Editor’s Note: “Every suicide is a tragedy and to some degree a mystery. This week’s podcast takes a look at some risk factors and warning signs plus a heart-wrenching interview with a couple who experienced the pain and sorrow of suicide.” https://anchor.fm/faithinchristjesus.net
Editor’s Note: “Our suicide blog was so popular that many requested it be featured again. So here it is in its entirety, all 3 parts. May it help in our continuing outreach to provide hope to all.”
Why Suicide seems to be the only solution? By R Nelson and R Fritz
It seems that in this world we are hearing more and more about suicide and how it is taking over the minds and actions of young and old people alike. Suicide does not discriminate, it happens to the rich, to the poor, to the young to the old and everybody in-between. Here are a few alarming statistics about suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages. Every day, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide. There is one death by suicide in the US every 12 minutes. Suicide takes the lives of over 44,965 Americans every year. Yes, these are alarming statistic to say the least. The question that a lot of people are asking is, why? One reason that we hear about is that people are having a challenging time coping with life in general.
We first need to understand where the original thought of suicide comes from. The scriptures of the Bible give us a truly clear indication as to why we are seeing so many suicides as compared to previous years. 1 Peter 5:8; tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan has been seeking whom he may destroy since the Garden of Eden, but as of lately, the suicide rate has been escalating at an all-time high. Those of us that are watching the signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ are well aware of what is taking place in the spiritual world. There is spiritual warfare going on in the unseen world that very few people are aware of. The battle is for the hearts and souls of men. The mind is where the devil seeks to indwell and will eventually get control if allowed. We have 3 places where our thoughts come from, God, if we know him, Satan, or ourselves. We need to be aware that if allowed, Satan can enter our mind at any time. It is our responsibility to control our thoughts and remove any thoughts immediately that come from Satan.
If you start to find yourself falling into a state of depression, you need to call out to Jesus Christ at once, do not think for a moment that you can defeat this on your own. Call out to Jesus to fight your battle for you. Here is a promise for James 4:7; “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” You have the power to keep Satan out of your life just by calling out to Jesus Christ. There are at least seven men of God that I can recall that suffered some kind of depression in the Scriptures, so you need to know first and foremost that you should not feel like you are different in any way, you need to know that depression can happen to anybody, it’s how you deal with it that makes all the difference. King David was troubled and battled deep despair. King David’s honesty with his own weaknesses gives hope to us who struggle today. Psalm 42; 11 is David’s response to his struggles. “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Another man of God who suffered depression was Jeremiah as he wrestled with great loneliness, feelings of defeat, and insecurity. Jeremiah is quoted as saying in Jeremiah 20:14; “Cursed be the day I was born…why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?” Even Jesus Christ Himself was deeply anguished over what lay before Him. Mark 14: 34-36, we read; “And He said to them, (His Disciples) ‘” My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.’ And He went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for you; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what you will. My point in giving these examples is this, do not keep your depression inside, let it out and talk to someone. It will not go away by itself.
I know of a recent situation where a pastor of extreme faith took his own life. That was when I felt the need to rethink my thoughts on suicide and try to understand it from a Biblical point of view. This local pastor was very pivotal in helping young and old alike work through rough times of depression in which they were on the brink of committing suicide. Then one day not too long ago I heard the news that this pastor took his own life. It was a shock to the community because no one would have even thought this man had any problems that would prompt taking this kind of action. This made me think, so I tried to figure out what could have caused this pastor to end his life. Being a born-again Christian myself, I understand times of despair to the point where somedays I wish I were not here. If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then you are engaged in a fierce spiritual battle with unseen spiritual forces of the universe. We read this in Ephesians 6:12; “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We also read in Ephesians 6:10-11; “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” We, as humans underestimate the power of the spiritual world. Born-again believers can get beaten down by these evil forces of this world at times where we feel that we are at the end of our rope and cannot continue to go one. This is the moment that I believe suicide could enter one’s mind, and if it isn’t given over to Jesus Christ right away, it could end up in death. We need to turn it over to Jesus Christ and give the battle over to Him at once.
