Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie - Dealing With Depression

May 21, 2025 | S25:E121

Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.

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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - Dealing With Depression | May 21, 2025

Greg laurie: our job is to pray,
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God's job is to answer.
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So what are you facing right now?
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Do you have a problem?
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Do you have a conflict?
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Do you have a need?
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Do you need god's provision?
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Do you need god's healing?
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Are you looking for a mate
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To spend the rest of your life with?
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Have you--are you looking for employment?
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Are you looking for something else?
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Have you prayed about it?
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♪ this is the day ♪
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♪ the day when life begins ♪
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♪ this is the day ♪
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♪ the day when life begins ♪♪
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Greg: we're now looking at the last message
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In this elijah series and, in a sense,
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This is where elijah falls but he gets up again.
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We're gonna look at his fall and his recovery.
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And then, of course, this big event on mount carmel
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With fire coming down from heaven.
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But before the fire felled, something else had to happen.
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Bringing me to point number one if you're taking notes:
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If you wanna see god work, we must do our part.
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Again, if we want to see god work,
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We must do our part.
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1 kings 18:30: "then elijah said to all the people,
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'come here to me.'
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They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the lord,
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Which had been torn down."
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So we all immediately go right to the story of the fire coming
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From heaven but don't miss this point.
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Before the fire fell, the altar had to be repaired.
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And i ask you this question: does the altar of your life
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Need to be repaired?
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What do i mean by that?
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I mean, is there a hole in your foundation?
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Is there a problem in your spiritual life?
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You no longer read the scriptures every day as you once
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Did, prayer is no longer a part of your life as it once was,
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Your church attendance is erratic at best.
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Maybe your altar needs repair.
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We'll say things like, "i want the fire of god to fall on me
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Again," but maybe you need to first repair your altar.
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To the church of ephesus who jesus commended and then
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Critiqued, he said, "you know, you guys,
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You're discerning, you're hardworking,
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That's great, but i have this against you:
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You have left your first love."
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Then he says, "remember then from where you have fallen
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And repent and do the first works quickly."
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I call it the three "r's" of getting right with god:
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Remember, repent, repeat.
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First, remember.
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Was there a time in your life spiritually when you were closer
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To god than you are right now?
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Was there a time where you were more passionate in your faith?
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So you start by remembering.
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Then you repent, means change your behavior.
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You know, it's interesting 'cause jesus says,
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"remember from where you have fallen."
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We don't think of leaving one's first love as a form of falling,
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But according to jesus, it is.
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"remember from where you have fallen,
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And do the first works quickly," or repeat,
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Get back and do those things again.
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So, back to our story.
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They rebuilt the altar.
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Now the big contest is ready to happen: the shoot-out at
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The carmel corral, the battle of the gods.
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Elijah's come out of hiding.
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He's hard to miss, he's a very hairy dude.
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He chooses off baal.
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He says to king ahab, "let's have a shoot-out,
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Let's have a contest.
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Whoever has the right god let that god answer by fire."
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Amazingly, ahab agrees to this agreement.
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Why?
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Because, as i pointed out, @sinmakesyoustupid
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And he never should have agreed to this
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'cause he was gonna lose, for sure.
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And so now, elijah has summoned all the prophets of baal,
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The 450 prophets of baal and 400 prophets of ashtaroth
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Who are supported by jezebel.
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So there stands elijah, 850 to 1.
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But we know who's gonna win this one.
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Now let's see what happens.
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1 kings 18:27: "about noontime elijah began mocking them,
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Saying, 'you'll have to shout louder,' he scoffed,
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'for surely he's a god!
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Maybe he's daydreaming, or he's relieving himself.
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Or maybe he's away on a trip,
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Or is asleep and needs to be wakened!'
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So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom,
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They cut themselves with knives and swords
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Until the blood gushed out.
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They raved all afternoon until the time of
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The evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound,
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No reply, no response."
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We'll stop there.
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So, elijah's having a little fun at their expense.
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He mocks them and that's one of the reasons i like elijah.
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He was a mocking prophet and i am a mocking preacher.
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And so he says, "hey, maybe your god's asleep."
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Isn't it great to know god doesn't fall asleep?
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You ever fall asleep and then someone wakes you up
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And you deny you were sleeping?
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Why do we deny it; "you were sleeping."
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"no i--snort-- no i wasn't."
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Wait, you were, just admit it.
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Sometimes i get sleepy after i eat something heavy.
