Overcoming Depression

It is ten times harder to fight off temptation if you can't get out of a depression. The first step towards success is to change your emotions. This is done by giving thanks. Firstly, think about what Jesus has done for you and thank Him. Don't rush through this. Remember, part of all of our problems are caused by the fact that we don't spend enough time with Jesus.
Next we give thanks for things like homes, cars, jobs, and especially people. Note: If your wife, brother, sister, don't seem perfect - you are probably correct. But I am not perfect either.
When I give thanks for my wife, brother, sister, and friends great qualities - I realize. I am lucky to have them.
My dad was a broke preacher with a tiny church. But he "always" gave thanks for everything. When we got a flat tire he thanked God. One vacation we had 5 flats (I'm really not making this up - it was when radial tires were not yet perfected in about 1973). I watched him very closely on flat #5. He gave thanks yet again. Not only that, he proceeded to spread the gospel to the guy who fixed the tire - and he got saved.
The Bible commands us, "In everything give thanks." My dad made this a daily, hourly habit. I never remember him being depressed - even for one day.
So if you want to be happy like my dad was, take up a new challenge and do what he did. He focused on hells flames and treasures in heaven. He made his thoughts Biblical thoughts.
Jesus saw his effort. And neither depression nor addiction ever ruled his life.

Part 2

Yesterday I had a bad day. It did not take me long to realize that a big part of the problem was that I was not exactly doing things God's way. But, despite my struggles, I tried to be in God's will and do something to help others. Doing that did lift me out of depression a bit. Then later I started working on my “wrong road” issue in prayer. That helped me see that I had set up a bad day yet again by going my own way.

I believe that doing God's will is very important. But I still believe that other things are very important as well and that gets me and all of us in trouble yet again.

We often believe that things like pleasure in excess, money in excess, things in excess, drink in excess, and many other things in excess are very important. But, the more we study Solomon's writings that “All these things are vanity,” the easier it gets to start doing God's will which starts to lead to joy.

Instead, we can choose to start to know God's will. We can take important Bible verses and we can #1 read them, or #2 study them, or #3 meditate on them, or #4 memorize them. We can do the same with Nofap articles, and the more often we get to #3 and #4, the quicker we will be free forever.

Pray: “Father, please show me which verses I should study, meditate on, or memorize.”

Pray: “Father, please show me which Nofap articles I should study, meditate on, or memorize.”

My dad always had a pretty good idea of what God's will was, and he was almost never depressed because he was willing to try to do it. Learn how to know God's will, and live a great life as my dad did.

 

Someone noted that my giving thanks solution was not a surefire cure for depression. That is a fact despite the fact that it helps and is a really good practice. But the truth is that a full cure takes a lot of work.

To fight depression look for articles on NoFap about new ways to think. About new activities, positive addictions, being filled with the Holy Spirit, prayer, emotions, “The Light,” and joy. I have a hundred old articles in the Christian section. Some of these types of articles are filled with tips for overcoming depression. So the key to overcoming it is to have organized, available, and at your fingertips... some of those ideas that you are working on.

In real life, if you add giving thanks and praising Jesus to a list of 10 things you are working on from those old articles, you will really have something.

 

Depression is more about where you are going than it is about what is happening to you. In this thread's first article, my dad had 5 flats in one day. But my dad knew “Where he was going.” He was going to do God's will. He stayed positive, trusting God until on flat number five, then he spread the gospel to someone who got saved.

Sin keeps us from going where God wants us to go, and then it leads to darkness. Then it leads to depression.

Consider praying: “Father, show me how my sin leads to depression.”
Consider praying: “Father, show me how I can do Your will.”

“1 Peter 3:10 For “He who would love life And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Verse 11 is our recipe for starting to have happiness. Turn from evil and do good.

This verse is one of the great verses. Embrace the great verses, pray over them, meditate on them, and use them to turn darkness into light.

 

Godly Exercise

Print out 5 great verses that you should be thinking about and bring them to your exercise. Exercise (Start slowly, then work your way up) is proven to help with depression. Pick your 5 verses based on your greatest need. Anxiety, courage, quitting habits, overcoming, or any of a million other things. Just put “verses anger” (insert what you need) into Google and open Bible will have a list for you.

When we get moving plus get the Word in us, life improves.

Mark Shaw in Heart of Addiction wrote: “Our beliefs are feelings oriented not thought oriented. We want, then we act. God designed us to think and then act. Acting on emotions is perishing thinking, but when we think, obey, then act we learn how to have God's joyful thinking.”

