Stephanie Ike - Depression An Identity Battle

All right, so today we're gonna be talking about something that initially I was like glory tomorrow's Thanksgiving, or we're gonna be talking about depression. And now I have a image I was about to come up boom. So on Sunday, if you were here on Sunday, Pitti had inspired me. He had a certain image for relinquishing control, the myth of relinquish control. And so I said, you know what, I wanna do a little slide too, and so come on, I really have to be inspired by all leaders, right, And so what part of this was recently, some of us from this house we went to see the movie Creed and it was such an amazing movie. And the interesting thing about depression is that it's battle. And a lot of times we say, okay, we're battling depression or stuff like that, but what are we actually battling. What's the fight for? And ultimately it's for your identity. The enemy is after who you say that you are and who you say that your God is. And so why this topic is very interesting to me is because depression is not something that it doesn't just attack a certain group of people, right, Depression attacks all races everyone from any status, because the interesting thing about your identity is that it's constantly evolving. And so when something is constantly evolving, there's this period, there's this transition period. And the transition phase is a place where you are stepping out of what you know to who God is calling you to be in that time. And so it's a place where you can be very vulnerable, and that's where the enemy gets his signal to attack. And I share this on my Instagram the other day because I was doing some final study. The one thing that was dropped in my spirit was when we have these thoughts, when we incubate thoughts that are lies. Now they are suggested by the enemy, but it is your doubt in God and his word that causes it to be planted, that causes it to take root in you. And so so first of all, we need to identify what depression is because a lot of times, you know, we can come and we can shout and we can praise, but the crazy thing about depression is that it's like an isolated attack. You can do all this and then you go home and not everything is not okay. And tomorrow we have thanksgiving and what God is not gonna allow is for you to go for Thanksgiving dinners pretending that everything is fine, pretending that you are thankful, but really there's things that are bothering you. And so we need to really identify depression because what we normally know because the thing is that when you can't identify a thing, then it has control over you. And so you feel discouraged, you feel unhappy, but you can identify the source of what's causing that thing. And so let's look at how I identify depression by the grace of God. So let's go to the second image, please, okay, So depression is the embrace of inadequacy. Inadequacy is known as the lack of quality or quantity required, and we're going to go into that that produces feelings of severe discouragement and unhappiness. Now we see discouragement and unhappiness as what comes out of being depressed, but really it comes from something. It comes from you feeling inadequate for whatever reason. But the interesting thing about inadequacy that you're talking about a lack. Now when you look at I'm going to use rice because I'm African. When you now, if you have a cup of rice to somebody that might be abundance, but someone else who is it used to a bag of rice would view that as a lack. So the idea of inadequacy comes when you're measuring yourself to something, when you are comparing yourself to something that ultimately is not qualified to measure you. And so we're gonna look at what the Bible, because we everything, we have to take it to the word. Actually, before we even do that quick testimony, about a week ago, God told me to study on depression. I didn't know why I was doing it, but I did. And the moment I started studying it, I started falling into a depressed state. I'm like, Lord, what is going on here? And it was at first there were just so many attacks coming to me, and literally I was very numb. I felt discouraged, I felt unhappy, and I couldn't identify what was causing the problem. And I'm like, you know what, the enemy is a liar and this thing needs to leave. And all this happened because I'm studying it, and I'm like, okay, God, we need to figure out what's going on. And literally this was yesterday morning, actually the night before that, and so it's hard even to pray. So I'm okay, I'm gonna pray in the spirit because I really don't know what to say. And this was about four in the morning. And after that, I'm just like God, I do not know what is going on all these things. Now, justin Bieber's new album Purpose, there's this song. Now this is a real story. Okay. So there's this song called the Feeling. And there's a part that it says, you know, am I in love with you? Or am I in love with the feeling? And there's like for something in the morning, and that's that part is playing so loudly in my head and I'm like, devil flee from me. I'm about trying to be spiritual and I'm over here singing you know if I'm in love with someone or not. And in that moment, God said that I'm the one asking you that question, are you in love with me? Or are you in love with the feeling? Now, God is my father, not just heavenly father. Literally I view him as my father. And so because of our relationships, sometimes there are things that I would just say, God, I want this, you know, can you do that for me? And He does it. And so there's a feeling I have like, you know, well, you know, God got my back type of thing. But what happens when you cannot predict and you cannot control the outcome of how God is going to move in your life. You see. On Sunday, pet talked about relinquishing the myth of self control, and in that moment when he asked me that question, I said, Lord, at the end of the day, honestly, I'm in love with you, and if you don't do anything, we're good. We can write this thing out together, you know, for better or worse, even though I know you're for better. But it was a moment for me to surrender my