Delivered from Self-Pity

For two years, Ann struggled with depression. What had happened to the ever-flowing spring God promises in Isaiah 58:11? Then she attended a retreat that focused on the Holy Spirit's ministry. Her thirsty soul soaked up the teaching on being filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, and she soared to a mountain top experience. 

However, she didn't want this to be just a temporary experience. She wanted it to return with her to her home with the cracks in the floor and the leaks in the roof. She wanted to experience the reality of Jesus meeting her needs when the cantankerous oil stove puffed smoke and soot and five kids tracked in mud.

One day not long after she began her new intimate relationship with Him, she was standing at the sink in a  kitchen full of dirty dishes. She felt very upset and tears began falling. Ann asked the Holy Spirit what caused the tears.

"You feel sorry for yourself," He said.

"Oh, no," I objected, "I wouldn't indulge in self-pity!"

"You feel sorry for yourself," He insisted.

"All right, Lord," I said, "I confess my self-pity. Now forgive me and cleanse me as you promised. Thank you, Lord." 

"And you know, He did. The tears went away and His peace flooded my soul," Ann said.

Over the next few months, the Holy Spirit showed her that this sin of self-pity went back to a basic dissatisfaction. With the realization that this attitude was a complaint against her precious Lord, she looked into His face and said, "Forgive me, Lord. Thank you for making me as You did."

Thank You, Lord, for revealing anything that hinders the flow of Your Spirit in and through me.

"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail" (Isaiah 58:11).