The final act of committing suicide has been around since the fall of our first parents, but it has morphed into an epidemic worldwide. In ages past, very few people would do the unthinkable, for they loved life and recoiled from death. But quite surprisingly, the increase of knowledge of good and evil, and millions of inventions, have not been sufficient to stave off what is now being labeled by many in the medical field, as a mental health problem.
But when we study sacred history, we observe that many individuals in times past suffered with mental health problems, but the suicide rate was quite low. And therefore, it is necessary for us to investigate the root of the problem, and its scope, so that we may find Biblical answers and solutions. Before we begin, let’s take a look at some disturbing statistics, and trends in America, from the CDC.
[1] Suicide rates rose in all but one state between 1999 and 2016, with increases seen across age, gender, race and ethnicity, according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In more than half of all deaths in 27 states, the people had no known mental health condition when they ended their lives.
Case in point was the late Anthony Bourdain, who rose to national fame in the culinary industry, and who featured promiently in the television series “Parts Unknown”. At the time of his own suicide by hanging there were no narcotics in his system, from the toxicology report. He was someone who, from all appearances, seemed to have it made, yet he too took his own life, whilst filming a segment of the hit series.
[2] Nearly 45,000 suicides occurred in the United States in 2016. To put it in perspective, that’s fifteen times the amount of people who died on 9/11, and this raises the prospect that we may be our worst enemy. What is even more disturbing is that among people ages 15 to 34, suicide is the second-leading cause of death.
[3] The most common method used across all of the groups was firearms, and in half of the states, it has increased more than 30% among people age 10 and older.
[4] Suicides from opioid overdoses nearly doubled between 1999 and 2014, and data from a 2014 national survey showed that individuals addicted to prescription opioids had a 40 percent to 60 percent higher risk.
[5] The problems most frequently associated with
suicide are strained relationships; stress, involving work, or finances; substance use problems; physical health conditions; and recent or impending crises. After the financial crash of 2008, several persons committed suicide, when they saw no way out of their conundrum.
[6] Rates of self-inflicted death is 22% percent higher in veterans than in the general population.
In addition to the fore-mentioned causes, we now know for a fact that many legal prescription drugs on the market are responsible for inducing suicidal thoughts. Pharmaceutical drugs were supposed to save lives, but many are having an adverse effect, in driving folks to seriously contemplate taking their own lives. Let us think about that for a moment; we have a very toxic mix on our hands, with triggering mechanisms, and the wherewithal to make suicide as easy as possible.
Whatever may be the reason, and whatsoever may be the triggering mechanism, there are some facts we should always bear in mind, because human life is sacred, given to us by our Creator. Therefore, God will have us to understand that any person who will deliberately end their own life will never be saved in God’s kingdom, for they ended their life on a sinful note. And thus, because there isn’t a reversal, once the act has been committed, the possibility of any repentance is closed off permanently.
Another fact we should bear in mind is that Jesus never moves upon a person to take their own life. It is entirely impossible, for His mission to earth was to save life, not to kill. And thus, suicidal thoughts must be proceeding from any other source except from God. Let’s read:
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
This leads us to review a few important issues from the scriptures. The devil is the main driver behind suicidal thoughts. There are derivatives occurring indirectly downstream from him, such as opioids, depression, the example of prominent figures, and the thought that there is no other way out. But for all intents and purposes, satan is the originator of suicidal thoughts, to a greater or lesser degree.
Which leads us to question why would he desire persons to die by suicide? When he himself has not once contemplated the idea? The answer is simple, for if one dies in their sins, that’s one less person he has to pay for in the fires of hell. In fact, the general purpose of every temptation brought to the human family, is to try to get persons to pay for their own sins, which by default, automatically reduces the time he must spend burning.
Thus, it is for purely selfish reasons why the suicidal thought is infused into our minds, in the first place. For instance, after king Saul was tempted to disobey God on a number of occasions, the Holy Spirit finally left him, and then, in desperation, he turned to the devil for help. But to his utter dismay, he found out that his probation was closed and he was faced with only one of two bad options, either be killed by the enemy, or take his own life. Saul chose the latter. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 28:5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. 11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. 12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. 14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. 15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? 17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. 18 Because thou obeyed not the voice of the Lord, nor did executed his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. 19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. 20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel.
1st Samuel 31:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. 4 Then said Saul unto his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore, Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
Often in life persons are driven to the point where they believe God has forsaken them, and they are tempted to believe that there is no way out, other than to end their own life. Then when faced with only bad options, some chose to call it quits. This is a tactic often used by the adversary, who specializes in backing us into a corner, if we permit.
