http://www.watchman.org/profiles/spiritual-abuse/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_abuse

NIV Bible Luke 11:37—52 notes

Balanced

This title/topic, could be applied to just about any illness, and yes, depression is an illness. There are some, I know, who would say, “Oh, just get over it. Read your Bible and pray.” Well if it were that easy, depression wouldn’t affect as many people as it does. Depression is not completely and adequately being dealt with at times by people who experience it because it, depression, carries this negative connotation attached to it. A person doesn’t want to be dubbed crazy, mental, or a basket case. But understand, depression is a physical condition that affects, and one can even say attacks, a person’s body. Truth be told, just about anyone and everyone can or has experienced depression at some time in their life. Let me also say, just because a person battles with depression, that doesn’t make him or her any less spiritual than anyone else. It does, however, make that person more vulnerable and depending on where that person is spiritually, it will determine the “fight” that will ensue. Yes, your level of spirituality will make the difference as to whether or not you are overcome or are an overcomer. And just like with any other battle, you need people who will pray with you and for you, and not talk about you. But even if they talk, deal with it and handle your business.
For a moment, let us examine the medical side of depression. Understand, I am not a doctor and am in no way diagnosing or prescribing any condition or treatment. What is being shared comes from research available on the web.
Medically, what is depression? “Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods.
True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer.”1
Depression is a chemical imbalance which interferes with your life. If left unchecked, it can render a person helpless, and that is just what the enemy wants; especially if the person has a special anointing and call on their life.
There are different types of depression. Below is a list of a few of them. Keep in mind, it is not a conclusive list and is not given to diagnose any symptoms one may be experiencing but is given as a guide.
Postpartum—affects new mothers
Major depression—characterized by inability to enjoy life and experience pleasure
Dysthymia—recurrent, mild, chronic “low grade” depression
Seasonal affective disorder—depression in the fall or winter when there are frequent overcast or rainy days, stormy weather, and sunlight is limited.
Situational depression—due to stressful situations and circumstances that arise in life such as death of a loved one, loss of job or income, a new marriage, moving to a new location, etc.
Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression)—characterized by cycling mood changes
*If any of the above types of depression affect you, please first of all, pray about everything, then consult your pastor and/or doctor for additional guidance.*
For some types of depression, medication may be the answer. There are also natural remedies that can help. Remember, before we experienced the advancement of medicine, many things were healed naturally. The Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiates 1:9). Everything that is made is made from something that already exists. Explore the options and alternatives to medication, many of which has worse side affects than the actual illness. But whatever you do, get some help. You don’t have to face this alone. Often times, the enemy wants you to stay to yourself and keep all those negative feelings bottled up inside. Well, what happens when you bottle something up but on the inside that stuff keeps growing and multiplying? Eventually it bursts open, explode; that’s what can happen to a person who keeps these emotions stopped up. The end result is not good. Either the person hurts someone else, themselves, or commits suicide. Please know, there is help available!
So, what causes depression anyway? Again, this is not all inclusive and is not to be interpreted as a diagnosis but understand there are several factors to consider. The following list is taken from WebMD2.
Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can cause depression later in life.
Certain medications. For example, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers or reserpine, can increase your risk of depression.
Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can also increase the risk of depression.
Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It’s thought that depression is passed genetically from one generation to the next. The exact way this happens, though, is not known.
Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring.
Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression.
Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or is a reaction to the illness.
Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression.
OK, so many factors can contribute to depression. No one is immune to it, I mean after all, we are only human, mere mortals made of dirt with flesh and blood. But, and I cannot stress this enough, if any of these things apply to you, pray about it and get help on your side. Talk to someone about what you are feeling. DO NOT keep it bottled up inside.
Do you know depression hurts? Yes, it does. “Depression is a disorder of the body as much as of the mind. Increasingly, there is evidence that depression involves multiple body systems.”3 Depression can cause headaches, stomach problems, muscle and joint pain, increase risk of heart disease, and so much more. Pain in your body can be a sign of depression. Don’t ignore it, don’t overlook it. Not all pain is imaginary. It could be the sign to alert you to what is going on with you and depression.
