By 2020, depression will be our greatest global epidemic.
In any given year, approximately 18.8 million American adults suffer from a depressive disorder. At some point, about one in four Americans will experience depression.
If you have not suffered from depression, you know someone who has or does!
Dr. Bengtson offers hope
as a key to unlock joy and relief
—even in the middle of the storm.
Hope Prevails educates the reader on what depression is and where it comes from. Dr. Bengtson teaches what the enemy does to get and keep us depressed. She also shows that despite depression, because of Him, Hope Prevails! She offers treatment strategies as well as prescriptive action plans at the end of each chapter. Now, she has added a companion Bible Study to the Best seller, Hope Prevails.
Recommended for men or women who are struggling with depression or have loved ones who do.
***Sample ***
Excerpt from Hope Prevails Bible Study Chapter 6 ~ Reclaim Your Peace.
"Now may the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you."
2 Thessalonians 3:16
We didn't ask for it, and we weren't prepared for it when it struck. In fact, the most devastating news came at what was supposed to be our most joyus occasion in years. The doctor's comfirmation that my husband had cancer came the same day Hope Prevails released. The launch party andd major book signing event were planned within a few days, yet amidst the celebrating, our hearts were breaking.
We had walked this path before - a different form, but cancer nonetheless. We weren't newbies. We had visions from the previous experience infiltrating our minds. The treatment would be similar - unwelcome but necessary.
The truth is, cancer stinks. Cancer hurts. Cancer doesn't just affect the one diagnosed; it impacts the entire family and to some degree, friends and extended family as well. Nobody asks for it, and nobody wants to go through it - much like depression.
Cancer and depression are our enemies, and just like the enemy of our souls, they seek to steal, kill, and destroy. If that is what we focus on, that is what will happen. But as with everything in life, it's a matter of perspective, and we get to choose our perspective.
Indeed, we will all go through difficult times, the cancerous times; relationship difficulty, financial strains, health issues, job problems, etc. They aren't wanted or invited. But the even greater truth is that we don't walk through these trials alone, and Jesus promised in John 16:33 that we can have peace through them. So while the fiery darts are flying and we must walk this valley, we do so with swords drawn, prayers raised, and faith in the One who has already overcome it all and offers His peace through it.
- The enemy attempts to bring on depression by killing our peace. What hope-filled promise are we given in 2 Thessalonians 3:16?
2. How would you characterize peace?
3. What is the name of God given in Judges 6:24?
4. Read John 14:27 and John 16:33. These two verses indicate that peace comes from where? As a what?
The key is that in Him, we can have peace, not on our own. In what ways do you find yourself sacrificing your peace?
5. One of the quickest ways the enemy can get us to surrender our peace is to cause us to become anxious. When we are anxious, we are not at peace. Anxiety results from feeling out of control. But if we surrender to God, letting Him be in control, we can remain in perfect peace. Which four keys does Paul give us to maintain our peace in Philippians 4:6-7?
6. When we worry, we believe the enemy's lies, taking our eyes off God and focusing on ourselves and our circumstances. Why do you think it's so easy to worry and sometimes so hard to trust God?
Read Matthew 6:25, 6:30-33, and 1 Peter 5:7. What motivation are we given not to worry?
About the author
Dr. Michelle Bengtson (PhD, Nova Southeastern University) is an international speaker, and the author of best-selling “Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression” and now the companion "Hope Prevails Bible Study." She has been a neuropsychologist for more than twenty years. She is in private practice in Southlake, Texas where she evaluates, diagnoses, and treats children and adults with a variety of medical and mental health disorders.
She knows pain and despair firsthand and combines her professional expertise and personal experience with her faith to address issues surrounding medical and mental disorders, both for those who suffer and for those who care for them. She offers sound practical tools, affirms worth, and encourages faith.
She and her husband of 30 years have two teenage sons, and reside in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She blogs regularly on her own site: http://www.DrMichelleBengtson.com
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