"When You're Depressed" - Pastor Wayne Cordeiro & Pastor Jon Burgess

[Music] [Applause] [Music] we're all prone to depression one time of our life or another and even though we know that we're all prone to it doesn't make it any easier to deal with everyone susceptible though male or female Christian or non-christian in fact the Bible mentions several great men and women of God who struggled in this way Moses in his moment of despair said to God in numbers 11 he said I alone am NOT able to carry all of these people all of this responsibility it's too burdensome for me and then he said this so if you're gonna deal thus with me then kill me at once he was depressed whether it was job or Elisha whether it was Jeremiah King David many others wrestled and cried out to God in their struggle with depression in fact King David wrote save me O God I am worn out he said calling for help my throat is parched my eyes fail looking for my god even well-known christians of literature have struggled with this as well from mother teresa to the great evangelist jonathan edwards they all struggled with depression that stalked their lives now one thing I want you to know is that I'm not a medical doctor I'm not going to give you some medical diagnosis a small percentage though of depression comes from a chemical imbalance or hormonal inconsistency and if that's you you'll need to consult a medical professional to best ascertain the resolution for that but let me deal with the majority of depression cases it really comes from other sources and here's the good news it is resolvable and in the time that we're going to spend together I want to help you to find your way out of the valley of depression and you can starting today over the past 10 years I've personally have had to come to grips with this again and in depressions not some fleeting emotion that'll be gone in the morning it's not fictitious it's real and it can and will affect you and your relationships deeply if you don't deal with it the good news though is this if you will intentionally apply yourself to overcoming depression if you will it's absolutely possible first let's take a look at some of the possible causes of depression depression doesn't happen overnight and depression is rather like pouring melted butter down the drain of your kitchen sink and then chasing it with cold water eventually the sink won't flow well won't function well instead it becomes clogged and the same is true with depression we get mentally and emotionally clogged up thus making it difficult for us to see and think straight on one hand we might gain weight if our tendency is to eat when stressed or we may even lose weight if we get so depressed that we deprive ourselves of food and and even in severe depression suicide can become a possibility so you say well what are some of the causes of depression well let me tell you some of them one of the causes is usually something that caused a great loss such as a physical loss or losing a spouse or a family member you see when there's a death we usually go through a grieving process however if we don't grieve correctly if or if we refuse to let it go our emotions can stay pent up on the inside and we'll become either hardened or we go into a retreat or sometimes we even take it out on ourselves see mentally and emotionally we start to shut down when we get depressed and just like that clogged sink and sometimes a great loss could be not only a loss of a loved one but that great loss could be the loss of your dreams or expectations when they've been dashed or stolen let's take a look at another source of depression [Music] another possible source of depression is caused from prolonged fatigue that's right tiredness can set you up for becoming prone to depression because you see we're never more vulnerable to depression than when we're fatigued or overtired especially over a long period of time when we've been say for example driven for a season and even though our bodies are spent and our souls are depleted we keep pushing onward for success or our obsession towards some dream or gold and begins to take its toll even godly goals can destroy your soul if you violate the Sabbath rest as the Bible talks about and that's when the work of God around you that you're doing begins to destroy the work of God that he wants to do within you and when that happens the road to success and the road to an emotional or depressional breakdown becomes one and the same what I'm about to say because in most cases this will be the cause of depression it you might not like what I say and you're not gonna like what you're about to hear but you need to hear it here it is are you ready a lot of possible causes for depression but here's the main one and here it is that you have along the way somehow made yourself a victim of the things that you can't control victimhood that's right we start thinking too much of ourselves when we need to really stop thinking so much of ourselves it's almost like counterintuitive when you start looking out for number one then number one's thinking starts to go downhill it's like a person playing sports that's so afraid of getting hurt that the chances are that they will get hurt much more than otherwise there'll be the first on the injured list you see when you're thinking that you're a victim you begin surrendering to a losing battle your thinking goes bad it's selfish and and that what you're you're feeding on is going to cause a greater amount of depression because you're thinking about you it's you I told you you won't like what you hear but that's why the Bible says we need to continually renew the spirit of our minds you see what happens is we think so much of ourselves we become victims of everybody else and it becomes selfish and Ephesians 4 23 and 24 says this be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self