way. It's to surrender my control on God. You said this, so this is how it needs to happen. And in that moment he isolated the thought that started. It's like sometimes we have hidden things in our minds and the enemy just waits for the time to, you know, have that thing just shoot up. And all along I've had this particular fear that I've never wanted to address. And because God had me studying depression, he had to bring that thing to life. And I did not realize that it was that particular fear that had me down, and when he addressed I say, no, what this is actually nothing because if God is in control of my life, that's all I need. And I went to bed that night there are certain things here affirmed to me in a dream. I woke up and literally there was something that came off me, and I remember I text my friends for Team I see. I text Mariah too, She's not here, but she's in the parenting and I was telling them. I was like, you, guys, you don't understand, like I really feel free, like something changed, like something really I could pinpoint the moment that something came off me and what he was teaching me, and I was like, God, why did I have to go through this? And what he was showing me. I did not even know that today it will be I'll be speaking. And when he was telling me that, I needed you to be connected to the message, because not I don't want you to just talk to people about, you know, the five steps to overcoming depression. But I needed you to be connected to what you were studying because there are certain things we're gonna go into that I had to apply in that moment to really get myself out of that phase. And the crazy thing is that I'm going through this, but I'm still coming to church. I'm going through this, and I'm still going out with my friends. Right I'm happy because it's it's very hard because you can be this happy person and you have things that are needed of you, but inside your mind is going crazy. And last night, literally I remember, God showed me a dream, and he will show me that it was. I was in the mind of a depressed person. Outside of them, everything is fine, but their mind was chaotic, like it was like an earth. It was just crazy. And I saw the steps of deliverance and I said, Lord, God, this is what's gonna happen tonight. And there were two words in particular, deliverance and freedom, and so tonight I don't want you. And even the spirit is gonna cause some things to rise. But it's not about no. No, I'm not that person. Because this is something the enemy would always try to attack us with, because we're always in transition periods. When we look at the Israelites, the enemy wasn't bothered by them when they were in Egypt. He already had an hold on who they thought they were. They were fine with being slaves. And we see that because even when Moses killed an Egyptian, if there was an issue with that, they would have fought for Moses, like kill another one. But instead, when Moses came to kind of help, you know, there was a cored that some of the Israelites were having, and they looked at him like, you know, are you trying to kill one of us, like you kill the Egyptian. So there was something that the enemy already he was not trying to. There was no battle at that time because they were fine with where they were. But the moment that they were in transition, the moment that they were in the wilderness, that's where the battle started. Because now you have God telling them this is who you are, but the enemies fighting them that no, no, no, no, no, you need to go back to who I told you you were. And so you see all these issues that they were going through because ultimately now they're looking at theirselves. And but we're going to go into but before we jump in all of that, I want us to look at what the Bible talks about with comparisons. So let's go to the passage in two Corinthians ten twelve. Okay, so it says, for we then not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. Now, we know that wisdom comes from the Lord. So when you're doing something that is outside of wisdom, then it's coming from somebody else. You see, you cannot compare or measure yourself to something that is not qualified to identify who you are. And so they are fighting particular things that we're gonna look into about the ways that we compare ourselves that causes inadequacy because before depression takes ruth, depression is a stronghold, there's a stronghold of the mind. But before that takes truth is what we call inadequacy. And there are thoughts that come about that causes us to feel inadequate. And we're gonna talk about five different parts of those things. One is comparing yourself to the you that should have made better decisions. And this is where shame comes in. You see a lot of times we look at our past life and we're like, if I never did this, if I never did that, I should be here. I should be this should be taking place in my life or whatever. But the amazing thing about God is that we hear about how God says, before I formed you, I knew you so meaning God saw every mistake that you would make in life. But he still called you and he still called you chosen because ultimately we have to, you see, to be able to realize that your mistakes are part of your process. You know, we see quotes that people say, you know your your best teacher was your last mistake. But this is this is the truth. This is just the truth about life. There are things that God saw you do. He knew that that was not going to take you out of it. There's someone I love his story so much, David. And we see David did so many crazy things. He murdered somebody, he you know, took a whatever, took someone's wife, and all these things. But at the end of the day, David was in this and this is in the Bible it was said that he fulfilled his purpose. Despite every mistake David did, he fulfilled his purpose. And this is where the enemy tries to hit people, Oh you know you've been dating or I'm just going to throw it out, how it's in my spirit. You know, you might have been dating a married man, so now you don't think you should you you are qualified to have your own husband, but that was in the past. Things