A8 - Thomasville Times - Saturday, May 8, 2010
RELIGION
What is depression trying to do to mei
WOMEN OF SEASONS
LaSHONDA CRAWFORD
Syndicated Columnist
“What can depression
do to me? I’m saved! I
have God on my side!”
Yes, that is true, hut
just because you are
saved and have God
on your side, it doesn’t
mean that depression
will not knock on your
door. Depression is a
powerful and influential
spirit sent by the enemy
himself. It operates in
many ways. The bible
reminds us to be care
ful when dealing with
the enemy, because he
uses wicked devices.
Isaiah32:7 says, “...
He deviseth wicked
devices to destroy the
poor with lying words.
Even when the needy
speaketh right.”
This means that the
devil wiU try to attack
those who maybe suf
fering from the circum
stances of life and in the
midst of their distress,
the enemy will send a
device, called “depres
sion” and it will try to
distract you, mislead you
into thinking that things
aren’t going to get better,
or your situation will
not change. Even when
others try to encourage
you in some circum
stances, that depression
spirit will block out the
words that are meant
to empower to you.
Depression can mani
fest itself in various
ways and just because
you are a child of God,
it doesn’t eliminate you
from being attack.
Don’t believe me?
Well, Isaiah 54.T7 tells
us, “No weapon that
is formed against thee
shall prosper; and every
tongue that shall rise
against thee in judgment
thou shalt condemn.”
This tells us that the
devices and weapons that
the enemy have designed
to attack us, will attack.
That battle is inevitable.
We cannot stop what
life has prepared for us.
Death, job loss, broken
relationships, foreclo
sures, changes and other
situations can not be
totally controlled by
us, things happen to
us unexpected. This is
how God strengthens
us, builds up our char
acter and our ability to
believe in Him and not
our faith in our jobs,
our relationships or our
money, but God has to
sometimes train and
direct our faith towards
Him, and Him alone.
Depression is a heavy
spirit that applies pres
sure to your mind, which
in turns affects your
body Everything has to
go through your mind,
your ability to believe,
the Word of God, your
emotions, your ability to
resolve problems; your
determination resides
in your mind. When one
makes up their mind,
anything is possible, so
depression attacks that
mind first to gain control
of the body and the emo
tions. It causes you to be
saddened by the prob
lems that you are facing.
This is not an ordinary
sadden, but it comes
attached with a heavy
spirit, the kind that
CHURCH NOTES
MayFest
Bethel United Methodist Church will
he holding its annual MayFest today
from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. MayFest will in
clude a buffet breakfast, yard sale, book
sale, bake sale, hot dog lunch and auc
tion. Breakfast will be from 7 to 10 a.m.
Hot dogs will be available from 10:30
a.m. tt) 1 p.m. The auction will begin at
10:30 a.m.
Poor man's supper
The UP group at West End United
Methodist is having a poor man’s sup
per today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is
a donation. The church is located at 600
Lexington Ave. For more information,
call 476-4550.
Gospel singing
Faith Baptist Church, 2954 Rob Cruthis
Road, in Archdale, will hold a gospel
singing featuring Salvation Sounds to
day at 6 p.m. For more information, call
(336) 587-0874 or (336) 491-3405.
Youth and children's choir
Zion United Church of Christ will be
led in worship by the youth and chil
dren’s choir on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The
choir will present the modern musical
parable. The Drum. The church is lo
cated at 130 Hasty School Road.
In Care and Conscience
presentation
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of
Winston-Salem, 4055 Robinhood Road,
will hear the Rev. Mary Grigolia pres
ent a sermon titled “In Care and Con
science” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. At the 9
a.m. pre-service forum, Gloria Fitzgib-
bon will speak on “Can Banks help the
Poor?” For more information, see uuf-
ws.org.
Second Sunday singing
Landmark Baptist Church, 6055 Sun
set View Drive, in Archdale, will have
its regular second Sunday singing at
2:30 p.m. with Woodsmen Quartet from
Batesville, Ind. Revival services will be
the following week, Monday through
Friday, at 7:30 p.m. with Brother Leon
ard Fletcher, from Mt. City, Tenn.
Jelly-making class
New Mt. Vernon United Methodist
Women will host a class on jelly making
Tuesday. May 11. at 6 p.m. in the Fellow
ship Hall. The instructor will be Jeanie
Leonard, Davidson County Home Ex
tension representative. This is open to
the public at no charge. Refreshments
will be served.
Community cookout
Hopewell United Methodist Church
will have a free community cookout on
Friday. May 14. from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The
menu will be hamburgers and hot dogs,
'fhis will be a true cookout, as the meal
fights any positive or
motivated word that at
tempts to lift you up. You
become emotional and in
some cases, you can’t see
an end to your problem.
This spirit cause you
not to fight back, even
when the Spirit of God
tries to tell you to pick
up His Word and read,
that spirit, that evil
spirit tries to distract
you from being obedient
to that voice that is cry
ing out for help, crying
to be feed so that it could
be utilized to fight the
wicked device sent by
Satan to destroy you.
