Conquering Depression - Martin Wiles

I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Psalm 143:6-7 NLT

Many people experience small bouts with it at winter’s onset; others do battle with it more often. 

SAD—or seasonal affective disorder—was first named by Norman Rosenthal and his colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health in 1984. Symptoms include oversleeping, overeating, difficulty waking up, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, and withdrawing from friends, family, and social activities.

SAD and other types of depression can result from medical, self-inflicted, circumstance-related, or Satan-instigated sources. Conquering it is possible, but how?

Consult the proper Source. David’s present depression was circumstance-related and Satan-instigated. God anointed him as Israel’s king, but prior to assuming the role, he faced jealousy and life-threatening tactics from the sitting king. He found himself running for his life.

God is our ultimate emotional healer when we’re depressed. Our efforts toward restored health should include praying for guidance, searching his Word for comfort, socializing with those who share our beliefs, and confiding in trustworthy Christian acquaintances. When God directs—and when conditions warrant--we may need to visit a medical professional for counseling and/or medication.

Admit helplessness. Depression often brings with it feelings of “darkness” and confinement, as if lingering under an ominous cloud that neither dissipates nor delivers rain.

I’ve taken a few cave tours in my lifetime. While I enjoy pondering underground structures, one part makes me nervous: when the guide turns off the lights. What if they don’t come back, or what if the flashlight batteries die and he has no extras? Darkness is eerie; absolute darkness is nerve-racking.

David was a darkness expert. He slept in it as a young man while tending his father’s sheep, and he hid in it in a wilderness cave because a jealous king wanted him dead.

Helplessness isn’t easy to admit. We’re more likely to have an attitude of “There’s nothing I can’t conquer.” But like the addict who must confess their addiction before help can be effective, so conquering depression involves admitting to God we’re helpless to overcome without his assistance.

Examine our relationship with God. Charlie was a good girl. Although her father rarely darkened the church doors, her mother made sure she and her brothers attended. When a teenager, she accepted Jesus as her Savior at a church revival and after graduation married her high school sweetheart. They soon entered full-time Christian ministry.

But somewhere along the way, Charlie changed. Her love for church dwindled, and her new friends led her down roads taking her away from God. She began experimenting with sinful behaviors, which accelerated her downhill slide. Eventually, Charlie walked out on her family.

David once ventured into forbidden areas after becoming king and discovered what Charlie did: sin never delivers what it promises. He attempted to enjoy life with lies, sexual immorality, and murder—but inherited only depression and God’s discipline. 

Disobedience can be a major cause of a believer’s depression. Anytime we choose to walk away from God, an emotional struggle develops. If not quickly settled by confession and repentance, our emotional war will be lost to depression. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay, and costs us more than we want to pay.

If depression threatens, start by taking it to God.

Father, draw me to you when the dark clouds of depression hover over me. 

*These issues vary greatly from individual to individual, so it's impossible to address every need. If you or someone you know suffers from mental illness, seek professional guidance.  

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Mind the Chickens - Martin Wiles

Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean.” John 13:10 NLT

Sometimes, chickens leave behind more than eggs and meat. 

My maternal grandmother had a dozen or so chickens wandering around her yard. At night, she enclosed them in a small pen with a coop, and there they slept. 

Being country boys, my cousin and I romped outside most of the time, foraging in the woods, playing in the hog pens, and mulling around in the yard—the same yard the chickens scratched in. Since we didn’t always wear shoes during the summer months—and even if we did—our grandmother would warn us before we came onto her porch or into her house: “Check your feet (or shoes).” 

Chickens, it appeared, left more than eggs, and my grandmother didn’t want it in her house or on her porch. When we discovered this unwanted material on our shoes, we paused to scrape it off on the dirt or a grassy patch. Doing so became such a habit that eventually our grandmother didn’t have to remind us as much. 

In Jesus’s day, getting one’s feet dirty was a fact of life. If people wore shoes, they wore open sandals, and open sandals don’t keep out dirt. And since the main form of travel entailed using one’s feet, people’s feet stayed dirty. When guests arrived, the owner—or more commonly a slave—washed the guests’ feet. He didn’t, however, wash the entire person. If the person needed a full bath, they could take care of it themselves. 

Jesus’s meaning is deeper. The bath happens when we trust Christ as our Savior. God the Father takes the righteousness of his Son and applies it to our sins, making us pure and holy in position—although not in practice. 

But daily living is like walking in my grandmother’s yard. We’re subject to getting our feet messy with unwanted things. The world is full of sinful influences and tempting temptations. 

