Tim Conway: If you could, in a real compact form, what have you learned from Jay Adams concerning depression?
Paul: The question is what have I learned from Jay Adams concerning depression? And that is, I guess the greatest thing would be this: that to be able to discern when I am believing a lie – believing something that is not true, that does not conform to God’s Word – and then to preach. Instead of letting my heart preach to me, that I ought to preach God’s Word to my heart and stand on the realities of God’s Word rather than on feelings.
Another thing that I think has been very helpful is that so many things that would cause us to pity and coddle a man, instead, the man should be rebuked because he’s believing a lie. So many things that seem to be where we treat ourselves as pitiful victims when in actuality, we’re guilty criminals. And just facing that. Facing that with the Word of God and repenting. Another thing I think is very, very good is that it is not enough to say no to the flesh; to say no to an evil practice, but to substitute that evil practice with the doing of good, with virtue. It’s not just putting off, but it’s putting on. And much of that has been very, very helpful. Very helpful.