See, God designed our bodies to work in perfect harmony. When something is off, when something is wrong, signals are sent out. Many times if we pay attention to our bodies we can avoid major medical conditions later on. God can keep all things in balance. If He can keep the Universe in order, how hard would it be for Him to keep our bodies in order, the very ones He fashioned with His own hands? We are complex beings but God knows the intricate, minutest workings of our make-up. He programmed our genetic code and therefore, He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knew some of us would suffer from this thing called depression. But He also knew we could overcome it.
I hear people saying, “Get over it,” like it’s something you can shed like a piece of outer clothing. Some people look down on you if you say you experience depression. Still others would claim that you are not “spiritual” enough because it affects you. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, there were people in the Bible who experienced depression and we quote them on a regular basis. Let us now examine the pages of the Bible and see who these people were and what we can gleam from them.
We’ll start with the most obvious ones, and know that this too is not an all inclusive list.
Job. This man had some serious issues going on. Not only did he lose his income (oxen, sheep, and camels) but he suffered loss of his servants and children. Then his own health began to deteriorate. By the third chapter, Job was done. He cursed the day he was born and wanted to die. But in the end, he trusted in God and was rewarded with double of all he had.
Elijah. A great prophet, a great man of God. After the miraculous showdown on Mount Carmel resulting in the slaughter of 450 prophets of Baal, because of the word of a woman, Jezebel, Elijah fled for his life. Coming to the wilderness outside Beersheba, he too wanted his life to come to an end. He did not eat of his own accord because we are told that three times an angel came to him and told him to rise and eat (cf. 1 Kings 18, 19). But Elijah trusted in God and in the end was taken up to heaven is a fiery chariot.
Judas Iscariot. The betrayal of Jesus was too great for this man, so much so until he took his own life. This is one of the negative examples we don’t want to follow. Nothing comes of suicide except more grief. Trust in Jesus and give Him all your problems.
Jesus makes the difference in your life. With Him, though depression may come upon you, you do not have to stay in that state, you do not have to bear it alone. Below are two others who, though they were very vocal in the Bible, you will have to really take note to their words and actions to even know they too dealt with depression. These next two, many will probably contest that they dealt with depression but let me present my case, then you be the judge.
Paul. Writer of most of the New Testament, this man endured trials and suffering. Yes, he was on a mission and that, along with the grace and strength of God is probably what kept him strong and sane. Paul is a man who having been there, done that, he wrote the book. He tells us, “in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,” Philippians 4: 11-13. Paul learned to get to this point where when trouble comes, give it to Jesus. I’m sure depression tried to set in on him but once he recognized what it was, he did not stay in that state. This too, is what we must do when depression tries to attack us.
Jesus. WAIT, hold on! I know many will say here no way Jesus suffered from depression. Uh huh, on most accounts, I agree. I do believe though that what He experienced was an expedited form of depression. My evidence is presented as such…
Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning” (Amplified version—italics mine). Jesus, though God, yet a man, experienced what we experience. To be sure, He was under great stress as He was facing eminent death. Yes, that is what He came for but the human side of Him was going through, so much so to the point where He cried, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt,” (Matthew 26:39). And
Though we did not discuss the many symptoms of depression, we do know that stressful situations are often a contributing factor. One thing that happened to Jesus which let’s us know that He was suffering extreme stress is recorded in Luke 22:44. When He was in the garden praying, Luke tells us, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” This is an actual condition known as hematidrosis. “Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form.” Under the pressure of great stress the vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes “the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The blood goes into the sweat glands.” As the sweat glands are producing a lot of sweat, it pushes the blood to the surface coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.”4
OK, so did Jesus experience an expedited form of depression or no? You be the judge. Bottom line is, no one living on this planet is immune from depression. Many are not predisposed to it but if it has touched your life, understand that even the best of ‘em have had to deal with it, and you can too! We need to abolish the stigma attached to depression so that people can get the help they need. Do not be a victim; that’s what the enemy wants. Instead, be a victor; that’s what God wants and has designed us to be. In every sense of the Word, you are victorious, you are an overcomer! If you, or someone you know, is experiencing depression, don’t give in to it, turn it over to Jesus.
Pray, seek help, and live a prosperous, productive life through Jesus!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001941/

