Depression and Hope


It is easy to be critical of people who are depressed and to tell them to 'snap out of it'. To say that if they are Christians they should not be depressed. 

This is an unkind thing to say. It lacks compassion and understanding for the person's circumstances and inheritance from previous generations. 

We must always remember that God came to save the sick. 

So how do we give hope to a person who is in a bottomless pit and not able to help themselves. 

We support and pray and teach them how to ask God for help. 

We are conscious that the devil wants them to be sick so we encourage them to break the bonds that this sickness has on them. 

How? We gently lead them to scripture and prayer. 

Ultimately they will have to take responsibility for the depression in order to hand it over to God. They will need to release it and use weapons like God's precious blood to shield and protect them from the self need to be depressed, if this has defined their life for a long time. This is a battle that only God can win. But He can break the chains and help them lead a life free from depression. 

This will be a daily commitment. 

Prayer - Father God send your Holy Spirit into my depression and bring Your light into my darkness. Help me to see as your Holy Spirit sees and heal me with you precious blood today. I give you my life, my pain, my depression. I do not want it. I want You and Your freedom, release me Father God that I may be who You designed me to be. I no longer want to live in the darkness but in Your wonderful light.

With scripture speak out God's truth.

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

I believe you Father that you have overcome the world and will overcome my depression.

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

I believe you have heard my cry and will lift me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. Father I want to be free to sing a new song, a song of hope filled with joy.

Deuteronomy 31:8

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

I believe that you will never forsake me. Help me not to be discouraged or afraid.

Psalm 3:3

But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

I believe that you will be my shield against my depression. Help me to lift up my head to You because You are the Glory and the Freedom I seek.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I believe that You care for me and hold me in the palm of your hand.

Isaiah 41:10

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.

I believe that You are my strength and will give me the courage to depend on You instead of the the world and myself. Without You I am frail and see only my misfortune. Grant me peace of mind and wholeness of spirit that I may be who you want me to be.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

I believe that You are my future, not the darkness that binds me. Help me to think only of the Truth, of what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Open my eyes to the beauty that you see and break the bonds of my darkness. Pour your precious blood on the neural pathways that lead me to despair and flood them with Your healing. I ask you, Father God, to enter into my emotions that dictate my moods and to create a new way of thinking and feeling that will free me to live my life in Your Kingdom rather than the darkness that this world has ensnared me in. Take my anxieties, fears, worries, and my lack of life and transform me so that I may rejoice in Your Resurrection in my new life.

I declare now that I no longer want to be ruled by my depression, by the darkness of this world, but to be absorbed into Your light, Father God, so that I may be made whole, in my mind, body, soul and spirit. 

Psalm 34:17

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

Now I am not making light of the depths of depression because it is an awful place to be. I am not suggesting that the way back is easy, however by making these first steps we are acknowledging that we need Divine Help. And no doubt medication will be part of the answer to release those endorphin's that are sorely lacking. All I want to suggest is that there is Hope for those that suffer with depression and we need to support them with the Words of God that declare Truth, rather than dwell on the world that is constantly telling us lies. The solution is Hope, Divine Hope, and battling on your own against an unknown enemy who constantly reinforces the darkness around you is extremely hard. It is also very difficult when the tendency is hereditary, and help needs to be sort through trained prayer warriors who deal with soul ties.

Beginning to start each day with proclaiming Truths and prayer will help, not taking back the ties that bind you by placing them in God's hands and leaving them there will help. Asking and drawing in the Holy Spirit into your emotions and reactions to the day's situations each time you feel low, helps you to understand the choices that you have. For example, am I going to feel crushed by this or am I going to ask God to help me conquer this? He is there to help you no matter how many times you call on Him. Remember the quote from Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

This is His promise. Trust and believe it. 


Decide that you are not going to allow the emotion to take over and destroy your day. Call God into it and believe His strength will see you through. Deep breath and when it happens again, continue to call on God. That way you are calling on the Light and not the darkness. You will be tempted back, but God is faithful and will stick with you, the evil one will get bored when he sees that you are not falling down into your usual pattern where he can goad you with lies. Slowly the Hand that reaches down to you from the Heavens will break you out of your pit. 

Yes life throws many challenges at us, and some nearly break us, but God is only a prayer away; and prayer is chatting to God, even when it is 'Oh God help me'.

Having a back up, prayer support, is vitally important, so that you are not on your own. Knowing that you are supported is tremendously helpful, none of us want to fight an unknown enemy on our own. And it is encouraging to have someone ask how you are doing, and praying with you as you journey on this path. We all have down days, but hopefully these will become less influential as our first port of call is God rather than 'Oh God'.  

As we plant seeds of Hope in our lives, despair will slowly decrease.

Remember somebody cares, and that somebody is GOD. And He cares because you are worth it. 

Allow God to make you beautiful again, to think of beautiful things, to experience His beauty in your life. Let go and let God.











