Radioactive - Part B

You notice that the psalmist in these two Psalms talks to himself.

Did you see how three times he goes where you cast down in my soul. This writer with anything he's talking to himself you you you have written a sermon you and is hope in God, according to Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones that medical doctor who became a pastor in his book, spiritual depression rights.

We must talk to ourselves instead of letting ourselves top.

Most of your unhappiness.

He writes in life is due to the fact that you're listening to yourself talking in Scripture we find people trying to make sense of the difficult circumstances to find themselves in dark places today on connect with Skip Heitzig Scripture several remedies to help you face depression and live fully in the joy and hope of Jesus before we begin want to let you know about an opportunity to visit the sites with the prophets and kings in the Bible heard from God going to Israel is a unique experience but by far the most life-changing part of it is the spiritual aspect. That's why I'm excited to announce our next trip. There 2022. You'll have the opportunity to worship and study God's word in some of the most significant biblical sites in the country. Find out more@inspirationcruises.com/see a big Skip that there is a resource that gives you more insight to God's character and nature by immersing you in his word every day 19 pandemic caused a reevaluation of priorities like choices and the path forward. This illuminates the question what do I want out of life here Skip Heitzig take on priorities.

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Tags along, 892 1888 to give or visit connectwithskip.com being Psalms 42, 43, this height begins the start of the years you heard me call probably almost every week. My favorite portable pastor Charles had ever since I was a young believer. I just love how he said words like wow people don't talk like that he so quotable. But then I discovered that Charles Haddon Spurgeon also suffered severe bouts of depression and he confessed as much to his own congregation saying that I have been in the depths of which I hope none of you ever go and he also said to them, there are dungeons beneath the castles of despair and yet for some reason some of us Christians feel that we need to add stigma. Those people are feeling low and down and depressed and if they're not doing this rose doing this so those are flaws. This stuff is real.

Now I'd like to have you look with me at these two Psalms and and consider some reasons may be quick to say that I am not a clinician, then, to confine my thoughts to the song because I'm in expositor and also to this theme of spiritual depression, but there are several reasons, though there are many more understanding to give you what I see in the song.

Reasons for spiritual depression reasonable one expectations expectations unfulfilled expectations when you expect something to happen that doesn't happen. That's an unfulfilled expectation.

Verse one. As the deer pants for the water broke, so pants my soul for you. Oh God my soul first for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God. My tears had been my food day and night while they continually say to me, where is your God when I remember these things. I pour out my soul within me for I used to go with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God, the voice of joy and praise with the multitude that kept the program feast was that both this Psalm. This person feels cut off from spiritual life isolated in this incident. Whether was the Levite that was off with David when they fled Jerusalem or was somebody that wrote it years later. Notice the expressions like a deer thirsty painting for water, wanting to find refreshment. Finding no relief whatsoever. The Bible says in Proverbs 13 that hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Once again thank you is writing this Psalm the sons of Cora their whole life. The whole purpose is involved in the public worship system of Israel. Whenever our purpose is challenged or our usefulness is challenged. We become susceptible to spiritual depression.

This shows up when a person feels trapped in a marriage. When a person feels trapped in a job when a person is forced into retirement because of a medical condition. They start asking questions. What you semi-what is my purpose.

We all have expectations and some of them are realistic when we do this we expect certain things that happen, but some of our expectations in life are just flat unrealistic. The more unrealistic your expectations are, the more severe the depression will be. I found an interesting article. I wanted to share with you a cop my attention. It was a Vanderbilt University study listen to how it opens. Pentecostals are three times more likely than any other Christian group to experience major depression that caught my attention. I just thought let's an odd thing to say how do you study that wealth.

Vanderbilt University studied 2850 N. Carolinians over a six-month period and the findings were that the group experienced serious depression at a rate of 1.7%, whereas the rate among Pentecostals was 5.4%. The question becomes, why is that and they couldn't be definitive, but they said it's they believe that it's because, in part, people who were already depressed were attracted to Pentecostalism's promise of physical and spiritual healing.

If you come to Jesus all your problems will be solved and you'll be wealthy and you'll be healthy and will you live with those expectations and they don't happen then you come crashing down so run expectation is one of the reasons here's a second reason criticism criticism verse three.

He's saying they say where is your God.

Verse 10 is with the breaking of my bones, my enemies reproached me while they say to me all day long.

Where is your God. Psalm 43 verse 24. You are the God of my strength.

