Playlist:

playlist Go to the Despair (topic) playlist

Life Is Worth Living

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

Suicide is a leading cause of death, surpassing automobile collisions, and this insidious plague shows no signs of abating in the immediate future.


Count Your Blessings

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The fact that God has handpicked us from the billions that live on the earth should give us a quiet confidence that God is providentially caring for us.


The Endurance of the Firstfruits (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

When things go wrong, an improperly rooted person becomes hard and cynical. This disillusionment happens if our hope or trust are in the wrong place.


Fear and Fire

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Mainstream media has perfected the technique of keeping people in perpetual fear, with the objective of scaring gullible viewers into conforming to their will.


Why Is Life So Hard? (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

God narrows in our way because He loves us, just as we hedge our children because we care about their lives. God loves us too much to leave us the way we are.


Overcoming Discouragement and Depression

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Even loyal servants of God have had to contend with depression and discouragement. Antidotes include rest, refocus, right expectations, and obedient actions.


Discouragement

Sermonette by James Beaubelle

Discouragement paralyzes one's efforts to overcome temptation or to lose patience in a trial, ultimately leading to deterioration or the destruction of faith.


Facing Times of Stress: Hopeless Regrets

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

It sometimes appears that people outside the church have fewer problems and anxieties, having been spared Satan's onslaught of temptation and deception.


Everlasting Consolation and Good Hope

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God's saints are not immune to depression. Job, Moses, and Elijah all felt so overwhelmed, they wanted God to take their lives.


In Whom Do You Place Your Confidence?

Sermonette by Martin G. Collins

God does not want us to have confidence in ourselves or other people, but only in Him. Consequently, it is a mistake to trust the media or the leaders of nations.


What You Feel vs. What You Believe

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Feelings and emotions may throw our faith off course. Our moods are mercurial and we must control them with daily prayer and Bible study.


Obeying From the Heart

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Failure to obey from the heart, and not having an accurate picture or appraisal of God, is the chief contributory cause of spiritual depression.


Love and Fellowship

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Fellowship with God is the only antidote to overwhelming feelings of despair, doubt, and self-condemnation.


The Elijah Syndrome (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

God taught Elijah that He is not in excessive displays of power or showy miracles when a voice will suffice.


Be Anxious For Nothing

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Fear and anxiety are normal human emotions. But through changing our focus from earthly to heavenly things, we can rise above the concerns, remembering Who is with us.


Lonely, But Not Forsaken

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Even Jesus had to cope with feelings of anxiety and loneliness in Gethsemane before His crucifixion, a time when He experienced separation from His Father.


Could You Stand Alone?

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Would we have the same courage to stand spiritually as the brave unarmed man who resisted the tanks of the Chinese Red Army in Tiananmen Square?


Avoiding Spiritual Burnout

Sermon by John O. Reid

The inability to solve mounting cultural and social problems despite advances in technology puts a strain on anyone who cares about the consequences.


A Time to Tear

Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)

The practice of rending clothes symbolizes sorrow, agony, despair, and hopelessness, a realization that God alone can restore the profound loss.


Are We Ever Good Enough?

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

It is necessary to begin with a conviction of sin in order to experience a need for Jesus Christ and to receive the joy in the forgiveness of sin.


Maintaining Good Health (Part 7)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jeremiah compares studying and meditating upon God's Word to physical eating, enabling a person to receive spiritual energy, vitality, and health.


Hope to the End (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The church must forcefully deal with the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness or it too will succumb to the terrifying vortex of despair.


Murder By Selfishness!

Commentary by Martin G. Collins

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds. Contributory factors include depression, deteriorating family life, media glorification, and drugs.


Fellowship With God

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Only those who have fellowship with God can have any hope, understanding, peace, or rest. The world remains under the sway of Satan, unable to live righteously.


Elements of Motivation (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In the familiar triumvirate (faith, hope, and love), faith serves as the foundation, love serves as the goal, and hope serves as the great motivator.


Lamentations (Part Five)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The expressions of sorrow in the Psalms far outnumber expressions of praise, indicating that the Hebrew culture has almost made the lamentation an art form.


Overcoming (Part 10): Self-Pity

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

We all have low days, but when our despondency turns to self-pity, we have a problem. 'Woe is me' can hamper our growth because it is self-centeredness.