“The times most favorable to fits of depression, so far as I have experienced, may be summed up in a brief catalog. First among them I must mention the hour of a great success. When at last a long-cherished desire is fulfilled, when God has been glorified greatly by our means and a great triumph achieved, then we are apt to faint.
It might be imagined that amid special favors our soul would soar to heights of ecstasy and rejoice with joy unspeakable, but it is generally the reverse. The Lord seldom exposes His warriors to the perils of exultation over victory. He knows that few of them can endure such a test and therefore dashes their cup with bitterness.
Uninterrupted success and unfading joy in it would be more than our weak heads could bear. Our wine must needs be mixed with water, lest it turn our brains.
My witness is that those who are honored by their Lord in public have usually to endure a secret chastening or to carry a peculiar cross lest by any means they exalt themselves and fall into the snare of the Devil.”
The words you just read are from one of history’s greatest preachers, Charles Spurgeon. This man of God, who authored some of the greatest books in Christianity, preached messages that far outlived him, and was closer to God than I can even dream of being, died of gout and depression.
My mind goes to 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul talks about his “thorn in the flesh.” We can speculate as to what it was, but we don’t really know. We do know that he begged and pleaded with God to take it from him, and God did not. Paul had to continually conquer his thorn, seeking victory over it day by day.
I too have a thorn in the flesh, a specific temptation that creeps into my everyday life. It creeps into conversation and slithers through my thoughts. The ways in which it manifests itself can be so sly that at times, I don’t even realize it is there. At moments, I have felt like nothing could ever take this thorn away. At others, I have pretended like it wasn’t there. There have been times I have allowed it to conquer me, and others where Satan has told me it will never go away.
Today I came to the realization that it may never go away, and I’m ok with that. I can blame it on people who may have taught it to me. I can become depressed because of the times it has found me out, or I can make a choice - A choice to seek God for victory. It’s not going to get me down anymore. Sure, I may still fall. Yes, I’ll make mistakes. The difference, is this time, I’ll rise up knowing that I can have victory. I don’t have to be a statistic. If God’s greatest men dealt with stuff, who am I to think I won’t. And, if God’s greatest men can find victory, I serve the same god who can give me strength.
Your sin doesn’t just affect you. It affects everyone around you. The people it will hurt most are the people you love most. You can ask God for victory today, and take steps toward improving, or you can let it come to a head, and then deal with all the repercussions. Let me tell you from experience…KILL IT NOW.
Whatever problem you’re dealing with. No matter how big or small. We serve an awesome, mighty God with enough power to conquer them all. When I discover myself in sin’s despair, with no way to get out, His grace and mercy never fail. His love I never doubt. I’m just a human. I’m going to fall. I will be strongest in the areas where I’m weak when I allow God’s power to fill those cracks and holes.