1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us this, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. The act of suicide is a spiritual battle that comes from within a person’s mind, so our only defense is also from within. You cannot win this battle by any acts of the flesh, such as drinking, engaging in the pleasure of the flesh or anything else that might feel right for a moment. These actions may escalate the problem even more in the long run.
Here are two common areas in which suicide can and will become the final outcome if not dealt with right away. We hear about a lot of bullying going on in the adolescent years of life which causes young boys and girls to feel they can’t go on, so they ultimately choose to end their life. The other obvious reason is loneliness. We often read about rich celebrities or people that seem to have it all that for some reason feel they need to end their life. These are situations that start on the outside, but ultimately give entrance to Satan where he can enter your mind and start his spiritual destruction. We just sit back and wonder how someone that has everything can possibly have a reason to want to end their life. If you are a victim of either one of these situations, know that Jesus Christ is the answer no matter how brutal life can get. These are both areas where Satan can work in your mind and get you convinced that death is better than living. Romans 8:31 tells us; “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? No spirit or demonic entity can do you any harm once you are filled with the love of Jesus Christ. You will, however, still have spiritual battles, but none that will defeat you.
For those that are lonely, Satan will tell them, “Nobody cares for you, you have no need to live, so just take your life and end the pain of loneliness.” Satan, however, does not tell you that if you take your life and end your pain here on earth, your fate in death will be far worse than anything that you can experience during life if you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You need to know that if you reach out to Jesus Christ and fellowship with Him, you will realize that Jesus Christ is really the only friend you need. Jesus will guide you through those lonely days and bring you to a place of complete comfort. There is a saying that goes something like this, “You never know how much you truly need Jesus until you realize that Jesus is all you have. “
As for being bullied, know this, if you turn your circumstances over to Jesus Christ, He will give you the power and confidence that you need to defeat the evil around you. The Holy Spirit will do a work in you that will allow you to stand up and defeat the bullying that is plaguing your life. Romans 8:15; tells us, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Would your earthly father allow you to be bullied if he was aware of what was happening? Not likely! Then how much more will your Heavenly Father protect you? We need to trust the Lord Jesus Christ.
When people (Christian or non-Christian) focus on their situation, instead of Jesus Christ, whether it be physical illness or mental illness, whatever the illness maybe, if not dealt with, the situation will get worse. Usually, mental illness and the pain associated with it will eventually require some kind of medication to help controls their thoughts. Eventually, you end up needing stronger medication down the road, and the pain and feeling of worthlessness gets worse. This is where the spiritual disease Depression shows up. Feelings and emotions dictate how our life goes day to day. This is where Fear or Faith operates in our lives. Fear tells us nothing will change, and hope is lost. Faith tells us all is not lost. Too many people think that all the thoughts belong to them, they just don’t understand. What we need to know is this, suicide is a spirit. When it shows up, it tells you that things aren’t going to change. People listen to those thoughts and accept them as their own and go on thinking there is no hope. Since they are focused on their issues and their situation only, they eventually believe that suicide is their only option for getting rid of their pain. Suicide persuades people to only think of themselves and their situation. Most people don’t understand that In Jesus Christ there is hope and you need to fight this battle with spiritual warfare. We are helpless in this battle if we try to fight it on our own. We read in John 15:4-5; “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Jesus is telling us that apart from Him, we are helpless, but if you abide in Christ Jesus, all things are possible including winning spiritual battles that may rage within us. We read in Romans 8:9; “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” If you have not the Spirit of Christ, you are extremely vulnerable to the attacks of the devil and his angels. You virtually have no defense. This is why we also read this verse in Romans 12:2; “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” If you keep renewing your mind to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, you will prove what that good and acceptable perfect will of God is for you. It is not death!
This is where bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ will get rid of the spirit of suicide. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us; “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Our battle has to be won in the mind and that can only be accomplished by defeating the evil that indwells us. Jesus Chris is our victory and outside of His intervention, there is really no hope. Our hope lies in Christ and Christ alone! We have the strongest weapon known to man, Jesus Christ, our God, our Lord, and our Savior.