Why do you cast me off. Why do I go morning because of the oppression of my enemies. What this author is he surrounded by critics surrounded by those who are saying these things to him, taunting him whenever you suffer for doing for doing right working for God doing the right thing, but you're not because of it produces anxiety.

Proverbs 1225 tells us anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression. Think of the Christian student in a secular university who all day long. Been there, done that. You all day long.

Here where is your God or the Christian worker amongst unbelievers is a where is your God or a believing person with a family filled with unbelief, forcing where is your God, that kind of anxiety can build up as the Scripture says cause depression. I know I know we know that Jesus said that we should preach the gospel to every creature were to be about that mandate, but when we preach the gospel to every creature. Every creature doesn't like the gospel of Jesus Christ and you get caught in the crossfire and that's where the pain comes and sometimes you sort of feel like Linus Wright member Linus and the Charlie Brown cartoon peanuts when they said the Charlie Brown I love mankind.

It's just the people I can't stand when you get the critical eye and the critical comments from people you feel like that so expectation unrealistic criticism is 1/3 accumulation accumulation one struggle after another struggle is the cumulative effect of many trials that just feel like they pile up verse seven deed calls under deep at the noise of your waterfalls all your ways and pillows have gone over me.

Now the metaphors is in the ocean and I know how much time you spent in the ocean, but I was certain once I'm in Newport Beach at the tail end of a storm. I should've gone out. I almost drowned that they seriously almost died because I got caught in just one wave crashing after another after another. I could get out and dishonest feels like it's just like a trial.

One event after another. It doesn't and all piles up accumulation Paul the apostle in second Corinthians 11, writes of his own experience, I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. I have known hunger and thirst, and I've often gone without food.

I have been cold I been naked. Besides everything else, I face the daily pressure of my concern for all churches is that daily pressure adds up feels like waves crashing down a few years ago there was a book put out that I just found interesting and and helpful. To be honest, it was called the executive stress manual was two authors who wrote about stress and that they they looked at the experiences that people have in life and they try to determine why is it that some people experience nervous breakdowns and deep depression. And so they assigned numbers what they called life change units to events that happen in life. Life change units according to their findings. If a person has between two and 300 of these life change units in a year. There set up for a nervous breakdown or depression, deep, deep depression to her some of the numbers the death of a spouse will yield 100 life change units. A divorce will yield 73 life change units marital separation from your mate.

65 life change units detention in jail or an institution 63 life change units. Death of a close family member. 63 major personal injury or illness, 53, marriage 50 life change units to stress and stress weathers good stress or bad stress.

It still has its effect. Marriage 50 life change units being fired. 47. Life change. And it's interesting that that's only three less the marriage retirement from work 45 life change units, pregnancy 40 vacation 13 Christmas 12 life change units so accumulation is 1/4 reason, recollection, remembering the past doing it the wrong way the wrong use of your past. Verse four when I remember these things says this author. I pour out my soul within before I used to go with the multitude I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise with the multitude that kept the program. This author has memories of better days what it used to be like, and if we think that it will always be this way because it is always been that way you set yourself up for a crash. Life doesn't always stay the same. The past will either become a writer to guide you or an anchor to hold you back. It's interesting to me that there's this huge market for nostalgia these days and always has been, but it's big right now and I'm even attracted to nostalgic things you would talk about the good old days.

Good old days is in part a bad memory. To be honest with as I remember my parents speaking during the good old days about not being so good during those days, but it's it's amazing what a lapse of time will do as we look back and so hundreds of music or clothing. There's just this huge attraction toward the good old days and the psalmist is looking back I remember what Jerusalem smelled like it sounded like it's not that way now recollection fifth and final one free occupation, preoccupation with yourself when you're preoccupied with yourself.

You are in the swirls of a depressive behavior pattern know what I can do it, but I've done it for you. I counted in these two Psalms 51. Personal pronouns listen to this.

The psalmist uses the word I 14 times me 16 times my 21 times. I know you might be thinking yet but this is his personal experience. Of course, is going to talk about himself.

However, at the same time he mentions God 20 times. He mentions the Lord wants 21 times God 51 times me that the preoccupation with self is out of balance because, in part, this is his prayer to the Lord.

His plans are being fulfilled. His life is crashing down his past has been changed. And though there are many reasons that lead to depression. One of them. One basic problem is self centeredness so we see the reality we looked at some of the reasons as per the Psalms. I want to close with remedies. How do you mitigate against that kind of thinking or those kind of experiences in your reaction in your thinking to one of the remedies for where there are lots of remedies by the way many of them are not good remedies.

