I’ve been reading a lot about depression over the past few weeks, and I have experienced it myself. When your hormones are out of control and you can’t think clearly, you must fight depression with truth. It is not easy because everything inside of you wants to give up. You want to go to bed and never get up again. But the words that are going through your mind are not based on truth. If you dwell on something that is not truth, it will become more and more distorted until your reality is warped.
Depression is based on overly-inflated emotions (hormones) that cause you to magnify anything negative in your life until it is unbearable. It is a spiral that you go down in your mind, allowing your mind to dwell on one thing. It’s incapacitating. Sometimes it makes you want to take your life. Taking your life is murdering yourself, so of course when these thoughts cross our minds, we are tempted to sin. Murdering anyone in a pre-meditated fashion (including the killing of ourselves) is wrong, and Scripture says that there is always a way out of temptation, and we are never forced to sin. (I Corinthians 10:13)
Scripture commands us to take every thought captive (II Corinthians 10:5). This means that when my hormones are out of control and I want to dwell on everything negative in my life, I can stop. At the very minimum, I can put my mind on something productive. Force yourself not to dwell on the negative, and you break the spiral down. You don’t have to bow down and worship your emotions and go down every rabbit trail in your mind until you’re debilitated. You have a will. You can choose your actions. You are fully responsible before God for every action, despite how you feel.
Many times depression is demonic. I feel a brain fog and a heaviness, and I can’t get anything done. When that happens, I call a fellow believer, and she prays over me. So many times the fog lifts, and I feel fully rested instantly. I have experienced this in my life so many times that I truly believe that Scripture is right: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). If you are serving the Lord in ministry in any capacity, this is especially true. You must fight through prayer. The prayer of others over me often breaks the grip of incapacitation through exaggerated hormones or brain fog.
We have two swords to overcome deception: the Word of God and prayer. They are REAL. They break down strongholds and transform lives.
I talk about my struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide in my spiritual warfare audio (which is free). I also talk about depression during pregnancy, and what I did to overcome it in another free audio: Controlling Your Mind. Please don’t feel helpless. Grab control of your life regardless of your hormones, and ask God to transform your mind so that you can still accomplish your life purpose here on earth.
Tags: Christian Living, depression, prayer
My depression is different than you described here. It’s not thought based, but chemical. I’ll just start crying when I should be laughing. I think it’s important to realize there are different causes for depression, and different ways to fight it based off that.
There are many different kinds of depression, and we need to ask God to help us know how to deal with each kind.
Sleep is really important too. Sometimes, when our hormones or emotions seem out of whack, it’s really because we’re tired. A nap can be an amazing fix.
Most of us could use a lot more sleep, that’s for sure! We would be able to think more clearly and not be so emotional.
Our God is the only One who can replace our depression with His joy!
Joy can come even in the midst of sorrow when we take some time to praise God for who He is.
Of course medication, counseling and other clinical methods are not something to be overlooked, but although I’ve never personally experienced depression, I have really seen big differences made in people’s lives when they do “take every thought captive.”
Many times we believe things that are not true, and when we focus on those things, our lives can get out of whack.
I agree, Neva. Sometimes people in the Christian community discount clinical methods. (I’m not saying that’s what Susan is doing.) Depression can be life threatening and all methods of dealing with it should be explored.
Always go to God with your problems. So relevant.
God is able to help us through any situation we have. His presence makes a difference!
Depression is a very real, very difficult thing. I appreciate your perspective. i battled post part depression and as I came through it served to give me much more compassion for others experiencing this.
Thousands of women experience depression. It is definitely real. And people who have experienced it are able to have compassion on others who experience it.
Fighting depression is a task almost every woman has a fight. Sometimes I think being a woman means walking round with a broken heart.
Sad, but true…
Depression is something that someone I love very much struggles with. I’ve seen all different sides of this person because of there depression and many times I’ve thought about how demons in the Bible often tried to physically destroy those they inhabit and how this seems a lot like how depression plays out in this specific individual.
The enemy wants to keep us in bondage, and if he can make us believe negative things, he can trap us in despair. Praising God in the midst of trials is one of the easiest ways to fight back against despair.
I never skip any article that talks about depression. I have a number of people around me who have felt helpless and good for nothing in their lives. Reading more helps me equip myself with additives to my list of remedies. Thank you for this informative piece.
Most of the women I know have struggled with depression at some time in their lives. We need to offer grace and encouragement to them.
Depression is tough but our God is greater! ❤
Yes, God is greater than our depression and is able to comfort us when we need it the most.