We are working with an amazing man who brings enlightenment about clinical depression, bi-polar disorders & mania. There is a vast difference between situational depression & brain altering, chemical conditions. Well-meaning people often suggest prayer & scripture reading, telling people, "everything will be all right" if they just draw closer to God. Many already do so & this only worsens their plight. After reading his manuscript, I am left with a sense of hope & understanding. People who suffer such conditions are all too aware that this temporal plane is but a surface thing. They know that we fight a spiritual battle with powers & principalities of "the Darkness of this present age", for they live & battle in it, while the rest struggle with day-to-day living.
Looking over a flier for an upcoming workshop, "Disciples in Hope", I immediately saw the reverse acronym, "H.I.D." & penned the following notes:
"Disciples in Hope" brings an awareness of depression which was once hidden as an untapped resource by which we can learn a closer communion with God & the Holy Spirit.~ It's task is to dispel myths & taboos of such medical conditions & remove the associated stygmas. The goal is to dispel condemnation by self & others for those affected. The Bible explicitly states, "... we do not wrestle with flesh & blood", but that ours IS a spiritual battle~ We ARE in spiritual warfare & no one better understands this than those with clinical depression, mania &/or bi-polar disorders. Our task is to eradicate the notion of these as an "illness" & to enable all to see an avenue to better know & serve our Lord & Saviour.
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