Hey, If you've read any of the things I write and the stuff I share you've probably already made up your mind about me in regards to a lot of things. I'm sure quite a few of you think I'm that nice guy that says always says the positive things that make you smile. Maybe some of you think "there's that skater guy with the really cool pics..." I'm absolutely sure that there are some out there that just cant stand who I am and think I should just shut my trap. Some of you maybe think "there's that guy that just keeps talking about God again...sheeesh". The ones that have met me may think you know me through and through but what I'm here today to show you is another side of me. A side that's always been there ever since the day I was born. I've been waiting for this day to speak like this for a long, long time and today God gave me permission to do so. What I'm going to say will disturb some and I'm going to be quite graphic for the sake of maintaining the truth and delivering what God has asked me to in the way He wants it to be delivered. Why am I saying this? Simply because I am a servant and a soldier of God and I do what I'm told. I'm doing this for truth and for freedom.
Do I have a hidden agenda? No. Do I run a church or plan to? No. Do I make any money from this? No. Do I want a relationship with you as result of this? No. I'm here to tell my story - plain and simple and to bring a very simple message... Hope. One of the most underrated gifts of God. Hope is the difference between winning and losing a war. And I'm not just here to write a message - I'm here to hold up the head of a giant as proof. My giants name was depression and it nearly killed me. I suffered all my life with it and so did both my parents. After attempting suicide, I was put on anti-depressants and was told that this would be how it is for the rest of my life. That's what the medical world says anyway. No hope, just a pill to numb the never ending pain and immense weight of depression. I just couldn't accept that and it made me search and dig for the truth. I'm not here to tell you the how or the why because the way God sets you free will be vastly different to what He did for me - what I'm simply here to say is this. It can be done. That giant can be defeated and I'm not talking about just having it suppressed with drugs and medication. I'm not talking about a constant daily struggle back and forth. I'm talking about complete and total annihilation. I'm talking about severing it's head from it's body and holding up it for all to see that there is power in the Name of Jesus. More power than you could possibly ever imagine with the mind and intellect you've been given.
I write this today drug free for years completely and totally free of depression. I don't rely on pills, alcohol or anything to maintain my freedom. My freedom comes from Jesus alone and is more than enough to keep me free. I sat in a doctors office after being set free and she asked how I was going on my anti-depressant medication. I laughed and told her "Oh, I don't take that any more!" She seemed quite concerned and asked what I was taking instead. I told her "I'm not taking anything at all and haven't for years. I don't have depression any more. I prayed to God and He took it from me". She then asked if I was doing OK and I told her no, I'm not doing OK. I'm far better than just OK. My life had never ever been this good. She looked at me then at her desk and said "I used to go to church as a little girl..." There's probably not a single person in the western world that doesn't know the story of David and Goliath. The teenage boy who took on the war machine man killing giant... and won. What I want to share is this. The battle with Goliath didn't end when that stone hit his head. The battle ended when David used Goliaths own sword and completely severed the giants head from his body. The next part of the story goes like this... David then carried that head around everywhere he went as his trophy. All through the Israelite camp, all through the Kings courts dripping blood all over the place. Do you think that many people stopped him and told him he was making a mess? I doubt that very much.
Read the story for yourself in 1 Samuel 16 and pray and ask God to speak to you from it. My story is this, I grew up in a very broken home. My parents dabbled in witchcraft, new age beliefs, drugs and a whole lot of really bad spirituality before I was born. I learned later in life that the things our parents do can and are very often transferred to their children. As a result I lived a very disturbed childhood. For me to see apparitions and figures move across doorways was common place by the age of ten. I began hearing voices in my teenage years, things I cannot repeat. While I know this is probably scaring most of you there are a great percentage of you out there that know exactly what I mean - and so this is for you. Ever since the day I was born God put something inside me. Something quite strange and peculiar. He put a fight in me. A fire in my bones for justice and freedom. All my life I've been fighting, fighting authority, fighting society, fighting abuse, fighting manipulation, fighting greed, fighting the norms... sadly as it was done in my efforts most of that was a complete waste of time. But now I have a real reason to fight. I found the true reason to wage war... your freedom. I exist for quite a few purposes on this planet but one of them I know for sure is this. I exist to wage war. My war is with what haunts you, what torments you, what robs you, what lies to you, what hurts you and what keeps you chained.
I've learnt a few things about prayer over the years and it goes like this. If you let me pray for you it means I step into the fight with you. What it also means is this... I'm going to pay for it. I'm going to lose sleep, get hurt and cop it real bad from the enemy. But here's where that part that God put in me as a baby comes in... I was born for this. Some people have gifts of mercy, some gifts of teaching, some music and art... we all have something to offer. I'm offering a hand that's scarred from war. A heart that's been stitched up by my Master so many times I've lost count. I'm offering eyes that have seen way too much darkness for one lifetime. But most of all I'm offering you... Hope. Jesus said in John 8:32 "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." You will never be free if you keep believing the lies. I'm here to tell you that depression is not a metal illness. It's not a disease. It's not a condition. It's not a hereditary trait. That's what 'they' want you to believe. Ask yourself, who do you want to believe? The ones who keep feeding you pills or some guy that sounds like he's either completely lost... or maybe he found it. Depression has an identity. It has a personality. It's a someone. Yeah, you just got the chills too didn't you...