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And i ate this really thick chicken sandwich a while ago
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And i sat down at my desk and i closed my eyes
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And i want into a food coma.
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And all of a sudden i opened my eyes about 10 minutes later
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And i literally didn't know where i was.
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Like, "where am i? what happened?
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Do i need to go into some kind of rehab for this?
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I don't know."
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Isn't it great to know god doesn't go into food comas,
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God is never asleep at the wheel.
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He's always paying careful attention to us and what is
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Happening in our world.
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Psalm 121:4 says: "he that keeps israel
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Neither slumbers nor sleeps."
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2 chronicles 16:9: "the eyes of the lord search the whole earth
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In order to strengthen those whose hearts
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Are fully committed to him."
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So god's not just awake; god is alert.
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God is aware.
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God is omniscient which means all-knowing.
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God is omnipotent which means all-powerful.
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God is omnipresent which means present everywhere.
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That means that he's watching you and me and us
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And others simultaneously.
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How does he do that?
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I don't know but he does.
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He's god.
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Elijah also yells this and i have to draw attention to it:
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"maybe your god is daydreaming or is relieving himself."
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Yes, that's what it meant.
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"hey, maybe your god's sitting on the toilet."
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He was really mocking them big-time.
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And he says, "hey, maybe you guys should yell louder.
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Just yell louder."
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And so they're yelling louder, they're cutting themselves,
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And it's so clear that nothing is going to happen because
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Their gods are not real.
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As that passage says that we already read,
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"there was no answer," because there were
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No gods to give an answer.
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So here's what was happening: the lord was going to allow
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Israel to see the emptiness of their so-called gods
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So they would turn from those false gods and,
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Instead, turn to him, the true god.
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Now it's god's turn.
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"okay, you guys done. man, you made a mess.
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Blood everywhere. get out of here.
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Let's mop this place up."
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And he says, "all right, now we're gonna let the lord answer.
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Let's cover the altar with water."
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By the way, water was scarce.
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Don't forget, there had been a drought
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That lasted over 3 years.
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"douse the whole altar with water.
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Yeah, do it again.
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Yeah, let's do it one more time."
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Why?
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Because he wanted everyone to realize that when this answer
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Came, it was not a trick, it was the lord.
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And so, everything was now set, bringing me to point number two:
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Our job is to pray.
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God's job is to answer.
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Our job is to pray, god's job is to answer.
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So what are you facing right now?
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Do you have a problem?
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Do you have a conflict?
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Do you have a need?
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Do you need god's provision?
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Do you need god's healing?
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Are you looking for a mate
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To spend the rest of your life with?
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Have you--are you looking for employment?
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Are you looking for something else?
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Have you prayed about it?
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You know, the bible says: "you have not because you ask not."
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And then jesus said, "ask and it shall be given,
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Seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened."
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So there's your part and there is god's part.
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Our job is to pray, god's job is to answer.
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1 kings 18:36, look at that with me.
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"at the time of sacrifice, the prophet elijah stepped
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Forward and prayed: 'lord, the god of abraham,
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Isaac and israel, let it be known today that you are god
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In israel and i am your servant and i've done
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All these things at your command.
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Answer me, lord, answer me, so these people will know that you,
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Lord, are god, and that you
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Are turning their hearts back again.'"
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I love the confidence that elijah has in god.
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No screaming, no yelling, no cutting, no anything.
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"lord, will you answer this prayer right now?"
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So what happened then?
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Look at 1 kings 18:36, excuse me, 38:
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"then the fire of the lord fell and burned up
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The sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the soil,
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And then licked up the water in the trench.
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And when all the people saw this,
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They fell prostrate and cried, 'the lord, he is god!
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The lord, he is god--!'"
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The people realize now that god was in control
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But the lord wasn't done.
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He wasn't gonna just bring fire from heaven in answer
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To the prayer of the prophet.
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He was now gonna bring back the rain.
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Again, they'd been in a drought for over 3 years.
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Greg: hey everybody, greg laurie here
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With some thoughts about depression.
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You know, when people get depressed,
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They're usually depressed about one of these three things.
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Number one, they're depressed about their past,
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They're depressed about their present,
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And they're depressed and worried about their future.
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God addresses all of that.
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Interestingly, in romans chapter 8,
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Let's start with your past.
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You're depressed about your past.
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You said or did something you wished you had not done.
