Will You Get Back Up AFTER You Have Experienced a Set-back?

By Pastor Jim Kilgore

A football coach was showing a film to his team in which a player was being tackled again and again. Each time the football player would get back  up and try again. Yet the opponent would tackle him yet again. This went on until he had been knocked down nine or ten times. 

The coach suddenly stopped the film and asked his players, “You have all seen what happened. Which player would we want on our team?” “The one that keeps knocking the player down,” the players all agreed. 

“No,” said the coach, “we want the one who keeps getting up!”   

Getting Back Up

This player represents what we Christians must learn to do. 

That is, we MUST get back up once we have experienced a difficult issue, or, perhaps a series of setbacks. 

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” 

This passage of Scripture is most certainly a soft pillow for a troubled heart! 

The Words Paul Chooses to Use

Troubled means, “to press.” The idea is that our troubles are pressing in on us; squeezing the hope, the very spirit out of us.

Distressed means “to cramp; to pin.” The meaning of these two words are, “we are pressed, but we have not been pinned.”

Perplexed means: “to be without resources; to have no place to go;  no place to turn to.”

Not in despair means, “Not without resources;”

The meaning is this. I have nowhere to turn; my situation is very bleak at best. Yet Paul said, that as a Christian, you ALWAYS have a place to turn. There are always options in the life of a believer. God’s Word provides this hope!

Persecuted means, “to fall behind.” It carries the idea of a runner who is running in a race and yet for one reason or another has fallen behind.

Forsaken means “abandoned.” Again, the teaching is simple. Paul said that you may be running the race of life and have fallen behind, perhaps through wasted years; missed opportunities; or even fallen behind because of sin. Yet, he said, you have not been abandoned by God! God is where he has always been. He is still sitting on His throne.

Cast down means, “To be knocked down; to be cast down.” It carries the idea of being knocked down with a great deal of force.

Destroyed means “to lose; to die; to be rendered useless.” The meaning is that we may be knocked down, but we are not knocked out! 

Scripture Provides Hope when there Appears to be NO Hope

I love this passage as it provides hope to those who have lost hope. There are some right now who feel as though there is no hope for a better tomorrow, due to the complications of life. 

This could be as a result of poor choices or circumstances.  You are on the canvass about to be counted out. Yet this passage reminds us that we can be knocked down, without being knocked out; that we can be pressed, without being pinned; that there may “appear” to be nowhere to turn for both Hope and Help; that you may have fallen behind in the race of life, but you have not been left behind by God! These verses should remind us that we can ‘Fail without being a Failure!’ Failure ONLY happens when we give up. 

How to View Your Problem

A problem is merely a GAP between where you are and where you want to be, with obstacles existing which prevent EASY movement to close the gap. Problem solving involves discovering new ways of dealing with the obstacles in our lives. What tangible steps can you take today that would close the gap?

______________________________________________________

About Pastor Jim Kilgore   

 

Jim Kilgore has been a Pastor for over 20 years. He also has over 25 years years as a businessman. He is married to Bonnie Kilgore. They are the parents of 6 children and 15 grandchildren.  

 

Jim is a friend of Preachers that desires to serve Churches in conducting:

• Revival meetings;
• Soul-winning conferences;
• Leadership Seminars;
• Sunday School Teacher Development meetings.

Brother Kilgore can be reached for meetings at:

JimKilgoreministries@gmail.com

and followed at JimKilgoreMinistries.com

BUT, GOD!

Author: Lacy Scott 
Scripture: Gen 37:22-27 & 50:20
 

Brothers and sisters, each of us have encountered situations where we just felt like throwing in the towel. We felt like the whole world was against us. We felt like no matter what we did things would turn out bad. We’ve often said to ourselves, “No matter what I do, things still won’t change” or we feel that we have gotten so far down that there is nothing that can bring us up. Brothers and sisters I want you to know this evening that this is not so.

Those of us who have a hope in Christ don’t have to feel this way. We have to realize that because we serve a risen Savior, we can live victorious lives. Brothers and sisters I want to talk to you this evening on the subject “but, God”. There are a number of powerful 2-word phrases found in the Word of God. Phrases such as: Healed all; gathered in; cast out; raised up; and pulled down.

