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Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected or to give online, go to hcv.church or give.htv.church.

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If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text

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change me to 970-00. Thank you and enjoy the message. Hey good morning everyone. How's

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everybody doing? Feels good to be down on your level so I can see everyone and make eye contact

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and all those good things. So first before I get started, I want to correct Steven's mistake. He

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was so excited about his sunglasses during announcements that he forgot to mention our

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bike blessing is next Sunday. It's not this Sunday. So if you have a motorcycle you want to get it

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blessed, it's in between first and second gathering next Sunday. So be sure to ride it. We'll have a

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place for you to park and in between services we will pray over each and every motorcycle.

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So why I'm sitting here? Well I want to have a conversation. Okay. If you have not noticed,

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our community of faith is growing. Okay. There's been a lot of people coming over the last six

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weeks. In fact, four consecutive Sundays where it wasn't a holiday, we have experienced our largest

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numbers wise attendance in the history of our community of faith. And again, it's not anything

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I'm doing. It's not anything we're doing. It's just what God is doing and I want to encourage you

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to continue to invite people, continue to include people because that's what it's all about. Now,

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what you may not know is with all this growth, our kids wing is rapidly growing as well. In fact,

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we've had to add classrooms and each and every classroom that's back there is basically busting

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at the seams with 20 plus kids per class. With that said, we are severely understaffed in our

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kids wing. Okay. We don't have enough teachers to cover classrooms. We're grabbing teenagers to help

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which we love teenagers and we want them to help. But it's about time the church stepped up and met

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its responsibility. Okay. So I want to share with you Jesus's words in Matthew chapter 19. Again,

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these aren't mine. Jesus said, let the children come to me. Don't stop them. For the kingdom of

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heaven belongs to those who are like these children. And he placed his hands on their heads

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and blessed them before he left. And please realize before Jesus said those words, the disciples

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were yelling at the parents not to bring the kids. Jesus had to correct his own disciples.

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So my point in sharing this with you is step out. If you're a parent and you have children,

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all we're asking you to serve is once a month. That's 12 times a year. Okay. The last time I

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checked, that's not very often. I promise when we say serve one Sunday a month, we mean it.

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Because if each parent that has children in there served one Sunday a month, we'd be more than

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covered. Right. We're not going to bury you in the kids ring. You're never not going to see the

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auditorium again or experience God's presence. We're talking about once a month. Okay. So

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once a month. Amen. Why don't we become a community of faith that sets an example for

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every church in the nation that children aren't thought of last, but they're actually put first

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like Jesus wants us to. Amen. So I'm challenging you here. Listen, step up, you know, volunteer

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once a month, serve in the kids wing because according to numbers, and this is from Barna,

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the most rapidly growing age group that are giving their lives to Jesus and seeing God transform

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their lives is eight to 18. You have an opportunity if you become a teacher to see lives transform for

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eternity. And there's no greater reward you could ever want. Okay. All right. Thank you.

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Now let's talk about depression. What is depression? You may ask. Depression is a common and serious

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mental disorder that negatively affects how you feel, think, act, and perceive the world. Nearly

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three in 10 adults, 29% have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives with 20%

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of our current adult population struggling with depression right now, according to a 2023 national

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survey, women are more likely than men to struggle and younger adults are more likely than older

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adults to experience depression. While depression can occur at any time and at any age, on average,

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it first appears during one's late teens or young twenties. Depression among adults in the United

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States, listen to this number, tripled in early 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, jumping

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from 8.5% to a staggering 27.8% in eight short months. Eight short months because of isolation

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and people being disconnected from one another. Now this blew my mind. Depression is a new disease

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impacting modern populations, which we consider ourselves living in the United States. Modern

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populations are increasingly overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight deficient, sleep deprived,

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and socially isolated. Welcome to America. These changes in lifestyle can contribute to poor

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physical health and affect the incidence and treatment of depression. What is it like for a

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person that struggles with depression? Daily, an individual struggling with depression makes a very

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conscious and difficult decision just to get out of bed in the morning because they quite often

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don't want to or don't even feel up to it. When on the outside, an individual may look happy,

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on the inside, they feel hopeless, empty, dark, afraid, and alone. Ongoing chronic and crippling

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depression can cause serious suicidal thoughts that will plague an individual for years to come.

