Christ Centered Depression Self Help is Available

Christ centered depression self help begins with learning not to put your faith in your feelings. Doing so is the equivalent of building a house on sand instead of rock.

Don't put your faith in your feelings

God made us as emotional creatures and depression is very much a condition of mood (a pervasive feeling that impacts perception.) But we learn early on in our Christian walk that we are not to put our faith in our feelings...In this article on depression help we will explore more lessons on depression self help from the book of Ruth.

During my own Naomi season...

I felt that my life had no meaning. I had been through this depression before and had come out on the other side of this lie and experienced the victory. But this time, I found myself languishing like the cripple at the pool of Bethesda...

I could see the water of healing, but I could not see any way to get myself into that pool. I was focused on my feelings and not on the truth of God's word and the truth of

who God is. I was in anguish. I was without hope...

Depression lies to us...our lives do have meaning!

To feel that my life had no meaning was very different than the truth. God's word tells us our lives have eternal meaning and purpose (Revelation 21:3-4.) God's word is our greatest source of depression self help.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

Naomi felt like the Lord had made her life very bitter. Indeed she had fixed her eyes on her circumstances and not on her heavenly Father. It is He who promises to work all things together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28, authors translation). He is our depression help!

Our God is the God of restoration

Despite her rather depressing circumstances, God used it all to ultimately restore and reward Naomi and all of Christendom through the offspring of Ruth and Boaz.

Naomi was personally restored through the relationships that God brought into her life through Ruth and Boaz. She was also rewarded with a grandson to care for who's lineage ended in the birth of the long awaited Messiah.

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife...and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman- redeemer"...For your daughter-in-law, who loves you...has given him birth. Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. Ruth 4:13-14

See God's provision in His Providence

Finally, overcome depression by being willing to see God's provision to you through His providence...and then, give praise and thanksgiving to God for His daily provision as Naomi finally did. Praise and thanksgiving is a powerful form of depression self help because it fixes our mind on Christ. After all, God promises to provide for our daily needs, not our wants and desires.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Christ centered depression self help means we need to be vigilant about looking for the ways that God fulfills His word in our lives. We must be deliberate about giving thanks to Him (1 Thessalonians 5:18)...

Naomi was so full of despair and self loathing that she missed some important signs of hope...signs like the barley harvest that was just beginning as they arrived in Bethlehem. It is also likely that she saw Ruth's insistence to go to Bethlehem with her as a nuisance rather than as an encouragement.

It was not until Ruth returned with an ephah of barley and a job gleaning in Boaz's fields, that Naomi recognized and gave thanks for God's provision. It was then that she began to shed her feelings of despair.

The Lord bless him! Naomi said...He has not stopped showing his kindness..." Ruth 2:20

Be vigilant about looking for and acknowledging God's provision to you every day. Keep your eyes fixed on Him and not your circumstances. For only God knows how He is weaving you and your circumstances into His wonderful tapestry of eternity. Remember God is your depression help.

Surely God's compassions are new every morning; great is His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23). God shows His compassion through His body...if you would like Christian depression self help and would like to find a Christian counselor who can walk with you through your trial click here.

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Symptoms of Depression • Overcoming Depression • Depression Help

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