OUTSIDE OF GOD, THERE ARE NO ANSWERS FOR THE WHY QUESTIONS. MANY CHURCHES TODAY HAVE ALLOWED THEMSELVES TO BECOME INEFFECTIVE BECAUSE OF COMPROMISES, LEADING TO A FUNDAMENTAL MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN.

DR. R. A. TORREY, RENOWENED PREACHER AND AUTHOR, STATED THAT NINETY-NINE CHRISTIANS IN EVERY HUNDRED ARE MERELY PLAYING AT BIBLE STUDY, AND THEREFORE NINETY-NINE IN EVERY HUNDRED ARE MERE WEAKLINGS WHEN THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, BOTH IN THEIR CHRISTIAN LIFE AND IN THEIR SERVICE. THERE ARE PEOPLE RAISED IN THE CHURCH AND HAVE GONE TO CHURCH THEIR WHOLE LIFE, YET HAVE NEVER BEEN SAVED…TO INCLUDE SOME IN THE PULPIT!

THE ONLY NUTRIENT MANY CHRISTIANS GET IS THE ONE HOUR ON SUNDAY THEY ATTEND CHURCH. DO YOU EAT ONLY ONCE A WEEK…NO… YOU NEED NUTRIENTS EVERY DAY IN BOTH YOUR PHYSICAL LIFE AS WELL AS YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE!

PSALM 121:2, “MY HELP COMETH FROM THE LORD, WHICH MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.” OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN GOD ONLY. WE ARE TO COMFORT OURSELVES IN THE LORD WHEN DIFFICULTIES AND DANGER ARE GREATEST.

TODAY I AM GOING TO BE GIVING YOU SCRIPTURE AND DATA TO SUBSTANTIATE THE SPIRITUAL DEPRESSION OUR NATION IS EXPERIENCING DUE TO THE LACK OF CHRISTIANS BEING BOLD ABOUT THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL! THE TYPICAL CHRISTIAN TODAY MELTS UNDER PRESSURE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL!

SO, CONCERNING SUICIDE, I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THE WHY QUESTIONS, AND I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT. THERE IS NO SINGLE CAUSE FOR PEOPLE COMMITING SUICIDE. JUST REMEMBER EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY HAVE KNOWN A PERSON FOR A LONG TIME, WE ALL HAVE AN INNER PERSON INSIDE OF US, AND WE JUST DON’T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THEM.

IT IS A HEART WRENCHING SUBJECT FOR SOME, AND NOT MUCH OF A THOUGHT FOR OTHERS. WHAT I WILL SAY IS IF YOU ARE IN A PLACE OF DESPAIR OR FEEL YOUR SITUATION CANNOT BE CHANGED OR ALTERED, PLEASE SEEK HELP. SEEK OUT A FAITH-BASED TRAINED COUNSELOR, A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, OR A PASTOR TO TALK ABOUT IT……….THERE IS HOPE! “COME UNTO ME, ALL YE THAT LABOUR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.” – MATTHEW 11:28

TODAY WE ARE LIVING IN A BATTLEFIELD: WE LIVE IN A TIME WHEN WRONG IS UPHELD AS RIGHT. “WOE UNTO THEM THAT CALL EVIL GOOD, AND GOOD EVIL; THAT PUT DARKNESS FOR LIGHT, AND LIGHT FOR DARKNESS; THAT PUT BITTER FOR SWEET, AND SWEET FOR BITTER!” – ISAIAH 5:20

OUR NATION IS HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION BECAUSE CULTURE HAS CHOSEN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE AND IS TRAVELING IT BLINDFOLDED.
2
IT IS AN IMMORAL MADNESS OF THE MEDIA, THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, HOLLYWOOD, BIG TECH, AND POLITICAL PARTISANSHIP WHICH HAS EXCHANGED DECENCY FOR POWER, WEALTH AND FAME. WE MUST BE PREPARED FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN PARAPHRASED MATTHEW 12:25 WHEN HE SAID, “A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND.” AS IN LINCOLN’S TIME, OUR NATION IS DIVIDED ONCE AGAIN, BUT NOW IT IS A DIVIDE OF PRINCIPLES POLITICALLY, CULTURALLY, AND MAINLY MORALLY AND SPIRITUALLY.

