3 Ways to Defeat Depression

It is estimated that 19 million people are living with major depression. Depression is defined as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Most people have experienced being in a state of depression at some point in their life whether it was brought on by grief or discontentment. The bible addresses that we must take every thought captive that goes against the word of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). We must realize that one of the biggest battles we will every fight is a battle against our own thoughts. The negative thoughts we have about ourselves must stop if we hope to defeat or prevent depression from entering our lives.

1. View yourself as God views you. God loves you unconditionally despite of all your flaws and mistakes. He has promised to love you and never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He has blessed you with grace. He says that He will give you peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).  He say’s don’t be dismayed or discouraged for I am the Lord your God and I will strengthen you and help you (Isaiah 41:10). Know that your heavenly father who looks at you knows He made no mistakes. God sees you and He says my child you are beautiful, you are smart, you are precious, and you are chosen.

2. Focus on the good and not the bad. Don’t allow what is going wrong in your life to overpower all that is going right. Some may say but Ashley nothing is going right in my life! My response to that is do not allow the devil to blind you with your current troubles. God is working everything out. Just because you cannot see God’s plan does not mean He doesn’t have one in play. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1). Keep your mind on things above and not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2). You have a purpose for your existence. You may not know the details to your assignment, but know that you were not placed here by accident. God has blessed you with all the abilities necessary to accomplish all that He has for you to do. You can get through all the troubles blocking you from your blessings if you keep your focus on God.

3. Pray without ceasing. Pray consistently and spend time with God consistently so you can be constantly renewed. Uses scriptures in your prayers. Keep in mind that prayer is a powerful tool of communication between God and us. We should pray as well as listen for a response. If you do not know which prayers to pray over your circumstance reach out to someone who can help (like your pastor, a close friend, or a relative). Don’t hide what you are going through because hidden things don’t get healed.

Bonus: Do not compare yourself to anyone else. What God has for you is for you. Comparison brings out the ugly in everyone. Wishing you were like someone else only sets you farther back by causing jealousy and discontentment. In every situation we go through there is knowledge to be gained.

Thank you for reading! I am asking for you help in sharing this with your friends and family because someone you know could be fighting against depression all by themselves and they need to know that God will fight with them.