GUILT AND DEPRESSION

One of the things that can bring a person into depression is a deep sense of guilt.  We feel that we have not been the best son or daughter that our parents wanted us to be.  In some cases the parents have told us we were ugly, not smart, not what they wished us to be in a number  of ways.  Even if they do not voice their disappointment, we feel it is there.  So we feel guilty.  We feel we are not the person  we should be.

Guilt comes in many other ways as well.  If we have been taught to be a Christian by parents, relatives and friends, we know we are not what we are told a Christian should be.  We fail to be “good”.  We do or think things that are not the way a Christian should do or think.  So we feel guilty.

The enemy, the devil, will hound us with thoughts of how bad we are.  The enemy can and does enter into our mind.  He accuses us of all kinds of acts that are wrong.  He tells us about things we may have done or we may not have done.  He is trying to destroy us.  He shows us things that look perfectly fine but they are not, he is a liar.  He will actually make us believe that his evil ways are the best and what is right.  He can counterfeit good to make it seem right.  He is cunning and wise and will use every method he can to deceive us.

Our only hope is to run as fast as we can to our Lord.  He is the only One who can defeat the devil.  He has the power.  So, if we pray and ask the Lord to forgive our sins and to save us and deliver us from the devil and all his deceiving ways He can and will.  Indeed, He is the only One who can.  He knows all about us.  He knows our sins.  He died on a cross to save us and forgive us.  If we confess our sins, He forgives us immediately and our guilt is gone.

The devil may continue to try to torment us.  He will try to convince us that God does not love us.  That He can’t deliver us.  We are too far gone, etc.

But as long as we put our hope and trust in our loving Lord, we can always defeat the devil’s accusations.  Pray and ask the Lord to heal and deliver us and we will defeat the devil by God’s power.  We can quote scripture when the devil torments us, say “devil you must leave me and not accuse and torment me because greater is He (Jesus) who is in me than he (the devil) that is in the world”.

If we must fight this battle a million times a day, don’t fear, our Lord will never leave us.  After a time of standing on God’s word and living close to Him the devil will flee.  Then the peace of the Lord will fill your heart.  Depression will turn to a sense of LOVE and acceptance and peace.  Glory to God!