"Depression is just a feeling."
"Why can't you just choose to be happy?"
"Just stop thinking about the sadness, would you?"
There are so many misconceptions about depression amongst Christian churches today, and the challenge is that it is a reality that is becoming more real by the year. The good news, however, is that Jesus has provided a way out of it and that is through His sacrifice on the cross.
According to Health Line, there are over 121 million people all over the world who suffer from depression and one out of every 10 people in America suffer from a certain level of depression. With all of these people hurting and lost, the church must step up to the plate to help defeat the curse that is depression.
But how can the church take part in fighting against depression? The first step must be awareness. It doesn't take much to find someone who suffers from depression. It could be your family member, friend, work colleague, even your pastor. As we come to know people who fight with depression, we must reach out to them and offer a helping hand and an encouraging word.
Psalm 42:11 tells us, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." This scripture is not a command or directive. God is not saying, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Stop being depressed and just do this and that." That's not what He's saying. What He calls out is, "Are you depressed? Come to me. I have the answer to your problems.
The Bible tells us that we wage war against an enemy that takes captive every thought and that we are to war with that enemy. The enemy -- Satan -- wants you depressed and helpless, but Jesus came that we "might have life, and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
If you're suffering from depression now or know someone who is, know that it is not God's will for anyone to be captive to depressive thoughts and mindsets. God desires to liberate people from chronic emotional and mental hurt.
That's why Jesus took to the cross our curses, so that we can be set free from every form of infirmity, not just after we die, but even here on earth. Galatians 3:13 tells us, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'"
Depression is real and must not be ignored. Science and medicine are there to help cope and deal with them, but God has promised freedom either through medicine or miracles. Both are extensions of His love and grace and Jesus makes peace and joy available to all through His redemptive work.
