My View on Depression- Part 2

Psalm 40:1-4
1I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

2He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

3He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

4Blessed is the one

who trusts in the Lord,

who does not look to the proud,

to those who turn aside to false gods.

Verse 2 of Psalm 40 is exactly how GOD rescued me from depression. It all started with a cry for help. Me, crying out to my creator to save me. Have I been depressed since then? Unfortunately, many times. Why is that? Because I took my eyes off Jesus and focused instead, on the lies of the devil. The words in verse 4 that stand out to me are "Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust...". When I focus on God and follow him with all my heart and all my soul, I find myself bathed in the joy of the Lord. If you are struggling with depression, my prayer is that you, too will cry out to the Lord. He will rescue you.

My view on Depression

    Let me say first that I suffer from depression. Those who know me personally will not be surprised by this admission.
    Some people might think that depression and anxiety are in the head. They are exactly right.
 It does originate in the mind. But the roots of depression and anxiety are seeds planted by the Devil.
    Trust me when I say this. I have battled it for over 30 years. I have seen first hand other people suffer from this, not knowing exactly what is plaguing them.
    A verse that comes to mind and is a great comfort to me is Philippians 4:8, which says "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
    That's great advice from the Apostle Paul, which I do not use enough, especially whenever I feel down.
   But lets talk about the negative side of Depression and my view on it.
  Depression is real, but it is also a lie.
   When you are down, it's because you have bought into something that has no truth. When we do this, we make the false thought reality, but only in our minds.
   What does depression do to us? It paralyzes us with fear, which enables us to become non-productive. I have fallen for this countless thousands of times.
    The question is what are we going to do about it?
    I do know that on my own I am unsuccessful, but when I turn to My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, he leads me to truth and frees me from the strongholds of depression.
  

Biblical Principals meets the movies

 A buddy of mine, Jon Lewis-say hello everyone reading this, to a wonderful man of God.
Anyway, my buddy, Jon, approached me with the idea of merging my two blogs together as one.
Basically talking about movies or reviewing movies through a Biblical view instead of a worldly view.
 Then I really got to thinking about what Jon said. Why not? Could I do it? I recalled the last movie I saw in theaters, IRON MAN 3 and about how Tony Stark being this brillant creator of technology and businessman yet when it comes to wisdom, and I'm talking Biblical Wisdom, really the only wisdom there is in this world, he is bankrupt. How so, you ask? That is an example and possible entry for the future.
  Jon is so right. We need to point out Biblical principals in movies today or the lack of Biblical principals. Maybe, just maybe by God's will, someone reading this who doesn't believe and God and doesn't believe that Jesus died on the cross for his or her sins, just might be led to dig deeper into what Jesus actually did for you and me and see that Hollywood is really bankrupt, not only in the idea department, but in the moral department as well.
  We need more movies like the Kendrick Brothers COURAGEOUS, in my opinion. If you've never heard of that movie or have never seen it, maybe you should.
  So,hey, Jon, if you're reading this, I guess I'm taking you up on your idea. I know that you wouldn't want me to give you the credit, and so, I won't. All the credit, all the glory goes to God.
 Until next time, God Bless everyone.

The Endless Fear

It's been a long time since I've written anything on this blog.
Why?
Is it because I've been busy? Well, yes I have been to a certain extent, but never busy enough to write.
Never busy enough to use the gift God gave me.
And yet, I haven't.
I ask myself again-WHY?
The simple answer is that I am afraid.
I am afraid of not knowing what to write.
I think that is every writer's greatest fear.
However, I am a child of God. I am commanded to not be afraid.
The Lord says in Joshua 1:9-"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified;
do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
This is my life verse. When I look to God, when I focus on God, he directs me to the words to write. And it's not just in writing, but also in everything that I do. When I look to God for direction in everything that I do, when I come before him and seek him with everything that I am, that is when he meets me and blesses me with the direction to carry out his purpose, for it is not for my purpose that I live. It is to live out his purpose for creating me- to give him all the praise and glory.
 When I seek him out and obey him and love him with everything that I am, my fear is gone.
Why? Because I am focused on God,who is always with me and never leaves me,even when I am paralyzed with fear. He is patiently standing next to me waiting for me to give him the fear that I was never meant to carry.

What I learned from my Father says about anger!

       The Bible says that I "should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."(James 1:19)
       

       I started (yesterday-Sunday) the morning off by getting angry with my wife. Why doesn't matter. It's the end result that matters and what I did to correct it.
       What I did was ask my wife and God to forgive me my anger. James 1:20 says "for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." That being said, I am a man with many flaws, and can only improve by seeking God every second of every day. That might seem like an impossible thing to accomplish, but for those who know me, I set my sights high.
     James 1:22 says "Do not merely listen to the word and deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
 Which leads me to this verse -Matthew 6:33(a) "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness..."
    What did I learn from yesterday? If I feel anger coming on,stop and give my anger to him and submit to him for guidance.
 

Stuff My Dad Says

               So I'm watching the new TV show $#@! My Dad Says, which is inspired by a blog about a writer's Dad who says whatever is on his mind and I'm wondering if this is the kind of wisdom the world really needs to hear.
              Then it hits me.
              What if I blogged about all the wonderful and amazing things our Heavenly Father has to say to all of us in his holy word-The BIBLE?
               So, starting with this blog entry, I will do just that. I think I'll start with this one:
               Proverbs 1:7-The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
               From this point I will write about what the particular verse,verses or passage translates into my life.
               To fear God is to have reverence of him; respect,awe,wonder and amazement at all he has done for us and continues to do for us. ALL of us.
               But I'm not supposed to write about US.
               I am writing about me and how the Bible looks when I apply it to my life.
               Where do I go when I seek knowledge and wisdom?God,The Bible and those that the Lord has put in my life. There are only a couple of people that give me Godly wisdom. They know who they are.
               Can I be a fool who despises wisdom and discipline? Yes,but I'm learning to correct that.
                The only that will happen is to fully submit to God and learn to trust and obey.
                That is an everyday learning process for me. Some days I think I get it, and other days it's quite obvious that I am oblivious.
                I will stick to praying for wisdom and knowledge and ask God to keep me from the ways of a fool.

The Pharisee and The Tax-Collector!

Luke 18:9-14
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector


9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
 
 
       Which one of these guys am i most like?
        I would love to say that I am the Tax-Collector but I know that i am more like the Pharisee.
        I can't tell you how many times I have judged my next-door neighbor in regards to his questionable activities and behaviour.
        I can't tell you how many times I have been jealous of another neighbor for the things he has that I don't.
        I can't tell you how many times I have rejoiced when another person stumbles in life.
        I can't tell you how many times I have thought that I was better than someone like the Tax-Collector in Luke 18:9-14.
        I can't tell you howlike the Pharisee. Thank GOD that he forgives me when I act like a fool (or the Pharisee).
       Forgiveness only comes when we come humbley before GOD and confess our sins and ask for forgiveness just like the Tax-Collector.
       Which one are you? The Pharisee or The Tax-Collector?