Spiritual Depression

I am amazed at how great this book is. I was researching Dark Night of the Soul and I think I was turned onto this book after reading a quote by A. W. Tozer. However I came upon it, I am so glad I did. It is immensely enlightening, convicting, and spirit-led. The way this work positions you in front of a mirror and shows you who you are in Christ is breathtaking. Highly recommend.

Every believer should read this book!!

This book identifies all the traps and ruses Satan and we put into our minds to deter us from moving forward in our walk with Jesus. Very easy to read, yet great help comes from reading it. A classic.

This book is incredibly helpful for anyone who is struggling with depression. While the copy I got from here was a little more banged up than I anticipated, I would not have changed getting it.

This is an excellent book for those who are seeking peace and joy through God.

The author is a pastor, not a psychologist. Nevertheless he is a renowned pastor and blessed with good insight. I enjoyed the book and managed to finish it. Though some of it was redundant, and his definition of spiritual depression doesn't, IMHO, fit the traditional definition of depression, it was an interesting book to read.

As always, Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones is communicator par excellence. He takes God's Word and opens it up in such a way that even I can understand. I can relate to his explanations and find them very helpful.

A really old time pastor with a clear message

First of all, I have struggled in the past with depression, but I was not depressed at the time I read it. I was fighting discouragement (which is perhaps what I might call low-grade depression). I read this book mainly because it came so highly recommended from a variety of sources, one of them being R.T. Kendall. Kendall states that this may be his favourite book by Lloyd-Jones, and I'd have to agree that it's an amazing book! But perhaps an equally suitable but less provocative title might have been "Encouraging Yourself in the Lord", for that is what Lloyd-Jones describes in each chapter: how the Scriptures teach us to avoid discouragement and how to encourage ourselves when we're struggling spiritually. Lloyd-Jones approaches this subject with a deep love for God's Word, a thorough understanding of its teaching on this topic, and a gentle and loving heart toward any who may struggle mightily in this area. I found chapter after chapter enormously relevant and applicable to my own life, and was encouraged by the many Christ-centered, Word-based antidotes that Doctor Lloyd-Jones prescribed.

This is an EXCELLANT read! I wouldn't recommend anyone reads this in the those of an episode of depression as it is a difficult read in terms of the amount of information coming towards you and the starting chapter, which focuses on the cause of spiritual depression, remember SPIRITUAL depression is our failure to know who GOD really is in our lives, although it is hard to admit, I would have to say the author is absolutely right.I have worked through this book SLOWLY. Taking into account each chapter and praying and thinking it through in relation to my own life and it has really taken what was once shaky ground and made it more solid, my relationship with the Bible is more tighter and I really invest time in applying each word, devouring it and letting it dwell in my mind. I found this has helped manage my spiritual depression- or depression I experienced in life and my decisions are more fruitful, my hope rests in God and I see I'm a work in progress. A wonderful read.

