I truly appreciate your candor about the reality of suicidal ideology. Ideology is the dangerous place that few people care to discuss openly. It is a place that acknowledges the “right” to choose life or death. God, himself, spoke of that right in stating: “I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants” (Deuteronomy 30:19). The problem is about the fear that accompanies the acknowledgment that there is a choice and each person must embrace a choice. Of course, such a choice cannot be made unless all of the factors are considered. In order to do that, one must “give the devil his due” as the old saying goes. If one believes there is a God, it SHOULD follow that there IS a “false” god too (Satan). If God is about life, then it follows that Satan is about death. If God wants us to live then Satan wants us to die. Suicidal ideology is about listening and/or considering the voice and suggestions of death rather than life. Such thoughts can be overwhelming and convincing and unless one is taught the “antidote” in dealing with such thinking, one can easily make a bad choice. The antidote is found in person of Jesus. Calling upon HIS name and HIS blood puts such thoughts to flight along with the demons that accompany them. I know this may sound simplistic but that is the nature of the cure for suicide. “I can’t; He can; I believe I’ll let Him” is the summary of the first three steps of the recovery program. It BEGINS with knowing one’s powerlessness…at which point one must “find” the solution. His name is Jesus!
I appreciate the response. As a believer in Jesus, I agree with much of what you said, in the hope and light and choose life premise of God over death and Satan. However, I also struggle with that simplicity because I think that it's not always a conscious choice, with mental illness. The worst part of it is that depression lies and it's a convincing liar. In that I think that Satan uses mental illness against people to convince them of the darkness of death as preferable over light and life and inability to see beyond the hole they feel that they are in. My brother was a minister, held an M Div and had a strong faith in God. Yet, he still completed his own suicide. My father also always said that the good Lord will take you when it is your time. Yet, they both completed suicide. I must resist the idea that their faith was simply not strong enough; they were weak. I'm not saying you're saying that here, but I hear that comment made a lot and while not being entirely true, I also think it further harms the survivors because I don't think it's that simplistic.
It was a little over 50 years ago that I first attempted suicide. I believe that God rescued me from it being successful. It was in fact my “faith” (in Jesus} that rescued me from achieving a suicide the second time, as I had planned it more carefully. You see…I actually went into a church to say “good bye” to Jesus just before I took my life. Long story short, a priest seemed to appear out of nowhere and began to hear my confession, but then invited me to come back to see him each week…for 2 years!
At that time I’d discovered the crux of my problem, which was being hated by my mother as a very young child. I clearly remembered it. My new mission from that moment on was to find out how (or why) any mother could hate her own child. This “mission” kept me purposeful and I had not even had the thought of suicide in 50 years…
It did take me many years to discover the answer(s) to my quest (in God’s time; not mine) but I did. I was my mother’s 19th of 20 pregnancies AND I was born with a severe skeletal deformity, which led me to be sick a lot of the time, requiring “extra” care. This condition was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” (so to speak) because my mother had 13 other children to take care of beside myself. She lost the other six pregnancies through miscarriages. All the while, she was married to a man who had a serious drinking problem and was a chronic gambler too. In other words, she was running on empty! Unless one is receiving love, one cannot give it!
My search for answers was not easy not quick by any means. Over the years, I did discover that “believing” in Jesus was simply not enough. First, I had to get sober myself. That began 34 years ago this coming New Year’s Day, thanks be to God. Sobriety is itself a gift, as you well know. It offers the “possibility” of thinking things through and the use of reason (over feelings) once again. However, just because one is sober does NOT mean that Satan will be supportive. In fact, the opposite is true!
That’s why I spoke about the “spiritual battle” that ensues previously. I actually was on anti depression medicine for nearly 18 years. I’d seen a psychologist for 5 years and a psychiatrist for 16 years. All of this in addition to AA meetings and the like. These treatments certainly helped me to sort out the answers of which I was searching, but I was still dealing with demons that plagued me in many ways. Not having “maternal” love was like a “portal” that gave them a free pass, so to speak. That’s when I got very much involved with a “healing and deliverance” ministry.
The healing and deliverance ministry was like a “schooling” in a whole other part of my journey. It taught me that even though I believed in Jesus, it wasn’t enough. It taught me that I needed to “use” the tools that God provided by way of His Son. I needed to develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit, which was a whole other facet of my faith.
You mentioned mental illness and depression. Yes, that’s me. I’ve had both. And yes, God ALONE is the judge. Nobody has the right to judge anyone but Him. He alone knows the hearts and minds. He alone knows the “opportunities” (or lack thereof) that each of us have had. I suppose all of this doesn’t sound so simplistic. That’s because we (as human) are so limited to grasp the big picture. Who can claim to know the mind of God?
My grandson died by suicide this past June. He was 25 years old and left behind a wife and three little girls along with an extended family. I was so stunned by the news of his death that words cannot describe, as you well know. I wasn’t surprised though…because his dad died by suicide 12 years ago. Just weeks after this happened, (and for the first time in more than 50 years) I experienced suicidal ideology myself! I was shocked!!! Where did THAT come from???
That’s where my “schooling” in deliverance and knowing what to do came to my rescue. Demons never sleep. They are constantly prowling about the world looking for opportunities to kill.I needed to “exercise” my God given authority over these demons and command them to leave, and they did. I share this with you only because it is not mine to keep. I’ve been given a “gift” of knowledge about these thing for some purpose. Keeping me from completing a suicide is certainly a purpose but my sense is that others can benefit from it. God is in charge ALWAYS over life and death. My grandson could not have completed his suicide unless God allowed him to do so. His life (and death) matters…at least to me…enough that I will ALWAYS talk about both his life AND his untimely death.