which is in the likeness of God which is created in righteousness and holiness of truth you see it's really how you're thinking victimhood will cause your heart to retreat and you'll live over cautiously we will have developed somewhere along the line a bad we could call it a bad psychology it's a bad thought pattern that's why the Bible says in the book of Matthew chapter 6 it says the lamp of your body is your eye if your eye is clear your whole body will be filled with light but if your eye is bad your whole body would be will be filled with darkness and if that light that is in you is darkness how great shell that darkness be you see it's how we see things that determines how we define life and not only life how we see ourselves if you struggle with depression there is good news though Jesus is about to give us the starting point here's what he said come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest he's going to give us the direction that we need to go he said come to me all ye who are weary and heavy-laden the Bible has so much to say about how to cope and not just cope but overcome the despair that brings because we're making ourselves to be victims knowing the possible causes is very important almost as important as knowing the cure but let me give you the starting point some years ago I was invited by some friends to do some surfing at a place called Makaha a place where people tell me is known for some pretty big waves and some gnarly waves some pretty bad ones and they weren't kidding I mean from the shore it looks somewhat calm but when I actually went into the surf it was like playing in a tsunami the very first wave I caught picked me up and just pummeled me beat the stuffings out of me and it pushed me under the water it was like I was in a washing machine being agitated over and over again and in a matter of time actually lost my board and my leash that was tied to the board glad I didn't lose my shorts but I was being tossed under the water being flipped upside down and the waves were beating me and beating me and pounding me I was rolling all over and overand in such a fashion that I actually in confusion lost all sense of direction and I didn't know which way was up that's right I didn't know which way to swim because I didn't know if I was going sideways or down or up and I literally began to cry out to God and when I did the bubbles of my mouth started to go to the right I thought why the bubbles going this way then I realized bubbles usually travel upward that was then that I realised that I had to start swimming this way because the bubbles were telling me the direction where the air could be found desperately I quickly swam following my bubbles and reach for the surface gasping for oxygen and then I thought ah I must remember this in the future just follow the bubbles and this is so true in life as well because remember Jesus had come come unto me all you who are weary and heavy-laden I will give you rest in other words when you're thrashed by storms and when confusion and depression set in we just don't know which way to go which way is up we'll always remember this the right direction is towards Jesus he will always give us the strength and a fresh hope in life again and that's when God can give you biblical directives to follow the first principle and not just managing but overcoming depression this is very important here it is you've got to mobilize your mind for battle you see when depression hits the first reaction will be to bail out but don't you do it all we said well where do you start you start by being here it is a fighter again you see that's the first stage of getting out of depression you have to refuse to be a victim you start by making a decision that whatever it takes you're not going back to being a victim of things you couldn't control I mean if you have to move or change jobs you have to do whatever it takes but you must never go back to victimhood again you've got to fit your mind for battle do you remember that old song Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho yeah so - you got to fit your mind for battle and this is what I did when I was going through that and struggling I actually drew a line on the carpet and I said to myself on the other side as a balanced life and getting back to what God's called me to do on this side I'm struggling with victimhood and depression and so this is what I said I'm gonna step over that line and I'm never going back and when I step over this line of commitment I'm going to do whatever it takes to get out of it and again when I do I can never return I'll never go back ever ever ever again and you know what I did I actually physically stepped over that line and have never gone back does that mean you'll never struggle with depression again no but regardless even though it comes and stalks you you don't give in to it you see what happened was I actually stopped fighting and I started surrendering to circumstances to the feelings of inadequacy to the emotional doldrums and negativity of my surroundings remember the Bible says this the Bible says submit to God no not to events or feelings submit to God and then it says the very next line and then resist the devil and he will flee from you did you get that first you submit to God follow the bubbles towards God and then the next thing is you fit your mind for battle or resists the devil then and only then will he flee from you remember this the devil is a headhunter your mind is his battlefield and your imagination is his trophy let me say that again the devil is a headhunter your mind is his battlefield and your imagination is his trophy fight for a clear conscience and a strong faith you alone are in charge of your emotional stability God will help you to overcome depression but you got to take charge