Posts Tagged ‘Depression’

Rebuild Restore Renew Rejoice

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

MiraclesIf you are unhappy, lonely, feeling down, discouraged, depressed, or disillusioned, I encourage you to please read and meditate on these words…God breathed through the prophet Isaiah. If you will take the time to do so, you will begin to feel restored, refreshed, and recharged. Whatever has happened, or is happening in your life to cause you to lose hope, God wants to change that. he wants to fill you with his spirit, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of life, joy, and peace. He wants to rebuild, restore, and renew your life as only he can do, and then he wants you to rejoice and be happy in life and at work!

The Year of the LORD’s Favor – Isaiah 61

renew1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

ruins4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.

rainbow8 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”

10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

renew11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.

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Brokenness Then Newness

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

As Good Friday and Easter appraoch, I thought it would be good to examine what Jesus taught us about brokenness and renewal.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:22-24)

Years ago, I learned a simple lesson that I pray will help you today. If you or I want to be blessed, contented, or encouraged, we first need to be broken.

Earlier, in Mark chapter 6, Jesus fed the five thousand; He broke the bread and blessed it, and the disciples distributed the food to everyone. This breaking, blessing, and distributing of bread brought life. And now, Jesus is taking the bread and breaking it as a symbol of His imminent death; a symbol that still resonates in our lives to this day when we take communion. Before blessing comes brokenness. It was that way in Jesus’ life and it will sometimes be that way in my life and in your life.

Brokenness hurts. Trials are no fun; trust me, I know. But in our broken and difficult times, God reveals himself to you and me in wonderful, powerful ways; ways that you wouldn’t otherwise see. He wants to teach us things beyond our imagination. He wants to show us how to live and what it means to live by faith; trusting fully in him. Guess what happens when you break in a horse? Yep, you got it. Among many things, that horse becomes your companion, useful for so many things. Now, I’m not saying that you all are horses, but I think you get the picture.

The brokenness of Jesus brought about eternal life! Any amount of brokenness you or I experience cannot compare to his brokenness and awesome sacrifice for our sins. So, I encourage you to look at the trials and brokenness that comes your way differently; don’t ask “why”, instead ask “What does God want to teach me?” Open your heart to him and to learning and growing from the trials and times of brokenness that come your way. God will doing amazing things in your life. Draw closer to him and allow him to draw closer to you; experience and embrace those broken times and be ready for the blessings to flow. When you do this, you will be happy in life and at work!

I hope these scriptures will be an encouragement to you:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

“The Lord is close to the broken hearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

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Hammer and The Chisel

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

“A sculptor does not use a ‘manicure set’ to reduce the crude, unshapely marble to a thing of beauty. The saw, the hammer and the chisel are cruel tools, but without them the rough stone must remain forever formless and unbeautiful. To do His supreme work of grace within you, God will take from your heart everything you love most. Everything you trust in will go from you. Piles of ashes will lie where your most precious treasures used to be!” (A.W.Tozer)

I love this Tozer quote which is used in the opening monologue of the movie the Heart Of Texas”. Today’s thought is not about this movie, but I would highly reccomend seeing it; to see a promo, click hear.

Now, back to the message for this post…

How do you respond when your husband or wife, friends or family trample your emotions? When your child rebels? When you lose a big deal or important client? When your boss fires you unexpectedly? In this very difficult economy, you may have lost thousands in savings or in the value of your 401K or other investments? When disappointments like these smash into your life, you may want to scream, “How could God allow this to happen?”

But, what if God didn’t just “let it happen?” What if the things you treasure the most and hold on to the tightest are damaged or destroyed? What if what you call disappointments are really God’s appointments? What if like a skilled sculptor, He is using your disappointments like the sculptor’s hammer and chisel to chop and carve away the undesirable elements in your life, leaving you pure and radiant…His beautiful masterpiece?

Life’s disappointments can destroy you, or you can become stronger because of them. The dangerous spiral of disappointments can lead to discouragement, disillusionment, depression or even despair. But you can learn to break that cycle and embrace the disappointment and trails with a faith that recognizes that they are the hammer and chisel God uses to make you a reflection of Him. We can follow the selfish course of our natural reactions and be subtly trapped in a downward spiral that swiftly leads into depression and discouragement. Or, we can take those trials and count them all joy, knowing that our faith and endurance will be strengthened. Our disappointments are the stone that God will use to sculpt us as a sculptor would his rough stone. If we respond by taking the steps of trust, obedience and relying on His grace , we will discover that we are being sculpted into His masterpiece that reflects the radiance of His image and character. Knowing this, today as you face those trials or are in the pit of despair, what will be your decision? To continue on that road of despair, or make the turn and trust Him and His grace?

