Depression

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Psalm 27:13 Don’t Lose Heart

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

On a regular basis many people lose heart and get sad, depressed and without hope. Things go wrong or not the way expected and there does not appear to be anyway to make things better. Many turn to various types of drugs in order to attempt to cope with the loss of heart. Others turn to suicide, thinking that there is no hope left or ability to make things better.

David says that he would have lost heart unless he believed that he would see the goodness of God while still alive on the earth.

Losing heart, or depression is a common feeling among people all over the world. Hundreds of different medications are made available for people to deal with their loss of heart, rather than pointing to the truth.

Those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior have a legitimate reason to lose heart in this life. All that the world will bring a person is a temporary pleasure and then death in the end. There is no hope outside of Jesus.

It is different for the believer. At a minimum there is hope of eternal life if one should die in any way. However, there is much more. Every believer can know that one will see the goodness of God while still on this earth, no matter how bad the circumstances get or appear to be.

God works in and through every situation for the good of those who believe in and trust Him. Believers need to make the choice to not lose heart or get depressed, because they know that God is with them, will sustain them, and bless them in this life and the life to come.

There will be days in your life in which trials and troubles strive to overcome you and crush you. Hope appears to disappear, attempting to get you to lose heart and not trust in God’s great mercy and love.

Turn your eyes upon God and believe that He has your best in mind as you go through those troubles. Know that you will still see His goodness while living on this planet. Do not lose heart! But trust in the hope you have in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the hope that God gives you for each day; that you will see God’s goodness in your life each day; and that God will help you to not lose heart and be depressed.

Picture by John Towner on Unsplash

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Psalm 23:3 Getting Restored

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3

Busyness is something that most people have on a daily basis. People have a laundry list of things that they have to do that appears to be a mile long and can never be accomplished and always appears to be getting longer and longer. As they face this list of things to be done, many get very weary and worn out, both physically and mentally. People then look to more things to restore their energy to keep going.

David states that God restores his soul while leading him into paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

During times that people are worn out, many will look to doing things that are fun or eating or drinking something in an attempt to restore themselves from the depression that many have fallen into from their weariness. These are very short temporary fixes that do not really change their spirit. Often, they will lead to more problems or greater difficulties.

Hiding behind things does not restore a person but increases their weariness. Believers will often fall into this same trap in their own lives looking for strength and restoration in this world and get weary and worn out.

Instead of turning towards the things of this world, believers need to turn to God. As one chooses to allow God to lead, one will be restored in mind, body and soul.

God knows when a person needs to slow down and maybe rest for a moment. He will lead the believer in the correct path to be able to keep going, restoring the soul. In God’s presence all the problems and cares of this world fade away, renewing the soul with joy and peace that the world cannot supply.

If you are like most people, you probably have days in which you feel worn out and depressed. You want to find the strength and energy to keep moving forward and always want to make the right choices.

Focus your life upon God. Spend time in His word and in prayer, talking to Him. Seek God and what He would have you do or not do. God will restore your soul to give you the strength and joy needed to continue on the path that He has you on.

Allow God to lead and restore your soul.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will seek God at all times; that you will allow God to lead you in His path of righteousness; and that God will restore your soul.

Picture by Melissa Askew on Unsplash

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Job 17:15 Is Depression Setting In?

Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? Job 17:15

The percentage of people who are going through depression is very high. Many people are taking anti-depressant drugs to help them deal with their depression. The levels of depression that people are going through are usually due to extreme levels of trouble in their lives and that they have lost all hope. Most do not see a way out of whatever difficult situation that they are currently in.

While Job was going through extreme difficulties, he began to lose hope. He could no longer see it and asked where it was and if anyone could see it.

Every person has times in which one goes through a difficult time. Often that time of difficulty is relatively short or not very extreme. During these short difficulties most people still have hope that it will end soon.

However, there are times when it appears that one thing goes wrong right after another for an extended period of time. Some of those difficulties directly show that there will be no end of it, or it is not very likely to end in this life. It is during this time that people lose hope. Losing all hope will always lead to depression and a desire to give up and quit.

Without God in one’s life, there is no real hope available. The world can offer drugs to help cope with it, but in the end, there is still the trouble, and nothing left.