it won't be easy but oh let me promise you it'll be oh so worth it now the second principle is so practical and here it is going to sound so practical a little sound unspiritual but here it is get back to physical fitness yeah when you're coming out of depression you've got to get back to your blood running again you see if there's one thing that'll affect you as much as your mind it's your fitness one thing that helped me tremendously was getting back to exercise stewarding this temple that God has given even if it's just walking around the block every morning you got to get out and get your blood going tune up your mind and own up your body is pretty down-to-earth stuff don't you think but God will coach you but remember he won't push you aside and lift the weights for you he'll help you to build that tensile strength of your faith remember in Luke 22 we find Jesus talking with Simon Peter and he says something really interesting he said Simon Simon Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail and when once you have turned again strengthen your brothers you'd think that Jesus would say Simon Simon Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat so I blocked him for you know he said Simon I will pray for you that your faith not fail so that you will build faith muscle and I'll use whatever I need to just to help you with the weight but I won't lift it all for you your faith cannot ever fail again that was a pretty big thing for me to remember during that that God wanted my faith strengthened so I won't walk back over the line and then finally get back to helping and serving others remember depression comes because I think so much about too much about myself but get back to serving volunteering getting involved what does God called you to do get back to your primary assignment what is it maybe it's just to raise great kids if you're a parent maybe it's a to be a great husband or to inspire people or to motivate others to believe God more what is it that God has called you to do in helping others I always say it this way in the end God will not hold you accountable for what you have done as much as he will hold you accountable for how much of what he's asked you to do assigned to you that you've done in other words he's saying get off yourself and how you feel what happened to you don't get caught up in the negativity of the things that have happened again remember you stepped over the line if you slip back depression will steal your objectivity and you'll lose the big picture you may have read or heard in the news some time ago about that thirteen year old girl Bethany Hamilton and Kauai who got her left arm bitten off by a tiger shark she's an amazing girl quite a trooper when she was rehabilitating in the hospital she told her friend she said you know what I'm glad this happened because now I can tell people how good god is and this girl was in line to become a professional surfer but despite losing in a knot and arm a day later Bethany was willing and ready to start all over again she had fit her mind for battle as we come to a close I wish I could give you all the answers but I can't but I can tell you which direction the bubbles are going even when you see it remember you still have to fight for air so fight like crazy you'll not always be in the state of being a fighter but you have to start there the next stage is you'll begin to be creative again and you'll learn to make a lemonade out of lemons because remember we can't always determine the cards that we're going to be dealt but we can determine how we're going to play them your creativity will return and your life purpose will return so challenge yourself to do what's right don't think like a victim change the way you think use your imagination for good don't paint your future with drab and dull colors I want to encourage you to start to use neons and fluorescence no more negative talking you're done with that don't go across that line anymore instead let God help you to build your faith muscles see what's best imagine what God can you remember that worry is really the opposite worry is thinking about all the bad things and how things can go wrong and what's worst instead mobilize yourself for battle and when you do you'll realize that this battle will have been worth every ounce of energy that you invested so draw that line step over it and never never return back do whatever it takes it'll take work but it will be worth it and in the midst of your depression cry out to God follow the bubbles to him and I promise you God will be there to help you at times it might just be a little but it will be enough to help you build the faith that you need to be once again all that God created you to be and all your effort I promise will be worth it you watch you wait you'll see how many needed that word this morning how many you guys a thing for pastor Wayne and the wisdom from God's Word I tell you I love we belong to the New Hope Ohana where you and I can get painfully practical with the Word of God yeah it's painful but isn't that much better than religiously irrelevant I mean God's Word is our roadmap for a living and sometimes we don't like what it says but it really does help us forward and as we come to a close I just wanted to help you with one more way to overcome that came out of one of the darkest times in my life and you can filled it in in your fourth blank there that we would get back to communing and community that we would get back to communing and community now communion of course is our vertical relationship with God this is our communication with him that we cannot let that get cut off no matter how depressed we feel and community is our vertical communication our horizontal communication with each other we need each other to get out of the depression that we're in and God brought