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Okay, here's what romans 8:1 says: "there is therefore now
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No condemnation to those who are in christ jesus.
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Listen, god doesn't condemn you; why do you condemn yourself?
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1 john 1:9 says if we will confess our sins,
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He's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse
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Us from all unrighteousness.
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God forgives you and god forgets your sin.
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Why should i choose to remember what god has chosen to forget?
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So that's number one, depression about my past.
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Then there's depression about the future, you're worried.
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"oh, what's gonna happen?
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What if this happens? what if that happens?"
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That is addressed in romans 8 as well where paul says,
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"i'm convinced that neither death nor life nor
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Principalities or powers or the worries for today or tomorrow,
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Will separate us from god's love."
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Listen to this: god's in control of your future,
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And god loves you.
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And nothing will ever stop god from loving you.
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God is not mad at you.
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God is mad about you.
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He can't keep his eyes off of you.
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Then we come to our present.
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You're depressed about your present,
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Something you're facing, some crisis.
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Remember, another verse, this is romans 8 as well,
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Verse 28: "for we know that all things work together for good
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To those that love god and are the called
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According to his purpose."
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So i hope those words encourage you a little bit
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That god has got you covered.
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Greg: you know, the bible says: "a good person
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Leaves an inheritance for their children's children."
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God encourages all of us as christians to manage
00:12:29.959 --> 00:12:33.629
Our money well so we can be a blessing to our families
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And to others.
00:12:37.433 --> 00:12:38.768
Harvest has a special gift for you today, an opportunity
00:12:38.768 --> 00:12:42.505
To set up a will or a living trust completely free of charge.
00:12:42.505 --> 00:12:47.910
Here's how you can learn more.
00:12:47.910 --> 00:12:49.979
Greg: i'm excited to announce that here at harvest
00:12:50.045 --> 00:12:52.381
We partnered with our friends at freewill.
00:12:52.381 --> 00:12:55.885
Freewill is an easy to use estate planning tool
00:12:55.885 --> 00:12:58.687
That allows you to make planned gifts to organizations
00:12:58.687 --> 00:13:01.891
Of your choice.
00:13:01.891 --> 00:13:03.359
It's a creative opportunity to support the work we're doing
00:13:03.359 --> 00:13:06.595
Here at harvest ministries.
00:13:06.595 --> 00:13:08.297
So as you make your plans, i hope you'll consider
00:13:08.297 --> 00:13:11.167
Investing in this ministry so we can continue
00:13:11.167 --> 00:13:14.203
To preach the gospel and teach the word of god
00:13:14.203 --> 00:13:16.839
For years to come.
00:13:16.839 --> 00:13:18.174
You can learn more at freewill.com/harvest.
00:13:18.174 --> 00:13:22.111
Greg: but elijah knew it was going to rain because the lord
00:13:24.380 --> 00:13:27.116
Revealed it to him, bringing me to point number three:
00:13:27.116 --> 00:13:31.220
God answers prayer the way he wants and when he wants.
00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:36.492
God answers prayer the way he wants and when he wants.
00:13:36.492 --> 00:13:40.062
1 kings 18:43: "'go look toward the sea,'
00:13:40.062 --> 00:13:43.599
Elijah says to his servant.
00:13:43.599 --> 00:13:45.634
He went up and looked.
00:13:45.634 --> 00:13:47.036
'there's nothing there.'
00:13:47.036 --> 00:13:48.370
'do it again, do it again.'
00:13:48.370 --> 00:13:49.705
Seven times his servant went,
00:13:49.705 --> 00:13:51.574
Then the seventh time he went and he said, 'well,
00:13:51.574 --> 00:13:54.543
There is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea.'
00:13:54.543 --> 00:13:58.247
So elijah said, 'you go tell ahab, "hitch up
00:13:58.247 --> 00:14:01.217
Your chariot and get down before the rain stops you."'"
00:14:01.217 --> 00:14:04.453
So this is kind of a funny twist in the story.
00:14:04.453 --> 00:14:06.689
There's a lot of funny little things in the life of elijah.
00:14:06.689 --> 00:14:09.391
Not just him telling the false prophets their god's sitting on
00:14:09.391 --> 00:14:12.728
The toilet, but this too.
00:14:12.728 --> 00:14:15.364
So, he says to ahab, "you better get back to the palace.
00:14:15.364 --> 00:14:18.367
Hurry, get in your chariot.
00:14:18.367 --> 00:14:19.702
Put your rain tires on.
