Why am I depressed even though I'm a christian?
- Thread starter Emiliasantos
- Start date
-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Hi Emiliasantos. Sorry for what you're going through, will pray for you. One verse I find immensely consoling is Rev 2:10: "[10] Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." The Lord promises us a Crown of Life in Heaven! Meditating on that Promise often cures me of my depression. Here in the world, we will have depression, trials and tribulation. But along with it, the Lord often gives us His Comfort and His Grace, and above all, He has promised to reward us richly in eternity for being faithful.
God Bless you.
God Bless you.
-
1
- Show all
Always read ALL the side effects of what the Doctor gives out because a lot of meds can actually cause suicidal thoughts...and tapering off any such meds ought to be done extremely gradually and carefully...
Keep trusting Him through the storms... they do pass and the Lord works the good times and the bad times for our good.
Keep trusting Him through the storms... they do pass and the Lord works the good times and the bad times for our good.
-
1
-
1
- Show all
Imagine that if money were no object, and lack of education were not a problem, what would you like to do as a job or career?
Let yourself day dream the perfect fantasy that you think you would like to do.
Be a basketball star. Be a Doctor. Be a best selling Novelist.
Once you come up with something that seems to cause a bit of a spark in you, then imagine doing that and you might be on to the cure of your depression.
Even if you are in your 60s you could make a plan to do what is necessary to start working in that career.
It might be unrealistic to be an NBA basketball star but you could be one of the many workers that travel with the team. There are lots of jobs in the NBA that can put you near the action.
If you do have an idea of something that you think would make you super exited about going to work everyday, then start a plan on how to get trained in that job, get the education, get the training, get the interviews and land that job in the next few years. Working the plan will bring you joy knowing that it will result in achieving your goal.
Can you imagine being a best selling Novelist? Would that make you happy? Put together a plan on taking journalism and writing classes at a local community college or online and start reading tips from successful writers about how they did it and follow a plan.
Don't say, "I am too poor, too uneducated, too whatever, " because there is a way to make a plan and work the plan bit by bit until it is accomplished.
Millions of people have done this and millions more will do it again. You can be one of them.
You have to get up everyday and work that plan and keep records of milestones. A mapped out plan with steps each month and year until you have achieved the goal in 2 to 5 years you can land a job in many fields that you dreamed about and thought it was too late for you because of whatever reason we tell ourselves.
Usually for older adults we think because we did not start the plan when we were college age that it is too late, but that is not true at all. Anyone can drastically change their life in 2 to 4 years. I know people who did what I am telling you and went from Roofing houses to making $120 an hour in IT Security because they thought that would be fun and they made a plan and accomplished it.
They then became a consultant and traveled all over working at the Corporate headquarters of the largest companies in the world. And they did not even finish their college degree. They just started some community college courses working their plan and before their plan was even completed they got hired and kept getting more and more experience in the field so they never completed the college. No one cared, they got hired for their experience which kept gaining year after year.
They could have stayed in a depressed life roofing houses in the Texas heat and saying they were not educated or experienced enough to get one of those fancy Corporate headquarter jobs, but they made a plan and changed their life in a few years time.
You have to get a plan to do something GREAT and then work that plan. Get a sense of purpose and destiny. This will crush depression.
This advice applies to any Christian as it is not putting career plans over God, it is simply realizing that God has given you an inner desire to do certain things that will help others and you can have faith in God to help you discover what that is and then work a plan to do it. This advice applies to Preachers as well.
Too many Christians say they want to be preachers, pastors, worship leaders, and then they do nothing to make it happen. It is not unspiritual to enroll in bible college and train in ministry and get ordained with an organization you agree with. Then as you do, doors will open and you will find yourself in full time ministry in a few years after starting your plan. Otherwise you will still be saying that you think you are called to be a pastor 10 years from now and no closer to doing it.