might have happened in your life. You might have had an abortion, so you don't think you're qualified to carry a child, but that was in the past. God does not look at your past and call it shameful. He says, my child can learn from this and teach other people. You don't take you never take the things that you did in the past, because honestly, when we come before God, we are all broken vessels. And however we are broken, we're all broken. We just it's revealed differently. Some of us might have done things in the one extreme or the other extreme. It does not matter, because you might have done something here, but someone else might have had thoughts of killing someone. They just maybe never you know, did it. But it's all things that the enemy tries to hold us in our past, and we have to realize that anytime that we look back, it's to keep us in one place, because you can never change what happened in the past. And so if you're so focused on what's behind, you can never move forward because you can never go back right. So now let's look at a second thing, comparing yourself to the you that seemed to make better decisions. Now this is where self control comes in. There was a time in your life where you felt like you were in control of your life, and at that point, you were making probably better money. You were things were just things just look better for you, right, But what is life if you're not living? You see when Adam and Eve were in the garden and then God told them that if you eat of this fruit, you will surely die. But it's they didn't die per se. But you see, anything outside of your purpose is dead, and so you wanna do you You're like, okay, back in the time, I was doing all these things Lord, and I was prospering. Now I'm doing things according to your world, and it feels like nothing is working. But you are a living being. You're not a dead being. When you're living in the purpose that God has has called you to, you're alife to him. When you want to step out and say God, when I was doing I mean, even pt tells us before he was called to ministry, he was making I believe a seven figure salary, a sixth figure one of the other six figure All right, now, PT, if a seventh figure you know what up? But but check this though PT has to leave a six figure job to lead a ministry of four people. Where did they do that at it? So, but the truth is God knew where the PRIs purpose would lead him to ultimate satisfaction, ultimate fulfillment and everything, the completion, the wholeness of your life is in the place that God has called you to and something. And He has to lead you out of certain things in order for you to walk in that. And so you can't be so caught up in you know what, God, when I had better control of my life, these things were working out. But you were living a lie, right, So we need to just call a lie a lie. So the third thing comparing yourself to the life that you wished you had, Now, this is the result of when things happened to you that you had no control of. Molested, maybe raped, just crazy things. Your family might have beating you in ways that was beyond what you saw in your friend's life. You might have grown up with, maybe not that not you know, not in the ways that you hoped for. Your parents might have not been around something you know, maybe you've seen people around you, just you grew up in a crack house, whatever the case is, right, we see these things and that the enemy comes and starts trying to attack your mind. That look at the like if you had a different life, things would have been better for you. And this happens all the time. I remember some my mom would even say, because my father was murdered when I was a baby, And sometimes when my mom would feel down, she's like, if your father was a life, I said, but he's not. It's not. If he was alive. Everything we needed God provided, so we cannot think of if your father was a life. And you see, the funny thing in life is that my mom lost a husband at probably what twenty eight. Now, it seemed like a sad story. You know, this young widow with three kids. But then guess how God uses that to turn around. Now she's having a foundation for widows, widows empowerment. And so the very thing that you thought was a loss, God would use you as a leader for other people. And so you think that you're alone, like if this happened to me, But what if God is calling you to lead a generation of people that have suffered the same thing. But you have the strength to actually show them that that does not define their lives, that does not end their lives. You see in my country, being a widow at a young age is I mean, that's the worst thing that could you could you could think of. But then God saw a strength in my mother and said, you know what, I would use you to lead this people. And at the time she might not have known that. She might not have that, that's not what her thought was, like, you know what, that just lost my husband and woe is me. But then God sees something different, and that's where I want us to be. Family. We can't think about if this didn't happen to me, then this would happen. We think about the man at the well and he's you know, he's at the he's by the well for like what thirty something years, and Jesus comes to him and says, do you want to be made well? And Jesus is not saying that because you know, he didn't have opportunities. Obviously, if Jesus is asking him a question, then something is wrong that he has believed that all this time. Woe is me. I cannot do anything with my life. I'm just gonna stay here family, Jesus is asking us do we want to be made well? Do we want to be stuck in what happened to us in the past, or do we actually want to take those things to heal other people. Okay, now we're gonna look at the fourth one, comparing yourself based on what another was designed to accomplish. And I see this is a huge issue. We see a lot in life. You see when we look at even the Bible talks about, you know, the body of Christ. Right now, obviously the external parts of our bodies are more visible. You can't really see your lungs, you can't see your liver, you can't see all these things. But actually what's