Depression Flashcards
(30 cards)
Jeremiah 15:16-19
When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
17 I never joined the people in their merry feasts.
I sat alone because your hand was on me.
I was filled with indignation at their sins.
18 Why then does my suffering continue?
Why is my wound so incurable?
Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,
like a spring that has gone dry.”
19 This is how the Lord responds:
“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!
Biblical terms for depression
Though most English Bible translations don’t use the word depression, mentions of sadness, being downcast, despair, and hopelessness appear throughout. Such feelings, when amplified, lead to depression.
The more the feelings of sadness increase, the more hope decreases.
Why not use the term depression?
The term depression tends to rob people from their personal responsibillity. It makes people think of depressio as something they have, instead of something they do
What is sadness
A response to disapointment, either to loss, or to unmet expectations
David’s Dispair
His of his sons (2 Sam 12:16; 18:33),
he felt grief over his sin (Psalms 6; 32),
and he was in despair as he fled from his attackers (Psalm 69).
Jeremiahs Dispair
Jeremiah (Jer 20:14, 18),
Job’s Dispair
Job 3:26
Job 17
elijah’s Dispair
Godly Elijah (1 Kgs 19:4),
Biblical Descriptors for sadness
Ps 143:4, “My spirit is weak within me; my heart is overcome with dismay,”
Ps 102:4, “My heart is suffering, withered like grass; I even forget to eat.”
Ps 6:6: “I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping”
Is Sadness Sinful?
No
Since God experiences sadness (over sin) and our emotions as image bearers flow from his, we also experience sadness.
Yet despair and hopelessness, magnifications of sadness, don’t mark God’s character. When Jesus experienced sadness, he did not grieve with despair. In other words, God does not “get depressed.” So, while we can understand the proper place of sadness over sin and loss, we must also acknowledge that sadness is not always sinless.
Dispair and Hopelessness is sinful. As our sadness intensifies, and our functioning decreases, so does the potential for sin
Depression is a whole person reponse that include Thoughts, feelings and behaviours, expressions, and physical symptoms
Thoughts: Suicide, Worthlessness, Helpless, Hoplessness
Feelings: sadness, emptiness, gloominess, melancholy, muted emotions, despair, hopelessness, suffering, unwillingness to function, loss of interest, apathy, fail to find pleasure in the things they enjoy, guilt, worthlessness, debillitation
Behaviours: isolation, lack of self-care
physical symptoms: muscle pains, fatigue, tirendess, exhaustion, loss of energy, decreased physcial activity, lack of appitite, sleeplessness. changes in sleep patterns and weight, struggling to concente or focus
Verbal descriptions: a heavy cloud that is difficult to lift or see through, a deep pit they are unable to climb out of, or a tunnel with no light at the end.
What is depression?
It is more than just a deep sadness; it is an intense sense of being downcast. It makes people feel they have little hope, little energy, and little motivation or ability to pull themselves out. It is, then, deep sadness paired with intense suffering. A sufferer might feel like David did in Ps 6:6: “I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping” (NIV).
Primary Scriptures for Depression
Psalm 34
Lamentation 3:19-24
James 1:2-4
Examples of Sinful Sadness
Cain in Gen 4:1–7. Cain is “despondent” because God does not accept his wrong offering. A close read reveals that his heart is the problem that led to his sadness. Soberingly, when he rejects God’s answer to his sadness, murder soon follows.
in Luke 24:13–24, who were discouraged on the road to Emmaus after the death of Jesus. They were downcast (v. 17 NIV) because their picture of who the Messiah would be seemingly had gone unfulfilled (v. 21). Their hearts were focused on their own understanding of the Savior rather than on who Jesus had already declared himself to be. Thankfully, Jesus addressed their remnant unbelief, revealing himself to them from the Scriptures and in breaking bread with them, restoring their hope and joy in him as their Messiah (Luke 24:25–53).
Job and the Entitlement to an explanation for our suffering
Accusing God during our suffering
2 Timothy 4:17
17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death.[a
6 Promises of Hope
Romans 8:31-39
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 34:17-18
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Romans 8:28
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.
James 1:2-4
2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Hebrews 13:5
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
2 Timothy 4:17
17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death.[a
What to do when we suffer
STOP
Stop
- Dont blame God
Job 1:22
22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.
- Stop the self-pity and complaining
Jeremiah 15:19
“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!
Talk to God
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 34:17-18
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 55:22
22 Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
Observe opportunity
James 1:2-4
2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Preach God’s Promises to yourself and others
Psalm 119:50
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Job’s intense suffering
Job 17
17 “My spirit is crushed,
and my life is nearly snuffed out.
The grave is ready to receive me.
2 I am surrounded by mockers.
I watch how bitterly they taunt me.
3 “You must defend my innocence, O God,
since no one else will stand up for me.
4 You have closed their minds to understanding,
but do not let them triumph.
5 They betray their friends for their own advantage,
so let their children faint with hunger.
6 “God has made a mockery of me among the people;
they spit in my face.
7 My eyes are swollen with weeping,
and I am but a shadow of my former self.
8 The virtuous are horrified when they see me.
The innocent rise up against the ungodly.
9 The righteous keep moving forward,
and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
10 “As for all of you, come back with a better argument,
though I still won’t find a wise man among you.
11 My days are over.
My hopes have disappeared.
My heart’s desires are broken.
12 These men say that night is day;
they claim that the darkness is light.
13 What if I go to the grave[a]
and make my bed in darkness?
14 What if I call the grave my father,
and the maggot my mother or my sister?
15 Where then is my hope?
Can anyone find it?
16 No, my hope will go down with me to the grave.
We will rest together in the dust!”
Questions for uncovering depressive thought patterns and underliying desires
When you are experiencing periods of distress, what are you thinking?
What do those thoughts reveal about your desires?
What are you living for, wanting to see happen, or hoping will change?
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What does the bible say about thought patterns
The Bible speaks about being transformed by the renewing of the mind (Rom 12:2), thinking about what is true (Phil 4:8), and taking thoughts captive (2 Cor 10:5).
We need to correct false, distorted and intrussive thought patterns in light of scripture, so that they conform to God’s Word
Rom 12:2
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Phil 4:8
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things
2 Cor 10:5
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
What is the main cause of sinful sadness
A depressed person struggles with thought patterns, whether that be incorrect thinking, repeating messages of hopelessness, or misunderstanding God’s role in their trials.
Eleviating Depression: Correcting Thought Patterns
- Journaling
One helpful exercise involves asking a counselee to track specific thoughts that arise throughout the week that are most connected to feelings of hopelessness or despair and then to evaluate them in light of Scripture and take them before the Lord in prayer. When they find that a thought is not true or right, a counselee can write out a parallel truth from the Bible as well as the implication of that truth (i.e., what it looks like to live in light of it). They can then ask God to help them do so. When the recurring thought arises again, the counselee should focus their thoughts on the truthful reality rather than their perceived or felt reality, then live out the practical implication they determined with the help of the Spirit. Their notes can be discussed and evaluated in session to make sure they are on track.
