In our last Bible study, Disabling Your Depression, we saw that depression can often be anger turned inward.
The downward spiral of depression often occurs like this:
unrealistic
expectation
↓
unresolved
hurt
↓
anger
↓
depression
David reminded himself in Psalm 62:5 My soul wait silently on God alone, for my expectation is from Him.
What do you expect from God? As you consider the above chart, what are your thoughts? Or, please feel free to post any other insights you gained from the study.
I was challenged to label things I can control as sin, because sin can be conquered. I never considered doing that in such a concrete way before. What great tools we have been given to be able to look back and see the source of our sin, take it to the cross, and be changed!
ReplyDeleteThis was followed up by the wonderful statement that the Lord delights over our will, as we choose His ways, His thoughts, His actions over our flesh. Our intentions matter to Him. What powerful words! We can bless God in so many ways, and He notices them all!
The Word is my source, the Lord is my strength, and the Holy Spirit my Comforter. I have all I need to walk in victory
I loved this tool. It's so important to go back and see/realize/consider what we're believing (what our unrealistic expectation is) and lift it up to God. When we do that, we can then compare that to what God's Word says. Then, we have a choice we can believe what our circumstances/friends/enemy/parents/teachers/or own thoughts are saying about us OR we can choose to BELIEVE GOD!
ReplyDeleteIn my devotions this morning I was reading that wonderful story of when King Hezekiah receives a letter from King Sennacherib of Assyria. Hezekiah brings the letter into the house of God and lays it out before God and prays a beautiful prayer. First acknowledging God, then saying this is true. What the King of Assyria is boasting of he's done, it's all true. But King Hezekiah knows as we should know that God is God and there is none like HIM. The end of the story is that King Sennacherib never steps foot in Judah and is killed by his own sons.
So, lay it out before God and watch what He does with our stuff. What an amazing God we have!
I expect God to be faithful to His word, to all He promises me in Him. My hope is in Him alone. But sometimes I expect those promises to befulfilled in my timing, according to my ways- Psalm 62:5 challenges me to wait and to wait silently and to wait expectantly... expectation is an assured hope that it will come to pass. And as I abide in Him, I see so much clearer that I want His way and perfect timing, not my own. And I see how much my way lacks and leads to unrealistic expectations of self and others and thus begins my downward spiral AND can put a burden on others that God never intended for them.
ReplyDeleteAwesome truths, Sally! Waiting quietly upon Him is such a key concept, we really can lack in applying it. Thanks for the encouragement!
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ReplyDeleteI think Sally said it perfectly! Joe got heard this quote from a sermon somewhere and has been saying it lately and it really fits, "When you are going through something that you do not know, fall back and Who and what you do know". This is speaking of facing trials and hardships which is when our unrealistic expectations are often revealed. When nothing around me is what I thought it should be, what do I know? I know that God is good and that He promises to never leave me and that He has a plan for my life. These tools of recognizing anger and the source of depression are helpful to me in a practical sense because now, anything I am upset at or disappointed at, I can take it to the Word and ask, "Did God promise me this?" Our expectation should be in His promises alone. Nothing else is guaranteed to us in this life. What are our expectations? We need to put our expectations in check and wait silently on the One who is faithful to those promises. What peace, safety and contentment is found there.
ReplyDeleteActually Sharon said:
ReplyDeleteChoice – It makes such a difference when you realize you have one. This is what I experienced after we did the lesson on depression. Please bear with me as I try to convey how God Word is where our expectations are found.
I have acid reflux. My only symptom is coughing. Recently a friend of mine told me she had the same thing and the Dr. said hers was caused by stress. I begin to give that some thought and prayer. I considered what Cathy said in our lesson about, if we believe God’s Word has the answer or not? If my cough was caused by stress, I have a choice to go with it or go to God. I had such an opportunity to test it as my husband and I had to drive to the convention center last weekend. As he gets very disturbed with traffic, parking and such, I begin to cough. Pretty standard. But, this time I begin to seek God with Psalm 62 and got real quite inside. My coughing spasm slowed and stopped. I spent the rest of the time in the car praising God. Since then I have started to consider my cough as a signal from the Lord to draw quietly unto Him. He’s pretty amazing, our God. I almost start to cry telling this. His Word is so powerful and He is so close. He never, not for one moment leaves of forsakes us. I can’t give Him enough praise.
Thank you for sharing, Sharon! What a wonderful testimony!
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