Overcoming Depression

 I read an article about how to overcome depression this morning on cbn.com. My believe is that this article will help someone who is going through depression. If you find it helpful, please feel free to make your comment.

OVERCOMING DEPRESSION

Almost everyone at one time or another experiences a period of sadness. Most people get over it with a little time. But for some people, the sadness continues.

If you are caught in a prolonged period of sadness, you may recognize one or more of the signs that often accompany depression: a growing distrust of God, resentment of others, difficulty making decisions, guilt, inactivity, sleeplessness or oversleeping, not eating or overeating, doubting, complaining, worrying, and hopelessness, as though you're in an inescapable pit.

Thankfully, as desperate as everything may look, there are real reasons for hope. God loves you. And He wants to fill you with joy, peace, fulfillment and so much more.

First Step to Help
The Bible says that Jesus came that we "might have life, and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10, NAS). Certainly, depression is not abundant life. But you can be assured, God wants you to find His peace and joy. He will help you because you are very, very important to Him.

Are you in a position to receive God's gift of "abundant life"? If you are not certain, ask God right now to forgive you for your sins and to come and rule in your life (Romans 10:9, 10,13; I John 1:8,9; John 1:12,13).

The Bible describes what happens the moment you first give your life to God as being "born again." Spiritually you are a new person. But you now need to learn a new way of living. God will help you.

Ask Him to fill you completely with His Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). God's Spirit will give you the power to live like God wants you to live. The Holy Spirit guides, comforts, teaches, empowers and produces within a Christian the actual characteristics of God -- love, joy, peace, patience and more (Galatians 5:22-23). And it is when you are living the way God wants that you will experience the full and joyful life God has for you.

When you are born again, God takes up residence in your spirit. He brings with Him the promise of great joy and peace, sometimes immediately. But what if you are now a Christian and you are depressed? You are not alone. Many people of faith have experienced periods of deep depression. The Bible stories of Moses, David and so many others show us how God's love continues even during these times and that He eventually brings great hope.

What You Can Do
What can you do to overcome depression? It depends on why you are depressed. There are many possible reasons, but since more than one may be present in your life, read all the sections below:

Physical: Some depression is caused by physical problems. Improper diet, lack of exercise, and not enough sleep can all contribute to depression. So if you are feeling "down," make sure you are taking care of your body.

In addition, many illnesses can cause depression (others may be caused by depression). Also, some medications can cause depression. It's always a good idea to see your doctor for a checkup to rule out physical reasons. But remember, God can heal any physical problem, including one that causes, or is caused by, depression (Psalm 103:3; Matthew 8:16-17).

If your doctor has diagnosed a particular problem, ask your prayer partner, pastor, Christian counselor or other Christian to pray with you for God's healing (James 5:14-16). But if you are taking medication for any problem, consult your doctor before changing or stopping it.

Losses and Other Hurts: When something you see as bad happens to you, it's normal to feel hurt. You may have lost your job or other financial security. You may have been wronged in some way, recently or in the past. You may have a bad relationship with a friend, family member, or spouse.

A loved one may have died. Or you may even be hurting about something you've never had, but feel you should have, such as a spouse or children. It is okay for you to hurt over a situation like this.

Tell God about your hurt. He already knows, but it is important for you to put the hurt into words and tell Him. Also tell a trusted friend or pastor, or consult a Christian counselor. Allow yourself to cry if you want to. Normal grieving, including crying, is healthy.


The Bible says that Jesus "bore our griefs" on the cross (Isaiah 53:4 NAS). He feels our pain as strongly as we do and will carry it for us. Give your hurt to Him. Then resolve not to dwell on it again.

Sin: Sometimes depression is rooted in sin. You will never be at peace if you ignore something in your life that you know is against God's will (I Timothy 1:19). If you know you are doing or have done something against God's will, admit to God that it is wrong.

Then ask His help in doing what is right. If you admit your sin and turn from it, God has promised to forgive you completely, and cleanse you from the sin (I John 1:9). Trust Him to do it.

