[0:00] Well, in the last two lessons, we've looked at some of the causes of depression. And like I've said, we need to see that there's probably going to be a mixture of causes in every case, some more predominant than others.
[0:19] Michael Emlett, who is a medical doctor and a biblical counselor, he works at CCEF, which is out of Philadelphia. We've used their materials before.
[0:30] We have some of their materials out in our little booklet rack outside. He wrote in his book, Descriptions and Prescriptions, a biblical perspective on psychiatric diagnoses and medication.
[0:46] This is what he wrote. So most psychiatric diagnoses, so you're probably thinking of things like depression or what people call bipolar or OCD or anything like that.
[1:01] Most psychiatric diagnoses reflect a blend of various potential causative factors. So that's what we're saying. There's a blend of factors that cause these things.
[1:13] And just listen to some of the things that he said I have seen contributing to these diagnoses. Inherited biological predisposition. Situations and experiences.
[1:28] Effect of significant relationships. Exposure to toxins in the environment. Patterns of thinking and desire. Prayer. Personal choices and learned responses.
[1:42] And orientation toward or against God. To name a few prominent ones. And within a certain diagnostic category. Depression, for example. Certain contributing factors may be more prominent than others.
[1:58] And then at the end of the day. This is where we're headed. At the end of the day. The goal is not simply to confirm or condemn a given diagnosis. But to carefully.
[2:10] Persistently. Lovingly. And biblically. Bring God's redemption to bear upon people. Who struggle with the problems.
[2:21] Encapsulated in a diagnostic description. Depression. So. What is Dr. Emlett saying? He's saying that depression may have several.
[2:33] Interrelating. Interconnecting. Factors. And causes. And some are more prominent than others. In certain cases. But. At the end of the day. However a person got there.
[2:45] However a person. Got to that condition. That. That experience. What we. The goal now. Is to. Biblically. Persistently. Lovingly.
[2:57] Carefully. Bring. God's redemption. To bear. To bring. What. God. Has done. In Jesus Christ. What God.
[3:07] Is doing. In Jesus Christ. Or to even some extent. What God. Will do. In. Through Jesus Christ. To bear. It's to bring God's salvation.
[3:17] God's help. To that. Person. And. That's what I want to think about. The next two weeks. So we've talked about. The causes.
[3:28] The next two weeks. Including today. We're going to talk about. The cures. Or at least some of the helps. But. Before we get started. On thinking more directly.
[3:39] About some of those. Possible cures. For depression. I want you to turn. In your Bibles. To John chapter 5. John chapter 5. And I want to begin.
[3:51] With a very important. Important question. And. After we think about. That question. I want to think about. God's redemption.
[4:02] What does that look like. Holistically. What does God's redemption. Look like. In its totality. Because. Those two thoughts.
[4:13] Of what this question is. And then. What is God's answer. What does God's redemption. Look like. We.
[4:23] See these. In John chapter 5. And they also help us. To get started. Thinking about depression. And how. God can help us. In that situation. So. John chapter 5.
[4:34] Just follow along. And let's read together. The first 15. Verses there. Sometime later. Jesus went up to Jerusalem. For a feast. Of the Jews.
[4:46] Now there is in Jerusalem. Near the sheep gate. A pool. Which in Aramaic. Is called Bethsaida. And which is surrounded. By five covered. Colonnades. Here.
[4:57] A great number. Of disabled people. Used to lie. The blind. The lame. The paralyzed. One who was there. Had been an invalid.
[5:08] For 38 years. When Jesus saw him. Lying there. And learned. That he had been. In this condition. For a long time. He asked him.
[5:18] Do you want. To get well. Do you want. To get well. Sir. The invalid replied. I have no one. To help me. Into the pool. When the water.
[5:29] Is stirred. While I am. Trying to get in. Someone else. Goes down. Ahead of me. Then Jesus. Said to him. Get up. Pick up your mat. And walk. At once.
[5:40] The man was cured. He picked up his mat. And walked. The day. On which he took. This took place. Was the Sabbath. And so the Jews. Said to the man. Who had been healed. It is the Sabbath.
[5:51] The law forbids you. To carry your mat. But he replied. The man. Who made me. Well. Said to me. Pick up your mat. And walk. So they asked him. Who is this fellow.
