Can A Christian Become Depressed?

Reports of famous people--Anthony Bourdain, TV personality and Kate Spade--handbag designer, who committed suicide recently drew the attention of many here in America and abroad. However, there are ordinary people committing suicide everyday whose names never appear in the news. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 45, 000 Americans died by suicide in 2016, and these numbers are said to be climbing.

People don't just get up one morning and say, "I think I'll kill myself today." They have to be depressed for some time to get to the point where they decide to take their own life. Which brings me to the question, can a Christian become depressed? If you are a Christian you should have peace and contentment at all times, right? You should be able to cope with anything that life throws your way. Wrong!

Guilt, loneliness, grief, discouragement can take a toll on the human mind and cause you to become depressed. History is full of names of famous theologians who were depressed. C. S. Lewis, Augustine, Martin Luther and C. H. Spurgeon are among some of those who were said to have struggled with depression. In fact, Spurgeon became so depressed at times he was said to tender his resignation thirty-two times in thirty-nine years.

One might be tempted to say that men like Spurgeon were so burdened by the demands placed upon them it was easy for them to become depressed. That may be so, however, depression can plague someone who has no obvious reason to be depressed. Elijah, the prophet, was a mighty man of God, who commanded great respect from the people because of the miracles he performed. He had just finished killing four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and under the power of the Lord, ran for miles to another town. But after doing all of that, Elijah collapsed in fear and went and hid himself in a cave because Jezebel threatened to kill him for slaughtering the Baal prophets.

Elijah came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. Here is what he said: “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors" (1 Kings 19: 4). Elijah was ready to die, but he didn't have the courage to take his own life.

Other Bible figures who battled depression are David, the great warrior king who God called, "a man after his own heart." Job, "a blameless and upright man," suffered a massive bout of depression when he lost everything, including his children. He cursed the day he was born, as did Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. Even Jesus was in so much agony in the garden of Gethsemane before his death that his sweat became as "drops of blood" (Luke 22: 44).

Friends, depression is no respecter of persons. It is an illness as any other and should be treated seriously as you would treat any other illness. If you are feeling depressed, here are some things you can do:

1.When people are depressed they tend to isolate themselves from the world. Elijah went and hid in a cave. Bad idea! God called him out and sent him on a mission. Make the effort to get out of bed and do some simple things, like washing your face and combing your hair.

2. Some people may not want to eat, others may eat too much. You need to eat. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” (1 Kings 19: 5).

3. Talk to someone. Job's friends came to sympathize with him when they heard about his misfortune, but they only ended up making him feel worse. Be careful who you speak to. Speak to people who will be understanding and supportive, not people who will tell you, "snap out of it."

4. Seek medical help. In Biblical days and centuries past, they didn't have the medications and resources we have today. God has given man the knowledge and wherewithal to help us. Take advantage of it.

5. Pray. When you are in the throes of depression you may be unable to pray coherently, but you can read your Bible or listen to Psalms and gospel music on tape. Best of all, be hopeful. David said, “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.” Ps. 42:11

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I have written a novel called In the Wilderness that tells of a young Christian girl who was so plagued by guilt she became depressed and suicidal. Read this gripping story to see how God delivered her out of her depression and gave her a new perspective on life.

Florida's Latest Tragedy

Celebrate His Love
To help you get your mind in tune to the Easter season, I am inviting you to join an exciting giveaway taking place right now until Easter. It's called Celebrate His Love and features several Christian-themed books that you can pick up for FREE. And when you enter the giveaway, you also stand a chance to win a $25 gift card. My ebook, For God So Loved: The Story Behind Easter, which won an honorable mention in a Writer's Digest contest is on the list. So please get your FREE books and invite your friends to do so as well. God bless you.

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"The righteous cry out, the LORD hears and he rescues them from all their afflictions. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed. Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all. Psalms 34: 18-20 These words were quoted by Senator Marco Rubio of Miami, Florida a few hours after a newly-constructed bridge at Florida International University (FIU)collapsed, killing and injuring several people. This is the second major tragedy to hit the sunshine state in about a month. Even though I don't know anyone who was affected, the tragedy hit home as FIU is my alma mater.

When the unexpected happens, how do we cope? Can we pick up the pieces and move on?

In this season of Lent, we may do well to read the account of what it must have been like for Jesus's disciples following His death. To say they were devastated is an understatement. Their Lord and Master had been taken from them and crucified. Executed in the most inhumane way possible. And, as far as they knew, Jesus had done nothing wrong. In fact, He'd only done good. Healed the sick, fed the hungry, raised the dead. Why hadn't he raised himself? Or prevented the Roman soldiers from killing him?

The disciples could make no sense of this horrible tragedy.

But that day on the road to Emmaus, two of them did what should be done when we experience a tragedy:

1. They talked about it. "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;" Luke 24: 13 - 15

2. They reached out to Jesus. "As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them" (v 28- 30).
In our grief and pain we may not think of the needs of others, but these men extended their hospitality to Jesus - even though they didn't recognize Him - and invited Him to stay with them as it was late in the day.

3. They took care of themselves. Jesus joined the disciples at their dinner table.  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them(v 30).
During a tragedy, we may find it difficult to eat, but we must make the effort. Going without food and drink can cause your body to weaken and collapse under the strain.