And even if you are accomplishing great things in the world and writing great books and producing famous works of art because you have a brilliant mind (many of the greatest suffered from depression) you might still feel the depression but you will have learned how to drown it out with noble pursuits and that is really all we can do in the end. Accomplishing things in spite of our depression may not cure depression but it sure gives it swift kick in the behind and leave us the victors over it.
Let yourself day dream the perfect fantasy that you think you would like to do.
Be a basketball star. Be a Doctor. Be a best selling Novelist.
Once you come up with something that seems to cause a bit of a spark in you, then imagine doing that and you might be on to the cure of your depression.
Even if you are in your 60s you could make a plan to do what is necessary to start working in that career.
It might be unrealistic to be an NBA basketball star but you could be one of the many workers that travel with the team. There are lots of jobs in the NBA that can put you near the action.
If you do have an idea of something that you think would make you super exited about going to work everyday, then start a plan on how to get trained in that job, get the education, get the training, get the interviews and land that job in the next few years. Working the plan will bring you joy knowing that it will result in achieving your goal.
Can you imagine being a best selling Novelist? Would that make you happy? Put together a plan on taking journalism and writing classes at a local community college or online and start reading tips from successful writers about how they did it and follow a plan.
Don't say, "I am too poor, too uneducated, too whatever, " because there is a way to make a plan and work the plan bit by bit until it is accomplished.
Millions of people have done this and millions more will do it again. You can be one of them.
You have to get up everyday and work that plan and keep records of milestones. A mapped out plan with steps each month and year until you have achieved the goal in 2 to 5 years you can land a job in many fields that you dreamed about and thought it was too late for you because of whatever reason we tell ourselves.
Usually for older adults we think because we did not start the plan when we were college age that it is too late, but that is not true at all. Anyone can drastically change their life in 2 to 4 years. I know people who did what I am telling you and went from Roofing houses to making $120 an hour in IT Security because they thought that would be fun and they made a plan and accomplished it.
They then became a consultant and traveled all over working at the Corporate headquarters of the largest companies in the world. And they did not even finish their college degree. They just started some community college courses working their plan and before their plan was even completed they got hired and kept getting more and more experience in the field so they never completed the college. No one cared, they got hired for their experience which kept gaining year after year.
They could have stayed in a depressed life roofing houses in the Texas heat and saying they were not educated or experienced enough to get one of those fancy Corporate headquarter jobs, but they made a plan and changed their life in a few years time.
You have to get a plan to do something GREAT and then work that plan. Get a sense of purpose and destiny. This will crush depression.
This advice applies to any Christian as it is not putting career plans over God, it is simply realizing that God has given you an inner desire to do certain things that will help others and you can have faith in God to help you discover what that is and then work a plan to do it. This advice applies to Preachers as well.
Too many Christians say they want to be preachers, pastors, worship leaders, and then they do nothing to make it happen. It is not unspiritual to enroll in bible college and train in ministry and get ordained with an organization you agree with. Then as you do, doors will open and you will find yourself in full time ministry in a few years after starting your plan. Otherwise you will still be saying that you think you are called to be a pastor 10 years from now and no closer to doing it.
And even if you are accomplishing great things in the world and writing great books and producing famous works of art because you have a brilliant mind (many of the greatest suffered from depression) you might still feel the depression but you will have learned how to drown it out with noble pursuits and that is really all we can do in the end. Accomplishing things in spite of our depression may not cure depression but it sure gives it swift kick in the behind and leave us the victors over it.
-
1
-
1
- Show all
I’ve asked this question to myself everyday for the last 3 years during a vicious battle with psychosis and schizophrenia where I believed I was like this because God was punishing me for a sin I committed and I was going to hell for it. I was terrified, I believed I’d lost my salvation, that was my explanation for the way I felt. But after getting the right medication that took away my delusions I my perspective changes to believing I have a mental illness, and theres nothing spiritual about it, I read online somewhere that mental illnesses can make you feel far from God and thats sort of what I am hoping is going on.
