Tag Archives: 2 Corinthians

Depression and my Christian faith

Posted on March 23, 2016 by | Comments Off on Depression and my Christian faith

not based on emotionsI am glad and thankful that my salvation is not based on emotions. For those who know me I’ve made no secret about my struggle with depression. Since 2000, I’ve learned a lot about the causes of depression, some of the causes, and even the various treatments available. I’ve also learned that there are many Christians who struggle with depression; unfortunately, I have also learned there are Christians who do not understand the struggle with depression and use it to question the faith of those who do struggle. Before I go any further, I must add that I am not a trained psychologist nor am I offering psychological advice. I’m sharing my struggle with depression and my faith in Jesus.

The Bible does talk about depression…

As I have shared in the past, I really began to learn about myself and about the Lord in 2006; at that time I was 36 years old and had gone through one of the darkest parts of my life. Shortly after accepting the Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, I began intently studying the Bible, trying to find answers to why my life had come undone. I found this verse: As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart (Proverbs 25:20). This verse nearly jumped off the page at me –  here, in the writings of Solomon, was exactly the way I felt when I was emotionally down. I’d go to church and hear from well-meaning members that all I needed to do was to pray, to fill my heart with song, and be around other Christians and it would be enough to help me overcome the depression. That’s exactly like someone taking away your coat during the winter. What I really wanted to tell those well-meaning Christian brothers and sisters was to go sing their song somewhere else!

It is not the only place where the Lord gives us advice on comforting someone suffering from depression. The apostle Paul wrote, Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep (Romans 12:15). While this verse is talking about sorrow, I do believe it can also be referring to those who suffer from depression. What has always helped me more than anything else is to see genuine concern from by brothers and sisters in Christ, willing to share my burdens and pray for me. Those of us who suffer from depression do not need to feel as if we are being judged by others; we feel enough of that in our own minds. Our emotions – for those who suffer from depression – our feelings are already doing double duty…

David wrote My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word (Psalms 119:25). David, a man after God’s own heart, appears to be struggling with depression. For those who suffer from depression, we know this feeling well. Solomon, his son and the wisest of the ancient kings, wrote: The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? (Proverbs 18:14). When someone is fighting a round of depression every part of their life is affected – their relationships, their employment, their sleeping and eating habits, and even the relationship they have with the Lord. It takes away enjoyment of life’s simplest pleasures.

Paul also wrote, That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it (1 Corinthians 12:25-26). It’s easy for a congregation to celebrate the birth of a baby to a young family, an upcoming wedding or anniversary, or a promotion or award to another member. These are the good times where we can rejoice and praise the Lord for His goodness and mercies, as we should. However, it is something altogether different to comfort one who is hurting and struggling with depression. I don’t get depressed often, but it has always amazed me when I do, how many brothers or sisters in Christ simply do not have the time to spend in fellowship with another Christian who happens to be hurting.

Depression does not affect our salvation…

If you watch any of the popular television evangelists there is an impression that many lost and many Christians get an idea that Christians are supposedly filled with joy and happiness all the time. Somehow, that simply being a Christian brings such happiness into the heart that Christians cannot help but to feel joy. Back in 2007, I shared my struggle with depression with the pastor of the church I had attended for nearly a year. What he told me truly astounded me: “Brother, your faith simply isn’t where it needs to be. You need to give up this depression and just simply trust in Jesus…” From a scriptural standpoint, our emotions are totally separate from our relationship with the Lord; our salvation does not depend on us being in a constant state of joy. 

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Posted in Christian Living, Difficulties and Trials, My Walk

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Road work ahead: Christian growth demonstrated

Posted on March 14, 2016 by | Comments Off on Road work ahead: Christian growth demonstrated

road work ahead signRoad work is something that seems to plague modern civilization. For many of us, just the sight of the orange diamond sign sends a wave of frustration and panic into what would normally have been a fairly uneventful drive. Family vacations can become quite stressful as those all-too-familiar signs begin to warn of road work ahead. If you’re like my family where our adventures to visit family takes us through larger cities such as Nashville and Knoxville (Tennessee) and Jackson (Mississippi), it seems as if those signs are a permanent part of the landscape. On a recent trip to visit family, I began to wonder if others can see such signs as road work ahead as we journey through our faith. I once heard an old country preacher explain during a sermon that if a person isn’t growing, they are dying.

Road work ahead: our spiritual growth is ongoing

For those of you who follow this blog on Facebook, a few weeks ago I shared how I had gotten rid of about fourteen inches of CDs. I love music and still have a variety of music that includes everything from classical to heavy metal – or at least I had. Since about November of 2015, the Holy Spirit began leading me into a direction that at first I resisted: get rid of music I knew was holding me back from spiritual growth. At that time, my Bible reading had taken me to Psalms, but one verse seemed to leap off the page at me: I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me (Psalms 101:3). As I continued reading that morning, I felt the tugging of the Holy Spirit urging and pleading with me. I didn’t listen to the CDs when my daughter was home because I didn’t want her exposed to the lyrics on them. I justified keeping them because I liked the music, but as the Holy Spirit began working on my heart I realized that if I didn’t want my daughter to listen to them, I probably shouldn’t listen to them either. 

