I have struggled with severe depression in the past, to the extent that I seriously contemplated suicide, and because of this, I really do have compassion on anyone who may be struggling with it. But depression is not something that you just have to live with, tolerate, or accept. With the Lord’s help and intervention, you can completely overcome it.
There was a time in my life (many years ago) when I was taking medication for anxiety and depression, because I didn’t know what else to do. However, I can personally testify that medication was not the answer for me, because it didn’t give me the results that I had hoped for. It never gave me that perfect peace and joy that I was desperately seeking. I thank my beloved Jesus, because He alone helped me completely overcome depression without being reliant on medication.
The problem back then, was that I didn’t know that in Christ, we could have victory over things like anxiety and depression – because I was told that these things were mental illnesses. As long as I believed that I had a mental illness, I could not move forward into the victory Jesus had for me. I will always be so grateful to the Lord, because He destroyed the lie I was believing (that I had a mental illness) so that I could move forward into the victory we have in Jesus, and completely overcome both anxiety and depression.
I can honestly say that now in Jesus, I have that perfect peace I was desperately seeking. He gave me His peace and His joy (which are constant regardless of hardships) instead of happiness (which is circumstance based and temporary). Thank You Jesus!
The purpose of me sharing my testimony with you is to give you hope that with the Lord’s help, you too can overcome. I realize that there is no cookie cutter approach when it comes to overcoming things like anxiety and depression, because we all go through different things in our lives, and our circumstances are all different. But, I know that we can all overcome when we cry out to the Lord ask Him to deliver us, and when we change our current way of thinking.
I hope that there might be something in my testimony which will help you. I would like to share with you the things that the Lord has taught me from His written Word, and when I applied these truths to my spiritual walk, I experienced the freedom and victory Jesus had for me.
Step 1: Coming into the knowledge of the truth
As I mentioned before, as long as I believed that I had a mental illness, I could not experience the victory Jesus had for me. I needed a revelation of the knowledge of the truth.
I believe the reason that I fell into depression, was due to a complete loss of hope. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred [postponed/delayed] makes the heart sick [wounded/put to pain/afflicted].” At the time I just couldn’t see a way out of my current situation, and no matter what I seemed to do, it didn’t get any better.
The problem was that I was being attacked by an invisible enemy and I didn’t even know it. I was experiencing very disturbing intrusive thoughts, and because I assumed that these thoughts were my own, it caused me to have a lot of anxiety. This kind of spiritual attack went on for many months, and because I couldn’t see a way out, or find a solution to my problem, I became very disheartened and discouraged. That is when I started yielding to depression.
At that time I was completely inexperienced in spiritual warfare and unaware of the schemes, devises, and weapons of the enemy. Because of this, I wasn’t able to fight for the victory I had in Jesus. But, praise be to our great God, because He is greater and mightier than the enemy. Because He loves us so dearly, He will equip us with the truth and teach us how to become skillful in spiritual warfare, so that we can overcome the enemy.
Step 2: Believing that Jesus has already given us the victory
For me, the next step was believing that God alone has set us free from the power of sin and that He has already given us the victory in Christ. It was also choosing to believe that Jesus came to heal our heartache, pain and trauma from the past. He came to make us whole in Him. It was believing that He took our place on the cross with regards to every sin committed, so that we can be forgiven and be reconciled back to our loving Father who wants a personal relationship with each one of us.
I also had to understand and believe, that in Christ, I could have victory over thigs like anxiety and depression without the use of medication. I also needed to be hungry for the victory and want it enough to fight for it – because it was a fight (or a spiritual battle). When we start fighting for the victory we have in Christ, the enemy doesn’t like it and there will be resistance.
During this time, I learned a lot about the spiritual warfare, and that there are demons who attack people with things like fear, anxiety, panic, depression, sadness, and heaviness. These “feelings” are not always our own, but come in the form of an attack from an invisible enemy who wants to harm and torment God’s people. If this is the case, the battle is then spiritual (and not fleshly) and must be fought using the spiritual weapons God has given us.
