Before they call, I will answer (Isaiah 65:24)

(I took this picture near my house during a brisk-walk session)

Dear Friends,

A very blessed and joyous new year to you!

Thanks for stopping by my combined Word-Filled Wednesday and Thankful Thursday post. This post was originally posted on Monday.

♥ Thank God for seeing us through another year of walking with Him and serving Him. May God grant us a closer walk with Him and a deeper love and devotion to Him.

♥ Thank God for granting me a very refreshing and fruitful weekend and Lord's day of worship, fellowship and service. Trust you too have had a very blessed and restful weekend!

♥ Thank God for preserving and restoring the health of Madam Chan. I shared about a wonderful reunion with her recently after 10 years interval. Madam Chan is 92 years old and came to know the Lord more than 10 years ago and I was then given the privilege to minister to her. Thank God that she was baptised recently on 7 December 2008.

Madam Chan was very sick last week and I thought the Lord might take her home. Thank God for restoring her health and she is better now. She is continuing to trust in the Lord and waiting upon Him to call her home to Himself. She is full of thanfkulness to our Lord despite her bodily afflictions. She is a wonderful encouragement to me and my brethren.

♥ Thank God for providing my family, church brethren and blogging friends who continue to care and encourage me in many ways.

♥ Thank God He knows our every need and will provide for us. A friend and brother-in-Christ send me this very very encouraging story of God knowing our needs and providing for us even before we ask Him. May this encouraging story encourages our heart in this new year as we walk with our Lord Jesus Christ and serve Him, trusting in His love and mercies that He will provide for all our needs spiritually and physically.

Isaiah 65:24 "Before they call, I will answer"

This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).

We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died

During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say,"Amen". I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door.

By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.

Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!"

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!

Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

"Before they call, I will answer" (Isaiah 65:24)

(My friend, AR, took this picture at Changi Airport, Singapore)

Thanks for stopping by. Take care and have a great week ahead!

For more Word-Filled Wednesday participants, do visit Amy.

For more participants of Thankful Thursday, do visit Iris.

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie
6 January 2009

Where the will of God leads us, the grace of God will keep us

“We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. Song of Solomon 1:4”

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by.

A very blessed and joyous New Year to you!

Thank God for seeing us through another week and another year.

♥ I thank God for His mercies and faithfulness through another year of walking with Him and serving Him.

♥ I thank God for providing for my every need through the year. It's been more than a year since I do freelance work due to my health limitations. I am thankful to testify that God has provided for my every need in His many wonderful ways. Truly, the Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want (lack) - Psalm 23:1.

♥ I am thankful to God for providing precious people in my life ie. my family, church, friends and blogging friends who love and care for me in their very wonderful ways. These are tokens of God's love for me and I treasure very much.

♥ It's been almost a year since I started blogging. I am very thankful to God for the many blessings I have received through blogging.
- I am thankful that I can share and testify of God's goodness and mercies to me through this blog
- I am thankful to God that I can share the resources I have found useful in coping with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) with my readers on this blog
- I am thankful to God once again for all of you, my dear blogging friends and visitors. I have been so greatly blessed by all of you and I thank God upon every remembrance of you. It is wonderful to read of how God is guiding and blessing you in your walk with our Lord and it encourages me in my walk with God too. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragements.


♥ Thank God for the joy of knowing Him, trusting Him and serving Him. May these words of CH Spurgeon be our hearts prayer too:

"Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favor us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day, we may be glad and rejoice in Thee.

Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus."

May God continue to bless you with His love, mercies and blessings in many wonderful ways in this New Year.

May you continue to know His love and all-sufficient grace through this year.

May the assurance of God's love and mercies strengthen our heart to continue to walk with Him and serve Him despite whatever uncertainties or turmoil we see in the world today or in future. For we are assured that we are More Than Conquerors through Him Who loved us!

Where the will of God lead you, the grace of God will keep you.

"I have been young, and now am old;
yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread."
Psalm 37:25

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie
2 January 2009

Praising God for guiding us through another year

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3"

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements.

Thank and praise God for seeing us through another year. Soon 2008 will come to an end and we will enter into year 2009.

This morning, during the morning worship in my church, we were reminded to be thankful to God for His mercies and faithfulness daily.

I am thankful to God for all His goodness to me throughout the year. I am experiencing His love and mercies in many wonderful ways.

Though the world is going through a financial crisis and there are unrest at various places, thank God that He is our refuge and strength. Thank God that He gives us peace that passeth all understanding in Christ Jesus our Lord and He is able to provide for all our needs.