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Please understand depression is not a sadness, it's not discouragement, it's constant darkness.

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It's sometimes feeling like I have no feelings at all, I have no motivation, I have no hope.

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And what's really sad is that the church should be the safest place to talk about feelings of

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darkness and depression, yet when it comes to this topic quite often, it's not. Sometimes in faith

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communities, depression can carry a stigma with it, where someone who feels hopeless also feels

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ashamed to talk about it or may even be guilty, like spiritually they're just not doing it right.

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Then other well-meaning followers of Jesus might say, hey, it's time to get over it, smile,

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it's not that big of a deal, come on, let's move forward together, put all your faith in Jesus,

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everything would be just okay. Then the depressed person doesn't feel safe opening it up at all

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and withdraws more and more into their minds where it just compounds the issue.

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Let's look at it this way. If you're in a growth group and someone says, hey, I've had a sore

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throat for over a week, chances are you're going to recommend them to leave the group and go see a

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doctor. Chances are if someone breaks a bone in your group, you would encourage them to go call a

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surgeon. I know for a fact when my back was hurting, I received so many recommendations about

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different chiropractors, my head was spinning about which one was the best. Yet, if someone is

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battling depression, sometimes the implied message in the churches, just keep on smiling,

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keep on smiling and keep it to yourself. See, if you're a one or just like many people today,

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especially in this painful culture that we're living in currently fighting with depression,

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which by the way is one of the biggest mental health problems in our culture, you will identify

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with this verse that I'm about to read and in fact it might make you a little angry. Proverbs 12, 25

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verse, anxiety in the heart of man causes depression. Well, obviously, right? Anxiety,

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fear, worry, stress, what does it cause? Depression. Then this verse goes on to say,

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but a good word makes it glad. Everyone say good word. Now look at your neighbor and say,

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I need a good word today. See, if you're battling with depression right now, maybe even watching

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online, you might say, but Chris, it's not that simple. Really? A good word? A good word doesn't

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pull me out of my darkness, but may I quietly remind you that this is the Bible. This is the

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word of God that we know is a living and active word. It's the inspired truth of God. And if that

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last part feels, it's just a little too simple. This morning, my prayer is somehow by the power

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of God's word, that a good word might give you a little hope. That a good word might bring you a

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of healing and actually set you free. So the title of today's message is dealing with depression as

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we continue our mental health series in the month of April stretched thin. And I felt that it was

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important that we open in prayer this morning. Holy Spirit come. God, I'm just thankful for each

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and every appointment that you've scheduled with those of us gathered here and watching online.

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That it's not a coincidence that we're sitting in these seats, that we're hearing these words

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being spoken. Use me, God. And it's our prayer that chains are broken today and that those that are

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oppressed are set free in Jesus' name. Amen. So that prayer leads us to our first thought this

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morning. The four root causes of depression are biological, relational, circumstantial,

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and spiritual. Okay, the first is what experts call a biological cause. So if you're battling

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with depression right now, you may not have done anything wrong whatsoever in your life.

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You might actually have a chemical imbalance in your body or in your brain that's causing

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you to feel a certain way. You may have chronic pain that's not your fault that's just leading

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you into a state of darkness. You might have a nutritional deficit. You might have hormonal

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changes. For example, if you've just had a baby and suddenly you feel postpartum crazy, the reason

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you're postpartum crazy is your hormones aren't functioning like normal and you have all these

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unusual thoughts and feelings. Heck, you might not be sleeping enough. You might not be exercising

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enough. You may not be getting enough sunlight. These are all biological causes of depression.

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But there's also what experts call relational causes. In other words, you might be having a

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really big problem with one of your children. You may have a life-threatening issue that's

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simply weighing you down or your marriage is falling apart. Maybe you have issues with people

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that you love or you're going through a divorce or you've been rejected. Or could it be that

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all of us went through a global pandemic and had isolation for 18 months and received no good news

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whatsoever? No wonder our culture now is struggling with depression and living in darkness.

