THE SPIRIT OF HEAVINESS

Someone once told me that a Christian will sometimes suffer from depression --but he is like a cork that has been pressed down by a wave in the ocean.  Its nature is to bob
up again.   That has been my experience!

The very word "depressed" means to press or thrust down. When we are depressed, we are cast down in our spirits. We experience those awful feelings of sadness, gloom and
discouragement.  And yes, we can even plunge to the depths where we feel dead and worthless.

We are particularly vulnerable to that condition  when we have been betrayed, rejected, or swamped by the oppressive circumstances of an evil day. Now, I will share some things I have learned that help me bob-up faster ...

1.  I try to determine if the cause is physical.  Since I have allergies, I will check my breathing capacity; because,  if it is low, my energy level drops.  Some of my medications
can cause mood-swings that I don't like.  So, I guard against impulsive behavior and ask God to help me.  

 

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matt 26:41 (KJV)

2.  If I have feelings of guilt,  I must discern whether God is trying to teach me something --or if Satan is accusing me. (The Holy Spirit always gives clear instruction about what
he wants corrected.  But, Satan's accusations are vague and general.)    Here, the victory comes by submitting to the will of God and resisting the devil ...

 

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

James 4:7 (KJV)

3. It is easy for me to get depressed when I am rejected or betrayed --or when something just isn't fair.   The cause of the depression is suppressed anger.  So, the anger will keep
me down until I deal with it.  That will depend on how long I want to be submerged in self-pity.  And,  how long before I decide to come up to Jesus' instructions,  like this:

 

"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,       Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." Luke 6:27-28                
4.  In times of discouragement, my faith is strengthened when I think of God's promises:
   
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Rom 8:28 (KJV)

5.  Finally,  victory over depression (the spirit of heaviness) is God's will.  It brings glory to the LORD and is part of the gospel that Jesus came to preach ...

 

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ... to       comfort all that mourn ...

 

THE OIL OF JOY FOR MOURNING **the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness**;       that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." Isa 61:1-3 (KJV)

Donna Kupp