If it is an ongoing sin and it seems too big for you to deal with, just deal with it today, this moment. Tell God that with His help you will do the right thing right now. In addition, you may need to take some action to make up for your sin with those you have wronged. You may need a pastor or Christian counselor to help you decide what to do.

Don't forget to obey God in the small things. Very often, it is because we have chosen to ignore Him in the small things that we slowly slip into deeper problems. You can reverse this slide. If you obey God in the small things, it will help put you back on track in the larger things. You may need to obey Him in something so simple as getting up early enough to get to work on time without rushing.

Wrong Thinking: What do you think about right before you feel depressed? Do you think such things as "I'm no good," or "I can't do anything right," or "This situation will never change"? It's vitally important for you to find out what God says is the truth about you and your life. Read the Bible closely to find out what is the real truth (Ephesians 1:18-19).

Once you find out the wonderful things God says about you, stop repeating negative things to yourself. Instead, memorize and repeat to yourself the truths you find in the Bible that contradict the negative thoughts.

Fill your thoughts with such truths as : "For I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power" (Philippians 4:13); "It is he who will supply all (my) needs from his riches in glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for (me)" (Philippians 4:19); "For the Holy Spirit, God's gift, does not want (me) to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them" (II Timothy 1:7).

 "Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us" (Romans 8:37); "He personally carried the load our sins in his own body when he died on the cross, so that we can be finished with sin and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have healed ours!" (I Peter 2:24).

In Conclusion: Admit to God you need His help in order to live rightly with peace and joy. Repent of any known sin. Accept God's forgiveness and cleansing (I John 1:9).

Rebuild your spiritual life through Bible reading, prayer and fellowship with other Christians. Attend a local Bible-believing church faithfully. Being an active member in a church is a good way to begin to grow spiritually and learn an overcoming faith.

If your depression continues, seek help from your pastor or other qualified Christian counselor. There ARE answers for you. However, finding and solving the root causes of depression do not always happen quickly.

And finally, don't be surprised if once you are on the other side of depression, you thank God for this time of hardship and the good that has come out of it.

As You Pray
Ask God to reveal specific thoughts and actions He wants you to change. Agree with Him when He points out sin and ask Him to help you change. Forgive others who have wronged you. Thank God for His love and ask Him for healing and a renewed joy in life.

For further information, click the link below:

http://www1.cbn.com/overcoming-depression

Tips On How To Be Happy In Life

Life treats or deals with different persons in diverse ways. Some are rich and some poor; some are born with silver spoon in their mouths and others have humble start. Many make way while the sun shines, while others earn their bread with the sweat of their brow. Some make wealth by foul ways and others have limited stores, for honest earnings are always small. While some are rolling in wealth, many can not afford two square meals a day. The favored and the foul pass their days in prosperity but the hard workers and the handicapped live in adversity.

Inspite of the problems we face in life we can still be happy. some of us may believe that being unhappy in life is something that is destined for them. However, we can be truly happy if we believe we can.Here are some things that you may be ignoring but can make you happy:

- Know what you want in life and what you love doing. Your interests and passion in life are among the things that can give you happiness and fulfillment and thus, for as long as you give time to do what you want and enjoy your passion, you can be happy in life.

-Take care of your health. It is often hard to be happy if your physical self is not well. Loose extra weight if you are overweight or obese, have a healthy diet, cut down on bad eating habits and do exercise. Of course, poor nutrition can be a factor to your bad mood. Keep in mind that the healthier you are, the easier you can learn how to be happy in life.

- Go with positive people. They most likely are happy ones. Get rid of negatives in life and avoid negative people as much as you can. Being negative can influence you and may lead you to being unhappy. If you can't get away with dealing with negative people especially if it happens in the workplace, then you can choose how to react to them and stay away from being angry or irritated.

-Conclusively,Love yourself and draw near unto God,if you cannot love yourself it is difficult to love others.