IT IS A SPIRITUAL WAR! THE WAR TODAY IS A COLLISION OF COMPETING VISIONS IN OUR COUNTRY. THEY CAN BE CALLED IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES. ADRIAN ROGERS SAID, “IT’S BETTER TO BE DIVIDED BY TRUTH THAN UNITED IN ERROR.” WE ARE IN A WAR CONCERNING VALUES AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES MAN HAS TO GOD. WE CANNOT STEER A NATION WITH TWO MORAL COMPASSES.

PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE THAT IS TRANSPIRING IN OUR NATION, AND WE BETTER BE PREPARED AS IT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE SEPARATING OF THE WHEAT FROM THE TARES… (MATTHEW 13:24-30) A STORM IS HERE, AND WE ARE NOW IN THE SMALL DROPLETS OF RAIN, BUT THE TORRENTIAL TORRENTS OF THE STORM ARE FIERCE, AND THE WINDS WILL FOLLOW BY THE STRIKE OF THE SHEPHERD AND THE FLOCK WILL SCATTER BY DOZENS, HUNDREDS, AND THOUSANDS. “THEN SAITH JESUS UNTO THEM, ALL YE SHALL BE OFFENDED BECAUSE OF ME THIS NIGHT: FOR IT IS WRITTEN, I WILL SMITE THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED ABROAD.” – MATTHEW 26:31

MY RESEARCH OF THE SUBJECT OF SUICIDE INCLUDES MEDICAL DOCTORS, PASTORAL STUDIES, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS FOUNDATION.
CONCERNING SUICIDES – IT IS PROVEN THAT ASKING SOMEONE IF THEY ARE THINKING OF SUICIDE DOES NOT PRESS THEM TO DO IT. ACTUALLY, THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE. PREVENTION IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS!

THE FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK A PERSON:
1. ARE YOU THINKING OF KILLING YOURSELF?
2. HOW LONG HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT?
3. DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?
4. DO YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO CARRY OUT THE PLAN?
5. IS THERE ANYTHING OR ANYONE THAT CAN STOP YOU?

SOME FACTS TO KNOW. WOMEN ATTEMPT SUICIDE THREE TIMES MORE THAN MEN, BUT MEN COMMIT SUICIDE THREE TIMES MORE THEN WOMEN. WHITE COLLAR WORKERS ARE HIGHER RISK THAN BLUE COLLAR WORKERS. DOCTORS ARE THE HIGHEST RISK.
DIVORCED PEOPLE COMMIT SUICIDE AT A HIGHER RATE THAN SINGLES. HOWEVER, SINGLES COMMIT SUICIDE AT HIGHER RATES THAN MARRIED.

THE STRESSORS FOR MEDICAL STAFF, THE FAMILIES, AND CLOSE FRIENDS OF VICTIMS CAN LEAD TO DEPRESSION, DESPAIR, EMOTIONAL BURNOUT OR SPIRITUAL DISTRESS. DEPRESSION IS NOW THE MOST COMMON SERIOUS MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER IN THE UNITED STATES.1 FROM 1999 TO 2016, SUICIDE RATES WENT UP 30 PERCENT IN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MANY OTHER STATES SAW AN INCREASE OF UP TO 58 PERCENT.2

SUICIDE IS A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE US.3 PHYSICIANS ARE AN AT-RISK PROFESSION OF SUICIDE, WITH WOMEN BEING PARTICULARLY THE MOST AT RISK, AND THE HIGH OCCURRENCE OF PHYSICIANS WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE SHOWS THE NEED FOR PHYSICIANS AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL ATTENTION AND BENEFITS FOR PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES.4

IN A STUDY OF 66,492 FEMALE REGISTERED NURSES AND 43,141 MALES, A FINDING THAT ATTENDANCE AT RELIGIOUS SERVICES AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK SHOWED A 68 PERCENT LOWER RATE OF ALCOHOL, DRUG OR SUICIDE DEATHS FOR WOMEN, AND A 33 PERCENT LOWER RATE OF ALCOHOL, DRUG OR SUICIDE DEATHS AMONG MEN, COMPARED TO THOSE THAT NEVER ATTENDED RELIGIOUS SERVICES.

