Winning in the Pit of Despair
1 Chr. 11:22 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
1 Chr. 11:23 Once, armed only with a club, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was 71⁄2 feet tall and who was armed with a spear as thick as a weaver’s beam. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it. (NLT)
War in the Ukraine. Shock and Horrors. Far away
Depression - The war in your head. Closer to home
Why are we talking about this ? 2 reasons
1.God cares about your soul
Is 53:5. Chastisement needed to get peace
1 Pt 2 Shepherd and guardian of your soul
Ps 23 - Restores your soul
“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NLT
Doesn’t apply -
Depression is epidemic proportions.
2. To be more aware for ourselves and for other people
Mild to extreme
Feelings of sadness, hopelessness
Angry outbursts,
Abnormal sleep and appetite
Anxiety,
Feelings of worthlessness or self-blame
Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
Ethan Crumbley wrote those words before prosecutors say he carried out the Nov. 30 shooting that killed four classmates and injured seven others. In the journal, which is now part of the official public record, the 15-year-old also blamed his parents for what he was about to do.
“I will cause the biggest school shooting in Michigan’s history. I will kill every …….. person I see, the journal says. I have fully mentally lost it after fighting my dark side. My parents won’t help me. The journal added…I have zero help with my mental problems and its causing me to shoot the school. My parents won’t listen to me.
His dad told him to snap out of it
3. To win and help others win in the Pit of Despair
Go back to Bible Story
The lion - depression
Can’t run. Into a pit
If Your head takes the thots of the lion, your head will be a prison to your heart.
Affected in the soul. Imprisoned.
Thoughts - fears, worry, hatred, offence, depression
My story
You can not reason with a tiger/lion when your head is in it’s mouth - Winston Churchill
If you aren’t free, your thoughts aren’t true
Look for truth in the Word.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to
destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against
the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 ESV
What are those weapons - The Word. Prayer. Compassion
Tonight we are going to hear from a couple people who have won the battle with depression
Going to be so helpful.
Prayer “Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”
1 Timothy 2:2 NLT
Extra Resources
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/depression
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
https://au.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrT4pSd7xdiZs8AtGkL5gt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzMEdnRpZANEMTAxNl8xBHNlYwNzYw--?p=lion+in+a+snowy+pit&fr=ipad#id=25&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fp7QtuA1qi_8%2Fhqdefault.jpg&action=click
“And Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many notable acts, slew two lionlike men of Moab. He went down also and slew a lion in a pit on a snowy day. And he slew an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew the man with his own spear.”
2 Samuel 23:20-21 AMP
Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
https://christiananswers.net/dictionary/lions.html
In ancient times, the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) ranged from Asia Minor and Greece to Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and northwest India. Feared and respected, the animal often appeared in ancient Near Eastern art. Outstanding glazed-brick depictions of lions decorated ancient Babylon’s Processional Way.
Crusaders reportedly hunted lions in Palestine toward the end of the 12th century C.E. Lions seem to have become extinct in the area shortly after 1300. However, their presence was still reported in Mesopotamia and Syria until the 19th century and in Iran and Iraq as late as the first part of the 20th century