Now, what if I told you this. Jesus can not only set you free from that Giant that taunts you - He can also make you stronger than it so that you can take it's head clean off just like David did on that battlefield. Why would He do that? Because it gives Him glory. He wants you to be free and in setting you free, it makes those around you wonder and ask the question "Can I be free too?". The answer is a resounding "Yes". Romans 8:37 says "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us." A conqueror is someone who wins their battle... but someone who is more than a conqueror is someone who after finishing their fight goes and joins someone else's fight for their freedom. Call me a glutton for punishment but I just wanna see people set free more than anything else in this world. Like I said above, I'm not here to tell you how it will be done. I could explain in detail exactly what happened to me when Jesus reached down and ripped out of me the evil that didn't belong and how it radically and completely changed my life forever but God doesn't want me to do that for the sake of pointing this all back to Him. Was it the church that saved me and set me free? No. Was it my giving or my service to God that saved me? No. Was it some special ritual or chant? No. God opened my eyes after doing it and revealed me to the catalyst that led to my complete freedom from depression... the death of pride.
You see, pride is us saying "I'll do it my way..." and that can go on for years and years even to the grave. For me, I got sick and tired of my giant and sick and tired of doing it my way and failing all the time and finally gave up and shared my pain with others allowing them to pray for me. What I didn't realize was that I did exactly what God wanted and put Him in the ultimate position to move in and deal the final blow to my enemy. James 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." And this is what I did, I humbled myself before God and others. As a result God said "Today's your day Mark. Those prison walls are coming down. Welcome to the real world son". Now, if that's you - and based on the national percentages of how rampant depression is in our western world - then you need help like I did. You need the same Jesus that I needed. Can I encourage you to read Psalm 18? Pray before you read it "Father, please open my heart to your Word and teach me what I need to know" and He surely will. The one David is talking about in Psalm 18 is Jesus. The Jesus you need to save you from depression. Pray and call out to Him. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. He died to set you free and He specializes in restoration and redemption for all. His arm is never short to save.
And if you need a soldier to pray I will gladly step into your war to fight with you. Am I going to pay for this big time? Yep. Is that going to stop me? No way. Message me using the button at the top of this page and I'd be honored to pray for you. You can be free from depression. Totally and completely free. But it can't be done your way. I had to learn to that too. It's gotta be His way. His Name is Jesus and only He can truly set you free.
[ John 8:36 - So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ]
Do I have a hidden agenda? No. Do I run a church or plan to? No. Do I make any money from this? No. Do I want a relationship with you as result of this? No. I'm here to tell my story - plain and simple and to bring a very simple message... Hope. One of the most underrated gifts of God. Hope is the difference between winning and losing a war. And I'm not just here to write a message - I'm here to hold up the head of a giant as proof. My giants name was depression and it nearly killed me. I suffered all my life with it and so did both my parents. After attempting suicide, I was put on anti-depressants and was told that this would be how it is for the rest of my life. That's what the medical world says anyway. No hope, just a pill to numb the never ending pain and immense weight of depression. I just couldn't accept that and it made me search and dig for the truth. I'm not here to tell you the how or the why because the way God sets you free will be vastly different to what He did for me - what I'm simply here to say is this. It can be done. That giant can be defeated and I'm not talking about just having it suppressed with drugs and medication. I'm not talking about a constant daily struggle back and forth. I'm talking about complete and total annihilation. I'm talking about severing it's head from it's body and holding up it for all to see that there is power in the Name of Jesus. More power than you could possibly ever imagine with the mind and intellect you've been given.
I write this today drug free for years completely and totally free of depression. I don't rely on pills, alcohol or anything to maintain my freedom. My freedom comes from Jesus alone and is more than enough to keep me free. I sat in a doctors office after being set free and she asked how I was going on my anti-depressant medication. I laughed and told her "Oh, I don't take that any more!" She seemed quite concerned and asked what I was taking instead. I told her "I'm not taking anything at all and haven't for years. I don't have depression any more. I prayed to God and He took it from me". She then asked if I was doing OK and I told her no, I'm not doing OK. I'm far better than just OK. My life had never ever been this good. She looked at me then at her desk and said "I used to go to church as a little girl..." There's probably not a single person in the western world that doesn't know the story of David and Goliath. The teenage boy who took on the war machine man killing giant... and won. What I want to share is this. The battle with Goliath didn't end when that stone hit his head. The battle ended when David used Goliaths own sword and completely severed the giants head from his body. The next part of the story goes like this... David then carried that head around everywhere he went as his trophy. All through the Israelite camp, all through the Kings courts dripping blood all over the place. Do you think that many people stopped him and told him he was making a mess? I doubt that very much.