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So you might have some biological reasons. You might have some relational reasons or you might have

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circumstantial causes. At the root cause of your depression, you might have lost somebody. Somebody

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may have died that was close to you and you're just dealing with those feelings of darkness.

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And you just wish if I could talk to them one more time. Or maybe you experienced trauma in an early

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age or in an auto accident or financially you did everything you could to hold it together,

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but you couldn't and you still filed for bankruptcy. Or it could be even that something

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appears to be good. You look forward to retirement. Oh, this is a good life. Now I'm going to have fun.

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But then you find yourself asking questions like, well, who am I now? And what's my purpose? Or

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you're in my age group. There's a lot of people in my age group that are sending their kids

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out, right? They're going to college. They're getting married and suddenly they're becoming

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empty nesters. And that feeling of loneliness can be overwhelming. There's a reason Jesus said this

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in John 16 33. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world,

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you will have trouble. And friends, everything that I just discussed is trouble. But then Jesus

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says, take heart. I've overcome the world. So it could be biological. It could be relational,

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circumstantial, or you might have depression from real spiritual attacks. We have to remember

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Ephesians 6 12. If you're in a relationship with Jesus, look, we're not fighting against flesh and

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blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world against mighty

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powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Friends, they want to

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steal, kill, and destroy everything that matters to God. And nothing matters to God more than you do.

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He loves you that much. So there's all these different root causes. And please remember,

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I stated this in week one. I'm not a doctor. I'm not a licensed counselor. I'm simply a pastor. And

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today I want to talk to you from a very spiritual perspective. We acknowledged at the very beginning,

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this is a complex issue. So I want to encourage you. Get holistic hope. But I want to focus on

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the spiritual side today and give you my spiritual perspective. And we're going to dive into the Old

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Testament, into the book of Lamentations, and we're going to meet a very depressed man of God.

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And I want you to understand this was a prophet of God. This was a guy who spoke on behalf of God,

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and he represented God, and he told the people what God told him to say. In other words,

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he was meeting with God regularly. He was deeply committed to his faith, but we also are going to

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discover he was in a very deep, dark, desperate place of isolation and depression. So we're going

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to look at Jeremiah the prophet in Lamentations chapter three. But before we jump in, let me give

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you a little context to what was causing his depression. You may remember Solomon's Temple.

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Solomon's Temple was one of the greatest tributes to God ever built in the history of mankind. It

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stood for 400 years, and it was tragically destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC.

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Jeremiah lived during the destruction. He would have literally witnessed his loved ones being

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murdered, his close friends being taken captive. He would have seen family members being deported

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away from his city, away from the homeland, away from the house of God, which was completely

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destroyed. And when he saw all this happening, it left him in a state of depression, which leads us

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to our next thought. Friends, anyone can struggle with depression. I mean, if you're feeling proud

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and you're feeling so spiritual that you don't battle with depression, don't, because depression

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doesn't discriminate. In other words, if you don't have it, it doesn't make you more spiritual than

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someone else. It can hit anyone at any time. There's not one size fits all with depression.

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And when we talk about this, I just want to acknowledge and say depression is a very complex

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issue. Jeremiah was depressed. He didn't know where to turn. And I want you to listen

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to the descriptions of a man of God who found himself for a moment with no hope. And if you

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listen to these descriptive metaphors, right, if you've never battled with depression,

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this is an incredibly accurate description of what someone may feel like. He says this in

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Lamentations 3, 1 through 2, 5 through 8, and 17 through 20. I am the one who has seen the

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afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord's anger. He has led me into darkness, shutting out

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all light. He has besieged and surrounded with me with anguish and distress. He's buried me in a

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dark place like those long dead. He has walled me in and I cannot escape. He has bound me in heavy

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chains. And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers. Peace has been stripped away and

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I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out. My splendor is gone. Everything I had hoped for from

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the Lord is lost. The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never

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forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss. The prophet of God, the man of God, we find him

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broken. And in this very moment, he has no hope. And if you're here this morning and you feel like

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you have no hope, there's two things I want you to grab ahold of. There's two things I want you to

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remember when you're battling depression. And the first truth that will help you to pull out of it

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is this. Your emotions are valid. Your emotions are valid. And see, a lot of times, quite often in

