Depression sucks. There’s not really any other way to say it. It takes any of the good in your life and just makes it seem to disappear. All of the hope that you had is gone in the blink of an eye. All of your dreams turned to why bothers or who cares.
I’ve battled depression for a long time. Then when I started to deal with PTSD, it became much worse, much more controlling. I used to be able to cope with it a lot easier and just know that today is going to suck but tomorrow should be better. Now, it’s hard to believe that the bad days will end.
You wake up in the morning and wish you could do anything other than be awake. You get ready for work and dread every second of your preparation and commute. You force yourself to eat lunch, even though you’re not hungry, and kind of force the food down because it isn’t bringing any kind of happiness today, it just tastes blah. You leave work and anxiously drive home wondering what the atmosphere will be like, will everyone be getting along? And then when you finally get to end your day, you can’t sleep.
I believe that there’s absolutely something very similar in the spiritual world as well. I’ve come to call it spiritual depression.
You wake up and find distractions that keep you away from prayer or devotional time. You dread the idea of sharing your faith or trying to at least be an example. Spending time reading scripture sounds like it’s going to be painful and no matter what, you hold onto all of your fears and worries, cling tight to your anxiety and depression, and refuse to give any of it to God. You hear the words on Sunday morning, but they just don’t seem to connect.
Spiritual depression can feel so overwhelming that you wonder if you’ll ever have the kind of faith that you used to again. You wonder why even bother with doing a devotion or praying because all you’ll be doing is checking a box, not actually connecting with your faith. You find reasons why you’ll connect with God tomorrow instead of today. You’re just too busy, too many other things to do, it will take too long. It feels like there’s no reason to look forward to your relationship with God, no reason to pursue faith. You just want to wake up, exist and be done with the day already, no need for all of the extra filler,
Depression in both realms is both part of the curse of sin that Adam and Eve welcomed into the world and a valuable tool for the enemy. Satan knows just how strong depression truly is. It’s all encompassing. It invades and controls every single part of your thoughts, your life and your relationships. It hurts everyone around you that watches you suffer and struggle. It quietly and completely defeats you, usually before you even realize that you’re being attacked.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re struggling with depression is to reach out and let someone know. But it’s probably one of the best defenses against it. To let someone else in to help you fight it gives you a tool to win the battle. Depression wants you to believe that you’re all alone and that you have to suffer and struggle by yourself. People won’t love you if they know what you’re going through. Nonsense!
The same goes with our spiritual depression. The enemy knows that we as Christians are stronger when we unite together. When we pray for each other, when we lift each other up, when we love one another. He knows that if he can isolate us, he can do some real damage to our faith, and that is his ultimate goal.
“Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
Predators like lions don’t go for the strongest animal if they can help it. They stalk a pack of prey for some time, looking for the weakest, easiest meals. They don’t want to put too much work into eating, otherwise they may miss the opportunity to eat all together. That’s exactly what the enemy does too. He knows your weaknesses. He knows the things he can twist and manipulate to compromise your ability to put up a fight and resist.
We have to remember a few things here. Numero uno, the enemy IS NOT as powerful as God. God is all powerful, all knowing, all present. The enemy can’t be any of those things since he’s not God. He can’t be everywhere, he can’t know everything and he isn’t all powerful, God has already defeated him with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That means that he can be defeated.
Thing to know number 2, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT ALONE! God is omnipresent. That means He is everywhere, all the time. He is with you, just as He promised He would be. He will always be with you. He has also placed other believers around you to help lift you up in times of need and to remind you of who He is and what He has promised. The people around you are going through things too. They are dealing with depression, marriage/family issues, grief, financial troubles, illness, etc. You’re not the only Christ follower to have worldly troubles. Let someone in.
And finally, bouts of depression, both in the physical world and the spiritual, will come to an end. It may not feel like it, but having people around you who love you, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and doing the best that you can each day, always giving 100%, even when that 100% doesn’t look like much, gets you out of the worst of it eventually. Some bouts take a few days, some a few weeks and some even longer. You just have to persevere.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
As overwhelming as it seems, depression is just a tool the enemy uses against us. It’s not as powerful as God, it can be battlesd against. But when we win the battle, we have to understand that there is a Great War being waged in the spiritual realm, one with eternal consequences. One battle doesn’t win the war and the enemy will attack again. We must not lose heart, we must not allow ourselves to be isolated from other believers and we must remember that the war is already won, we just have to keep our eyes focused on our God who has won that war.
Journey Through Faith 