these lessons to me in that night that dark night of the soul as I was staring down the hospital hallway I mean it wasn't that dark but it felt that dark because that's how depressed I was it was in that moment as I was looking down that felt like the walls were closing in on me I felt like I could hardly breathe I felt absolutely hopeless in my situation consider why I was in that hospital this down the way was my wife who had collapsed in exhaustion into the hospital bed at the hospital had given us we're we're just juxtaposed to that room was the NICU the neonatal intensive care unit where our twins were fighting for their lives because they were born almost three months premature they were born at 3.5 pounds and we would spend the next nine weeks or so in that hospital in the first couple of days literally fighting for their lives and Cindy couldn't even hold her newborns because they needed to be kind of all all patched up and hooked up to those machines and it was it was war if ik for this mother had just had her children and not be able to hold them and then all of the things that the doctors the same could happen probably will happen and the list went on and on and I was sitting in that hospital because not only did I have two twins that were fighting for their lives I had three older boys at home that needed their parents with them and we were driving into Seattle for the neonatal intensive care unit and then driving back outside of Seattle to to be with our boys and I was toggling back and forth and Cindy and I were trying to find some way to make it work for both and it just wasn't working at all and as I sat there in that hallway I felt completely alone not only that I was also letting my church down because I was a pastor of New Hope Seattle on the weekend that my sons were born I was supposed to be leading the men's retreat so green now I'm letting all of my men down and I'm letting my church down because here's the deal as a pastor just because you go through a crisis it doesn't mean everyone in your church all of a sudden no longer has a crisis I was getting emails and calls from other families who are going through their own situation and all of them waiting for me pastor where are you pastor we need your help and I had nothing left to give I'm sitting there staring down the corridors of that hallway feeling completely alone like although my world's coming crashing down all around me and I was angry I was angry at God God how could you let this happen what did we do we all we've done has served you with our lives you blade everything down minister why would you why would you let this happen to my wife she's amazing she doesn't deserve this what about my sons they don't deserve this but why would you let them be born so early I wouldn't have to go through these health struggles wonder if you've ever felt that way when if you've ever talked to God that way can I tell you how strange that sounds that's actually the pathway out of depression that because you know what it didn't Rock God off his throne he knew he knows who he is but what it does is when you come to God even if you're angry at it what it does is it cracks a little bit of the door open to your heart giving him just a little bit of room to be able to shine some light into your darkness because honesty is much better than hiding you hide it he can't speak to it you at least get on us without anger you are a god at least he can begin to have an inroad into your heart and life and beginning to show you the truth for the lies and that's what happened and then of course you know we'll fall out after that I feel guilty what kind of a Christian are you you're a pastor for grant out you can talk to God like that you're not supposed to say stuff like that God it was your faith what would people in your church say if they knew you were talking to God like that right so now on top of everything else I'm letting God down oh great is it go from bad to worse and can I just tell you right here right now this morning you can't let God down because you didn't lift got up we know will lift God up we're not the ones that holding gada he's holding us up you can't let God down he's the one that's lifting us up when were down so if you believe that lie we're stopping it this morning because you can't let God down but you can't let God in the only way you can let God in is by being honest and if that's that communion that I'm talking about right there and then I got honest with God and in here trumpet sound and see angels and have visions just heard two simple words I'm enough I'm enough John I'm enough you're not enough for your wife but I am John I'm enough you're not enough for your twins but I am John I mean now if you're not enough for your three boys at home but I am John you're not enough for your church because it's my church anyways I'm enough for them John you're not even enough for yourself but I'm enough for you and all I can say is that I saw the result of Philippians 4 chapter 6 and 7 be anxious for nothing but in everything in every situation make your requests known to God and then what happens the peace that passes understanding in other words you're not going to be able to figure out why you're feeling that way in the midst of your situation the peace the passes understanding will guard your heart your mind through Christ Jesus all he needs is just a little sliver in that door you come and you begin to commune with God and He will bring the peace that passes understanding and and did everything change all of all of a sudden because I was talking to God know my wife was still exhausted my twins were still sick and my boys still wanted their parents and my church was still dealing with what it was dealing with but what changed was me and how I was going to walk through what it is that I had to face because