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church, people say, it doesn't matter what your feelings are, don't believe your feelings. Don't

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even pay attention to your feelings. But I want to show you, your emotions are valid. This is a true

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statement, but it's incomplete. Everyone say incomplete. See, your emotions are valid. Now say,

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but they are not permanent. See, your emotions are valid, but they're not permanent. How do I know

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that? Well, Colossians 3 tells us about our emotions and things that happen within my mind,

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in our minds. Notice it says, but now is the time to get rid of anger and rage and malicious

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behavior and slander and dirty language. Don't lie to each other. Right? All those things that can

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happen when it comes to depression. We get frustrated. We get negative. We get down. We

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focus on others. We push others away. But then it says, put on your new nature and be renewed as

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you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. They're not permanent. When you're hurting,

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when you don't know where to turn, when you feel like you've done it all and you can't get out,

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I want to tell you, your emotions are valid. They're real.

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They're actually an important part of your healing. See, an expert would tell you that one of the

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ways to heal and to actually change your emotions is to start by acknowledging your emotions and

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naming your emotions. See, if you're here and you feel hopeless right now, what I want you to do is

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think in your mind and literally say it within your mind, I feel hopeless. I feel hopeless. If

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you're watching online and you feel that way, type it into the comments section, say, I feel hopeless.

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And it may not even be hopelessness. Name what you feel. You may say, well, Chris, I feel angry.

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I feel hurt. I feel betrayed. I feel depressed. You might say, I feel empty right now. I feel numb.

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You name your feelings. You might say, I feel afraid. Speaking of being afraid, how many of

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you by show of hands, I want you to be honest, are afraid of snakes? How many of you by show of hands

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are afraid of snakes? Okay, keep them up. Now you may get real scared because

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those of you that are afraid of snakes,

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okay, is Rudy in the house? Is Rudy in the house? Okay, there he is. There's Rudy. Now, if you don't

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know what I'm talking about, okay, our assistant pastor posted on Facebook this week that he needed

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prayer because he had a one foot long Gardner snake in his yard. Okay. Oh, I'm sorry. There's

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two of them. And then he goes on to tell me, let me tell you this story. He goes on to tell me he's

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afraid to go out and mow the grass. And I look back at him. I said, Rudy, you do know you have

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a pretty powerful weapon that you're pushing. A one foot Gardner snake is not going to stand up

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to a lawnmower. Okay. So just pray for Rudy. He needs help. He needs freedom. So what we chose

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to do is my friend John brought out a five foot long tree snake. Okay. Now this snake

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is perfectly harmless. But when I look at it, I don't think harmless. Okay. And let me,

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let me encourage you. There is a reason for this. I'm not going to grab its tail and we're not going

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to become a snake handling church. I promise. Okay. We're not going there. We'll leave you

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that for West Virginia. God bless the Mountaineers.

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But there is a reason that this snake is on the stage. So I want to share with you information

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from a study that was done with people who were afraid of snakes and I'm afraid of snakes. Now,

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now this study, okay, the experts use the King Cobra, which of course is one of the deadliest

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snakes in the world. Um, but to many of us, I don't want to get near that. Okay. I don't,

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that's good enough for me. So, so experts took some people who were afraid of snakes.

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They exposed them to a King Cobra in a cage. So it was in a glass container. And then they

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broke these people into four different groups. And here's what they did. They gave the groups

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four different assignments. The first group, they said, when you see the snake label your feelings.

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In other words, I feel afraid of that large snake, right? Label your feelings. The second group,

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they said, make observations or just general emotionless, feelingless observations like

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that snake is in a tree and it's green. The third group, they said, just say something irrelevant.

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So just say it's Sunday. Uh, it's cold outside this morning. And then the fourth group, they said,

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don't say anything at all. Right? So they gave the groups four different assignments, label what

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you're feeling, make observations, say something irrelevant. Don't say anything at all. Then they

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took the people that were afraid of the snakes and they brought them back a week later and exposed

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them to a snake. This time, not in a cage. So in other words, just like this. Now, they

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just prefaced it. It wasn't a king cobra. It wasn't poisonous. It was just a snake that was free.

