Charles Spurgeon's Depression and Struggles

[Longing to kneel]

Charles Spurgeon was known for his deep humility and self-examination, frequently admitting his own struggles and shortcomings in his writings and sermons. While he did not openly list every specific sin in a detailed way, he was very candid about his personal battles with sin, particularly in relation to his own weaknesses and his awareness of the sinful nature of the human heart. Here are a few areas in which Spurgeon admitted struggle:


1. Spiritual Discouragement and Doubt: Spurgeon struggled with periods of deep spiritual discouragement and doubt, especially regarding his calling and the weight of ministry. In his life and writings, he acknowledged these moments of despair and struggled to maintain his joy in the Lord during such times. Despite his outward success, he often felt overwhelmed by the burdens of ministry and his own personal shortcomings.



2. Pride and Self-Reliance: Spurgeon was deeply aware of the temptation to pride, particularly regarding his success as a preacher. He often spoke of the need to guard against pride and self-reliance, recognizing that any good work he did was due to God's grace, not his own abilities. He admitted that he had to fight against this temptation constantly, striving to stay humble and dependent on God's power.



3. Impatience: In his personal writings, Spurgeon also admitted to struggles with impatience, particularly when things didn't go as planned or when dealing with the weaknesses of others. He spoke of the need to continually seek God's help in overcoming such tendencies.



4. Laziness in Devotional Life: Spurgeon confessed that, like many Christians, he occasionally struggled with laziness in his own devotional life. Despite his intense devotion to ministry and his study of Scripture, he acknowledged that there were times when he was not as diligent as he should have been in prayer and personal worship.



5. Temptation to Sin in Thought: Spurgeon admitted that he was not immune to sinful thoughts and temptations, and he was very aware of the battle within his heart. He often spoke of the need for Christians to bring their thoughts captive to Christ and to resist the temptations of the flesh.




Despite these struggles, Spurgeon consistently pointed to the grace and mercy of God as the solution. He relied on the forgiveness offered through Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. His willingness to admit his own weaknesses and sins only magnified the message of God's grace, showing that even the greatest servants of God are in need of His mercy.

 

[roman2819]

Charles Spurgeon ........ Laziness in Devotional Life: Spurgeon confessed that, like many Christians, he occasionally struggled with laziness in his own devotional life. Despite his intense devotion to ministry and his study of Scripture, he acknowledged that there were times when he was not as diligent as he should have been in prayer and personal worship.

Indeed, our relationship with the Lord is not determined by subtle rules such as devotional time. Whether we pray much or little does not matter to Him. Even if you only pray when facing problems, you are still keeping faith. Or even if one hardly prays, but still continues to believe in God, He is still there for you. This does not mean that we pray as little as possible, but the point is God does not set a prayer or Bible-reading standard for us to follow.

Why didn’t the apostles say that we should pray and read the Scriptures daily? I believe that this would give us a false sense of being right with the Lord. It would set a false legalistic standard.

Ask Christians today whether they read the Scriptures or pray often, and most of them will say something to this effect: Not as much as they would like to. At church, we are told to pray and read the Bible often. Although the intention is good, however, there is a flip side: Many of us feel guilty that we don’t. Quite a few try to revive their devotional time, but only to stop again when they are busy, or when they are weary from their daily chores, or when their effort doesn’t seem to make a difference (which is usually the main reason). In the end, they let it be, not knowing what to do about it – and live with a residue of guilt and uncertainty, thinking that they are missing something important in their walk with God.

Many of us equated Joshua 1:8 to studying the Scriptures daily or often: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” But after reading the Scriptures often, we lose interest due to boredom, lack of motivation or lack of time etc. We should understand what the prophet was really saying in the light of the circumstances (context again). When he told them to “… meditate on [the Law] and be careful to do everything written in it”, he was saying that they must follow the commandments, keep away from idols and be allegiant towards God. Back then, after years of conquests, the Israelites had settled in the land. However, they would still be susceptible to influence of idolatry because the pagan nations around them worshipped foreign gods. Knowing the danger, Joshua urged them to keep God’s laws and statutes in their heart and soul at all times – this is what Joshua 1:8 means in context. Today, this is equivalent to being the light and salt of the earth. Surely we can practice Christlikeness from our heart and mind without having to read the Bible constantly.

Despite these struggles, Spurgeon consistently pointed to the grace and mercy of God as the solution. He relied on the forgiveness offered through Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. His willingness to admit his own weaknesses and sins only magnified the message of God's grace, showing that even the greatest servants of God are in need of His mercy.

I used to read the Scriptures often. But a few years later, I questioned the reasons for this practice. Am I trying to show God that I am faithful or pious? I believe He does not need me to do so. Or is it necessary for keeping faith? No, faith is in me if I continue to believe in Him after redemption. I also observed that I was reading similar topics about Christian living over and over again from devotional guides, and not growing in biblical knowledge.

God accepts children with different characters and personalities, whether we are pious or less so. Some believers pray more to feel closer to God, while many only pray when they go to church on weekends. Some believers tend to worry about losing their salvation if they don’t pray – if you have such doubts, then pray to reassure yourself, even though you are already redeemed. Usually, a born-again Christians will not just pray once a year – even though it is acceptable to God if they still continue to believe. And there are also believers that do not have much to say during prayer, or may not even know what to say; I have been at Christian meetings where some pray eloquently while others don’t, but God is with all of us when we keep faith.

- Adapted from 'Understanding prayer, Faith and God's Will' by Roman Ri