I realized you know what I'm not enough a depression will get you when when when you feel like everything's out of control but God will lift that off when you realize I'm always been out of control but my God is always in control no matter what's going on in my world or my circumstances it will not shake him off his throne and unless we can come back to that place of stability on the rock we're always going to be going with whatever it is it's shaking around in our lives that was community and then community I felt like I had let my community down but they let me know no you haven't let us down we're lifting you up pastor John and little by little different ones would come and and they would help us out especially in the first few days they would say this Cindy and I hey you guys get some sleep we'll keep watch of your twins and if anything changes we'll let you know because you know we were worried about them actually being able to live they can see how fatigued we were wasn't that one of the ways that we get pushed into depression fatigue right and not getting enough rest second thing is great loss and the feeling the loss of relationship of my my church family they didn't let us lose that relationship even though I felt that I had let them down and and they they came bringing food they came saying hey don't worry we got your boys at home they're gonna have a sleepover we're gonna take them out to a dinner and a movie we'll watch them you stay there with your wife you stay there with your kids that were that's where you need to be my men called me up and said hey John we got the men's retreat don't you even worry about it God's going to move my pastors would say hey you raised up a teaching team this is why you have a teaching team you don't have to be here we'll take care of the next couple of Sunday's you be with your team you be with your family you be where you're supposed to be and over and over and over again Cindy and I felt well we had preached but never before and that kind of a tangible way we found literally buoyed by the prayers of the Saints and where we felt like we had let our community down our community said we're not letting you down we're lifting you up I tell you one of the places that you don't ever want to be when you're depressed is in a community of faith but this is the most important place to be because when you cannot get yourself out we get each other out but get each other through we get each other over the impossible and that's what I have experienced on that day and that's exactly what the Apostle Paul experienced as we close with this passage in 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 if you have your life connect Bible it's on page 1409 but also be up here on the screen and in your notes now it's hard to believe that the Apostle Paul would get depressed right wait the guy that wrote most of the New Testament he had a problem with depression wait together that planted so many churches what yeah look right here 2nd Corinthians 7 verse 5 for when we came into Macedonia we had no rest what's that fatigue but we were harassed at every turn conflicts on the outside fears within it's got to be one of the best definitions I've seen of depression if this comes even close to what it is that you feel like harassed on every side conflicts on the outside fears within then can I just tell you this morning you're struggling with depression and God wants to show you how to overcome it this morning call it what it is so you can tell it to leave and here's why Paul was in such conflict not only was he tired but his plans weren't working out there was something left unresolved you see this is second Corinthians first Corinthians was a letter that he had written to a church that he had planted you ever read through 1st Corinthians you understand this is not a happy-go-lucky letter he's calling this apostolic church with a mighty calling on it he's calling this church to repentance there was a whole lot of sin in the church and he was calling him on it he wasn't soft-pedaling it and so he in those days they didn't have email or cell phones or even snail mail he had to send a letter by his protege Titus he said Titus please take this letter it's about most importance this is what God is calling the church in Corinth to do and here's what I want you to do you travel there you see their response and then we're going to meet and try us and they set the number of days weeks later when they would meet now we we see if you just back up a couple pages to set grin thien's chapter two things weren't going to plan second Corinthians chapter 2 verse 12 says now when I went to trow ass to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened the door for me well that's awesome there's ministry opportunities Paul didn't even expect verse 13 says I still had no peace of mind because I didn't find my brother Titus there so I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia now some scholars actually wonder if Paul might have actually even cut short the work of God with that open door that he found the intro ass because he was in such a state of despair and anxiety and you go well why wasn't he a man of faith he should have just trusted it would be fine now let's be fair here let's be realistic we all know what that feels like and within this day of instant communication you know what it's like when you send a text to somebody or you leave a voicemail you or you send an email and it's it's of a sensitive nature and you're kind of bringing up something that that maybe it's not easy to talk about and then you hear no response right there's no reply what do you meet Ian happens are you just like always I'm sure it's fine no we immediately go into worst case scenario mode oh my gosh what if they misinterpreted it what if they read it wrong what did