May God continue to give us peace and joy in trusting in Him. May He continue to draw us nearer to Himself, make us useful in His kingdom and make us lights that shine for Him.

Last evening, I was reading Spurgeon's Evening 27 December, and greatly encouraged by this precious reminder that our Lord will guide us continually. May you find comfort and encouragement in this article too.

“And the Lord shall guide thee continually.”
Isaiah 58:11

“The Lord shall guide thee.” Not an angel, but Jehovah shall guide thee. He said he would not go through the wilderness before his people, an angel should go before them to lead them in the way; but Moses said, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”

Christian, God has not left you in your earthly pilgrimage to an angel’s guidance: he himself leads the van. You may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but Jehovah will never forsake you.

Notice the word shall—“The Lord shall guide thee.” How certain this makes it! How sure it is that God will not forsake us! His precious “shalls” and “wills” are better than men’s oaths. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Then observe the adverb continually. We are not merely to be guided sometimes, but we are to have a perpetual monitor; not occasionally to be left to our own understanding, and so to wander, but we are continually to hear the guiding voice of the Great Shepherd; and if we follow close at his heels, we shall not err, but be led by a right way to a city to dwell in.

If you have to change your position in life; if you have to emigrate to distant shores; if it should happen that you are cast into poverty, or uplifted suddenly into a more responsible position than the one you now occupy; if you are thrown among strangers, or cast among foes, yet tremble not, for “the Lord shall guide thee continually.”

There are no dilemmas out of which you shall not be delivered if you live near to God, and your heart be kept warm with holy love.

He goes not amiss who goes in the company of God. Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot mistake your road.

You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. “Jehovah”—mark the word—“Jehovah shall guide thee continually.”

(Taken from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, Evening 27 December.)

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie

28 December 2008

Word-Filled Wednesday : God is our refuge and strength

This picture is taken by my brother, Arthur, at Muriwai Beach, New Zealand.

Psalm 46
1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

It's been quite sometime since I last participated in Word-Filled Wednesday. I do miss all the encouraging WFW friends and posts.

Today I am thankful to be reminded that God is our refuge and strength. Thank God that He loves us and He is with us always.

May God continue to bless you with His love and mercies today and every day :)

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie

24 December 2008

CH Spurgeon's sermon "Beloved and yet afflicted"

Dear Readers,

When I was very ill with bad and persistent asthmatic attacks some 6 years back (which led to a hospitalization and many Emergency treatments), I took 2 months no-pay leave to recuperate at home and sought appropriate medical help. I am still on long term medication and thank God that my condition has stabilised and I do not get asthmatic attacks anymore nowadays.

During those times, there were many Lord's day when I could not go to church due to asthmatic attacks. God in His mercies ministered much grace to me through His Words, Christian books and articles. I was greatly encouraged by many sermons and article I read that I designed a simple website Believers' Encouragement to put up these to share with other fellow Christians.

One of CH Spurgeon's sermon which the Lord used to encourage me and comfort me was entitled "Beloved, and yet afflicted". This comforting sermon reminded me that as God's beloved people, God sometimes allow us to go through time of sickness for His glory, our good and the good of His Church.

This sermon is continuing to encourage me as I seek to walk with our Lord daily and glorify Him despite chronic illnesses.

Hope this sermon will encourage you too. If you are experiencing chronic illness or going through very severe trials, know that our Lord is near to you and He has His purposes in allowing providence to be so. He can work a way for you and enable you to glorify Him. All things will work together for your good if you are one of those who loved God and are called according to His eternal purposes (Romans 8:28).

Beloved and yet afflicted. By CH Spurgeon

"Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick" (John 11:3)

That disciple whom Jesus loved is not at all backward to record that Jesus loved Lazarus too: there are no jealousies among those who are chosen by the Well-beloved. Jesus loved Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus: it is a happy thing where a whole family live in the love of Jesus. They were a favoured trio, and yet, as the serpent came into Paradise, so did sorrow enter their quiet household at Bethany. Lazarus was sick. They all felt that if Jesus were there disease would flee at his presence; what then should they do but let him know of their trial? Lazarus was near to death’s door, and so his tender sisters at once reported the fact to Jesus, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.” Many a time since then has that same message been sent to our Lord, for in full many a case he has chosen his people in the furnace of affliction. Of the Master it is said, “himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses,” and it is, therefore, no extraordinary thing for the members to be in this matter conformed to their Head.