The Name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous man runs into it and is safe. Where do you run for protection and safety? In this spiritual world, the Lord tells us we can run to Him and stand strong behind the power of His name. This may be as simple as calling on His name with prayer when we need His protection. As simple as it sounds, so often it is easy to forget where to run to when we are in need. Stay focused on Jesus Christ and He will never leave you nor forsake you! AMEN!
Here are a few more Bible verses to take in when suffering from things of the flesh:
Romans 8:5; “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”
Romans 8:6; “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Romans 8:7; “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
Romans 8:8; “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Romans 8:10; “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
Suicide Pt 2 “Spiritual Aspects of Suicide”
In our last blog we focused on why people feel that suicide is the only option. This segment we will focus on the spiritual aspects of suicide and how these thoughts enter your mind in the first place. Approximately 1 million people worldwide die by suicide each year. With a prevalence rate of 0.0145% and suicide accounting for 1.5% of death by all causes, it is the 10th leading cause of mortality worldwide. Suicide is complex, and is believed in many cases to be an inherited behavioral phenotype. There is growing evidence that inheritance and genetic factors contribute to the risk for suicidal behavior. Major psychiatric illnesses, including bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism and substance abuse, and certain personality disorders, which run in families, increase the risk for suicidal behavior. This does not mean that suicidal behavior is inevitable for individuals with this family history; it simply means that such persons may be more vulnerable and should take steps to reduce their risk.
The medical doctors of today will in most cases prescribe certain medications such as Prozac, Prednisone to mention a couple along with hundreds of different kinds on medications for psychiatric illnesses. There is no way for any doctor to prescribe the perfect medication for your particular illness right up front. What I have seen over the course of my life time, in many cases, the person with the illness will try many different prescriptions to allow them to carry on as normal as possible with every day activities. At this point I need to say, I’m not against taking prescription drugs if it truly helps, and in most cases, it does, but the main thing that most people seem to omit in their healing process is this, they don’t give it to Jesus Christ and trust in the Word of God. We read many verses in the Bible where we are taught to trust in Jesus Christ for everything as we read in Philippians 4:6; “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” This verse hits the nail on the head. It hits us with the word “anxiety” which in and of itself can lead to so many different kinds of mental illnesses.
I can relate to this personally. I’ve always been a somewhat high-strung personality, so I was always anxious to get something done quickly even when it was obviously against my own ability to do so. Over the years, it did begin to consume me and I eventually fell into a minor state of depression, and yes, I did have suicidal thoughts, but not to the point that I could ever carry it through. I do want to add however, this was before I knew the Lord Jesus Christ and gave my life to Him. I finally had to realize that I had a problem that I could not deal with anymore, so I broke down and seen a specialist. After being evaluated by the doctor, he came to the conclusion that I basically had a chemical imbalance that took place in my mind over time. So, like every physician, he prescribed for me a medication that would help me deal with the anxiety and depression that I was having. He told me that I would probably have to be on this medication for the rest of my life. The problem was that the medication that I was on, even though it took care of my anxiety, it had other side effects that I didn’t particularity like. I was determined at this point that I was going to try to ween myself off and get my life back to normal, however, it didn’t work and eventually my anxiety came back. I still didn’t want to have to rely on any of drugs to get me through life. That was when it hit me, after years of reading and studying through the scripture of the Bible, I had read in so many verses about the power of prayer. I still wasn’t at the point in my walk with the Lord where I had complete trust in His Word. This is a huge step to take when giving your life to Jesus Christ. We all say we believe, but, do we trust. When we say we believe, no matter what it is, the only way to know for sure if we trust something is to put it into action. So, over time, as I continued to read through the scriptures of the Bible, It really started to sink in that the Bible is the true and inherent Word of God, every letter and every word is supernaturally engineered by the Holy Spirit. If God says it, He means it. We read in Psalm 119:160; “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.“ We either have to choose to believe it or deny it. I chose to believe and trust in the Word of God like never before. The healing that needed to be done, rested on me to believe and trust. God is always willing to help, no matter what we ask, but we need to believe without one bit of doubt. Jesus says in John 14:13; “And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” What most people don’t realize when they go into prayer is that they don’t pray in the name of Jesus. If you truly are born-again and pray in the name of Jesus, your prayers will be heard and you will get an answer. It may not be right away, it could be over a course of a long time, but God will deal with you in His timing.
