Depression Rising? Look for Strength in the Joy of the Lord

Have you heard that more people are getting depressed each year?  Is depression really on the rise?  
--  According to CBS News, from 1980 to 2014, the use of anti-depressants in the United States doubled.
--  According to NBC News, major depression diagnosis rose 33% in four year period (from to 2013 through 2016) based on 2018 BCBS report and charts.
--  According to NAMCS survey, since 1987 the number of depression diagnosis had 450% increase plus 2020 Happier Human reports the estimated cost of depression is $100 Billion per year.

Why?  Some blame technology and social media because it builds a barrier to people being close and continual communication.  Others say it is situational because there are lots of different types of depression.

"... For this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; 

for the joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV)

Could the increase in depression be related to the decrease in church attendance or Christian faith in America?  A correlation in the statistics does make it seem very likely this is part of the problem. Church not only provides a basis for faith, it provides a fellowship with other Christians.  Prayer to God and physically having someone to talk with is an important part of recovery.

-- According to 2014 Religion News article, from 1997 to 2012 the drop in religious activity [like church attendance and dedicated prayer] was double what the drop was during the "free love" hippie culture of 1960s through early 1970s.
-- Was the leveling of religion from the 70s to late 90s  due to Christian conversion turnaround in history of the Jesus Movement from late 1960s through 1970s?  There was a church attendance spike and another religious awakening after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001.  What will it take to bring the USA back to one nation under God?

Find out ways to help in 2018 column from Everyday Health that offers 5 ways faith can help depression.  Belief Net shares 6 truths about depression and faith.  Compelling Truth also posts ideas on types of depression and multiple Bible references.

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Time to Worship, Do Not Neglect Church

Last week, the president asked for a day of prayer and we were still allowed to hold gathering of 50 or less.  Although many gathering places like concert halls, sports arenas, and bars were required to be closed, Christian churches and other places of worship were still open for their members.  Some of those offered live streaming services as well to keep the required physical body limit and provide for the spiritual needs of those unable to physically attend on Sundays.

"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, 
but encourage one another,  
especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." 
- Hebrews 10:25 (NLT) 

This week the gathering number was lowered to 10. Many church choirs or worship teams are ten or more, so the body count is met just with them.  Then came the announcement that places of worship were also required to close.  Just because the building is not open, does not mean you should neglect your church.  Check Facebook and other social sites to see if your church is live streaming or providing a recorded service.   It is important that you feed your soul during these trying times.  For those without the internet or do not use social media, church may be watched on television or listened to on radio.  Although you may not be physically attending church together, the technology exists to be virtually gathered.    Also, do not neglect your financial support of the church too.

"So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ." 

- Romans 10:17 (NLT)

You can do more than virtually attend church, you can share your on-line services with others too.  Right now, we all need to turn to Christ for help and salvation.  We can help our churches to flourish during this crisis.  Let others know about what your church is doing and their services by posting them in the comments below this post, then sharing this link on your social media and asking others to do the same.  Put your church name, the FB page or website URL, whether recording or live service days/times, and the church denomination.  Why include the denomination?  If someone is looking for comfort in a familiar setting from their past, they will look for that - so let them know.  I plan to re-share this post for many days in order to let more people know about the services in the hopes that not only does virtual attendance rise but many more will come to Christ.  Please share this link with your friends, followers, etc and ask them to do the same.  In this time of need, all of us together can share Christ and his church with the world!

EXAMPLE: Victorious Life Church (VLC)  https://www.facebook.com/victoriouslifechurch/ streams live on Sunday morning and Wednesday night with recording also available. Assembly of God church.  Children's program "King's Kids" recordings and activities on website http://www.victoriouslife.org/

Modern Technology and God

As a Christian, you know you are not supposed to worship idols; you are only supposed to worship God.  So you do not bow down to statues made of stone or wood.  But are there other false idols you maybe worshiping without realizing it?  As an example or idolization without awareness, let us take a look at technology.

Smart mobile phones are so much a part of modern life that they are taken for granted or thought extremely necessary.  How many hours do you spend on your phone each day?  How many minutes an hours are you talking to someone nearby, texting instead of talking, or updating social media?  Do you spend hours playing games or watching videos on your small screen?  Must you look up every new term you hear, check for the latest gossip, or find the fastest route via your phone's handy apps or internet connection?  Are you one of those individuals who look at your phone more than the faces of people?  Are you idolizing your phone?  Do you spend as much time with God, reading your Bible God, or sharing your faith as you do on your phone?  If you answer the last question NO, then perhaps you are treating you phone as a modern idol.

"Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: 

I am the LORD your God." - Leviticus 19:4 (KJV)

Wait, using a Bible app on your phone during church should count as God points verses idol points, right?  What about getting daily devotionals and scriptures to your phone via email or text?  Maybe.  It depends, are you following the sermon notes or doing your own thing?  Are you attempting to memorize any of those daily scriptures?  Are you searching for help to answer a fellow Christian's question or for your own edification?  Is any of it helping to grow your relationship with God? Again, check your purpose and time spent.  Is the time on the phone for God and does that study time outweigh the the "entertainment" time?  If no, then most likely the phone is your priority, not God.

Speaking of points, does other "entertainment" technology take more of you time than attending Church, studying your Bible, praying and building a relationship with God?  Entertainment technologies may include i-pod, i-pad, computer, gaming consoles, handheld games, IVA/IPA (voice-controlled intelligent personal or virtual assistant", social networks, television, and etc.   How many hours do you spend on entertainment devices each day? Are your always aiming to get more points, badges, and follows than spending time with God?  Has your entertaining device  become an idol for you?   

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, 

nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God," - Exodus 20:3&5 (KJV)

Wait just a minute!  You use YouVersion, BibleGateway, and other Bible-based search sites and Christian blogs on your computer or i-pad.  You order religious books, t-shirts, and more from Amazon and assorted Christian outlets.  You watch Christian sermons, panels, and music programs on your TV and listen to them on your ipod.  You ask Alexa or Echo to look-up scripture verses.  You post Bible scriptures, religious memes, and Christian videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, plus other social media sites.  Should not those count as God points instead of idol points too?  Maybe.  Again, it should depend on how often you use them in your study of God's Word, building a relationship with God, and sharing your faith with others.  Therefore, check your purpose and your time spent being entertained verses personal edification.   If the device is used more for entertainment time than edification, then most likely the devices are your priority over God.

Plug into God first!  God wants you to put him first in your life.  Your spouse, family, and church come after God.  A relationship with God should be foremost and fellowship with others next.  Fun and other things may come after that, as long as those things do not interfere with you growing in God's will.

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On-line Devotionals and Bible Readings: YouVersion and Bible.com

Recently, I participated in a week-long devotional study with a professional women's study group.  Instead of a face-to-face meeting or telephone conference, we did it all on-line via YouVersion.  YouVersion is an app for your phone, which is how many f the ladies chose to do the study  I did it on my computer through the original version of Bible.com.  Doing the devotional as a group and having the system check-off each day's completed study was highly motivation to stick with it.

If you are interested in reading the Bible more, but do not want to carry a print book with you, then check out one of these options.  Even if you do not want to sign-up, you can get a daily scripture to read on Bible.com by scrolling down to "Verse of the Day."  For those signed-up, YouVersion offers a function for sharing scriptures with images over social media.  Below is a short video commercial for Bible.com and another with text explaining the YouVersion app (both are under a minute).  At the time of the post, both options are FREE tools supported through donations and maybe monetized advertising of their videos on other sites.