4. They stayed together. "They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together" (v 33). When you are going through the stress of a loss or any form of tragedy, you may be tempted to isolate yourself, but this is the time when you need the companionship of trusted friends and relatives.

5. Pray. We don't see the disciples praying in this chapter, but we know that they prayed a lot. "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers" (Acts 1: 14). Prayer, Bible reading and fellowshiping with others will give you the encouragement to get through this trying period.

We all experience tragedy at some time, but when this occurs, we can draw on the resources that God has given us and look to Him who is "our strength and refuge."

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Thoughts And Prayers

Over the past few days you may have heard the above words used several times as our nation once more grapples with another massacre, one that took the lives of 17 innocent people - staff and students.

Thoughts and prayers sound nice and they are nice -- when that is all that can be done. But in many cases, it takes more than thoughts and prayers to fix a situation.

Jesus did more than think and pray when he was faced with 5000 hungry people in a deserted place far from Mc Donald's. (Matthew 14: 15 - 21)

He did more than think and pray when the sick was brought to him. (Matthew 4: 24)

And He did more than think and pray when his friend Lazarus died. (John 11: 43)

But, you say, these are miracles. Jesus was able to do them because He was God.

True. Jesus did what He could do to show us that we need to follow His example and do what we can do.

So, I repeat what I said above: Thoughts and prayers sound nice and they are nice -- when that is all that can be done. However, thoughts and prayers need to be backed up with action.

A hungry person needs food, a sick person needs medical care, a tired person needs rest, a homeless person needs shelter. And a society besieged by gun violence needs protection.

If all we can do is think and pray, let us pray for those in authority that God will touch their hearts so they will do what needs to be done to prevent this slaughter of innocent lives.

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A Devotional For Your Kids

As godly parents we know the importance of getting our children grounded in the word of God. The Bible tells us we are to train up our children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). However, some of us may lack the ability to break down scripture in a form that children can understand, or we may just feel inadequate to the task.

Sarah Young has come to our rescue with Jesus Always, a book with 365 devotionals for kids. The devotionals cover everything from spending time with God, seeking His help, trusting Him and experiencing the joy of the Lord. In fact, joy seems to be the overriding theme of the book.

But what I like best about the devotions is they are written from the POV of Jesus, so when the child reads it, he feels like Jesus is right there speaking to him personally. Here's one example: When you run into problems, look for Me. I’m right there with you.

The book itself is very attractive. The hard, purple cover features embossed lettering and art work. Pages are smooth and glossy with purple borders and green headers and footers. This book will make a great Christmas gift that will last a child a long time. You do not have to worry that the book will fall apart. The binding is sturdy and the cover is hard. I highly recommend this book, and now you can enter this giveaway to win 1 of 5 free copies. Just click this link: http://www.blessedfreebies.com/jesus-always-365.html

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What Does Independence Mean?

Here's another post I wrote some years back. As I read it, I realized that most of what I said then is still relevant today, so I decided to dust it off and re-present it to you along with your Fourth of July apple pie.  I trust that while you’re having that second helping  you would stop to reflect on what independence means to you and to America.


What does Independence truly mean? Does it only mean having the ability to govern ourselves? Free from outside control, as the Oxford dictionary tells us? Or does it mean not depending on anyone? America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave. But lately we have to ask ourselves who are the free and who are the brave?


Freedom may be limited, but bravery abounds. We have to be brave to walk the streets at nights, brave to send our children to school, brave to mention the name of Jesus in public. When over thirty six million people live in poverty in this, the richest country on earth, where is the independence? When children are the largest growing number of the nation’s poor, and words like outsourcing and downsizing are common everyday terms, where’s the independence?

I hate to spoil your celebrations, but we need to examine ourselves. As more people lose their healthcare, prices of basic commodities continue to rise, and wars rage at home and abroad, we need to depend more on God. The Bible tells us, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3: 5).

Think about that as you dig into that apple pie.

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Do you love to read but find that the most of the books out there contain graphic sex, violence or material that goes against your Christian beliefs? I have written a series of books called the "Egypt" series which strongly bear out the redemption story while providing all the emotion and suspense of a gripping novel. The first book Coming Out of Egypt is available here and the second book In The Wilderness is now on preorder here. Not sure if you're ready to buy? Then click the popup form to receive a free copy of the first chapter so you can decide if you want to read the book. God bless.

The Lost Duckling

courtesy morguefile

Returning from my walk one day last week, I saw one of my neighbors walking her dog, but looking about in a very concerned manner. As I drew nearer, she said, "He's all alone. Where's his family?"

I looked down and saw that she was referring to a little duckling who was all by himself. That was indeed strange. We'd never seen any of the ducklings alone before, and as I looked at the little creature, I thought he seemed frightened as if he knew he was lost. Then I remembered seeing someone feeding a family of ducks near the lake.

I pointed in that direction. "They're over there," I said.

My neighbor's face brightened and she turned to her dog. "Come on, boy. We have to help."

She set off, looking back every now and then and calling to the duck who followed slowly after her. I believe he must have caught up with the others eventually because I didn't see him again that day.

Have you ever been lost? I have, in some scary places. Did someone help you find your way? Sometimes, I was helped.

What if you know someone is lost spiritually, would you help him find his way? Jesus asked, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4).

He goes on to say, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19 : 10).

Like my neighbor did with that duckling, we too can help those who are lost find their way to Jesus.
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