What we need to understand is that we are all prone to various types of illnesses, whether they be physical or emotional. We need to also understand that demonic could very well be behind these health issues and they will attack you at your weakest moments in life. This is why we need to start every day by putting on the full armor of God as we read in Ephesians 6:10-11; “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” You need to read what the whole armor of God is in Ephesians 6: 10-20. Read it and study it so you are equipped every day to withstand the attacks of Satan. Outside of the protection of the Holy Spirit, you are helpless against any of Satan’s weapons that he will use against you. One of the biggest omissions in the teaching of our churches today is we are very seldom, if ever taught about the power of Satan. If you don’t believe that Satan exist, try opposing him. You will know very quickly that he exists in our world and has a mission for your destruction. If you start to feel anxiety or fear creeping into your minds, you need to rebuke this evil in the name of Jesus Christ and find peace from the Spirit of God who gives us His power, love, and self-discipline. We read this in 2 Timothy 1:7; “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” If we forget for a moment how week and vulnerable we are to the forces of evil, they will jump up and bite us before we know what hit us. The battle between the flesh and spirit always starts in the mind. I truly believe that if we stay focused on Jesus Christ, we cannot be over taken by any demonic spirits, but as soon as we let our guard down, even for a moment, we open the door to let the enemy in. The way that Satan can find open doors is when we fall into a sinful act, such as drinking to intoxication, taking any kind of mind altering drugs, taking part in some demonic act such as a séance or dabbling in games such as the Ouija board. These activities are extremely dangerous. If you saw the show, “The Exorcist,” know that even though it was a movie, it was based on an actual event. If you haven’t seen it, don’t watch it. Even just watching the movie can allow an entry for evil forces. Psalm 121: 7-8: tell us, “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” Our only defense from all the evil in the world is Jesus Christ, outside of Christ, there is no hope. The only way for us to battle the evil within is to fight fire with fire, in other words we need to give the battle to God and trust totally in Him for victory!
In America, we seem to hold off on prayer until it becomes our last hope. It should be the first thing we do every morning before you step out into this God rejecting world. You know, the only way to fight evil, is through prayer. If you feel an evil thought enter into your mind or some other feeling of confusion that comes over you, you need to call out to Jesus Christ immediately. Whatever you’re doing, stop and go into prayer, it’s a simple as having a conversation with God. Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31-32; “Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” In other words, Jesus gives us an example here how He opposed a specific satanic threat with prayer. Even though Satan demanded to sift Peter like wheat, Jesus, Instead of defending Peter, which He could have done with a simple thought, prayed for Peter that his faith would be strong enough to fight off the desires of Satan. We can gain victory over any attack by Satan, just be simply calling out to Jesus Christ, He is our advocate.
I heard an interesting conversation between two Pastors, one from America and the other from India. The American pastor was well aware of how much more spiritual healing was taking place in India compared to that in America. So, he asked the Pastor from India why that is. His answer was somewhat startling but when you think about it, simple. The Pastor from India said, “We don’t have a second protocol.” In other words, they don’t have the physicians and doctors that we have in America so they have to depend on prayer for healing. They’ve come to believe and trust in Jesus Christ and for them, it is all they have to rely on. The only way here in America for us to believe that Jesus is really all we need is when Jesus becomes all we have. We put more faith in man and his accomplishments than we do in the creator of the universe. God can do anything with just a thought, so why don’t we believe He can heal us from whatever life can throw at us. He can, the ball lies in our court to believe. I’m not supporting faith healing by any sense of the word, but we need to trust more in God than we do in man. By doing so, the door to evil will not be as wide an entry. James 4:7 tells us; “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” We also read in Ephesians 6:2; “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Our battle has to be one in the trenches of our heart. Romans 12:9 tells us, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” We fight the spiritual battle with spiritual wisdom, and how do we get that wisdom, by reading and understanding the Word of God and submitting to His will.
