Depression is not a malfunction of the
There is a real
My illness is not my
Lamentations 3:17–20 (NLT) — 17 Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” 19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
Lamentations 3:17–20 (NIV) — 17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
2 Corinthians 1:8 (NIV) — 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.
1 Kings 19:1–4 (NIV) — 1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
1 - Life
“We were never designed for the sedentary, indoor, socially isolated, fast food laden, sleep-deprived, frenzied pace of modern life. –Stephen Ilardi
Ecclesiastes 4:6 (NLT) — 6 And yet, “Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.”
2 -
Comparison is the thief of joy. -Theodore Roosevelt
Galatians 6:4–5 (NLT) — 4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
3 - Ruminating and
1 Kings 19:10 (NLT) — 10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
“95% of your emotions are determined by the way you talk to yourself.” -Brian Tracy
Philippians 4:8–9 (NLT) — 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
4 - The inability to process pain in a
2 Corinthians 1:4–6 (NLT) — 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.
5 - Isolation and
Genesis 2:18 (NLT) — 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
Romans 12:2 (NLT) — 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
6 -
1 Peter 5:8–9 (NLT) — 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
Ephesians 6:11 (NLT) — 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.