RECENT FOCUS HAS SHOWN THAT TRAINING IS NEEDED FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO TREAT THE WHOLE PERSON, NOT JUST FOR DISEASE BUT FOR SPIRITUAL CARE.6 PREVENTION METHODS FOR THE WHOLE-PERSON CONCEPT INCLUDE THE KEY SOURCES OF BEING CONNECTED WITH CHURCH, COMMUNITY, FAMILY AND FRIENDS. ALMOST 50 PERCENT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO DIE BY SUICIDE HAVE SEEN THEIR PHYSICIAN OR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER WITHIN A MONTH OF THEIR DEATH, WHICH PLACES STRESS ON HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AS THEY FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT RECOGNIZING A TOUCH POINT FOR PREVENTION.7

DR. MATTHEW SLEETH, FORMER EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN AND CHIEF OF HOSPITAL MEDICAL STAFF, WRITES, “WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE PERSON IN MEDICAL SCHOOL, THERE WASN’T ANOTHER PERSON OF FAITH IN HIS MEDICAL SCHOOL CLASS. THE OTHERS MIGHT HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED BELIEF IN AN ABSTRACT CREATOR THAT STARTED UP THE WORLD AND WAS OFF DOING WHATEVER ONE DOES FOR AN ENCORE AFTER CREATING A UNIVERSE.”8

SLEETH TREATED A MAN IN HIS LATE TWENTIES THAT ARRIVED WITH A .22 CALIBER PISTOL WOUND TO HIS TEMPLE. THIS PHYSICIAN CHOSE TO WORK FOR RESUSCITATION VERSUS NOTIFYING THE TRANSPLANT TEAM, NOT FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS AS SLEETH NOTED, HE HAD NO FAITH AT THAT TIME.9 TIME PASSED AND SLEETH HAD TREATED A QUADRIPLEGIC THAT HAD NO USE OF HIS RIGHT HAND, OR HIS LEGS, AND THAT WAS PRESENTING A 102-DEGREE FEVER, WHOSE NAME WAS LEE BARRETT.10 MR. BARRETT VERY MUCH WANTED SLEETH TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND FIX IT AS HE WAS SCHEDULED TO SPEND THE WEEKEND WITH HIS PARENTS AWAY FROM THE NURSING HOME, AND HE REALLY DIDN’T WANT TO MISS THE TIME WITH THEM.11

INTERESTINGLY, ANOTHER MEDICAL STAFF PERSON POINTED OUT TO SLEETH THAT THE QUADRIPLEGIC WAS THE SAME MAN THAT HAD COME IN WITH THE .22 CALIBER GUN SHOT TO HIS TEMPLE. THE PATIENT’S PARENTS WERE ARRIVING AND HUGGED AND THANKED SLEETH FOR SAVING THEIR SON’S LIFE, WHICH THEY STATED HE GOT HIS FAITH BACK.12 “GOT HIS FAITH BACK.” SLEETH HAD HEARD THIS PHRASE BEFORE, BUT AT THIS POINT IN HIS LIFE HE DIDN’T THINK HE’D EVER PERSONALLY MET SOMEONE WHO HAD MADE THE CLAIM, YET BEFORE HIM WAS SOMEONE WHO HAD ACTUALLY MADE THE CHOICE TO DIE AND COME AS CLOSE TO IT AS ONE CAN POSSIBLY GET, AND THOUGH HE WOULD NEVER WALK, HE WAS GLAD TO BE ALIVE. HIS FAITH WAS WHAT MADE HIM WANT TO LIVE.

HEARING ABOUT THE POWER OF FAITH IS ONE THING, BUT SEEING IT FIRSTHAND IS ANOTHER.”13 FAITH, PARTICULARLY THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, LEADS TO FEWER SUICIDES VERSUS THE OPPOSITE WHERE THE LACK OF FAITH INFLUENCES SUICIDAL INTENTIONS, AND IT WAS NOW POINT BLANK IN SLEETH’S FACE AS HE LIVED THE MAJORITY OF HIS LIFE AS AN ATHEIST.14 SLEETH WROTE, “AS AN ATHEIST, I DID NOT UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING THAT WAS TAKING PLACE WITH THE FATHER, MOTHER AND QUADRIPLEGIC SON, BUT NOW THE SON HAD A REMARKABLE POWER OF FAITH; FAITH THAT GIVES MEANING WHERE NO MEANING EXISTED BEFORE; FAITH THAT PULLS THE BUNNY OF LIFE OUT OF THE HAT OF DEATH; FAITH THAT HEALS THE UNHEALABLE SCARS OF LIFE.”15

