I picked up a number of tips on how to deal with depression as I studied the life of Elijah in chapters 17-20 of the Old Testament book of 1Kings. I also preached about the results of my study on May 3rd in the church I pastor. I thought I’d pass on some of the highlights to you. You may know somebody who could use the encouragement.
HOW TO FALL IN THE HOLE CALLED DEPRESSION:
1. Having unrealistic expectations. (1Kings 18)
2. Living like you are invincible. (1Kings 18)
3. Obsess over criticism. (1Kings 19:1-3)
4. Isolate yourself. (1Kings 19:3)
5. Push yourself to the point of exhaustion. (1Kings 19:4)
6. Keep comparing yourself to others. (1 Kings 19:4)
7. See yourself as a martyr. (1Kings 19:10, 14)
8. Neglect your physical condition. (1Kings 19:5-8)
9. Make poor choices.
HOW TO CLIMB OUT OF THE HOLE CALLED DEPRESSION
1. Take care of your body (eat right, sleep enough, get a physical) (1Kings 19:5-8)
2. Talk to God about your frustrations. (1Kings 19:9-10)
3. Pay attention to what God has to say. (1Kings 19:11-12)
4. Allow your encounter with God to change you. (1Kings 19:13)
5. Begin filtering your thoughts with the truth. (1Kings 19:14, 18)
6. Live proactively with purpose. (1Kings 19:15-16)
7. Cultivate relationships with godly companions. (1Kings 19:21)
HOW TO TALK TO GOD ABOUT YOUR DEPRESSION
“Dear God, You have said that my body belongs to You and that I need to take good care of it. Please help me to balance my schedule so that I get enough rest and eat right. Also, place medical professionals in my life who will help me to thoroughly care for the body that You have so intricately made.
I commit myself to being brutally honest with You. I know that You won’t condemn me for having awful thoughts or feelings. I also commit myself to listening to what ever You have to say and I plan to adjust my thinking and actions to fit in with what You say is true.
I also commit myself to living a proactive, rather than reactive life that includes learning from others who also want to please You. I will now look to you to adjust the way I feel to match my love, commitment, and trust in You.”
How to talk to God when you're depressed
The day after. What looked to be a journey of new hopes and dreams have now been destroyed. Everybody is gone. There’s no more laughter. You just can’t feel any worse than this.
The day after Good Friday has no semblance of being good. Jesus has been murdered. He’s gone! His followers are now in hiding and wallowing in a great deep funk. Now what are they suppose to do? Is life even worth living without Him? Those were just a few of the questions being asked. And it made them even more depressed the more they thought about it.
Some were saying that He still might come back…you know, like be raised from the dead. Those who said that were just living in denial of what had happened – right? But didn’t Jesus even say he would be killed and raised from the dead in 3 days? Ahhh, he couldn’t have meant that…or could he?
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