56: DEPRESSION AND MISUSE OF POWER: THESE CHOICES SHAPE YOU

Discover how proper use of power can allow healing from depression and how we either use our God-given power for healing or for harm. 

View all LINKS and supporting content mentioned in this episode HERE: https://imaquarius.com/misuse-of-power/

Even small daily choices can shape emotional, spiritual, and mental health over time. Through personal stories, faith-based perspectives, and practical reflection, Jennifer and John discuss the damage that can come to those who use their power for gossip, narcissism, or controlling others; while healing can come when we use our power to strengthen, uplift, or set firm and healthy boundaries. As we use our influence, words, money, and relationships for good, we can create unity rather than division and peace rather than war. The episode also explores how the power of faith, prayer, humility, and spiritual discipline can lead to healing from depression, emotional pain, and hopelessness. This episode of the Overcome Depression Podcast is for those who want to reclaim their power, strengthen their peace, and remember that healing and transformation are possible NOW…not just “someday.”

This episode of the Overcome Depression podcast is for you if you want to learn:

• How small daily choices result in powerful transformations (for good or for evil) over time
• How gossip, negativity, narcissism, and division powerfully affect mental health and relationships
• How faith, prayer, and personal responsibility powerfully affect mental health and relationships
• How to use your influence, words, parenting, and relationships as a force for healing and good — to yourself and others