[6:01] Who told you. To pick it up. And walk. The man who was healed. Had no idea. Who it was. For Jesus. Had slipped away. Into the crowd. That was there. Later. Later.
[6:11] Jesus found him. At the temple. And said to him. See. You are well again. Stop sinning. Or something worse. May happen to you. The man went away. And told the Jews.
[6:23] That it was Jesus. Who had made him. Well. Now. We want to start with that important question. In verse six. Do you want. To me. To be.
[6:34] Made. Well. Do you want to get well. Is that a silly question. Well. Jesus asked it. So it can't be a silly question.
[6:48] It's not a silly question. And we need to really. Ask ourselves. Well. Why did Jesus. Say that. It's not a softball question.
[6:59] In order to sort of like. Provide an introduction. In order for. Jesus to do a miracle. It's a real question. That some people. Need asked. Here you are.
[7:10] With your problem. You are depressed. Do you want to get well. You're depressed. Do you want to get well.
[7:20] Now. What do you think. Why did. Why do you. Why do you. Why do you think. Jesus asked this man. That question. What are some possible reasons. That he would.
[7:31] Ask that. Can you think of some possibilities. Roger. Yeah. That's exactly right.
[7:42] Some people. Don't want to get well. Because. Then. They. They see. Oh. I'm going to have to take on. My normal. Big responsibility. He's again. And. It's not something. I want to do.
[7:53] That's maybe something. I'm afraid of. Maybe I'm lazy. Maybe. I'm. I'm. I'm afraid. That I'm going to get back. Into this situation. Whatever. They. They don't want to get well. Because of the responsibilities. That will follow.
[8:06] What else. Could there possibly be. Karen. They may not want to get well. Because. In order to get. You need it. So. The question is. Is. Are you going to do.
[8:16] What needs to be done. And some people. Don't want to do anything. For whatever reason. There could be lots of reasons. They don't want to do what it takes. So.
[8:29] Maybe the man sort of wanted to get better. I mean. He obviously did. But. He sort of wanted to get better. But he wasn't making all the use of the means to do that. Or. Or maybe this man had lost all hope of ever getting better.
[8:40] Sometimes that's what happens. The question gets ruled out. Before it's even asked. As if. I can't ever get better. So.
[8:50] The question of. Do I want to get better. Is. Is an irrelevant question. Those are all common scenarios. Doctors. Friends. Pastors. Counselors.
[9:01] Whoever are trying to help someone. Sometimes. Meet with the frustrating situation. Where the person isn't willing. To do. Some of the things that it takes.
[9:11] To get better. For whatever reason. They want to get better. But not really. Not enough to do anything about it. So my grandpa.
[9:25] When he was in his 50s. Had a heart attack. And afterwards. His doctor said. I need you to do five things. One. Stop smoking. Two. Stop smoking. Three. Stop smoking.
[9:36] Four. Quit eating so much red meat. And number five. Start exercising. And my grandpa. Always thought he did pretty well. When he did the first three. The question is.
[9:49] Is. Are you willing to do. Something. Are you willing. To take some steps. Yes. And so people do need to be asked. Do you want to get better.
[10:01] Depressed people need to ask that question. Not in a mean way. Not in a harsh way. Not in a condemning way. Not in a. I already know the answer.
[10:11] You don't really want to. Sort of. Caustic. Way. But. In the way that Jesus. Asked the question. I have help available. Do you want it?
[10:22] I have help available. Do you want it? And hopefully the answer will be yes. But the reality is. Sometimes deep down. The answer is going to be. No. Perhaps they've learned to live with.
[10:34] It. You know. It's their. It's a bad situation. But it's their bad situation. They're used to it. They're comfortable in it.
[10:46] Perhaps they've. Given up hope of ever getting better. And so they rule out the question. Before they even answer it. Perhaps they're frightened. If I do get better. Then I'm going to have to go back.
[10:56] To that real life. That's what Roger was talking about. Of responsibilities. That I don't do now. And that's frightening. Perhaps they. They miss the. They'll miss the attention. And the sympathy.
[11:07] That. Their condition. Elicits. And so the first question. We need to really begin. As we think about the cures. When we're thinking about it.
