Avoiding the Pit of Depression

Three major causes of discouragement in this life are when our plans do not work out for us, our expectations are disappointed and our perceived desires are not fulfilled.

We hope that our life will turn out a certain way, and when it takes a course outside of our control, we get depressed or we fight tooth and nail to gain control again, which is impossible.

The little nagging issues that arise, setbacks that occur and people who disillusion us will wear our nerves thin and gang up to overwhelm us.

These issues etch away at our positive attitude and tear us down to the point of exhaustion. Rather than to succumb to them, we come up with witty mottoes to discharge our anxiety, such as: "Trouble only comes in threes."

The remedy for plans going wrong is to stop making them.

We can avoid so many negative aspects in life by walking in the Spirit and seeking God's counsel for each moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6). We consult God for His plans (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Through prayer, we find out God's desires and walk in His Spirit, accomplishing so much more through His direction, inspiration and power than we can through our own human strength.

God's love, instead of our human compassion, directs us according to His will. ​When we walk in His ways, we find the resources, words and ideas we need to accomplish His list for our day.

We set our priorities according to Biblical principles, and we keep Jesus as our first love. ​As we rely on God's agenda and wisdom, rather than on our human capabilities, we live a life centered in Him.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to do only those works, which You planned for us before we were even born (Ephesians 2:10). This means that we may say "No" to the good things and the dire needs presented to us, unless You tell us to help.

Teach us that although we may feel guilty for not helping someone in need, even when we have the time and means to help, to obey You and not to step out of your will for them and for us by helping anyway.

As we wait on You, we never enter the pit of despair, because we view all of the opportunities, issues and demands in our life with the eyes of Your understanding and according to Your will for us.​

Thought for the Day: 

Rather than living under the tyranny of the next item on the agenda, or the next emergency, which presents itself, we dispel depression and stress by totally surrendering to God's direction.

Spiritual Maturity

Growing up in a Christian home, or church attendance or Christian service will not guarantee us a place in God's Kingdom. Total surrender to Jesus Christ is our only ticket to Heaven (John 3:16-18).

God loves us and desires for everyone to come to the saving knowledge of His Son, so that He can adopt us into His family (Ephesians 1:5). Once we trust Him, God transforms our life by His grace (Matthew 5:6).

We slowly come to the place in our Christian walk where we no longer care about accumulating things of this world. We truly realize that our home is not here, but in heaven.

We mature to the place of being more spiritually minded than carnally minded, and we realize that our identity and victory come only from Christ in us.

Therefore, the lusts of the eye, the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life have no more appeal for us (1 John 2:16). We desire only what God wants for our life (Ephesians 2:10).

Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). If anyone attempts to destroy His temple, God will destroy that person, because He considers us set apart for Himself as His Body (1 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 2:21-22).

A person may be able to harm our body, but only God can affect our soul (Matthew 10:28). Even in times of trial or difficulty, God gives us victory as we maintain our faith in His faithfulness.

Prayer:

Father God, it amazes us that You actually rejoice over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). We hope in You and praise You, because Your love radiates in and through us (Psalm 43:5). You abide within us and are always in control of our life.

We trust in Your unconditional love for us, and we rejoice in the all-encompassing salvation, which You provide for us (Psalm 13:5). We sing of Your mercies forever (Psalm 13:6, 89:1). 

When our soul despairs over the trials of life and the current events swirling around us, we will hope in You and praise You with our whole body, soul and spirit (Psalm 43:5).

Thought for the Day:

Full salvation takes more than good deeds or a mental assent; it requires total commitment of our life to Christ.

Live Well with a Positive Attitude

I am so concerned about people who live from one day to the next in more pain and misery than they did the day before. Things never go right for them and they are always focusing on the negative aspects in their life. I know that some people are genuinely ill; but I have seen others, in the same position, with a smile on their face and a jaunt in their step.

If we do all we can to prevent the pain or circumstances in our life, then we can look to God to deliver us from them. He may surprise us by taking us home to heaven, or allowing some major decision to be made that will affect our life drastically. However, we can continue to live a positive life by focusing on the pure, lovely aspects, which He constantly supplies for us (Philippians 4:8).

Expectations ruin our life and our health. We expect deep relationships, abundant finances, stellar health and increasing spiritual growth each day of our life. When this does not happen, we are devastated. Then depression settles in, coloring every other aspect of our life. Our spiritual, emotional, physical and mental health are all affected by our negative attitude.

We also get too involved in too many aspects of life; and this tires us out, pressures our schedule and makes us feel used and abused. We end up getting tension headaches, stress-related illnesses and our soul gets disheartened and miserable. We get grouchy, irritable and too sick to do anything. The answer is to live each moment in gratitude and praise, led by God's Spirit in every aspect of our life.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to cast our cares on Your shoulders. You promise to take care of them and us (1 Peter 5:7). That means that we can thank You for the answers before we ever get them. If we focus on our troubles, we live in a negative spiral that can only get worse. This causes tension, fear, unhappiness and despair. However, if we live with our faith in You, we maintain a positive attitude. Then we will reap many more positive results in our life with Your love filling our soul with joy.

