Suicide / Bullying Facts

It is a spiritual battle with spiritual forces.  

They call them the Shadow People or the Dark People. They are spirit beings demonic beings that are stalking and convincing young people that they are worth nothing.

United States Youth

• Leading cause of death
• 1 in 14 high school students have attempted suicide
• Every 2 hrs. and 11 minutes, a person under 25 completes suicide

Native American Youth

• Crisis level
• Adolescent suicide rates 400% higher than national average
• 22% of females & 12% of males posted to social media to have attempted suicide

Bullying Hurts

• 4,400 bully related deaths per year
• Every 7 minutes a child is bullied
• 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally and physically
• 160,000 students miss school each day for fear of being bullied

People who engage in suicide-related behavior often experience overwhelming feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that raise the risk of suicide. Some of these feelings include: Emotional distress, Exposure to violence, Family conflict, Relationship problems, Lack of feeling connected to school, or lack a sense of a supportive school environment, Alcohol and drug use, Physical disabilities, Learning differences, Lack of access to resources and support. However, PROTECTIVE FACTORS can greatly reduce the risk for suicide-related behavior. These factors include just the opposite of the feelings that often times can lead to suicide-related behavior. For example, family support rather than family conflict; strong sense of feeling connected to school rather than not feeling connected. 

*It should be noted that some people who die by suicide do not show any suicide warning signs.

Friend, if you are visiting this page and have ever thought about ending your own life, or know of someone who has, I want you to know THERE IS HOPE THERE IS SOLUTION!  Your life is extremely valuable and people do care about you. Jesus paid a big price for you.  Please reach out for help right now.  Never act on your thoughts of suicide.  Never.

If you are Suicidal...

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger because of thoughts of suicide

Please call 911

now

If you are not in the U.S., please call your local emergency number.

If you are not in immediate danger because of thoughts of suicide, but need someone to talk with about your suicidal feelings, please do not hesitate to call one of the following national suicide prevention lines:

1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)

1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

Suicide Prevention Lines

You may call these suicide prevention numbers from anywhere in the United States 24 / 7.  People are waiting to help you.  Call a suicide prevention number right now, if you need to.  Always remember that it is never okay to act on your thoughts of suicide.  A lot of people erroneously think that they can simply use their will power to control their suicidal feelings.  The truth is people need help.  Jesus paid a big price for you.  He gave His life for you.  He has help for you. You may be feeling confused, frightened, angry, bitter or any number of emotions.   If you are in intense emotional and / or physical pain, remember that your judgment is being clouded by that pain.  If you are considering suicide you are trying to end that pain.  Please do not confuse ending your pain with ending your life.  The two are very different.   Reach out for help right now.  

Never act on your thoughts of suicide.

Suicide is never the answer.

 Getting help is the answer.

Questions?

1. Why do people die by suicide?  Because they are in intense pain and they want the pain to stop. 
2. I feel suicidal. What should I do? Get help immediately.  Take Action. Call 911 or 1-800-Suicide. 
3. Is it true that more people die by suicide than by homicide? Yes. More people die by suicide than by homicide.
4. Do most people who attempt suicide actually die by suicide? No. It is estimated that 1 person out of 25 who attempt suicide die by suicide.
5. If I have thoughts of suicide am I abnormal? No. Thoughts of suicide are common, but if you have thoughts of suicide you should seek treatment.   
6. If I think about suicide does that mean that I will die by suicide? No. The vast majority of people who think about suicide do not attempt suicide or die by suicide. 
7. Are people that die by suicide weak? No.  Most people who die by suicide are very strong, but they have untreated depression.
8. Do children die by suicide? Yes some children under the age of 10 die by suicide.
9. Does suicide make the pain go away? No. Suicide compounds the pain exponentially.  All of the suicide survivors feel excruciating pain,  And the person who died by suicide can no longer feel, and thus there is no relief from pain.
10. Will a Christian who commits suicide go to heaven? I believe that a Christian will go to heaven.  In my case, when my mind was clouded and consumed by guilt and shame, I wasn't able to make a rational choice.  I just wanted a way of escape from the pain.  Does God forgive us?  Yes; but, Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life that we can live free from dark thoughts of ending the pain.  There is hope, there is healing, there are answers that can come by reading the Scriptures and allowing the work of God's Spirit to help bring hope and light in minds and hearts.  God uses people and He will send someone to help you.  When you reach out for help, God is there.                                      

                                THERE IS HELP...

