What is depression? Depression is a mood disorder that is characterized by continual sadness and a loss of interest in life. Spiritually speaking, depression is an evil spirit that wants to rob you of your joy and of your destiny.
Because depression is, at its root, a spiritual issue, it needs first and foremost to be addressed spiritually. Psychology can be helpful in dealing with depression, but if psychology does not take into account the spiritual aspect of depression, then therapy will not be totally effective.
How do you know if you’re depressed? Here are some signs:
--You feel hopeless.
--You cry at the drop of a hat.
--You cry a lot.
--You want to be alone more and more.
--You lose interest in activities that used to interest you.
--You feel tired all the time.
--You have trouble concentrating.
--You think about harming yourself (e.g., cutting, food binging or starvation).
--You think about killing yourself to end your suffering.
While experiencing these symptoms once in a while doesn’t always mean you are depressed, experiencing them frequently could mean you are depressed.
So, what should you do?
Scripture gives us the answer: Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).
What is the garment of praise? The garment of praise is an attitude of heart which causes you to praise God in the midst of depression.
I can hear you now. “Dr. MaryAnn, how can I praise God when I’m depressed? I don’t feel one bit happy or joyful when I’m depressed. All I want to do is die.”
Praising God does not depend on our feelings. It depends on our will. We can choose to praise God even when we don’t feel like it. In fact, God commands us to praise Him even when we don’t feel like it. Why? Because God knows that praising Him will lift us out of depression and drive it away.
Remember we said earlier that depression is an evil spirit? Well, evil spirits can’t stand it when we praise God. They will run away every time. So, when you praise God in the midst of depression, the evil spirit of depression will flee from you. In its place will come the joy of the Lord.
This is one reason God commands us to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). He knows that by rejoicing in Him, we will drive away depression. God also tells us that His joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
So, the next time you’re depressed, stop what you’re doing, stand up, and start praising the LORD with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Do it even if you don’t feel like it. You will be amazed at how depression will flee and you will be filled with the joy of the LORD!
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Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.
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- You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
- You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
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