-
1
- Show all
My friend I greet you in the light
I know all to well how this feels its not fun either
My advice find what brings you joy what puts life back in that heart of yours for me it's reading being artsy and music
I do enjoy singing to try it out it gives the chance to pour out emotion
Also remember this that every prayer you have prayed is heard god is surely in the works a break through is coming a blessing that will change it all
Always move forward
Life was never guaranteed to be easy
May the light provide may god bless you
I know all to well how this feels its not fun either
My advice find what brings you joy what puts life back in that heart of yours for me it's reading being artsy and music
I do enjoy singing to try it out it gives the chance to pour out emotion
Also remember this that every prayer you have prayed is heard god is surely in the works a break through is coming a blessing that will change it all
Always move forward
Life was never guaranteed to be easy
May the light provide may god bless you
The fallacy of this advice results from a complete lack of understanding of what depression is and how it works. As a person whose spent 30+ years dealing with depression and spent time learning about what it is, I have a good idea on what it is.
Depression robs people of the ability to see joy and happiness. It makes enjoying even your favorite things nearly or completely impossible at times, or all the time.
One of my favorite things is to listen to music, but because of my depression I can go weeks or months without listening. And simply putting it on regardless doesn't mean I magically enjoy it.
Depression is not simply feeling down, but goes deeper than that. And it's symptoms can be overwhelming.
Depression robs people of the ability to see joy and happiness. It makes enjoying even your favorite things nearly or completely impossible at times, or all the time.
One of my favorite things is to listen to music, but because of my depression I can go weeks or months without listening. And simply putting it on regardless doesn't mean I magically enjoy it.
Depression is not simply feeling down, but goes deeper than that. And it's symptoms can be overwhelming.
-
1
- Show all
I suffered depression for much of my life (I'm 71). It is part of the reason I got saved, because life had no meaning for me and I was suicidal. That was just before my 21st birthday.
In my case, depression was because I was looking at the problems instead of the answer. I thought that the problem was me. How do you fix the irreparable? I knew that I was proud. I knew that I was supposed to be humble. How can the proud fix themselves? It's like asking a man with broken legs to put plaster on his own legs.
One day, courtesy of my friend and mentor, I saw that God had already resolved the problem. I knew it in part. The old "me" was crucified with Christ. Yet the old "me" seemed as alive as ever. I saw that it was not enough to deal with the old. I needed something new, something that did not require any "help" from me. This is exactly what God has done for us in and through Christ. We may even say, "It's no longer I, but Christ...." The problem is that many do not know what this means. When I saw this truth, it was the second best day of my life. When I was first born again, my burden of guilt lifted off me. I was forgiven and I knew it. When I saw that Jesus lives in my place now, the burden of "me" lifted. Whatever I am outside of Christ is irrelevant. My need now is to know who I am in Christ and who He is in me. That is only positive. How can I be depressed when Jesus is my life? If He can be depressed, so can I.
I was in hospital a couple of years ago with pancreatitis. That's a miserable and potentially fatal condition. I was in great pain and I could barely think. Yet I was at peace the whole time. So yes, this is not just a doctrine. It is experience as well.
In my case, depression was because I was looking at the problems instead of the answer. I thought that the problem was me. How do you fix the irreparable? I knew that I was proud. I knew that I was supposed to be humble. How can the proud fix themselves? It's like asking a man with broken legs to put plaster on his own legs.
One day, courtesy of my friend and mentor, I saw that God had already resolved the problem. I knew it in part. The old "me" was crucified with Christ. Yet the old "me" seemed as alive as ever. I saw that it was not enough to deal with the old. I needed something new, something that did not require any "help" from me. This is exactly what God has done for us in and through Christ. We may even say, "It's no longer I, but Christ...." The problem is that many do not know what this means. When I saw this truth, it was the second best day of my life. When I was first born again, my burden of guilt lifted off me. I was forgiven and I knew it. When I saw that Jesus lives in my place now, the burden of "me" lifted. Whatever I am outside of Christ is irrelevant. My need now is to know who I am in Christ and who He is in me. That is only positive. How can I be depressed when Jesus is my life? If He can be depressed, so can I.