they hate my guts what if they never talk to me anymore what if I maybe I need to respond again maybe send another text maybe five more texts maybe I shouldn't have said anything in the first place right we just are going into this place because all the things in our life that are unresolved the pressures of the unresolved are unrelenting they dance like so many devils upon our dreams threatening to say that you and I your relationship is done you have royally messed up now if we feel that way and it's only been a half an hour since we sent the email I think we can give Paul a little bit of room these waited weeks and weeks they hear how the church in Corinth received his correction and that's why he's in such a place of turmoil because not only is he missing this friend he doesn't know what happened to him if you're like my wife and if my wife doesn't hear for me all of a sudden she's I could immediately pictured me dead inside of the road in the right car I mean the things that my wife and the pictures when I show up on I'm sorry had my phone ran out of my eyes oh my gosh and she tells me what she was picturing I'm like what that is awful my gosh and maybe you go to those worst-case scenarios so we got to give Paul a little bit of room here and understanding why he was so distressed cuz he didn't know where his friend was his friend was very trustworthy Titus should have met him and show us and then he goes on to Macedonia hoping that he's there not only does he not know how to the church in Corinth responded to his letter of Correction not only does they not know where his friend Titus is but the church in Macedonia is attacking his authority as a pastor and an apostle so he indeed is harassed on every side so what's he do well he refuses to listen to the lie at the enemy remember what pastor Wayne said the devil is a head hunter right he's going after our thoughts it all starts right here and it all starts with that insinuation of the enemy that little lie that sounds so true because it plays off our emotions and it says that it's not enough you have messed up too many times they hate you they don't really want you around they're just putting up with you they talk about you behind your back come on we've all heard those insinuations and when we begin to buy into the insinuation and the lie of the enemy then we move into isolation and we pull back from our relationship with God and we pull back from our relationship with each other so it starts out an insinuation this is what it looks like insinuation and then isolation if we can show that graph there and then installation we begin to insulate ourselves with what feels self protective but it's actually self destructive we isolate and then insulate with the lies of the enemy and we put up a wall around us saying this is going to keep us safe and you know what that wall is victimhood we become a victim of the lies of the enemy and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and then every circumstance we look at from the eye insulation of the lies of the enemy it seems insurmountable it seems like it's bigger than God himself no according to Scripture it seems like Paul might have been seeing some of that mighty fatigue great loss might have been dragged into that victimhood except he decided I'm going to go where the lies cannot stand where they cannot breathe I'm going to the Word of God I'm going to the truth and he turns scholars believed to Isaiah 49 verse 13 he said I relate with the Israelites in this passage they felt like God had forgotten them and then God speaks to the Prophet saying I have not forgotten you in fact I'm going to restore you and you can almost see him declaring the truth of God's Word over his circumstances when it says shout for joy you heavens rejoice you earth burst into song you mountains for the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones you know what he's saying he's saying I'm looking at these impossible circumstances and I'm saying to the biggest problems in my life mountains you shout for joy earth you praise the Lord because you may be big but my God is bigger and he comforts the afflicted and hears the cries of those that are calling out to him and he never forgets his own and you can hear just Paul just kind of going after it's and I'm not going to trust my emotions I'm not going to let my circumstances to find as a victim I'm going to the truth of God's Word and isn't it true that when were depressed we don't like to pick up the Bible we don't even want to pick up the Bible but that's exactly what Paul did he started that communion with God and the truth of God's word began to slay the lies in his life can I just say at this point there's something that you need to do make sure when you're depressed don't trust your emotions they're lying they're lying to you so how do I know what to do let me just give you this kind of rule of thumb if you're an extrovert like me you like to be around people people energize you here's the truth you can be in the middle of a crowded room of the big old smile on your face completely depressed why because extroverts hide in crowds oh yeah we use the energy and then the excitement of the moment to never have to face what's actually going on in our heart of hearts they never have to actually face the heaviness and the despair that we're facing on the inside so can I just tell you extroverts in the room are those watching online right now do the opposite of what you feel don't stay busy don't just go to from one event to the next and one meaning to the next so you never have to get honest with God get alone with God and let him deal with that depression in your life let him set you for you're not gonna feel like a last thing you want to do is get alone with God because then you actually have to be honest about what's going on on the