desire is for you, but you must master it" (Gen. 4:4-7).

In other words, we do not feel our way into good behavior, we

behave our way into a good feeling. If we wait until we feel like
doing what is right, we will likely never do it. Jesus said, "If
you know these things, you are blessed if you do them" (John
13:17, emphasis added).
That is why much of the initial intervention for severe
depression focuses on behavior. Schedule appointments and
activities that pull you out of your negative mood. Force
yourself to work, even though you may not feel like getting out
of bed. Plan an activity and stick to it. Commit yourself to
getting more exercise, and follow through. Start with a low-
impact aerobic program or take walks with friends and family
members. Continue routine duties even though you feel as if
you do not have the energy.
These behavioral interventions or activities are only a start in
developing a lifestyle that is healthy. If these are too difficult or
physically impossible, then seek the kind of medical help that
will get you back on your feet.
Watch for certain negative behaviors that will only contribute
to depression. Drowning out your sorrows with drugs and
alcohol is at the top of this destructive list.

COMMIT YOURSELF TO MEANINGFUL

RELATIONSHIPS
And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and
good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is
the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the
more, as you see the day drawing near (Heb. 10:24-25).

One of the major symptoms of depression is withdrawal from

meaningful relationships. Isolating yourself so you are alone
with your negative thoughts will certainly contribute to a
downward spiral.
You may feel that you need to be alone; however, you need to
stay in contact with the responsible people. Wrong
associations will only pull you down. "Do not be deceived:
'Bad company corrupts good morals'" (1 Cor. 15:33). We
suggest that you go see your youth pastor or find another
godly youth pastor in your community. Tell him or her the
struggle you are having with depression and ask what the
church offers in terms of youth fellowship. A good church will
have many meaningful activities and small discipleship groups
where you can get the prayer and care you need.
Anybody who has suffered from lifestyle depression for any
length of time will have people in their lives that they need to
forgive, and some that need reconciliation. We hope you
resolve the need to forgive others as you go through the Steps
to Freedom. Concerning the need to seek the forgiveness of
others, Jesus said, "If therefore you are presenting your
offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has
something against you, leave your offering there before the
altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and
then come and present your offering" (Matt. 5:23-24).
If you need to be forgiven of your sins, then go to God. But if
you have offended or hurt someone else, do not go to God
first. Go to that person and be reconciled. You will have little
mental peace until you do both.

COMMIT YOURSELF TO OVERCOME

EVERY LOSS
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have
counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count
all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss all
things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain
Christ (Phil. 3:7-8).

DEPRESSION BUSTERS
Read:

Romans 8:31-39
Reflect:

1. In John 5:7-9 the man by the well really didn't want to

get well. Why is it so important that you have a true
desire to get well before you can overcome depression?
2. Why does recovery over depression begin by saying,
"I have a problem and I need help?" What happens if
you don't?
3. Why are prayer and commitment to an intimate
relationship with Jesus so important to your recovery?
4. Read through the "Who I Am in Christ" list and "The
Overcomer's Covenant in Christ" (in the appendix);
then select a key verse or verses and one key phrase
that stands out to you and memorize them.

Respond:

Dear heavenly Father, I come to You as Your child. I declare

my total dependence upon You and acknowledge that apart
from Christ I can do nothing. Thank You for sending Jesus to
die in my place in order that my sins could be forgiven. I
praise You for Your resurrection power that raised Jesus from
the grave in order that I too might have eternal life.

I choose to believe the truth that the devil has been defeated
and that lam now seated with Christ in the heavenlies.
Therefore, I choose to believe that I have the power and the
authority to do Your will and be the person You created me to
be. I submit my body to You as a living sacrifice and ask You
to fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I desire nothing more than to
know and do your will, believing that it is good, perfect and
acceptable for me. I invite the Spirit of truth to lead me into
all truth that I may be set free in Christ. I choose from this day
forward to walk in the light and speak the truth in love. I
acknowledge my pain to You and confess my sins, doubts and
lack of trust. I now invite You to search my heart, try my ways
and see if there is any wicked way within me; then lead me
into the everlasting way by the power and guidance of Your
Holy Spirit. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen

