The psalmist David writes, “Why are you cast down, O my soul” (Ps 42:5) – David was sad, troubled, perplexed, disquieted, unhappy and spiritually depressed – a very common condition; obviously he felt overwhelmed within himself. Some of the greatest saints are introverts; the extrovert is generally a more superficial person. In the natural realm there is the type of person who is always analyzing himself, analyzing everything he does. The danger for such people is to become “morbid.”
When we get depressed it is because we have “forgotten God” – hence the psalmist says to himself, “Hope thou in God!” (Ps 42:5) Notice the psalmist addresses himself – “he talks to himself,” and herein he discovers the cure. The main problem in the whole matter of “spiritual depression” in a sense is this – we allow our “self” to talk to us instead of “talking to ourself.” Most unhappiness in life is due to the fact that we “listen to ourselves” instead of “talking to ourselves.” David, in effect, says, “Self, listen for a moment to what I have to say – why are you so cast down?” The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself, question yourself, and preach to yourself – you must remind yourself who God is, and what God has done, and what God has promised to do – this is the essence of the treatment in a nutshell.
We must understand that this “self” of ours – this other man within us has got to be handled; do not listen to him! turn on him! speak to him! remind him of what you know! So rather than listening to him and allowing him to drag you down and depress you – you must take control! Deliverance from spiritual depression begins with an understanding of “justification,” not sanctification, as one might suspect. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). “This is life eternal, to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent” (Jn 17:3). As a believer, are you truly enjoying God? Is He the center of your life? He is meant to be. If He is not, you are living in sin – that is the essence of sin.
Remember the “good news” – God made Christ to be the propitiation for our sins – that is, God made Christ responsible for our sins; they were all placed upon Him and God dealt with them and punished them in His Son. So Christ is our salvation – we simply accept Him as our Deliverer and Savior by faith. God then imputed Christ’s righteousness to us – here is the great exchange: He took our wickedness and gave us His righteousness! To get rid of “spiritual depression” you must say farewell to your past! No matter how dark the stains may be, they have all been blotted out! It is finished! Never look back on your sins again! They will only “depress” you! If you focus on “your sinfulness,” you will only conclude that “you are not good enough!” And whether you believe it or not, nobody is good enough! The issue is not our goodness… the issue is God’s goodness.
It is only THEN that true happiness and joy are possible for you. Deliverance is not found in making resolutions to live a better life, fasting, grieving or praying. No “action” on your part. Repeatedly tell yourself, “I rest my faith on Christ alone, who died for my transgressions to atone.” Remember, a man is justified by “faith” – not by the “deeds” of the Law – your works and behavior have nothing to do with your being saved. Furthermore, since we are “eternally saved by faith,” our salvation is not maintained by “good works.” As long as you see your “sins” as a detriment with regard to your acceptance before God, you will negate the work of the cross in your life – because you will live as though “your sins” really have not been fully dealt with.
This is a “critical issue” for many Christians – they have been “set free” from the prison of sin… their prison cell has been unlocked… yet they continue to live in it! Jesus is the Savior of sinners, among whom I am foremost of all! (1 Tim 1:15). (9-35) It is sad and tragic that so many Christians are frustrated and miserable – The Protestant Reformation brought peace and happiness because the central doctrine of “justification by faith” was rediscovered. One of the most remarkable miracles our Lord performed was the healing of a “blind man” (Mk 8:22-26).
When Jesus spat upon His eyes, He asked the blind man what he saw – he said he saw “trees walking.” Though one can say the man is no longer blind, yet you hesitate to say that he sees perfectly – that description is precisely where most Christians find themselves – they are disquieted and unhappy because of this lack of clarity regarding the doctrine of “justification by faith.” They simply see men as “trees walking” – there is confusion in what they see; they don’t understand certain basic truths. What they do is mix-in their own ideas with spiritual truth… and stop reading the Bible and praying.
What is the cure? What saved the “blind man” in the above illustration was his absolute honesty – he fully submitted himself to Christ, and did not object to further treatment. Conversely, our response must be similar: “I want the truth whatever it costs me.” The blind man listened to Jesus and his sight was fully restored – “he saw every man clearly.” If you are unhappy about yourself – go to Christ, go to His Word, wait upon Him, plead with Him, hold on to Him, and ask Him in the words of the hymn – Holy Spirit, Truth Divine, Dawn upon this soul of mine; Word of God, and inward Light, Wake my spirit, clear my sight.
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