How to Fight Depression

"Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5

Have you ever experienced the heaviness of melancholy and depression? I think we all have at some point. Perhaps you've suffered a great loss, or things didn't turn out the way you'd hoped they would. Maybe someone hurt you deeply or maybe you feel you've even disappointed yourself. 

So, what do we do when we feel that heaviness start to settle in?

In today's verse, the Psalmist recognized his downcast soul (depression, melancholy, disappointment). He asked himself why he was feeling that way and then did the wisest thing he could do - he encouraged himself to look to God. To put his hope in the One who leads our lives through every circumstance. He decided that no matter how he was feeling, he would praise God, whom he recognized as his Savior.

Depression doesn't stand much of a chance when we put our hope in God and whole-heartedly praise Him, especially in the middle of our heartache. Praise him wildly, out loud, sing praises, read scripture out loud. When I've done that, I feel the heaviness lift. oppression leaves as the enemy of my soul flees in the midst of my praises because when we praise, God shows up.

Later in the Psalms, we see this same person encouraging himself again by reminding himself of all the blessings that come from the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-6

The next time you find yourself feeling down, throw yourself into praise and see what happens. Praise is the obliterating weapon to use against depression!

Deeper:

Psalm 150:1-6    Acts 16:25-26    Hebrews 13:15    Psalm 3:3    Psalm 19:14

Questions:

What do you do when you feel depression setting in?

Are you willing to stand up and give the Lord the sacrifice of praise in the middle of your struggle?

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No Matter What!

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

It's easy to let fear slip in with the state of things in our world today. Prices are up, wages are down, people are stressed and we don't know what the future holds. We're living in troubled times, but that's not really anything new. Consider what Habakkuk was going through in his day...

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."  Habakkuk 3:17-18

We all face troubles of various kinds, but if we will keep God's promise in Isaiah 41:10 in mind, rather than become afraid and discouraged, we will kick fear aside and encourage ourselves in what God has promised. 

Deeper:

2 Corinthians 9:8    Philippians 4:6    Philippians 4:19    Romans 12:12

Questions:

What struggles are you facing today?

Are you fearful about your situation?

What has God promised in Isaiah 41:10?

Let's be determined to follow Habakkuk's lead and rejoice in the Lord no matter what comes.

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How to Prove Your Faith

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead...As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:14-17, 26

Faith is both a noun and a verb. It's by faith that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death which restored us to right relationship with God, the Father. (noun) It's also that same faith that should lead to action. Faith does. (verb)

When we come to Jesus and accept him a our Lord and Savior, things change. We change because his Spirit now lives in us. We begin to think and act like Jesus. He had compassion on the needy and hurting and he reached out to help them. We should be doing the same. We should show the love of God by the way we touch others, the way we make a difference in our community. Our behavior should reflect our faith.

Good works will not save us, but good works will be a proof that Jesus is working in us and that he loves those around.

Deeper:

Ephesians 2:8-10    Matthew 5:14-16    Matthew 25:44-45    1 John 3:17

Questions:

In what ways do you put your faith into action?

How do you reflect the character of Jesus?

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Sometimes I don't know which way is up!

 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

Sometimes I'm faced with a decision or circumstances that has me totally baffled. I know I need to do something, but can't figure out what. I wonder what God's will is in the matter. Fortunately, over the years, I've figured out that the best way to know what to do, is to ask Him. I've also learned that God seldom gives me unsolicited advice, but He will always give me the answer if I ask Him and wait for His answer.

Much to my dismay, He doesn't always give me an answer immediately and it's the waiting part that's the hardest.  How about you? Don't you hate waiting?

We live in a hurry-up, instant, microwave  society. We want what we want and we want it now, so when God doesn't answer right away, we get antsy. We wrestle with ways to fix it ourselves. We wonder if He even heard us ask the question or if He's going to answer at all. And that's where the danger lies.

If we take matters into our own hands, we risk missing out on God's best for us or we might even make things worse.  So, what do we do when faced with a decision that must be made quickly, but we haven't heard back from God yet?

The answer to that question is to move forward, trusting that God will lead you. How? Check out Isaiah 30:21 - "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 

God's promise is to instruct and teach us in the way we should go and to counsel us with His loving eye upon us. We can trust Him to lead us in the right direction if we keep our hearts tuned to His.

Deeper:

Psalm 37:23-24    Proverbs 20:24    Psalm 119:105    Isaiah 48:17

All Scriptures from the New Living Translation except when noted.

Questions:

Are you facing something that you just don't have an answer for?

Do you trust God to lead you?

Let's place our needs and questions before Him in prayer and wait patiently for His answer, trusting Him to direct our decisions and path.

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