[11:18] Is. Do you want to get well? Do I want to be made whole? Nothing is going to get better. In you. Or in them.
[11:28] Until there is at least. Some kind of intention. In that direction. John. Five. Teaches us. To ask. And think about that question. But.
[11:40] John. Chapter five. Also teaches us. Something about. God's redemption. That is very helpful. I think. For thinking about this case. In this situation. Of depression. And remember.
[11:53] That's what we are talking about. However. They got there. We want to be. Instruments. In the redeemer's hands. God's redemption. Is going on. And so. We want to.
[12:03] We want to bring. To that person. God's rescue. God's salvation. And so. Looking at. John. Chapter five. How do you see. That Jesus.
[12:14] Brought. Rescue. To this man. Salvation. To this man. I see it. In two big ways. What's the first way. It's really easy.
[12:26] He healed him. Was this. If Adam and Eve. Never fell. Would this man. Be born. Where he couldn't walk. Was this the ideal condition.
[12:38] For this man. Was this. Living the good life. Well you know. No. He. This is a bad situation. This is a result. Of the fall. However it happened. He healed this man.
[12:50] In physical healing. And then in verse 14. What do you see there? Jesus didn't just heal him. Physically.
[13:01] Which was definitely. A part of the salvation. That Jesus was bringing. But what does he do. In verse 14. Yeah. Challenging him. To repent.
[13:11] He's meeting. He's meeting. His spiritual. Needs. So this man's rescue. Jesus. Rescue. In this man's life. First.
[13:22] Was physical. And now. At the end here. He says. You need to repent. He warns him. Of the judgment. To come. And so. Now. You know. The gospels. This is just one.
[13:32] Case of. Many. Many. Many. Where. How does Jesus come. He comes into the world. And he's bringing light. Into the darkness. And.
[13:44] He's God's agent. Of salvation. And the most. Important. Part. Of that salvation. The pinnacle. The greatest part. Is.
[13:55] Is the cross. And the resurrection. He is bringing. Redemption. From. The sins. Curse. From death. From the separation.
[14:05] Between man. And God. Between sinners. And God. That's the highlight. But there are also. Other aspects. Of this salvation. That Jesus brings. Along the way.
[14:19] There's Jesus teaching. Jesus teaching. Would not. By itself. Have been enough. To save anyone. But without. His teaching.
[14:30] We would be. In a really bad place. That is definitely. A part of. The salvation. That Jesus brought. Was to. Teach. Jesus is the good teacher. And teaching.
[14:41] Is a part of that salvation. And so. Into this world. Of. Of legalism. And confusion. And lies. And unbelief. And this confusion. About who God is.
[14:52] And what he's offering. Or the. The relationship. The men have. He's bringing the truth. He is the truth. He is the life. And so. He's this good teacher. That are. That's clearing out.
[15:02] The darkness. Clearing out. The lies. Undermining. Unbelief. He's clearing away. The dark. He's clearing away. The lies. That keep men. In bondage. And he's correcting. Men's thinking.
[15:14] About who God is. About who they are. About what salvation. Is. About what is needed. About what is required. About what is God done. So you can think of the sermon. On the mount.
[15:29] Think of the sermon. On the mount. Jesus ends with a wise man. Building his house. On the rock. And Jesus is saying. This is wisdom. This is what it means. To live wisely. For this.
[15:39] This life. And in view of eternity. You listen to my words. And if you keep them. They will save you. Through that great. Flood. Into the next world.
[15:50] So. So the gospel. Sees Jesus. Bringing salvation. Demands. Broken relationship. With God. Through the cross. You see Jesus.
[16:00] Bringing salvation. Demands broken. Confused. Thinking. But you also see. Jesus. Bringing salvation. Demands. Broken bodies.
[16:12] And even death. Think of Lazarus. Or the son. Of the widow. From name. All these healings. Show us. Jesus is saying.
[16:24] Or Jesus is bringing. And showing us. That God's salvation. Is flowing. Is going to flow. As far as the curse. Is found.
[16:35] As far as the curse. Is found. So Jesus doesn't just save men. Spiritually. In John chapter 5. He saves. This man physically. He saves him economically.
[16:47] He saves him socially. You think of the 10 lepers. That Jesus healed. He healed them physically. But you remember. Why they were all together. They were all together.
