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The perceived meaninglessness of work is often part of depression. It usually, however, is a sign of depression rather than a cause. Death.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Screwtape warns Wormwood] Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's [God's] will, looks around upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.4
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Edward T. Welch |
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We must hate the evil and ungodly assumptions of the world, we must hate our own sinful nature, and we must hate Satan. To accomplish these tasks demands the most powerful resources we have: the Word, the Spirit, and the body of Christ.
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Edward T. Welch |
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There is a resiliency in the human spirit that keeps us going even when we have no reason to continue.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Yes, genuine pain and loss coexisted with the deliverance, but it did not have the last word. Its power to hurt him was weakened because he could see the bigger things God was doing in, for, and through him. You can probably find similar events in your life. Hard things persisted, there was no apparent deliverance, but, with closer inspection, you notice a deliverance that went much deeper. And these are eleventh-hour deliverances on this s..
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Edward T. Welch |
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Control and certainty are myths.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Superstitions and eccentric habits are a Western substitute for actual idols.
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Edward T. Welch |
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No one cares about their reputation or their bank account when they find themselves in the shadow of death.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Hope will only grow in the ground of humility.
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Edward T. Welch |
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It is only fair to add that you should be undecided about spiritual causes too. By this I mean that you can't immediately say that there is one core sin that has caused your depression. Some people race toward this explanation; they hope that once they discover that sin, everything will change. Others run from this perspective; they think spiritual explanations are prehistoric and misguided. The truth is in the middle of these two poles. Si..
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Edward T. Welch |
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Even if medication relieves some of the burden of depression, it may be functioning like aspirin. That is, it takes away some of the symptoms but the root problems persist.
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Edward T. Welch |
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James intentionally enlarges the scope of suffering when he writes, "trials of many kinds." By doing this, he invites those who experience depression to learn that, whatever the cause, depression will test our faith and serve as a catalyst for growth rather than a reason for despair. Yes, depression is spiritual in the same way that all suffering brings us face-to-face with critical spiritual realities."
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Edward T. Welch |
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Since the desires for power and control are in every heart, you don't have to look overseas for lawless brutality. It happens every day between parents and children, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives. Where there is injustice, shame will be part of its fallout.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Sin is not rational.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Humans are needy by design. Will we abandon the myth of independence and seek God?
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Edward T. Welch |
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Worldly honor is passe. It is part of a fading kingdom. Honor in Christ is the only true honor.
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Edward T. Welch |
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knew something about prayer, asked Jesus how to pray (Luke 11:1). Here is where prayer really
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Edward T. Welch |
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Humility means that you acknowledge you don't know everything, and you might be especially confused when it comes to God.
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Edward T. Welch |
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The key to learning the fear of the Lord is to stay in Scripture. When you are in the Scripture, pray that God would teach you that he is the Holy One.
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Edward T. Welch |
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The key to learning the fear of the Lord is to stay in Scripture. When you are in the Scripture, pray that God would teach you that he is the Holy One. 1. Review the creation psalms: Psalms 8; 19; 29; 65; 104. 2. Meditate on the enthronement psalms: e.g., Psalm 95-97; 99. 3. Memorize Psalm 139. It states that God's providence is so extensive it goes into all the details of our lives. 4. Go through a hymn book and highlight songs that expres..
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Edward T. Welch |
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They are God's liturgy, prepared for you in advance. How
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Edward T. Welch |
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Can you see how worries multiply? Suddenly you are a gifted prophet
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Edward T. Welch |
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The thing or person you trust in is actually the object of your worship. Look
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Edward T. Welch |
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When you know that the kingdom is God's alone (though he gives it to us), that is the only thing that can lead to peace and rest. Owners are the ones who do all the worrying; stewards simply listen to the owner's desires and work to implement them. Owners are responsible for the outcome; stewards strive to be faithful.
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Edward T. Welch |
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The more you read Scripture, the more you actually talk to God rather than think about fear.
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Edward T. Welch |
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When you are confident that you are the Father's treasured possession, you are also confident that his loving care will continue forever. Building warehouses is a waste of time and space. His gifts to you become things you want to give him back in gratitude. Then he gives you even more.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Anxiety asks for more information so it can be prepared for the coming apocalypse. It also asks for more information so it can manage the world apart from God.
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Edward T. Welch |
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God tests us because we are so oblivious to the mixed allegiances in our hearts. The purpose of the test is to help us see our hearts and if they are found traitorous, we can turn back to God.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Beneath our questions about God's generosity and his care for our needs is something darker. What we really care about is our wants.
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Edward T. Welch |
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At this point, we know that worry and fear are more about us than about the things outside us. They
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Edward T. Welch |
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My wants are what concern me. That's where the battle must be fought. I
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Edward T. Welch |
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Life in the kingdom isn't easy, at least not when we want to share the throne. But
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Edward T. Welch |
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God likes his people to be outnumbered because then there is no mistaking that he alone is the Deliverer.
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Edward T. Welch |
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The fear of man is no respecter of persons. It might be called codependency by adults, peer pressure with teens, and shyness with children, but whatever it is called, it all betrays the same idolatrous heart.
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Edward T. Welch |
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To paraphrase Augustine, if you want to know your God-given gifts, first know that the purpose of spiritual gifts is to bring unity to the church. Then "love God and do what you feel like doing." But there is more to the unleashing of gifts in the body. One of the bad fruits of an "I" church is that we don't tell people when they bless us. If someone has taught Sunday school and helped us understand a passage of Scripture, then we should te..
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Edward T. Welch |
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God does not forgive you based on the quality of your confession or your resolve to be a better person. But you keep thinking otherwise. Your standard is what you would do to someone like yourself, and chances are that you would not let the incident pass quickly. God, however, forgives, for his own name's sake. "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more" (Isa. 43:25)."
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Edward T. Welch |
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Since Jesus became thoroughly identified with sin, he would receive its wrath and judgment in our place. This meant he would experience the worst kind of rejection and alienation from the Father, and he would do this for us.
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Edward T. Welch |
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Since ancient times, people have bowed down to idols in the appearance of humility and contrition. But their goal wasn't to be mastered by the idol. People worship to get things. We choose idols in part because we believe that they will give us what we want. The god of drugs brings fearlessness; the god of sex promises pleasure and intimacy; the god of wealth holds out power and influence. We can feel miserable about ourselves because we wa..
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Edward T. Welch |
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Sin can certainly be a cause of depression, but you must be careful about connecting the dots between the two. If you are being honest, you will always find sin in your life. Everyone does. That doesn't mean that sin caused your depression.
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Edward T. Welch |
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If you know you have been forgiven, you will forgive and reconcile with others.
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Edward T. Welch |
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You can't have a deeper relationship if you won't allow yourself to be known. All
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Edward T. Welch |
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If you want to know more about yourself, turn to Jesus. When
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Edward T. Welch |
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To deeply understand fear we must also look at ourselves and the way we interpret our situations. Those scary objects can reveal what we cherish. They point out our insatiable quest for control, our sense of aloneness.
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Edward T. Welch |
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The basic idea is to focus on the matchless worth of the Lord God and then get connected to him.
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Edward T. Welch |