inside actually does more work than what you see on the outside. And a lot of times we belittle our purpose because God might have had you in the beginning, he might have you covered, or he might have you doing something that's be behind the scenes. And now you start to desire what someone else has been called to. Looking at yours as God, this is nothing right. You have somebody that can hold a note, wanted to be a singer? Why? But on serious notes, we have to understand that whatever area God has called you to and I'm not even about because you see, your purpose always has a starting point. There are things that you need to learn, there are things that you need to mature in. We see Jesus he started his calling at thirty, but ultimately Jesus started once he was born. There are things about his life that every single thing built him to be who he was supposed to be at age thirty. And so you might be at a job or in an office that you hate, but have you asked God about it before you want to leave? Because there are things that God might teach. God teaches us through other people. There are things that God could be teaching you, discipline, time management, all kinds of things. It's not to belittle where you are, but to understand that God is using all things for your good. Now we're going to talk about the fifth one. Comparing yourself to the expectations others have of you. Now, this is what you know, demolishes a lot of us because you have families, you have friends that have this expectation of who they want you to be, and it looks like you just fail them. You know, your your mother was this or your father was this, and you end up being that. And it's like what is going on here? Right? And we see it in life where you're so passionate about this is who I want to be, you know, mom or whatever, your friends or society. But it doesn't seem like anything is working for you. But when you have a word from God that is keeping you where you are, that is what is working for you, and that is what you have to stand on. Okay, now we're gonna look into there's a passage we're gonna look into, and I'm gonna we're gonna talk about how just you know, the plans of the enemy with depression. So let's open to Second Corinthians ten three five ten three to five second boom. So now let's start. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war. Somebody say war, all right, now, we do not war after the flesh, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God. To the pulling down of strongholds, let's say strongholds casting down imagination, say imaginations. We need to remember these things and every high thing that exolves itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thoughts to the obedience of Christ. When I say thought, it sounds like I'm saying something else, but but not with this passage. Let's be serious, okay with this passage. First of all, First of all, we see that there is a war going on, right, So there is a battle going on. And what I love about this is that it talks about strongholds in verse three. Then it goes to imaginations. Then it goes to every thought, and so God is showing us the reverse and how things work. And so it always begins with a thought. It always begins with a thought that tells you that you're less than who you need to be. Ultimately, that's really what it boils down to. It always begins with a thought that makes you feel inadequate about yourself. And then it goes into imaginations. And this is where you begin to view life through the lens of fear rather than faith. And so you start analyzing things based on the worst case scenario. And when you see something, that thing becomes you and then it turns into a stronghold. Now it has a hold on your life. The stronghold is depression because it builds up, it's like little by little and then it gets you. And that's what we see even in the life of the Israelites. It was one little thing. Oh we can't fight them. Now they've seen themselves die. They're like, oh, God has brought us here to die, and all of a sudden they cant even move forward. So now I want us to look into suicide because ultimately, what inadequacy does, it leads to depression. And what the enemy wants to do with oppression is to invite a spirit of suicide. You see, not too long ago, pet talked about the man with the mental illness in the Bible that had a legion of demons. And a legion of demons don't just come into you as a legion of demons. It starts with one thing, opens the door for another, opens the door for another, And so depression is used to open another place. He opens the door for depression. Depression opens the door for suicide. But when we talk about suicide, we only talk about one type that is killing one a person killing oneself. But there are three pertain things that God showed me and suicide including that, And we're gonna look at passages in the Bible about people that actually dealt with those different phases. So in one angle we see the act of killing oneself, and we all know that, and we're gonna talk about Judas in this case, but not now. But we also have the act of killing one's purpose, and third, the act of killing one's hope. Now, you see when we talk about depression, like I said, it's a battle for your identity. And what I love about boxing is that a boxing match doesn't end at the first round. You go through several rounds and I guess who has whatever something. I don't know how it all works out, but what I do know is that there are several rounds in boxing, and whoever wins each round, though however numbers, it counts. And so what we have to realize is that the enemy is trying to win your rounds. You see, sometimes they're just like, let me be. You know, I'm just not feeling happy today. But that is a round of your life that the enemy is winning. And yes, you might bounce back and you might win round two, but how many more rounds is he gonna win after that? And so this is what we cannot tolerate when we feel inadequate, And we're gonna look at certain things in the Bible, because in all three things we see killing oneself we're gonna talk about Judas killing one's purpose. We're gonna talk about Elijah and killing