SUICIDE IS A CHOICE

Suicide is a choice.
Yes I know that might freak you out a bit. But try to relax and not wet your pants fast. Suicide is a choice.
I don’t think you present a balanced view when you get up and go all #SuicideIsNotAChoice. Yes really, you don’t.
It makes me want to remind you of the set of choices Moses placed before the Israelites, “I have set before you, life and death….” That was a complete set of options.
But what fascinates me the most about that scripture, and what equally brings me to the same side as your underlying message, is the concluding part: “therefore choose life that you might live.”

A friend put up a WhatsApp status, two weeks ago, of this youngster that took his life. I was so saddened by the suicide note that I didn’t know when my eyes started leaking. “How do we help? What can we do to make things better?” I replied to the status. He answered me, emphasising the need to stand in prayer for the youths and somehow, that homed true.

Over the course of the next week, God started to take me through praying for young people like myself. Days later, I came on a WhatsApp group I belonged to, and saw posts from a few others saying how they’ve been praying individually and corporately for the same cause and I couldn’t be happier.

In case you’re already thinking: this is how you Christians go about and spiritualize everything.
You should know that the things that are seen are made from the unseen. The spiritual forever controls the physical.

I commented on that group, and someone asked me the spiritual cause of depression.
I’ll share my reply right below, but beyond trying to answer that question, therein also lays the reason why you should pray for your friends.

Here:
We all feel high and low. Life treats us to beautiful experiences and also those ones we don’t expect but the difference lies in our reaction.
When scriptures say: God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind. What does it mean?
At one point or another, we’ve all felt fear (and love too). But this scripture makes a subtle emphasis on how we should react to fear: shake it off, with the understanding that as children of God, this is not to be our state of mind. This happens by affirming the scriptures.

Note also that it was called: spirit of fear.

We get scared when we don’t know the next step to take but scriptures say the root cause is spiritual.
If my mind has been renewed to trust in the love of the Father, when I don’t know what the next step is, I don’t give in to that natural inclination to be fearful; rather, I talk to my Father in childlike faith casting all cares on Him.

What is the root cause of depression?
Let’s move from the known to unknown.
People are said to be depressed when they are in a state of feeling very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often unable to live in a normal way.
(Merriam Webster)

Scriptures equally mention a spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3)
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

I won’t make the effort to try to explain the actions of these negative spirits because I believe more energy should always go into knowing more of God and the operations of His spirit—because the spirit of God lords it over all these other spirit.

Depression happens when the believer takes his focus away from the promises of God. When he stops trusting; when he gives in to that primal emotion to sit down and just feel sorry for himself: he throws a pity party and starts bemoaning his fate and making all sorts of comparisons.

When one is working a job that drains their emotional strength and will to live, and insists on staying in the job= hello, depression
When a student keeps failing at subjects others find simple, and starts to think himself a failure= hello, depression.

So my dear, while the spiritual controls the physical, the signs are always seen.
To guard how we think, scriptures say: transform by the renewing of your minds— think the thoughts of heaven. (Rom. 12:2)
To encourage how we think, same scriptures say: we can have the mind of Christ. (Phil. 2:5)
I wouldn’t think Christ gave in to depressing thoughts.

We are not arguing if they will come.

I don’t think we can stop the wind of depression from blowing around but I think we can decide whether or not to open all our windows.

Also, when we saturate our environment (heavens) with positivity and God’s precious promises, it’d be hard to lose sight.

And again, I’d like to reiterate what has been said all over. You must have someone you can confide in; they help you through the tough times.
“I’m an introvert, I’m an introvert…” There is somebody you feel comfortable talking with.
I remember early last year, my defences were so down! I was always getting frightened by what the future held. See, I was making progress, darlings. But I always gave in to worrying about the future. Being someone who didn’t want to live a mediocre life, I let that fear that I’d end up small plague me. It was terrible! I kept seeing pictures of people who started with great strides but couldn’t finish through. You can’t understand this till you experience it—and I pray you don’t 
But do you know how God helped me, before I came to the truth myself? My friend.

When we talked, he’d often notice the swing in my mood and he’d ask: Chi, what’s the problem? After much much, I’d talk and pour out my fears. He’s a believer like me, so he’d build me up with the truth of the scriptures and other positive words. It wasn’t once or twice, it kept happening. But I felt freer talking about it. He’d repeat the routine.
I was doing things in life but it didn’t stop those feelings.
These were all till I started to believe those words myself. Till I allowed the scriptures take root and then I began to fight my battles myself.
Then, when those first signs of depressing thoughts came, I’d just counter with scriptures and the personal promises of God to me. I started receiving my salvation (which belief in Jesus Christ had already wrought for me).

I won’t go in to the time it was the fear that I wouldn’t live long. I started becoming afraid that I’d die young. It was at the same period of that other one. I used same therapy till I discovered also, my mojo Psalm (91). The last verse says: with long life will I satisfy you. I listened to a message where the preacher explained that ‘satisfy’ part. And all of a sudden I could sense Abba talking to me directly.
Till I was filled, there’s no going anywhere.
Till I had fulfilled all that He destined of me; till I walk my path and bless the lives I was called to bless, no going anywhere.
That knowledge cancelled the fears.

So, I feel I might have deviated from your question but I wanted to make it as practicable as possible.

Personally, when we look through our lives, we can see those moments. We’ve had episodes of fears but knowledge always cancels out fear.

Making daily effort can get tiring that we sometimes just think: this world is not my own, I’m just a passer-by…
But dear passer-by, you’re here to effect positives in this world.

So what do you do?
Agree to the Father’s strength: He says that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. So, on those tiring days, let’s make the switch to His strength.

Why are we praying? That our friends receive the power to make the switch. One takes his life because he has bought into the lie that he is all alone! When you understand that God is always with you (He even said it in scriptures: I’ll never leave you nor forsake you) then when you feel your lowest, and are despairing of life, you’d turn to your companion and let your Father take care of you.
So yes, when the spirit of heaviness (depression) comes, it takes away their eyes from the Father.
This is why we pray. Because the spiritual will forever control the physical.

Suicide is a choice; one I’d rather you didn’t choose.
Be your brother’s keeper, dear