[16:58] Because they couldn't live. With their families. They couldn't live. Inside of a normal city. They couldn't keep. A normal job. And so when Jesus healed them. He not only healed them physically. He healed their.
[17:09] The relationships. And their families. He healed them. Economically. There. He. He. He. He healed their poverty. And so now. They can go back. And rejoin their families.
[17:19] And their community. Or you can think of Jesus. Healing the demoniac. Who lived in the graves. And he cut himself. So. He healed that man. From Satan's power. And that's part of the salvation.
[17:30] That Jesus is bringing. He rescued him. From Satan. He rescued him. From whatever was going on. That was causing him. To cut himself. Living in the tombs.
[17:41] And you remember. That man said. Oh I want to go with you. And Jesus said. No you go back to your town. And you tell everyone. What I did. He. He restored that man. To his family. And to his community.
[17:51] Again. Jesus. So rescued him. From Satan. He rescued him physically. He rescued him socially. He rescued him spiritually. He brought. Holistic. Altogether.
[18:02] Salvation. To this man. Now. That's God's. Redemption. In action. First. And most importantly. It is spiritual. It is about.
[18:13] That relationship. That God. And man have. That's the first priority. But. It is including. Or will include. All those other aspects.
[18:25] That we talked about. Physically. Mentally. Socially. Like I just said. We sing it. This time of the year. He may.
[18:36] He's come to make. His blessings known. As far as. The curse is found. Now. Of course. Even in all of that.
[18:46] We need to remember. What we talked about. Two weeks ago. I think. Of the already. And the not yet. Happening. Some of these things. Are already.
[18:58] Introduced. Some of these things. Are ongoing. But yet. Not experienced. Completely. But just because. Something isn't. All the way. Now.
[19:08] Doesn't mean. That. To some extent. Jesus. Isn't. It isn't. Starting now. It is holistic. It begins.
[19:19] And it finally. Will be. All. Encompassing. And so. We need to keep. That in mind. That Jesus. Doesn't just care. About our souls.
[19:30] He came to. Save our bodies. He came to save us. From sickness. He. He came to save us. Socially. We. We're even. Starting to see. A salvation.
[19:40] Here. As we live together. In peace. And love. That's something. That Jesus. Brought about. And so. That's why. We can talk.
[19:51] About. The physical. Aspects. Or the physical. Cures. And the. Of depression. We can talk. About the intellectual. Cures.
[20:01] The spiritual. Cures. Because Jesus. Is a total. Savior. He cures us. Physically. He cures us. Mentally. He cures us. Spiritually. And directly.
[20:12] Or indirectly. He has provided. For us. And brought us. Help. And so. I hope you realize. I'm not diminishing.
[20:24] The cross. Or spiritual. Matters. I'm saying. That God's salvation. Is total. Through the cross.
[20:35] And because of the cross. God's grace. Comes. And will come. To all. That is broken. In us. So.
[20:47] With that. In mind. We need to talk. About just one cure. This morning. For depression. And. Again. Each of these. Is going to be part. Of the whole package.
[20:58] But there's going to be. Four total. We're only getting to one. This morning. And the first. Is to cure your. Correct. Your lifestyle. That's the cure. For today. Correct. Your lifestyle. We talked about.
[21:08] Last week. That. That stretch. That can happen. Whether by choice. Or. By God's. Providence. And sovereignty. That stretch.
[21:19] That threatens us. Physically. Emotionally. Our spiritual. Well-being. And so. We want to talk about. Some practical points. About correcting. That lifestyle. And so.
[21:29] We have five R's. This morning. Five R's. In each case. These are good. For someone. Who is depressed. They are also good. For all of us.
[21:40] To keep us. Out of the situation. To give us. Resiliency. To. In life. In our lifestyle. And so. Five R's. This morning. And the first R. Is routine.
[21:51] Routine. One of. The keys. To a balanced. Healthy. Lifestyle.
[22:02] Is regular routine. Routine. Routine. Is one of the first things. That starts to go. And starts to fall apart. When someone. Becomes depressed. Or when they're on their way. To depression.
[22:15] And so. When their. Lifestyle. Falls apart. They become more depressed. And depression. Is this downward spiral. That is self-feeding. And so.
