There may come a time when you think you are depressed! You know it is not a chemical thing in your brain and you’re sure it's not a form of burnout. If this is the case it could possibly be your mind! I have overcome so many nasty things in my life by fighting the battle in my mind. I am so passionate about this and love to preach on this subject too. Often we grow up seeing something in our family and because it is familiar to us and seems normal our mind accepts it. Depression can be one of those things. We think because one of our parents suffered with it we automatically will too. There are times when it is genuinely passed on either physically or spiritually. Many times though, it is all in your mind.
When you become a Christian everything changes – some things change instantly and other things change over time. Most things take time to change and one of those things is our mind. Before we were Christians, we thought a certain way – we thought according to our selfish nature. The Bible calls this the carnal nature. When we get into the things of God we want to think differently because we have changed. However our mind doesn’t automatically change when we become Christians, we have to change our minds manually – one step at a time!
Romans 8:6-8
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is hostile to God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
I would really like to make it easy to understand the difference between our carnal mind and the mind of Christ. When we become a Christian we have access to the mind of Christ – a new way of thinking that we never had access to before.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Fear in the original Greek means timidity, which refers to nervousness, shyness or apprehension and spirit refers to the mind. Sound mind in the original Greek means discipline or self control. This is very interesting isn’t it! So what this verse is saying is that God didn’t give us the mind to be scared or timid but he made us to have power, love and self control over our mind.
Talk to Your Mind
When Lorah and Jordan were very little I used to tell them to talk to their mind – I used to tell them, to tell their mind what to think, by talking to it. This was my way of teaching them that their mind didn’t control them but they controlled their mind. When they felt scared at night, they would come to me and I said to them that they don’t need to be scared, they just need to talk to their mind and tell it that they are not scared, and then they won’t be scared any more. In a very child like way, this is what I was teaching Lorah and Jordan from a young age – take control of your mind – tell it you are not scared! I was teaching them in a very simple way what Timothy was saying in the Bible.
The same can apply to depression which starts in the carnal mind. If you truly believe that God has given you a sound mind, you need to start believing it and acting like it. When the thought comes into your mind that you are depressed, tell that thought exactly where to go! The best way to do this is to say 2 Timothy 1:7 out loud. Say it over and over again, until you really believe it. No matter what situation you are in or how deeply depressed you are, there is no harm in doing this exercise. The Word of God is very powerful and each time to confess it you are speaking life into your mind and soul. The battle is very often fought in the mind and the victory is won in the mind. You can choose to control your mind and not let your mind control you. This doesn’t come naturally, at first you need to intentionally choose to think this way. The best way to change your mind is to “program” it with the Word of God. God made it easy for us, He wrote it all down for us in the Bible, so to get to know the mind of Christ get to know your Bible.Depression and suicide starts in the mind. No one gets depressed or takes their life without first spending a lot of time wrestling in their mind.
I wish you had it in Portuguese!!! It is a great teaching!!!! Really amazing!!!My sister fights with depression, and needs medicine to get control. Now she is much better, but very easily she can get down and with very low steem. She always found herself the ugly duck, for not being slim and because she needs strong medicine, for her spine problem,it makes her fat and not many exercise she can do. I wish I was closer to her, but I try to help her from far, making her think strong about herself and accept herself. I am shy, opposite her, but I don't keep what upsets me, I have to speak up, no matter who will get hurt. She keeps and can't speak up or share with others, what make someone with tendency of depression get worst, if she can't share and empty herself.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it is a great book indeed!! You should think in promote it in different language like Portuguese and Spanish for instance. Great market in South America!
I am so sorry for your sister's struggle. It is tough to watch those that you love struggle isn't it. I am hoping to translate my book into Portuguese and German by the end of 2011.
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