DR. AARON KHERIATY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AND DIRECTOR OF THE MEDICAL ETHICS PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, WRITES, “MOST PEOPLE WHO DIE FROM SUICIDE ARE SUFFERING SOME FORM OF DEPRESSION, WHETHER MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER, THE DEPRESSIVE PHASE OF BIPOLAR DISORDER, OR ALCOHOL AND DRUG-INDUCED DEPRESSIVE STATES.”16

DR. PRISCILLA HENSON, RESIDENT PHYSICIAN SPECIALIZING IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT COMMUNITY HOSPITAL IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA, WRITES, “THE ISSUE OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS STILL REMAINS A PROBLEM YEAR AFTER YEAR. FEW CAREERS HAVE SUCH ODD WORKING HOURS, AND SO MANY TRAUMATIC SITUATIONS AS THOSE IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY. THE HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS AND PHYSICAL PAIN THAT OFTEN COME WITH THIS JOB OPENS THE DOOR FOR NUMEROUS TYPES OF ADDICTION.”17

CONCERNING THE USE OF ALCOHOL, ABOUT 7 PERCENT OF AMERICAN ADULTS ARE CONSIDERED HEAVY DRINKERS, AND THE RATE OF PEOPLE WORKING IN THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSION MAKE UP 4.5 PERCENT OF HEAVY DRINKERS, AND YET EVEN WITH THE MANY TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR HEALTHCARE INDIVIDUALS, THIS RATE HAS RELATIVELY STAYED THE SAME FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS.18

A STUDY OF 55 PHYSICIANS REGARDING SUBSTANCE ABUSE FOUND THAT 69 PERCENT OF THESE SURVEYED MISUSED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AT LEAST ONCE DURING THEIR CAREERS WITH THE REASONS RELATING TO HIGH-STRESS LEVELS AS WELL AS EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL PAIN.19

CONCERNING ILLICIT DRUG ABUSE, IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TAKING ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES, BUT 5.5 PERCENT STRUGGLE WITH DRUG ABUSE, WITH MANY SEEKING TO RELIEVE DISTRESS OR BURNOUT AFTER LONG SHIFTS AT THE HOSPITAL OR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES.20

WE ARE ONE OF THE MOST ANXIOUS AND DEPRESSED SOCIETIES, AND THOSE IN HIGH PROFILE POSITIONS, CELEBRITIES, PEOPLE AT THE TOP OF THEIR FIELDS, HIGH-INCOME HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, AND WEALTHY PERSONS HAVE TURNED TO SUICIDE FOLLOWING THE DICTUM THAT MORE MONEY EQUATES MORE HAPPINESS, WHICH IS STILL THE MOST PERVASIVE BELIEF IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY.21

PROVERBS 13:8 STATES, “THE RANSOM OF A MAN’S LIFE IS HIS RICHES.” WHICH MEANS PEOPLE MAY DRIVE FANCY CARS AND LIVE LAVISHLY, YET THEIR FINANCES ARE IN RUINS. RICH PEOPLE ARE VULNERABLE TO CRIMES AND EXTORTIONS. THEY HAVE PUT THEIR SALVATION IN CORRUPTIBLE MATERIALISM.

JOHN 10:10 STATES, “THE THIEF COMETH NOT, BUT FOR TO STEAL, AND TO KILL, AND TO DESTROY: I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.” WHICH MEANS BAD PRINCIPLES ARE THE ROOT OF BAD PRACTICES…SO PUT NOT YOUR HEART TOWARD TREASURES OR RICHES, BUT RATHER PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD.
ANOTHER PATH TO THE MEANING OF LIFE THE WORLD LOOKS TO IS COMFORT, WHICH TELLS THEM TO CATER TO THEIR PHYSICAL DESIRES WHETHER IT BE LUXURIES, SEX, FOOD, OR THE SEARCH FOR MEANING IN BEING UNIQUE, WHICH IN TODAY’S SOCIETY TELLS US THAT WE CAN BE ANYTHING WE WANT TO BE IF WE DON’T LIKE SOMETHING ABOUT OURSELVES.22

IF WE ARE TIRED OF LIVING IN OUR CREATED BODIES, WE CAN VISIT A TATTOO PARLOR OR PLASTIC SURGEON TO GET WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN MEANING. IF THESE AVENUES FAIL TO SATISFY OUR MEANING FOR LIFE, WE CAN TURN TO ENTERTAINMENT AVENUES.

