Suicide Examined Biblically
HELP IS AVAILABLE.
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY OUT!
If you are considering suicide please take a second and read this:
Tell those closest person to you!
Tell a parent, relative, friend, school counselor, a professional counselor, or find a local pastor. Dragging a heavy load by yourself can be overwhelming, but if you let someone help carry your burden, it becomes far lighter.
Dial: 988
You can call the “Suicide Prevention Lifeline” and talk with someone right now. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7.
Follow up
Speak to a local church pastor in your area. Continue to reach out.
“Like the mold of the soul, severe depression grows in the cold dampness of isolation. You need to reach out. ”
YOU HAVE WORTH.
You are not a cosmic accident; you are not here by chance. The Bible says God (who is the essence of love) formed you in your mother’s womb, and that you were made in His image. You are unique, and handcrafted by the Creator; and because of that, your life has meaning. No matter where you’ve been, what’s happened, or what you’ve done, nothing can ever erase the incredible value God has placed on you as His creation and image bearer.
THERE IS HOPE.
The Bible tells us that by trusting in Jesus we have a “living hope,” a hope that is an anchor for the soul. If you don’t know God personally, you can, through genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Your sins will be washed away. His Spirit will come to live within you and will never leave you, and you’ll be given a new heart with new desires. Again, the Bible tells us that God is love. The meaning and purpose of your life is to truly love God and walk with Him. You can find healing, forgiveness, and hope in Christ.
DON'T GIVE UP.
Whatever you do, please, please don’t end your life. We love you and care about you as a person and will do everything we can to help you through this difficult time. When life gets tough its natural to want to end our lives, but it's not the answer, it won’t solve the issues, and in the end God allowed you to live for his Glory and not for you to take your life. Don't do it. It is not the answer.
SUICIDE: The result of seeking satisfaction & pleasure over God
It may be odd to consider this, but thoughts of suicide don't come solely from the negative things in life, but rather where our hearts and minds are within those things. Consider the completely content and happy child living in extreme poverty in some remote corner of the planet. To him, he has his soccer ball, friends, and is loved by his mother. We have iPad's, laptops, gaming consoles or PC's, food to eat (sometimes too much) and all the necessities this little guy across the world does not have. Yet we wallow and moan about what we don't have, not recognizing what we do have is far greater than not only what little Timmy across the globe has, but in fact greater than most people on earth since the dawn of time ever had. We are living in abundance, yet we still grovel and complain.
This is much like the Israelites who quickly forgot their bondage to Egypt which God set them free from. They not only groveled and complained about everything while they were literally being fed heavenly bread every day and all their needs where met, but they then went to the lengths of worshipping a Golden Calf! They complained and abandoned God while he provided their every need, during a time when the living God, was but a mountain away speaking with Moses. Surely the human heart is depraved and evil when you could be so close to God yet so far away. To have everything you need, but still hate life. The problem of depression and suicide is not life, it’s the heart and mind in corruption, with the wrong focus on life.
Suicidal thoughts and tendencies are a result of what your heart and mind seeks. We seek pleasure, satisfaction, happiness, and comfort. But because we are in a broken world, full of despair, sadness, we can never truly find it. Sometimes we think we do and we achieve some level of worldly pleasure, satisfaction, happiness, comfort and peace. However, you will quickly find out that none of these things can truly fill the hole inside of you. Nothing under the sun can truly justify and fulfill us. Nothing in this world will make our lives better. I have watched loved ones in vain seek medical help, medical testing, diets and foods, lifestyle changes, all of which can help, but none of which can satisfy. You see, our help, comes only from the Lord.
“My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
King Solomon in all his pleasure and riches was known to be the wisest and richest man that ever lived. (Aside from Christ's wisdom… being that he is God.) King Solomon pursued every “good” thing on earth in all of it's fullness and this was the conclusion of what he found in all of his pursuits:
““Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.”
Even King Solomon in all his wisdom and all his great wealth and exploits, hated life and realized none of it mattered and was all but a vapor.
Was it because he had too little?
Was it because he couldn't find love or every good thing?
Was it because he was unwise and therefore made bad choices?
No, no, and no. Solomon had everything, and yet at the end of it all, he realized he had nothing, apart from God.
Depression is a result of seeking satisfaction and pleasure in this world, and depression leads to suicide. Every time I myself (Chris) have had suicidal thoughts, and every time I've seen it in friends, and in loved ones as well as in the world, it always has the same issue of perspective that is the cause of it.
If you are living your life, with the desire to fulfill all your wants of earthly satisfaction and pleasure, of every avenue of comfort and help, that is outside God. You will be perpetually depressed and unfulfilled. You will seek these things in vain, and maybe for a while they will work, but ultimately they will fail when the joy wears off and it becomes lackluster and vain.
The problem for you is not lifestyle change alone, as while this can help relieve stress and absolutely is helpful, it does not solve the root problem, but rather covers it up. The root cause of your depression is your mind and heart that are wicked, they seek pleasure and satisfaction in all things but God. Take a moment to analyze your motivations.
Why are you sad?
Is the focus on not getting something from something here on earth?
Is pleasing God, and serving him at the forefront of your mind, or is it your own desires?
In the end, our sadness comes from looking at life, and being broken that the things in life are not fulfilling our desires and wants. What we want to accomplish, what we want to have in life is not happening. Idolatry occurs and our own lives become our god, and in essence ourselves. We focus on what we don’t have and worship what is evil... Ourselves, Instead of focusing on God.
THE CURE TO DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SUICIDE
You have been given LIFE by God. You have been bought with a PRICE by God. And he LOVED you enough to suffer and die for you, can you not take your eyes off your life and look to him, what he has done, and what you are worth?
Suicide is not the answer. Living life for God is, where depression is only present when we begin to look at our life for satisfaction and pleasure rather then our LORD who is the author of Joy and all that we seek. It is him, his word, and his way that is what we truly seek though we are blind to that fact, and it is not this world and everything in it. Everything here will pass away, yet you and I will continue, and if we are steadfast unto Christ, we shall be raised again on that glorious day and dwell with God forever in pure perfection. There will be no more tears, no more sadness, no more pain.
You must rise up, and overcome these thoughts and feelings and focus on God, his word, and his way, and you must not allow this life to dictate your happiness by being its slave, but rather BE A SLAVE UNTO GOD AND LET HIS LIGHT, HIS JOY, HIS PEACE PERMEATE YOUR EVERY THOUGHT.
Philippians 4:4-10
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
You are not alone, and you where bought with a price. We love you, very very much, and we are here for you, you have brothers and sister that are willing to according to Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
DO NOT TAKE YOUR LIFE.
YOU WERE PUT HERE ON EARTH TO LOVE GOD AND SERVE HIM AND BE FULFILLED BY HIM.
NOT TO BE FULFILLED BY THIS WORLD.
TURN TO HIM AND GIVE YOUR LIFE FULLY OVER TO HIM.