.....We need not be astonished that the man whom the Lord loves is sick, for he is only a man. The love of Jesus does not separate us from the common necessities and infirmities of human life. Men of God are still men. The covenant of grace is not a charter of exemption from consumption, or rheumatism, or asthma. The bodily ills, which come upon us because of our flesh, will attend us to the tomb, for Paul saith, “we that are in this body do groan.”

.... Oftentimes this sickness of the Lord’s loved ones is for the good of others. Lazarus was permitted to be sick and to die, that by his death and resurrection the apostles might be benefitted. His sickness was “for the glory of God.” Throughout these nineteen hundred years which have succeeded Lazarus’ sickness all believers have been getting good out of it, and this afternoon we are all the better because he languished and died. The church and the world may derive immense advantage through the sorrows of good men: the ungodly may be awakened, the doubting may be convinced, the ungodly may be converted, the mourner may be comforted through our testimony in sickness; and if so, would we wish to avoid pain and weakness? Are we not quite willing that our friends should say of us also “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick”?

....Jesus knows all about us, but it is a great relief to pour out our hearts before him. When John the Baptist’s broken-hearted disciples saw their leader beheaded, “they took up the body, and went and told Jesus.” They could not have done better. In all trouble send a message to Jesus, and do not keep your misery to yourself. In his case there is no need of reserve, there is no fear of his treating you with cold pride, or heartless indifference, or cruel treachery. He is a confident who never can betray us, a friend who never will refuse us.

.... Remember, too, that Jesus may give healing. It would not be wise to live by a supposed faith, and cast off the physician and his medicines, any more than to discharge the butcher, and the tailor, and expect to be fed and clothed by faith; but this would be far better than forgetting the Lord altogether, and trusting to man only. Healing for both body and soul must be sought from God. We make use of medicines, but these can do nothing apart from the Lord, “who healeth all our diseases.” We may tell Jesus about our aches and pains, and gradual declining, and hacking coughs. Some persons are afraid to go to God about their health: they pray for the pardon of sin, but dare not ask the Lord to remove a headache: and, yet, surely, if the hairs outside our head are all numbered by God it is not much more of a condescension for him to relieve throbs and pressures inside the head. Our big things must be very little to the great God, and our little things cannot be much less. It is a proof of the greatness of the mind of God that while ruling the heavens and the earth, he is not so absorbed by these great concerns as to be forgetful of the least pain or want of any one of his poor children. We may go to him about our failing breath, for he first gave us lungs and life. We may tell him about the eye which grows dim, and the ear which loses hearing, for he made them both. We may mention the swollen knee, and the gathering finger, the stiff neck, and the sprained foot, for he made all these our members, redeemed them all, and will raise them all from the grave. Go at once, and say, “Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick.”.... Read full article....

May God bless you with His love and mercies in many wonderful ways every day :)

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie

20 December 2008

Thankful Thursday : Thank God for His mercies and faithfulness

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Psalm 36:5

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by. Thank God for seeing us through another week.

♥ I thank God for His mercies and faithfulness daily. Thank God for continuing to strengthen me as I wait upon Him. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements.

♥ I thank God for bringing me back into contact with an elderly lady, Madam Chan, whom I ministered to some 10 years ago. Madam Chan is already 92 years old this year. She loves the Lord and have been rather ill all of her life. She is wheel chair bound and house bound.

♥ I thank God that when Madam Chan first came to know our Lord 10 years back at the age of 82 years old, I had the privilege of being used by God to share His Words with her. Due to a change in providence, I lost contact with her. Thank God that recently, in His mercies, He brought me back into contact with her.

♥ I am thankful to God that Mdm Chan still recognizes me and remember my name after such a long interval! See my joyful face in the photo below and you can imagine what a great joy it was for me to be reunited with her :-)

She looked very haggard in this photo as she had a fall some 3 weeks back and was in great pain. She became bed-ridden and could hardly eat. So she has lost a lot of weight.


♥ I am thankful to God for preserving Mdm Chan's faith in Him. For the last 10 years she has practically no contact with any Christian except her son-in-law. But when I met up with her recently, she said every day she prays and thanks our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ for shedding His blood to wash away her sins. She said she is a sinner and very thankful to God for taking care of her! I was greatly encouraged to see how the Lord has preserved her and kept her close to Him despite the difficult and lonely life she has led.

