Are you setting on the deliverance of a nation?

For those who may not know I have had an ongoing battle with depression that goes back as far as I can remember. As I have gotten older and educated myself with facts and studies about depression and I have learned to handle and, in most cases, even stop the onset of depression in my day to day life. There are however times when just like anyone else things happen that take me by surprise and I have to work harder at staying above the fog. I have also learned that through prayer and continual reading and absorbing the word of God that as Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. “

Now I say all that to share this with anyone who may be struggling with depression, anxieties of any kind, self-esteem, self-worth, or just has lost the desire to do anything other than exist. First from my heart I want you to know that you are better and greater than any circumstance you may be facing. You have been placed here and now for far greater things than just where you are at the moment. If you would take a few more minutes to allow me to share I would like to explain why I know these things about you when even now in the back of your mind you may be thinking that I don’t have a clue who you are or what you are facing.

The ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America) says that:

• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

• Anxiety disorders affect 25.1% of children between 13 and 18 years old. Research shows that untreated children with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to perform poorly in school, miss out on important social experiences, and engage in substance abuse.

According to these statistics one in four children are dealing with some sort of anxiety condition before they ever reach adulthood. WOW! As a Christian all I can think of is what a large scale yet silent attack on the next generation. When we look at these children, we see the bright and the beautiful. Aspiring minds full of imagination and hope. When God looks into the eyes of these little ones, He sees the birth and deliverance of nations. Such a sly silent yet debilitating attack on society as a whole. When God spoke to Abram, he called out to Abrams seed, his offspring, the forming of a nation. He made a covenant with the nation that would be from the seed of Abraham. When God sent an angel to Gideon the angel called Gideon a mighty man of valor yet Gideon replied later that he and his family were the weakest in Manasseh and that he was the least in his father’s house. Yet God chose and used Gideon to deliver the Nation of Israel from the oppression and bondage of the Midianites. Gideon was a scared farmer hiding from the enemy yet God saw in him a mighty man of valor a deliver of nations. Moses was a fugitive from justice dealing with his own issues of self-worth when God called Him to deliver Israel. Peter was an arrogant, egotistical, prideful, hot tempered mess yet Jesus saw thru His mess and looked into his heart and thru moment of spiritual insight declared that upon Peter’s moment of revelation he would build his church.

So you see we must understand that it is important how we see ourselves. We are the next great revival, the next deliverer of the nations. The enemy would like nothing more than to smother you out silently before your time. You may be the next evangelist to the world, the scientist that cures all cancer, the mother, father or role model of any of these. But without you we may loose another generation before we get another shot at it. Your time is now. Please don’t allow that image in the mirror to dictate who you are not. Don’t silently sit and smother another great generation just because you can’t get over yourself. God loves you and he knows what obstacles you face. The psalmist said in Psalms 3:3 “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” He said that God guarded him and helped him lift his head above the fog!