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Monday 26 January 2015

Depression and Hope


It is easy to be critical of people who are depressed and to tell them to 'snap out of it'. To say that if they are Christians they should not be depressed. 

This is an unkind thing to say. It lacks compassion and understanding for the person's circumstances and inheritance from previous generations. 

We must always remember that God came to save the sick. 

So how do we give hope to a person who is in a bottomless pit and not able to help themselves. 

We support and pray and teach them how to ask God for help. 

We are conscious that the devil wants them to be sick so we encourage them to break the bonds that this sickness has on them. 

How? We gently lead them to scripture and prayer. 

Ultimately they will have to take responsibility for the depression in order to hand it over to God. They will need to release it and use weapons like God's precious blood to shield and protect them from the self need to be depressed, if this has defined their life for a long time. This is a battle that only God can win. But He can break the chains and help them lead a life free from depression. 

This will be a daily commitment. 

Prayer - Father God send your Holy Spirit into my depression and bring Your light into my darkness. Help me to see as your Holy Spirit sees and heal me with you precious blood today. I give you my life, my pain, my depression. I do not want it. I want You and Your freedom, release me Father God that I may be who You designed me to be. I no longer want to live in the darkness but in Your wonderful light.

With scripture speak out God's truth.

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

I believe you Father that you have overcome the world and will overcome my depression.

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

I believe you have heard my cry and will lift me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. Father I want to be free to sing a new song, a song of hope filled with joy.

Deuteronomy 31:8

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

I believe that you will never forsake me. Help me not to be discouraged or afraid.

Psalm 3:3

But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

I believe that you will be my shield against my depression. Help me to lift up my head to You because You are the Glory and the Freedom I seek.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I believe that You care for me and hold me in the palm of your hand.

Isaiah 41:10

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.

I believe that You are my strength and will give me the courage to depend on You instead of the the world and myself. Without You I am frail and see only my misfortune. Grant me peace of mind and wholeness of spirit that I may be who you want me to be.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

I believe that You are my future, not the darkness that binds me. Help me to think only of the Truth, of what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Open my eyes to the beauty that you see and break the bonds of my darkness. Pour your precious blood on the neural pathways that lead me to despair and flood them with Your healing. I ask you, Father God, to enter into my emotions that dictate my moods and to create a new way of thinking and feeling that will free me to live my life in Your Kingdom rather than the darkness that this world has ensnared me in. Take my anxieties, fears, worries, and my lack of life and transform me so that I may rejoice in Your Resurrection in my new life.

I declare now that I no longer want to be ruled by my depression, by the darkness of this world, but to be absorbed into Your light, Father God, so that I may be made whole, in my mind, body, soul and spirit. 

Psalm 34:17

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

Now I am not making light of the depths of depression because it is an awful place to be. I am not suggesting that the way back is easy, however by making these first steps we are acknowledging that we need Divine Help. And no doubt medication will be part of the answer to release those endorphin's that are sorely lacking. All I want to suggest is that there is Hope for those that suffer with depression and we need to support them with the Words of God that declare Truth, rather than dwell on the world that is constantly telling us lies. The solution is Hope, Divine Hope, and battling on your own against an unknown enemy who constantly reinforces the darkness around you is extremely hard. It is also very difficult when the tendency is hereditary, and help needs to be sort through trained prayer warriors who deal with soul ties.

Beginning to start each day with proclaiming Truths and prayer will help, not taking back the ties that bind you by placing them in God's hands and leaving them there will help. Asking and drawing in the Holy Spirit into your emotions and reactions to the day's situations each time you feel low, helps you to understand the choices that you have. For example, am I going to feel crushed by this or am I going to ask God to help me conquer this? He is there to help you no matter how many times you call on Him. Remember the quote from Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

This is His promise. Trust and believe it. 


Decide that you are not going to allow the emotion to take over and destroy your day. Call God into it and believe His strength will see you through. Deep breath and when it happens again, continue to call on God. That way you are calling on the Light and not the darkness. You will be tempted back, but God is faithful and will stick with you, the evil one will get bored when he sees that you are not falling down into your usual pattern where he can goad you with lies. Slowly the Hand that reaches down to you from the Heavens will break you out of your pit. 

Yes life throws many challenges at us, and some nearly break us, but God is only a prayer away; and prayer is chatting to God, even when it is 'Oh God help me'.

Having a back up, prayer support, is vitally important, so that you are not on your own. Knowing that you are supported is tremendously helpful, none of us want to fight an unknown enemy on our own. And it is encouraging to have someone ask how you are doing, and praying with you as you journey on this path. We all have down days, but hopefully these will become less influential as our first port of call is God rather than 'Oh God'.  

As we plant seeds of Hope in our lives, despair will slowly decrease.

Remember somebody cares, and that somebody is GOD. And He cares because you are worth it. 

Allow God to make you beautiful again, to think of beautiful things, to experience His beauty in your life. Let go and let God.











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