Now, with all this being said about protection and healing from our Lord, you need to know that there are various ways He will accomplish His will. There have been cases that I know of first hand where God actually healed people just by removing their illness that was overtaking them with no explanation what so ever. But in most cases that I am aware of, God has guided the person with the illness to see a specialist or some form of medical help. Through the advice and direction of the physician, the person got healed, but keep in mind, even though the doctor may look like the hero, it is God that guides you through the process to provide you with the right medication to get you through.
If you lived in the days when gun fights might have been a common thing, as we see in the westerns that we grew up watching, would you engage in a gun fight if all you had was I knife? Of course not, in the same way you cannot fight a spiritual battle with the flesh. We need to be fully aware at all times that evil is just waiting for us to slip up and it doesn’t necessarily take too much. When we hear of a good Christian that committed suicide, we ask, how can that be, well, it only takes but a moment to fall out of grace and into sin and that is where Satan will pounce on you. I believe that the reason a Christian might commit suicide is because they fell into a sinful act and because there conscience took over, instead of going right to Jesus Christ and repenting, they took matters into their own hands. It only takes a thought and second to pull a trigger once it is put up to your head. Suicide is a horrible thing, but it can be conquered at every level when given over to Christ. Mark 11:24; tells us, “Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” We need to truly believe. Jesus has already won the battle of good and evil when He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, it is up to us to believe and trust in His never ending love for you and me! Through Jesus Christ, the victory is ours! If you feel that suicide is the only way out, trust in Jesus Christ, He will take you in His hands and guide you through each and every step of your life and he will not allow any evil to come upon you or harm you in any way that can’t be overcome. If you give your life to Jesus Christ, here is a promise that you can take to heart. Romans 8:28; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Notice, it says all things, not some things! So, even if something happens in your life that just doesn’t seem right, you can know that it is Father filtered and it is working out for the good. Rest assured.
We read several verses of scripture that will encourage us to fight the battle of good and evil and know that victory is those that put their faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 3:3; “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5; “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
1 Peter 5: 8-9; “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
James 4:7; “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Romans 8: 37-39; “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 10:13; “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
So, mediate on these verses and bring them to memory so you are equipped to deal with the forces of evil! The victory is ours through Jesus Christ…Amen!
Pt 3“Our Response to a Potential Suicide Victim” – R. Nelson
If you are dealing with a potentially suicidal person, you must take immediate action. Please take all threats of suicide seriously. Some people may kill themselves by mistake. They may have only meant to act it out, to cry for help, or just to get attention. But whatever the cause may be, it should be taken seriously. Treat all suicidal threats as real and respond accordingly. If the person that you know is only looking to get attention, he/she will quickly learn quickly that he/she does not want this kind of attention and will try something different next time. It is no fun when you wind up in a hospital emergency ward having your stomach pumped and then get transferred to a psychiatric ward for evaluation. The attention seeker will not go through that very often. If the person that you know has a suicidal plan that you believe will work, and has the means to carry out that plan, their potential lethality is high. React by: (A) not leaving them alone even briefly, (B) escort them, or have them escorted (local police officers are quite good at doing this in a very professional way, don’t be afraid to call them) to a mental health crisis center where they can be evaluated for suicide, and hospitalized if necessary. While mental hospitals are not fun places, they can serve a purpose in that they can physically prevent a person from killing themselves for a while, until you can minister to them.
