Remember                                                                                03-28-14

Let me share something that happened to me this week. You may or may not agree with my conclusions because I didn't for a long time. At any rate let me try and paint a picture of what happened to me this week. For some reason, I read an article on the medicated state of our nation this week. I have read many, many articles on this subject and don't know why I read this one. It stated what I had read many, many times hence. We, the United States are the most depressed nation in the world. As a result, we also are the most highly medicated nation in the world. I passed it off as old news and went on. Well, yesterday while sitting at the dining room table I felt a wave of depression come over me. I could FEEL it. Now listen..I have absolutely no reason to be depressed. I have a nice roof over my head. I am in good health. I have enough, no, MORE than enough to eat(gotta lose some lbs. though lol) I have a job and a car. Are you feelin' me here?  But, nonetheless I got hit with a wave of depression and before I knew it I was bemoaning my life. Life all of a sudden was passing me by. God wasn't pleased with me. Don't ask me why, He just wasn't. I was at the end of the road. This was it. Get used to it Ronnie, this is all there is. Any desires or aspirations that I had were over. Folks, it was sudden, out of nowhere and it hit me like a tsunami. Let me say this again with emphasis. I could FEEL it washing over me. This is not the first time that this has happened to me, but this was as strong as I could remember. Now, it has taken me years to come to the following conclusion. I believe that it was a spiritual attack. Understand that for years I didn't buy that. Depression might be caused by this or that but it wasn't spiritual warfare per se. Yesterday changed my mind. I had experienced these attacks before, but this was the strongest by far. From nowhere and for no reason. In the past I have passed it off as having a pity party, feeling sorry for myself, whatever...but, not this time. I said all of that to say this.
While I was under assault from this attack, a word came into my spirit. Remember. That was the word. Remember. Nothing else, just that word. Bear with me. I am doing one of those Bible reading plans.You know...read the Bible in a year, read the New Testament in 30 days..there are a million of them. (I'm doing a chronological one) I'm off track(smile) I'm hearing this word remember in my spirit and I turn to a passage that I had read recently.

    Psalm 77:11-12 (NASB) ¹¹  I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
¹²  I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.

Well, I went to the dictionary and found the meanings of those words remember and meditate. Here's what I found.

Remember- to mark, to recall to mind by effort, to TREASURE
Meditate- to ponder or revolve in the mind. to speak or talk with oneself

Well, that's what I did. And it WAS an effort! Something, my mind, my flesh, I dunno but something did NOT want me to do that. That being said, I began to remember the works and wonders that God had done in my life. I spoke them in my head. I tried to recreate the circumstances in my mind's eye. Here's a little more on that word meditate, it implies that we should actually talk out loud to ourselves about those things that God has done. I remember being taught that about prayer. Let your ears hear what your mouth is saying. Amen? Lo and behold, after a while those feelings of hopelessness and despair started to fade away. The ship was righted again.Now, I understand if you are saying to yourself " Oh brother, Ronnie had finally gone over the cliff and is in freefall." O.K. I get that. But, and just call me crazy, loonie or whatever,.. it worked for me yesterday! Listen brothers and sisters, I am not marginalizing depression and it's effects. No, no, it is very real and can be debilitating. I still remember spending a whole night and day in bed, so depressed I could barely move. I just never made the spiritual connection. I always thought the cause and effect was something different.  You know the Bible speaks about treasuring those works of God. I believe that I will begin to write them down. To make a book of remembrance of all the good things that God has done for me. You know, something to pull out and read when I need a spiritual boost. Well, that was my day, how was yours? At the least, I hope this small testimony has and will prove beneficial to you at some time.
Be encouraged child of God. REMEMBER He has your back!! He's got this. Amen? AMEN!!

Philippians 4:8 (NASB) ⁸  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Psalm 105:5 (NASB) ⁵  Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,