00:14:19.702 --> 00:14:21.470
It's gonna be big rain."
00:14:21.470 --> 00:14:23.272
"there's no rain." "get in the chariot."
00:14:23.272 --> 00:14:25.474
So off ahab goes.
00:14:25.474 --> 00:14:26.842
I'm amazed that elijah even cares about king ahab.
00:14:26.842 --> 00:14:29.945
"i want you to get home safely," and as the king is making
00:14:29.945 --> 00:14:34.350
His way back to the palace, the scripture tells us
00:14:34.350 --> 00:14:36.452
That elijah passes him on foot.
00:14:36.452 --> 00:14:40.122
How fast do you have to run to beat a chariot pulled by horses?
00:14:40.122 --> 00:14:45.494
It's like elijah has become sonic the hedgehog.
00:14:45.494 --> 00:14:50.466
"what was that all about?"
00:14:50.466 --> 00:14:52.301
Amazing.
00:14:52.301 --> 00:14:53.869
And so, when king ahab gets home,
00:14:53.869 --> 00:14:57.773
He's gonna now give queen jezebel the news.
00:14:57.773 --> 00:15:01.710
1 kings 19:1: "when ahab got home he told jezebel everything
00:15:01.710 --> 00:15:05.981
Elijah had done, including the way he killed
00:15:05.981 --> 00:15:08.684
All the prophets of baal.
00:15:08.684 --> 00:15:10.486
So jezebel sent this message to elijah: 'may the gods strike me
00:15:10.486 --> 00:15:16.058
And even kill me, if by this time tomorrow i have not killed
00:15:16.058 --> 00:15:20.896
You, just as you killed them,'" referring to the false prophets.
00:15:20.896 --> 00:15:25.601
And now this verse: "elijah was afraid and fled for his life."
00:15:25.601 --> 00:15:31.540
So, when jezebel heard of what happened and how the prophets of
00:15:31.540 --> 00:15:36.078
Baal had been killed, she put a contract out on him.
00:15:36.078 --> 00:15:39.815
"hey, whack the hairy guy.
00:15:39.815 --> 00:15:42.484
His days are numbered.
00:15:42.484 --> 00:15:44.320
I want you to do this in 24 hours."
00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:47.189
Why?
00:15:47.189 --> 00:15:48.791
Why this wickedness?
00:15:48.791 --> 00:15:50.559
Answer: evil cannot tolerate righteousness.
00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:55.464
Have you ever noticed that the most intolerant people
00:15:55.464 --> 00:15:58.567
Are the people that talk the most about tolerance?
00:15:58.567 --> 00:16:01.603
They say christians are intolerant.
00:16:01.603 --> 00:16:04.506
I think that's not true.
00:16:04.506 --> 00:16:06.475
I think christians are very tolerant.
00:16:06.475 --> 00:16:08.944
You can take someone we don't agree with in any way
00:16:08.944 --> 00:16:11.213
While still show kindness to them, love to them,
00:16:11.213 --> 00:16:14.283
Share their point of view.
00:16:14.283 --> 00:16:16.118
Of course, we're gonna try to persuade them to believe
00:16:16.118 --> 00:16:18.921
What we believe from the scripture, but we're very
00:16:18.921 --> 00:16:21.757
Tolerant in that regard.
00:16:21.757 --> 00:16:23.359
That doesn't mean we endorse these things or agree with these
00:16:23.359 --> 00:16:26.128
Things, but we're tolerant in as far as we're willing to engage
00:16:26.128 --> 00:16:29.898
In conversation, but other people
00:16:29.898 --> 00:16:32.101
Are completely intolerant.
00:16:32.101 --> 00:16:33.836
Their view is not only can you not oppose my view,
00:16:33.836 --> 00:16:36.905
You can't even hold a view.
00:16:36.905 --> 00:16:39.375
I want to silence you.
00:16:39.375 --> 00:16:40.776
I want to cancel you.
00:16:40.776 --> 00:16:42.444
I don't even want you to have a voice in this conversation.
00:16:42.444 --> 00:16:45.814
Why?
00:16:45.814 --> 00:16:47.149
People do not come to the light
00:16:47.149 --> 00:16:49.518
Lest their evil deeds be exposed.
00:16:49.518 --> 00:16:52.421
You see, it's not that they can't believe that jesus was the
00:16:52.421 --> 00:16:56.392
Son of god, it's that they don't want to follow him because it
00:16:56.392 --> 00:17:00.229
May mean or it will mean that they have to turn from their sin
00:17:00.229 --> 00:17:04.533
And they don't want to do that.
