Loved one suffering in depression

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Permalink Reply by Carla on October 21, 2011 at 5:22pm

I'm not sure, because there is so much about the human brain that we don't understand.  There is also so much about the spiritual realm that we do not understand.

 

It could be both. 

We know that Jesus is the our healer.  We also know that He doesn't heal everyone.

 

Here's what I know for sure:

His Grace is sufficient for you.  His power is made perfect in weakness.

I know that God knows what He is doing, and that He will work all things together for our good and His glory.

I know that I have one foot on earth, and one in heaven.

I know that this is not my home... I don't fit in here.

I know that I have a job to do while I am here...despite my trials and difficulties, I'm going to do my best to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my understanding while I am still here, and do my job.

Depression itself is not sin...it is one of the effects of sin.  Like my heart problem--I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve.  I didn't do anything directly that I earned that or deserved it... It just happened because of sin in the world.  Or like a birth defect.  Sin has corrupted God's World...all aspects of it.  These things make God weep.  But they also serve as a purpose to help us realize our need for a Saviour, and turn to HIm.  Jesus came to fix it all, and one day He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and take away all the pain and suffering we have had on this earth.  But it's not time to go home yet.

 

If chemical imbalances develop because the person has had the blues for awhile, then new pathways can be built in the brain to reverse it also.  Reading scripture is the best medicine because God's word is living and active.  If anything will help to build new pathways in our brains, then reading scripture would be it.

Exercise and walks are great.. 

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on October 21, 2011 at 5:42pm

I believe that *by His stripes we were healed*. There for we have the healing....we need the faith to accept the healing. When we do believe we can be healed or that we were healed we have to believe never doubting. We need to accept the healing with no doubt.

Whatever the problem, we know that God  doesn't cause illness. He wants us to prosper and be in good health.

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Permalink Reply by Carla on October 21, 2011 at 7:55pm

Rita,

 

Our Lord does heal sometimes, but sometimes He does not.  He doesn't cause illness ever, but He doesn't always heal.

 

Isaiah 53 in context is speaking of healing of sin and righteousness. 

 

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on October 24, 2011 at 6:31am

Sorry, Carla, but I can't agree with you on this.

Christ died for our sins. Illness comes on us because of sin. All of our sins have been paid for including the sins that cause an illness. God doesn't cause illness. He wants us all to prosper and be in good health. Satan puts illness on us. None of it comes from God. We need to look to God, the Author and Finisher of our faith. WE need to believe never doubting. If a person has an illness he needs to believe, never doubting that he is healed.

Something I learned as an EMT in my younger days was this...

If we picked up a person by ambulance and they said they were dying, they probably would. People speak death and destruction on themselves all the time. They get a mind set that they are going to have something terrible happen to them and it probably will come to pass if they dwell on it long enough.

God doesn't want that for us and He has given us an *out*. We need to speak health and healing on ourselves.

If we have an illness that isn't healed it's because we do not believe. If a person doesn't believe, we are unable to pray a prayer that goes against their wishes.

I disagree with you, but love ya anyway...

Blessings...

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on October 24, 2011 at 6:36am

Rita,

 

If this were the case, why didn't Paul heal Timothy's stomach instead of telling him to take a little wine for his stomach if it only required faith?

 

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on October 24, 2011 at 6:39am

LT

Because Paul can't heal? If I tell you to take wine for your stomach, wouldn't it require faith and belief to have the wine sooth rather than sour it?

Blessings...

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on October 24, 2011 at 2:41pm

Rita,

 

The apsotles surely were used to heal people. Paul laid on a dead man and he came back to life. The faith of the dead man was not taken into account. If you follow your logic, then Paul only need tel Timothy to believe and he would be healed, and it would be hard pressed to believe that Paul's son in the Lord would be so useful to Paul and not have faith to be healed.

 

The fact remains that we have Timothy, a mighty an of God, who lived life with stomach issues.

 

Lord BLess,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Carla on October 24, 2011 at 10:09am

Rita, 

 

I agree that sickness comes on because of sin.  Through Adam, we have death, but through Christ, there is eternal life.

 

I'll tell you though the reason(s) why I disagree with your interpretation.

1) In context, Isaiah 53 is only speaking of spiritual healing.  How do we know this?  We know this because when a person comes to the Lord they are spiritually healed, but not always physically healed.