Each of these phrases are used in context with the power of God. However, there is one phrase used some 43 times in Scripture that surpasses them all. And that phrase is “BUT, GOD”! This small two-word phrase communicates a tremendous message to all that hear it. It is God’s response to Satan’s challenge! It is the bottom line! It is the last word! It is all over but the shouting!

“But, God”, when viewed in relation to the challenges of life, is what up is to down; what life is to death; what in is to out. “But, God” stands totally opposed to the negative roar of the world. The world says no — “But, God” says yes! The world says can’t — “But, God” says can! The world says won’t: “But, God” says will! The world says stop — “But, God” says go! The world says don’t — “But, God” says do!

The world says defeat — “But, God” says victory! “But, God” climbs the highest mountain; crosses the darkest valley; and sings songs of victory in the midnight hour! “But, God” exclaims, “I’m going to the enemy’s camp and I’ll take back what he stole from me!” “But, God” is courageous, confident and conclusive!” Brothers and sisters you have to realize that I’m speaking to you this evening from God’s perspective! 

Too many times we look at things through our own eyes and can only see failure. “But, God” tells us to look at it as God sees it! Brothers and sisters I’m encouraging you this evening to put your Kingdom glasses on and see things as God sees them! I want you to know it’s not over until God says it’s over! Sometimes when we go to a sporting event or watch it on TV, if our team is not winning as the end draws near we leave before it’s over not knowing that we might see a miraculous ending!

I’ve come to urge you brothers and sisters to stay for the entire game — wait until the last seconds tick off the clock; wait until the “home team” has had its chance! Wait until the last out is made! If you quit too soon, you’ll leave before victory is seen! I want to tell you this evening that the jury may still be out in your situation — all the votes are not in -- the fat lady has not sung — God hasn’t had His final say!

I’m speaking to you this evening on the subject “But, God”! I’m telling you this evening that in that book of miracles we read from everyday, there are many instances where our adversary is confounded and confused. There are stories of his elaborate schemes going wrong, because he failed to realize that God would have the final say! The devil had worked so hard to get everything just right, yet just when he thinks he is victorious, he hears “But, God”!

As we look at our text brothers and sisters we are reminded of the story of Joseph. How he had been humiliated by his brothers and sold into slavery. How he had been slandered by the wife of Potiphar, yet stood steadfast. How he had been forgotten by the chief baker after interpreting his dream, yet was faithful. The life of Joseph is perhaps the best Old Testament example of the accuracy of the verse in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose”.

The sale of Joseph as a slave was meant for harm by his brothers. The end result was Joseph becoming prime of Egypt, becoming reunited with his family, and saving their lives. Joseph endured many trials and tribulations. Satan had done so many things to him that were meant for bad, “But, God” meant it for good! So many times the devil throws things our way, things that are meant to make us stop trusting God!

Things that are meant to make us feel sorry for ourselves! Things that are meant to make us give up! Things that are meant for bad, “But, God” means them for good! God takes us through things to make us stronger! I don’t know if you realize it or not but among the thorns you generally will find a beautiful rose! Yes Satan means it for bad, “But, God” means it for good! Those times when everything is going well in our lives and then all of a sudden it seems like the bottom falls out remember Satan means it for bad, “But, God”!

Whenever husband and wife seem to be on the opposite sides of the room; Satan means it for bad, “But, God”! When it looks like your children just don’t hear what you say; Children when you think your parents just don’t understand. Yes Satan means it for bad, “But, God” means it for good! Brother pastor, when it seems that the deacons don’t want to work with you and the members refuse to do as you say; Satan means it for bad, “But, God”! All the things that happened to Joseph, to the average man it would have seemed like too much.

I can hear Joseph saying, “My brothers, my own flesh have betrayed me and sold me as a slave. My master’s wife has accused me and caused me to fall out of favor with him and have thrown me in jail. The chief butler, whose dream I interpreted has forgotten me and left me here in this prison”. Yes, to the average man it might have seemed quite bleak. But Joseph knew that no matter what was thrown at him, no matter what was done to him, no matter how Satan attacked, the God he served, would allow him to say “I may be down now, “But, God”!

Brothers and sisters that is the type of attitude that we need in the church today! We need to understand that no matter what we may go through, no matter how bad things might get, no matter how the enemy may attack us, always remember It may look dark now, “But, God”!

