Dealing With Suicide

By Rebekah Prewitt

Questions like:
Why do people commit suicide?
Did they know what they were doing?
What does the Bible say about mental illness?
Where did they go?

In Dealing With Suicide, Prewitt also outlines:

How to help the suicidal
Steps the bereaved can take in the aftermath of suicide
False teachings to avoid

To every thing there is a season,...a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.—Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebekah Prewitt
• Release date: Apr 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463723326

Rebekah Prewitt

Rebekah is the wife of Billy Prewitt. She is also a Bible based Pentecostal Christian Counselor. She holds a PhD in Christian Counseling and operates in North Florida, USA. Visit LakeCityCounsel.com to learn more.

Book preview

Dealing With Suicide

Rebekah Prewitt

Copyright ©2019 by Billy and Rebekah Prewitt

All rights reserved. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Other permissions will likely be granted upon request.

Unless noted, all Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Names of individuals and details of the stories have often been changed.

Dedication

To The Bride of Christ

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Did They Know What They Were Doing?

Chapter 2

I Want to Know. Did My Daughter Go to Heaven or Hell?

Chapter 3

False Consolation

Chapter 4

True Consolation

Chapter 5

Why Do People Commit Suicide?

Chapter 6

How to Help the Suicidal

Conclusion

Notes

Appendix

Introduction

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

—Luke 4:18

Dear Friend,

Jesus wants to heal you! He came to heal the brokenhearted and to set at liberty them that are bruised. Maybe it has only been ten days and the shock is fresh. Maybe it has been ten years, yet hot tears still stream down your face. Either way, I would like to remind you that because He lives, you can face tomorrow! If you have lost someone to suicide, I hope this book will be instrumental in your healing process. If you would like to help those who are contemplating suicide, then this book will also serve as a useful resource. This book is not intended to stir up your emotions. We know that feelings cannot be trusted because they fluctuate by the moment. Rather, I would like to stir your intellect to help you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel (Colossians 1:23).

My heart almost burst out of my body, said Oral Roberts after hearing of his son's suicide. Losing a loved one to natural death is hard enough, but to lose a loved one to suicide compounds that grief. The torrent of emotions and questions that flood the heart is overwhelming. The shock and numbing effect seems to encapsulate the whole body. What in the world can anyone possibly have to offer the bereaved in such a time like this? Words, money, flowers, and cards are totally inadequate to bring comfort and healing to the ruptured heart, yet in spite of the pain, the question of the eternal fate of that loved one haunts the mind. Where did they go?

As a Christian counselor, I look directly to the Bible for the answers to my clients problems. Some might think this approach is narrow minded, but I know that the Bible can be trusted.

It has been noted that there are over 150 ways to practice secular counseling, and none of them agree. Unlike these secular methods, I have learned that the Bible is the only book that properly addresses all the pain and struggles in the human heart and provides the precise diagnosis to deal with each of those issues—even suicide. I realize that some say the Bible is silent on the issue of suicide; however, this is simply not true. As you read this book, you will discover that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, has real answers related to suicide.

Why can we trust the Bible? Unlike any other book, the Bible has an amazing advantage in that it is not just black and red letters laid out on pages. Rather, it is a living document. This means that every word was breathed by the Holy Spirit of God. The Apostle Peter tells us that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21). This means that we can't discount any part of it. The Apostle Paul also teaches that All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Bible, my friend, is not a bunch of made-up tales. It can be trusted. Peter tells us, For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty (2 Peter 1:16). Another eyewitness, the Apostle John, states, That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).

The Bible is truly amazing! It isn't a wonder that Christians through the ages have endured terrible beatings, harsh and despicable conditions, and have died cruel deaths rather than surrender to any other teachings. A Christian prisoner in Cuba was asked to sign a statement containing charges against fellow Christians that would lead to their arrest. He said, The chain keeps me from signing this.

The Communist officer protested, But you are not in chains!

I am, said the Christian. I am bound by the chain of witnesses who throughout the centuries gave their lives for Jesus Christ. I am a link in this chain. I will not break it.¹

What does this have to do with suicide, you wonder? If there ever was a place to look for the answers to life and death, the Bible is that place. It is never outdated. It never needs a new edition, and it is just as alive today for our modern times and our modern problems as it was for others years ago. It plainly tells us, His truth endureth to all generations (Psalms 100:5). As you will see shortly, it is certainly not silent on suicide, but heralds out the answers we need if we would only give ear to it.

Chapter 1 – Did They Know What They Were Doing?

I never knew all there was in the Bible until I spent those years in jail. I was constantly finding new treasures.

—John Bunyan¹

Three weeks later, I saw Ronnie for the last time on this earth. He wanted to borrow several hundred dollars. I emptied my wallet and said, This is the last I'll ever give you, Ronnie. Buying more drugs is self-defeating...You've got to make a quality decision to let God break your bondage. I've prayed. I've felt the power of God in me to set you free, but I can't make up your mind for you...Settle it, Ronnie, my dear son, once and for all.

He left.

A few days later,...Richard drove up. He was ashen faced. What's wrong? I asked.

Dad, get in my car and let me drive you home.

I got in. I knew something bad had happened.

The police have just informed us that Ronnie is dead.

My heart almost burst out of my body. What happened?

They think it was suicide.

...Not long after Ronnie's death, Dr. Kenneth Hagin, Sr., and his wife, Oretha, phoned that they would like to come by and give us a word from the Lord...

This prophet of God said, ... Oral and Evelyn, the Lord wants you to know your son has not gone to hell...

Then he told Evelyn and me that he had prayed with many people who had a family member commit suicide. He said, In every case, the person who committed suicide had not known what he was doing.

Dr. Hagin gave us the answer that we needed.²

To anyone suffering from the life-shocking event of losing a loved one to suicide, these words spoken by this prophet of God would bring great hope and peace