Thursday, October 26, 2023

Depression Par 2

 

What is Depression? Part 2

In Part 1 of What is Depression we discussed the definition of fear, the spiritual roots of fear, and the ministry of casting out fear.  In part 2 we will identify the different types of fear working in people causing us to experience depression that we are not aware of or do not associate with.  The spirit of fear causes the majority of all sicknesses and diseases.  That is why God says do not fear 365 times in the bible.

Sorrow definition - a feeling of deep distress (fear) caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.  Notice distress in the definition.  It means to have extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain.  Similar words are sadness, unhappiness, regret, depression, misery, despondency, despair, heaviness of heart, broken-heartedness, and heartache.  Sorrow is very damaging to our soul and it is not healthy to our mental and physical.  A broken heart can cause heart problems.  Psalms 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.  God is near those with a broken heart, but He does not want you to have a broken heart.  Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite (repentant) spirit.  Always consider the mind body connection.  Whatever happens to our soul will affect our physical.

Regret definition - feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity).  Similar words are remorse sorrow (there is that word again), contrition, guilt, shame, self-reproach, self-accusation, self-condemnation, self-critical, sadness, disappointment, unhappiness, and dejection.  It leads to feeling like a failure, fear of failure, fear of people judging you. So, we have a triple whammy here. Regrets, fear, and beating up yourself because of regrets. All contributing to depression. 

Hopelessness definition - a feeling or state of despair (the complete loss or absence of hope).  This can be issues with marriages, children, churches, illness, faith, jobs, government, and even self.  The key point here is fear that nothing will ever change.  It will cause us to go into deeper depression called oppression or a spirit of stupor.  God speaks of this in Romans 11:8 “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”  The verse is symbolism.  It means God has allowed a spirit of stupor or deeper level of depression or numbness.

Unloving definition – Not loving. Similar words are cold, detached, hard-hearted, heartless.  Most people do not like what they see in the mirror. In most cases they hate themselves or have an extreme dislike towards their self.  They do not think they are worthy to be loved.  This is fear. They feel like a failure.  Unloving cause a person to beat up on their selves.  Many times, they do not love others because they have been hurt by them. The fear they will be hurt again.  There is a fear they will run into them in public.  All this fear causes depression, because we have trusted in mankind for love instead of God. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34

Anxious definition - experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Similar words are: worried, concerned, apprehensive, fearful, uneasy, ill at ease, perturbed, troubled, bothered, disturbed, distressed, fretful, fretting, agitated, in a state of agitation, nervous, in a state of nerves, edgy, on edge, tense, overwrought, worked up, keyed up, strung out, jumpy, afraid, worried sick, with one's stomach in knots, on pins and needles, stressed, under stress, in suspense, uptight, a bundle of nerves, on tenterhooks, jittery, twitchy, in a sweat, antsy, spooked, and squirrelly.

Mini-Hoarding - Hoarding disorder is an ongoing difficulty throwing away or parting with possessions because you believe that you need to save them. You may experience distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Hoarding is more prevalent than we want to admit. Just look at your garage.

We have been programed by commercials and society to buy more and more things.  We buy tools, clothing, and shoes.  We become collectors of many things that suit your fancy like athletic shoes, cars, and toys. We buy things to keep up with our friends.   Before you know it, your garage is full of stuff and we must find additional storage so we rent storage spaces.  Have you notice how many new storage facilities have been built near you?  We cannot bear to part from our possessions.  We feel a need to save these items and become upset (distressed) by the thought of getting rid of them.  Hoarding crates soul ties.  People become one with their stuff and cannot bear to let it go. 

Money is another thing people hoard.  The fear of losing their money brings great stress/fear.

Trauma definition - A deeply distressing or disturbing experience. Shock, distress (fear), stress (fear), strain, pain, anguish, suffering, upset, agony, misery, sorrow, grief, heartache (both mentally and physically), heartbreak, torture, disturbance, disorder, jolt, ordeal, trials, tribulation, trouble, worry (fear), anxiety (fear), burden, adversity, hardship. 

Traumas to the mental and physical are all fear related.  Traumas and the fear attached to them will cause many of the sicknesses and diseases we all experience over time.  Traumas and the fear attached to them cause depression.  Traumas will compromise your immune system.  It will cause your metabolism to slow down which causes weight gain leading to fear of looking fat to self and others. They will have a feeling of hopelessness and despair (depression).  Traumas lead to PTSD.  PTSD is rooted in extreme fear and they relive the trauma over and over.  It paralyzes them and keeps them in captivity.

The above definitions are all traumas to the soul.  What happens to the soul affects your physical.  It is a mind body connection.  The trauma definition links all the above definitions.  They lead to depression. 

2 Timothy 1:7 is a verse that is very informative. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  Fear does not come from God, so that leaves Satan as the culprit. God give us power over fear and gives us a sound mind.  It is Satan through fear that give us an unsound mind.  It leads to a stupor (“God has given (allowed) them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day Roman 11:8) as we get older because of all the fears in our lives.  Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and many other brain impairments lead to memory loss.  This is the unsound mind God talks about in 2 Timothy 1:7. God tells us the cause is fear.  What do doctors tell us? 

So, we continue to go to the doctor as a first and last option for answers, but all they do is treat the symptoms and we remain sick and diseased. Doctors don’t heal.  They just give us drugs and operate on the symptoms.