You see the devil always tries to bring confusion when there is order. If good things are happening he wants to break it down. The devil thinks he has it all worked out, “But, God”! He Thought He Could Stop the Plan of God! “BUT, GOD”! He Thought He Could Stop the People of God, “BUT, GOD”! All of us used to be just as those in the world! Our lives expressing the evil within us, doing every wicked thing that our passions or our evil thoughts might lead us into! 

Brothers and sisters we started out bad, being born with evil natures, and were under God’s anger just like everyone else! “But, God” is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead--only by his undeserved favor have we ever been saved and lifted us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms--all because of what Christ Jesus did!

Brothers and sisters, I’m just trying to tell you this evening that no matter what the situation, no matter how bad it might look, no matter how bad you have been, no matter whether it is day or night; remember that whatever comes, “But, God”!

My bibles says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

My brothers and my sisters, Satan says, “such were some of you”, “But, God” says “ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”!

Satan says, “you can’t make it on your own”….“But, God” says, “If I am for you, I am more than the world against you”!

Satan says, “Hold on to all your problems for no one can help you”….“But, God” says, “cast all you cares on me, for I care for you”!

Satan says, “Take the easy way out”…. “But, God” says, “the race is not given to the swift or to the strong but to the one that endureth until the end”!

Satan says that your enemies have you surrounded come out with your hands up”…. “But, God” says, “I’ll make your enemies your footstool”!

Satan says, “There’s nothing else the doctors can do”…. “But, God” says, I can change the diagnosis”!

Satan says, “I will make you a slave to sin”…. “But, God” says, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son”!

Satan says, “I’ll take your Son and hold Him in the Grave”…. “But, God” says, “After three days I will rise again”!

Satan says, “I’ve got Him now”…. “But, God” says, “Death, where’s your sting, grave where’s your victory”?!

Brothers and sisters don’t listen to the lies and disparaging words of our enemy! Realize that God has the final word! See things from the Father’s perspective! Incline your ear and hear “But, God”! Satan says defeat, “but, God” says victory! Satan says disease, “but, God” says healing! Satan says hate, “but, God” says love! Satan says destruction, “But, God” says restoration! Satan says division, “But, God” says unity! Satan says abandonment, “but, God” says redemption!

Brothers and sisters Satan meant it for bad, “But God”! Every time you feel low lift your spirits by thinking, “But God”! Whenever it seems like the devil has his foot holding you down, realize that you can’t beat him, “But God”! If this Old World has gotten you down and you can’t find no way up, remember the phrase, “But God”!

Because no matter what the situation, no matter what the problem, no matter how bad it may be, “But God” can make it better! You see, I could have been:

1. An alcoholic...
2. A drug user...
3. A child abuser...
4. On my deathbed...
5. Out of my mind...
6. Without a roof over my head...
7. Without food to eat...
8. Without money in my pocket...
9. Without a friend...
10. Lost and on my way to Hell...
 

“But God” loved me so much that he saved my soul! He sent His only Son to live and to die as the payment for my sins! And that’s what we have to do is make it personal! He died for you and He died for me! “But God”, early one Sunday morning got up with all power in His hands! He didn’t get up with black power! He didn’t get up with white power! “But God” got up with all power in the palm of His hands! That’s why I can stand here tonight and say, God will take care of you!

We might think that we have it all figured out! We might think that we know what is best! “But God” has a plan for every life in here and all we have to do is seek after His will! The bible says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”.

Brothers and sisters, I just stopped to tell you this evening, that if you follow His ways, if you let Him lead you, if you seek after His will, you will find that there’s nobody else that can do like He can, “But God”! He can open doors that have been shut; he can close doors that no man can open! Nobody else can do that “But God”!

He can give sight to the blind! He can make the lame man walk and the dumb man talk! Nobody else “But God”! “BUT GOD” CAN DO ANYTHING, BUT FAIL! 

Source: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/but-god-lacy-scott-sermon-on-gods-omniscience-82325.asp

Old Bricks

"If you carry old bricks from your past relationship to your new one, you will build the same house that fell apart before."  ~Unknown

How true this is. As Christians, when we allow things to build up in our lives (anger, resentment, unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy, etc.) it does not matter where we go, what we do, or who we marry we will be influenced by the same old thought patterns and will handle the problems of life the same old way...by running away or stuffing them inside. Until we lay them down at the Masters feet they are still a part of us like a cancer eating away at the fiber of our being and will continue to rob us of our joy, peace, purpose, well-being, hope, and happiness. 