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Then the experts measured their physiological responses. Did they sweat? Did their heart rate

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increase? They didn't, did they become anxious? Did they pee their pants? Like, like what did they

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discover? This is what they learned out of the four groups by far, the four groups that were

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groups by far, the ones that labeled their feelings a week previously did exceptionally

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better around the snake. They were less nervous and many of them were actually able to touch

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the snake. And I'm not going to try to touch that snake. And what they learned from this study and

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many more, and they now teach, is that naming your emotions opens the door to changing your emotions.

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Your emotions are valid. Name your emotions. Right? You're not hyper spiritual to pretend like your

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emotions are not a part of your life. They're there. God gave you emotions. They're valid,

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but they're not permanent. Right? When you recognize they're not permanent and you identify them,

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I feel alone. I feel desperate. I feel hopeless. I feel afraid. It opens the door to God being able

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to what? Change it. And because our emotions are temporary, and this is very, very important,

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everyone hear this, we're not going to make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.

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Right? When we're feeling down, when we're feeling depressed, we're not going to make permanent

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decisions based on that. Right? And not only are we not going to make permanent decisions,

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but we're not going to make permanent conclusions. Right? So many people, when they're depressed,

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when they're down, they make statements like, all people are the same. They judge me. Men are always

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like that. Churches are the same. They don't want to accept me. I'll never overcome. I'm just not

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good enough. Right? They label themselves based on that temporary emotion. But we have got to learn

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that we cannot base it on something that's temporary. Right? When you feel afraid, when you

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feel threatened, right? What do you want to do? If you were to see this in your backyard, you want to

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run. Right? You want to get out of there. And there's so many people, when they feel afraid

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or threatened in their marriage, what do they do? Instead of dealing with it, they run. They leave.

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They escape. Right? So many people, when they can't overcome, when they feel like God's not setting

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them free, what do they do? They run from the church. They leave the church. And I want to

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encourage you, if you feel like running, don't run. Right? Because listen, running to a bottle of Jack

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Daniels is only a temporary relief, and it's not going to end up well in the long run.

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And your spiritual enemy, your spiritual enemy that wants to steal, kill, and destroy,

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that's when he begins to whisper, you'd be better off if you weren't here.

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And in that moment, it may feel true. But in that moment, that's when we have to realize

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God knew what he was doing when he made you. He knew you before you were formed in your mother's

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womb. He has plans for you that you're not even walking in yet. Why? Because he loves us so much.

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So we're not going to make permanent decisions or permanent conclusions based on temporary

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emotions. Your emotions are valid. Your emotions are real. God gave them to you. Right? We're going

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to feel them, but don't be ruled by them. Don't want to allow them to overcome you because they're

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not permanent. They're not permanent. Now does anybody want to come up and get the snake down

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for me because I'm done? Okay. John, come on out and get your snake. Can you give John a hand,

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please, for helping me out? He loves his snakes. He raises them, takes care of them. And he was

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nervous about bringing his snake out on stage because he thought maybe that she was going to go

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somewhere, but instead she loves her tree and wants to stay in it. So see, there's nothing to

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be afraid of. Thank you, John. There we go.

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So all of that leads us to our final thought. Your situation feels hopeless. If you're depressed

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right now and you don't know what to do, you don't know where to turn, and you don't know how to get

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out. Maybe for some of you, it's been years you've tried to pray, you've tried to read your Bible,

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you're trying as hard as you can to believe, but you don't know where to turn, and you don't know

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where to get out of your house. You've tried to read your Bible, you're trying as hard as you can

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to believe, but it's been going on for so long, you've lost all hope. Well, what if I was to tell

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you that those truths, what I just shared is completely true, but remember, they're incomplete.

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Your situation may feel hopeless, but with God, there's always hope. With God, there's always hope.

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When we're in the presence of God,

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even when we don't feel it or we don't see it,

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even when everything else feels hopeless,

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with God there's always hope.

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God always can give you hope.

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In fact, what I wanna do is I'm gonna get back

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into our text today in Lamentations,

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and let me read for you first, verses 19 and 20.

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Listen to Jeremiah's pain.

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The thought of my suffering and homelessness

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is bitter beyond words.

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I will never forget this awful time

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as I grieve over my loss.

