Foundational Truths

“Foundational Truth” is the term I use in my book to describe what God taught me about Himself. It is a truth that can be counted on 100% of the time. It is a truth I tested and studied when I was outside of a depressive event and found trustworthy. I found it was true in depression and out of depression.

There wasn’t anything that could shake it or change it. It is something His Word tells us is true, so it doesn’t matter whether we understand it, believe it, feel it or anything else concerning us. It is something we can always count on about God and His promises.

You see, it was necessary that I rebuild my view of God in depression because my illness and my former view of God distorted Him. These Foundational Truths were what I needed to embrace about God to find peace. Remember, in depression, the things I had believed about God had failed me. I couldn’t find any hope or comfort in them. Embrace these biblical, foundational truths that I learned, and ask yourself whether you have a proper view of God yourself.

Below is a list of the foundational truths God revealed to me in His Word over the course of my period of depression.

#1 NOBODY is righteous, nobody, zip, zilch, nada—not even me! (See Chapter 15)

#2 God is compassionate toward us. (See Chapter16-a)

#3 God is longsuffering (patient) with us. (Chapter 16-b)

#4 God is our Good Shepherd. He truly cares for us. (Chapter 16-c)

#5 God is near to the brokenhearted. He saves those crushed in spirit. He empathizes with our weaknesses. (Chapter 17-a)

#6 God already knows our hearts. We don’t have to pretend to be something that isn’t true. (Chapter 17-b)

#7 We are already accepted by God because He accepted the sacrifice of His son on our behalf. (Chapter 17-c)

#8 God works miracles to glorify Himself. He can certainly make a way to help us find Him. (Chapter 18-a)

#9 God is our Healer. God can and does heal. (Chapter 18-b)

#10 God is merciful to us. It is His desire to show us mercy. (Chapter 19)

#11 God is present with us in our suffering. (Chapter 20)

#12 God is okay with our brokenness because our brokenness is exactly the reason He came to earth. He died for us so He could look past our brokenness in love. (Chapter 21)

#13 God is sovereign with absolute authority. (Chapter 22-a)

#14 We belong to God! He purchased us for His own possession. (Chapter 22-b)

#15 God is always good! (Chapter 22-c)

#16 We are fully forgiven for our sins: past, present and future ones. (Chapter 23-a)

#17 God’s demand for justice was fully satisfied and our guilt was fully paid for. (Chapter 23-b)

#18 The wrath (anger) of God towards believers was appeased, never to be aroused again. (Chapter 23-c)

#19 Jesus reconciled us to the Father, so we are now fully accepted by God. Our shame has been erased. (Chapter 23-d)

#20 God justified us forever and Jesus’ righteousness was credited to us. (Chapter 23-e)

#21 God redeemed us (bought us back) from our slavery to sin and its curse. (Chapter 23-f)

#22 We were adopted into the family of God and made His precious children. He is our Abba Father. (Chapter 23-g)

#23 God gave us eternal life and His Spirit as a guarantee. (Chapter 23-h)

#24 His Holy Spirit indwells us (lives in us) so that God would always be with us. (Chapter 23-i)

#25 God is the One Who sanctifies us. (Chapter 23-j)

#26 God is eternal; He had no beginning and will have no ending. (Chapter 24-a)

#27 God is transcendent, meaning not limited by time or space. (Chapter 24-b)

#28 God really, really loves you! (Chapter 25-a)

#29 God is our Comforter. (Chapter 25-b)

#30 We are saved only by His grace, through our faith in Him and His work on the cross. (Chapter 26-a)

#31 God is gracious to us. It is His supernatural, agape-love choice to lavish His grace upon us. It is always being poured out on us. (Chapter 26-b)

#32 After we’re saved, we live only by His amazing grace. Every good thing we do is first enabled by the riches of the gift of His grace. (Chapter 26-c)

#33 God gives a greater grace to the humble and contrite heart. (Chapter 26-d)

#34 We will never have our sins held against us after we have believed because we are fully forgiven and justified by His amazing grace. We now live by grace and not on the basis of works. (Chapter 26-e)

#35 God wants us to have faith in His incredible “already dones.” (Chapter 27-a)

#36 Your faith is counted to you as righteousness, not your works. (Chapter 27-b)

#37 God wants our hearts, not our perfection. (Chapter 27-c)

#38 God pursues us not to punish us but to woo us into an intimate relationship with Him. (Chapter 27-d)

#39 God does allow suffering to glorify Himself and for His eternal purposes. (Chapter 28)

#40 God is always faithful to His promises, so He will always be faithful to us. His faithfulness is an unchanging attribute of His holy character. (Chapter 29-a)

#41 God and His character are unchanging. They are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. (Chapter 29-b)

#42 God offers spiritual rest to those who trust in full confidence that God knows what He is doing, embrace the life He has chosen for them, submit to His sovereignty and lean into His presence to sustain them. (Chapter 31)

#43 The Holy Spirit is our Advocate (Helper) that Jesus sent to us when He returned to heaven. He helps us when we feel weak. (Chapter 32-a)

#44 The Holy Spirit prays on our behalf (intercedes for us) with groanings too deep for words, in accordance with the will of God. (Chapter 32-b)

#45 God helps us in our weaknesses. (Chapter 33)

#46 God blesses and strengthens the inner man of those who wait on the Lord, submit to His purposes and surrender to His will. Waiting on God demonstrates trust and hope in the Lord. (Chapter 36-a)

#47 God has a plan for our lives. It has been chosen and prepared for us to glorify Him. (Chapter 36-b)

#48 God sometimes allows us to suffer to grow us. (Chapter 36-c)

#49 God grants His children peace as they surrender to His will for them. (Chapter 36-d)

#50 God desires for you to find His peace in your depression. (Chapter 39)