It becomes harder and harder to lay them down the longer we carry them because this is how we have learned to function and we no longer remember any other way of handling life. It is a scary thing really because this way of dealing with life is all we have known for a long time. It has become who and what we are. 

BUT, if we are tired of being the way we are we MUST go to God and cry out to Him to remove these from our life and ask Him to show us a better way. But, we must also ask God to forgive us for not trusting Him to handle our burdens and repent of our previous way of handling things. Because of our lack of faith we have not pleased God (Heb. 11:6) and because we have not pleased God we have cut off our power to live the abundant life, stifled our growth and maturity, and lived below our means.

Once we've done this we MUST renew our minds daily (Rom. 12:2) by saturating our minds with the Word of God and drawing new strength from spending time with God in prayer and continuing to lay all things at His feet.

And finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Phil. 4:8)

The Lord set you free from the burden of sin the moment you first came to Him and repented of your sins and placed your faith and trust in Him for your salvation, yet satan sought to bind you again and you have allowed him. Ask God to help you throw off the shackles that the evil one has bound you with. These shackles have kept you from being the person that God desires for you to be and has kept you from receiving God's best. 

Here is the "old" list again: anger, resentment, unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy. How do these make you feel? Name one of those that is worth holding onto. 

Here is the "new" list: joy, peace, purpose, well-being, hope, and happiness. 

Which list does satan want you to live out? Which list does God want you to live? Which list do you prefer? If I were a betting woman, I would bet you are in agreement with God. So, what are you waiting for? Don't put it off any longer. Start now! Release it all to God. Repent of those old ways and live the victorious life in Christ! Live a life that is holy, pleasing, and acceptable to God. For He is worthy! He deserves all of you and He deserves the best that you can give.

For His Honor and Glory,

~The Princess Warrior ♥

Note: Only the Christian has the power, through Christ, to live an abundant, victorious life and only the Christian has the hope of eternal life. If you do not have Christ and you are trying to make changes in your life such as trying to "turn over a new leaf" you are really just putting a band-aid over a gaping, blood gushing wound that is sucking the life out of your body. 

Unless the sin in your life is dealt with no amount of cleaning yourself up will erase the sin debt that has piled up to your account. Each time that you lie, or steal, or cheat, or take God's name in vain, or covet, or lust after another (which God has said in His Word is adultery, Matthew 5:28), or fornicate, or hate (which God has said is the same as murder, 1 John 3:15), or dishonor your parent, or create a God in your mind that is not the God of the Bible (a god who will not send people to hell), or place anything in this life above God, and even your thought life and your unbelief (Hebrews 11:6) is adding to your report and God will use that report to judge your life spent here on earth. 

You do not have the power to stop sinning, and even if you did, all your prior sins still keep you in debt. No amount of cleaning up your life will remove old sins from your ledger. God's wrath will still abide in you. You will still have to pay for those crimes against God. If one rape makes someone a rapist (then they are always a rapist), or one murder makes someone a murderer (then they are always a murderer), then one lie makes someone a liar, one theft (no matter how small) still makes you a thief. It is the same. It does not matter if you stop. The sin you have added to your account will remain.

God has said that the punishment for your sins will be death (Romans 6:23). You will be separated from Him for all eternity and your soul will be cast into the lake of fire and you will be tormented day and night...forever. God will not allow one minute speck of sin to enter into His heaven or it will cease to be heaven because one sin ALWAYS begets more sin, or in other words, one sin always leads to another. Sin must be eradicated. It cannot be allowed to continue to exist. It is like a disease and it infects everything it touches.

Then, what can you do to change your fate? I'm glad you asked. God had a plan to redeem mankind even before the foundation of the world was laid. Jesus Christ would come to this earth to bear our sin debt in His own body (1 Peter 2:24). He would die in our place. He would take our punishment. Every sin of mankind; past, present, and future was laid on Him. He was declared guilty and was punished in our stead. He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus Christ, our substitute, was God's greatest gift to mankind. 