♥ I am thankful to God that Madam Chan desires baptism and she was baptised recently on 7 December 2008. She was able to testify of her faith in our Lord Jesus Christ in her own simple way. She expressed gratefulness to God that she can be baptised and belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. Her childlike faith is a great testimony to me and to my church brethren of what God is able to do in His beloved people's heart.

Madam Chan's baptism

♥ I am thankful to God for strengthening Madam Chan. Her health has improved shortly before her baptism and thereafter. Prior to that, for about 1 month she has been bed-ridden and not able to eat much. But now she is able to eat some solid food again! Thank God! So you can see in the picture above that at the time of her baptism her face is more fleshy. She is generally stronger and more cheerful. Now I visit her about once a week to minister to her whenever my health permist. She is able to sit up for a few hours now whenever I visit her.

♥ I am thankful to God for giving me the joy and privilege of seeing His wonderful work of grace in Madam Chan's heart. It is my regret that for the last 10 years I have lost contact with her. I am thankful that now God is enabling me to see once again His great work of grace in her soul, and give me the privilege to contribute a little in sharing His love and grace to her.

♥ I am thankful to God for providing precious people in my life ie. my family, church, friends and blogging friends who love and care for me in their very wonderful ways. These are tokens of God's love for me and I treasure very much.

♥ I am thankful to God once again for all of you, my dear blogging friends and visitors. I have been so greatly blessed by all of you and I thank God upon every remembrance of you. It is wonderful to read of how God is guiding and blessing you in your walk with our Lord and it encourages me in my walk with God too. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragements.

May God continue to bless you with His love and mercies in many wonderful ways every day :)

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie

18 December 2008

Free Calendars 2009 and Bookmarks

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements.

Thank God for seeing us through another week.

♥ I have missed posting on Thankful Thursday for many weeks as I have been unwell and have to cut down the amount of time I spend on blogging and visiting. Thanks to all of you who have visited and encouraged me. Thank God I am better. I am looking to our faithful God daily. I do remember you in my prayers.

♥ I am thankful to God that I can serve Him through making some simple gifts with Bible verses. I have a small Homemade Gifts business. I am selling some Calendars 2009, Bookmarks and Cards with Bible verses. Do let me know if you are interested to purchase these gifts for yourself, your family or friends. And please do not hesitate to pass the words around and let your friends know about it too.

Homemade Calendars 2009 with Bible verses









Homemade Bookmarks with Bible verses and General Wordings











Homemade Cards with Bible verses












♥ FREE templates for Calendars with Bible verses and Bookmarks with Bible verses to share with you!

As the postage is rather high to post to some of you, I like to share some Free templates for Calendars with Bible verses and Bookmarks with Bible verses with you. You can make these small gifts for yourself, your loved ones, family and friends. You can also make them and sell them, if you wish to :-) 

I have the following 3 Free items to share with you.

1) Free Instructions of how to make a simple Homemade Hanging Calendar for 2009 with Bible verses




















2) Free Instructions of how to make a simple Calendar Planner for 2009 with Bible verses


















3) Free Instructions of how to make a simple Bookmarks with Bible verses





















Thank God that I can have the joy of serving Him in little ways like these. Hope you enjoy making them too.

♥ I am thankful to God for providing precious people in my life ie. my family, church, friends and blogging friends who love and care for me in their very wonderful ways. These are tokens of God's love for me and I treasure very much.

♥ I am thankful to God once again for all of you, my dear blogging friends and visitors. I have been so greatly blessed by all of you and I thank God upon every remembrance of you. It is wonderful to read of how God is guiding and blessing you in your walk with our Lord and it encourages me in my walk with God too. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragements.

May God continue to bless you with His love and mercies in many wonderful ways every day :)

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie

13 December 2008

How to recover from depression - some helpful tips

Dear Friends,

Thank you for stopping by. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragements. Thank God for strengthening me day by day. I am feeling better and continuing to look to our Lord daily.

Recently, I shared about a very informative article by Dr David P Murray on "The causes of depression". Dr David P Murray did a series of 6 very useful and informative Lectures on "Depression and the Christian".

 Another very useful and informative article by Dr David P Murray is his Lecture No. 4 on "The cures for depression". Just as there is a spectrum of causes that can trigger off clinical depression, there is also a spectrum of means that can aid in recovery.

Recovery may also means different things to different people. To some people, recovery means that they are totally free from relapses. While for others, recovery can mean that they are more functional and able to revert to their activities for daily life at a moderate pace.