I am adding the section, “Think, obey, then act,” to the verses for quitting page. Write down 4 ways that you can make it a habit to study these verses when you are beaten down, criticized, run over, abused, and basically trashed in life.

Getting beat up in life happens all the time. But, we will start to have a great life if we make it a habit to run to scripture instead of running to lust.

Verses about lust force you to think, push you to obey, and tell you how to act.

I am always pounding scripture into me to get me to “think right.” When I start thinking right obeying makes perfect sense.

Mark also wrote: “Forgiveness is not optional, it is a command from God.”

Forgiveness starts the process of God's light filling our lives. Anger gives satan permission to work us over. Holding a grudge leads to depression. Consider praying: “Father, help me to forgive.”

Finally, start moving, forgiving, and building the habit of thinking, obeying, then acting.

 

In Matthew 7 the Bible says that we must be in God's will. Obviously, sinful lust is not in God's will. But the problems are just as real after repenting from lust. If we don't start getting in God's will after repenting we will go back.
Thankfully there is a direct connection between being in God's will and joy. Biblical Paul was at least 99% in His will and he really did have fullness of joy.
The problem is that satan will fight tooth and nail to try to convince you to do your own thing instead of fighting to be in God's will. But he is a liar.
Today, consider trying to increase how much you are in God's will. First, pray often about it. Pray to care about souls, pray about loving and helping people, pray about what God wants you to do.
Second, be willing to do something. Volunteer at your church to help out, get involved in some Christian charity, and determine to be a shining example of Jesus' love.
Third, Jesus prayed for at least an hour per day. If God's son needed to pray that much do I? Of course, the answer is yes.
Fourth, what is the most fulfilling joyful hour of my day? It is the time I spend in prayer seeking to know God's will for my life. Additionally, now I can find joy throughout the day. Because, if I get being in God's will right, I have increased my right to have joy exponentially.
Fifth, do a Google search on how to find God's will. Consider taking some notes, and study your notes every day this week.
Sixth, memorize the fact that the Bible says that we must be "In God's will." A big part of a long-term struggle with a habit is because... we quit, and now we have a void in our lives. We don't fill it by being in God's will. The mad cycle continues.
Seventh, it is not easy to pull off. We need a one-week, one-month, and one-year plan. But the results of pulling it off are joy, peace, purpose, contentment, love, and self-control.
Last, at God's right hand are pleasures forevermore. We get to have His pleasures as well.

 

To overcome depression we need to identify what caused it. Once we do that we need to identify what scriptures we need to print out to overcome the depression, so we can read them daily. If anger or alcohol caused your depression, finding 30 verses to study daily for one month is a simple solution. But what if there are several factors, what if the problem is complex and the solution seems a million miles away?

In complicated situations, it is best to pray 5-10 minutes daily about what scripture search you need to do in Google. It may take a week, or even a month of prayer to figure out the scriptures that you need to “pound out” what is causing the depression.

Why does “it” need to be pounded out? When sin or things like that lead to depression, the problem is usually not the events that you are going through. The problem is that there is something in you, which came out because of certain events, and “it” needs to be pounded out or it will cause problems again.

We think wrong and that causes massive problems. When we study Bible verses on lust we finally start to think right about lust.

When we pray enough, the Holy Spirit will show us what verses we need to use to pound out what is causing the specific problem regarding depression. Then, when we study and pray over the verses, the problem will begin to be pounded out.

Psalm 25:9 ESV
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”

Consider praying:

“Father, help me to be humble so I can find what is right. Show me Your way.”

Psalm 119:105 ESV Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Work daily on this and insist that this verse is true. Work daily until that depression is lifted, and until you are a shining light in a dark world.

 

Depression is defeated by an attitude of gratitude. In Haiti, many live in boxes and eat at the town garbage dump. Just thanking God that you have fresh food is an attitude of gratitude.

Second, consider developing the habit of giving thanks on a regular basis for all things big and small (that are good).

Third, let's say, a person feels like everything has gone wrong for them. They could say: Thank you Lord for running water, many don't have that in Haiti. Thank you, Lord, for fresh food.

Fourth, maybe you have a good church. You should thank God twice a day for that if you do. If you don't, consider getting busy trying to find one. Having good goals helps to fight depression.

Fifth, consider praying:

“Father, help me to form the habit of having an attitude of gratitude.”

Sixth, tell someone a couple of things you are grateful for. Be aware, that others are depressed too. Telling them what you are grateful for might just help them as well.

Finally, consider searching “Verses gratitude.” I just did that. Wow, those are some great verses. Dig into them. They will help.