Our sin separates us from God, for God is holy and righteous and He cannot fellowship with sinful people. Mankind has been separated from God ever since the first man, Adam, sinned in the garden. Every child born since that time has inherited Adam's sin nature. We are born as sinners (Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5). BUT, God made a way for mankind to be reconciled unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18)...a way for us to once again be able to enter into His presence and that is why Jesus came. To make a way (John 14:6).

And Christ has made a way. God has done everything that is necessary to satisfy our debt through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have been pardoned. God has presented His gift to every human being that has ever lived.

So, you may be thinking, "That's awesome! Then everyone must be going to heaven when they die!" Unfortunately, that is not true, for a gift must be accepted; a pardon must be acknowledged.

A gift must be received and it must be received with gladness and thankfulness...a feeling of not being deserving of such lavishness. We must realize the gift's value or we will be like the children on Christmas day who throw the gift aside and instead play with the box that it came in. How many parent's hearts sink when they took such care in choosing a gift and maybe worked overtime to purchase it to only have it cast away and replaced by something of little value or worth? And how many times have parents or friends been disappointed when they gave a child a gift of great cost then the child holds out their hands and says, "Is that all?" 

We must receive God's gift (His pardon and eternal life) with a grateful heart, knowing that the very Son of God had to give up His life so that we could live...so that we could once again walk with God unhindered by the weight and guilt of sin.

And how can we accept God's pardon if we do not know what we have been pardoned from? We must realize how great our sin debt is. This is the purpose of the law of God (His commands). When we look into the mirror of God's law we see ourselves as we really are. The law fulfills its purpose when it forces us to realize that we stand guilty before a holy and righteous God. It stops our mouths from proclaiming that we are a "good" person (Romans 3:19).

No human being can keep God's law completely. We cannot make ourselves sinless. Even if we keep the whole law and then sin only one time we are guilty of breaking all the laws (James 2:10). Let me explain - the law is like links in a chain. If just one link breaks then the whole chain is broken and becomes worthless and unusable. This brings us back to the statement I made earlier:  

"Unless the sin in your life is dealt with no amount of cleaning yourself up will erase the sin debt that has piled up to your account. Each time that you lie, or steal, or cheat, or take God's name in vain, or covet, or lust after another (which God has said in His Word is adultery, Matthew 5:28), or fornicate, or hate (which God has said is the same as murder, 1 John 3:15), or dishonor your parent, or create a God in your mind that is not the God of the Bible (a god who will not send people to hell), or place anything in this life above God, and even your thought life and your unbelief (Hebrews 11:6) is adding to your report and God will use that report to judge your life spent here on earth."  

And besides all that, dear friend, if I could give you only two commandments to show you that we all have sinned against God I would have to show you the words of Jesus. These commands condemns every man, woman, and child (that is able to understand). These are the laws which every other law hangs on, for if we can keep them, we can keep all. Even Christ's disciple wanted to know and asked Him this:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour (anyone that you come in contact with) as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40)

Beloved, by these verses we are condemned! NO ONE has always loved God with all their heart, soul and strength and NO ONE has always loved their neighbor as themselves. So, what must we do to be saved? Remember what I said earlier? God has offered us a gift. Jesus paid the price. Now, it is up to us to either accept or decline. To accept:  

1) We must first believe God (Acts 16:31) and we must believe that He came in the flesh as Jesus Christ (John 1:1, John 1:14, John 10:30) to pay our sin debt and confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:10).    

2) and we must receive His gift (John 1:12)  

3) and we must repent (turn from our sins and turn to God) so our sins will be wiped away (Acts 3:19) and here is the proof that we belong to Him...that we continue in His Word (John 8:31).

When we reject God and His free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ we have declined and we remain guilty of every sin we have ever committed. Even while we are in the state of indecision we are lost and our sin remains in us.

My friend, time is running out. Hundreds of prophecies have been fulfilled already and the next event to occur on God's prophetic calendar is the return of Christ to gather together those who have accepted His sacrifice to fulfill His promise...His promise to take them to be with Him and live in the place He has prepared for them...forever. (John 14:3)

I took the time to write this because I care for your soul. I do not desire for you to spend an eternity in hell, especially since God, through Christ Jesus, sacrificed all so that you could be saved from God's wrath which is to come upon all the earth. (Revelation 16:1)

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) He says that now is the accepted time to come to Him. (2 Corinthians 6:2) After He comes to gather those who turned to Him for their salvation it will be too late for you. You have been warned! You are without excuse! Please, please, please DO NOT put this off!! Your eternal destiny is at stake! I pray right now that the Holy Spirit will draw you to God and to the knowledge of His saving grace. Amen.

