Loathsome Labels And Depression

Hello beloved child of God, I hope you’re fine by God’s grace. As for me, I’m fine thanks to Him.

Through out Lent 2019, we’ll be discussing on the subject of Depression.

Yesterday we talked about Comparison and Depression. We made it clear that comparing our lives to that of others can be extremely frustrating and can lead to depression.

Today, we’re going to talk about loathsome labels and depression.

A loathsome label a detestable or hateful label which you give to yourself or to someone else.

In this case, we’re talking about loathsome labels which we give to ourselves.

Loathsome labels are a form of Self-Judging Reality Scramblers. (We talked about reality scramblers previously. Basically, they are distorted thoughts).

I don’t know about you, but when I mess up, when I go wrong, when I do something bad, or when someone does something bad to me, my default mechanism is to call myself names in my mind.

• “I’m an idiot”
• “How can I be so stupid”
• “I’m a failure”
• “I’m a loser”
• “I’m a fake Christian”

And there are many more examples of labels we put on ourselves as a form of self-judgement and self-punishment.

• “I’m a loser”
• “I’m pathetic”
• “I’m a misfit”
• “I’m a freak”
• “I’m a clod”
• “I’m a Klutz”
• “I’m a fat pig”
• “I’m pitiful”
• “I’m a fool”
• “I’m a monster”
• “I’m disturbed”
• “I’m crazy”
• “I’m a moron”
• “I’m an imbecile”

The list can be continued.

The problem with these, is that even if you don’t say them out loud, even if you just think them, they are words and words can build people just as they can tear them down.

I’m sure that if you’re a Christian you wouldn’t talk like that to anyone who messed up or who was hurt by someone else. You would listen to them, comfort them, pray for them, and remind them their identity in Christ, but for some reason, when it comes to you, you speak to yourself like you would speak to no one else. Harshly, hatefully, negatively.

It will be your voice in your mind when you’ll be hearing all those negative things, but I can assure you one thing. This is not what The Bible says about you.

And if it’s not what God says about you, then it should be someone else saying this about you.

Remember what we said at the beginning? Depression is a spirit. The devil is our enemy. He attacks our minds with his demons. Those thoughts, those hateful thoughts you have about yourself most of the time it’s not really what you want to think about yourself but it’s definitely always what the devil wants you to think about yourself.

So that you’ll be discouraged, disgusted by yourself and by your life, so that you’ll give up on yourself, so that you’ll hate yourself, and so that you’ll stop walking into God’s calling for you because you’re so busy looking at yourself negatively, such that one day you finally give up and commit suicide.

Revelation 12:10‭-‬11 NIV

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

The devil is the accuser of the brethren.

God wants you well, the devil wants you sick and depressed. You choose whose will you’ll let come to pass in your life.

How do you choose?

By choosing your thoughts.

You have to reject thoughts about yourself which don’t line up with God’s Word about you. You have to confess (speak out loud) what God says about you. You overcome by the power of the blood and by the word of your testimony. You’ve got to believe that the blood of Jesus Christ pleads for you and you’ve got to confess these things that God’s Word says about you as a Christian.

I wish I would tell you “Do this for 40 days and you’ll get better forever” but I can’t.

The truth is this is something you’ll have to do all your life because so long as you’re living the devil will be poisoning you with negative thoughts. He’ll do that all through your life on Earth because his plan is to destroy you. This means that all through your life on Earth you have to be fighting and pulling down strongholds (incorrect thinking patterns), holding fast to God’s Word about you, choosing your thoughts. It will be more difficult in difficult seasons, but the more you’ll make it a habit, the better it will be.

2 Corinthians 10:3‭-‬5 KJV

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Exercise: Replace The Loathsome Labels

In today’s exercise we’ll learn how to replace these labels.

Now that you’ve seen an example of a table of replacement of Loathsome Labels, you can tap into God’s Word and learn to replace those labels every time they come. Don’t forget to include Bible verses.

Make your own table everyday and replace those hateful labels in your mind.

Conclusion

The devil hates you because you exist. He is the accuser of the brethren in Christ. Whenever you make a mistake he’s there to accuse you and bombard you with negative thoughts and loathsome labels. When you accept those labels you feel sad, broken, hurt, shameful, and eventually depressed.

Your mind is a battlefield and you have to learn to replace the devil’s hateful labels with God’s loving labels. Believe what God says about you and speak it forth. Overcome by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ and the word of your testimony.

Prayer

Father Lord God Almighty, I confess I have accepted loathsome labels on myself which You did not give me. Father help me replace those hateful labels with Your Word every time they come. In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.

It’s Now Your Turn

Fill your table on replacing loathsome thoughts.

How do you feel now that you’ve replaced these thoughts? Do you see any difference in your emotional state right now?

Please let us know in the comments section

Don’t forget to share this blog post on your social media accounts and to invite your friends and family members to join us as we’re waging war against depression. You may save a life by sharing.

If you’ve not done it yet, 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.

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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.

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God bless you

Victoria Eyog