Transcript

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Somebody really does not like what we're doing. The power keeps manipulating our pain. those of you that are listening to this podcast this is like the third or fourth time we've had to restart the Internet and the software literally is going crazy and it's dropping us causing all these weird random problems and I always pray for the technology and the software and everything before, but there can be a lot of interference when I'm talking about highly spiritual topics. it's come to be accepted. And I just start praying again, like, come on, what I miss. to pray for the cord, Yeah, and it's a lot of fun. know, or the microphone. So having a sense of humor powerful powerful I know A power. let's talk about the use of power for evil and we were talking about all the people behind the famous person Churchill or Washington you know all the people who backed them it takes quite a lot of backing to Help an evil person succeed as well in a lot of cases Think about who you're supporting and the power that is in numbers. mob mentality, it's a thing. What group are you supporting? Where is your money going? Even if you buy a product from, I don't know, Scott toilet paper, what does Scott toilet paper support? If you're paying Scott toilet, I have no idea. like if you're giving money to Scott toilet paper. and they support charities that you love, that's a way to use your money for power, for good. But it can go the opposite way too. If you're pouring your money into company that is supporting abortions, maybe consider not doing it. I won't buy Huggies anymore for that reason. when you find out, do something about it. Use your power for good. to put your energy and resources into somewhere else. what do the evil men and women do with their power, It came from God in the first place, but this guy named Satan wanted to manipulate it and convolute it and use it for evil purposes to hurt each other. So what are those ways? Odyssey the ways that you can use power for evil as to pursue selfish goals So if they serve only you and your own interests regardless of any harm you might cause to others that is a misuse of power if you want exploit or disempower others so you try to control them, intimidate them, and force them to do what you want rather than uplift them. You push them down, you trample them down. That's exploitation and that's wrong. Another one is to promote falsehoods and division. This is the one that a lot of people don't realize that they do, but promoting falsehoods or promoting division. Gossip talking behind people's back, I remember being in the bathroom at work and this girl and her friends walked in and were laughing about something that I did. And it was very hurtful. I decided to look at it and go, well, do I do that? And is that something I can change? Yeah. And I let it go, but I remember at the time they didn't realize I was in there, but the things you say, even if someone doesn't hear them with their own ears, that carries an energy that can be felt by the person, whether you realize it or not, and it can really hit home when your brain internalizes it, when you actually know what that was, but even the shirts you wear, If your shirt reads something that's demeaning or rude or arrogant, it can do damage as well. There's power in words, in writing, in the things that we write on social media. So to be, gentle in wielding that power, I don't want to careful, but selective and prudent as to how you use that power. Right, there's nothing wrong with talking about a person or talking about what somebody has done, But if you're not comfortable saying what you're saying to their face, if they were right there in front of you, that's wrong. if it's not going to help the situation by telling it, not help yet like if it's a therapist or a mentor or friend where you have that confidence, you're not spreading it around because obviously, yeah, if something hurts you and you want to talk about it, that's different than bagging on the person. when you gossip, you do it in a way such that it's demeaning to the other person. Or if you find enjoyment, entertainment value. Yeah, people do when you're freshly divorced. Not to do that because there's so much emotion. those who succeed, bless them. it's really prevalent everywhere, even if you don't realize it, for instance, I started playing this game called Monopoly Go. Yeah, that's a fun game, I love Monopoly. It is. I'm playing it. But then I had to stop and think about it. When you land on a railroad to get more money, you have to rob somebody else or you destroy one of their landmarks, something that they have created. And I took a step back and I realized just something that little I mean people are doing it for fun But if you step back and think about the implications you're teaching people to steal and to destroy now that I've said it Now you're going to start thinking about it when you play that game. crap. this boils to the other evil point is where you disregard ethics. morality, you This is a big one. These are all markers of narcissism, when you make—narcissism, you make excuses for all the bad things you do in the name of good. Like, you'll say, well, I must do these evil, cheating, lying, stealing things. to achieve this really important objective, which is a good thing, and it justifies all the bad things I'm going to do to get there. The end. Said Every evil person in the history of existence. This is from Jim butcher in the cold days and it should give you something to think about No one just starts giggling and wearing black and signs up to become a villainous monster how do you think it happens? It happens to people. Just people. They make questionable choices for what might be very good They make choice after choice none of them slaughtering roomfuls of saints or murdering hundreds of baby seals or rubber room irrational. But it adds up and then one day they look around and realize that they're so far over the line they can't remember where it was. I found myself there when I stuck in a temptation, wondering how did this happen? How did I get here? I've talked about that in podcast number four. was hard to just be in that place and go, how did this happen? It was incremental choices. It's just little choices and again rationalizing it for good. well, this is okay. Well, I need to do this to be nice. whatever excuses I was making got me to that point and it was a slow decline. Slow slow and sometimes it's over years Which also goes to the point when you have that? long of a decline It might take you Years to dig yourself Back out of it. And that's one of the reasons why we always say just don't give up you have the power to do that. You got yourself this far down, you can get back up. And yes, the incline can feel a little exhausting. That's why there's angels and people who can carry you part of the way. That's the idea. You got to let them help you. So if there's bridges you can't gap inclines you can't quite scale. that's what the atonement is all about that power of redemption you do have the power to turn the other way and say I want to go back help me done it's done as soon as you make the decision and you take a step forward and you're willing it will happen for you you just have to have the belief in the faith to do it every action taken with power has a moral consequence. It's either going to be good or it's going to be bad. There are no gray areas, The power a parent has over their children the power siblings have over each other There is power children have over their parents especially if you're in a position of authority If God has placed you there, you have to be really conscious of the power that you have and the things that you can do, the way that you can influence other people for good or for ill. it really comes down to... tuning into God and saying, how do you want me to use this power? Because there's so many things we could do and so many ways we can use it. And when it comes to family, children, for example, they're so different. So you could do everything in your power to save a child. But if you're doing all of the quote unquote wrong things that that child necessarily need, but you're really trying, not that your efforts are in complete vain, But it really does help to tune in to God so that you can know what that child needs, which may be nothing what you think, nothing you would have ever wanted for yourself, but they want it. that takes a lot of humility and use of power and discipline And know when to use your power or when not. yeah, let them use their own power and figure