00:17:04.533 --> 00:17:07.202
So jezebel, so quick to threaten,
00:17:07.202 --> 00:17:09.571
Is gonna face judgment herself.
00:17:09.571 --> 00:17:12.341
The bible tells us that she was ultimately eaten by dogs,
00:17:12.341 --> 00:17:16.145
And elijah predicted this.
00:17:16.145 --> 00:17:18.614
I told this bible story to a couple of my grandkids.
00:17:18.614 --> 00:17:20.649
They were really digging it, you know,
00:17:20.649 --> 00:17:22.684
Fire from heaven, rain, all this cool stuff,
00:17:22.684 --> 00:17:24.787
And then dogs ate her.
00:17:24.787 --> 00:17:26.622
"papa, no!"
00:17:26.622 --> 00:17:27.990
Yeah, this is what happened, okay?
00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:29.925
Listen, sin will have its pound of flesh,
00:17:29.925 --> 00:17:33.729
Like shylock in "the merchant of venice."
00:17:33.729 --> 00:17:37.599
He wanted his pound of flesh.
00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:40.402
Satan will get what he wants.
00:17:40.402 --> 00:17:42.171
He'll give you a few good times, a few pleasures,
00:17:42.171 --> 00:17:44.706
Then payday's coming and you're gonna pay up
00:17:44.706 --> 00:17:47.543
If you like it or not.
00:17:47.543 --> 00:17:49.244
The bible says: "the wages of sin is death."
00:17:49.244 --> 00:17:51.313
Notice it's "wages."
00:17:51.313 --> 00:17:53.849
You worked for it, now you're gonna get paid.
00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:55.951
You don't want that payment at all.
00:17:55.951 --> 00:17:57.753
So elijah hears this threat from jezebel.
00:17:57.753 --> 00:18:00.856
You would think elijah, the guy who called fire from heaven,
00:18:00.856 --> 00:18:03.992
The guy who raised a boy from the dead,
00:18:03.992 --> 00:18:06.695
A guy who stopped the rain, you're afraid of the threat of
00:18:06.695 --> 00:18:10.132
One woman?
00:18:10.132 --> 00:18:11.500
Yes, he was.
00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:13.235
Why, though? why?
00:18:13.235 --> 00:18:15.671
Simple answer, james 5:17.
00:18:15.671 --> 00:18:17.706
Because elijah was as human as we are.
00:18:17.706 --> 00:18:21.510
We put spiritual leaders on pedestals: bible teachers,
00:18:21.510 --> 00:18:26.248
Preachers, others.
00:18:26.248 --> 00:18:28.584
"oh, they're so spiritual.
00:18:28.584 --> 00:18:30.452
They never get down, they never get depressed like i do.
00:18:30.452 --> 00:18:33.589
Every day's great for them."
00:18:33.589 --> 00:18:35.624
They're human just like you.
00:18:35.624 --> 00:18:39.061
And here's a man of god who got really down.
00:18:39.061 --> 00:18:42.431
1 kings 19:4: "he went on alone into the wilderness,
00:18:42.431 --> 00:18:46.001
Traveling all day.
00:18:46.001 --> 00:18:47.569
Sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed he might die.
00:18:47.569 --> 00:18:52.241
And he said, 'lord, i've had enough.
00:18:52.241 --> 00:18:55.244
Take my life; i'm no better than my ancestors
00:18:55.244 --> 00:18:57.913
Who have already died,'" hmm.
00:18:57.913 --> 00:19:01.383
By the way, elijah was not the first man or woman of god
00:19:01.383 --> 00:19:03.752
To feel this way.
00:19:03.752 --> 00:19:05.354
Moses became so blue he asked god to take his life.
00:19:05.354 --> 00:19:09.658
Jonah, after the great revival of nineveh,
00:19:09.658 --> 00:19:12.194
Said the same thing.
00:19:12.194 --> 00:19:14.429
Even the apostle paul got so down,
00:19:14.429 --> 00:19:16.865
He said he despaired of life.
00:19:16.865 --> 00:19:19.401
Again, elijah was human, as we are,
00:19:19.401 --> 00:19:21.503
And emotions can get the best of us.
00:19:21.503 --> 00:19:24.039
So let me wrap this message up with some ways to deal
00:19:24.039 --> 00:19:27.109
With depression.
