"Dealing with Depression"

GospeLines Ministries®

Daily Devotional for Friday, October 28, 2011

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"Dealing with Depression"

Depression strikes people of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnic groups. It is
estimated that about 20 million adults in the U.S. suffer from depression
each
year, and about 1 out of 6 American adults have depression during their
lifetimes.

Depression is not a sign of weakness or a character flaw. It is a medical
condition.

Perhaps you have been there. Maybe you have lived for a while behind closed
doors. Many good people have. I was reading recently about a young lawyer
who
descended into the valley of despondency. Things were going so poorly for
him that his friends thought it best to keep all knives and razors away from
him for fear of a suicide attempt. In fact, during this time he wrote in his
memoirs, "I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be
better, I cannot tell. I fear I shall not." The young lawyer who unleashed
these desperate feelings of utter hopelessness? His name was Abraham
Lincoln.

Beloved, this ministry was begun, in part, as a response to restoring hope
to depressed Christians. If you, or someone you know lives in this darkness
now, I encourage you to continue seeking medical help when needed. And, I
want you to know that you are not alone. There is a way out. Others have
walked
through this valley, but with the help of a loving God, they have emerged
victorious. And so shall you.

GospeLines Prayer: Father, do not hide your face from me when I am
depressed. I confess that it is in those times when I need you the most but
seek You
the least. I am afraid to admit my humanity…yet it is in my admission of
frailty that I grow. Embrace my lonely heart and pull me near to You, so
that
I will feel Your presence even in the darkness. Ignite my soul with
assurance, and my mind with Hope. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, the
Comforter of all
creation. Amen and amen.

Tommy Harrison

tommy@gospelines.com