My Dear Friends in the Faith:
I have never seen it on this order before. Christians that outwardly look great and fine, but inwardly struggling with issues of depression. George Barna, one of the greatest church researchers in the world remarks that more Christians privately admit to personal bouts with depression than do our secular counterparts. We worry more and trust less, we panic easier when things go wrong and pray less, and we make an attempt to fix things ourselves instead of turning them over to God and letting Him work it out. We divorce quicker, we give up easier, we fall faster and we boast about a God that is able and awesome. The end result is a person who believes in Jesus Christ, goes to church on a regular basis, and is depressed.
The crux, core and centre of this devotional are really just to make one statement clear the devil is a liar! No matter what happens to you as a believer in Jesus Christ never let life get the best of you!!! Life happens, but If you are wounded you have access to the greatest healer in the world, if you are tired, our God has declared that you can rest in Him, if you are in darkness He is the light, if you are financially strapped He is still Jehovah Jireh and He will provide, if you are sick He is still the great physician and if you are under attack He is still the God of war who fights everyone of your battles for you! Hear this again, don't let it get the best of you!
One day Jesus had a conversation with one of His favorite disciples by the name of Peter. He knew that what was ahead of him was not easy and He did not want him to fall into depression, give up, and throw in the towel. So Jesus says to him, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (St. Luke 22:21-32, KJV).
I have never seen it on this order before. Christians that outwardly look great and fine, but inwardly struggling with issues of depression. George Barna, one of the greatest church researchers in the world remarks that more Christians privately admit to personal bouts with depression than do our secular counterparts. We worry more and trust less, we panic easier when things go wrong and pray less, and we make an attempt to fix things ourselves instead of turning them over to God and letting Him work it out. We divorce quicker, we give up easier, we fall faster and we boast about a God that is able and awesome. The end result is a person who believes in Jesus Christ, goes to church on a regular basis, and is depressed.
The crux, core and centre of this devotional are really just to make one statement clear the devil is a liar! No matter what happens to you as a believer in Jesus Christ never let life get the best of you!!! Life happens, but If you are wounded you have access to the greatest healer in the world, if you are tired, our God has declared that you can rest in Him, if you are in darkness He is the light, if you are financially strapped He is still Jehovah Jireh and He will provide, if you are sick He is still the great physician and if you are under attack He is still the God of war who fights everyone of your battles for you! Hear this again, don't let it get the best of you!
One day Jesus had a conversation with one of His favorite disciples by the name of Peter. He knew that what was ahead of him was not easy and He did not want him to fall into depression, give up, and throw in the towel. So Jesus says to him, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (St. Luke 22:21-32, KJV).
In other words, Peter when it happens, when trouble comes (and it will), when you have issues (and you shall), when you have things that fall apart on you, hold your head up, roll your shoulders back, remember this pep talk and don't let it get the best of you!!! But, what does Jesus give Peter that works for us that will help us never to fall into a mode of depression?
First of all He gave him a portrait of the persecutors plans. It's hard to get hit by a bus if you know that it is coming your way. Jesus says, "Simon, Simon, satan desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat..." This is so deep here. Notice Jesus says that satan desires to have you. The word desire is “exiteo”. It means that he wants to get his hands around your neck. The "you" is plural so it translates like this, "the devil wants to choke the life out of all of you all." Jesus gives Peter the devils agenda. He wants to sift him as wheat. In short, the devil wants his life in pieces. Can I ask, have you ever found yourself falling to pieces? If you said yes know that it is the work of the enemy, but I have some shouting news for you. There is a house of healing and restoration whose admission fee is life's broken pieces. Yes, get to the Potters house as fast as you can! Our God takes broken pieces and makes for Himself a masterpiece. Remember this, when life seems to be getting the best of you, God is better at handling your brokenness than you are! Give it to HIM!!!
Secondly, He gave him the prayers of the great high priest. Please hear this, you don't want everyone praying for you. Why? Some people get a joy out of seeing you down and out, broken and hurt, wounded and distraught. But, the great news of the day is this, Jesus wants to see you blessed and not cursed, healed and not sick, above and not beneath! Jesus tells Peter that satan wants to sift him, but here's the shouting news of the text. He says, "...but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not..." Notice that Jesus does not pray for him never to have trouble, heartache or failure. He does not pray that the devil leave him alone or that everything work out fine for him. Jesus prays that his faith does not fail. In other words, God's prayer for you is this, when the dust settles and the rain stops, and the flood gates close, and the storm ceases I want to see you with your Bible in your hand and smile on face looking towards heaven saying, "any way you bless me Lord I will be satisfied!!!" Remember this, when life seems to be getting the best of you, God's prayer for you is this, keep on fighting in the faith and never give up!
And lastly, He gave him the purpose for his pain. People who struggle with depression often ask God why so much pain. Have you ever asked the Lord why before? Here's the answer. So that after you are back up on your feet again you can strengthen others who have been knocked down. Jesus put it like this to Peter, "strengthen the brethren." Strengthen is the term “steridzo” in the Greek. We borrow our term steroid from it. It means to make strong from the inside out. Wow! Are you shouting yet? If you have ever had to cry you should be! The Lord tells Peter the reason I let you go through tough times is because when you get up you are stronger than you were before you went down. And I need your strength! I need you to help people that are down and out, wounded and hurt, tossed and confused. In other words, you can't help them until I have helped you. You can't help me find water unless you've been to the fountain yourself. And, you can't help others until God has helped you! Remember this when life seems to be getting the best of you, God let you get knocked down so that when you get up you'd be strong enough to help someone else!
I have noticed something about being near people that are depressed. Many of them chose to be that way. So it just stands to reason that if you could chose to be depressed you could chose not to be! Make your decision today. Say this to yourself as we conclude this moment together, "I chose not to worry! God is going to take care of me!" "I chose not to quit, my tomorrow is much brighter than my yesterday was!" "I chose not to stay down, God gave me the ability to get up and keep moving forward in the faith!" "I chose not to be depressed; God has given me His joy just to put a smile on my face!" And, "I refuse to let this get the best of me, so instead of complaining I will remain prayerful, thankful, peaceful, joyful, powerful and faithful in everything that I do!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
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