Ten
The Power of Happiness
ISAIAH 60:1
Arise! Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
Just like discouragement, fighting depression can be a long, tedious battle. But God says in Jeremiah 32:27 that nothing is too hard for Him. We shouldn’t question Him or His abilities because He can do the impossible.
Depression is a normal obstacle a lot of people face. Don’t think anything is wrong with you if you start to feel sadness in your heart. Depression often results from sinking deep enough into those thoughts of discouragement, inferiority, or loneliness that we feel too weak to reach for God’s strength. It can be depressing when life’s trials seem to never stop piling on our shoulders. It’s not that being depressed means you failed a test of faith, but rather it means you get to make the decision and run to Jesus before depression begins to run faster towards you. It simply means you have another victory in front of you!
Many people become sad when they think God has left them or has not answered any of their prayers. They feel abandoned. Clearly everything from mild sadness to clinical depression comes in many different shapes and sizes, and can result from many different causes.
Sometimes we invite feelings similar to depression by thinking we are dumb. Inferior. Hopeless. Worthless. Too skinny. Not skinny enough. Not pretty or handsome. We give into self-pity. We think we have more problems than anyone else, and that life is just out to get us—we’ve all been there.
Even Elijah felt like he didn’t measure up to his ancestors (1 Kings 19:4). Because of that, he cried out to God feeling depressed, angry, and like he wanted nothing else but die. Many people think like that, and it can seem impossible to break that mold. With our own strength it is impossible—not with God, though! God comforted Elijah and reminded him of His presence, and He will do the same for you. It is not hard to find yourself trapped under the arrows of depression once those thoughts enter come. It can hit quickly and feel like you are sinking in quick sand. Don’t give into those lies the enemy throws at you or any of those thoughts that are clearly not from God.
Ask God to provide a shield for you and grant you discernment to hear His voice and think like Him. Focus on God and His joy. He is our rock at rock bottom. He overcame death, and He will overcome depression for you. He can defeat any sadness you are experiencing, no matter how extreme or mild it is. He will show up for you just like He promised. He uses that low moment in life to make us depend on Him and show us that He’s aware of every obstacle that we’ve been hit with. He knows everything about you, from the number of hairs on your head to every thought you will think—of course He knows all of your issues. And He is using this depression, or any sadness you may be experiencing, for His gain and for your good.
God restores all of His children. No matter your past, mistakes, sadness, or complaining, God stands by you with open arms, and will shift your situation around to see you smile again. He didn’t condemn Elijah for feeling the way he did. Instead, He was patient and gave him wisdom to hear His comforting voice, reminding him that his God will never leave him.
According to God, whether you agree yet or not, you are wonderfully and fearfully made. Never let that slip your mind. We all have flaws, but that should show you how unique you are, not make you feel bad about yourself. We all have insecurities, but every hair, pimple, mole, and freckle was planned by God and it is your trademark. It is God’s stamp of approval. You weren’t made perfect—you were purposefully made with flaws—but the way He made you was perfect. He made no mistakes and He looks at you as a masterpiece and jar of treasure.
There is a reason for all of your flaws. Keep your chin up. God’s not done yet. Don’t get upset if things aren’t going as good, or as fast, as you are hoping for. Realize that God’s timing is perfect, and ask Him for wisdom to accept His pacing. Soon God will show you what those reasons are. Tell that depression it’s role in your life is over. Let the Light of Christ in and force depression to leave now!
Nobody can take away the gifts, education, and intelligence God has given you. You were made to thrive. Also, nobody can understand the gifts God has placed within your heart because that’s between you and Him. What someone else has, you might not, but that’s better because their gifts won’t help you reach your destiny. Only the talents and skills God has placed directly into your heart will.
He knows what the future holds for you, and He knows everyone’s path is different. That’s why He put the perfect ingredients within you—He’s getting ready to mix them together and create something amazing and fresh. Don’t worry if you don’t yet understand what your future may hold—that’s up to God. Your job is to recognize that no adversity or obstacle is too difficult for God, and the hidden gems of your heart will equip you for the road ahead. God put His DNA into you. He equipped you with His armor. A sealed envelope of protection that God holds with His own hands guards you. He is protecting those treasures within you, making you a warrior, and bringing you to the blessing on the other side of this mountain. Your destiny is bright, just like the gold within you.