To God be the glory!

Copyright Information 

Copyright © 2009 The Princess Warrior Ministries. All articles are copyrighted on the date they are posted, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright and web address. Other uses require written permission. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the King James Bible.

Charles H. Spurgeon on Depression

Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers

It's a good thing he wasn't born in the 20th century. Many believing brothers and sisters would label his tendency to melancholy sinful, or evidence of a lack of self-discipline, or even the result of shallow faith. A psychologist would probably send him away with a prescription and a self-help book with twelve easy steps to overcome depression. But Charles Haddon Spurgeon, perhaps the greatest preacher of the 19th century, had a different attitude toward his affliction.

Spurgeon knew "by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being visited therewith at seasons by no means few or far between." He warned his students, "Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy." Although he said, "Spiritual darkness of any sort is to be avoided, and not desired," he never assumed that a Christian suffering depression must necessarily be in sin. Instead, he wrote, "I note that some whom I greatly love and esteem, who are, in my judgment, among the very choicest of God's people, nevertheless, travel most of the way to heaven by night."

Spurgeon goes on in his book, Lectures to my Students, to give some of the reasons believers fall into sadness. He also provides hope for those so overtaken.

"Is it not first, that they are men?" Spurgeon acknowledged that being a Christian did not make a man or woman immune from suffering. In fact, he said, "Even under the economy of redemption it is most clear that we are to endure infirmities, otherwise there were no need of the promised Spirit to help us in them. It is of need be that we are sometimes in heaviness. Good men are promised tribulation in this world." But he points out that through this suffering, we "may learn sympathy with the Lord's suffering people." Paul says something similar in 2 Corinthians 1:4; "God comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

"Most of us are in some way or another unsound physically." Spurgeon suffered terribly with a joint disorder that was diagnosed as gout. He was forced to stay in bed, sometimes for weeks at a time in excruciating pain. "I have been brought very low," he wrote to his congregation during one long bout, "My flesh has been tortured with pain and my spirit has been prostrate with depression...With some difficulty I write these lines in my bed, mingling them with the groans of pain and the songs of hope."

With characteristic balance, Spurgeon understood that physical pain and natural temperament contribute to depression, but did not allow his students to use them as an excuse for despair. "These infirmities may be no detriment to a man's career of special usefulness," he said. "They may even have been imposed upon him by divine wisdom as necessary qualifications for his peculiar course of service. Some plants owe their medicinal qualities to the marsh in which they grow; others to the shades in which alone they flourish."

"In the midst of a long stretch of unbroken labor, the same affliction may be looked for." Spurgeon's schedule was exhausting. In a typical week, he preached ten times. He answered approximately 500 letters, taught in a ministerial college, administrated an orphanage and dealt with dozens of individuals concerning their souls. He wrote for publications, entertained visitors at his home, taught his own family and encouraged his bedridden wife. It is no wonder that his health suffered under such a workload. Spurgeon's church finally insisted on regular vacations for him each year. Spurgeon told his students, "The bow cannot be always bent without fear of breaking. Repose is as needful to the mind as sleep to the body. . . . Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength."

"One crushing stroke has sometimes laid the minister very low." On October 19, 1856, the 22 year old Spurgeon spoke for the first time in the Surrey Gardens Music Hall in London. The church was no longer big enough to contain the crowds of people who wanted to hear him preach. Thousands packed into the music hall, seating themselves in aisles and stairways after all the regular seating was full, and hundreds more waited outside, hoping to hear part of the sermon through the windows. Just after Spurgeon began to pray, someone in a balcony shouted "Fire!" People pushed and shoved to get out of the building, and a stair railing gave way under the pressure. Seven people were killed and 28 more were injured. The tenderhearted Spurgeon never completely recovered from the emotional impact of this incident. He wrote, "I was pressed beyond measure and out of bounds with an enormous weight of misery. The tumult, the panic, the deaths, were day and night before me, and made life a burden."