The news isn’t all bad, though. Jesus says we just need to wash our feet. Through the spiritual disciplines of praying, meditating on the Bible, and confessing, we scrape our feet across the dirt or a grassy patch, removing what shouldn’t be there. Confession brings restoration, and knowing God’s Word keeps our lifestyle aligned with God’s principles. 

Learn to mind what the chickens of this world leave behind. 

Father, give me the insight and courage to avoid those things that dirty my feet and taint my soul. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Pulled by Porn - Martin Wiles

Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. Matthew 6:22 NLT

Once, porn was mainly relegated to magazines stuffed behind drug store counters or to the big screen drive-in theaters, but not anymore.

 

I grew up in the years before the internet—a time when people still did research at the library and most people paid for subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. Porn was no different. Hustler and Playboy were the two major competitors, but proprietors stuffed those magazines behind counters with the covers concealed so customers purchasing other items couldn’t see the scantily clad women. And while a sizable number snuck in or legally attended the XXX drive-in’s, those movies weren’t advertised as the respectable movies were.

 

The internet—along with changing cultural mores—has altered my innocent world of yesteryear. Surveys by Josh McDowell Ministry found that half of all teenagers and almost three-fourths of young adults encounter porn monthly. More disturbing is that both groups consider viewing pornography as less immoral than not recycling. The numbers of young women who view porn are also on the rise. After all, sex addicts are plying their trade right into their bedrooms through their smart phones.

 

While we can’t end the spread of porn, we can take some measures to ensure our eyes—the lamps of my body—allow in only what is pure and good.

 

Investigating who we befriend on social media platforms is wise. When we receive a friend request, we should take a gander at their page. If the posts are questionable, we should ignore or decline the request.

 

However, porn is bound to pop up even when we take safeguards. If we’ve friended someone who later reveals themselves as a bad influence, we can unfriend them or quickly ignore the questionable post.

 

If we find ourselves pulled by porn, we can take steps to guard ourselves against its presence. A preacher friend who struggled with this temptation chose to stay off the internet and to allow his wife to filter his email messages.

 

Vision is powerful. What we see takes root in our minds, which in turn plays out in our actions. Being familiar with God’s guidelines for relationships—and understanding how porn distorts those principles—goes a long way in helping us resist the pull of porn.

If porn pulls you, turn off the source.

Father, draw my eyes only to what is pure in your sight and beneficial for my spiritual growth.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Hiding from God - Martin Wiles

Destruction is certain for those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! Isaiah 29:15 NLT

The four deer thought the landscape hid them, but they stood in plain view.

Around 11 am, my wife and I started on a hiking trail in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We quietly talked about various matters and enjoyed the beauty of nature as we watched evidence of spring appear all around us. As I glanced up the mountainside, a doe appeared. Then we noticed several yearlings with her. The little family strolled along, nibbling on greenery, obviously thinking the foliage concealed them.

 

Just as the deer imagined the bare trees concealed them, so many in Isaiah’s day thought they could get through life by making their own plans and ignoring God.

 

Adam and Eve started this failed attempt to hide from God when they disobeyed God’s instructions about not eating from a particular tree. When they realized the consequences of their disobedience, they tried to hide. God found them. Then they played the blame game. Adam blamed Eve who in turn blamed the serpent.

 

Since God is everywhere at once, our attempts to hide from him because we’ve sinned—or to hide our plans from him because we don’t want His input—are useless. God sees all things at once, us included. But a more important question is why we would want to hide ourselves or our plans from him in the first place.

 

As with Adam and Eve, sin is the normal reason for our attempts at hiding. Adam and Eve played the denial game, then the making excuses game, and finally the blame game. None of their games worked then, and they don’t now. I’ve tried them all.

 

When we sin or stray from God, hiding isn’t the answer. God isn’t mean, nor does he sit in heaven waiting for us to mess up so he can get joy out of punishing us. He loves with an eternal love and wants to be involved in our lives so we can experience a level of living that can only be known with him as our guide. Coming out into the open with the details of our lives might be frightening—after all, it’s a faith thing—but doing so is the only way to live life as he planned.

 

Instead of camouflaging yourself from God, come out into the open and let him have full control of your life.

Father, when I try to hide my sin or plans from you, pull me into the open through confession and trust.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Sin’s Fallout - Martin Wiles

I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. Exodus 34:7 NLT

My wife and I pass a particular church’s parking lot on the way to our church. We were once affiliated with this church and remember when the parking lot and most of the seats inside were full. The music was awesome, and the preaching was vivacious. New members joined regularly, and excitement filled the air.

Then, things changed. Attendance declined to half as much, and an air of despondency filled the sanctuary—not because of anything the current members had done, but because of sin’s fallout effect. A leader—and a few members—chose to delve into sin, and the entire church felt the effect.