EACH YEAR, AMERICANS SPEND A SUM TOTAL OF AROUND ELEVEN SOLID WEEKS WATCHING TELEVISION, AND WE SPEND ANOTHER SUM TOTAL OF FIVE TO SIX SOLID WEEKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. TODAY MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF THE TEENAGE POPULATION SPENDS AN ADDITIONAL FIVE TO SIX WEEKS A YEAR PLAYING GAMES ON COMPUTER PLATFORMS.23

TODAY’S TEENAGER AVERAGES SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS A DAY STARING AT SCREENS FOR ENTERTAINMENT, SOCIAL MEDIA AND GAMING PURPOSES. THIS LEADS TO THE AVERAGE TEENAGER IN AMERICA HAVING VIEWED 200,000 ACTS OF VIOLENCE IN TELEVISION SHOWS, MOVIES, AND OTHER PLATFORMS BY THE TIME THEY REACH THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN.24

YET ALL OF THIS FAILS TO BRING JOY, SO THE NEXT FRONTIER LEADS TO DRUGS AND ALCOHOL, WHICH GIVES ANOTHER MEANS OF ESCAPE FROM OUR LIVES AS AN AVENUE TO PROVIDE PURPOSE AND MEANING IN LIFE, AND LEADS TO YET ANOTHER DISAPPOINTMENT.

NO MATTER HOW MANY WAYS WE CHOOSE TO DISTRACT AND ENTERTAIN OURSELVES, IF OUR SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE DOESN’T FIND ANSWERS IN THESE, WE INEVITABLY HAVE DIFFICULTY MAKING IT THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES THAT WE ALL ENCOUNTER IN LIFE.25

ISAIAH 41:10, “FEAR THOU NOT, FOR I AM WITH THEE: BE NOT DISMAYED; FOR I AM THY GOD: I WILL STRENGTHEN THEE; YES, I WILL HELP THEE; YEA; I WILL UPHOLD THEE WITH THE RIGHT HAND OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

WHICH MEANS AS WE SURRENDER OURSELVES TO CHRIST, WE BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD, JUST AS THE ISRAELITES WERE CALLED THROUGH ABRAHAM.
GOD SEEKS TO HELP US IN OUR TIME OF NEED.

1 JOHN 4:4, “YE ARE OF GOD, LITTLE CHILDREN, AND HAVE OVERCOME THEM: BECAUSE GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU, THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD.”

AT FIRST GLANCE, TODAY’S SUICIDE RATES APPEAR TO BE THE SAME AS THOSE IN THE GREAT DEPRESSION.26 IN THE 1930S, THE GREAT DEPRESSION SUICIDE RATE WAS 14 PER 100,000, AND TODAY THE RATE IS CLASSIFIED AS 14 PER 100,000.27 HOWEVER, AT CLOSER EXAMINATION, THE SUICIDE RATES ARE NO LONGER COMPARING APPLES TO APPLES OR EVEN APPLES TO ORANGES.

THE DEFINITION OF SUICIDE TODAY HAS LITTLE RELATIONSHIP TO NEARLY A CENTURY AGO. ONE MAY ASK WHY THE DIFFERENCE, AND THE ANSWER CAN BE FOUND IN TWO AREAS. ONE IS THAT IT IS HARDER TO KILL YOURSELF TODAY THAN IT WAS IN 1930.

TODAY, WE HAVE DRUGS THAT CAN BE USED TO REVERSE EFFECTS OF OVERDOSES, AND WE HAVE MEDICINES THAT CAN BIND TOXINS BEFORE THEY DO HARM.29 WE HAVE RELIABLE VENTILATORS IN HOSPITALS TO BREATHE FOR THE PATIENT UNTIL THE POISON THEY INGESTED OR INJECTED WEAR OFF, AND WE HAVE DIALYSIS MACHINES TO REMOVE POISONS FROM THE BLOODSTREAM.