I offer these scriptures to encourage you:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”(James 1:2-4)

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”              (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”(Romans 8:28-29)

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The Truth Will Set You Free!

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

It is supposed to be a Happy New Year, but many of you are not really Happy or upbeat about the coming year at all…are you?  What are you feeling? Disappointment? Discouragement? Depression?  Disillusionment? Loneliness? Fear? Anger?  Pain? Uncertainty?  Frustration?

The world is full of problems and pressures that can cause us to feel any or all of these ways.  For example, I was just released from my position at work after 12 years.  The leadership of the organization made a decision to go in a different direction and the new plan did not include my position.  We all know what the economy is like right now, so many would say that I have a reason and maybe even a right to have all those feelings.  But, I do not.  I am actually very excited and looking forward to the journey that lies ahead of me.   I have an incredible sense of freedom and hope as I look forward to what God has to teach me during this time and what he has planned for the next season of my life.  I know and believe God is my provider and that he will never leave me nor forasake me.  Don’t misunderstand me; I know this will not be easy, and will likely even be difficult at times, but I plan to abide closely in God and trust him to guide and direct me to my next assignment for him. This faith in God provides me peace, hope and freedom, and these feelings trump the others! Why do I know and believe this; because God tells me so…

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” John 8:31-32

Here are some Truths That Set Us Free:

1. God is good (Ps. 119:68; 136:1).

2. God loves me and wants me to have His best (Rom. 8:32, 38-39).

3. I am complete and accepted in Christ (Eph. 1:6).

4. God is enough (Ps. 23:1).

5. God can be trusted (Isa. 28:16).

6. God doesn’t make any mistakes (Isa. 46:10)!

• Everything that comes into my life has been “filtered through His fingers of love.”

7. God’s grace is sufficient for me (2 Cor. 12:9).

8. The blood of Christ is sufficient to cover all my sin (1 John 1:7).

9. The cross of Christ is sufficient to conquer my sinful flesh (Rom. 6:6-7).

• I don’t have to sin (Rom. 6:14).

10. My past does not have to plague me (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

• My past failures can become stepping stones to greater victory and fruitfulness.
• If I will let Him, God will cause everything that has happened to me to work together for my good and for His glory.

11. God’s Word is sufficient to lead me, teach me, and heal me (Ps. 19:7; 107:20; 119:105).

12. Through the power of His Holy Spirit, God will enable me to do anything that He commands me to do (1 Thess. 5:24).

• There is no one that I cannot forgive (Mark 11:25).
• There is no one that I cannot love (Matt. 5:44).
• I can give thanks in all things (1 Thess. 5:18).
• I can be content (Heb. 13:5; Phil. 4:11).

13. I am responsible before God, for my behavior, responses, and choices (Ez. 18:19-22).

14. I will reap whatever I sow (Gal. 6:7-8).

15. The pathway to true joy is to relinquish control (Luke 1:38; 1 Peter 5:7; Matt.16:25):

• of my life
• of my husband
• of my children
• of my circumstances

16. The greatest freedom I can experience is found through submission to God-ordained authority (Eph. 5:23).

• The husband is the head of the wife (Eph. 5:23).
• The wife is to reverence and submit to her husband (Eph. 5:22, 33).
• “The heart of the king is in the Lord’s hand . . .” (Prov. 21:1).

17. In the will of God, there is no higher, holier calling than to be a wife and mother (Titus 2:4-5).

18. Personal holiness is more important than temporal happiness. (Eph. 5:26-27).

• Happiness is not a right.

19. God is more concerned about changing me and glorifying Himself, than about solving my problems (Rom. 8:29).

20. It is impossible to be godly, without suffering.

• Suffering is a tool in the hand of God to conform me to the image of Jesus (1 Peter 5:10).

21. My suffering will not last forever (2 Cor. 4:17-18; Ps. 30:5).

22. “It’s not about me; it’s all about Him!” (Col. 1:16-18).

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Sadness, Sorrow, Pain, Mourning, Discourgement, Depression

Monday, November 16th, 2009

There is a season in everyone’s life of walking through the valley. It is lonely, dark, discouraging, and exhausting. Have you been there? Are you there now? Do you know someone who is there right now? Even though it is in our nature, as human beings, to want to fix things, sometimes all that is needed or desired is our presence. If you are in your mourning booth, I hope you have someone who understands that you might just need their presence and nothing more. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone and let them know that you need them by your side. If you know someone who is in their mourning booth, realize that although they might understand and apprecitate your advice, encouragement, and humor, it is possible that all they really desire and need is your presence…to know someone cares enough to stay by their side as they walk through the valley.

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