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And notice he's hopeless, he's depressed,

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he's walking in darkness,

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then in the middle of his darkest moment,

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he calls to mind the character and the goodness of God

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in verses 21 and 22.

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Yet, I still dare to hope when I remember this,

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the faithful love of the Lord never ends,

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his mercies never cease.

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Now think about that, in the middle of his darkness,

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he declares God's faithful love never ends.

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I call this to mind, I bring it into my thoughts,

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because of God's great love, we're not consumed.

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Because of his love, we are embraced and welcomed.

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The word love in Hebrew is a plural form of the word hesed.

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And it's a powerful word,

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but it's very difficult to translate.

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It's recorded 248 times in the Bible

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and it's packed with meaning.

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Now we must remember many Hebrew words,

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they're more like a sentence or a thought,

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almost like a mini story.

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So when they're translated into English,

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a lot of times we lose their meaning.

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And the word hesed, when it's translated,

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translators use God's loving kindness,

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which is a good translation,

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but it doesn't give it its full value.

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Okay, because it's impossible to describe,

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apart from just meeting and connecting with God,

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like Moses did on the mountain, God's character.

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Two definitions that I like that translators use is,

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hesed is a covenantal commitment to God's character.

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Because of his love, we're not consumed.

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Listen to Psalm 236.

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Surely your goodness and unfailing love

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will pursue me all the days of my life.

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And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

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See, Jeremiah, in his deepest, darkest moment,

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he goes back to God's love.

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And it wasn't even God's love,

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he also says, God's mercies never cease.

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And the word compassion or mercy

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is translated from the Hebrew word,

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ruha-ma, which is the very same root word

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and means a mother's womb.

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And think about what happens in a mother's womb.

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The womb is a safe place.

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The womb is the sanctuary where life begins.

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In the womb, life is nourished, strengthened, and protected.

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It's in the womb that mercies never cease.

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Mercies are new every morning.

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The grace of God is new every morning.

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God's presence is available to us every morning.

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Every morning that we wake up, he gives us our daily bread.

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He gives us our grace.

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He gives us our compassion, his goodness.

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All of this is available to us every single day.

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There's always hope.

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Isaiah 54, 10.

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For the mountains may move and the hills disappear,

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but even then my faithful love for you will remain.

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My covenant of blessing will never be broken, says the Lord,

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who has mercy on you.

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So friends, what do we do when the whole world,

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when our whole world is falling apart

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and we're just consumed with darkness?

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Well, four simple steps that can break us free

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from this darkness, and the first one is

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you gotta acknowledge it.

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Again, remember Colossians 3, get rid of anger,

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rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language,

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don't lie to each other, don't judge, right?

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Just constant.

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Put on the new nature, be renewed, right?

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What we have to do is when you're struggling,

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if you're hopeless, if you're depressed,

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if you're full of anxiety, call it what it is.

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Right, I feel depressed, I'm overwhelmed,

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I'm exhausted, I'm hopeless, I'm tired, I'm worn out.

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What do you have to do?

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Your first step in healing is acknowledge it.

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Speak it, share it, give it to God,

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which is our next step.

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So you acknowledge it and then you cry out.

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Psalm 34, 17, the righteous cry out and the Lord hears them.

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He delivers them from all their troubles.

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The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

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and save those who are crushed in spirit.

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I wanna encourage you friends, this is a safe place.

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This is a safe place where you can cry out for help.

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And like I said in week one, remember asking for help

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is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of wisdom.

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It's making a wise choice.

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If you need help, then get help.

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And what type of help may you need?

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You may need to talk to a counselor, right?

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You may need to go to a doctor

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and be prescribed helpful medicine

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that balances your hormones.

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That's wise, that's not unwise, that's not unspiritual.

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You may need to change your diet and the way you eat.

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That's wise.

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You may need to begin to exercise and move

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and you may journal your progress.

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Or dare I say, you may need to get in a growth group.

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Right, with all the isolation

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and people just escaping into their minds,

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it's time to get around people and be encouraged and loved

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and embraced and prayed for.

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This is a difficult culture that we're living in

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and if you don't have people around you,

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if you don't have community friends, we're better together.