As we begin to grow and mature in our faith the Holy Spirit begins to do road work on the path that our life will take us. Jesus told us about the work of the Holy Spirit during His earthly ministry: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26). Once we have received Jesus as our personal savior, the Holy Spirit begins its work to mold us into the new creation God wants us to be.  Where the Holy Spirit began a work on my heart to rid myself of music I shouldn’t listen to, He may be doing a work in your life calling you to give up something else, such as a toxic relationship, a habit or addiction, a television show, or yes, even some sort of music. When we are obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit we actually please the Lord: And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). Yes, I had complete free will to either obey or reject the leadership of the Holy Spirit; if I sincerely desire to place the Lord’s will above my own, then the choice becomes simple.

Rest assured, if you are a child of God, even if you do not see it, there are areas of your life, as there still are in mine, where the Holy Spirit will lead us to change. It relates directly to what the apostle Paul strove to teach the early Christians in Corinth: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). What Paul is describing in this passage is that God calls us to prepare for road work in our lives. He tells us to be ready for it!

Road work ahead is proof the Lord really cares

Each year, the local department of transportation evaluates roadways and traffic patterns around the cities within its jurisdiction. From these periodic evaluations, decisions are made to widen some roads, redirect traffic flow from others, to build new routes, and in some cases, to stop service and maintenance to others. This accurately describes what the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer.  As uncomfortable as road work can be for the traveler, it can also be uncomfortable in the life of a Christian. The Bible clearly teaches this in two verses: Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee (Deuteronomy 8:5) and For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth (Hebrews 12:6). The work of the Holy Spirit within our lives is proof of the love of  the Lord towards us. The Lord would not waste the effort to correct, to mold, to direct the life of someone who rejects Him. Even Hosea the prophet testified to this: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children (Hosea 4:6).

We continue to grow spiritually and should look forward to the growth with great excitement. Yes, there are going to be growing pains and there will be times when it seems that we are being asked to surrender more than our share. Just keep in mind that each of us are on a different path in our walk of faith with the Lord.

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Posted in Chrisitian Philosophy, Discipleship, Increasing Faith, My Walk, Our relationship with God

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The lost generation: a spiritual disaster

Posted on March 11, 2016 by | Comments Off on The lost generation: a spiritual disaster

college studentsThe lost generation is not a myth. I have heard many talk about this developing phenomenon for years but it truly became real to me in February. As many of you know, I teach history at a local community college in rural Kentucky. While I do not openly discuss my faith in Jesus Christ in class, when a student comes to me during my office hours or will contact me outside the classroom and asks, I will boldly and with great excitement, share my faith in Jesus as the opportunity provides itself. The apostle Peter reminded the early Christians, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15) and it is still good for us today to be ready to share the gospel of Jesus when the moment makes itself available.

The lost generation begs to be heard…

This semester has been incredibly challenging to me for several reasons – and it hasn’t even reached mid-terms! Like most semesters, I have had to deal with the average problems most college instructors would tell you about: lack of fundamental writing skills, a diminished work ethic (doing just enough to get by), poor attendance, and so on. That’s not where the challenge has been; the challenge has tried to balance the role of college instructor AND counselor to a group of young people who are having an incredibly difficult time in various aspects of life. Earlier this semester and after a lecture on the emerging role of the black church after the Civil War, a young female student came up to ask questions. At first, the questions were about the lecture materials and what books I could recommend her read about the development of the black church but soon developed into more personal questions about the generalities of Christian faith, human psychology of religion, and my own personal faith. 

In our conversation she said something that shook me to my core: “I’m 23 years old, grew up here in Henderson and past by a dozen or so churches every day. I’ve never been to church…” Immediately my mind went to a verse in Deuteronomy: And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deuteronomy 11:19). Now I understand that as Christians, we are under grace and not the Law, there is still great wisdom in following the precepts of the Law and in this case, to use every moment to teach our children – the younger generation – about the goodness of God. This young woman was asking questions that she needed answered. She needed to be heard.

It wasn’t that I was offering her any advice that any other Christian couldn’t. It was that I was taking the time to engage in conversation with her, on a personal level, and took the time to understand what she was asking and trying to say. We live in a fast-paced world where we are bombarded with electronic communication, we get our news from 30 second sound bites, and our dinners take only a fraction of the time to prepare than did the meals our grandparents and parents shared just a few decades ago. Everywhere you turn, you see someone talking on a cell phone, posting to Facebook and Twitter. Yet it is the younger generation that in spite of all these means of communication, has become the lost generation. They are unsure how to ask questions in a personal dialogue in front of another person; they search for answers on the Internet but realize that even if they are reading truth, something is still missing from it. They are seeking answers, are asking questions, but too many Christians have also become wrapped up in the Internet world and are helpless to respond to the questions.

The lost generation is looking for answers…

A while back I heard an older person at Wal-Mart make the comment that the younger generation are ungrounded in reality and have no understanding of what life really is about. The conversation then turned into a discussion about sexuality, entertainment, work ethics, and ended with an indictment against the new emerging (and fleshly) focused culture. While I was in agreement with much of what this man and the cashier were discussing, I began to think of how the younger generation – this lost generation – is looking for answers to their questions. Jesus taught, For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened (Luke 11:10); it is important to remember that when people seek, not only does the Lord reveal himself, but Satan will reveal counterfeits to whatever the Lord offers. I cannot help but to wonder how many young people chose the counterfeit because it was easily available at hand, was appealing, and seemed to offer what they were seeking.

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Posted in Christian Doctrine, Our relationship with others, Personal Evangelism

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