I once thought this verse was confusing . . . even unfair. Why should children and their children suffer for something they didn’t do? Then I discovered a better interpretation. God isn’t saying they are responsible for their relatives’ sins but that they will feel the fallout from them.

Though I’m responsible for my personal sins, rarely do they only affect me. Thousands of children suffer physical and emotional ailments because their moms chose to use dangerous substances while they were pregnant or because their parents chose to berate them with emotionally damaging messages. Numerous spouses experience irreparably ruined credit records due to poor decisions by an ex-spouse. And many reputations suffer when the person themselves has no control over a bad situation.

Since we’re involved with others in some fashion, our closest associates will feel the effects of our decisions. Choosing to sin is never just about us. Our sinful choices will take us where we really don’t want to go—even though we think we might. Additionally, we’ll carry others with us who don’t want to go but who are carried along by association. And we’ll then keep them and ourselves longer than we want to stay. Further, the cost can be astronomical. 

While confessing sin is crucial, it rarely removes the consequences of poor decisions. Consequences are God’s reminders. Better yet is making a commitment to live a pure life and walk in the power of the new nature God has given. When we do this, we’ll experience less of sin’s fallout effect—and so will others close to us.

Think of ways to prevent sin’s fallout effect in your life.

Father, remind me that my body is a temple of your Spirit and that I should present it to you as a pure and holy sacrifice. 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent or just want to hear grandparent stories, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Take a Daily Bath - Martin Wiles

A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet to be entirely clean. And you are clean. John 13:10 NLT

As I sat at my computer writing in the early morning hours, my wife hollered, “Come quickly.”

Although we lived in the city, a few months ago, an opossum came waddling between the privacy fence surrounding our backyard and made himself at home rummaging around in our yard. He was petite. I saw him again a few weeks later, trekking atop our privacy fence. He was much larger then.

On this particular morning, my wife discovered his hideout. A small patch of brush and trees separates our subdivision from the one behind us. One of the larger trees had a hollow, and he had made it his home. He sat upon a strong limb in the early morning light and bathed himself, much like a raccoon or cat.

On one occasion, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet to teach them about serving. When he came to Peter, Peter refused. He thought it was beneath the Messiah to perform such a menial task. Jesus explained that though Peter didn’t need to wash all over, his feet still needed washing. After all, people in this period walked the dusty roads barefoot or in sandals.

With rare exceptions, I, like the opossum, take daily baths. I feel cleaner when I do even if I’ve done nothing that day to get dirty. Oils build up on my skin. I may have eaten at a restaurant with sizzling smells or been junking in thrift stores.

Jesus, however, talked about a spiritual bath. The disciples had bathed when they trusted him as who he claimed to be—God’s Son. Once this is done, all our sins are washed away—past, present, and future. I don’t need a whole-body bath again, but I do need daily cleansing. My feet get dirty from walking through the world. The opossum didn’t jump in the lake; he just licked parts of his body.

My daily baths consist of confession for sins of omission and commission. I also apologize for missing opportunities the Savior has sent because I was too busy, selfish, or consumed by my own world. This daily bath keeps me on good terms with Christ and helps me hear him clearly when he calls.

Don’t neglect your daily bath.

Father, move me to daily confession so I can hear you clearly when you call me to ministry opportunities. 

Tweetable: Are you taking a daily bath? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Hiding Behind Fig Leaves - Martin Wiles

So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. Genesis 3:7 NLT

Young children can hide in the craziest places.

“Levi, do you want to play Hide-n-Seek with Pop?”

“Okay.”

“You hide, and Pop will find you.”

 I sat in my recliner. He scampered off for the kitchen.

“Ready or not, here I come,” I call as I head to where I know he is.

I find him standing in the middle of the kitchen floor with only his hands over his eyes. In his young mind, he thought that action would keep me from seeing him.

Seems silly, but we adults don’t do much of a better job trying to hide from God. God placed Adam and Eve in a pristine environment with everything they could ever want at their fingertips. But they weren’t satisfied. Fruit from the one tree God said was off-limits lured them. A slithering serpent (Satan) provided the enticement, but they still had the power to say “No.”

After they had done the deed, they experienced an emotion they’d never felt before: shame. They had violated God’s express command and attempted to cover the guilt by sewing together fig leaves. But, they soon discovered leaves couldn’t keep God from seeing them any more than my grandson’s hands could keep me from observing him.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and we find religious leaders attempting to cover their guilt too . . . but with different things. They tried to hide behind a façade of good works. Jesus told them they were just white-washed tombs full of dead bones. He could see beneath their outside.

I’ve sewn a few sets of fig leaves myself. They may have consisted of good works, community organizations, beneficial relationships, or positions in my local church.