I also listened to a few testimonies of bible teachers and pastors who overcame things like depression and panic attacks when God gave them the understanding that they were dealing with spiritual warfare, and not a physical or mental disorder. This really increased my faith for the victory, because I now understood what I was dealing with, and that with God’s help and intervention, I was able to overcome this invisible enemy. I now understood that I wasn’t trying to overcome a mental disorder which I did not have, but instead I had to learn to fight against an evil spirit of heaviness/depression.
At first, it was a bit scary and intimidating to think that I had to fight demons of fear and depression if I wanted the victory, but God helped me understand that I was fully protected because He is our Protector. The Lord taught me many things about how to suit up and wear the whole armor of God, and that He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy. I didn’t have to be afraid, because He would be with me every step of the way, teaching me, helping me, guiding me, and protecting me, in order to secure my victory.
Step 3: Repentance and deliverance
When it comes to deliverance from depression, I believe it is important to understand what is causing it. We can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if it is an evil spirit of heaviness (or depression) which needs to be defeated or cast out, or if it is a “fleshly depression”. (Fleshly – meaning that we have allowed our current situation or circumstance to bring us into despair, despondency and sadness. Perhaps we have lost the hope and faith we need in order to overcome something. Perhaps we have continually given in to negative moods, self-pity, as well as a victim mentality – which is an open door for the enemy).
In order to be set free from depression, we must be willing to repent and completely turn away from things like: negative self-talk, negative moods and thinking patterns, self-pity, a victim mentality, as well as all suicidal thoughts. Coming into agreement with thoughts of suicide is coming into agreement with the enemy’s will for us – to kill us. Contemplating suicide can also be an open door for the spirit of death/suicide to come into a person’s life. Let’s be clear: the enemy has no pity or mercy, and he is not on our side. The only intention of a spirit of death/suicide is to continually push a person to go through with it, and make it seem like a good idea. My advice is not to agree with thoughts of suicide or death at all. Don’t ever say or think things like, “I’d be better off dead,” or “It would be better for everyone if I wasn’t alive.”
John 10:10 says, “the thief [or the enemy] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus came to give us life, and life more abundantly. Therefore, we should cherish the time that we do have here on earth because every day that we are alive is a gift from the Lord.
The Lord is faithful, and He will show you if deliverance is needed. Once you have repented of (changed your mind and turned away from) depression and suicide with a sincere heart, you can ask the Lord to deliver you from the spirit of heaviness and suicide.
And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved [or delivered].
Joel 2:32 NKJV
The Lord may show you to go to a trusted brother or sister in Christ to ask for prayer for deliverance, so that the evil spirit can be cast out. You don’t have to be afraid, because the Lord is with you and guiding you because He loves you so dearly. I have heard testimonies of people who have been delivered from a demon of depression, and once the demon was cast out, they experienced complete and lasting freedom from depression and suicidal thoughts. Praise God!
In my case, it wasn’t a demon which needed to be cast out. However, It was a spiritual battle which needed to be fought using the spiritual weapons God has given us, as well as my mindset and old thinking patterns which needed to be broken and changed. I used to live with a negative mindset and continually gave in to negative moods and self-pity. I also had a bit of a victim mentality. I realized that if I wanted to be free from depression and suicide, I was going to have to change my way of thinking and behaving, so that I could drive the spirit of heaviness out of my life.
A spirit of heaviness can still attack a person with feelings of heaviness and depression from the outside. When we continually give in to negative moods, a victim mentality, self-pity and negative thinking patterns, we give the enemy a foothold into our lives. The other problem is that demons often work in pairs or in gangs. Normally a spirit of depression will open the door for the spirit of suicide to start working in a person’s life. The good news is that with God’s help, we can drive these evil spirits out of our lives.
Step 4: Lessons learned – How to live in freedom from depression:
Lesson 1: Cultivating thankfulness and gratitude
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
Cultivating gratitude was something I was advised to do when I was struggling with depression and suicide. Some days it was hard for me to find even one thing to be grateful for if I am honest. But I forced myself to do it, and do you know that it became a lot easier over time. Not only that, but now I am truly grateful for so many things in my life and I find myself thanking God for even small things like roses, hot running water, or having fresh air to breath. I believe it has helped me to become a grateful person for every small or big thing in my life, and to really appreciate things.