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/causes-depression

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/when-depression-hurts

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t018.html

Trivia Challenge Question: What Gentile ruler was specifically called out by God almost 150 years before he ruled and anointed to carry out a specific task for Isreal?

Include scripture reference (if applicable) and the specific task he was to do.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
So the question is, do you know Him, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave His life for you? He died in your place so that you might be reconciled back to the Father. Yes, truly, you and I owe Him everything.
However, we have long been in a quandary because on one hand, we want to party hearty and do as we please, while on the other hand, there are certain things that God requires of us that won’t restrict our fun but won’t allow us to do just anything either. God established certain guidelines for us to follow which are truly for our benefit. For instance, we should not commit fornication (engage in sexual intercourse before marriage). This is not only for health reasons, because in today’s society, being promiscuous can be hazardous to your health with the onset of venereal diseases and the possibility of contracting AIDS. But also emotionally, we were not meant to be with many different partners. God’s Word says the man is to cleave to his wife and the two shall become one (cf. Genesis 2:24). It’s difficult to become one when you have three, four, five other people attached to you. And this is just ONE example of those restrictions God set for us.
Everything about God is holy, therefore, if we are to be His people, we are to be holy too. All this is saying is that we, as a holy people, are set apart from the world. People ought to be able to look at you and tell you’re different. When you speak, they ought to be able to pick up on something different about you. They ought to be able to see Jesus in you, exuding from you. It’s not shameful or an embarrassment to be a believer in Jesus. People say they believe yet they do not obey the things God tells them to do. God gave us an instruction manual to consult, it’s called The Holy Bible. It is God’s Word to His people. It contains words of life, liberty, and love. Everything we need can be found in God’s Word. However, few pick it up to read it, and that’s where they err because they don’t know what it says. You can’t always go off of what someone else says or even what they do. The best thing is to get it for yourself, straight from the Source.
God loves each and every one of us and would not give us erroneous advice or lead us astray. He wants only what’s best for us but if we don’t accept it, well then, that’s on us. Yes, He has set certain things in place that we should follow but in all, His commandments are not grievous (cf. 1 John 5:3). God has established both the old and new covenants with His people. While it’s good to know the old, we are now living under the new, that is, everyone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
The Gospel Good News is this, Jesus came, died on the cross for us, mankind, rose from the grave, ascended to the Father, and is now sitting on the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. Thank God for Jesus! This is the news that needs to be preached from every rooftop, hill, and valley, from one end of the globe to the other. Christ came to make us ONE again with the Father. He came and His actions tore down dividing barriers, point blank. All who come to Him are in Him and become one with Him. This is why the Bible says, “There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, Amplified).
Yet, and still, there is so much infighting amongst us, those who claim the name of Christ, until it is just sad. And what’s worse is, people outside Christ see this bickering and fighting and use that as a reason to not give themselves to Jesus. Rightly so because we “fight” over things that have been put to rest at Jesus’ sacrifice. Bottom line is, a person is born again, saved, only after they accept Jesus as their Savior. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” (John 3:3). But we argue and debate about whether we are under the law or not, should we sprinkle or dunk, is one saved without having spoken in tongues, have tongues ceased or no, are women called to preach, so on and so forth. All of these things are distractions designed to take our focus off Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. At the end of the day, your hope had best rest in Jesus for He is the only way to the Father.

