Good day, Mdm!
This week, we will do a case study related to Spiritual Warfare... I refer to this new I read yesterday:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/robin-williams-hanged-himself-with-a-belt-police-2014-08-12
Another one bites the dust. Yesterday morning, I saw the news that Robin Williams passed away. According to the report, initial evidence points to "a suicide due to asphyxia," (asphyxia refers to suffocation or lack of supply of oxygen to body). Not sure if he choked himself intentionally since it is a suicide. (afternote: Indeed, he hang himself)
Apparently, he has been battling severe depression of late. What a waste. With all due respect, someone who has gained great fame and well respected for his outstanding acting, won numerous prestiges awards and brought many laughter and joy to the audience, sorted to end his life by committing suicide? It make us think what life is all about? Fame and wealth is not the answer to life, if it is so, Williams won't have to seek death. I'm using the word very carefully here. Seek - an act of looking out for. We know the answer to life. It is so simple, to trust Jesus and His finished work but yet many prefer to choose the ways of the world, which can be devastating most of the time.
On further reading the news, it reveals that Robin Williams was addicted to cocaine. Here's what he said about having cocaine:
"Cocaine for me was a place to hide," Williams told People in 1988. "Most people get hyper on coke. It slowed me down. Sometimes it made me paranoid and impotent, but mostly it just made me withdrawn. And I was so crazy back then — working all day, partying most of the night — I needed an excuse not to talk. I needed quiet times and I used coke to get them."
Do you see the similarity between the things of this world and the things of God? We, Christians said that we take refuge under His wing (God is our hiding place). Here, Cocaine was his hiding place. We said that God is our peace, here the cocaine slowed him down. We said that we have quiet times with the Lord, here he had quiet times with cocaine. The only difference is one lead to life and the other lead to destruction. Amen!
Whenever you hear people saying "I'm addicted to.... so and so." What it simply mean is that that person is in bondage to that particular thing. The saying goes" Whatever catches your attention, catches you." Cocaine was with Robin since he joined the entertainment industry. This bondage hang on to him all these years, and then came alcoholism abuse. I'm very sure drugs & alcohol goes together very well. I've seen with my own eyes in the days of my youth the partying "spirits" love these combination.
Ah... now we are talking about "spirits". Very much in line with our discussion on Spiritual Warfare. I want to bring to your attention to what Robin Williams said in the news:
"It's the same voice thought that… you're standing at a precipice (cliff) and you look down, there's a voice and it's a little quiet voice that goes, 'Jump,'" Williams told Diane Sawyer. "The same voice that goes, 'Just one.' … And the idea of just one for someone who has no tolerance for it, that's not the possibility."
When asked why he relapsed, Robin answered: "It's [addiction] — not caused by anything, it's just there… It waits. It lays in wait for the time when you think, 'It's fine now, I'm OK.' Then, the next thing you know, it's not OK. Then you realize, 'Where am I? I didn't realize I was in Cleveland.'"
Can you see that the devil wanted him death? That "voice" was the voice of the devil, of course! If Jesus came to give us life and more abundantly, it doesn't take a smart to know that death is not part of God's plan. By the way, Jesus has conquered death. What it mean is we,as Christian, no longer fear death. We have eternal life, Amen!
Addiction (bondage), as its name imply (bond), will bind us until we intend to remove it. When a person is in bondage, he may or may not know that. He will be bound as long as he remain bind by his circumstances. I remember during my Poly days, I was addicted to the HK drama series to the point I neglected my studies. Until I failed one of the subjects, I realized I needed to "break free" from this addiction.
A smoker will not quit smoking until he intend to. And as important he need to know how to. Bondage has the tendency to lure the addicts back to them. That's why many addicts may have made up their minds to quit their bad habits but if they do not have the "know how", they will eventually return to their addiction. We have the answer. We have a Savior who will deliver us from all bondage when we surrender our situation to Him. Amen!
When we look at his case and trace the root of William's death, it is apparent the cause of his death begin with depression.
What is depression? The definition is
Sadness or downswings in mood are normal reactions to life’s struggles, setbacks, and disappointments. Many people use the word “depression” to explain these kinds of feelings, but depression is much more than just sadness.
Some people describe depression as “living in a black hole” or having a feeling of impending doom. However, some depressed people don't feel sad at all—they may feel lifeless, empty, and apathetic, or men in particular may even feel angry, aggressive, and restless.
Let look one step further... What cause sadness, downswings in mood? Where does it originate? Our minds, our thinking, isn't it? When we see or we hear something negative, it processes in our brain and produce the negative emotion. Depression is described as an negative feeling very much like "living in black hole ". It is a negative emotion which has taken deep roots.
So if we want to deal with the problem of suicide, we deal with the depression. And when we want to deal with the depression, we deal with the thinking. If a person's mind is always full of condemnation and judgement, be it towards himself or others, it is a matter of time such thinking will produce negative results in his life. Because our thinking determine our behavior. Right thinking (believing) produce right living. Amen!
I hope this case study does open up your spiritual "eyes". The ways Spirit works is to bring the "unseen" to "seen". God spoke and the universe come into existence. Likewise, the evil spirits try to inject our minds with toxic and negative thinking. And by doing so, bring forth negative behavior and when not handle carefully with lead to death.
Read the story again, it says"voice". I'm sure that same "voice" convince Williams to hang himself. Imagine how much condemnation he must have gone through. That remind me of Judas in the Bible. He was remorseful about betraying Jesus and hang himself.
Condemnation kills... That's why in John 3:16-17 (AMP) it says:
16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([d]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
I can't stress (i'm not stressed lest I fall into depression...;)) enough Jesus said " Peace...let not your heart be troubled." Rest on His finished work, nothing we do more can make it more perfect. It's all about Him, none of us. Receive His grace and be blessed in your coming in and going out. He said " I will never fail you nor forsake you." What He did on the cross is not to condemn us, but to bless us, Amen!
With that, I leave you this verse to meditate :
Deuteronomy 31:6Amplified Bible (AMP)
6 Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.
Grace & peace be with you.
Shalom,
Bro
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