Believers will often get caught up in depression during hard times. Like Job, many will lose their hope and only see the problems.

Instead of focusing on the problems, believers need to focus on the promises of God. Despite the difficulties, God is still with the believer and He will save the believer. In the end the believer has hope of eternal life in Jesus.

There will be times in which you will go through extreme difficult situations. Do not allow the difficulties to overwhelm you and cause you to lose the hope you have been given. Do not become depressed and turn to the ways of the world to deal with it.

During these times put your focus upon God. Jesus forgave your sins and is saving you, not to allow you to die with no hope, but so that you may have the hope of eternal life.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the hope you have in Jesus; that you will trust God’s promises to you; that lean on God for strength during difficult times; and that God will remove any depression in your life and fill you with the joy of His salvation.

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Judges 5:3 Sing To The Lord

Here this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song. Judges 5:3

People will often sing praises to or about others whom they want to honor. These praises may be in physical song, or they may just be lots of great words about them. Sometimes the praise will be directly to the person, while at other times it is to others about them.

This lifts a person up and honors them above the normal. It also takes the focus off of self and puts it on another person.

Deborah sings a song of praise to God telling the kings and rulers that she will sing to the Lord praises in song.

Going through life, people can easily find things to complain about. Problems arise in nearly every area of life, bringing most people down and removing all joy. Depression, sadness and sorrow can be found everywhere. Many believers can be found in the same situation.

However, no one has done anything greater than what God has done in providing forgiveness of sins and giving an undeserving person eternal life. Instead of complaining and being in depression, believers need to be thinking of what God has done for them and sing songs of praise.

Despite the challenges of life, there can be songs of joy and praise being sung to God because of what He has done and is doing. It will lift up the spirit of the person singing, the spirits of those around him and it will lift up God and honor Him.

Singing praise to God from the heart is something that has to be chosen by the individual. Doing so will be a witness to the world of who God is.

Every day you will face different types of challenges in life. You will have a choice as to whether you will complain and be depressed about those challenges, or you can sing songs of praise to God in spite of those challenges.

Do not let the world win your heart and cause you to complain. Be different from the world and look at what God has done and is doing for you and find a reason to sing a song of praise to Him. Sing in your heart, sing out loud and let God know how worthy He is for what He has done.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will have songs of praise to God on your heart at all times; that you will tell others of what God has done in your life; that you will choose to praise God rather than complain to God; and that you will honor God in your praises.

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Acts 13:52 Joy Amidst Persecution

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52

When trouble hits a person, most people get depressed or discouraged. During attempts to accomplish something, it is common for a person to run into some roadblocks. Often this discourages the person and he gives up in order to try something different.

Joy is rarely seen in a person in the midst of major problems. Instead of joy one will see anger, frustration, depression, or fear. The focus or desire is often lost or given up.

As the disciples were preaching the gospel, many Jewish leaders were against them and pushed them out. The disciples left the area with joy and with God’s Holy Spirit.

The world does not like to hear the gospel message of Jesus. There are also many ‘believers’ in the church who get offended at hearing the full truth in God’s word. It means that they are wrong and must change. These people will often push out or persecute true believers who are preaching the whole of God’s word.

Just as the world gets depressed and discouraged, many believers will also get depressed and discouraged under persecution. This occurs because people have the wrong focus. Too many believers expect an easy, problem free life as a believer. Jesus actually promised the exact opposite.

Those who are going through trouble and persecution can have joy knowing that they are walking the path God has for them and that God is with them. During persecution, the believer can pick up and move on to the next location to reach others who are willing to listen. They do not need to stay stuck in one place, wallowing in despair of failure.

The joy of God’s salvation and presence gives the believer strength to move on despite all troubles.

As you are a witness for Jesus there will come times of trouble or persecution. Do not allow yourself to be discouraged or to give up. Look to God for your joy and strength.

Remember how much persecution Jesus went through for you. Remember that Jesus promised persecution. But also remember that God has promised you eternal life in the end with no more suffering.

Walk with joy and God’s Holy Spirit moving forward to a new place. Find new places to be a witness. Seek out others who will listen. Do not stop or give up. God is with you.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that you will be a witness for Jesus; that God will fill you with His joy; that you will be filled with God’s Holy Spirit; and that God will give you strength during persecution and troubles.