"I appreciate the article and the question. I know for those in the church, the problem is a lack of transparency by the ministry and a level of practical teaching to help deal with it. The ministry is not willing to be transparent about their struggles and consequently how they gained victory over those struggles.
Another factor, in my opinion, is we do not read the scriptures emotionally therefore have those in scripture on pedestals of not having the struggles we have today and therefore do not see the answers that God provided.
Paramount, in my experience is the struggle Elijah had after the great victory at Mt. Carmel. When God unpacked that for me, I never looked at depression the same way, nor did I handle it the same way, nor did it handle the depressed the same way. This is why I give so much room for the experience.
In Isa 61, the spirit of heaviness is the "spirit of depression". In this there are levels. Elijah is not fighting emotional depression alone. He is not fighting an oppression by the "spirit of depression", he seems to be possessed by that spirit. It holds sway over him for over 40 days and visitations of God do not get him out of it.
If that spirit is attacking a person or trying to possess a person, there is a strong call of God on their life, that he is trying to distract the person from entering into. In the life of Elijah, it was the training of Elisha and imparting into his life that the enemy was trying to stop. The enemy may not have known who, or why or when, but he knew that if Elijah poured himself into someone, that someone would have a greater ministry that Elijah and do damage to his kingdom as Elisha did by releasing in timing, the killing of Jezebel and the anointing of two men of God's choosing over two nations.
If God is raising up today, and Elijah ministry, then that Elijah ministry is going to go through the principles of the dealings of God and the making of the man that Elijah did. We cannot receive the Elijah anointing without the Elijah dealings. One of those dealings is walking through an attack and possibly even being possessed by the spirit of depression and despair that could lead to suicide and having God keep us through it and deliver us out the other side. There must be a people who overcome this spirit whose sole desire is to bring death and devastation to the Elijah company of God.
Another factor to remember is that Elijah was being prepared to stand by the Lord of the whole earth. This is seen in Zechariah and Revelation 11. If the enemy can take out those destined for this company, then, in his eyes, heaven is weakened and the enemies kingdom is strengthened. Because people are not taught, they are "destroyed for lack of knowledge".
These are just a few of the thoughts that passed through my head when I read the article in this announcement and the questions you asked. I am sure there is more, but, I leave the rest to you to meditate upon."
Dr. Bill