it out. Yeah, also realize that if you are trying to make the difference in somebody's life and you are praying for them, when you pray, you have to let go. of the outcome. So you can make the requests. Never stop making the requests because God will take those requests. And he will determine when to use it. It might be sometime in the future. It could be sometime in the past. I know we've spoken about like generational sin, it is entirely possible for you to pray for your ancestors. Just like it's entirely possible for you to pray for your future descendants. They're not even born yet. Yeah, right. Can I tell you a story? Please about a year year and a half ago my son he doesn't listen to these so I'm not worried about him finding out I don't think I've ever told him this but he was just really struggling with attitude honesty kindness. I was noticing the way he was talking about other people demeaning them and thinking it was fine you know, like he was justified. And it was really concerning to me. he was having a lot of physical pain, in his body, making it uncomfortable when he would play sports, but he was still able to play. And I sat down and said a prayer one night and asked the Lord, will you grant my son the learning experiences he needs now? to help him to avoid bigger mistakes later. Amen. And, Yeah. well, from that time forward, almost immediately, the pains he'd been experiencing got much, much, much worse to the point that he could not play. And it was a real struggle and very humbling for him. there were lot of other learning experiences he went through that were hard as a mother to watch. And knowing that I literally prayed for this, I didn't know what it was going to look like, and I'm sitting back going, ~ my gosh, I had that faith and I knew that the Lord had him his hands and that this was a blessing. a year and a half later, even two years, he's been able to play soccer again, has recovered more or less. He has made huge strides in the way that he's treating other people. He's kinder. He's more empathetic, more compassionate. I mean, I'm so proud of how he's been not just acting, but who he's become. Because with him, for the longest time, it was all about what can I get? I'll be nice, but only if can get something from you. And I feel like that shifted. Did I want him to be playing and succeeding and happy and joyful in the things he wanted? Yeah. But I also want him to grow up to be a kinder, God-fearing, successful human being with a wife who's happy, who he treats kindly, and children who he raises with love. so big picture here. was hard to watch. It was. But knew God had a plan for him. And I'm grateful I asked. don't know anything would have turned out But I feel like the power I had in making that request did make a difference. And if you're a parent, be brave enough to ask for those kinds of things for your children and be prepared for the difficulties that might follow that aren't easy. tell you the perfect example of this if you want to know someone who really went through a hard difficult time the virgin mary jesus's mother She had to sit there and watch what they did to her son. I mean even though she knew the redemption the salvation Everything was even with the Yeah He was- were rude to him and She bore witness to all of that there was one visionary that talked and The Blessed Mother basically said yes. I knew that he was going to die and be raised three days later I knew why he was going through everything But it didn't make the experience any easier the DNA of the baby inside of a mother, there's a little bit of it that stays with her for the rest of her life. you share that DNA, you're connected. I think that's why can feel their kids if they're sensitive to that. mothers have a very powerful role in the lives of their children. mothers are the heart of the family. have the power, men and women, to give life in the first place. Yes. and that's a gift God gave us because he is a God of creation he wanted to share that aspect of creation with us. So that's why he allows us to have children be part of the process so we can enjoy it and love it as he loves us, and think about all the ways that that use of power is being misused. We talk about that in number the lies you learned in sex education. Yeah, China where they're creating the artificial womb so you don't even need a mother to have a child as my friend pointed out ~ definitely. It's a mistake pursuing that agenda using that power in the wrong way instead of using that to help women and men have children they're taking them out of the equation and just making it state run. ~ product assembly line children Wow. Now that's a power trip. another quote that I want to give you before we leave tonight is from CS Lewis in his Mere Christianity He basically said good and evil both increase at compound interest That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. the smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which a few months later you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. And apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead. from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible. when you said that, I'm thinking of the aura picture I got shows that light around a person, that's power, power in your own protection and that light energy can protect you, that light of Christ. And even in mine, you can kind of spots where it kind of divots in, you know, like there's a vulnerable place. I wonder what that is, Lord. Can you help me fortify that, please? But yeah, I love that imagery you're indulging sin and not it to the Lord and asking him to help and heal you on the daily, sometimes hourly for me. It's going to create vulnerable places, either a railway line or a bridgehead the enemy can attack you from. you think of Spartans when they were guarding that itty bitty spot of it like you're a Spartan putting everything you've got all the power you have into protecting your light, the light of Christ in you. you have to protect your light. You have to feed your light and grow your light Get that little mustard seed and get that tree growing so that way when the day comes when you go to meet our lord You can give them a tree Use your power it is available to you now You do not have to wait until you meet your Savior on the other side to be He gave that gift to you so you can use it today. Okay? And I can't reiterate that enough. You do not have to live the rest of your life or even the next year depressed or anxious. You can be healed. Start now. there have been so many saints you can read about their lives where they've had to go through physical suffering, pain, have illnesses and yet they were so happy. Despite it all, they said, it's nothing. I'm happy because Jesus loves me and I get that's the state that you get in and Quite literally that will get you through the worst moments when you finally reach that point where you have that peace and you sense that love of God within you can stand against the raging storm and not budge and just walk right through it. you hit the nail on the head with the peace. If you are using your power in the ways that God intended for we all have different gifts, but we all have that light of Christ. If you're out of alignment, if you're using your power in ways that are not going to serve you or others, you're not going to feel at peace until you do. You think about a rocket ship being faced in the wrong direction, like towards the ground, and what that might look like versus,~ it's supposed to go up. it may not be a rocket ship. you're a car or bear. I mean, there's all kinds of analogies I could make. But using your power appropriately. food for thought. This was another piece of advice that was given to me and it's very true understand this there's always going to be somebody smarter than you and There's going to be someone not as smart as you there's always going to be somebody faster than you There's always going to be somebody slower than you all that matters is who you are what you do and how your puzzle piece fits in the grand scheme of things because that puzzle cannot be complete without that piece and each one is You're needed. You're needed and valuable. We hope you'll join our puzzle and make it a beautiful one. It's a great puzzle. With that said, Yes. thank you, John, for joining me on this podcast and for kind of leading today. I appreciate you. It's 930 where John is. We're going to let him get to bed and... 30, 10, 30. I'm so sorry. We are really going to let John go to bed now. This is the Overcome Depression podcast and we will see you next time.