I was in hospital a couple of years ago with pancreatitis. That's a miserable and potentially fatal condition. I was in great pain and I could barely think. Yet I was at peace the whole time. So yes, this is not just a doctrine. It is experience as well.
We all suffer depression however we all experience it for different reasons so we are able to deal in different ways music may not have worked for you it may not work for them bit it did for me and I give that advice because I experienced it and it helped we all cope with it in different ways singing gave me vocalize it bring it into Word and voice not just on my own but in my community there's not a person whom doesn't know me for my courage to express it this way and ultimately it gave me the friendship I longed for because others experiencing the same things looked to me and saw what I had conquered they are we're I look to as well as God to bring myself back our of that pit
You base your thoughts on science good for you but science can not explain everything and it's solutions are not full proof
I pray you see it from my veiw as well
You base your thoughts on science good for you but science can not explain everything and it's solutions are not full proof
I pray you see it from my veiw as well
-
1
- Show all
Periods are not only your friend, but also those that read (or attempt to) your posts.
There is a distinct difference between a person that goes through a period of depression and a person who has clinical depression.
Its true many will may experience a short term depression, divorce or loss of a loved one being common sources. But this is not the same thing as people with chemical imbalances.
But sometimes science IS right as well. And dismissing science, with its mountains of evidences, does not do one justice either. So the condescending "good for you" and flippant attitude to ignore and not even consider a view that disagrees with your opinion does not paint you in as positive a light as you may think.
There is a distinct difference between a person that goes through a period of depression and a person who has clinical depression.
Its true many will may experience a short term depression, divorce or loss of a loved one being common sources. But this is not the same thing as people with chemical imbalances.
But sometimes science IS right as well. And dismissing science, with its mountains of evidences, does not do one justice either. So the condescending "good for you" and flippant attitude to ignore and not even consider a view that disagrees with your opinion does not paint you in as positive a light as you may think.
-
1
- Show all
Ok nice ending there personally I think I've been pretty respectful as of this point
Ok so you gave me some background information well here's mine now I don't have 30+ years of experience or studying as you pit it but i have a shadow of a memory on my back 24 7 and there countless of these shadows 7 years of mental physical abuse are my battle scares im personally beyond what it has done and i accept what it will continue to do I have no doubt that you have experienced something along these lines
You talk chemical imbalances as if im not aware of them im very aware and advanced in science as well you can ask my entire school and parents if you really could let's not forget the therapy I've had to go through and the therapy im going through now I know exactly how it feels to have a doctor say to my face that I have no hope of being stable yet I proved them wrong tho I currently am not in the greatest of places right now I can say I've changed far from what that doctor told me if you want science ill leave a link at the end that states that what I have said does indeed work though again not for all of us
I am not ignorant of the mountains of evidence but the very thing science was made to do was to question to change and to evolve so im aware of the evidence im also aware that it is subject to change
God bless you and enjoy your day
May the light provide https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6486188/
Ok so you gave me some background information well here's mine now I don't have 30+ years of experience or studying as you pit it but i have a shadow of a memory on my back 24 7 and there countless of these shadows 7 years of mental physical abuse are my battle scares im personally beyond what it has done and i accept what it will continue to do I have no doubt that you have experienced something along these lines
You talk chemical imbalances as if im not aware of them im very aware and advanced in science as well you can ask my entire school and parents if you really could let's not forget the therapy I've had to go through and the therapy im going through now I know exactly how it feels to have a doctor say to my face that I have no hope of being stable yet I proved them wrong tho I currently am not in the greatest of places right now I can say I've changed far from what that doctor told me if you want science ill leave a link at the end that states that what I have said does indeed work though again not for all of us
I am not ignorant of the mountains of evidence but the very thing science was made to do was to question to change and to evolve so im aware of the evidence im also aware that it is subject to change
God bless you and enjoy your day
May the light provide https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6486188/
-
1
- Show all