[22:25] Depressed people. Often. Find it difficult. To resist. Being pushed around. By their feelings. And I'm not saying that.
[22:37] In an unsympathetic way. But when a person. Feels down. He will often do. Only what he feels like doing. And avoid doing. What he doesn't feel like doing. And.
[22:48] So there you are. Not doing what you should do. And you avoid it. You shrink back. And. So now. How do you feel. When you're not. Living up to your responsibilities.
[22:59] How do you feel now. What. Worse. More guilty. More. So you feel worse.
[23:12] And you see the downward spiral. If you're depressed. You don't feel like getting up. So you don't. Or you don't feel like going to sleep. So you don't. You don't feel like working. So you won't.
[23:23] You don't feel like doing your laundry. And. You don't feel like doing your devotions. And so you don't. And then how do you feel. You feel guilty. You feel worse.
[23:35] And then. The problem is. You look at yourself. And you say. See. It really is true. I am worthless. I am worthless. And so you feel worse. And now you go down further.
[23:47] Then again. You feel like eating a tub of ice cream. There's probably something physical going on there. You're seeking. The hormones from carbs or something. But. At the end of the day.
[23:58] When you're looking at the bottom of an ice cream. Tub. That you just ate the whole thing of. Trying to feel better. You feel worse. You feel worse.
[24:11] One of the ways doctors diagnose. Clinical depression is. And this is one of the. They say. This probably needs to be there. Is rapid weight loss. Or. Weight gain.
[24:22] So you're. You're medicating yourself. By food. Or. You've lost all pleasure in food. Either way.
[24:33] You feel like doing something. And so you do it. Of course. When you're looking at the. Empty tub of ice cream. You start talking to yourself.
[24:44] I am disgusting. I am worthless. This is gross. I am gross. And you stare. And your pants are tighter. And. And now you say.
[24:57] Look. This is how I am. I'm really. And you feel worse. We were never meant to live sloppy.
[25:08] Just do whatever you feel like. Right now. In the moment. Lives. Those things. Promise. Happiness. But they deliver misery. We can tell ourselves.
[25:20] If I just do this. If I just give into these feelings. I'll feel better. But. It. It almost never works out that way. It gives you misery. Because.
[25:31] We're not living then. As image bearers of God anymore. Remember. There was an attribute of God. That the Corinthians needed to learn.
[25:42] When they were messing up the Lord's table so badly. They were all going in front of each other. And not thinking about each other. Just doing whatever they felt like. And Paul said. You know.
[25:52] Our God is a God of order. Not of disorder. He's a God who plans what he does. And does what he plans.
[26:05] Our God is. Has a purpose. And he accomplishes it. And that is the way we were meant to live. As image bearers of God. We were meant to have plans.
[26:15] To think about what we wanted to do. And then do it. To have a purpose. And then to accomplish it. We were made to live that way. That's how we flourish. So Satan and our flesh.
[26:28] Lies to us. And says. That's bondage. But that's freedom. When the train is on the tracks. Confined to those two rails. The train is most free.
[26:39] When the train is off the tracks. Free to go wherever. It is least free. And it is most dangerous. And so what do we need to do? Well. What do you need to do? We need to restore order.
[26:51] Start working on building a routine. That means starting small. And piece by piece. Building it back up again. If you really are depressed.
[27:04] You don't start with. I've got to fix my whole life immediately. Right now. You start with something small. To build up. To reverse. To reverse. This downward spiral. And so it doesn't.
[27:15] It doesn't start in the morning. It starts at bedtime. It means you go to bed. At a reasonable hour. In order that you can wake up. At a reasonable hour. At a regular time. And then you eat.
[27:26] At regular times. And only at regular times. Or having devotions. On a set schedule. Even if you don't feel like it. We're going to talk about that.
[27:38] A little bit later. But even that. It is not. I'm going to do one hour every day. It might be. I'm going to do ten minutes. For the next few weeks.
[27:49] Because that's all I can do. I'm trying to turn this around. The point is. Is that you want to. Get a routine. And rebuild. A sense of. Of self-control.
[28:01] Rebuild. A sense of usefulness. A sense of godly. Confidence. That's. That. That is saying. I am. I'm not worthless. I'm not gross. I'm not living without a purpose.
