Feeling Very Depressed This Morning

[Boidae21]

Like any church movement, don't just take it lock stock and barrel. Discern the truths they really do possess and run with them. Discard the rest.


Like I said earlier.... The church has been fantastic at robbing the children of God of this wonderful part of life with God and his plan for their joy and happiness. It's sad how the mechanized, so called, 'worship' of many denominations has been accepted as the worship God has for his people. You have to trust me, there is worship where you literally meet the love and power and presence of God. Once you experience it it's impossible to settle for the dry, lifeless worship so many Christians drag themselves through each Sunday. I'm so grateful God graciously got me right into the Spirit-filled life right from the beginning. A part of me wants to respond to that grace by helping other people find it too.

I am sure that you are happy with what you found, but not everyone is happy with what you found nor wants it. I am happy with the worship that Lutherans have. It suits me as I am not a very charismatic person. Never have been. I am a very quiet and reserved person.

There is an old saying which I am sure that you have heard before. Different strokes for different folks. Not everyone likes the style of worship that you do and the reverse is true. You call it lifeless, I call it amazing.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

You call it lifeless, I call it amazing.

Then why are you depressed?

It suits me as I am not a very charismatic person. Never have been. I am a very quiet and reserved person.

You can sit perfectly still and quiet and be completely consumed by the love and presence of God. I agree totally that we respond outwardly much in line with our general personality. That doesn't make it any less Spirit-filled. A thoughtful worship leader/ church gives lots of room for people to just be quiet and still, and room for the more charismatic people to raise their hands, cry, etc.

 

[Boidae21]

Then why are you depressed?


You can sit perfectly still and quiet and be completely consumed by the love and presence of God. I agree totally that we respond outwardly much in line with our general personality. That doesn't make it any less Spirit-filled.

I explained why I am depressed. I didn't have my kids for Christmas which is something I had been looking forward to very much for weeks.

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

The benifit of knowing why your depressed helps for fending it off or expecting it and being more prepared for it next time. But what you do for it is also important, regardless if you know why it's there.

That said, based on what you've said, the potential things to feel depressed about could be from not being able to see your kids as planned. (Sometimes ruined plans have their way of ruining our mood. Plus the love you have for your daughter may have been worry.). It could have been about the divorce, but from the conversations above that seems unlikely to be the cause today. It could also be something that you've neglected because of worry or plans, like how much rest of food you've had recently. If not much your body might need a recharge and hold out on giving any positive emotions. On the other hand it could be none of those, and reasons that happened yesterday are just a catalyst for the already other factors in your life to set in as a depressing mood. Only you can find answers from what's getting you down.

That said regardless what it is, there's three things I can think of for you to do to help. One is to recoperate like you would after being sick. Sometimes that has helped me after having a depression built around being burned out or overwhelmed. Take some time to have some space away from everything else. Fishing sounds good for that if that helps you. The second and third thing to do is attack it from the opposite direction, so you aren't recuperating if you try the other options. One is to be active and pull yourself out of the depression by being exposed to the world around you. And the other Option is to eat well, (in case you haven't) be in the sunshine if you can, and go out on a bike ride or a run and let your endorphins cook your depression out. The third option if more a precription for your body then your mind, but boy it works too sometimes.

No matter what you do though, having an active presence for God should help. So prayer or music or reading the bible I'd encourage.

Sorry to hear you're down. Good luck, and God bless.

 

[Brother Mike]

That happens in these forums.
Sometimes I'm sure I'm the only one who gets edified by what I write.
But that's okay, it's all from God. I'll take it even if no one else receives it.

I was thinking of you when I talked about waiting till you feel like it, and stepping out in faith despite our feelings. My roots are in the Word of Faith movement. That's also where God graciously introduced me to vibrant, Spirit-filled worship. I don't know why but God got me started in the great mysterious truths of the faith right from the beginning. There I go, I'm in tears again listening to my own words.

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
(1Sa 30:6 KJV)

I suppose the WOF teaching leads you into scriptures that nobody covers. I was reading a book about Smith Wigglesworth. Someone asked him how he feels, He said I don't even ask myself how I feel, I tell myself how I feel. One of the first few books I read as a new believer and it stuck with me.

David gets back, the women taken, the children gone, all the stuff gone out of Ziklag. David's men were crying, David was crying, they lost everything. David does not get into a pity party like Job did, He encouraged himself in the Lord. Then David comes up with a plan, shall I go after this troop. The Lord says go, You shall recover all.
Now I don't know what can depress someone more but to find out their family is gone, and all their stuff is gone. David would not let himself stay down, He had to take action and encourage himself.

Thing is, it works!!! The Word of God is food for our spirit, it will prosper us inside, when the outside world is screaming doom and gloom.