00:19:27.109 --> 00:19:28.977
And when i say this, i want you to know that i believe there is
00:19:28.977 --> 00:19:33.182
Something called clinical depression and you can go to
00:19:33.182 --> 00:19:36.652
Your doctor and you can talk to him or her about that.
00:19:36.652 --> 00:19:40.255
I'm not talking about clinical depression.
00:19:40.255 --> 00:19:42.824
I'm talking about the kind of depression we all may face
00:19:42.824 --> 00:19:45.861
From time to time when we get down in the dumps,
00:19:45.861 --> 00:19:49.965
Or down in the doldrums, or whatever it is.
00:19:49.965 --> 00:19:52.267
So here are some things you can take into your mind as you find
00:19:52.267 --> 00:19:56.405
Depression closing in on you.
00:19:56.405 --> 00:19:59.341
Number one, times of depression and vulnerability often come
00:19:59.341 --> 00:20:04.146
After great victories.
00:20:04.146 --> 00:20:06.748
Times of depression and vulnerability come
00:20:06.748 --> 00:20:10.852
After great victories.
00:20:10.852 --> 00:20:12.821
Don't forget, elijah has just had the greatest victory
00:20:12.821 --> 00:20:15.490
Of his life.
00:20:15.490 --> 00:20:17.059
In fact, everything in his life had built to this moment,
00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:19.861
You know?
00:20:19.861 --> 00:20:21.363
He's--goes into the court of ahab and says,
00:20:21.363 --> 00:20:24.099
"as the lord god lives, before whom i stand,
00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:26.702
There will not be rain but according to my word."
00:20:26.702 --> 00:20:28.537
Great entrance.
00:20:28.537 --> 00:20:30.172
The lord calls him into obscurity,
00:20:30.172 --> 00:20:32.174
First sitting by a little brook called cherith,
00:20:32.174 --> 00:20:34.810
Where the birds brought him food every day,
00:20:34.810 --> 00:20:36.878
And he drank from the brook.
00:20:36.878 --> 00:20:38.347
Then the brook dried up.
00:20:38.347 --> 00:20:39.915
Then the lord led elijah over to some poor widow woman who cared
00:20:39.915 --> 00:20:42.985
For him so he was off the grid.
00:20:42.985 --> 00:20:46.054
And then the lord said, "okay, you're ready," and he goes and
00:20:46.054 --> 00:20:48.624
Has this amazing moment on mount carmel and now this threat comes
00:20:48.624 --> 00:20:52.995
And he goes into depression.
00:20:52.995 --> 00:20:55.163
Maybe elijah was hoping that ahab
00:20:55.163 --> 00:20:57.266
Would come around spiritually.
00:20:57.266 --> 00:20:59.401
Maybe he even thought that jezebel would believe.
00:20:59.401 --> 00:21:02.504
But it was the opposite.
00:21:02.504 --> 00:21:04.806
Jezebel was angry and threatened elijah's life.
00:21:04.806 --> 00:21:08.944
So he was down,
00:21:08.944 --> 00:21:10.345
So maybe you took a bold step of faith for the lord, to do
00:21:10.345 --> 00:21:13.849
Something for his glory, and it went well, but immediately
00:21:13.849 --> 00:21:16.785
Afterwards you have this spiritual attack come.
00:21:16.785 --> 00:21:20.555
Bringing me to my next point about
00:21:20.555 --> 00:21:21.990
Dealing with depression.
00:21:21.990 --> 00:21:23.525
When you are depressed, do not isolate,
00:21:23.525 --> 00:21:26.495
But surround yourself with friends.
00:21:26.495 --> 00:21:29.731
When you're depressed, do not isolate,
00:21:29.731 --> 00:21:31.633
But surround yourself with friends.
00:21:31.633 --> 00:21:33.502
1 kings 19:4: "then he went on alone in the wilderness,
00:21:33.502 --> 00:21:37.372
Traveling all day."
00:21:37.372 --> 00:21:40.309
Elijah should have had a trusted friend who could encourage him.
00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:44.579
Often when we're down, we separate from people
00:21:44.579 --> 00:21:47.482
And we should do the opposite.
00:21:47.482 --> 00:21:49.451
Even jesus asked peter, james, and john to sit with him
00:21:49.451 --> 00:21:54.523
In the garden of gethsemane.
