Hello beloved blessed creature of God.
I hope you’re fine by God’s grace and I hope you’re ready for our annual Lent Marathon.
As a good number of people already know, Lent is a period of 40 days observed by some Christian churches in commemoration of the 40 days which Jesus spent in the desert fasting , time during which the devil tempted Him and of course He overcame.
In general during Lent I make sure that I post something every single day. I choose a theme which The Holy Spirit puts on my heart.
- Lent 2016 was about Christian virtues,
- Lent 2017 was about Friendship
- Lent 2018 was about Christian music
- And Lent 2019 is going to be about Depression amongst Christians
I know, I know that some people believe that “because you’re a Christian you can’t be depressed” or a “true Christian can’t be depressed nor have suicidal thoughts” and “if people really loved Jesus they would never be sad” but I really won’t keep silent while there are Christians out there who are committing suicide, giving up on all hope, depressed and hospitalized in psychiatric clinics, crying themselves to sleep every night.
During His earthly ministry before His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ didn’t ignore people’s problems considering them to be abnormal, He reached out to those who needed help and He helped them.
This is what’s going to happen this Lent God being our Helper.
I’m going to write specifically for people who are dealing with depression, it will apply to everyone but even more to Christians.
So, if your life is perfect, if nothing ever upsets you, if you never make any mistakes and are never disturbed by anything, if you never feel sad for anything, the blog posts of this Lent season on Mission for Jesus will probably not be useful to you.
But if you or anyone you know is struggling with depression, extreme sadness, emotional pain, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, then make sure to open this blog every single day (subscribe to our Newsletter so as not to miss any new blog post).
This is our mission for Lent 2019
Isaiah 61:1-4, 7 NIV
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
This Lent we’ll put our trust in Jesus Christ to set the captives free, and the first captives to be set free I believe are us. Before looking to accuse others, let’s look at ourselves and our need for freedom.
We will lay down at His feet all our insecurities, all the things which make us depressed and we will let His Word and His Holy Spirit heal us.
During the Lenten season, in general people fast. They get rid of something (food in general) and during that time they focus on being in the presence of The Lord.
I won’t ask you to fast on negative thoughts (for the moment) because if I ask you to stop thinking negatively you’ll instead think more negatively because you’ll be focused on not thinking negatively, which will have as effect to make you think negatively.
The only things I’ll ask from you are:
1. Show up everyday Please don’t miss any blog post. It’s really important
2. Do all your exercises There will be some exercises you’ll have to work on, and it’s necessary for you to process what’s going on inside of you. It’s really important
3. Share with someone Don’t do this all alone. There are people out there amongst your friends, family members, colleagues, social media acquaintances who may look happy and fulfilled but who are contemplating suicide. Do not do this alone. By sharing, you may save a life.
If you need recommendations for the type of fast which pleases God, you can click here for a short list from Isaiah 58 on how to fast in a way which pleases God.
My prayer for you as we’re starting this Lent is that you come out free of whatever is holding you back. That it won’t just be a spiritual exercise which you end without having experienced any change in the issues which tormented you psychologically and spiritually.
Prayer
Father Lord God Almighty, as I’m going into this season of Lent, Lord please open my heart and my mind to receive Your Word and to be set free from depression in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.
It’s Now Your Turn
Do you struggle with depression? Do you know anyone who struggles with this?
Your homework today is to subscribe to my Newsletter so as not to miss any post on depression and also, make sure to invite anyone whom you know is suffering from depression.
Click here to subscribe to my Newsletter.
Also, please consider sharing this blog post on all your social media accounts.
Invitation
Click here if you’re looking for a church. I recommend Elevation Church to you. A wonderful Christ-centered Church in which you aren’t limited by your location and in which you can see what God can do through you. We’re in a series right now called ” Maybe:God ” on discerning God’s Will.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post please subscribe to my Newsletter so as not to miss any new post.
Also, please consider sharing this blog post on all your social media accounts.
Thank you for reading
God bless you
Victoria Eyog
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