[28:11] I am doing things. And that glorifies God. It mirrors God. Who is a God of order. So. That's the first routine. Number two is relaxation.
[28:24] Jesus said. To his disciples. Come with me by yourselves. To a quiet place. And get some rest. If you're driving.
[28:35] Driving. Driving. Or if God has called you. To a very difficult. Ongoing. Stressful. Lifestyle. Either way. We need to find ways of rest.
[28:47] To get away. We're going to talk about rest. And another R. But here we're doing relaxation. And those are obviously.
[28:58] Not very far apart. But we need a Sabbath. We need a place to stop working. To relax. The whole created order. Needed a Sabbath.
[29:09] Sabbath. Not because of the fall. Not because of the fall. But because. It was a created. Limited. Thing. And God created it. In order to need rest.
[29:20] And on the seventh day. God rested. Setting an example. In Israel. Everything had a Sabbath. The land had Sabbath. People had Sabbath.
[29:33] And so that's where we should start. With a day. Of a week. One day a week. Of rest. Of relaxation. Of not working. Really not working.
[29:45] But honestly. We need to be building in more times. Of relaxation. Or. We need some.
[29:56] Speed bumps. In the road. To keep us. From going so fast. Slowing us down. Daily speed bumps. Daily slow downs.
[30:06] What would some daily. Speed bumps. Look like. Slowing down your life. Well. It might just be some guidelines. Like. No email after five. I'm just not taking any email.
[30:18] After five. No. No. Smartphone near your bed. Or no phone. At the table. Or think of. You might think of it like.
[30:28] I'm going to take a daily vacation. What does a daily vacation look like? Well. Like. Go for a walk. Sit in your day. In your chair. For 10. 15. 20 minutes. Read.
[30:39] In the summer. Sit outside. And. For 20 minutes. And just breathe. Be still. And know that I'm God. Slow down. God isn't just glorified.
[30:50] When we are doing. He's also glorified. When we stop doing. And just trust him. He's going to take care of things. He doesn't need us. For every single thing.
[31:03] He doesn't need us at all. So he's glorified. When we sit quietly. And let him be in charge. So daily bumps. Speed bumps. Weekly speed bumps.
[31:14] Like going to church. Like going on a date. Maybe just having coffee. Or going to the state park. And taking a hike.
[31:26] Quarterly speed bumps. So every three months. That might be looking like. Taking a whole day off. And a whole day. Extra day off. And going to the park. Getting outside.
[31:37] Walking. Just relaxing. And then annual speed bumps. Would be a vacation. No emails.
[31:50] No phone. No work. Unless someone is dying. To really unstring. The bow. And to do nothing.
[32:02] But what is. Enjoyable. And good. And strengthening. We need that. Not because we're fallen. But because we're just created. Limited. Our God goes without rest.
[32:16] He doesn't. Sleep or slumber. But you know what? That's not you. It's not us. So one cure for depression.
[32:27] Is relaxation. And it. It might just be. An extended vacation. Along with a lot of other vacations. Daily vacations. Well.
[32:38] If you won't do that. Or if you just say. You can't do that. Then you know what? That really is indicative. Of something spiritual.
[32:49] Going on. There is some. Confusion. And lies. There. Why do you. And you need to sit down. With someone. Pastor.
[33:00] A friend. Or a spouse. Or someone. You need to sit down. With someone. And get to the bottom. Of why you think. You are so absolutely vital. Why do you think. You are God.
[33:12] Or. What God. Are you serving? The real God. Delights in the welfare. Of his servants. The well-being. Of his servants. Idols. Never. Delight in the well-being.
[33:23] Of their servants. Idols. Only insist. On more. They are never. Satisfied. They never say. What Jesus said. That woman. Did what she could. They always say.
[33:34] I want more. I demand more. And so. You need to ask yourself. Or you need to sit down. With someone. Talk to someone. About what is going on. Spiritually. Because this idol. That you are worshiping.
[33:45] Doesn't love you. And you need to repent. Of worshiping it. So that's the second. R is relaxation. The third is. Recreation. And just by that.
[33:56] We mean exercise. Exercise. Again. So. I just want to say. What right. Do we have to talk about. Exercise in church. Well God made our bodies.
