Spiritual Depression - Men as Trees, Walking

 As I continue to struggle with my health, I have spent some time reading the book Spiritual Depression by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Here are some of the things that gave me cause for thought today, in the chapter entitled Men as Trees, Walking . . .

~ The most comfortable type of religion is always a vague religion, nebulous and uncertain, cluttered up with forms and ritual ... The more vague and indefinite your religion, the more comfortable it is. There is nothing so uncomfortable as clear-cut Biblical truths that demand decisions.

~ If only we came to the Scriptures as little children and took them at their face value and allowed them to speak to us ...

~ This is God's Word which is timeless, and because it is God's Word we must submit to it and trust Him to employ His own methods in His own way.

~ There is nothing that so clears a man's spiritual sight as the apprehension and understanding of the doctrines of the Bible.

~ Come to the Word of God. Stop asking questions. Start with the promises in their right order. Say: 'I want the truth whatever it costs me'. Bind yourself to it, submit yourself to it, come in utter submission as a little child and plead with Him to give you clear sight, perfect vision, and to make you whole.

~ Do you believe that the Son of God came from heaven and lived and did all He did on earth, that He died on a Cross and was buried and rose again, that He ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, in order to leave us in a state of confusion? It is impossible. He came that we might see clearly, that we might know God. He came to give eternal life and 'This is eternal life, that they may know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent'.

Honestly, I'm a bit surprised by how easy it is for me to struggle with depression when going through a trial like illness. Fortunately, I am not the first person to go through this kind of trial and I will not be the last person to do so. And, no matter what your own trial may be at the present moment, neither are you!

SO BE ENCOURAGED and ENDURE!

Why? Because trials and tribulations are part of the Believer's life . . .

Why? Because this world is not our home; we are only Sojourners here . . .

Why? Because both you and I have the ability to take to take God at His word, and if we choose to do so here is what He promises . . .

If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful,
for He cannot deny Himself.
-- 2 Timothy 2:12-13

O Holy, Heavenly Father, help us to truly remember that this world is not our home. Help us to remember that You promise we will have trials on this earth. Help us to encourage and to be encouraged. Help us to love You more; that we may prove worthy of the calling You have placed on each of our lives. And most importantly of all, help us to remember that a life spent with YOU is the ultimate prize!
✞

The Cold Shoulder

For someone who is a professional life coach, and who is pursing a master’s degree in biblical counseling, I couldn’t coach – much less counsel – my way out of a paper bag right now! :D

I wasn’t expecting a marriage proposal! But, I wasn’t expecting the cold shoulder, either, which is pretty much what I received from someone today … right after they were as warm as molasses to the person with whom they interacted right before me.

Two of my biggest struggles in life have been trusting God and trusting others. So when a day like today happens, in which someone I have come to trust explicitly pushes me away (and has done so for about 8 months now), and because this has happened a handful of other times in my life with people I have come to completely trust, and who have hurt me so deeply, it becomes very easy for me to retreat and withdraw from the world.

“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” (Psalm 66:20)

Matthew 18:15-17 talks about the fact that if someone sins against you, you should go and talk to them, which makes me wonder: “what exactly did I do, and how exactly did I sin against them,” to warrant such a cold shoulder? Do I need to go and talk to them? Do they need to come and speak with me?

Truthfully, this whole situation hurts. A great deal. And, honestly, it makes me want to go and worship somewhere else because it would make my life a lot easier and a lot less painful – especially because I know that this person is not going anywhere.

I started this blog to help me learn to trust in “His Sovereign Purpose” in my life on a daily basis. So while I pour out my heart to God about this, I also know that He knows why this is happening, and what the outcome of it will be – for all parties involved.

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him … Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him, God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:5,8)

In the meantime, I hope that I can just let go and trust Him to do what He needs to do – in this situation and in my life – in order to conform me into the image of His Son, no matter how much it hurts. And it really hurts a lot right now!
✞