There are many probable ways to bring people out of their suicidal state of mind, but, the most effective ways are as follows. (A) Lead the person to Jesus Christ. Explain the Gospel to them, that we are all sinners separated from God, but He loves every one and desires fellowship with them, and therefore God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for them, (John 3:16) bearing the punishment that we deserve, so that if they will believe on Him, their sins will all be forgiven, and God will give them the gift of eternal life. In most cases, not all, that I am aware of, the suicidal person did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ or any affiliation with Christianity. This doesn’t mean that Bible believing Christians are exempt from suicidal intentions, it just means that the likely hood of carrying out the act of suicide becomes less likely. There are actually seven recorded instances of suicide in the Bible, but what is interesting is that in none of these incidents was there a comment as to the right or wrong of their action, and with no mention what happened to the person’s soul after they died. (B) Pray for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This person needs the power of the Spirit to resist the enemy and stand in Jesus Christ. Pray for them to be baptized, immersed in, filled with, and anointed with, God’s Spirit. Most Christians don’t really understand the power of prayer. It is the strongest weapon that the Christian has against evil and spiritual warfare. (C) Disciple them. Get the person involved in verse by verse Bible studies that apply God’s Word to their daily life. Through prayer, fellowship, and get involved in a Bible study, encourage them to grow and keep growing in Christ Jesus. A suicidal person that is hurting somewhere inside, is most likely confused, and needs a loving, vital relationship with someone who knows and walks consistently with God through His Son Jesus Christ. (D) Give an ear to the person and take time to listen to them, they may be in dire need of just having someone to talk to. This person could have a great deal of inner pain. Listen to them carefully, regularly, and continually. Then, pray with them and read Scripture to them that applies to their situation. The Bible is filled with promises to help the lonely, the dying, those feeling hopeless, and those needing love and forgiveness.
I remember back in the late 60’s and early 70’s as the Viet Nam war was nearing its end and a lot of our brave soldiers were returning home after they had fulfilled their service to our country. Within a short period of time, we started to see an increase of suicide and unsolicited killings. Based on projections from two population-based mortality studies, the authors estimate that fewer than 9,000 suicides occurred among all Vietnam veterans from the time of discharge through the early 1980s. The question that we are all asking is what could have caused these feelings of hopelessness that made them feel that suicide was the only choice. The obvious answer for those of us that never had to report for active duty or serve in the military is this, we don’t know. We don’t know what evil was harboring in the memory of the person contemplating suicide. A thought that I often pondered was this, before our young men were sent to active duty, they had to endure a demanding training process (Basic Training & Bootcamp) which was meant to prepare them for an environment that was extremely hostile. They needed this training to equip them for what was ahead. They had to make them fighting machines, in which they did! Now here lies the problem and I am sure that many will agree with me. We took these innocent young men, made them into fighting soldiers and then, when they came back home to America, we didn’t reprogram them to mingle back into society. Many of these young soldiers saw things that we could never imagine. The things that they experienced during the war were things they would never forget, but what we as a society didn’t realize is this, we didn’t have any programs that I am aware of that would help them overcome their memories of war and welcome them back into society.
Those suffering the loss of a Loved One – R. Nelson
I have in the last couple of years seen two separate occasions where a son has committed suicide. One was from a family that did not know the Lord Jesus Christ personally and the other from a family that has put their full faith in Christ Jesus. I have witnessed the reactions from both families. Just let me say right up front, what a huge difference there was in the healing process of these two different families. The father of the family that did not know the Lord, has been cursing God every day since their son has taken his life. The disturbing part to all this is the unbelieving family is cursing a god that they don’t believe in anymore. I’ve personally tried to witness to this father and bring him hope, but he wants no part of it, apparently he would rather continue with the pain and sorrow that he is feeling instead of giving it over to Jesus Christ and trusting in Him for comfort. Every day they curse and blaspheme God for allowing their son to take his own life. Here is where I need to add, God is not responsible for any act of suicide. God has given us a free will to do as we like and if suicide is one of our choices, then He will allow it. He has a plan for every one of us and I can guarantee that suicide is not predestined for anyone. It is once again, a choice that only we can make. Now, with the family that is in constant fellowship with Jesus Christ, they have come to a level of comfort that only God can provide. It’s been about seven years since their son took his life. Because they trust in Jesus Christ, they put their faith in the hope that they will see their son again. That is the hope that only a true born-again believer can have. With this being said, they still have pain from the loss of their son that I’m sure will never go away, but they have stayed the course with trusting in Jesus Christ. This Christian family has shared with me the details of what had taken place, and I believe without a doubt that their son is in heaven. They will see their son again.