Thought for the Day:

Prayers of gratitude keep our focus on God's Presence in our life rather than on our circumstances. - Matthew 6:25-33; Luke 12:22-31

Rising Above Disappointment

Disappointment is no respecter of persons. In other words, regardless of your social, economic or religious standing, you will feel disappointment at one time or another throughout your lifetime. We have expectations, something we are hoping to achieve or to receive, that go unmet. The natural human response is to feel discouraged. Despair can kill the human soul and the body will soon follow suite; yet, the fulfillment of hope will make the heart grow stronger (Proverbs 13:12). If you are harboring unrealistic goals and dreams, surrender them to God before disillusionment and opposition compound your discouragement.

Find a friend to pray with you about your discouragement. Learn from the defeats you experience. Faith in God’s faithfulness will provide us with inner joy and tranquility regardless of our circumstances (Romans 5:3-4). If you are an authentic Born Again Believer, you are in the best place in the world to receive encouragement, because God is a master at comforting His People. No calamity can encroach upon your life that God does not already know about. In fact, He has a solution previously prepared for such a time as this (Isaiah 43:1-2). There is no need for us to lose heart about anything temporal, because what we experience is trivial and brief when compared to what God prepared for us now and in eternity (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

God protects, comforts, strengthens and guides those who love Him and who have an intimate, personal relationship with Him (1 Peter 5:10; John 3:16). The first step in receiving His comfort is to realize that God is always in control (Ezekiel 38:4; Proverbs 21:1). The Saints of God throughout the ages got discouraged at times in their life as well (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). However, nothing that occurs to us during our lifetime is a surprise to God. He saw it happening before we were ever born (Jeremiah 29:11). Although we do not deserve it, He already planned for our deliverance through every calamity that will ever befall us (Romans 8:28). Just wait on Him with faith and hope in His faithfulness.

We cannot find joy in life apart from God (Hebrews 13:5). Unbelievers may be happy about certain issues, but they do not have His deep joy that transcends all human reasoning (Philippians 4:7; Ephesians 3:19). His joy, even in the most disappointing of times, serves as a witness to the world around us of His love for us. Even when we are weak, Christ within us gives us His strength to perform His will (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). Christ in us already overcame the situation, which is discouraging us, and He will work it out through us for our good (John 16:33; Romans 8:28, 37). Everyone who is born of God and believes in His Son has His faith dwelling within us, helping us to overcome the world (1 John 5: 4-5).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You who live within us, are greater than any spiritual force or situation that we will ever experience in this world (1 John 4:4). You fill us with Your peace, which supercedes anything the world has to offer. Due to Your presence within us, our heart has no need to be anxious or frightened (John 14:27). We thank You for everything we face in life. When we see Your hand working out everything to our advantage, even our disappointments end up encouraging our hearts,  (Colossians 3:15). We find our peace in the center of Your will (Isaiah 26:3).

 

 

Thought for the Day:

With God on our side, nothing will every come against us without His knowledge. - Romans 8:31-32

 

Feeling Empty Inside

Read: Ephesians 3:16-19

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

So many people today feel forsaken and lonely, disconnected from love and care. They have lost homes, loved ones, financial security, job longevity and friends they once held dear. They wander in virtual darkness, wondering what lurks just around the corner for them, and dreading it with every passing day (Ecclesiastes 2:20). They wonder if they will ever find happiness again and they despair of ever feeling whole once more. Satan convinces them that God no longer cares about them, and that they are lost in the darkness of their circumstances forever.

Why are we so discouraged? Why is our heart so utterly sad? The Psalmist repeatedly declares that if we put our hope in God, He will never let us down (Psalm 43:5a). We have no need to hope for something which we already have. Hope does sustain us, however, when we cannot see any way out or any success in our future (Romans 8:24).

If we put all of our hope in the Lord, and not on anything or anyone of this world, He will renew our strength. He will see to it that we take flight on wings like eagles; that we run, but do not grow weary; and even when we have to climb the steepest mountain, we will not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

When calamity falls upon us, and everything we try bears no fruit and every resource we once had fails, we can still be joyful in the Lord (Habakkuk 3:17-18). He never leaves us and He never fails (1 Kings 8:57). In His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). This hope only comes through praising Him and recognizing Him as our Savior and God every waking moment (Psalm 43:5b).

We all connect with God differently. When you wake up in the morning, meet with God and walk in unity with Him all day long. Take a walk and pray, sing worship songs, listen to Christian music, spend time in nature, sit quietly in God’s presence in your prayer closet, read His Word or whatever helps you to feel closest to God. Only as you keep your mind focused on Him can He keep you in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). The minute we take our mind off Him, negative emotions will flood our soul.

When you feel your peace slipping away, go to a quiet place and ask yourself why you feel as you do. Once you realized what robbed you of your joy, fix the issue. If you cannot fix it, then give it to God and trust Him to work it out for your good in His timing (Romans 8:28). Do not ever entertain negative emotions. They rob you of your joy, peace and hope, as well as your physical, emotional and mental well being.

Focus on the positive aspects of your life and thank God for those. He will provide all of your needs according to His riches in glory in His own time, not in your time. Praise Him for all things, even the bad things, each and every day. God inhabits our praises (Psalm 22:3). So, when we praise Him, His presence fills us to the fullest.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, fill us with Your presence and allow us to feel Your love flowing over us like a waterfall as we sit in Your presence. I pray that, as the source of all hope, you will fill us completely with joy and peace, simply because we trust in You. Help us to overflow with confident hope through the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:13)

Thought for the Day:
The severest of trials cloaks a miracle just waiting for you to believe.