WHO I AM IN CHRIST

I AM
ACCEPTED
John 1:12 I am God's child.
John 15:15 I am Christ's friend.
Romans 5:1 I have been justified.
1 Corinthians I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit
6:17 with
1 Corinthians I have been bought with a price. I belong to
6:20 God.
1 Corinthians
I am a member of Christ's Body.
12:27
Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint.
Ephesians 1:5 I have been adopted as God's child.
Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Holy
Spirit.
Colossians I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my
1:14 sins.
Colossians
I am complete in Christ.
2:10
I AM SECURE
Romans 8:1,2 I am free from condemnation
I am assured that all things work together for
Romans 8:28
good.
I am free from any condemning charges
Romans 8:3134
against me.
Romans 8:35-
I cannot be separated from the love of God.
39
2 Corinthians I have been established, anointed and sealed
1:21,22 by God.
Colossians 3:3 I am hidden with Christ in God.
I am confident that the good work God has
Philippians 1:6
begun in me will be perfected.
Philippians
I am a citizen of heaven.
3:20
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of
2 Timothy 1:7
power, love and a sound mind.
I can find grace and mercy to help in time of
Hebrews 4:16 need.
1 John 5:18 I am born of god and the evil one cannot
touch me.
I AM
SIGNIFICANT
Matthew
I am the salt and light of the earth.
5:13,14
I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of
John 15:1,5
His life.
I have been chosen and appointed to bear
John 15:16
fruit.
Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Christ.
1 Corinthians
I am God's temple.
3:16
2 Corinthians
I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
5:17-2 1
2 Corinthians
I am God's coworker (see 1 Corinthians 3:9).
6:1
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship.
I may approach God with freedom and
Ephesians 3:12
confidence.
I can do all things through Christ who
Philippians4:13 strengthens me.
THE OVERCOMER'S COVENANT IN
CHRIST