God can lift your head up when you lack the strength to even open your eyes. Psalms 3:3 says, "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head." He is honored to help you in your time of need—He wants nothing more! When we are tough on ourselves, feel down, or just seem like we’ve reached our end, sometimes it is just plain hard to get down on our knees and pray. God understands that, but we don’t always see it like He does. We think we have to do everything the right way to please God and therefore be blessed and have a good life. If God didn’t promise us everlasting love and eternal life in Him, maybe we would have to work for His approval and love—but that’s not the case. He loves us the same at our best and worst.
The most important time to pray is when we feel hopeless, and as if God has left us—the times we simply don’t feel like praying. However, try your best to ask God to incline His ear to your cries, lift your head up, and fill you with His joy unspeakable. He will always lift our heads when we are down, grab our hands when we fall, and shield us from harm. We just have to ask. You can just close your eyes and whisper to Him.
You’ve already pleased Him and you don’t have to bend over backwards to receive His love or reach a certain amount of hours in prayer for the next level of blessings. Instead of attempting to find happiness and remedies for depression through search engines or other worldly answers, bring your requests to God. Look to Him and ask Him to show you real happiness. You’ll be glad you did.
Believe that no matter how far down you slip, God is still there to pull you up. You can never travel so far down that God can’t reach you. Just like Psalms 42:11 claims, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”
Sometimes we don’t understand why we are mad, but we just are. It seems like we plan on living a long, happy life, but for some reason we aren’t all smiles. Why is this? Are we putting to much pressure on ourselves, feeling empty inside, or distancing ourselves from God without realizing it? Maybe, but with prayer comes unmatched peace and lightness, which is why it’s vital to keep praying even through depression. Even through that illness. Through all of the toughest battles. Fight with your weapon: God’s Word. You are strong enough to win. You have oxygen in your lungs. You have a mouth to smile with. You have hands to help people with. Most importantly, you have the Creator of life living inside of your heart.
Oftentimes we feel depressed not because something happens but rather from feeling empty and without a purpose. But God will fill those voids for you and show you amazing purposes He has planned for your life. Just wait for His voice.
You may feel like you’re nowhere near where you should be, like you haven’t even come close to fulfilling your purpose, or like you are just not good enough to achieve something great with what you’ve been given. Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite how you may feel, God thinks differently. He thinks you are a masterpiece. You are a gem. He says in the Bible you were made “wonderfully and fearfully” for a reason.
You are a force to be reckoned with. You can’t be beat because you have unlimited power within you—supernatural power. He loved you enough to give up His life on the Cross, and He loves you the same to this day. Keep fighting. Stay in belief. Lose yourself in Christ. Go deeper in faith and never look back. Be dead to the world and alive in the Spirit. He will take that seed of faith and multiply it. You will see your destiny being fulfilled before your very eyes. God will take you further and His plans will amaze you. Just believe.
Psalms 40:1-3 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth.” When we hit rock bottom, God is there as our rock. He is there when nobody else is, when we have reached the lowest point.
He loves you enough to follow you and support you through victory and failure, through the top to rock bottom. Why? Since only He knows all of the reasons for making you the way you are, just please rest assured that you have something special inside of you that is so important to God that He will protect you, guide you, love you, be patient with you, forgive you, and live inside of you forever because of His desire to amaze you everyday.
Have you ever thought about thanking God for your problems? It sounds crazy, of course, but think about what your problems have done for you, and how you got through them. Did you find yourself praying more to get through it, anticipating an answer from God?
What about the outcome—did you thank God for getting you through it? Did you feel stronger after God helped you overcome that difficulty? That’s all part of God’s plans for you! He doesn’t give us obstacles to hurt us or because He is mean, but instead He just wants to strengthen you!
Every bump in the road is another obstacle to overcome, but the great thing is God already overcame it so all we have to do is sit back, trust Him, and wait for that blessing waiting at the finish line!
It is the greatest feeling to look back and see how God’s plan, including the tough times, unraveled perfectly to get us where we needed to be.
Not only that, but we can rest assured that if God can pull us out of destruction, and forgive every sin, then He will surely bring us through all that we are facing!
Faith Reminder
God never promised life would be easy or without trials, but He did promise His everlasting Love would be enough to rise above all of them. It is a honor and blessing to be able to worship and praise God, so take your focus off of your issues, and if you suffer with any kind of sadness, take refuge in God and ask Him to receive your heart and make it clear what His plans are for these struggles you are facing.