Don’t Allow Depression To Hinder Your Greatness In Life.

Depression is a killer of dreams and visions. We must not allow it to hinder us from becoming great in life.The world is a mixed bag of sorts and odds, apples and oranges.You choose which and what you become.
There was a school classroom which was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied coal stove. A little boy had the job of coming to school early each day to start the fire and warm the classroom before his teacher and his classmates arrived.

One morning they arrived to find the classroom engulfed in flames.They dragged the unconscious 8 years old boy out of the flaming building. He had major burns over the lower half of his body and somehow, to the amazement of the physician who predicted his death,he survived. After many weeks the doctor told the mother that it would almost be better if he had died,since he was doomed to be a lifetime cripple with no use at all of his lower limbs. Once more the brave boy made up his mind,he would not be a cripple,  he would walk.

Ultimately, through his persistence and resolute determination, he did developed the ability to stand up, then to walk by a stick, then to walk by himself and then to run. He began to walk to school. Later in college, he made the track team. Still later in Madison square Garden, this young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run, this determined young man,  Dr Glenn Cunningham ran the world’s fastest mile. You must endure things to be great. Listen:everything happens for a reason and there is hope for brighter days even in the most desolate of circumstances, never give up! Endure! Hold on.

What To Do When You Are Bitter

Maybe your whole being is struggling complaining and crying for justice. You may even find it difficult to forgive yourself or pardon others who have offended you. Yes indeed, you may have been wronged, slandered, persecuted and you cannot get over it. may be the more you try to shake it off this burden the worse you become.

Here are five keys to overcome bitterness:

1. Process your grief: Emotions like fear, anger, worry, depression, resentment, helplessness and grief are normal. It's no good to suppress them or deny they exist. God created us to feel. He doesn't expect us to act happy when we're grieving.

2. Accept help. It's a mistake to isolate yourself in the aftermath of a tragedy. We all need the encouragement of others

3. Choose the right response:when you choose bitterness, you hurt yourself and shut the door on happiness because you cannot be happy and bitter at the same time. During some recent California wildfires there were victims who said, we've lost everything and we're sad, but we'll work together as a family rebuild, other said. 'my life's over! I can't go on... I 'II never recover. You can choose to believe you're on your own, or that God's with you and bounce back.

4. Know your joy comes from God. There's no correlation between your circumstances and your joy. Joy comes from within;It's based on whom you trust not what you see and feel.

5. Concentrate on what you have left. not on what you've lost. Make a list of the good things in your life and thank God for what you still have. It's impossible to be grateful and hopeless at the same time.

The Relationship Between Depression And Failure

Depression and Failure are like two Siamese twins.Failure has been one of the major reasons why a lot of people are depressed.Many people breakdown psychologically, mentally,spiritually and even physically when they experience certain disappointments of life.When hopes and expectations have been built up so high and the unexpected happens;  it destabilizes some people to the point that they totally breakdown.

You must know and prepare your mind that failure is only an event and not the final destination.The best way to cope with life irrespective of its very contradictions is to decide not to miss what you did not get. The feelings of oh! I missed it again, why me, what have I done wrong,when will I get out of this, who is after my life? will I ever make it again and will I ever become somebody of repute in life etc can kill or make someone psychologically imbalance.

Aviod the feelings of shame,hopelessness and regrets because you can still be happy in life despite what you did not get.Everything depends on your mindset.if you keep crying after what you have lost, there will be no time to prepare for what is next.you will do a lot of damage to yourself if you keep missing what you did not get. Whether it is in the area of relationship, marriage, business opportunities, traveling chance, positioning in the office or material things, once you have tried your best and it did not happen or it happened but could not be sustained, just forget it and move on with life.

Whenever you are in a fix,take a concrete decision because it is the decision you take when things happen to you that will determine its effect on you. You can get of out depression bytrivalizing your problems. No one is problem or challenge free. The only difference is that some carry theirs on the head while some put theirs under the feet.