Joel Wesley Morgan, better known as “Pastor Wess,” is a soulful gospel artist and pastor with a powerful real-life testimony of deliverance and second chances. He follows his parents’ footsteps in ministry as he continues to transform lives.
His worship anthem “I Choose to Worship” helped establish him on the Billboard Gospel charts. He later released strong projects and singles, including “Get Me Through,” “Why Can’t We Love,” and “Tears,” solidifying his voice as one that speaks to people seeking freedom and healing.
Susan Samuels recently spoke with him about suicide and mental health.
SUSAN: The holiday season can be heavy, – New Year’s Day, specifically, is a time when suicide risk spikes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide accounts for about 1.3% of global deaths – exceeding deaths from major illnesses such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and breast cancer. As a pastor and a walking testimony, can you share your perspective – and also your personal testimony – about the reality of suicidal thoughts and what people are facing?
PASTOR WESS: I believe we can’t be truly influential unless we let people know who we really are. I’ve been there. I’ve had suicidal tendencies in my past. I’ve been depressed, discouraged, and so drug addicted, strung out – depleted is a good word for it, so low that I didn’t feel like my life mattered. So, I don’t just sympathize – I empathize.
Suicide is a spirit, and insecurity is its parent. I think a lot of these people that are ending their lives do so because they do not realize who they really are, and that’s where insecurity comes from.
If you’re flirting with suicide, understand this: it’s not only coming for you. It impacts your family, your children, and the people who love you. It becomes a domino effect. You have to cut those thoughts off. You can’t entertain them.
Here’s the thing: we have to understand that when you’re in this spiritual battle – and suicide is a spiritual battle, you’ve got to take the head off of that thing. The thoughts, you cannot entertain them and you cannot flirt with it. I love 2 Corinthians 10:5 that tells us to cast down every evil imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God – meaning who I am in Christ. Cast it down right now! Know that it is a selfish spirit, a greedy spirit that doesn’t want you to experience life – and what does John 10:10 say? That Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly!
SUSAN: So what do you say to someone who keeps replaying those thoughts and can’t break free?
PASTOR WESS: You have to take authority over your thought life and reject what’s trying to destroy your confidence and purpose. You have to stop rehearsing the thoughts.
SUSAN: From a mental health standpoint, what do you see happening around the holidays and New Year’s?
PASTOR WESS: A lot of people grew up seeing the holidays portrayed as joyful, a festive occasion. But for many, it’s a time of stress, grief, anxiety, and emotional overload. People grieve loved ones, grieve what they haven’t achieved, and feel pressure. I personally deal with anxiety, and I understand how heavy this season can feel.
SUSAN: How do you balance spiritual support with emotional and physical realities?
PASTOR WESS: God made people as body, soul, and spirit – and all three must be cared for. You can’t feed just one and not the other. You know, I know some people who are just religious zealots. And, you know, they ain’t gonna to go to a doctor. But they don’t realize the decay and the pull and the strain on their emotions and their physical body; that their mental capacity was diminishing because of depression, and all that stuff comes into play. The soul includes mind, will, and emotions. You can’t just address this spiritually and ignore what’s happening emotionally and physically. Support has to be complete.
SUSAN SAMUELS, M.S.Ed., an educator with 35+ years of service, is an ordained Chaplain and Minister, sharing faith, leadership, and healing through global ministry on YouTube: “One Hundred and Zero.” (@onehundredandzero56)