Some people will drink as a remedy or smoke something as a remedy or shoot something up as a remedy, and it gets worse and worse and worse.

Did you know that 35% of people who have been or are depressed say that they solve it by watching television.

Oh goodness that makes it worse. What other remedies there's three of them ominous sum it up in one word, replace replace takes something out and put something in to replace that with so here they are hers are three things replace your thoughts with his truth as number one. Replace your thoughts with his truth.

Second, replace your self with your God.

And number three replace your past with your future. All three are present here. Replace your thoughts with his truth. You notice that the psalmist in these two Psalms talks to himself. Did you see that. Did you see how three times he goes where you cast down on my soul.

A spider with them is like talking to himself pay you in there so you you are preaching a sermon you he's talking to himself and he says hope in God, according to Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones that medical doctor who became a pastor in his book, spiritual depression rights. We must talk to ourselves instead of letting ourselves talk to most of your unhappiness.

He writes in life is due to the fact that you're listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself. The New Testament causes taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. As soon as you wake up in the morning and you hear the chatter in your head. Stop it. Replace your thoughts with his truth is what the Bible says about this is what the Bible says about that and that's the grid that you approach her life to replace your thoughts with his truth. Second, replace yourself with your God. I know it is human nature to be self absorbed and suffering is the nature of suffering at some point you need to bring God into the picture. That's with verse eight and nine are all about. The Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime and in the night.

His song shall be with me a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to my rock, why have you forgotten me. That's how he feels, but Alecia sang it to the Lord, why have you forgotten why do I good morning because of the oppression of my enemy he's now focusing from inward to upward member. What Corrie 10 boom, the survivor of the Nazi war camp said she said look around and be distressed look within and be depressed. Look to Jesus, be addressed. Your Outlook is determined by your outlook and the psalmist looks up to. Others can help you do this. I love the story about Martin Luther for several weeks.

He just sort of hung his head moped around the house and looked really bummed out and said just just does negative things a one day his wife Katie. She was quite a pistol. She wore all black, she dressed all in black. Now, back then it wasn't you were black, as it's limiting your black as you were going to a funeral so she comes on the black dress and Martin Luther says Katie, who died and she said God is dead and he said what. Whatever do you mean why would you say that she was looking at your life the last few weeks, you must only mean that you believe God is dead by your attitude around the house. God is dead will that shook him to the core. It is said the Martin Luther wrote a single Latin word vite which means he lives and placed it in his study so every day he walked by, and be reminded of the truth. God lives.

God lives in the need to bring God and replace God with myself, so replace your thoughts with his truth. Replace yourself with your God.

Third, replace your past with your future.

Three times in these two Psalms.

The word hope appears the word hope appears in the truth of hope appears in Psalm 43. Essentially, the psalmist is hoping God will defend him from his enemies. That's verse wanted to.

Hoping to God's truth and light will lead them. That's verse three, hoping that God would restore that place of worship. Back in the temple. That's verse four. It's all forgetting the past.

In Psalm 43 and looking ahead toward the future. Remember what Paul the apostle said, forgetting those things which are behind, looking forward to those things which are before, one of the best things you can ever do is to go home and read Revelation 21 and 22 that your future whatever is happening your past. It is your past, much of it cannot be changed. Most all of it cannot be changed.

Replace your past with your future quickly conclude by saying if you are experiencing what the ancients referred to as the dark night of the soul as a Christian brother or sister you are not a failure. You are a fellow member of the human race. That's all it proves you are not a failure. Many years ago there was a young Midwestern lawyer who was suffering deep depression.

It was so bad that his friends thought we gotta keep any razors or sharp objects from them and they took him out of the house.

He couldn't see any purpose for going on couldn't see any purpose for his future and he wrote these words. I am now the most miserable man living whether I shall ever be better.

I cannot tell. I awfully for both that I shall not but somehow from somewhere that young lawyer by the name of Abraham Lincoln.

Not enough courage and encouragement to press ahead is my sincere prayer that just being in God's among God's people today in God's house and hearing a message like this would give some of you encouragement needed to Skip Jesus message from the sewage juice get to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this 1 Coming Your Way as you help connect others to the gospel.

No matter what happens in your life or where God takes you. He's always in control. His word assures us of this truth time and time again here at connect with skip.

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