Besetting Sins: the Root Cause of Depression and Anxiety

-

"The most powerful incentive for change in our lives is discomfort."

I plan to post suggestions for getting rid of besetting sins, but first I want to talk some more about the most important, and the most difficult beginning step in that direction.  

I want to talk about putting Christ at the center of our lives.

Depression and anxiety are rampant in our society. The signs of this discomfort are all around us. We spend billions of dollars on sedatives--both legal and illegal--in an attempt to ease our pain.  We charge headlong into distracting activities--from pornography, to internet gambling, to obsession with physical fitness and recreation--all in an attempt to escape our unhappiness.

This is not a new development.  Depression and anxiety have been around for a long time.

In 600 BCE, the prophet Jeremiah suffered this ailment on behalf of his people, the Israelites. They had turned away from Yahweh, their Creator, to worship the idols of the nations around them and they were miserable.

Jeremiah blames God for this unhappiness, but he also recognizes that his sins (and theirs) are the root cause.  In Lamentations 1:14, he says,

My [our] sins have been bound into a yoke;
            by [God's] hands they were woven together.
They have come upon my [our] neck
             and the Lord has sapped my [our] strength.
He has handed me [us] over to those I [we] cannot withstand.

Like the writer of the song, Amazing Grace, Jeremiah sees God's grace in allowing the pain.  "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved," says John Newton.

Both Jeremiah and John Newton recognized that only pain, coming as a consequence of our waywardness, will lead us back to a place of peace and joy in fellowship with God.

The truth is, anxiety and depression are symptoms of a heart problem. They come into our lives when we have allowed the wrong things to become the center of our focus and our worship.

St. Augustine says, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

So here is both the cause and the cure for depression and anxiety:

Jesus says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul."

And then he tells us how to do that: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  

When we feel the pain of restlessness and anxiety in our hearts, it's a sign that we need to turn to the only One worthy of our love and worship. 

We need to make sure that Christ is at the center of our lives.

This first step is essential.  No human heart will feel release from the pain of anxiety and depression until it is centered properly.  Once this matter has been settled, besetting sins will lose their power and we will experience an unbelievable peace and joy at a deep, deep level that cannot be disturbed by any circumstances in our lives.

Next post will talk about the mopping up process of getting rid of those pesky besetting sins.

Comments

Something About the Joy said…
I want to make a disclaimer about this post on Besetting Sins as a cause of depression. I should have said it is a cause, not THE cause. There are other causes of depression. It was insensitive of me to use the wrong word here. My apologies to anyone who suffers from depression when besetting sins are not the root cause. Having said that, I believe depression, whatever the underlying cause, is not necessarily a permanent condition. We can always continue to cry out to God for relief. If you suffer from depression--whatever the cause--never lose hope! God cares deeply for you. He can heal. Never give up asking Him to lead you into the answer to your condition. The struggle will get better and you will be blessed in your journey. Do not believe the lie that your depression is hopeless. With God, all things are possible. This comment is not meant to cause you additional angst because you are afraid of false hope. You can hold hope lightly if you like. But never let go of the possibility of healing.
October 16, 2019 at 9:38 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Mystery of Growth

-
Image
When I pray about a problem or a struggle, too often I find myself expecting God to simply step in and fix things.   I expect the fixing to be immediate, and I expect it to be painless and effortless on my part.   I watch for a flash of lightning at the end of my prayer that either gives me the solution or whips me out of the situation I'm unhappy with. This flash of lightning rarely comes. I've been working in my garden this spring.   I don't know what I'm doing.   I've never had a green thumb.   But I figure since I have some space now and extra time on my hands I might as well see if I can do something constructive with it. But it's discouraging.   I planted nasturtium seeds, sweet peas, and marigolds, which I've heard keep out the garden pests, but none of them have sprouted.   I put in three tomato plants two weeks ago and they haven't grown an inch. Other people have zucchinis already and I only have wisps of green shoot
Read more

Four Types of Besetting Sins and Three Reasons to Avoid Them!

-
Image
--> What is a besetting sin? A besetting sin is anything that dethrones the legitimate ruler of our hearts.  Basically, a besetting sin is an idol.  If you are a believer, you have chosen to allow Jesus Christ to sit on the throne of your life.  He is the only rightful ruler of any human heart, and any attitude or action that disturbs His presence there, at the center, is a sin.  When that sin is allowed to remain, it becomes a habit, or a besetting sin. Besetting sins begin with an  attitude .  Sometimes a heart attitude, itself, is the sin, and other times the attitude leads to  actions  that are sinful.  In any case, when the attitude becomes engrained in our spirits, it becomes a besetting sin. Ø Pride  is the mother of all sins.  Pride puts the self on the throne, and so is the ultimate expression of sin.  It's the sin that was, and still is, Satan's downfall, and it's the one we have the most trouble with.  Pride is probably t
Read more

A Risky Business

-
Image
  My life seems to be a constant growth cycle.    I go from an initial place of trusting in God, to an insurmountable problem, to worry and anxiety, to remembering His faithfulness in the past, to choosing to believe once again, to one small encouraging sign of His love—a sign that grows the faith even before I see the answer, to praise for Who He is and what He is going to do, and then, finally, to the miracle. Then we begin again, with a slightly more insurmountable problem.   This faith walk is like following stepping stones across a raging river. I step out, jump onto the next three stones that are nearby, then look around for another foothold. I see none at first, then one that is close but requires a bit of a stretch, then another that is no bigger than the size of my foot. This one seems too far to hazard a leap but there is no other option. I cannot go back. So I leap, and then keep on going as far as I can, taking chances, and a
Read more