I truly appreciate your candor about the reality of suicidal ideology. Ideology is the dangerous place that few people care to discuss openly. It is a place that acknowledges the “right” to choose life or death. God, himself, spoke of that right in stating: “I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants” (Deuteronomy 30:19). The problem is about the fear that accompanies the acknowledgment that there is a choice and each person must embrace a choice. Of course, such a choice cannot be made unless all of the factors are considered. In order to do that, one must “give the devil his due” as the old saying goes. If one believes there is a God, it SHOULD follow that there IS a “false” god too (Satan). If God is about life, then it follows that Satan is about death. If God wants us to live then Satan wants us to die. Suicidal ideology is about listening and/or considering the voice and suggestions of death rather than life. Such thoughts can be overwhelming and convincing and unless one is taught the “antidote” in dealing with such thinking, one can easily make a bad choice. The antidote is found in person of Jesus. Calling upon HIS name and HIS blood puts such thoughts to flight along with the demons that accompany them. I know this may sound simplistic but that is the nature of the cure for suicide. “I can’t; He can; I believe I’ll let Him” is the summary of the first three steps of the recovery program. It BEGINS with knowing one’s powerlessness…at which point one must “find” the solution. His name is Jesus!
I appreciate the response. As a believer in Jesus, I agree with much of what you said, in the hope and light and choose life premise of God over death and Satan. However, I also struggle with that simplicity because I think that it's not always a conscious choice, with mental illness. The worst part of it is that depression lies and it's a convincing liar. In that I think that Satan uses mental illness against people to convince them of the darkness of death as preferable over light and life and inability to see beyond the hole they feel that they are in. My brother was a minister, held an M Div and had a strong faith in God. Yet, he still completed his own suicide. My father also always said that the good Lord will take you when it is your time. Yet, they both completed suicide. I must resist the idea that their faith was simply not strong enough; they were weak. I'm not saying you're saying that here, but I hear that comment made a lot and while not being entirely true, I also think it further harms the survivors because I don't think it's that simplistic.
Thank you for your further comments!
It was a little over 50 years ago that I first attempted suicide. I believe that God rescued me from it being successful. It was in fact my “faith” (in Jesus} that rescued me from achieving a suicide the second time, as I had planned it more carefully. You see…I actually went into a church to say “good bye” to Jesus just before I took my life. Long story short, a priest seemed to appear out of nowhere and began to hear my confession, but then invited me to come back to see him each week…for 2 years!
At that time I’d discovered the crux of my problem, which was being hated by my mother as a very young child. I clearly remembered it. My new mission from that moment on was to find out how (or why) any mother could hate her own child. This “mission” kept me purposeful and I had not even had the thought of suicide in 50 years…
It did take me many years to discover the answer(s) to my quest (in God’s time; not mine) but I did. I was my mother’s 19th of 20 pregnancies AND I was born with a severe skeletal deformity, which led me to be sick a lot of the time, requiring “extra” care. This condition was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” (so to speak) because my mother had 13 other children to take care of beside myself. She lost the other six pregnancies through miscarriages. All the while, she was married to a man who had a serious drinking problem and was a chronic gambler too. In other words, she was running on empty! Unless one is receiving love, one cannot give it!
My search for answers was not easy not quick by any means. Over the years, I did discover that “believing” in Jesus was simply not enough. First, I had to get sober myself. That began 34 years ago this coming New Year’s Day, thanks be to God. Sobriety is itself a gift, as you well know. It offers the “possibility” of thinking things through and the use of reason (over feelings) once again. However, just because one is sober does NOT mean that Satan will be supportive. In fact, the opposite is true!
That’s why I spoke about the “spiritual battle” that ensues previously. I actually was on anti depression medicine for nearly 18 years. I’d seen a psychologist for 5 years and a psychiatrist for 16 years. All of this in addition to AA meetings and the like. These treatments certainly helped me to sort out the answers of which I was searching, but I was still dealing with demons that plagued me in many ways. Not having “maternal” love was like a “portal” that gave them a free pass, so to speak. That’s when I got very much involved with a “healing and deliverance” ministry.
The healing and deliverance ministry was like a “schooling” in a whole other part of my journey. It taught me that even though I believed in Jesus, it wasn’t enough. It taught me that I needed to “use” the tools that God provided by way of His Son. I needed to develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit, which was a whole other facet of my faith.
You mentioned mental illness and depression. Yes, that’s me. I’ve had both. And yes, God ALONE is the judge. Nobody has the right to judge anyone but Him. He alone knows the hearts and minds. He alone knows the “opportunities” (or lack thereof) that each of us have had. I suppose all of this doesn’t sound so simplistic. That’s because we (as human) are so limited to grasp the big picture. Who can claim to know the mind of God?
My grandson died by suicide this past June. He was 25 years old and left behind a wife and three little girls along with an extended family. I was so stunned by the news of his death that words cannot describe, as you well know. I wasn’t surprised though…because his dad died by suicide 12 years ago. Just weeks after this happened, (and for the first time in more than 50 years) I experienced suicidal ideology myself! I was shocked!!! Where did THAT come from???
That’s where my “schooling” in deliverance and knowing what to do came to my rescue. Demons never sleep. They are constantly prowling about the world looking for opportunities to kill.I needed to “exercise” my God given authority over these demons and command them to leave, and they did. I share this with you only because it is not mine to keep. I’ve been given a “gift” of knowledge about these thing for some purpose. Keeping me from completing a suicide is certainly a purpose but my sense is that others can benefit from it. God is in charge ALWAYS over life and death. My grandson could not have completed his suicide unless God allowed him to do so. His life (and death) matters…at least to me…enough that I will ALWAYS talk about both his life AND his untimely death.