In some cases, depres
sion can bring people to
different levels. Emo
tional distress can be
described in ways such
as crying for no appar
ent reasons or becoming
angry with others. And
sometimes as believers,
we can catch ourselves in
this mode and with the
grace of God, pull our
selves out. But it is not
aU true in every situa
tion, even Saints of God,
get pulled down further.
Depression has rela
tionships with other
spirits; like loneliness,
suicidal thoughts.
which can make impres
sions on individuals
whom, are not strong
enough to fight back.
If you are a weak
individual in Christ,
fighting more than one
heavy evil spirit can
result in a predictable
battle. You have already
given to the enemy, but
what the devil tells you
is that, “just give up, you
can’t win, it is alright to
quit, no one cares about
you, give up” The DEVIL
IS a LIE! You have to
begin fighting back.
First you have to real
ize that you are in war
fare. Second, you then
have to recognize the
devices that the enemy
has placed before you,
which in this case is “de
pression.” Tell the devil
that you know what he is
up to and call that spirit
out by its assigned name.
Third, pull up the Word
that has been hidden in
your heart, so that you
will not sin against God,
and put it on the devil.
Remember who you
are. Get up, look in the
mirror, wash your face,
clean house, I mean the
earthly vessel, and go
before God. If you have
to force yourself, get up
out of tha t bed. Open the
windows in the house,
open the doors, let the
air in your home, put
on some of your “good
clothes,” dress yourself
up, even if you don’t
have anywhere to go,
begin to make yourself
feel good physically first,
then began to strengthen
up spiritually. You can
fight! You can win!
Why? As believers, we
are more than conquer
ors and we can do aU
things through Jesus
Christ. Don’t let Satan
win, don’t let him defeat
you. Knovr what the
enemy is attempting to
do to you, for II Corinthi
ans 2:11 says, “Lest Satan
should get an advantage
of us: for we are not
ignorant of his devices.”
Women of Seasons
Ministry strives to reach
out into the community
in every way possible.
For more information,
contact Elder LaShonda
Crawford at (336) 225-0440
or email her at lashond-
acrawford@womenofsea-
sons.com. You may also
visit her website at www.
womenofseasons.com.
wiU be served outside under the shelter.
The meal is free to the public, however
donations will be accepted. The church
is located at 4540 Hopewell Church
Road, in Trinity. For more information,
call (336) 431-9507.
Country breakfast buffet
Hopewell United Methodist Church
will be having a country breakfast buf
fet Saturday, May 15, from 7 to 10 a.m.
The menu will be eggs, grits, biscuits,
gravy, pancakes, bacon, sausage, ham
and choice of beverage. Prices are $7
for adults, $3 for children ages 6 to 12
and free for children 5 and under. AU
proceeds will go to the buUding fund.
The church is located at 4540 Hopewell
Church Road, in Trinity. For more in
formation, call (336) 431-9507.
Sunday school breakfast
The Sunday School Department of
Zion Tabernacle F.B.H. Church, located
at 710 Douglas Drive, will be having its
annual Sunday school breakfast on Sat
urday, May 15. Tickets cost $6. For take
outs, call 476-6715. All proceeds will go
toward the youth.
Movie night
First Presbyterian Church of Thom
asville, 21 Randolph St., hosts d month
ly movie night, presenting films that
speak to Christian living and Christian
values.
The series is presented on the third
Saturday of the month at 7 p.m. Movies
are shown on a large screen with sur
round sound and high definition capa
bilities. Admission is free, and free pop
corn and drinks will be served.
Spirited discussion of the film themes
follows the showing. The movies pre
sented in April, May and June are true
stories dealing with taking risks and
rising to the situation at hand.
( May 15 - “The Great Debaters”
June 19 - “Invictus”
Mother's Day tea
Calvary United Church of Christ, 1410
Lexington Ave., will hold a Mother’s
Day tea on May 16 from 3 to 4 p.m. Music
will be played by Allan Alexander. Pro
ceeds will go toward the youth mission
trip to Ohio. To make a reservation, call
476-4113.
Chris Tomlin DVD showing
Kingdom Vision Ministries will hold
a showing of Christian recording art
ist Chris Tomlin’s DVD from his “Inde
scribable” tour on Sunday, May 16, at
6 p.m. For more information, call 687-
3599.
wvvw.tvilletimes.com
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Sybscife today — Call 8^-3511
ftilRF ME ftjSEJI
"As we celebrate Memorial Day, our reeiders
remember friends and family members who
bravely sacrificed their time, service and etren their
iives for our country and our freedom. With pride
and gratitude, we honor our heroic soldieirs and
salute the memory of those who paid the ultimate
sacrifice to protect and preserve our Freedoms.
LT. John
Smith
12 ye^of Service
>rps
Tving this country and
irything else that you do. We
appreciate it more than you know.
Love you
Your Family
Cost is $20,anil include? Photo^
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Mail entries to the High Poi^ Enterprise
PO Box lOOOy High Point, NC 27261
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Tributes will publish Saturday. May 29 in our annual
Memorial Pay Parade section In the Thomasville Times.