The 911 Handbook
Study Guide Answers
Lesson 9/Chapter 9
When You Are Depressed: The Elijah Complex
Answers are written in italics
Read 1 Kings 19:1-4
The Elijah Complex is when we lose all sense of God's presence, protection, and provision. Here are some thought patterns that cause us to acquire the Elijah Complex.
Thought #1: Your problem appears to be bigger than God.
When we get depressed, why do our problems appear so large?
Our problems appear large because we lose our perspective when we take our eyes off God. If we only concentrate upon our problems, they begin to grow in our minds causing a distorted outlook on life.
Read Romans 12:1-2. How can renewing our minds day by day bring back the correct perspective?
Renewing our minds day by day is a process whereby we receive God's perspective on our situation. Our problems are put in proper perspective when we see God is on His throne.
Thought #2: You see yourself as the only one with problems.
Elijah thought he was the only one left who served God (1 Kings 19:10). Why does depression make us think we are alone in dealing with our problems?
Depression makes us feel walled in, which creates a feeling of loneliness and self-pity.
Read 1 Peter 5:9. How can knowing that other Christians are experiencing the same problems encourage us?
If makes us realize that it's not out of the ordinary to have problems. We can encourage each other during troublesome times because at one time or another we all experience difficulties.
Why did God tell Elijah that 7,000 in Israel had not bowed to Baal?
Elijah needed to know God had preserved a remnant of people who refused to compromise. He needed to know others supported him as a prophet.
Thought #3: You lose hope for the future.
Read 1 Kings 19:4. How do we know Elijah was depressed?
He was fleeing from death and yet he prayed for death. He lost his desire to live.
Read the "Thought-Analyzer Test." Discuss how our thoughts can affect our emotions.
Our thoughts cause us to feel emotionally high or low. What we think about affects our moods.
What is the cause for most depression?
Most depression is caused by continually dwelling upon negative thoughts.
Read Proverbs 17:22. How can a joyful heart be good medicine?
Rejoicing releases endorphins in our bodies that correct the chemical imbalances caused by depression.
Explain why the two sons of the alcoholic father were completely different when they became adults.
They both interpreted their circumstances in a different way. One son claimed to be a victim of his circumstances, while the other son used his circumstances as a motivation to not follow in his father's footsteps.
How can we apply this lesson to our own lives?
Everyone is either a victim or a victor over circumstances. We must look at adverse circumstances as a school of learning from God to mold our behavior in a positive way.
What to do when you are depressed:
First, Put your hope in God.
In Psalm 42:5, David commanded his soul to hope in God. When we are depressed, why is it important to regain our hope?
Depression means a person has lost hope. The first step out of depression is to regain it so we have a reason to live.
How can we put our hope in God? (Heb. 4:16)
Through prayer we can draw near to God's throne of grace to receive grace to help in our time of need.
Second, Sing in the dark.
David said, "And His song will be with me in the night" (Psalm 42:8). Why is singing praise and worship to God important during times when we are depressed?
Worship is a spiritual weapon that pierces through the dark cloud of depression. When we praise and worship God, we take a huge step in combating depression by focusing our eyes back on God.
Read Acts 16:25-26. Discuss the correlation between Paul and Silas' singing to God and the miracle of being set free from prison.
It was no coincidence the earthquake came after they sang praises to God. This was a supernatural earthquake because it opened the prison doors and unfastened everyone's chains. God set them free as a result of them singing in spite of the way they felt after being beaten.
What parallels do you see in the spiritual realm?
When we sing praise and worship to God, he will set us free from the spiritual prison of depression.
Third, Rejoice it the Lord.
According to Philippians 4:4, how often should we rejoice?
We must rejoice in all circumstances, both good and bad.
Give two reasons when we should rejoice, even when we don't feel like rejoicing.
God commands us to rejoice at all times.
Rejoicing is the way out of our depression. If we don't start rejoicing, we may never get out of it.
Fourth, Reach out and help other people.
According to Dr. Viktor Frankl, those in the prison camps who focused on helping others were mentally and physically stronger. Explain why.
God has created us so that we must help others in order to be mentally and spiritually healthy. When we stop reaching out to others, our eyes are turned inward causing us to become self-centered.
Why is it necessary for a depressed person to turn their eyes from inward to outward?
Turning our eyes outward directs our attention away from our problems and toward others. We become others-conscious rather than self-conscious, which is part of the cure from depression.
Fifth, Change the way you view your problem.
When Moses sent the twelve spies into the promised land, ten returned with a bad report and two had a good report. Even though they all had seen the same set of circumstances, why did they have differing reports?
The ten spies programmed themselves to pick out the negative in their circumstances, while the two spies choose to see the positive.
How does this apply to our outlook on life?
We can choose to see the positive or negative in every situation in life. We will always see the positive when we understand God's promises are bigger than our problems.
What was the key factor in Barbara being set free from her depression?
Once she understood that God's promise could conquer her problem, she took action like David against Goliath and killed the giant of depression in her life.