wants hoping God. We're gonna talk about a man named me feebo shit. I think that's what it's called. So to start with, let's talk about Judas. Now, let's open to Matthew twenty seven three to five. Now, Judas is just to backtrack real quick. We know he was a disciple of Christ. When we think of Judas in the Bible, we just think of, oh, the guy who betrayed Christ, you know, and we just have like it's almost that we have no remorse for him because you know he betrayed Christ. Then you know, that's just what it is. But I'm gonna show you guys something today. Now. It says then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been condemned, was remorseful. Somebody say remorseful, and that is about a road to repentance. Judas was on the road to repentance and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priest and elder, saying, I have sinned by betraying in the scent blood. And they said, what is that to us? To you see to it then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hung himself. Jesus died for our sins. The blood of Jesus was enough to cover Judas, since Judas did not need. You see, when it was prophesied that someone will betray Christ, it was never prophesied that he should die. It was never prophesied that you know what death would be his end or whatever, because that was never the intention of God. What Jesus was going to the very cross for was enough to cover Judas. But you see, when the enemy isolates you, when he keeps you, when there is a stronghold over your mind, that this is all you can be. Judas was remorseful. There was something that he came to himself that I actually did something wrong here. The problem was that Judas had a love of money. Yes, we even see this when he was a disciple with Christ. He would often steal from the money bag. But he had not identified what the problem really was. And see that's the problem. When we can't identify the root cause, then we are consumed by everything else. And so although he was remorseful, he was like, okay, I actually killed somebody because of my love for money, but he did not identify that it was really because of the money, and so he kills himself. Now we're gonna look at it, Elijah, and this is in towards killing one's purpose. Elijah was one of the most powerful prophets in the Bible. This is a man actually the passage you're going to read in One Kings nineteen. Right before what takes place in this passage, Elijah calls down fire from heaven. I mean, this was a man that people respected, feared all kinds of things because he was literally a manifestation of the power of God. So right before this passage we see God sends Elijah to a certain man. I believe his name was Ahab. Was it Ahab? Yeah? Ahab? So sermon king Ahab. He sends him because there are these prophets of bail, and he's like, you know what, He's going to demonstrate his power. He's going to show that the bail, the God that these people are serving is really you know nothing. And so Elijah goes, he does a scene. He's like, okay, you know, bring I'll bring a bull, you guys, bring a bull, and let's see. You know what can consume it. And so you have the prophets of Bail. They have their bull and they're calling for the God or their god Bail to bring down fire. Nothing is happening, and it's to the point that Elijah's will mocking them like okay, you know, maybe he's sleeping or something. And then when it's Elijah's turn, he puts a bull on the altar, he calls God and bloomfire comes down from heaven consumes the bull. And it's so funny because even talks about how it's like the fire is licking up the water, like God just showed himself out. So Elijah just came from this point where he showed up and showed out. Now Ahab's wife, Jezebel, who has been known to kill the prophece of the Lord, comes to the scene. Ahap tells his wife, Hey, this is what Elijah did. And now Elijah is paniced because Jezebel threatens him. This is a woman Elijah is working in direct connection with the living God, and she threatens him and tells him all these things. You know that she will basically, she will kill him. Now, Jezebel has a history for killing prophets of the Lord. So this is what happens now with Elijah. So as we were gonna start from you at verse four, but he himself went on a day's journey. Now Elijah runs away into the wilderness and came and sat down under a brim tree, and he prayed that he might die, and said, it is enough. Now, it is enough. Now, Lord take my life, for I am no better than my father's. Elijah is measuring himself up to the people that failed before him. The problem was not about let me focus on the Lord. The enemy had trapped him in comparison. So now he's looking back and he's like Jezebel had killed a couple prophets of the Lord. I am no better. God didn't tell him that he looked at that, because now he's measuring himself to things that are in And as a result of this, as we continue, he says, okay. Then as he lay and slept under a broom Now this is a very funny thing. As Eland slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him and said, said to him, arise and eat. Then he looked and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water, so he ate and drank and laid down again, and the Angel of the Lord came came back the second time and touched him and said, arise and eat because the journey is too great for you. Now we're gonna pause here really quick, because the funny thing is that Elijah's on the run. Now. God is so good and God is so into you that even when you're in the wrong direction that he will still make provision for you. You see, the Angel, the Angel never told him to go anywhere. God was aware that Elijah was on the run, and he's like, Okay, I'm not gonna let you starve now, I'm gonna send you some food. And you see a lot of times we confuse provision in the wrong direction. That's confirmation that maybe I'm not supposed to be here. You see, you might you might go back to the old thing. You might go back to something that you used to do, and it actually starts working for you. But that is God's word does not change, and you're no decision based on fear is actually something led by the Lord, and so he would provide for you because he's your father and he loves you, and he's into you. He's he's not trying to have you die of hunger or something. But we are not to confuse that as God is actually confirming something. And we're gonna look at this really quick. And now on verse eight, it says, so he arose and ate and drank, and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Herab or Horrab. What well that the mountain of God. And there he went into a cave and spend the night in that place. