For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12
Show me, Lord, those in need
lead me, Lord, to friends and family
whose hope is gone and light is dim
help me Lord to go to them.
Some in need of a listening ear
some need me to bow in prayer
some who need a helping hand
some need more than I can lend
but whatever I can do, dear Lord,
give me love through wisdom’s door.
Lord, You came to set us free
may we learn to come to Thee
cast our cares and burdens on You Lord
instead of letting despair take over.
But when those difficult burdens we bear
become too much for our hearts and hands
bring us friends and family close
or someone we can bare our soul
who can lead us back to You dear Lord.
~Marcell Warner Bridges
©3 September 2018
all rights reserved.
His death hit me hard. I don’t know him. I’ve never met his family. I’ve never been to his church. Up until last weekend, I’d never even heard of his church.
Someone shared his suicide attempt and subsequent death to their Facebook timeline which showed up on my newsfeed. Because he was a pastor, I decided to read it.
But it has shaken me to my core. I don’t know why. I have seen tragedies through the television and read about them on the Internet many times. School shootings, bombings, terrorists, murders, and more. We all have. And while they do make me sad, I don’t mourn over them.
I shake my head at these things, yet, nothing has bothered me or torn at me like this pastor’s suicide.
I think it is mostly that I am saddened for the wife and children. Even the church he left behind. I wish I could give her a hug and tell her I’m sorry.
The other day I read a blog post she wrote to her husband about how she is feeling since his death and how it is affecting them. It about crushed me.
It just seems Christians especially are suffering more and more from depression and anxieties. We are consumed with guilt or we are condemning ourselves for things.
Some argue that depression is not a spiritual attack from Satan, that it is just a mental disease. However, I must disagree with this line of thinking. Anything that takes our minds off of Christ and places it on self is an area where Satan has stepped in to try and make us turn our back on God.
Satan’s plan is to kill, steal, and destroy. He roams the earth looking for those he can devour (1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”)
If Satan can keep us from prayer and reading the word of God, then he is leading us into what Anne Shirley would call, “the depths of despair”.
Now I’m going to break for a minute and say this: I am in no way suggesting someone in deep depression can simply pray and read God’s word and that will fix it. I am in no way saying they have lost their faith and all they need is to trust God more. Because there are levels of depression that need medical attention and counseling. (While prayer and reading God’s word is the most effective thing we can do, sometimes medical attention is needed as well as counseling.)
My point is, depression is most certainly an effective attack of Satan on the Believer of Christ and he has been using it as much as he possibly can to destroy the work God is doing in us.
So be vigilant. Be aware. If you are feeling depressed, please seek help. Whether through a friend or a counselor or maybe go to the doctor and let them know. But please do not suffer alone.
God does love you. He made you. He sent His son to die for you so you can have the peace of His presence. He is always here for you. He has not left you nor forsaken you. But sometimes it feels like He has and we need someone to come along beside us and help us through those times when there seems to be no hope.
It’s time the Church recognizes how much this is affecting the body of Christ and we need to help our fellow believer’s.
From My Heart to Yours,
Marcie
For Information and Help Please See the Links Below:
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-8255 and their website is: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ They also have a separate number for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing at 1-800-799-4889.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America https://adaa.org/finding-help
Getting Help with Depression from the American Psychiatric Association https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression
Pictures courtesy of www.pixabay.com
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