 

Would you dare to tell someone who is sick, and who trusts in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, that JEsus cannot heal them because they do not have enough faith?

 

Rita, People pass away from this world every day.  Are we all meant to live on an on until Jesus returns?

I don't think so.  Physical death will come to each one of us.  There is a time to be born and a time to die.

I agree that our words are important, but I think this is a potentially dangerous teaching.  People get sick, they die..  This happens to people even with the strongest of faith.  God is in control of when we will die.  He has prepared a place for us.

 

I think that telling someone that if they only have enough faith to believe they will be healed, and it will be granted to them is very close to New Age teachings.  It's along the same lines as 'Think good thoughts, and put good things out into the universe and good things will come back to you.'  This is not biblical.

 

Jesus tells us that we will have many trials, and tribulations.  He promises it.  He tells us most certainly that He has overcome the world..  we need to abide in Him, trust in Him.  He will either calm the storm around us (give physical healing) or He will calm us in the midst of the storm.  Whichever it is, God knows best.

 

It is very condemning to tell someone they don't have enough faith to be healed.  Who are we to measure a man's faith?

 

I love you too Rita, but I can't agree with what you are teaching.  If you want to discuss it in further detail we can begin a new thread.

Blessings, Carla

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on October 24, 2011 at 11:18am

As I said before, Carla....you see it one way, I see it another. Another thread isn't necessary. We simply have different beliefs regarding this. I see the many gifts God has given us in one manner and you see them in another. There isn't any hardiness of heart on my part because of this. Simply a difference in beliefs.

Regarding telling a person that they don't have enough faith to be healed, I recall Jesus asking a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda(?) *Do you want to be healed?* What was his sin? Was it the sin of unbelief?

Blessings to you in the Name of Jesus, our Lord...

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Carla on October 24, 2011 at 11:43am

John 5

 

Rita, where does it say the man had enough faith?

His response was simply "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." v.7

 

This indicates Jesus Sovereignly healing him.  We are not told why, nor are we told anything more of the man who was healed...except that he was healed.  We can presume that his desire was to be healed, simply because he was there, but we can't presume anything about his faith (strong or weak) because we are not told.  He simply said that he can not make it to the water.  I believe it is an indication that he was asking for help because he knew he couldn't do it himself.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on October 24, 2011 at 12:03pm

⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” ⁷ The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” ⁸ Jesus said to him, ^r“Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” ^{9 r}And at once the man was  

  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. Jn 5:9

 ¹⁴ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! ^vSin no more, ^wthat nothing worse may happen to you.”  

  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. Jn 5:14

CArla, The greatest sin we have is unbelief. For nonbelievers it might be unbelief in Christ as Savior but there are other sins of unbelief. This man clearly felt he needed someone to put him into the pool. Had he believe in God and His power, he might have been healed before all these many years had passed.

This is my understanding of these verses.

Blessings...

Rita

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Permalink Reply by Carla on October 24, 2011 at 12:14pm

Rita,

 

The sin of the world is unbelief..  That's true.  We don't know if he might have been healed years before or not..  scripture doesn't say it.

 

Jesus singled that man out.  There were many others who were there and sick.  Jesus knew about him, and approached him asking if he wanted to be well.  He could have gone to anyone. 

 

Scripture doesn't particularly say the man prayed "heal me Lord, I believe".

I'm not saying that Jesus doesn't heal today..  I believe He does. 

I'm also not saying that we don't need faith---we do!

I am saying that Jesus will determine who He heals, and who He doesn't.  It may or may not depend on our faith.

 

Jesus healed me of anxiety before I accepted Him as Lord and Saviour..  I had no faith, but I wanted to be healed.  My Mom was praying for me at the time.  He lifted me up as in a physical sensation, but not actually physically... and He healed me.  It was then that I believed.  Jesus worked the same way when He walked the earth as He does now.  Although, sometimes it is necessary for a person to have faith, other times it is not.  Telling someone they don't have enough faith is dangerous and condeming.  It is dangerous because it could lead them to believe that the Lord doesn't love them, or that they are not important enough to be healed....Or that it is there fault because they have sinned and the Lord can't forgive them... or that they just simply don't believe.  That sounds too much like positive thinking. 

 

We will just have to agree to disagree.

 

Blessings, Carla

 

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