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him. Now this is interesting, And he said to him, what are you doing here? Elijah? God just made provision for him. He's God, he's his father. But when Elijah gets to his destination, God is like, excuse me, why are you here? And what's interesting is that, just to say on time, I didn't show the next a couple few passages is that God asked him this question a second time. Elijah explains himself. He's like, you know what they're after me, and I've worked for the Lord and all these things. You know why, But you know I'm done. And God asked him a second time, Elijah, what are you doing here? And he explains himself again. But this is so interesting because now in verse fifteen, God has heard all Elijah had to say, and then God says, and then God says, okay. Then the Lord said to him, go return. This is so interesting. On your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and they have the black flog and when you arrive, annoying hazard as king over Syria. Now we're gonna There are some other passages that follow this. But what is so fascinating is that God says, go back. So I ever felt like you run away, things are working out for you, and then you start feeling troubled, as though God is asking you, why are you here? What are you doing here? And what is so fascinating is that I believe in what the instructions God gives him, and I think it's in verse sixteen and seventeen. One of the things he tells him to do is to annoint a certain man named Jehu as king over Israel. Now check this. Elijah ran away because he feared a lady named Jezebel. But Jehu, which is one of the instructions God gave him, played a major part in Jezebel's death and you see your the very thing you're running away from. When you obey the voice of God, it kills the thing that is causing you to fear. And I found it really fascinating that the same man he tells him. And I don't know if we can go to verse sixteen or seven sixteen and seventeen actually, because I know I didn't give that HM anyway now hmm okay, so it says and the King called you, no, no, no, not that one, next one. I didn't give you, guys, that passage actually, But are you reading in your spare time? Okay? Oh we have it? Boom? Is that it? Now? Oh? That's it right there? Also you shall, y'all. I'm a little joker, guys. The Lord is good. Okay. It says, also you shall annoint Jehu the son of that name. And now this same man, this same man, and I believe it's in like second Kings of something. The passage doesn't really matter, it's in your Bible. But this same man is the person that led Jezebels that cost her death. Isn't that so fascinating? Family, that if you would just obey the voice of God, the very thing you fear would die. And now let's look at a certain man named Mefi bell Sheet. Now this is a man. This is the type of suicide that kills your hope in the lord. And this is in Second Samuel ninety eight. Now, this particular man, when there was a man named Saul, he was king. And when Saul was alive, his son Jonathan was best. I mean when him and this David. We all know about David, David and Goliath. David became king. But when he met David before David's reign, it talked about how it's like their souls were attached, they were so close to one another. And Mepheebo Schet was the son of Jonathan, the only living son of Jonathan. Now in this time, David is king. But something is causing the feeble shad to feel inadequate because now he's no longer the son of a king. His family is dead, his Grandpather, everybody in that lineage. He was like, really like the only living one. And so now the enemy creeps in because this is where he attacks you based on who you used to be. So now you think that because your former days seem more glorious, now your life should just end. But God is never in the past. God is never gonna do your best things. The best things are never behind you with God. And so the only issue is that when we are talking about transition, me Febleshild was in a transition place, but he took that and allowed the enemy to consume his thinking, and he looked down on himself because ultimately, when your father used to have such a bond with the now king, it would only make sense that you have access to that king. But he never did that. And we're gonna look at his life really quick. And so this is when now you know, David sought him out, called him in, and this is his conversation to King David at this time. And see then he bowed himself and said, what is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I. He had lost all hope in what God could do for his life. Literally, the land where he lived in was known as a land that had no pasture. Peoble Shaid had just given up on life. And oftentimes we do this. We're living, but yet we're living as if we don't trust God to do better for tomorrow, and so we're living almost hopeless about life. And you give yourself to anything. Anything that comes your way, you take it. Any random man that comes where you call him the blue and anything anything, you take it because you do not have an expectation of the goodness of God. But ultimately, I want us to talk in identifying these things. I want us to talk about how now we battle depression, how we really fight. You see, because a lot of us we are fighting, but we're fighting with the wrong weapons. We're fighting with alcohol, we're fighting with drugs, we're fighting with just all kinds of things, and so we're not really fighting because when we look at how the way that God calls us to fight, we see it in the armor when they talk about putt on the armor of God, and the sword, which is a fighting weapon, is known as the