This is indeed a spiritual classic. For a book to gain the status as a classic, it must withstand the test of time with its relevance; it must speak to people of all ages. Twenty one chapters to analyse and treat the phenomenon Dr Lloyd-Jones called Spiritual Depression, this is one thorough dissection of our everyday issues, which we may or may not even identify in ourselves until we read this book. It was a good observation of Dr Lloyd-Jones and today, I think many suffer from the same condition, which is not always systematically addressed.This book fills the gap if our churches do not pick this up and equip us to confront it. It is a tool to help us diagnose ourselves if we suffer in any way from the symptoms. You may not think that you are not spiritually depressed, but really the book is about the obstacles to leading a Christ-filled life and how to overcome them in order that we can untie God's hands and release the full blessing of Christ in our life. I believe many Christians, me included, fall short of a Christ-filled life, partly because we do not know what it should be like in the first place. After the elation of our conversion, we could experience a period (sometimes a long one) of doldrums, which inexperienced Christians with little knowledge could easily take it as the norm or the end of the road. This book is therefore important because it tells us clearly what possible difficulties we may face and the biblical cures to them.I like in particular how grounded in the Bible the treatment is. It is a subject which is very personal and very easily we can get all sentimental and sympathetic. But when our mind is set on the Bible from the outset, it opens up a new perspective which we can't see before. This is why the Bible is amazing, and Dr Lloyd-Jones makes it clear. Another thing that is brought out in his treatment of the subject is the importance of the doctrine. Doctrines are our fundamental. When we interpret the Bible on a subject so personal, it is easy to see what we wish to see. Checking our understanding against the doctrine is therefore an important safeguard in ensuring we see God has intended for us to see in His word. Again this step could open up a completely new horizon which we may not have seen before. This is how we gain wisdom from God, and not being restricted by our worldly view. Therefore one thing we must do as Christian is to learn, not just getting familiar with the Bible but spending time to learn the doctrine - I am absolutely convinced now, and this is what I am going to do; Dr Lloyd-Jones prescribes it:"It is the doctrine that hurts, it is the doctrine that focuses things. It is one thing to look at pictures and to be interested in words and shades of meaning. That does not disturb, that does not focus attention on sin, nor call for decision. We can sit back and enjoy that; but doctrine speaks to us and insists upon a decision. This is truth, and it examines us and tries us and forces us to examine ourselves." (p. 45)"...The great antidote to spiritual depression is the knowledge of Biblical doctrine, Christian doctrine... The antidote to depression is to have a knowledge of Him, and you get that in His Word. You must take the trouble to learn it. It is difficult work, but you have to study it and give yourself to it. The tragedy of the hour, it seems to me, is that people are far too dependent for their happiness upon meetings... Their knowledge of the Truth is defective... (And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32)" (p. 156-157). I am afraid that the majority of us do not bother to learn let alone making an effort to learn the doctrine. A lot of us rely too much on being fed rather seeking to learn.This book is a collection of his sermons on the subject. He speaks with a deep concern as a pastor for the welfare of his flock, which I find very touching. He so wishes to be a conduit to bring people to see the richness and fullness of being in Christ. From this heart is how he can speak to us individually because he can see our problems and he thinks deeply to help us get over it, like a true doctor would do. This is reflected by the fact that he does not only tell us what the Bible says but spends time to tell us what the Bible doesn't say and why. The former is usually what we get from preaching, while the latter goes directly into identifying common errors, explaining them and why they are wrong. It is through these sections on what the Bible doesn't say that I find Dr Lloyd-Jones speaking directly to me and I am grateful for his corrections.Dr Lloyd-Jones was a medical doctor by profession. His treatment therefore was very systematic and logical. In one chapter, he asks us to preach to ourselves. In another he asks us to use our reason. I am like that as a person, so his book really speaks to me. But I have also met people who are totally irrational, illogical and absolutely stubborn in their ways. Appealing to their reason has never brought any impact. I wonder therefore if the treatment will fail on some kind of people? Granted so far these people I have met are non-Christians. I wonder if being converted would have an impact of regaining our reason and a sound mind? Perhaps irrational, illogical and stubborn people are only people of hardened hearts with the devil blinding their eyes, and God has His way to chisel away the callouses of our hearts, and prepare us ready for the treatment as prescribed in this book.This book is so worthy that I will surely read it through again and make study notes from it. May you be blessed by it too.

I love this preacher for the same reason that I love Charles Spurgeon - the incredible insights he displays! Really blows me away at times. In general, I have also never come across anyone who makes Paul's epistles and the NT come alive the way he does. When you finish this book, you will agree with the author that "A Christian should never, like the worldly person, be depressed, agitated, alarmed, frantic, not knowing what to do." Like he says, Jesus would be saying "You should not be in that condition. As My followers you have no right to be in such a state even though you are in jeopardy". Oh my word - preach on, preacher!!

Reading this book changed my life. No other way to say it. The wisdom in this book helped me fight. It helped me teach and equip others. It helped me fortify my mind. I tell people this is the best christian book I have ever ready. I've been saying that since 2017. I still say it. A classic in every sense. Every christian should read this at least once in their life.