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And if we learned anything from the opening statistics,

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it went from 7.5% to 30% in eight months.

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Why?

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Because we are better together.

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And if you have friends that are struggling with depression

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anxiety, worry, and they're overwhelmed in their minds,

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never give up on them.

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Text them, call them, encourage them, invite them,

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allow them to be welcomed.

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Right, that is a part of crying out.

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That is a part of asking for help.

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Listen to Psalm 142.

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I cry out to the Lord.

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I plead for the Lord's mercy.

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I pour out my complaints before him

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and tell him all my troubles.

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When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.

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Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.

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I look for someone to come and help me,

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but no one gives me a passing thought.

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No one will help me.

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No one cares a bit what happens to me.

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Then I pray to you, oh Lord.

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I say, you are my place of refuge.

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You are all I really want in my life.

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00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:10,200
Hear my cry, for I am very low.

420
00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:13,760
And when we do these different things, you know what happens?

421
00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:15,600
Let me tell you what happens.

422
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:17,600
You start to change your posture,

423
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:19,040
which leads to our next step.

424
00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:22,640
You acknowledge it, you cry out, you look up.

425
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:23,480
I mean, now think about it.

426
00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:26,280
If you're talking to a depressed person,

427
00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:28,800
how do they look, right?

428
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:33,800
Their countenance, their body language, it's down, right?

429
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:35,680
Their shoulders are hunched.

430
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:36,840
They're down.

431
00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:41,280
They speak softly and quietly because of the darkness.

432
00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:42,120
Do they smile?

433
00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:47,120
No, their face, it's motionless.

434
00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,120
Their posture's down.

435
00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:52,880
Now I can't prove this, but I can almost guarantee it

436
00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:56,480
that Jeremiah, when he's telling us about his darkness,

437
00:39:56,480 --> 00:39:58,360
his posture was down.

438
00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:02,360
When he says, I've lost all hope, he's looking down.

439
00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:06,360
But something changed about his posture.

440
00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:10,400
When he says, I still dare to hope,

441
00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:13,560
I still dare to hope,

442
00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:18,560
suddenly what happens with him, he begins to look up, right?

443
00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,120
Your posture, it reflects your mood,

444
00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:25,800
but your posture can also impact your mood.

445
00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:28,520
And Jeremiah said, I dare to hope.

446
00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:31,080
And I don't know if he did this or not,

447
00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:33,920
but perhaps in the midst of his darkness,

448
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:36,120
in midst of being overwhelmed with pain,

449
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:40,560
he was looking down, he chose to suddenly look up.

450
00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:43,360
And as he looked up, not only did his head

451
00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:47,160
and his eyes go up, but his arms went up as well.

452
00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:51,360
And anytime you raise your hands towards heaven,

453
00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:55,480
what happens if you raise your hands to heaven, right?

454
00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:56,880
What does this mean?

455
00:40:56,880 --> 00:40:59,920
All this means is surrender, right?

456
00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:01,880
Think about any police officer

457
00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:03,400
that is about to arrest someone.

458
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,320
When they ask them to surrender, hands go up, right?

459
00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:08,320
Hands go up and surrender.

460
00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:11,000
And all this means when we lift hands

461
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:14,760
in a community of faith is, God, I'm surrendering to you.

462
00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:17,200
I can't do it on my own.

463
00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:19,160
But this doesn't just mean surrender.

464
00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,000
You know what else this means?

465
00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:22,160
This means victory.

466
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,440
This means I'm winning, right?

467
00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:28,840
This means I'm losing.

468
00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:32,120
This means I'm defeated, right?

469
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:34,920
This means I don't know what this means.

470
00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:37,520
This means you're confused.

471
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:44,880
But the point is, if this is victory

472
00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:47,720
and this is surrender to him,

473
00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:50,600
then suddenly as we do these things,

474
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:53,480
as we change our posture,

475
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:55,440
then we're reminded of Romans 8.

476
00:41:56,560 --> 00:41:59,720
And Romans 8 tells us, I'm convinced that nothing,

477
00:41:59,720 --> 00:42:01,120
everyone say nothing,

478
00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:04,040
nothing can separate us from God's love.