word of God. And that is where the battle really begins, when you meditate on what God says and not what the enemy is saying. Now, let's look at something, even, David, Let's let's look at something really quick and sem forty two eleven. Okay, Now David is saying, why are you cast down? Oh my soul? David has identified that there's something going on with him, right, and it says Why are you disquieted? Why are you troubled? Within? Me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him. The help of my countenance. That is so amazing to me, because your countenance is about your presence, right, It's about your your facial expressions, all those things. The help the one who helps me to truly be happy, to truly have joy, to truly be you know, the one that gives me life. Right, And then he says the help of my countenance, and my God, my God, it became personal. You see a lot of times we believe God for other people. But when the God that you know is God, when you make him personal my father, if he's not just the creative heaven and earth, he's not just the things that we sing about, but he is ours. And when you see it in more of a more personal way, then you understand that when we sing songs about God is intentional. That we have to carry these songs out to our private and personal lives. And even in times of transition, in times where we are not sure, God, what are you doing with me? We remember that he is my God, and he is intentional over my life just he is over the next person. So now let's look at I'm gonna look at something real quick Philippians four eight. And this is this has to be if we have a mantra, this has to be. Yet right here it says, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, right, and the truth is in Jesus. Whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report. Family, Jesus is never in the bad news. He is never in the things that you did in the past that sounds horrific. He does not care about that. His blood was able to cleanse those things from your life. So whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. You see the answer is right here, because oftentimes we're meditating on what the enemy's feeding us. But then this is God's word to us. Meditate on the truth. You were not a failure, you didn't make. Your mistake is not gonna kill you. All these things that we tell ourselves, it does not matter to God because he saw you would do all those things and he still formed you. And that is how we can never count people out. We see, even right now we see things with ices and all this stuff. But honestly, Paul the apostle, Paul, who was such an amazing person in the church, he was part of isis. It was just called something else back then, but look at what God did with him. Yeah, And so we have to meditate on the truth. We have to meditate on the world of God. We have to meditate on what God says about our lives. You see, when I was going through my little funk for a week, every time something would hit me, I'm like, but God, even though I couldn't like hold on to certain things, I'm like, Okay, but this is what the word of God says. All things are possible with you God. So I know you're you know You're gonna take care of these things. But I had to meditate my mind on Okay, what who God is, what God can do in my life and all these things. We have to meditate on the truth. And so we have. I have a few battle passages here, and so you need to You could write this down, you could add to it. Let's go to the second image. And as that is coming up, as I was literally waking up in the morning, y'all like that that was kind of cool. But but these passages really literally, whenever you're feeling in some kind of way, these are passages that would remind you that when you realize that the Lord is your shepherd, your shepherd, that when you realize all these things about God, there's a couple of them there, and I really pray that you add to them, that you fight the right way, that you fight the way God calls you to fight, and that just as when you're worshiping, some of you came here having having so many questions about God, but the moment you start worshiping, you surrender to His will. But then you stop and it's like you come out of it again. We have to be in constant worship, we have to be in constant meditation, because honestly, we're in a transition period. The House of God is in the transition period. We're getting in another building, and honestly, whatever happens in leadership really trickles down to the members, and so all of us are in a place of transition. There's something that God is taking us to the next level in our identity. And this is the place where the enemy would come with everything to win his rounds in your life. But whenever those thoughts of inadequacy comes, you have to meditate on what the Word of God says, not what your past says, not what your surroundings says, nothing like that, and never compare ourselves with one another because that is an inadequate way to see your truth in life. So now as you take these pictures, helpe, y'all took a picture or something, all right now, But on a serious note, family, when I was getting ready for today last night, even with certain dreams that I got up from, and when God was showing me that you know, tonight's gonna be a night of deliverance and freedom, and he showed me depression as though it was a disease. Yeah, and the way that we we conquer a disease. And so the first thing that we know is that we detect the problem. Right, you have to identify, okay, this is what the problem is. And what the Spirit is gonna do in the house today is that he's gonna isolate thoughts that actually took that cert that costed certain things to take a stronghold in your life. And so if that is you and there are certain things that you're not too okay with, let's just start making away. Can everyone stand please? And so when fighting a disease, as I talk, just come down if the spirit is tugging something on your heart. Before we even go into what this is all about, as we're fighting a disease, we see that first we diagnose the problem, and then we treat the problem, which is with the word of God. And then