Though symptoms may still appear every now and then, they are learning to manage their condition through various means and are no longer incapacitated by their conditions.

I fall under the later group. The following article provides us with some very helpful information on how we can work towards wellness and be more functional. However, different things may work at different rate and degrees for different individual due to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual condition as well as our circumstances. Feeling well may be momentous but getting well takes time and effort, with much prayer and perseverance. Hope you will find the following article helpful to your or your loved ones:

(These series of 6 messages on "Depression and the Christian" are also available on .pdf, .mp3 and video formats which can be downloaded from the website of Sermon Audio )

DEPRESSION AND THE CHRISTIAN

BY DR. DAVID P MURRAY

(5) THE CURES

In our last lecture we looked at some of the causes of depression. Now we will look at some of the cures. However, before we do so, we must ask the depressed person a vital question, “Do you want to be made whole?” This was the question Jesus asked of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (Jn.5:6).

At first glance it may seem like a silly question. Surely every sick person wants to be made whole! However, Christ’s question may imply that the man was not making use of all the means available to get better. Or, perhaps he had given up hope of getting better. These are common scenarios with depression. Doctors and pastors are often faced with the frustrating situation of people who need the help they can give, and yet who are not taking the steps required to benefit from this help. Perhaps they have just learned to live with their illness. Perhaps they have given up hope of getting better. Perhaps they lack the will to play their part in the healing process. Perhaps they are frightened of all the responsibilities of life which would come upon them should they be viewed as “well” again. Perhaps they would miss the attention and sympathy which being ill may generate. These are all possibilities. So, if you are depressed, the first searching question you must ask yourself is “Do I want to be made whole?”

You have no hope of recovery from depression unless you want to recover and are, therefore, prepared to play your own significant part in the recovery process. We will look at four measures which should be considered as part of a “package” of healing.

1. Correct your lifestyle

It is vital to lead a balanced lifestyle in order to reduce the “stretch” that threatens our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Some of the practical points made here also apply to depressions resulting from stressful life events.

a. Routine

One of the keys to a balanced lifestyle is regular routine. This is also one of the first things to fall by the wayside when someone becomes depressed. The depressed person often finds it very difficult to resist being guided by their feelings. When a person feels down they will often only do what they feel like doing and avoid what they don’t feel like doing. For example, if we don’t feel like getting up, we won’t. If we don’t feel like working, we won’t. If we don’t feel like doing the ironing, we won’t. If we feel we want to drink or eat to excess, we do it. A positive step in recovering from depression is to restore order and discipline in our lives. Regular and orderly sleeping, eating, and working patterns will rebuild a sense of usefulness and healthy self-esteem. It is also glorifying to God who is a God of order, not of confusion (1 Cor.14:33).

b. Relaxation

We need to build times of relaxation into our lives. This may involve finding a quiet spot at various times throughout the day to simply stop, pause, calm down, and seek the peace of God in our lives. Jesus recognised and provided for this need in his disciples when he took them “apart into a desert place to rest a while” (Mark 6:31). Also, moderate physical exercise helps to expel unhelpful chemicals from our system and stimulates the production of helpful chemicals.

c. Rest

Regular sleep patterns enable the body and mind to repair and re-charge. The Sabbath Day was graciously made for us (Mark 2:27), partly to ease the tension of our busy overstretched lives.

d. Re-prioritise

Examine your life and see what you can do to reduce your commitments and obligations. Areas to consider are your family, your work, your church, your neighbours and travel. Once you are better you may be able to pick up some of these activities again. But the priority is to get better.

2. Correct your false thoughts

As we have noted throughout these lectures, one of the most common contributory factors to depression is wrong and unhelpful thoughts. Many Christians, who wouldn’t dream of viewing God’s Word in a false way, yet view God’s world in a false way. As they view themselves, their situations, and their relationships with others, they tend to dwell on and magnify the negatives and exclude the positives. This distorted view of reality inevitably distorts and depresses their mood. Christians are obliged to challenge falsehood and distortions of reality, especially when found in themselves. In the appendix to this lecture you will find two questionnaires to help you do this. The first is to help you examine your thoughts, and the second is to help you challenge your false and unhelpful thoughts. Questionnaires such as these are recommended for use by many Christian and non-Christian psychiatrists. They may look a bit strange to you, and you may wonder, “Is this not all just psychological mumbo-jumbo?” However, I would like to show you here how each step is grounded in Biblical Christian experience. In Psalm 77 we have a perfect example of Asaph investigating and challenging his thoughts with God’s help, in order to raise his mood and spirits. There are also slightly more abbreviated versions of the same biblical strategy in Psalm 42, Psalm 73, Job 19, Habakkuk 3, etc. So, this is not “psychological mumbo-jumbo”, but true Bible-based Christian experience. Let us look at Psalm 77 to prove this.