There is, however, a lot of controversy about what happens to a soul that commits suicide. I have come to the belief that people that commit suicide can very well go to heaven. We confirm this in Matthew 12:31-32; “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” The only unpardonable sin is the rejection of the Holy Spirit. Once you become born-again into the Holy Spirit you become justified before the Lord and from that point going forward every sin that you have ever committed and will commit is forgiven. And because you did nothing to earn your salvation, you can do nothing to lose it once you are saved. You cannot become unborn! John 10:28; “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.” If you have been written in the lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world, you cannot lose your salvation. No one can pluck you out of the Fathers hand, not even yourself.
A Commentary from our Chaplin – R. Fritz
It appears to me, that when people are feeling down and out of control with their lives, possibly due to a major change in their life, is what eventually leads to hopelessness and fear! We all seem to have a problem dealing with change and trying to get through major changes by ourselves without involving Jesus Christ will most likely lead to disappointment with what you are trying to accomplish. Sometimes change can very well be initiated by God. We do not realize that Jesus Christ is there for us, so we are reluctant to turn it over to Him in the process. When we get to the hopeless stage because of our inability to cope with change is when the thoughts of suicide may start to enter our mind and it may begin to look like a possible option. When we get into these situations where there seems to be no other choice but suicide, that is when we need to cry out to Jesus Christ at once. He is just waiting to hear from us. We really need to listen to what we are hearing and seeing to make sure it is from God, because the devil will use what we hear and see to manipulate our thoughts if it isn’t coming from God. If we only listen to our own thoughts and ideas, that is when Satan will make his entrance into your mind and then we start to dig ourselves into a deep hole and most likely without expert help (Jesus Christ) that hole will get deeper and deeper over time. We need to understand that suicidal thoughts are an evil spirit and over time it will take control of your thoughts and in many cases, your actions. We think that the thoughts we have are our own, but they don’t always belong to us, they are very often thoughts from the spirit of Satan. It gets back to taking your thoughts into captivity. If we only understood that our thoughts do not always belong to us, it would change our lives. When falling into diverse temptations and evil thoughts, remember this, love is always the answer, and that answer comes from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Getting back to control, we need to understand that if we are in control of our own lives, then Jesus Christ is not. That is an extremely dangerous place to be in this day and age. Jesus gave us a free will to be in control of our lives and the consequences that we endure are from within. If we give it over to the one who created us in the first place, (Jesus Christ) then we can be rest assured that He will do what’s best for us. This is confirmed in Romans 8:28 as we read, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Our job is to be in constant prayer and wait on the Lord for the answer. We need to trust him, when we do, our belief level goes up. This is how we grow in Christ.
God has put people into roles for the main purpose of praying for people. I say this because God has often called me to pray for people and in many cases it’s a situation where suicide is involved. I needed to pray for somebody in the middle of the day that I knew a while back because he had possible suicidal intentions. My point is this, you can pray and reach out to pray to God any time, morning, noon and night. God has a twenty-four-hour hotline for anybody that needs to talk with Him. This time I prayed for this person for over half an hour not knowing if he was really thinking about suicide or not. It was a completely different kind of prayer than what I’ve ever had to do for somebody before. So, when I got done with the prayer, I called another person who is also a chaplain to call on this person to see if he was okay. She couldn’t reach this person until the next day but when she was able to get a hold of him, she found out he was okay. We also found out that day that he was to be committed to a treatment for suicide as he was waiting for an opening. What very few people understand is that God does send certain people to pray and to speak to others on His behalf. I believe that this is one of my many callings that has been given to me as a gift of the Spirit. It is what I do!