1. I place all my trust and confidence in the Lord, I put no

confidence in the flesh and I declare myself to be
dependent upon God.
2. I consciously and deliberately choose to submit to God
and resist the devil by denying myself, picking up my
cross daily and fol lowing Jesus
3. I choose to humble myself before the mighty hand of
God in order that He may exalt me at the proper time.
4. I declare the truth that I am dead to sin, freed from it
and alive to God in Christ Jesus, since I have died with
Christ and was raised with Him.
5. I gladly embrace the truth that I am now a child of God
who is unconditionally loved and accepted. I reject the
lie that I have to perform to be accepted, and I reject my
fallen and natural identity which was derived from the
word.
6. I declare that sin shall no longer be master over me
because I am not under the law, but under grace, and
there is no more guilt or condemnation because I am
spiritually alive in Christ Jesus.
7. I renounce every unrighteous use of my body and I
commit myself to no longer be conformed to this world,
but rather to be transformed by the renewing of my
mind. I choose to believe the truth and walk in it,
regardless of my feelings or circumstances.
 8. I commit myself to take every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ, and choose to think upon that
which is true, honorable, right, pure and lovely.
9. I commit myself to God's great goal for my life to
conform to His image. I know that I will face many trials,
but God has given me the victory and I am not a victim,
but an over comer in Christ.
10. I choose to adopt the attitude of Christ, which was to
do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with
humility of mind. I will regard others as more important
than myself and not merely look out for my own
personal interests but also the interests of others. I
know that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
 Table of Contents
FOREWORD
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
JESUS CAN RELATE
CRYING FOR MERCY AND NEEDING GRACE
HIDING IN THE SHADOWS
TWO KINDS OF DEPRESSION
SEEKING A WHOLE ANSWER
WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER
RESTORING HOPE
FINDING HOPE
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER TWO
A SAD EPIDEMIC
DEFINITION OF DEPRESSION
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
KING DAVID
DEPRESSION CHECKUP
DEGREES OF DEPRESSION
A WARNING SIGNAL
THE WORLD BELOW—THE AGONY OF DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER THREE
THE WHOLE PICTURE
 A NEW AGE
A COLLISION COURSE?
INNER AND OUTER ASPECTS
THE MIND-BRAIN CORRELATION
NEURONS
BIPOLAR DEPRESSION
UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION
HELP FROM BOTH SIDES
TOWARD A COMPLETE SOLUTION
ONE-SIDED VIEWS
FOCUSING ON THE SOFTWARE
NO END IN SIGHT - THE AGONY OF THE BODY
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER FOUR
HOW OUR COMPUTER GOT PROGRAMMED
THE NECESSITY OF REPROGRAMMING OUR
MINDS
WHEN STRESS BECOMES DISTRESS
THE SPIRIT CAN AFFECT THE FLESH
BIBLICAL FAITH LEADS TO WHOLENESS
TRUTH AND THE BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM
WHAT ABOUT MEDICATION?
RENEGADE THOUGHTS
TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE
DETECTING VIRUSES
REPLACING LIES WITH LAUGHTER
FROZEN IN TIME - THE AGONY OF THE SOUL
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER FIVE
 AWAKENING FAITH
THREE PRINCIPLES OF FAITH
DISTORTION AND DAMAGE
LOVING AND KNOWING GOD
SECRETS REVEALED UNDERSTANDING YOUR HEAVENLY
FATHER
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER SIX
FROM DISTANCE TO INTIMACY
FROM REBELLION TO OBEDIENCE
FROM DEFEAT TO VICTORY
COUNTERFEIT VERSUS REAL
DECEPTION VERSUS TRUTH
BITTERNESS VERSUS FORGIVENESS
REBELLION VERSUS SUBMISSION
PRIDE VERSUS HUMILITY
BONDAGE VERSUS FREEDOM
CURSES VERSUS BLESSINGS
HELP IS AVAILABLE
THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT
OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO KNOWING GOD - BREAKING
DOWN THE WALL
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE PRIMARY BATTLEFIELD: THE MIND
THE PRIMARY PROTECTION
OUR IDENTITY AND POSITION IN CHRIST
ANXIETY AS A BATTLE FOR THE MIND
WEEDING OUT FALSE PERCEPTIONS
 INADEQUATE SOLUTIONS
THE ONLY ANSWER—CHRIST
HOUSE OF STONE UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE LIE OF HOPELESSNESS
ACCEPTING GOD'S GRACE
NOT LIVING UP TO THE GOOD NEWS
TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD
OVERCOMING HOPELESSNESS—THE BELLY OF THE
BEAST
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER NINE
AS GRASSHOPPERS IN THEIR OWN EYES
A GIANT OF A LIE AND A YOUTH WITH THE
TRUTH
ROOTS OF HELPLESSNESS
OVERCOMING HELPLESSNESS
THE CAN-DO SPIRIT
TWENTY CANS OF SUCCESS
OVERCOMING HELPLESSNESS - INTO THE LIGHT
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER TEN
THE RESPONSE OF SADNESS
CRISIS REACTION CYCLE
BE PREPARED FOR CHANGE
STAGES OF GRIEF
A TIME TO MOURN
IN LOSING, WE WIN
 EXPLANATORY STYLES
GETTING OUT OF THE RUT
SURVIVING THE DARKNESS-DEALING WITH LOSS
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WHY WE SUFFER
THE VALUE OF SUFFERING
ONLY WHAT TOU CAN BEAR
GOD'S PROVISIONS IN SUFFERING
THE PERCEPTION OF GOD'S ABSENCE
CLIMBING TO THE TOP-SUFFERING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
CHAPTER TWELVE
COMMIT YOURSELF TO COMPLETE
RECOVERY
COMMIT YOURSELF TO PRAYER
COMMIT TO AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
WITH GOD
COMMIT YOURSELF
COMMIT YOUR BODY TO GOD
COMMIT YOURSELF TO THE RENEWING OF
YOUR MIND
COMMIT YOURSELF TO GOOD BEHAVIOR
COMMIT YOURSELF TO MEANINGFUL
RELATIONSHIPS
COMMIT YOURSELF TO OVERCOME EVERY
LOSS
BACK FROM THE EDGE—A C0MMTTMENT TO FREEDOM
FROM DEPRESSION
DEPRESSION BUSTERS
WHO I AM IN CHRIST
THE OVERCOMER'S COVENANT IN CHRIST