I am a suicide survivor.  I survived because I head that God was not the one who condemns me; but that He loves me and that there was nothing that I could image or even knew about that could separate me from Him.  The idea and concept that God's love is so great and so big that I couldn't get away from it literally saved me from certain death (Romans 8:31-39).   "...neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"   Reading  my full testimony may encourage your hope that people can recover and that people do recover.  I am a living testimony that there is no such thing, as being in such a dark place in your mind, that God cannot find you and help you.

 While statistics tell us one portion of the story, the pain and suffering of those contemplating suicide tell us the more important part.  For many who are thinking about suicide they probably feel separated from God, like His voice is silent.  Sometimes a prayer is the right step, alongside talking to someone who can provide help and guidance out of the depression and pain holding on tightly to their mind.  Whether it is you feeling helpless or hopeless or someone you know, I have included the scripture that helped me (to your right), and two prayers to help anyone who feels like there is no other alternative.  You can click here for more scriptures that will encourage your faith and helped to stand against suicide. 

If You Feel Suicidal:

Lord, I come before You with a heavy heart. I feel so alone. I don't know where to turn, who to talk to, or how to deal with the things going on in my life. You see everything, Lord. You know everything. You see the darkness that is all around me.  I don’t see any other way to get out of this.  Lord, help me through this. Lord help me to find your light. Lord, I ask You to release me from the darkness that fills my heart and mind.  Release me from fear, doubt, worry and shame.  Please heal me and free me from the pain that gripes my heart and mind.  Lord I ask that you comfort me with Your presence.  Assure my heart that You are with me and send someone to help me.  Lord let me see and understand your provision.  Let me see Your way for my life. Lord let me see what You provide and see an alternative to taking my life.  Thank You for loving me, giving me hope, and drawing me closer to you.  In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

If Your Friend Feels Suicidal:

Lord Jesus, I come before You in behalf of my friend ______________(say their name) who feels suicidal. Lord, I ask that You guide him/her in every way that they may receive the help that they need. I ask that You intervene and protect ______________(say their name) and preserve their life. Lord, will You please get involved in their life and prevent them from dying by suicide. Lord, I need them and love them, and I know that You do too. Show me how I can best help _____________(say their name). Give me or someone else the words and actions that will keep _____________(say their name) from taking the step of suicide. Lord, let ______________(say their name) see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that suicide is not the route to take. Lord, let Your presence be felt in ______________’s (say their name) life. Let them feel Your love and sense that You are near.  I speak to the darkness and any dark thing and command it to leave in Jesus’ name. I think You for releasing the pain in their hearts and mind and giving them a hope and comfort in their New Day, in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

There is hope, There is help,   There is healing, There is solution — There is JESUS!

The Shadow's Defeat was written in response to the over whelming need to provide a solution for young children, teenagers and adults feeling pressure to commit suicide (To read more click here).  In this story, Lucy Red Feather, a young Native American girl is tormented at night by a Dark Shadow, and is bullied at school by Billy Bull Frog. The death of her parents and a new friendship bring further complications to her seemingly dismal life, and leads her to the brink of becoming another statistic.  

The audio book includes the original song, "God is Greater," written and recorded by award winning artist Tamara Winslow.  The beautiful music score brings hope and encouragement to anyone who struggles with darkness.

Everyone deserves to hear the gospel once.

Your partnership makes it possible "...for the people who walk in darkness to see a great light,” —Thank you !

The very day that a Lakota Sioux mother found out that her 11 year old daughter had been posting suicidal thoughts on Face Book; she received The Shadow’s Defeat in the mail. They read the book together and the girl was helped. 

Romans 8:31 - 39

31 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.  34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that He is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.  35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day-long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."