BIBLICAL THERAPY
Therefore, treat depression by thanking God like Jeremiah for His faithfulness to you. Thank Him because if it weren't for Him, your enemies and problems would have consumed you or destroyed utterly by killing you. Thank Him for the fact that you are still breathing because that means you can still make a comeback like David and the other depressed people in the Bible did.
In addition, write down all the positively lovely Bible scriptures that contradict the persistently recurrent negative thoughts in your mind and meditate on them as this scriptural self help for depression will ensure sustained mental health.
Christian Depression Stress ManagementCount your blessings
When Paul was in a depressing situation because he was troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted and cast down we can see that he counted his blessings for he said,
“Though we are troubled on every side, we are not distressed.
Though we are perplexed, we are not in despair.
Though we are persecuted, we are not forgotten.
Though we are cast down, we are not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
These blessings that he counted were:
1. he was not distressed (even though he was troubled on every side)
2. he was not desperate (even though he was perplexed)
3. he was not forgotten (even though he was persecuted)
4. he was not destroyed (even though he was cast down)
Therefore, learn to sift through your problems and pick all the blessings that may mixed with the hassles. Pick up each blessing however tiny it may be and raise it up to God as you praise Him and thank Him for it in prayer.
Do this each day and develop not just an attitude of gratitude but a habit of gratitude and this habit will be the life jacket that will prevent you from drowning in the despair of depression.
Therefore, count your blessings and see what God has done as it is a very effective way of dealing with depression.
Learn from Paul and realize that if he had just counted his problems and said:
1. I am troubled on every side
2. I am perplexed
3. I am persecuted
4. I am cast down
these statements and their accompanying thoughts could have depressed his feelings.
But, by attaching blessings to his hassles, and saying,
“Though I am troubled on every side, I am not distressed.
Though I am perplexed, I am not in despair.
Though I am persecuted, I am not forgotten.
Though I am cast down, I am not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
he took the edge off the negativity and the resultant statement and accompanying thoughts were less depressing.
Therefore, learn to look for blessings in the midst of depressing situations and thank God for them however minute they may be. If you can’t find any positives, thank Him that the negatives are not worse than they already are.
If you can’t think of any positive thing in your present situation to thank Him for, thank God for all the good things that He has done for you in the past.
We can see that when Jeremiah was depressed, he lamented that his soul had sunk within him. (Lamentations 3:20) We can also see that he un-sunk his soul from the pit of depression by reminding himself of God’s goodness for he said, “What I remind myself so that I can have hope is that ‘Through God’s mercies we are not consumed by our enemies for He is faithful and He renews His compassion towards us every morning.’” (Lamentations 4:21-23)
A simple prayer that you can pray as part of your treatment for depression in order to maximize your blessings and minimize your depressing problems and thereby modify your mood is:
“Heavenly Father,
I thank you that even though I have many problems, I am not devastated.
I thank you that even though I have many problems, I am not devastated.
I thank you that even though I have many enemies, I am not destroyed.
I thank you that even though I am unemployed, I am not destitute.
I thank you that even though I am depressed, I am not deranged.
I thank you that even though I am distressed, I am not diseased.
I thank you that even though I am diseased, I am not dead.”
PSYCHOTHERAPY
Think Positive
Since thoughts contribute to how you feel and who you become, if you consistently think depressing thoughts, you will begin to feel depressed and you may even become depressed for a person becomes what they think. (Proverbs 23:7)
Therefore, for mental health, constantly monitor your thoughts and replace all negative ones with positive thoughts that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous and praiseworthy (Philippians 4: 8) and you will begin to feel better as you become more truthful, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous and praiseworthy instead of just depressed.
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| Thank you God for the half full glass because it could have been fully empty. |
ACTIVITIES FOR DEPRESSION INTERVENTION
1. Develop a habit of gratitude for spiritual depression intervention by thanking God each day for at least 3 things as thankful praise is spiritual depression medicine for we are to Put on the garment of praise to counter the spirit of heaviness aka depression. (Isaiah 61:3)
2. Develop a habit of thinking positively for mental depression intervention by converting every negative thought into a positive one by:
a) looking for the positive within the negative
b) thanking God for the positive within the negative for we are to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
c) nullifying the effect of the negatives in your life by confessing positive Scriptures.
For example if the negative thought “I have many enemies on every side” enters your mind, (even if it is true) turn it into a positive one by saying (even if not audibly), “Heavenly Father, I thank you that even though I have many enemies on every side, I am not murdered and No weapon formed against me by these enemies shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)
If the negative thought, “I am unemployed” enters your mind, (even if it is true) turn it into a positive one by saying, “Heavenly Father, I thank you that even though I am unemployed and have bills coming in from all directions, I am not bankrupt and My God shall supply all my needs through His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
If the negative thought, “I am sick” enters your mind, (even if it is true) turn it into a positive one by saying, “Heavenly Father, I thank you that even though I am sick, I am not dead and By Jesus'stripes I am healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
If the negative thought, “I have depression” enters your mind, (even if it is true) turn it into a positive one by saying, “Heavenly Father, I thank you that even though I am depressed, I am not mad and You shall turn my mourning into joy. (Psalm 30:11)
3. Click here for Lesson 12
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