Download the following file :

asaph.pdf

3. Correct your brain chemistry

This is not an area I have any expertise in and so I shall keep my comments to a minimum. I would refer you to sympathetic and trained medical personnel for diagnosis and prescription of appropriate medication. Even a low dose of anti-depressants is sometimes enough just to begin to restore depleted brain chemicals and so pick up your mood sufficiently to enable you to begin to take the steps necessary to correct your lifestyle, thoughts, etc. However, more serious depressions sometimes require medication for 2-5 years in order to permanently restore the brain’s chemistry and processes. There are a number of myths and false ideas about anti-depressants which have lodged in the public mind.

Here are some examples: “If I take anti-depressants I won’t be my true self…there will be horrible side-effects…I might get addicted…people will look down on me…it will mean I am crazy.” Your doctor should be able to refute these myths and reassure you. However, as mentioned above, anti-depressants don’t replace the need for you to identify and work at changing false and unhelpful thinking and harmful behaviour.

4. Correct your spiritual life

a. Correct the spiritual consequences

We have tried to emphasise that for Christians their depression is usually not caused by spiritual factors. However, there are spiritual consequences in all depressions. There are a number of steps a depressed Christian can take to help reverse at least some of the spiritual consequences. You may find Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ book Spiritual Depression to be helpful in this regard – although he can be a bit sweeping and dogmatic in his generalisations. Here are some practical things you can do to help address the spiritual consequences of depression.

(i) Accept that being depressed is not a sin and indeed is compatible with Christianity. Many Bible characters and many of the greatest Christians passed through times of depression.

(ii) Try to understand that your loss of spiritual feelings is not the cause of your depression, but rather the depression has caused a general loss of feeling in all parts of your life, your spiritual life included.

(iii) Patiently wait for the corrections in your lifestyle, thinking, or brain chemistry to have an effect on your feelings as a whole and your spiritual life will pick up at the same time also.

(iv) Have a set time for reading your Bible and praying. Depressed Christians may either give up reading and praying, or they may try to read and pray “excessively” in order to try and bring back their spiritual feelings. Both approaches are unhelpful. Instead, set aside a regular time each day to read and pray. If concentration is a problem, keep things short (5-10 minutes) until you feel better. Depression will only be deepened by setting unrealistic spiritual goals.

(v) Bring objective truth to mind (e.g.: the doctrine of justification, or the atonement), especially “positive” verses which set forth God’s love, mercy and grace for sinners (e.g.: Rom.8:1; 8:38-39; 1 Jn.4:9-10; 1 Jn.1:9). You may want to write out a verse and carry it around with you. When negative thoughts overwhelm you, bring out the verse and meditate upon it.

(vi) When you pray, tell God exactly how you feel. Be totally honest. Ask God to help you with your doubts and fears and to restore to you the joy of salvation. Thank Him for loving you and being with you even though you do not feel His love or presence. Praying for others who suffer can also help to turn your thoughts away from yourself for a time.

(vii) Keep going to church and seek out the fellowship of one or two sympathetic Christians you can confide in, and ask them to pray with you and for you. Be careful about who you talk to. Sadly, some Christians cannot keep confidences, and others will have little understanding of or sympathy for your condition.

(viii) Remember God loves you as you are, not as you would like to be.

b. Correct the spiritual causes

In the lecture on the causes of depression, we mentioned the possibility that a Christian’s depression may be the result of some specific sin or sins. If having examined your life you find that there is a sin which you are deliberately and stubbornly persisting in, or grave sins which you have never really repented of, it is time to fall on your knees and seek God’s pardon for the sin, and God’s power over the sin. See Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 for examples of how to do this.

APPENDIX Download the file : Thought Investigation Questionnaire.pdf Download this article in .pdf format - 5TheCures.pdf

If you are in Singapore, please come and visit my Church, Pilgrim Covenant Church, for worship and fellowship: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/

Details for worship services:  https://pilgrim-covenant.com/#view-2-service

Or you can join us online for Morning and Evening worship services: https://pilgrim-covenant.com/join-us/online-links/

Thank you for stopping by. Have a blessed day! 

Best Regards

Nancie
9 December 2008