Transcript
Ben Fallon: Today's question comes from Danielle who struggles with depression and anxiety. She writes:
I am prone to turn to sinful habits as sources of comfort, for example, binge eating, binge watching television, masturbation, etc. Most often I fall into these sins after first attempting to seek comfort from God through his Word and prayer, but I frequently come away feeling less than comforted or relieved after practicing these spiritual disciplines. Is it the case with God that his comfort waits to come until we have overcome our inclinations to certain sins, or is his comfort always their even if we don't feel it? I know he is true and perfect, so the issue must lie with me. I want to effectively find my solace in him and be rid of false comforts and idols, but I don't know what to do.
Paul Tripp: The first thing that comes to mind, as I hear this question and the struggle that it depicts, is, this may seem massively contradictory, but the comfort of God is often uncomfortable. We tend to want God's grace to be a soft pillow and a cool drink of water, but often God's grace is not like that at all. Yes, God meets me with his inexhaustible grace; his grace never gets tired, it never wears out, he'll never turn from it, but God's grace isn't passive or permissive.
Now what this means is that the good life of comfort, satisfaction, contentment, and joy, this is very important to understand, is found on the other side of sacrifice and surrender. I want to say that again, “The good life of comfort, satisfaction, contentment, and joy is found on the other side of sacrifice and surrender.” So, when I'm depressed and discouraged, I deal with that with sacrifice and surrender, not with numbing myself with sinful and addictive things. If you have a stiff back, the best way to handle that muscle stiffness is not medication, but it's the sacrifice of exercise. I know this because I've been in therapy a lot for my physical body. Now that's counterintuitive to us, because we think when we're discouraged, we're going to run to whatever comforts us. And if you do that with your back, you will become an addict, and that happens. So, you've got to run the opposite way, because true comfort, true satisfaction, true joy is found on the other side of sacrifice and surrender. You've got to do the exact opposite of what your natural inclination is.
That's why Jesus doesn't tell his followers to take up a bed and a pillow. He tells them to take up a cross and follow, because he knows the good, wonderful life of the redeemed is found on the other side of the cross. I mean, it's the whole gospel message. I like how Paul talks about this in Titus 2:11–14, because he's not talking about law here, he's talking about grace.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us (Are you ready for this? What trains us? Grace!) training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions (That's sacrifice.), and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives (That's surrender.), in this present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself (up) for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify (I can read, purify.) for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
There it is. Grace meets you first, not with what is comfortable, but meets you with a call to surrender and to sacrifice, “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life in this present age” while we wait. The waiting is not passive. Where is God's grace training me right now to renounce what is ungodly? Where is it training me to renounce worldly passions? A passion is a motivating emotion. Where is it training me to live in a more “self-controlled way,” a more godly way, right here, right now, “present age,” right here, right now? So when you are depressed, you immediately begin praying for the grace of surrender, that you would let go of all the things that would normally numb you, and find your hope, your life, your peace, in you, and you alone. Maybe that means you have to get rid of some things that are in your house that become your false messiahs. Maybe that means you have a person who has agreed to be the person that you call, and they remind you of who you are and who God is and what God has given you.
But I want to say something more. The primary purpose of the comforts of the Bible is not to give you immediate emotional relief. I think we make a mistake that that's what we require, “I have got to read the Bible, and it's got to give me a buzz; I have got to pray, and that gives me initial peace.” God has not promised that to you. The reason, for those comforts, is to remind you of his presence, of his promises, of his power in ways that make you step forward with renewed courage and hope, no matter how you feel, because you understand, “I am not alone.” I think we often demand changed emotions before we obey. And what Paul is teaching and what is taught in other passages is often emotional change follows obedience because now I have the joy of experiencing God helped me. He helped me to do something I don't normally do. He helped me to confess. He helped me to seek forgiveness. There's a joy that accompanies that. Joy often comes back when I look back and see how God has been with me, and how his grace has changed me. God doesn't promise you an immediate buzz, an immediate lift of your emotions; he promises that he will be with you, and he will bless you with his power.
So how do we live? We live as sad celebrants, often sad and discouraged with our struggle with sin, grieving our weaknesses and our failures. As we celebrate that, we stand secure in the love of our Lord, nothing can separate us from his love. We stand secure in his grace–it really is inexhaustible. We stand secure, not because today we've earned it, but because Jesus has earned it for us in his righteous life, his substitutionary death, his victorious resurrection, and his royal priestly ascension. In your depression, don't run toward what comforts you; run in surrender to your Savior!
BF: Well, thank you, Danielle, for your vulnerability to share, and please do continue to send in your questions to Paul Tripp Ministries for Paul to answer. You can do that online at paultripp.com/ask and fill out that form anonymously if you want. Or you can email us directly using ask@paultripp.com as the email address. Keep joining us each week for a new answer from Paul, and please, share these episodes with others so we can continue to connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.
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