we do checkups to make sure that everything is okay right, and checkups ultimately comes we see a man named David, and they will will say, Lord, search my heart and examine me. We always see the issue that I was going with was something that had been in my heart for a while, but I never knew about that until God had caused it to be revealed. And when we do these checkups with God, when we're constantly like God, search me. If there's anything in me that does not submit to your will, then show me what that thing is and let us fight it the right way. And that is how we conquer things. You see, the Bible says that you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. And this is the entrance of God's word. And so if that is you, if you've been going through something in your life, and you're certain that even with this message that Lord, it ends today, then come on down and we don't need to be a shamed There is no shame in the House of God, and there are setting people in this place. You have been the symptoms is what you've been going through, but you don't even you can't really put a hold on it. You just have this random mood. You're unhappy or you feel discouraged. And if that is you just randomly come on down, because God is going to identify everything that is causing your issues. Now, some of you have been literally having what you will identify as a nightmare, but you're even in your sleep, you're attacked. Because honestly, what I experienced in those seven days was was a bit horrific because even in my dream there were certain things I was like, what is going on? Lord, I hope that's not a bad word. It's not. And some of you, because all these things that was going through, God was showing me that you need to understand this fully. And some of you have been attacked in your dreams and you're just like God, I want to dream and be connected to you. I'm not trying to have nightmares and almost the what the enemy wants to do is to cause you to not even desire to dream, because even dreams are there is from God. Really, God can use dreams to talk to you, but the enemy can also access certain things to manipulate what God would do. And if that is you that in your dreams you've been feeling attacked, come on down and God is gonna bring such a warrior out of you. Guy's family. I'm so excited today because literally two words, freedom and deliverance. And if you feel like you need to be connected to that world as your answer, come down. Freedom and deliverance. Now, if some of you are here you don't know God and you want to know God for yourself, there is it's it's never about religion or laws or anything like that. It's a relationship. That's the difference, and it's it's something so beauts. But you have to just be take that boldness because honestly, if you're here, the spirit drew you here and God has called you. And if so that is you, you wanna know God for yourself, you wanna just empty yourself to hear his voice. Better, come on down, and there's no need, there's no need to be shy or anything, and there's someone in particular, and hopefully I'm just gonna wait for you to come down. I don't wanna point out anything. There's some one in particular. You're really going through it, but you would rather stand and act like everything is all good, but you know it's not. And God is just calling you out because he wants you to know that there is freedom in this place, that there is a grace to just let go of everything. I don't know if it if it's family or whatever, but if that is, you come down. There's no there's no shame. Amen. Amen, Thank you, Lord, Thank you, Lord, Thank you. Lord. Let us pray. Let's pray. Actually no, yes, thank you Amen, Father God. We thank you. Please. Let's just lift your hands up and just close your eyes. Focus on Jesus. There's it's not about your neighbor right now. Lord God, we thank you for what you're doing in this house. We thank you, Lord God, because you have ordained that they will be freedom and deliverance in this house in this day. And so, Lord God, everyone, under the sound of my voice, I command every spirit of oppression, suppression, depression, Lord God, I command that in the name of Jesus that right now that they are leaving never to return. In Jesus' name, Lord God, I thank you that there is a weight, there is a weight coming off your people. Yeah, that they would know, Father God, that every time the enemy tries to attack them with inadequacy, that they would focus on who you've called them to be. They would focus on your love Jesus. And so, Lord God, we just allow. Right now, we're gonna let your spirit even talk to them. So let the just be silenced unless you feel led to release something. But God is gonna do something right now. Thank you, Jesus, Thank you Jesus. Okay, hm Isolate every thought, Lord, every fear, bring it to the surface and show them that you are enough, show them that you are inde intentional about their life and nothing that they have done can ever take them away of who you've called them to be. Lord God, give your people the strength to endure. Give them the strength to endure, to know that small beginnings are not a joke. But there is something so great on the other side of it. So great, Father God, maybe be disciplined, Lord, discipline even about our thoughts, disciplined about what we meditate on. Lorrd I declare and decree over your people that no longer would they compare themselves to things that do not have the ability to tell them who they are or We thank you for these people. We thank you, Lord God, that you are doing such a mighty work in them. Right now. We thank you Lord, because indeed they are free, because who the s sun sets free is free indeed. And so, Lord God, we cancel every lie of the enemy, every lie you have no room in these people, You have no place here in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus Lord, we thank you. We thank you Lord. Every spirit that is not of you that is resting on your people, we cancel it right now in the name of Jesus, Lord God. Only things that are true, noble, praiseworthy, things of virtue shall we meditate on. Thank you Lord for these people. In Jesus' name,