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OVERCOMING DEPRESSION!
#51
DAY 25

Victims or volunteers'

He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”’
John 5:6 NIV



JESUS ONCE ASKED a man who’d been ill for 38 years, ‘Do you want to get well?’ (John 5:6 NIV). That’s because not everybody does. Some folks would rather have sympathy than solutions, because solutions mean taking responsibility, being willing to change and committing yourself to work on it. The worst thing you could have done for the Prodigal Son was bring him a meal and make him more comfortable in his pigsty. He knows the way home. Just give him a push in that direction. That’s showing love – tough love! Take another look at the people in your life today. How do they make you feel? Do you respect them? Share their values? By deciding not to have a relationship with somebody, you’re not judging them or putting them down, you’re just deciding to use your life – the only life you’ve got – for better purposes. Face it: some people are truly victims, others are just losers. This second group is like a car battery with a bad cell; no matter how much you pour into them, you can’t mend them, use them, or jump-start them. If somebody was draining off your bank account, you’d stop them in a heartbeat, wouldn’t you? Sympathy wouldn’t even be a consideration. Well, unhealthy relationships rob you of something even more valuable than your money – your time. Listen: ‘Live purposefully... Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity]‘ (Ephesians 5:15-16 AMP). Ask God to show you who really belongs in your life, then start making some changes!

Prayer Point - Is it forever?
Father God, Your Word promises that life with You is a journey towards ever greater joy and fulfilment, yet sometimes I feel like I’m on a spiral downwards into ever greater darkness. Please break the power of despair in my life, and help me to believe that there is hope and a future for me. Shine Your light into my darkness and give me faith for better days to come!
 
#52
DAY 26
Don't Live With Regret'

"Godly sorrow brings repentance… and leaves no regret...’ 2Corinthians 7:10 NIV

THERE’S THE KIND of regret that leads to despair because you don’t think God’s grace is sufficient to cover your sins. Then there’s ‘sadness…used by God [which] brings a change of heart…and… no regret’ (GNT). This kind draws you closer and makes you more dependent on Him. You become ‘more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent…more passionate, more responsible… [and] come out…with purity of heart’ (2Corinthians 7:11 TM). Jon Walker writes: ‘As the economy closed in I began to regret not buying a less expensive home. If only we’d bought a cheaper house. If only we’d rented. If only we’d stayed in our first house. I can ‘If only’ myself into depression and stagnation where I’m stuck between regret and forward motion. When my focus is not on the One who provides…I let regret become bigger than God… and following that logic, I believe past choices, an event, a tragedy, a compromise, a mistake—is more powerful than the God who spoke the world into existence…We live in ‘if only/what if’ moments more than we realise. They wrap us in a sense of hopeless paralysis: we fear the bad choices we made [and] the choices we face. God pours His grace into the present…our walk is one where we make a decision and stick with it, trusting that even if we make mistakes, God’s big enough to turn them around. When regret becomes ungodly sorrow versus godly sorrow, you find yourself submerged in self-pity instead of looking to Him to work things out for the good of ‘those…he has called according to his purpose’’ (Romans 8:28).
 
#53
DAY 27
The Triple-A Formula

‘If there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.’ Philippians 4:8 ESV

DWELLING on what goes right in life is a great way to maintain a sense of gratitude. When an accident left Will Mitchell with disfiguring burns, he decided to focus on life, not his injuries. He embarked on a successful business career, and although he’d lost his fingers, he completed his training to fly a plane solo. Later while flying from Colorado to California, ice on the wings of his plane caused him to crash leaving him paralysed from the waist down, Mitchell became depressed about being confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Then in rehab, a friend called to cheer him up and gave him the same advice he’d given her earlier – it doesn’t matter what happens to you, what matters is what you decide to do about it! The Bible says, ‘If there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things’. You can choose to dwell on the problem or dwell on the possibilities. Mitchell did the latter by adopting the triple-A formula. a) Adapt to what has happened b) Appreciate what you can learn from it c) Accept the opportunities it presents. Since then, Will Mitchell has held public office, found love, and given motivational talks on radio and TV. He says, ‘Before I was paralysed, there were 10,000 things I could do; now there are 9,000. Should I focus on the 1,000 things I can’t do, or concentrate on the 9,000 ways in which life’s still good?’ Rejoice, there’s purpose within your problem, and even greater purpose beyond it!

Prayer Point - Joy in the little things
Jesus, man of miracles, You provided wine for a wedding, You changed the weather and You multiplied a picnic. Thank You that You used everyday things to bring people joy. I may not yet be healed of depression, but I choose today to enjoy the everyday miracles: the bursts of sunshine, the pleasure of good food, the encouraging word just when I need it. Help me notice the good things today
.
 
#54
DAY 28
The way up when life gets you down
‘Elijah was as completely human as we are’ James 5:17 TLB


THERE ARE TIMES in life when we all feel down. But God’s Word shows us the way to get back up. Look at Elijah, who ‘was just like us.’ How come he got so far down? 1) It happened on the heels of a great victory. He didn’t start out in the doldrums, and he didn’t fall into sin. No, he’d just called down fire from heaven and slain 450 false prophets (1 Kings 18:22-39). But that’s hard work! So he went from exhilaration to exhaustion. Weary, defences down and vulnerability up, he fell into a natural depression because fatigue strips us of our courage. 2) Fear caused him to lose perspective. The man of God who’d just faced down an evil multitude, ended up running from one woman, Jezebel (1 Kings 19). Fear made him forget God’s power; it skewed his perspective and left him feeling suicidal. Exhaustion coupled with fear is a dangerous combination. It invites hopeless, wrong thinking, and creates the illusion that your options are gone. 3) He became isolated. Elijah left his servant at Beersheba and journeyed into the wilderness alone (1 Kings 19:3-4). When you most need support, anxiety, a sense of inadequacy and fear of failure, will push you into isolation. At that point you’re in the worst possible company – your own. Elijah thought, ‘I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me’ (1 Kings 19:10, 14 NIV). Translated: ‘It’s bad and I can’t see it getting better!’ When you’re down, it isn’t the time to isolate. That’s when you need to reach for God and the people who love you, who can help you back up!
 
#55
THE END!!!