Fix your heart on the LORD!
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| Make a Choice to be Happy! |
Depression is real, it destroys! I am sure this is no longer news considering the frequency of death lead by suicide in recent times. I read somewhere recently, that, ‘Suicide is the worst form of self critic’…. What baffles us when we hear about a death as a result of suicide is the underlying fact that the individual involved must have suffered from some form of depression!
When the heart pants for hope…. When the mind loses peace… when everything in the physical do not resonates with the perceived plan… when expectations are high and morale is low… when life begins to look like an endless race in a vicious circle… then depression sets in! Depression in my opinion is a state of mind where hopelessness reigns!
Amazingly, as successful and praiseful as King David in the bible, he still suffered depression. What of Elijah? King Jeroboam? King Hezekiah? Mama Sarah in her quest for Isaac and in presenting her hubby with Hagar, (I believe she had to deal with issues in her marriage and home that could have made her depressed at some point, till Genesis 20 when she found herself alone in a strange land married to an Egyptian king after her hubby nicely asked her to say, “I am your brother”, to save his life because she was a well ‘endowed’ woman!), to mention a few.
These were individuals who lived in a particular era! Their issues when viewed now may not seem so depressing compared to what we seem to see and hear these days. At least their own insurgencies didn’t invest in bombs and guns, they invested in swords and shields and sometimes wrote a letter or informed their opponents that they were going into war! At least they didn’t have to deal with the bills the same way we do these days … Utility for gas, home, school fees, medical bills, the necessities of life… In our mind’s eyes they didn’t have to deal with contemporary issues like, ebola, HIV, Promiscuity in a reckless order, broken homes that have lead to broken society…insecurity…
Notwithstanding, the issues they dealt with was overwhelming for them.
What causes depression is not the situation or circumstances; it is the state of mind at the particular time when a misnomer occurs!
This is why Paul advised in Philippians 4:4-8 has to be considered seriously. Verse 6 and 7 put a lot in perspective for me when I find myself depressed.
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Take all your REQUESTS to the Lord! Please ALL! Don’t leave some behind for worry to feed on! In everything, as in, everything- the good, the bad, the ugly, the unspeakable, the ‘ununderstandable’ (please pardon my use of this word)…. IN EVERYTHING, let prayer and supplication be the vehicle and thanksgiving your fuel that conveys your REQUEST to God.
Paul went on to give an insight on how to ensure our hearts and minds are guarded by God’s peace in Verse 8.
I observed that Paul was a man who deliberately trusted in the Lord, he disregarded his circumstances which were often times far from pleasant! See what was Paul’s Joy and crown… Phil. 4:1. Do you see what he loved dearly? Now, see what depressed him in Romans 9:2-3, he had great heaviness and continual sorrow for his kinsmen!
In Philippians 4: 12-14 we see a model of a man who trusted God and rested the way God rested after creation irrespective of the level He was, having seen everything he created as good! Hebrew 4:11
Unlike Paul who rested the way God rest ( Phil. 4:12-14), many of us find it very difficult to rest in God’s love, to accept as Bro Ike says, ‘when God speaks, it is Law’ For if we accept that when God speaks it is Law, then we will accept His promise to us contained in his word and we would be like Abraham in Roman 4:17-21, who staggered not at the promise of God, …was strong giving glory to God, knowing that God is able to do what he has promised!
My friend, what causes depression for you? Is it your current account balance? Is it the wait or search for the right spouse? Is it the seemingly long wait for the fruit of the womb? Is it the depth of disappoint you feel over what may have happened or may not have happened? Or are you like me, afraid of transitions?
The first step out of moments of depression and a life of depression is, MAKE A CHOICE TO BE HAPPY. “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; …Yet I will rejoice in the LORD ,…” Habakkuk 3:17-19
My Name is Precious, I was Bipolar and I live a Full Life.
Prayer:
Lord, please bind up my broken heart; give me your beauty for my ashes, your oil of joy for my mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, in Jesus name, Amen. Isaiah 61:3
Reference:
All Scriptures are taken from the Old King James Version.
Bro Ikechukwu Onunkwo- Discipleship Class