by Jay McMullan
© 2003
Are you sick and tired of being up one day and down the next. Maybe you never even have a day where you are up. There is hope for you. If you want to get serious with God, you can live each day victoriously and have joy that cannot be shaken by life's circumstances. Learning to walk in victory is not something that can be learned in one day but by setting some standards in your life and by developing some Godly habits, you will begin to climb out of the depression and sadness in your life.
1. YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
Many times, depression has a spiritual cause and you cannot win a spiritual battle against evil if you are not covered by the blood of Jesus. If you have not been born again, Click Here. As a child of God, you can walk with the authority and power that come with that relationship.
2. ASK THE LORD TO BAPTIZE YOU IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
You may have been a Christian for years and never heard about being baptized in the Holy Spirit. After Jesus was resurrected and before He went back to heaven, He told His followers to wait for the promise of the Father. That promise was that they could be filled with the Holy Spirit of God which would give them power to live their Christian lives and to be witnesses for Christ on the face of the earth. There is a spiritual world around us that is even more real than this temporal world that we see with our eyes. To learn more about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Click Here.
3. YOU MUST SPEND TIME IN THE WORD OF GOD.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
There is absolutely no other way for faith to come to you. You must make a commitment to spend time in the Word of God, the Bible. This does not mean simply reading, but studying the Bible deeply. As you do this, you will begin to understand how our Heavenly Father operates and you will become more like Him. You will also begin to learn how to pray "faith based prayers". These kinds of prayers always get answers.
4. YOU MUST SPEND TIME FELLOWSHIPPING WITH YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER.
All this means is that you need to realize that God really does watch over you and hear you when you talk to Him. He will also talk to you! What kind of father would never talk to his children?
1 Peter 3:12a For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.
Prayer is simply talking to God. Spend time with him like you would your earthly father, knowing that your Heavenly Father's love and concern for you is perfect. Be honest with God. You can lie to others and you can lie to yourself but you can never lie to God. He knows everything about you, even your deepest thoughts. Don't let your inadequacies make you run from God. Run to God and let Him help you deal with your problems.
5. LEARN TO PRAY "FAITH BASED PRAYERS".
When you base your prayers on what you KNOW the will of God is, you can pray with confidence, knowing that He will answer your prayers.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
You can't believe that you receive those things unless you base your prayer on God's will. Of course there will be times when you won't know how to pray about a certain situation. In these cases, pray in the Holy Spirit. Yes, this means praying in unknown tongues. You cannot do this if you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
6. SPEAK TO YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE.
Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
You must realize that there is a spiritual world all around us and it is more real than the temporal world that we walk in every day. When a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit, the blinders are taken off of their spiritual eyes so that they begin to see things that are happening in the spiritual world. When you pray a "faith based prayer", that prayer is answered at that very moment. You may not see the manifestation of that prayer right at that moment but the Word of God tells us that your prayer was answered when you prayed. When negative thoughts come, and they will, refuse to let them move you. Speak to your "mountain". Remind the evil spirits that would try and cause you to doubt, that the the Word of God is true and that you will not be moved by what you see in the physical because you KNOW that God's Word is true!
2 Cor. 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
7. BE PATIENT WAITING FOR GOD TO BRING ABOUT THE MANIFESTATION TO YOUR PRAYER.
Hebrews 10:35-36 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. [36] For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Your confidence is your faith that has come by studying the Word of God (Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.) Once you know what God’s will is, by studying the Word and by praying, then you pray and ask God for what you need. Then believe that His Word is true and that He will bring you the answer. Just realize that God does not always move in our time, He moves in His perfect time, The prophet Daniel prayed once and his prayer was immediately answered but it took three weeks for the answer to come to Daniel (Read Daniel chapter 10).
It may seem very hard to follow these steps at first, especially if you have lived your life with a negative attitude. God will not change your life unless you allow Him too. He desires to make you the best you can be but you must step out in faith and He will meet you there. As you follow these steps, God will begin to make an incredible change in your life. You will always have trials and tribulations but when you grow spiritually and learn to walk in the Spirit, you will walk above the emotional roller coaster and depression that so many people never conquer.
