Suicide and the Christian

This past Thursday I opened my Facebook to face the top post on my feed: a suicide note written by a Christian guy I follow – Molotov Mitchell. It was a long note. He started it with the words, “Slow Death.” Then he goes on to say that his marriage has ended and lists out reasons it happened. His number one reason was that he had an extramarital affair. I kept reading the long note, not knowing where it was going. I wasn’t sure if it was some kind of sick joke or for real. In his last paragraph he talks about choosing a method of dying, so that he could die slowly while praying. He supported his choice to kill himself because Sampson and Saul both killed themselves. He also rationalized it by saying he couldn’t support his daughter as well as he thought he should, therefore, it was better if he was gone, then to stick around.

I was dumbstruck when I read this. I couldn’t believe that it was really real. I scrolled down, after the note, to see people talking about someone saving him. Apparently, this was all real. He did try and kill himself. He slit his wrists. By the time, people got to him, he’d lost 50% of his blood. They did catch him in time, rushed him into surgery and sewed him back up. He is expected to make a full recovery.

A Christian trying to commit suicide? That doesn’t jive. He claims to be a Christian. Only God knows if he truly is. But if he’s a Christian, how did he get to this point? How did he get so low, that now he felt his only solution to his problems was to off himself? As a Christian, we know we are only on this planet for a really short time. We also know that WE WILL FACE PROBLEMS on this planet. WE WILL HURT. WE WILL CRY. GOD IS THE ROCK WE LEAN ON during these times.

Last week I discussed the enemy. The enemy is on the prowl. If we as Christians, let our guard down at any point, the enemy WILL pounce. The Apostle Paul talks over and over in the New Testament about keeping our guard up

1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

1 Thessalonians 5:6 “So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

I could fill this whole post with verses warning us about the devil. CHRISTIAN, if you didn’t realize it now, WE HAVE AN ENEMY. Don’t think for a second that we don’t. And if we start drifting away from the Bible and prayer, you’ve just made yourself weaker. You have now become the wounded animal in the herd. The enemy sees you and he’s not going to resist pouncing on you.

The enemy is brutal. The enemy doesn’t play fair. When you’re down, he’ll kick you. When you are up, he’ll push you down and then kick you. He throws punches at you with brass knuckles. He’s underhanded and sneaky. He’ll razzle dazzle you and while you are watching the show, he’s pulling something that will bite you in the end. He is our dark enemy who has a maniacal urge to wipe you off the face of the earth.

I’m not trying to be sensational here. IT IS A FACT. The enemy is out there. And if you are a Christian, he is out to get you. When we became Christians, we didn’t join a lovely picnic. We signed up for war. We were issued a sword – the Bible, armor – Ephesians 6:11, and a guide – the Holy Spirit. Through the Bible, we are given directions on what to do to fight the enemy, how to protect ourselves, and what to do to keep from getting wounded. There’s not time to lollygag around. There’s not time to drink tea and take a breather. We can’t afford to. We can’t sit on the sidelines and watch. This is war. The enemy is prowling like a roaring lion.

How did this Christian man get so low as to attempt suicide? I think he drifted. He drifted away from the Bible and prayer, which is ultimately your relationship with Jesus Christ. Like I said before, when you drift, you become the weak animal in the herd. We are in the last days. It feels like the enemy has turned up the volume, raised the ante. He’s going for his last hurrah. WE AS CHRISTIANS HAVE TO BE AWARE OF THE ENEMY AND BE ON GUARD. We can’t let pride, laziness, or sin of any kind to take over our lives. We can’t drift away from the ROCK. We can’t afford to. Jesus Christ is our rock and salvation. Stay close to Him or you WILL get hurt.