479
00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:06,320
Neither death nor life nor angels or demons

480
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:08,200
or fears of today or worries about tomorrow,

481
00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:10,320
not even the powers of hell

482
00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:12,560
that are trying to tear you down

483
00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:14,760
can separate us from God's love.

484
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:17,160
No power in the sky above or in the earth below,

485
00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:18,920
indeed nothing in all creation

486
00:42:18,920 --> 00:42:22,040
will ever be able to separate us from the love of God

487
00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,960
that was revealed in Jesus.

488
00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:29,840
So we acknowledge it.

489
00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:32,400
We cry out, right?

490
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:37,200
We look up and finally we preach to yourself.

491
00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:38,480
That's right.

492
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:42,080
It's time to start talking to yourself.

493
00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,240
Lamentations three, 24 to 26.

494
00:42:44,240 --> 00:42:45,960
Notice what Jeremiah does.

495
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:50,760
I say to myself, he says it, he speaks it out.

496
00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:53,480
And sometimes you just have to preach to yourself.

497
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:55,840
And if you've never preached to yourself before,

498
00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:59,400
start doing it, it doesn't make you crazy, right?

499
00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:02,440
Jeremiah says, the Lord is my inheritance.

500
00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:03,920
Therefore I will hope in him.

501
00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:07,200
The Lord is good to those who depend on him,

502
00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:09,120
to those who search for him.

503
00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:13,600
So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.

504
00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:16,960
Sometimes you need to preach to yourself.

505
00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:19,640
Sometimes you need to share, Psalm 23.

506
00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:21,920
The Lord is my shepherd.

507
00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:23,200
I have all that I need.

508
00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:25,400
He lets me rest in green meadows.

509
00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:27,320
He leads me beside where?

510
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:28,960
Peaceful streams.

511
00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:30,520
He renews my strength.

512
00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:32,360
He guides me along right paths,

513
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:33,720
bringing honor to his name.

514
00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:38,720
Even when I walk through the darkest depression,

515
00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:40,960
I will not be afraid.

516
00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:44,440
For you are close beside me, your Rah and your staff.

517
00:43:44,440 --> 00:43:46,160
They comfort me.

518
00:43:46,160 --> 00:43:49,720
Notice Jeremiah says, why am I so depressed?

519
00:43:50,720 --> 00:43:53,160
Your feelings, they're valid, they're real,

520
00:43:53,160 --> 00:43:54,200
but they're not what?

521
00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:55,640
They're not permanent.

522
00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:57,200
You feel like you have no hope,

523
00:43:57,200 --> 00:43:59,920
but with God, there's always hope.

524
00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:01,560
There's always hope.

525
00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:04,200
When God, when Jesus is on the throne,

526
00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:05,880
there's hope in your home.

527
00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:07,480
There's always hope.

528
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:12,480
Because I'm convinced that nothing can separate us

529
00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:14,840
from the love of God.

530
00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:18,400
Right, not death or life or angels or demons.

531
00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:22,640
Nothing can separate you from the love of God.

532
00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:24,640
And you preach it to yourself.

533
00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:26,440
This depression won't win.

534
00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:28,520
It's not that dark.

535
00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:32,360
Nothing in all creation can separate me

536
00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:33,560
from the love of God.

537
00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:37,080
Now is that gonna solve everything?

538
00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:38,000
I don't know.

539
00:44:39,640 --> 00:44:42,040
But I believe if you start renewing your mind

540
00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:45,520
and you correct your body,

541
00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:47,120
yes, I get it, it's complex

542
00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:49,400
and we're not gonna make light of it.

543
00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:52,560
But if you surrender it to God and you give it to God

544
00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:54,920
and you cast it back to God,

545
00:44:54,920 --> 00:44:57,000
friends, that's how we fight our battles.

546
00:44:57,960 --> 00:45:00,720
We fight our battles depending on Jesus

547
00:45:00,720 --> 00:45:04,400
and allowing him to guide and direct us.

548
00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:07,920
We fight our battles at the presence of God.

549
00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:11,160
Anxiety weighs us down, depression can overwhelm us.

550
00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:15,200
But friends, a good word can change your life.

551
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:26,080
cough

552
00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:28,080
You