00:21:54.523 --> 00:21:56.692
Reason being, according to the scripture,
00:21:56.692 --> 00:21:59.594
His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
00:21:59.594 --> 00:22:04.232
Jesus didn't need a sermon.
00:22:04.232 --> 00:22:06.835
You don't need to preach a sermon to jesus.
00:22:06.835 --> 00:22:09.671
But he did need a little companionship.
00:22:09.671 --> 00:22:12.240
And that helps you.
00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:13.809
People give you perspective, you know?
00:22:13.809 --> 00:22:15.744
They tell you the truth, but elijah was all alone.
00:22:15.744 --> 00:22:18.847
And then elijah left that place, bringing me to point number
00:22:18.847 --> 00:22:22.317
Four, my last point: when you're feeling down,
00:22:22.317 --> 00:22:24.853
You need perspective from god's word.
00:22:24.853 --> 00:22:27.589
When you're feeling down, you need perspective
00:22:27.589 --> 00:22:30.459
From god's word.
00:22:30.459 --> 00:22:32.094
1 kings 19:8: "he got up and ate and drank,
00:22:32.094 --> 00:22:34.996
And the food gave him enough strength to travel 40 days and
00:22:34.996 --> 00:22:38.433
Nights to mount sinai, the mountain of god.
00:22:38.433 --> 00:22:41.903
There he came to a cave where he spent the night,
00:22:41.903 --> 00:22:44.606
And the lord said to him, 'what are you doing here, elijah?'"
00:22:44.606 --> 00:22:49.077
Maybe somebody listening to me right now finds
00:22:49.077 --> 00:22:51.780
Themself in a cave of sorts.
00:22:51.780 --> 00:22:54.549
You know, and maybe you've put yourself in that cave.
00:22:54.549 --> 00:22:58.086
You've made some bad decisions and now you're reaping the
00:22:58.086 --> 00:23:01.556
Inevitable consequences of that decision and you're saying,
00:23:01.556 --> 00:23:05.093
"why did this happen to me, lord?"
00:23:05.093 --> 00:23:07.195
And the lord's saying, "what are you doing here?
00:23:07.195 --> 00:23:10.599
Why did you go there?
00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:13.101
You know what would happen--you knew what would happen,
00:23:13.101 --> 00:23:16.972
Rather, and this surprises you?
00:23:16.972 --> 00:23:19.174
What are you doing? you should not be here."
00:23:19.174 --> 00:23:21.610
Jesus could have asked that question of simon peter when
00:23:21.610 --> 00:23:24.513
He's warming himself by the enemies of christ
00:23:24.513 --> 00:23:27.883
Around a fire after he had already denied the lord
00:23:27.883 --> 00:23:31.653
Once and was gonna do it again.
00:23:31.653 --> 00:23:33.321
The lord could have said, "what are you doing here?"
00:23:33.321 --> 00:23:35.690
The lord could have said it to samson when he laid his head
00:23:35.690 --> 00:23:39.428
Down on the lap of delilah who was about to give him
00:23:39.428 --> 00:23:42.464
A permanent haircut.
00:23:42.464 --> 00:23:45.734
"samson, what are you doing here?"
00:23:45.734 --> 00:23:47.636
He could say it to some people right now.
00:23:47.636 --> 00:23:51.206
"you know, i struggle with drinking.
00:23:51.206 --> 00:23:52.574
I don't know, it's such a struggle and when i was at the
00:23:52.574 --> 00:23:55.043
Bar the other day--" "wait, why are you at a bar?
00:23:55.043 --> 00:23:57.646
What are you doing there?
00:23:57.646 --> 00:23:58.980
In fact, why weren't you at church?
00:23:58.980 --> 00:24:01.216
You're over here doing the wrong thing,
00:24:01.216 --> 00:24:02.918
Hanging around with the wrong people,
00:24:02.918 --> 00:24:04.519
And now things are crashing down on you and you say,
00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:07.088
'why is this happening?' what are you doing there?
00:24:07.088 --> 00:24:09.524
Get out of that place."
00:24:09.524 --> 00:24:11.226
"well, i need god to get me out."
00:24:11.226 --> 00:24:12.561
Well, sometimes there's things that god will do and there's
00:24:12.561 --> 00:24:14.396
Things that we've got to do.
00:24:14.396 --> 00:24:16.331
Like jesus said to that man, he was disabled.
00:24:16.331 --> 00:24:19.568
He asked him, "do you wanna be made whole?"