[34:07] God made our bodies. With certain needs. And he gives us. Certain wisdom. So moderate. Physical exercise. Does a couple of things. That really help in depression. One. When you are exercising.
[34:19] And taking care of your body. You are accomplishing something. You are doing something good. You are taking care of. The body. That God has given you. And. That's good.
[34:31] It gives you a healthy. Sense of accomplishment. I am not talking about pride. But I am saying. With a conscience. That commends you. Instead of condemning you.
[34:42] So. Number two. It releases hormones. That make us feel good. It's God's little reward system. For taking care of. Your body. Three.
[34:54] It increases. Your brain's plasticity. Which. That just means. Exercise. Helps your brain. Change. Change. When you're in depression. Part of it.
[35:05] Is this physical reality. That your brain. And all of its thinking patterns. And the way it's operating. Is really stuck in a rut. It just. Is going down the same thing. And it's getting worse and worse.
[35:16] And your brain. Is actually killing itself. But exercise. Actually helps your brain. Form new connections. Creates. New synapses. It releases chemicals.
[35:27] That actually cause your neurons. To grow. And to flourish. And the result is. Is that. Your spirit can be lifted. You can start to think new thoughts. And get your brain out of the rut.
[35:40] Now. It's not going to do it all by itself. But it will help. It will help. So exercise is like gardening.
[35:51] You're on your brain. Loosens up the soil. Put some air in there. Some water in there. It helps some growth again. That's the third. Fourth is rest.
[36:02] Again. What I'm talking about here. Is sleep. Sleep. Are you getting the sleep. That you need. Are you getting less and less.
[36:14] I won't go into much detail here. You can google. Good sleep hygiene. Good sleep hygiene. And what you'll find. Is how to create an environment.
[36:26] That's better to sleep in. How to create some habits. That are. That make it easier to sleep well. And after you. Have googled. Good sleep hygiene. Ask the Lord.
[36:37] To give you good sleep. Throw your cares on him. Cast your anxieties on him. Those problems. Let them be his problem.
[36:47] For the night. The Lord. Says. That he gives his loved ones. Sleep. Sleep is a good gift from God. And so. When you're googling.
[36:58] Good sleep hygiene. Pray. Lord help me to sleep. The fifth R is. And the last R is. Reprioritize.
[37:10] Reprioritize. So get your wife. Your husband. Your pastor. Your friend.
[37:21] Sit down. And sit down. With them. Or just really sit down with yourself. If you can be objective about this. Sit down with yourself. And have a real serious conversation.
[37:31] About how you can reduce. In what ways can you reduce. Your commitments. And obligations. Or at least. Reprioritize them. Reorder them.
[37:45] Maybe. You don't need to do so much. Again. I want to refer back to that. That. That heart question. That I said. You need to ask. Why do you think you're so vital?
[37:56] Maybe. You really need to come to terms. With your limitations. Maybe you need to really trust the Lord. With that. Whatever that situation is. And just let him deal with it.
[38:09] Maybe. Only one thing is needful. So Martha. Martha. Quit being so worried about everything.
[38:19] So much. So many things. Sometimes your friends. Or your family. Or your pastor. Might be able to give you the insight. And perspective. You need to see yourself. And your situation more clearly.
[38:31] We all get locked in. And we think. This is the way. It has to be. I've got to do this. Or there is no other options. And we get locked into that.
[38:43] And maybe that's just not true. So. Maybe we need someone. To help us see life more clearly.
[38:55] Maybe you need to realize. That God isn't piling all this on you. Maybe you are piling it all on you. Now. The promise is. That God will not give us more than we can bear. The promise is not.
[39:06] That in our sinfulness. We won't pile on ourselves. More than we can bear. And so. Part of that salvation. Is then for Jesus to come by.
[39:18] Through our friends. Through the Holy Spirit. And just take some of the burdens off of us. And. We reprioritize. We say. You know what?
[39:28] I need to do this first. But this other thing. It's really not as important. As I've been making it out to be. So. We're out of time. So the five R's.
[39:39] Routine. Relaxation. Recreation. Rest. And reprioritize. Next week. We're going to get to the three other cures. But we're dismissed for now.
[39:50] Man.
[40:12]