SN: No, there are not many paths to God; there is only one way and that is through Jesus. And no, there can be no merging of faiths, no intermingling of religions, no
-ence. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Now people in the world will tell you all sorts of things and so, this is why you must get in the Word of God, read, and digest it for yourself. A person cannot be fooled if they know first-hand what someone is trying to manipulate and portray as truth. When you study the Word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. God’s Word does not put us under bondage. You need to know where you stand in God, as a child of the King. Having given your life to Jesus, you are a joint heir with Him. You are not under the law but under grace. The Bible tells us, at one time, we who were Gentiles, were afar off from God. We didn’t have His law nor His commandments. Hostility existed between Jews and Gentiles and we were separated, from each other and from God. But oh, again, thank God for Jesus!
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:14—18 NIV
What did Jesus do? He reconciled us back to God. In Him, He made a way for all to have access to God. Now we are governed by the words of Jesus. You do need to know and understand the Old Testament, the old covenant but you had best live by the New Testament because in it, Jesus established a new covenant for His people. The Old Testament pointed us to the New; to the coming of Jesus. The whole Bible gives us examples of faith, deliverance, trials and testings, but most of all, it gives us Hope. We do not have to argue and fight over doctrine, just read the Word and obey it. Follow after Jesus, He will not lead you astray.
Soon the whole world will be tried. False Christs will appear on the scene and will deceive many. Horrendous devastation will increase as nature revs up for a final battle against mankind. Injustice will abound across International borders. Freedoms will be taken away and severely limited. And in all this, God will be trying still, to reach His people and they will still turn away from Him. A sad state of affairs will ensue, and then what? Chaos, persecution, and disillusionment. But even in all that, even worse times are to come.
The Bible calls this the time of great tribulation (cf. Matthew 24:21). But for the elect’s sake, they will be spared from some of this. When the false prophets and the false Christ’s come on the scene, they will be very convincing and will seem to be genuine. However, those who know the true Christ, who are more than acquainted with His Word, who have had an experience and relationship with God, they will not be moved by these charlatans. This is why you have to know for yourself who God is and what His word says. You have to know the whole Bible, not just the good parts, or only the parts you can understand but the whole book. And while you’re at it, it doesn’t hurt to know the history of the events and people of the Bible either. Ask God for wisdom and understanding of His Word; He will give it to you.
In the days to come, you will need to know what God’s Word says so that you can hold onto the Truth. Aside from a personal relationship with Jesus, there is no way in, no other access to God. Jesus says all that come to the Father must come through Him (John 14:6). He is the door by which you must enter in. You come in any other way, you are a thief and robber (cf. John 10:1 –10). Jesus paved the way for you to the Father with His blood and He offers all a free gift, the gift of salvation. If you accept it and receive Him then you shall inherit eternal life with Him as long as you stay true to His Word.
This is the problem too many of us face. We start out good with God but then, somewhere along the way, we lose our way. We veer off from God, He is not the One Who leaves us. Yet, God is still there, patiently waiting for us to return to Him. But one day, that patience, also known as grace, is going to run out. Yes, He still loves His people but time will have passed for them to come unto Him. Don’t let it be said of you that you came to God too late. The time is now! Soon God will send His Son Jesus back for His people; a people who have kept themselves pure, clean, and undefiled before God. This is not to say that they are perfect but these have ceased from willful sin. They have learned what pleases God and have committed themselves to pleasing Him. So these are the ones He’s coming back for, His Church. All others have lingered in their decision or have decided they want no part of Him. These then will endure the great tribulation and if they still refuse God, they will drink from the cup of His wrath. And trust, you do not want to be in the hands of an angry God. But it is not God’s will that any should perish. However, if man persists to do things apart from Him, God will leave him to himself.
God loves each of us so very much and it hurts Him to His heart to see us go astray. The devil has so many people fooled; they are blinded by his deceit and unfortunately for many of them, they will see the truth too late. Satan has nothing good for you and I; he just makes it look real good on the outside. Oh yes, he dresses the outside of the fruit real good but when you’ve bitten into it and have partaken of it, only then you realize how rotten it really is. By this time it’s too late. If it is infected, now you are too and the only remedy, the only way out is through the blood of Jesus.
Or perhaps you have a good, personal relationship with Jesus; that’s good, great! What about others you know? Have you shared your joy, your peace, your hope of salvation, your Jesus with them? God is too good to hold back from others. The thing about Him is He’s big enough to go around to all and still won’t run out. Let your life speak for you a glorious testimony to God. Show others just how good He has been to you, how He has rescued you, how He cared for and provided for you in the midst of what appeared to be desperate and desolate situations. If He did it for one, He can and will do it for another; maybe not in the same way or in the same time frame but He will do it. You should know He has no respect of persons and He loves us all equally. He put a piece of Himself inside each of us so that we could always find our way back to Him but it’s up to us to welcome Him in our hearts and lives. To know Him is to love Him and He already loves us so very much.
God has given us all that we need to make an intelligent and informed decision about how to live our lives. He has given us His Word, He sends His prophets, and He gives us pastors, plus so much more. God is a good God and He knows how to take care of His children. If you haven’t already established a relationship with Him, you need to do so ASAP. If you have already, then continue to develop and nurture that relationship. Remember to give God honor, glory, and praise; He’s worthy of it all. Soon God will gather His people to Himself. He knows who you are, the question is, do you know Him?