Saturday, July 9, 2016

So, You Want to Commit Suicide?

If you’re a Christ-follower reading this, you’re probably wondering if I’ve lost my mind. Why would a follower of Jesus Christ want to kill himself?

The truth is that suicide is increasing among teenagers in general and among Christian teens in particular. So, it’s time to take action against suicide and look at it for what it really is: Satan’s attempt to rob you of your God-given destiny.

Why is suicide increasing among teens?
Because teens see the world as becoming more and more hopeless. They may also be experiencing personal problems that seem hopeless--like strife in the home, parental divorce, overwhelming temptations, identity crises, concern about their futures, and a host of other things that drag them down into depression.

Suicide is always the result of believing a lie--or more than one. Let’s take a look at some of the lies that lead to teen suicide and the truth that will set you free:

---LIE:  Your pain will never go away.

---TRUTH: No pain on this earth lasts forever. The only things that will last forever are God and His Word, your spirit and soul, and the virtues of faith, hope, and love. 

Scripture says this: For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.  Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever.  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.(2 Corinthians 4: 17-18)

---LIE: Your life is your own. You can do whatever you want with it.

---TRUTH:  Your life is not your own. It was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ with His Blood. Therefore, you have no right to take your own life. 

Scripture says this: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

---LIE: My family and friends will be better off without me.

---TRUTH: For every suicide, there will be 13-15 people who are directly affected and whose lives will never be the same. To kill oneself is an extreme act of selfishness in that the person committing suicide is thinking only of himself.


Scripture says this: "Do nothing from selfishness . . . .” (Philippians 2: 3)

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens. Most suicide victims were deeply depressed before killing themselves. Depressed people thing wrong thoughts that contradict God’s Word. Thinking wrong thoughts leads to chemical changes in the body that cause illness.

“Suicide is always the result of believing a lie--or more than one.” ~ Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

If you are struggling with the temptation to kill yourself, consider this:

1-Jesus loves you and has a great plan for your life. Satan hates you and wants to thwart God’s great plan for you.

2-You can overcome depression by reading and obeying God’s Word. When you are tempted to be depressed, begin praising God. Satan hates praise directed toward God, so when you praise God, Satan will flee.


In our next post, I will discuss depression and how to get rid of it.

Now, it’s YOUR TURN: Have you struggled with thoughts of suicide? Do you have a friend who struggles with such thoughts? Do you know of someone who has committed suicide? How did that person’s suicide affect you? Please post your comment in the box below. Thanks! :)

TWEETABLE:
“Suicide is always the result of believing a lie--or more than one.” ~ Dr. MaryAnn Diorio (CLICK TO TWEET)


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Copyright 2016 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Guy, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
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