Read the story for yourself in 1 Samuel 16 and pray and ask God to speak to you from it. My story is this, I grew up in a very broken home. My parents dabbled in witchcraft, new age beliefs, drugs and a whole lot of really bad spirituality before I was born. I learned later in life that the things our parents do can and are very often transferred to their children. As a result I lived a very disturbed childhood. For me to see apparitions and figures move across doorways was common place by the age of ten. I began hearing voices in my teenage years, things I cannot repeat. While I know this is probably scaring most of you there are a great percentage of you out there that know exactly what I mean - and so this is for you. Ever since the day I was born God put something inside me. Something quite strange and peculiar. He put a fight in me. A fire in my bones for justice and freedom. All my life I've been fighting, fighting authority, fighting society, fighting abuse, fighting manipulation, fighting greed, fighting the norms... sadly as it was done in my efforts most of that was a complete waste of time. But now I have a real reason to fight. I found the true reason to wage war... your freedom. I exist for quite a few purposes on this planet but one of them I know for sure is this. I exist to wage war. My war is with what haunts you, what torments you, what robs you, what lies to you, what hurts you and what keeps you chained.
I've learnt a few things about prayer over the years and it goes like this. If you let me pray for you it means I step into the fight with you. What it also means is this... I'm going to pay for it. I'm going to lose sleep, get hurt and cop it real bad from the enemy. But here's where that part that God put in me as a baby comes in... I was born for this. Some people have gifts of mercy, some gifts of teaching, some music and art... we all have something to offer. I'm offering a hand that's scarred from war. A heart that's been stitched up by my Master so many times I've lost count. I'm offering eyes that have seen way too much darkness for one lifetime. But most of all I'm offering you... Hope. Jesus said in John 8:32 "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." You will never be free if you keep believing the lies. I'm here to tell you that depression is not a metal illness. It's not a disease. It's not a condition. It's not a hereditary trait. That's what 'they' want you to believe. Ask yourself, who do you want to believe? The ones who keep feeding you pills or some guy that sounds like he's either completely lost... or maybe he found it. Depression has an identity. It has a personality. It's a someone. Yeah, you just got the chills too didn't you...
Now, what if I told you this. Jesus can not only set you free from that Giant that taunts you - He can also make you stronger than it so that you can take it's head clean off just like David did on that battlefield. Why would He do that? Because it gives Him glory. He wants you to be free and in setting you free, it makes those around you wonder and ask the question "Can I be free too?". The answer is a resounding "Yes". Romans 8:37 says "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us." A conqueror is someone who wins their battle... but someone who is more than a conqueror is someone who after finishing their fight goes and joins someone else's fight for their freedom. Call me a glutton for punishment but I just wanna see people set free more than anything else in this world. Like I said above, I'm not here to tell you how it will be done. I could explain in detail exactly what happened to me when Jesus reached down and ripped out of me the evil that didn't belong and how it radically and completely changed my life forever but God doesn't want me to do that for the sake of pointing this all back to Him. Was it the church that saved me and set me free? No. Was it my giving or my service to God that saved me? No. Was it some special ritual or chant? No. God opened my eyes after doing it and revealed me to the catalyst that led to my complete freedom from depression... the death of pride.
You see, pride is us saying "I'll do it my way..." and that can go on for years and years even to the grave. For me, I got sick and tired of my giant and sick and tired of doing it my way and failing all the time and finally gave up and shared my pain with others allowing them to pray for me. What I didn't realize was that I did exactly what God wanted and put Him in the ultimate position to move in and deal the final blow to my enemy. James 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." And this is what I did, I humbled myself before God and others. As a result God said "Today's your day Mark. Those prison walls are coming down. Welcome to the real world son". Now, if that's you - and based on the national percentages of how rampant depression is in our western world - then you need help like I did. You need the same Jesus that I needed. Can I encourage you to read Psalm 18? Pray before you read it "Father, please open my heart to your Word and teach me what I need to know" and He surely will. The one David is talking about in Psalm 18 is Jesus. The Jesus you need to save you from depression. Pray and call out to Him. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. He died to set you free and He specializes in restoration and redemption for all. His arm is never short to save.
And if you need a soldier to pray I will gladly step into your war to fight with you. Am I going to pay for this big time? Yep. Is that going to stop me? No way. Message me using the button at the top of this page and I'd be honored to pray for you. You can be free from depression. Totally and completely free. But it can't be done your way. I had to learn to that too. It's gotta be His way. His Name is Jesus and only He can truly set you free.
[ John 8:36 - So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ]