The fact is that in Saul’s case many opportunities for repentance and change were granted, as was also the case with Eli and his sons. But the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, finally leaves a person to the choices they have made, because the use of force is contrary to the principles of Christ’s kingdom. But even after a person’s probation may be closed, they are in many instances permitted by God to live, for as we stated before, God never ever drives any person to commit suicide. Never!
One of the inconvenient truths we have to grapple with is that the great adversary of souls has the ability to infuse negative thoughts into the human mind, and therefore, it’s important that when going through extreme pain, depression, or anxiety, that we take a step back and examine the nature of our thoughts.
The gateways to human minds were opened to evil through the first transgression, and ever since that fateful day, evil spirits have the freedom to infuse evil thoughts, even without being invited. This fact applies to both Christians and non-Christians, but it should not scare or alarm us, since everything stops at the threshold of personal choice.
The devils may induce and suggest evil thoughts, and they may tempt and annoy us; they may put a train of circumstances into motion to drive some to depression, but they cannot pull the trigger if we do not permit. Both the bullets and the firearms must be bought from a store by the person’s own choice.
Sometimes thoughts are the cogitations of our own minds, reacting to what we may have seen or heard in time past. There are also remorseful thoughts we experience when the history of certain failures are pulled up at random from our memory bank. Then there are thoughts that are infused by both good, and evil spirits. This fact is carefully documented in the scriptures and should be observed before we proceed. Let’s read:
Job 2:4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Obviously, the devil was the author of the thought!
Daniel 10:4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; 5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
1st Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. 2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Not because David and Peter wrote books in the Bible does it mean that they were exempt from being infused with evil thoughts at times for the principle of infusion applies equally to all human beings. But we have the assurance that Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, which means that under the direct influence, and inspiration of The Holy Spirit, they wrote what they wrote. But all of us are subject to the same, which should cause us to often examine our thoughts. Let’s read:
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
As it pertains to the next example, we will see that it is the same source which moved upon Saul, that moved Judas to commit the unthinkable. Judas was given the power to preach and cast out evil spirits just like the other disciples, but again, the issue of personal choice is what shaped his eternal destiny. Like king Saul every opportunity was granted him so that he could change course, but every effort by the Holy Ghost was beaten back persistently.
Then the devil finally took control of his mind, and the events which followed soon after, reveal that the author of his thoughts, was the same person who drove Saul to desperation. Every thought of taking one’s own life has its origins in the author of evil, who is described by Christ as a murderer from the beginning.
The commandment which says “Thou shalt not kill” applies equally to others as well as to ourselves, and therefore, deliberate suicide is a violation of that law. When Judas decided to end his own life, it was the adversary who infused the thought into his mind. Judas bought the rope from the store, and he committed the act, but the author of the evil thought was the devil. Let’s read:
John 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spoke. 26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 30 He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
Matthew 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
The following therefore are Biblical ways to avoid suicide. It is critically important for us to follow the instructions given, especially if we are prone to be depressed, suffer from extreme anxiety, or may be suffering excruciating pain, or may be terminally ill. Whatever might be the situation, God can, and will help, if we trust in Him.
[1] Surrender ourselves fully to God. The mind of Christ given to us through The Holy Ghost will never lead us to contemplate any thought of taking our own lives. Let’s read:
1st John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2nd Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
[2] When in difficulty or depression, let prayer be our first resource. With the Christian there is no such thing as no way out. This particular thought is often infused by evil spirits into the minds of those who are on the brink. But there is always a way out. Always. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
[3] Wherever possible, avoid the constant use of prescription drugs, especially those which tend to induce suicidal thoughts. Those who by the grace of God, and who through obedience to His every word, are able to avoid the use of drugs, will have done to themselves and their families a very great favor.
Hence the reason why we say emphatically that the health message given to us and to the world, is one of the most precious truths ever given to mortals. Let’s read:
Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
[4] Decide here and now, that come what may, we will never end our own life. Death may come when it may, but we must choose to refrain from doing that which is forbidden by God, who alone can give life. Whatever the situation that we may be going through, let’s always remember that our freedom of choice is one of the most powerful tools given us by God, so that we may chart safe paths for our feet.
Therefore, we will close with a promise of ongoing grace and strength to meet every challenge, and to overcome every difficulty, for God is faithful who has promised. Let’s read:
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
God bless!