Heart and Soul

LIES OF DEPRESSION #2: EMOTIONS

by Mark Sutton
November 25, 2019

IDENTIFYING AND OVERCOMING THE LIES OF DEPRESSION
LIE #2: Emotions

In the last blog I discussed the first of depression’s lies Satan uses to trick you into believing wrong things.  If you haven’t yet read Lie #1, I encourage you to do so, then come back to this one.  And as I said in the last blog, because we cover these lies in our book: “Hope Again: A Lifetime Plan for Conquering Depression,” the blogs on this subject will be shorter than usual. I encourage you to get the book for a fuller discussion of what depression does to a person.  
Let’s begin this by answering a question:  Who or what is the ultimate authority in your life?  Be careful! If you’re a believer, you might too quickly say, “God,” or “the Bible.”  Those answers, while both good and correct, may not be entirely true in your life.  


You see, if you are fighting depression, you know there are negative emotions bombarding you all the time.  There’s no sin in being depressed or having negative emotions (again, see “Hope Again” for a fuller discussion).  HOWEVER, how you respond to those emotions determines whether you will sin or whether you will use the depression to increase your faith.  


Here’s an illustration.  It’s Sunday; time to go to church.  Your emotions tell you not to go.  You’re not worthy to be with other believers as they praise God.  You want to be alone, at home, in the dark.  Will you give in to the emotions?  Will THEY become your ultimate authority?  You have a choice.


Jesus also had a choice.  His emotions were telling Him not to go to the cross.  As holy God, He hated sin.  Jesus knew that on the cross He would carry the load and punishment of all the sins of all humanity.  BUT JESUS WENT TO THE CROSS ANYWAY!  What can we learn from this and our own emotions?  The Bible says we are to use Jesus as an example:  

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV).  


Jesus despised the shame of the cross, but He refused to let His emotions control Him.  How did He do this?  By keeping His eyes fixed, not on the pain, not on the present circumstances, not on His emotions, but on the joy and glory that awaited Him on the other side of the cross and the grave.  


This is what you and I are to do.  The Bible tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves (believers) together.  So, say no to your negative emotions. Say yes to God’s Word.  Get up, get out of the house, and go praise and worship God!  In doing so, your faith will grow and the hold depression has on you will weaken. 
 


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