Daily New Life with Steve Arterburn: New Life daily devotion - July 2, 2011

Daily New Life with Steve Arterburn www.crosswalk.com New Life daily devotion - July 2, 2011 2 Jul 2011, 5:00 am   Understand Depression Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11  The sadness that accompanies any significant loss is an inevitable fact of life. In time, sadness runs its course and gradually abates. Depression, on the other hand, is a physical and emotional condition that is, in almost all cases, treatable with medication and counseling. Depression is not a disease to be taken lightly. Left untreated, it presents real dangers to patients’ physical health and to their emotional well-being. If you find yourself feeling “blue,” perhaps it’s a logical reaction to the ups and downs of daily life. But if your feelings of sadness have gone on longer than you think they shouldâ€"or if someone close to you fears that your sadness may have evolved into clinical depressionâ€"it’s time to seek professional help. Some days are light and happy, and some days are not. When we face the inevitable dark days of life, we must choose how we will respond. Will we allow ourselves to sink even more deeply into our own sadness, or will we do the difficult work of pulling ourselves out? We bring light to the dark days of life by turning first to God, and then to trusted family members, friends, and medical professionals. When we do, the clouds will eventually part, and the sun will shine once more upon our souls. Emotions we have not poured out in the safe hands of God can turn into feelings of hopelessness and depression. God is safe. - Beth Moore Self blame over the past leads to depression in the present and poor decisions for the future. - Barbara Johnson Feelings of uselessness and hopelessness are not from God, but from the evil one, the devil, who wants to discourage you and thwart your effectiveness for the Lord. - Bill Bright Don’t let aridity distress you: perfection has nothing to do with such thingsâ€"only with virtues. Your devotion will come back when you are least expecting it. - St. Teresa of Avila Today’s Prayer Dear Lord, You have promised to lift me up from the pit of my despair, and You have promised to place a new song on my lips. If the darkness envelops me, Father, remind me of those promises. And give me the wisdom to accept help from the people You have placed along my path. Amen   You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.