Most of all, I am so grateful to Jesus for bringing me out of that awful place I was in and turning things around for me. He helped me understand that life is a gift and should be appreciated as such. Family is a gift. Friendships are precious. Having food and clothing are blessings. By thanking God for what He does for us, we take our minds off our problems and focus on the good we have received from the Lord.
When we focus on our problems, it is very difficult to be thankful because we only see the mountain which is in front of us. Thanking God for everything we have, puts things back into perspective. Perhaps the mountain is big, but our God is bigger and greater. When we shift our focus from the mountain to God, He either takes care of the mountain for us, or He gives us the faith and wisdom we need to get rid of the mountain. Thank You Jesus!
At this point, I’d like to encourage you to start a journal of thankfulness. Start writing down the things that you are truly grateful for in your life, no matter how small you think they might be. Write down at least 3 things every day, and continue for at least 1 month.
Lesson 2: Live with joy
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Philippians 4:4 NKJV
In the bible, the word rejoice also means to be joyful or full of cheer. I understand how hard it is to be joyful when you feel like you don’t have any joy, or when your joy has been stolen from you. During times like this in my life, the Holy Spirit instructed me to pray for joy when I experienced absolutely no joy, and God in His faithfulness answered my prayer by giving it to me. Thank You Lord for your Goodness!
The Lord also taught me that joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which should be cherished and cultivated. He also taught me that joy is a type of weapon we can use against the enemy, because it shows the enemy that we know that we have the victory in Jesus. The reason I had no joy during the time of my struggle with depression, was because I felt completely defeated, and I couldn’t see a way out of my situation. I had no hope for overcoming and I just couldn’t see a good outcome. I couldn’t see a way forward.
However, when we choose joy regardless of our situation, we are showing the enemy that we know the Lord will help us overcome. We are showing the enemy that he is under our feet, and that we have the victory in Christ. Living with joy regardless of our current situation means that we choose to put our complete trust in the Lord, knowing that He is a good Father who loves us and has good plans for us.
The bible tells us that there is fullness of joy in the LORD’s presence (Psalm 16:11), so if we need joy, that’s where we should go. The Lord taught me many years ago that there is a way we can come into His presence which is well pleasing to Him. Psalm 95:2 tells us that we come into the Lord’s presence by offering Him thanksgiving, and Psalm 100:2 tells us that we come into His presence by praising Him or even singing to Him.
Lesson 3: Put on the garment of praise to overcome the spirit of heaviness
To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:3 NKJV
I have prayed about this Scripture to ensure that I have the correct understanding, and I believe this is what the Lord revealed to me. The spirit of heaviness (as mentioned in Isaiah 61:3) could either be an evil spirit of depression, or it could be when a person’s spirit is in heaviness. Meaning that the person is living in despair or they have become disheartened, because of what they are going through. Either way, the solution is the same. The Lord tells us to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Praise is our weapon of attack against the spirit of heaviness, and this is our victory strategy for this kind of spiritual battle.
I believe the above-mentioned Scripture helps us understand that when we fight against despair and discouragement with joy and praise, we are sure to have the victory. We fight against the enemy in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside us, and not in our own strength. We are not alone in our battle. The Lord is with us to help us, encourage us, and strengthen us, so that we can overcome the spirit of heaviness and depression. We know that He has promised us the victory in Christ, therefore we can move forward in faith.
Praising God is a powerful weapon we can use against the enemy, however that should not be our main reason for praising God. We praise God because He is worthy of our praise. Praise also takes our mind off the battle we are facing, and shifts our focus to our great God. He then sorts out our enemies for us.
If you have been praising God, and the battle still hasn’t shifted, may I encourage you to keep going. Keep praising God and focusing your thoughts on Jesus. Sometimes the enemy will test us to see if we really believe that we have the victory. Keep going and don’t give up because the battle will shift.
In Part 2, I will be discussing the following:
- Lesson 4 – The importance of renewing your mind
- Lesson 5 – Change the way we speak
- Hope is essential for overcoming depression
- Faith is equally important for overcoming depression
Love and blessings in Jesus’ name.