John K. Jenkins Sr - Depression: A Cause and Cure - Part 1

I want to talk about depression now. Maybe you don't have it, but somebody in your family has suffered, is suffering, or will suffer. The statistics for people suffering from or having experienced depression are staggering . In fact, more people suffer from depression than from cancer , HIV, heart disease, and a number of other conditions. Today is the first part of a two-part series on this subject, because I've come to recognize that many people are making poor decisions. Someone in your circle has made a questionable choice this week. Look around and see if you can figure out who it is . Somebody made a bad choice; someone did something that is unlike them. It falls outside of the usual behavior associated with who they are. Some of this is fueled by depression, and many people don't even realize they are affected by it. So how do you know? What are the symptoms of depression? Sadness, irritability- I'm depressed all the time, irritable , unable to sleep, low energy, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, guilt for no reason , significant weight loss , problems concentrating , and a loss of interest in things you used to enjoy. It could be a combination of these symptoms. In fact , doctors say that if you have three or four of these symptoms, it could indicate that you are suffering from depression.

Now, the purpose of this message is not to diagnose your condition, nor is it to encourage you to stop taking your medication. If you are on medication for depression, keep taking it! Look at your neighbor and say, "Keep on taking your medicine." Go ahead and tell them to keep taking it. Some people are depressed due to chemical imbalances in their bodies; sometimes, those medications are designed to help restore balance within your system. I'm not here to address your chemical imbalance ; I'm here to discuss some spiritual imbalances in people's lives . Some depression is self-inflicted; it stems from the choices and decisions you make . My assignment today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is to help you change your mindset and free you from the bondage of spiritual depression .

Now, I have two parts to this message. First of all, this is a short message, and I'll be done quickly. You can get out of here early today. I want to first discuss the cause : what causes a person who seems normal to act in abnormal ways ? What makes a seemingly pleasant man lose control? What causes a person who appears to be in all the right places to mentally break down? You may not like my truth, but what are the causes ? This is the first thing I want to identify. It 's summed up right here in verse 25 of an incredible passage. I don't know; I've read through the Book of Proverbs a thousand times, but recently , while studying through it, this verse stood out to me in a way I hadn't seen before . It says, "Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression ." This gives us insight : anxiety generates depression . If you have the King James Version of the Bible , it uses the word "heaviness," which refers to fears generated by your thought life-fears created by the way you're thinking. It produces distress and uneasiness, all fueled by fear . Here 's what I've come to understand : the devil's domain is in the realm of fear. If he can get you scared-come on, if he can instill fear and make you doubt- let's be clear , fear is not an attribute of God. If fear has entered your life, you can be sure it did not come from God . How do you know that, Pastor? Well, let's look at 2 Timothy chapter 1. Just go ahead and write it down; you won 't be able to keep up with me today . 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7 says , "For God has not given us a spirit of fear , but of power, of love , and of a sound mind." Come on, somebody! God has not given us a spirit of fear. He correlates a spirit of fear with an unstable mind and heart . If you have fear , it's difficult to remain stable ; you can't be secure while fear resides in your life.