We put so much hope in diets, but we remain sick and diseased. Food does not cause depression and only plays a small part in our health.  Food can irritate the symptoms of sickness and disease, but cannot help cure us.

Fear causing the symptom of depression is sin. Stop fearing.  God gives us a very basic remedy for healing sickness and disease in His Word.  The key is to follow His instructions multiple times per day if needed until the symptoms go away and you are healed.  The instruction is in James.

Confess your trespasses (sin) to one another (To God in Jesus Name), and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent (profound) prayer of a righteous man avails much, James 5:16 and pray away the fears causing depression and other fear sicknesses and diseases in the Name of Jesus.   

God gives us power and authority over Satan and his kingdom in Luke 9:1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  What is hindering you? Is it because of your belief?

We go into church sick and diseased and we leave sick and diseased.  The leadership and the flock are failing because we do not believe God’s Word.                                               Tony Sanchez 10-25-23

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Depression Part 1

 What Is Depression? - Part 1

Depression is defined as a mental health disorder that involves your thoughts, your behavior, your feeling, and your sense of well-being.  People who are depressed feel consistently sad, anxious, and empty.  They can also feel hopeless, worthless, guilty, irritable, ashamed, sad, lonely, withdrawn, restless, and have suicidal thoughts.  They lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable to them and they may overeat or experience a loss of appetite.  They may have problems with fatigue, sleeping, concentrating, and making decisions.  Withdrawal, isolation, experiencing hopelessness and despair are some of the worst results of depression. 

Biologically, depression is defined as a chemical imbalance in the body. There is nothing organically wrong with the brain, but there is a disruption in the normal function of the brain’s neurotransmitters, so that they fail to secrete the correct balance of three chemicals: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.  The homeostasis, or balance, of the brain chemicals is affected.  Over a period of time, mental illness and disorders are the result. 

Science does not recognize just one cause of depression; it says that depression is a result of a combination of factors.  One factor may be heredity; a part of our family tree can make your more susceptible to the riggers that interfere with your brain’s chemical balance.  Other factors are environmental issues, psychological elements, or a side effect of certain medications.  However, one thing science does not acknowledge is the influence of evil spirits, which are the root cause of mental illness according to Proverbs 12:25. 

Spiritual Roots of Depression

Science is all about the psyche (soul).  But you many not really need more counseling for your soul.  Instead, you may need to get rid of an evil spirit that is influencing your thoughts.  You must decide not to be influenced by this spirit anymore.  The evil spirit may need to be cast out and evil thoughts cast down in the name of Jesus so that they can no longer torment you.  Let me explain what evil spirt I am talking about.  It is in God’s Word in Proverbs, Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. Proverbs 12:25 NKJV. Anxiety is fear and fear is described as a spirit in 2 Timothy, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7.

In addition to fear, Henry Wright found that there are several spiritual roots behind depression.  Self-accusations, self-introspection, self-hatred, and self-centeredness are the enemies of someone struggling with depression. These spirts are coupled with shame, guilt, and self-condemnation.  Self-pity is the glue that holds it all together.  If you struggle with self-pity, then you are struggling with your faith.  Self-pity frequently reflects the failure of something in the past that you are constantly reliving and bringing into the present.  Serotonin can be depleted in individuals who do not feel loved and accepted.  Feeling unloved and fear of not being loved is a huge factor in depression.

In such situations, because of the spirit-soul connection, the hypothalamus and other parts of the limbic system are then affected.  Those glands responsible for regulating mood, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior.  Important chemicals the brain needs to function correctly are thrown out of balance.  All the enemy must do is manipulate your biochemistry to create this havoc.  He does it, once again, through the influence of thought. His kingdom of darkness gives you a thought, convinces you that this thought come from you, and then pressures you to agree.  These are all lies from the evil one.  In the case of depression, you brain will then conform to those thoughts.  A person becomes one with the thoughts producing depression.

The problems with psychiatry is that it is the practice of medicine apart from an understanding of how God has created us.  Practitioners treat their patients as though they had only a soul and a body.  They do not acknowledge or understand that we are also a spirit being because they cannot see the spiritual realm.  They do not understand that a spiritual influence is the root cause behind 80 percent of diseases and disorders of the mind and body.  Their efforts are hindered because they only treat the physical symptoms and do not consider the possible root cause of the sickness and disease.

 Ministry

How do we minister to a person who has depression?  We pray out the fears causing the depression.  This can include fear of not being loved, fear of not being worthy, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of confrontation, fear of failure, fear of the future, and many more.  Most people have many of these fears and many additional fears.

Understand, that this is a process.  We can pray away many fears, but the person will bring fear back into their soul.  The key to healing is to identify these fears that are brought back in and pray them out until these fears are minimized to a point of not affecting us anymore.  This could be total healing as well.

There is a wonderful scripture that promises eradication of fear that causes depression.  It is found in 1 John: there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us, 1 John 4:18-19.  We must embrace this scripture and use love to be healed from depression.  We must love ourselves as God loves us.

What does it mean to those who are standing in the gap for those with depression?  We are to love on them over and over without no condemnation.

Conclusion

Why do we continue to seek mankind instead of God?  Doctors, science, and mankind do not have healing solutions for depression.  We have a choice in what and who we believe.  Believe in mankind or believe and act on the promises of healing God provides in His Word.  Amen and Amen.                                                                             Tony Sanchez 9-30-23