Jud_1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
(Eph 5:18-20 KJV)


Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

If we have no help, no ability to snap out of depression by obeying the Word of God, then God's Word is not true, and our faith in God is in vain.

Mike.

 

[Boidae21]

The benifit of knowing why your depressed helps for fending it off or expecting it and being more prepared for it next time. But what you do for it is also important, regardless if you know why it's there.

That said, based on what you've said, the potential things to feel depressed about could be from not being able to see your kids as planned. (Sometimes ruined plans have their way of ruining our mood. Plus the love you have for your daughter may have been worry.). It could have been about the divorce, but from the conversations above that seems unlikely to be the cause today. It could also be something that you've neglected because of worry or plans, like how much rest of food you've had recently. If not much your body might need a recharge and hold out on giving any positive emotions. On the other hand it could be none of those, and reasons that happened yesterday are just a catalyst for the already other factors in your life to set in as a depressing mood. Only you can find answers from what's getting you down.

That said regardless what it is, there's three things I can think of for you to do to help. One is to recoperate like you would after being sick. Sometimes that has helped me after having a depression built around being burned out or overwhelmed. Take some time to have some space away from everything else. Fishing sounds good for that if that helps you. The second and third thing to do is attack it from the opposite direction, so you aren't recuperating if you try the other options. One is to be active and pull yourself out of the depression by being exposed to the world around you. And the other Option is to eat well, (in case you haven't) be in the sunshine if you can, and go out on a bike ride or a run and let your endorphins cook your depression out. The third option if more a precription for your body then your mind, but boy it works too sometimes.

No matter what you do though, having an active presence for God should help. So prayer or music or reading the bible I'd encourage.

Sorry to hear you're down. Good luck, and God bless.

I am realizing that it could also have a little bit to do with having to go back to my main job this afternoon. I had four days off (two that are my normal days off and two that they gave us off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day), but doesn't feel like it because I had one of my other jobs to do on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and today, plus I was busy with other things all four days. Never really had a chance to just sit down and relax and enjoy my time off.

 

[smaller]

Life brings troubles. None avoid them. We should be depressed by them. It's natural.

It does help our minds to try to control our attitudes. Moderate them, if you please. I dealt with depression in my late teens, and found I had to "force" the little stream of thoughts in my head to comply, and not be ruled by them, as if I could not control what transpired therein. It can be controlled by controlling the thought streams, essentially "ruling" over them. Setting my thoughts on what I might term "higher order" contemplations has always helped to set things in perspective when things try to get dismal.

Colossians 3:2
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

I am realizing that it could also have a little bit to do with having to go back to my main job this afternoon. I had four days off (two that are my normal days off and two that they gave us off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day), but doesn't feel like it because I had one of my other jobs to do on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and today, plus I was busy with other things all four days. Never really had a chance to just sit down and relax and enjoy my time off.

Hope tomorrow is better. Give it time if that helps. If it lasts longer then that though, try something else. Sometimes time helps it stew as much as it can help relieve. It can help make a rut to stay in too. I've gotten through a lot though by giving myself some breathing room to get through it. Sounds like that's what you're doing too. Play some music if you can. Any kind of music will do. It's not a burdensome activity and can change the energy inside of you too. Help change you out of a rut if you ever get in one. Good luck.

.... Sounds like a lot of us have had a bit of experience with depression in our lives and have our own solutions to try and offer. Sorry if I'm making it worse telling you what to do. Just hate that state of being in depression, and trying to help.

 

[Wrg1405]

Hi fella. How you doing? I understand some of what you feel with depression and what it does.

You say tomorrow is a new day and you will probably start feeling better the further away from yesterday I get. What about the next time you feel that?

Yesterday will always carry over tomorrow, if it's not dealt with yesterday it will be today. My friend you need to deal with today so it will form your tomorrow.

It's hard and I know it is.

So what can we do? What should we do? We need to focus on the goodness of God no matter how bad it seems.

The Lord's Prayer starts with a focus on God, our Father, Abba Father.
You may think, my Father, Abba Father, if that is true why on earth am I in this situation in my life?

Truth is we can find ourselves in the situation we are in because as you said above "we ignored the red flags" God allows us to make choices but he also promised that when we get it wrong he would work good in those choices. He didn't promise to make those choices good.

That is his promise to you.

Don't sit back, don't give up. Focus on bible verses that help and continue to focus on them, find a worship song that brings you into the presence of God.

I love Psalm 103 and Plsam 145, I love Job 38 (because it mentions snow and Job would have no idea what snow was). I love a song by Dustin Kensrue on Psalm 145.

No matter your choices, not matter your thoughts, cry out to God, tell him your thoughts, he knows them anyway. He is just waiting for you to cry out.

God bless you mate.

Bill