inside but that's your way out that's your way through extroverts start spending more time alone with God and less time in the crowds of people introverts normally you don't even like being around people even right now you're like this is a lot of people I just I mean I'm here but come on a lot of people so your natural tendency is going to be what if you're feeling depressed what are you going to feel like doing you're going to isolate an insulate you're going to pull back even more than you normally already tend to do can I ask you to do the opposite of what you feel keep calling up your accountability partner keep showing up to your small group keep coming here with the community of saints and raising your voice to the heaven no matter how much you don't feel like being around people because the last thing you feel like doing is being around people when you're depressed but can I just thank you you're here right now because helping depression you're not gonna let it guide you you're not going to let it direct you you're not going to let it define you introverts thank you for coming to church today because God is here to set you free it's not comfortable but you're not choosing comfort you're choosing the cross of Jesus Christ thank you for coming I love it I love it and I love what happens with Paul he communes with God and then he receives the comfort of community around and verse six you can see he's directly quoting Isaiah 49 verse thirteen but God who comforts the downcast comforted us by the coming of Titus yes he showed up and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him he told us about your longing for me your deep sorrow your ardent concern for me so that my joy was greater than ever I don't know if you've ever thought about how much your presence in someone's life can be used by God to set them free but this is proof right here that even the mighty Apostle Paul needed some people standing with him in the dark times and sometimes it's not so much that you're going to be preaching at them or sharing religious platitudes or answering all their questions sometimes it's just going to be that you're with them in the room with them and no matter how much they're pushing you away you say I'm sorry I love you too much I'm not leaving you alone it's not about talking to them it's about being with them and not letting them get sucked deeper and deeper into the despair the relationships that God's put in your life it's on purpose they need you you need them we need him sure many of you have been praying along with me for the tragedy in Italy the recent earthquake that is taking so many lives hundreds of lives as we're praying for them and when seeing the awfulness we begin to witness the miraculous you see there was so many there tourists there because of the old homes but old homes don't hold up well in earthquakes and and you can see here that this is such a beautiful picture the community that I was just talking about they're lined up and they're all these volunteers as well as first aid workers they're all just passing the rubble and trying to dig out people from where they knew that they were buried and where people were will remember to be living and little by little they're trying to save lives and while they're working one day 17 hours after the earthquake one of the firemen says quiet quiet everybody quiet Shh I hear something and he knelt low heard a ting ting ting ting ting ting come here come here do you hear this - ting ting someone's under there so everybody quietly formed their line again because he had to be very careful not to shift the ground beneath them and one by one they began to take the rubble take the stones take the wood begin to pass it down the line which by the way is a beautiful picture on how to walk somebody out of depression it's not going to happen quickly we're not going to go stomping around telling them hey you just need to get better no we're going to do it quietly we're going to do it methodically we're going to do it sensitively we're going to do it as a community we're going to do it one stone at a time but we don't leave each other alone we don't keep keep each other let each other stay buried even if all you hear is one little team that's enough to keep digging until they're breathing again so they did they just kept passing the stones passing the stones until finally the firemen lifted up final stone and saw the foot of a ten year old girl sticking straight up from the rubble a ten year old girl buried facedown later she would say she didn't even know which way was up or which way was down or how long she had been there all she knew was to keep tink tink tink on a pipe next to her dig out although all the dirt and here's the picture and they finally pull her out and these s firemen just brings or brings her up to his chest and his cleaning entirely torches coughing and she's wheezing from all that dirt that's in her lungs but she's alive and she's well and our God is good and then our God is good and I tell that story as we close not only because the faithfulness of God in the worst possible situations but also because that's exactly what it feels like when we're depressed it feels like our lungs are crushing in like there's so much weight upon us that we cannot possibly get out and I want you to know that God has you here and he has you now because he's digging you out today you don't have to stay under any more he is calling you to freedom all you got to do you don't have to know all the words to the song and even have to have all the Scriptures memorized all you got to do is lift up your arm and go ting ting help me help

Channel: NewHopeOahu

Views: 17,496

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Id: T8ckljrJu5I

Length: 46min 22sec (2782 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 05 2016