 

IN ADDITION TO ALL THESE ENHANCEMENTS, WE HAVE REGIONAL TRAUMA AND POISON CONTROL CENTERS. OUR NATIONWIDE 911 EMERGENCY SYSTEMS HAVE HIGHLY TRAINED EMTS AND PARAMEDICS. A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THOSE WHO ATTEMPT SUICIDE BY FIREARMS, KNIVES, OR JUMPING CAN BE SAVED WHEN TREATED IN TRAUMA’S GOLDEN HOUR. IN 1930, MOST HOMES DIDN’T HAVE A PHONE. IN 2018, THERE WERE 48,000 SUICIDES IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT THERE WERE 1.4 MILLION SUICIDE ATTEMPTS.

 

IN 1930, THEY DID NOT HAVE THE LABS, EQUIPMENT AND MEDICINES WE HAVE TODAY AS WELL AS MANY HOSPITALS DID NOT EVEN HAVE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS, OR CHEMICALS TO IDENTIFY TOXINS, AND DEFINITELY NOT NARCAN OR DIGIBIND TO REVERSE THEIR EFFECTS. 32 TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION WHERE THE SUICIDE RATE WAS 14 PER 100,000, WE WOULD HAVE TO CALCULATE THAT TODAY’S SUICIDE RATE IS 300 PER 100,000.

 

THE GREAT DEPRESSION IS FAR LESS A MEASURING TOOL BECAUSE TODAY AMERICA IS IN THE MIDST OF THE GREATEST SPIRITUAL DEPRESSION IT HAS EVER EXPERIENCED. AMERICAN’S ARE CURRENTLY TAKING ANTIDEPRESSANTS AT A HIGHER RATE THAN EVER. TODAY, ROUGHLY ONE IN EIGHT AMERICAN ADULTS ARE TAKING A MEDICATION TO TREAT DEPRESSION, AND STILL THE SUICIDE RATE IS UP 30 TO 58 PERCENT IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS.

SECONDLY, TODAY OUR SUICIDE STATISTICS ARE LEAVING OUT CRITICAL DATA BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE KILLING THEMSELVES IN MASSE, YET THEY ARE NOT COUNTED AS SUICIDE DEATHS. OVERDOSES OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ARE NOW LISTED AS ACCIDENTAL DEATHS AS OPPOSED TO IN THE 1930S WHEN SOMEONE WAS FOUND DEAD WITH AN EMPTY BOTTLE OF PILLS, THEY WERE COUNTED AS A SUICIDE.35

THESE STATISTICS WERE BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, AND AT THAT TIME THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE WAS SETTING RECORD HIGHS AND UNEMPLOYMENT WAS EXTRAORDINARILY LOW. STILL THE SUICIDE RATE IN AMERICA HAD RISEN 30-58 PERCENT FROM THE PRIOR TWENTY YEARS.36 UNHAPPINESS WHILE THE ECONOMY WAS BOOMING POINTS TO THE MOREOVER EXPLANATION THAT WE AS A NATION ARE IN A SPIRITUAL DEPRESSION.

NOT SURPRISING, CALLS TO SUICIDE HOTLINES DURING THE SPRING 2020 CORONAVIRUS WERE UP 800 PERCENT.

BETWEEN 1996 AND 2010, A STUDY OF 89,000 PARTICIPANTS FOUND THAT MANY REMAIN PROTECTED FROM THE RISING TIDE OF DESPAIR AND WERE FIVE TIMES LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT SUICIDE IF THEY ATTENDED RELIGIOUS SERVICE OR WERE ATTENDED TO THROUGH RELIGIOUS PRACTICE AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK.

AS A COUNTRY, IT SHOWS WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THE GREATEST SPIRITUAL DEPRESSION WE HAVE EVER KNOWN. CURRENTLY TWO DOCTORS A DAY COMMIT SUICIDE. NURSES ARE DYING OF SUICIDE AT HIGHER RATES, MAKING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS THE HIGHEST RATE OF SUICIDE OF ANY PROFESSION.

WE NOW HAVE MEDICAL RESEARCH THAT PRAYER, RELIGIOUS FAITH, OR PARTICIPATION IN A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF DEPRESSION AND LOWER THE RISK OF SUICIDE.41 MAJOR EVIDENCE SHOWS THE EPIDEMIC OF SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION WILL ONLY GET WORSE IF THE ROLE OF GOD, FAITH, AND BELIEF IS NOT MOVED TO THE FOREFRONT OF DISCUSSION AND TREATMENT.