We all get involved in spiral battles at one time or another, but when you give the battle to Jesus Christ, the battle will be won. If we choose to fight a spiritual battle in the flesh we will undoubtedly lose. Our main tool is the Bible and the living word in it. The words in the Bible come alive in the spirit and that’s what wins the battle. The devil knows how to make us angry. If we forget that and we try to fight the battle in the flesh we will lose. We need to fight the spirit by using the Spirit of God as our defense. I say this, because for years that is what happened to me and so I learned that I needed to fight my battles in spirit and then I would win the battle. The Holy Spirit will give you the words to win the battle, you just need to speak them. God gives us these words of wisdom in Ephesians 6:12; “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
I look at it this way, if I can’t win the battle I’m going to make sure that the devil knows who he was fighting against, I call it bloodying his nose, I want the devil to know that the next time he comes against myself with the Holy Spirit it is not going to be easy and he’s going to pay the price. Suicide has a root cause and we need to find out with every person what it is. I have learned by talking to people and listening to them with the Holy Spirit’s help. If the root cause can be discovered suicide will not be an issue. If you want to help people, you must first help them to get rid of the issues in their life and then you can help others to find comfort in their lives.
Coping with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Soul injury and PTSD are issues that the military have had to deal with in the last few years. There are also issues with certain people in suicides with the public.
Veterans with PTSD carry unresolved grief and unforgiven guilt that continues to sabotage their lives for decades. Veterans very often bury that kind of pain and shame and carry it inside for a long time. It is when people prepare to meet their maker that what they have held inside for many years becomes more relevant, perspectives quickly shift; these issues surface unsolicited, sometimes causing agitation that complicates peaceful dying. Helping veterans forgive themselves and grieve their losses has become the primary tool to promote peacefulness among those suffering from PTSD. Neglecting soul injuries has created a gap in veteran services that may be contributing to their alarming suicide rate.
Soul injury is not just limited to those who serve in the military. They can also include first responders, victims of domestic violence or other crimes, those abused or traumatized, and people suffering chronic illness. They can also help by looking beyond the mental and emotional injuries to their deeper soul wounds. People with PTSD shift from trusting themselves to trusting their fear. Developing faith in themselves again means “disarming the heart” through grieving and forgiveness.
A soul injury is a penetrating wound within our deepest self that pierces the defenses of our ego. It disrupts our fundamental identity, shrinking our sense of inner goodness. It can even fuel a haunting sense that we are defective in some way. A soul injury often perpetuates a profound aching caused by disconnection from the part of the self that is carrying the pain, creating a sense of meaninglessness.
While programs for treating of PTSD focus on the importance of managing symptoms, soul injury interventions concentrate on opening up to the symptoms and connecting with a part of the self that generates them. The process starts with breaking through the long-suffering that has taken place in their lives, allowing people to “re-own” their pain. Once we stop the fear of our pain, we can begin to work the part of the self that is carrying it. Exercises are then introduced to strengthen the part of the person that handles the self-compassion and self-protection.
In Closing – R. Nelson
For those people out there that are contemplating suicide, please stop and think about what you are doing. First, if you’re not saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the place that you will most likely find yourself will inflict more pain than anything that you can suffer here on earth. That is not a threat, it is a promise from the Word of God. If anybody tells you that hell does not exist, they are lying to you. Hell is more real than the earth that we are now occupying. Secondly, and even more importantly, think about the loved ones that you are leaving behind. I have seen families lives absolutely destroyed because of suicide by a loved one. This is where suicide becomes an act of extreme selfishness. You may end your pain here on earth, but you will cause every one that loved you to suffer dearly. You will hurt the ones that you love most, and most likely forever in one-way shape or form. If evil thoughts begin to enter your mind, you need to turn at once to Jesus Christ and ask Him to rebuke the evil that is invading you from within. Keep in mind, Satan hates everybody, so his ultimate goal is to destroy mankind and take as many with him to hell as he can. Do not let Satan get a foothold on you, Jesus Christ is there for you every step of the way, you just need to ask Him into your life, and He will take care of the rest. 1 Peter 5:6-7 tells us; “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” I’m going to leave you with these last three verses in Romans 8: 37-39; “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You need to trust and obey, after all, “It is the only way.” Amen!