00:24:19.568 --> 00:24:22.537
Why would he ask that?
00:24:22.537 --> 00:24:24.339
Do fish swim?
00:24:24.339 --> 00:24:26.074
Not everybody wants to be whole.
00:24:26.074 --> 00:24:28.477
Not everybody wants to be free from whatever addiction it is
00:24:28.477 --> 00:24:32.147
That has them.
00:24:32.147 --> 00:24:33.515
Not everybody wants to be free from the lifestyle
00:24:33.515 --> 00:24:35.717
They've chosen.
00:24:35.717 --> 00:24:37.085
Not everybody wants to be free from this sin that has a hold of
00:24:37.085 --> 00:24:40.889
Them, but some do.
00:24:40.889 --> 00:24:42.724
And if you wanna be free, if you wanna be healed,
00:24:42.724 --> 00:24:45.327
You say, "yes, lord, heal me."
00:24:45.327 --> 00:24:47.229
Call out to him and he'll hear your voice.
00:24:47.229 --> 00:24:49.764
He'll hear your prayer and just like he helped johnny--just like
00:24:49.764 --> 00:24:53.502
The lord helped elijah, he'll help you.
00:24:53.502 --> 00:24:56.771
But you need to call out to him.
00:24:56.771 --> 00:25:00.408
Maybe there's somebody listening to me right now, watching,
00:25:00.408 --> 00:25:02.477
Wherever you are, you need to call out to the lord,
00:25:02.477 --> 00:25:06.081
"i can't get out of this cave,
00:25:06.081 --> 00:25:07.782
I can't get out of this spot i'm in."
00:25:07.782 --> 00:25:09.317
Yes, you can.
00:25:09.317 --> 00:25:10.752
You reach out to jesus christ and he'll save you.
00:25:10.752 --> 00:25:13.955
Greg: maybe god has spoken to your heart and you have seen
00:25:18.093 --> 00:25:22.564
Your need for jesus christ.
00:25:22.564 --> 00:25:25.033
Jesus christ is the son of god
00:25:25.033 --> 00:25:27.335
Who came from heaven to this earth.
00:25:27.335 --> 00:25:30.405
He was born in a manger.
00:25:30.405 --> 00:25:31.907
He died on a cross.
00:25:31.907 --> 00:25:33.942
He rose again from the dead. why?
00:25:33.942 --> 00:25:36.711
Because he loves you, and he wants a relationship with you.
00:25:36.711 --> 00:25:39.814
Listen, i'm not talking about religion.
00:25:39.814 --> 00:25:41.917
I don't wanna be a religious person.
00:25:41.917 --> 00:25:43.885
I don't think you wanna be one either.
00:25:43.885 --> 00:25:45.787
I'm talking about relationship with god.
00:25:45.787 --> 00:25:49.157
Jesus, who died and rose again stands at the door of your life
00:25:49.157 --> 00:25:53.695
And he knocks and he says if you'll hear his voice and open
00:25:53.695 --> 00:25:56.998
The door, he will come in.
00:25:56.998 --> 00:25:58.767
Question: have you asked jesus christ to come
00:25:58.767 --> 00:26:01.436
And live inside of you?
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You might say, "well, i think so.
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I'm not sure."
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Hey, if someone moved into your house in the middle of
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The night, do you think you would be aware of it?
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I'm sure you would.
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And in the same way, if christ has come to live inside of you,
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You will know.
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And if you don't know, maybe he has not come in yet.
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He's just a prayer away.
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All you need to do is say, "jesus,
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I want this relationship with you.
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I want you to forgive me of my sin.
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I want to go to heaven when i die."
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Would you like to do that?
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Would you like christ to come into your life?
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If so, why don't you just pray this simple prayer with me?
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You can pray it out loud or you can pray it
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In the quietness of your heart.
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But this is a prayer where you're asking jesus christ to be
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Your savior and lord.
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Pray this with me now: "lord jesus,
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I know that i'm a sinner but i know that you're the savior,
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Who died on the cross for my sin
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And rose again from the dead.
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Now come into my life.
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I choose to follow you from this moment forward.
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Thank you for hearing this prayer
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And answering this prayer.
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In jesus's name, amen."
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Did you just pray that prayer with me?
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If so, i want you to know on the authority of scripture that
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Christ himself has come to live inside of you.
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"congratulations and welcome to the family of god."
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Greg Laurie - Dealing With Depression

May 21, 2025 | S25:E121

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