THE FIRST STEP IS ADMITTING THE PROBLEM, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE OPPOSITE IS DONE IN THE MEDIA AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY.43 THIS IS DONE BY REDEFINING THE DEFINITION OF BAD OR WRONG.44 TO SHOW AN INSIGHT, WE CAN DRAW A PARALLEL TO A TIME IN AMERICA WHEN DIVORCE WAS RARE BECAUSE SOCIETY CONSIDERED DIVORCES A MORAL FAILURE. BUT BETWEEN 1900 AND 1960, THE DIVORCE RATE IN AMERICA DOUBLED WITH NO-FAULT DIVORCE LEGISLATION.

BUT INSTEAD OF STANDING FIRM ON MORALS, DIVORCE BECAME STANDARD FARE IN MOVIES, SONGS AND LITERATURE.

WE MAY BE SEEING SUICIDE FOLLOWING THE PATH OF DIVORCE WHERE THROUGH SPIRITUAL SHORTFALL AND FAILURE ON OUR PART, SUICIDE BECOMES COMMONPLACE WHERE THEY BEGIN TO MAKE GREETING CARDS FOR SUICIDES, AND SOCIETY BEGINS TO NORMALIZE SUICIDE SO AS NOT TO CAUSE OFFENSE. THE MEDIA AND HOLLYWOOD YET AGAIN MAY RALLY THEIR ENTITIES TO ACCEPT SUICIDE AS NORMAL AND INVENT NEW, LESS OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE FOR SUICIDE.

THEY WILL NO LONGER SAY PEOPLE COMMITTED SUICIDE, AND THEY WILL NO LONGER CONSIDER IT A MORAL WRONG, BUT RATHER THEY WILL SAY PEOPLE ARE MAKING A LIFE CHOICE, A MATTER OF PERSONAL ALTERNATIVE, OR THAT IT IS A UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHT.

WE MUST REMEMBER THAT ONE WITH GOD IS THE MAJORITY! WE MUST BE INTENTIONAL IN SHARING THE GOSPEL. AS CHRISTIANS, OUR DESPARATION MUST BE FOR SOULS TO BE SAVED!!!

WE ARE TO BE OUR BROTHER’S KEEPER THROUGH OUR LOVE AND CONCERN. AS CHRISTIANS, WE ARE CALLED TO BE THE GOOD SAMARITAN, WHICH REQUIRES BEING WILLING TO STEP IN NO MATTER THE TROUBLE OR THE TIME NEEDED TO HELP. THE GOSPEL IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO MAN’S PROBLEMS. THE GOSPEL IS THE WELL THAT WE DRINK FROM CONSTANTLY. WHEN YOU REMOVE GOD FROM THE DIFFICULTIES, YOU’RE REMOVING THE ONLY ANSWER TO THE EQUATION.

EVEN THOUGH WE FACE TRIALS OF DISEASE, SICKNESS AND DEATH, OUR HOUSE IS BUILT UPON THE ROCK OF JESUS CHRIST.

A.W. TOZER, IF YOU COMPARE WHAT YOU OUGHT TO BE AND COULD BE WITH WHAT YOU AS CHRISTIANS HAVE BECOME, THEN YOU MAY NOT BE CONVERTED AT ALL. I AM CONVINCED THAT MANY CHRISTIANS ARE NOT TRULY AND SOUNDLY CONVERTED. MANY HAVE COME INTO MEMBERSHIP BY OZZING IN BY OSMOSIS, LEAKING THROUGH THE CELLS OF THE CHURCH AND NEVER REALLY KNOWING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BORN OF THE SPIRIT AND WASHED IN THE BLOOD….COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANS!

REMEMBER, THERE IS MEDICAL RESEARCH THAT PRAYER, RELIGIOUS FAITH, OR PARTICIPATION IN A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF SUICIDE. DUE TO THE WEAKNESS OF COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANS, WE HAVE ALLOWED OUR FAITH TO BECOME WATERED DOWN AND NO LONGER BORN OF THE SPIRIT, BUT RATHER BORN OF THE FLESH. THE MAN WHO IS ATTACHED, COMMITTED AND OBEDIENT TO CHRIST IS A SPIRITUAL MAN. HOWEVER THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN LOOKS AT AN OBJECT OF SITUATION AND DOES NOT SEE AS GOD SEES THEM.

THIS IS WHY OUR NATION IS IN ITS DEEPEST SPIRITUAL DEPRESSION IN HISTORY.
47 Ibid.