Many have experienced a natural disaster, the death of a loved one, devastating financial loss or overwhelming disappointment when a child or a fellow believer has fallen into sin. Spurgeon offers hope from his own experience. "The fact that Jesus is still great, let His servants suffer as they may, piloted me back to calm reason and peace. Should so terrible a calamity overtake any of my brethren, let them both patiently hope and quietly wait for the salvation of God."

"The lesson from wisdom is, be not dismayed by soul-trouble." In the end, Spurgeon acknowledged that depression may come to some believers for no discernible reason. He did not consider it an illness, a sin, or surprising condition, but an inevitable season in the life of a Christian and an opportunity to demonstrate trust in the God who will one day wipe away every tear.

Any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light: faith's rare wisdom enables us to march on in the dark with infallible accuracy, since she places her hand in that of her Great Guide. —Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to my Students

Copyright © 2007 Susan Verstraete. Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright and web address. Other uses require written permission.

I received a few comments on Facebook about this article so I thought I would share one of them along with my response:

Facebook Friend: I agreed with most of what was said, but not the part that depression is not an illness. Really all it said was that he never said it was an illness. I say that it can be as much of an illness as Cancer and other illnesses, but through the illness of depression and any other kind of suffering you can still be used by God.

The Princess Warrior: Hey Friend! =) I also believe that depression, in some instances, is an illness. In my mind, the main point of the article was in the very first paragraph: "Many believing brothers and sisters would label his tendency to melancholy sinful, or evidence of a lack of self-discipline, or even the result of shallow faith."

It is evident that Charles Spurgeon, who has been called the prince of preachers, did not lack self-discipline, nor a lack of faith, nor sinful. He knew from experiencing depression that it could be brought on by physical pain, a painful life experience, or even allowed by God so we "may learn sympathy with the Lord's suffering people" or "have an opportunity to demonstrate trust in the God who will one day wipe away every tear" and "it is most clear that we are to endure infirmities, otherwise there were no need of the promised Spirit to help us in them".

My thoughts on depression as an illness: I do believe some things we bring on ourselves and is a result of our own sin, but I also believe this -- God created man sinless and perfect, but when sin entered in people started experiencing stress, anger, anxiety, fear, loneliness, etc. These are the effects of sin for fallen man. I believe it became a part of our makeup and the more we felt these things the more they became a part of our DNA.

If my great-great-great-great grandmother was an intense worrier or was prone to getting depressed because of anger toward God or lack of faith, or selfishness or whatever, then her daughter did as well and then her daughter and so on and so on and so on, then somewhere along the line children started being born with these tendencies. My father had OCD and suffered with depression. I have the same, but I'm pretty sure mine was "triggered" when I was about 6, but my daughter was born with OCD and ADD. Right after she was born I went to the nursery window to see her. All the other babies were lying in their cribs like normal. She was the only one who was sideways. In her full body, one day old photo, her knees were red from trying to push around in the crib. I was like, "what the world!" Lol! At 2 months old she would break out in hives because I went to work. She has pulled her eyelashes out as long as I can remember.

So, long story short, I believe that mental illnesses can be genetic just like diabetes, heart disease, etc. That makes it even more important that we don't let these things define us and say well that's just the way I am. God can change whatever He sees fit to change in us or He will give us what we need to cope, but either way He will use us for His glory. So, that's my two cents worth. Lol!

Facebook Friend: I like your two cents worth! LOL! Thank you for all you said, I agree with it all. It's so refreshing to read what I just read. Thank you and God bless you! 

INTERESTING:

Biological Factors of OCD: The brain is a very complex structure. It contains billions of nerve cells -- called neurons -- that must communicate and work together for the body to function normally. The neurons communicate via electrical signals. Special chemicals, called neurotransmitters, help move these electrical messages from neuron to neuron. Research has found a link between low levels of one neurotransmitter -- called serotonin -- and the development of OCD. In addition, there is evidence that a serotonin imbalance may be passed on from parents to children. This means the tendency to develop OCD may be inherited. 

An excerpt from an article @ Web MD

http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/obsessive-compulsive-disorder?page=2

 

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Copyright © 2009 The Princess Warrior Ministries. All articles are copyrighted on the date they are posted, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright and web address. Other uses require written permission. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the King James Bible.