Yet, none of the above—or anything else—can erase feelings of guilt. There are just not enough fig leaves. True guilt comes when God’s commands are violated or we have ignored him. Christ has paid for whatever we’ve done, and confession—not fig leaves—will alleviate the guilt. We can’t work to repay what we couldn’t buy in the first place, nor can we ever be good enough to place God under obligation to us. All He requires is heartfelt sorrow.

Come up with a plan of action for when you feel guilt.

Father, I give my guilt to you. I realize only the blood of Christ can cover it. 

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Guarding Against Infection - Martin Wiles

Do not even let them live among you! If you do, they will infect you with their sin of idol worship, and that would be disastrous for you. Exodus 23:33 NLT

A small bubble appeared in the corner of my left index finger and grew. What others forecasted came true. I had not practiced guarding against infection.

I’m not exactly sure when or why I developed the habit of biting my nails, but somewhere around middle school age, I did. Perhaps I needed something to occupy my time. My mother, aunt, and grandmother all warned me I was going to pull one down into the quick. Then I’d have to deal with infection.

Sure enough, I did, and it did. Mom tried boiling it with Peroxide. No luck. It must have been the weekend because she and my grandmother gathered me up and carted me to the local emergency room. After the nurse administered a numbing shot to my finger, the doctor took a knife to the infection—a painful experience I’ve never forgotten.

God warned the desert-traveling Israelites about a worse infection: disobedience. Pagans inhabited the Israelites’ Promised Land. Living among them—or even marrying them—would bring disastrous results. Their disaster reminds us we can still be infected by those who don’t love God or his commands. But how can we guard ourselves?

• Be careful of our company.

While Jesus tells us to influence others by being salt, the Bible also says bad company corrupts good morals. Obeying the command and heeding the warning take wisdom only God can give. My company told me to keep my fingers out of my mouth. I didn’t listen.

• Equip ourselves.

God told his people to avoid treaties with the pagan dwellers and not to worship their gods. Guarding against some diseases requires a shot. Keeping my fingers out of my mouth would have equipped me to fight infection. Spiritual disciplines protect us against infection. Programming our consciences with God’s Word makes it a reliable source of warning when infection stalks nearby.

What steps can you take to guard yourself against spiritual infection?

Father, direct my steps away from those things and people who would infect me negatively. 

Tweetable: Are you guarding against infection? 

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Turned Away - Martin Wiles

Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Revelations 3:20 NLT

 

We made it to the entrance—but no farther.

 

John was a World War II veteran in his upper nineties who attended the church I pastored. When my wife and I arrived at church early one Sunday morning, we found a note left by his daughter telling us her dad was in ICU at the local army base. Following our service, my wife and I made the one-hour drive to see him.

 

As we approached the base entrance, a young military man asked to see my ID. I showed him my driver’s license, thinking this would suffice. Wrong. He asked if I had a pass. I told him I didn’t. He pointed me to the Welcome Center just to my right and told me they would help me.

 

I pulled a number when I entered the building and waited for my turn. “Number 79,” the Homeland Security officer called. I approached the window and told him I needed to visit someone in the hospital. “Let me see your ID,” he said. When I showed him my driver’s license, he told me he needed to see another form of ID as well. I had none he asked for. “I’m sorry,” he politely said. “I can’t let you in.” Three hours of driving, just to be turned away.

 

Jesus tells of another scenario. During every person’s life, He stands at the door of their heart, knocking to gain entrance. If they open, He comes in. If they don’t, He remains outside.

 

Jesus’ knock comes in the form of conviction by His Holy Spirit—that little voice we can’t actually hear aloud, but can in our heads. We know something . . . someone . . . is there asking us to do something. When we listen, we eventually determine it’s God’s voice telling us we need Him. He pursues us, like a hound does a deer, a coon, or a fox. If we turn away from the voice, He continues to hound us until we open the door or make it plain we want nothing to do with Him—a decision with eternal consequences.

 

Being turned away at the army base just meant I couldn’t see a church member. Being turned away by God has consequences now and in eternity. 

God doesn’t force Himself on us. We can be a rebel and shun Him if we want, but if we do, we’ll not enjoy life as He intends.

 

God doesn’t want robots in His unit. He wants willing followers who will love Him with all their hearts and serve Him obediently. Opening the door entails confessing our sins, repenting of them, and obeying Him. And He’ll never turn away any who open the door for Him to enter.

 

Don’t fear God turning you away. No matter what you’ve done, you can still open the door, and He’ll come in.

 

Prayer: Father, we thank You that we can always open the door and let You into our lives. 

Tweetable: Have you turned God away? 

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