We all know what depression is. We have all experienced it at one point or the other. So, I am not about to give you a definition from a dictionary. You can easily get that and thousands of more definitions from online dictionary tools. But beyond several justifiable reasons for depression and all the psychological jargon and explanations, I want to write on its spiritual implications.
I am going to tell you one thing. Depression is a tool in the hands of the devil to wreck your life! That sounds very hard, but it is the truth. I know you have very good and sane reasons to be depressed like the loss of a dear one, the pain of being jilted, the agony of being used and abandoned, the deep wounds from past sexual abuses, the regrettable waves of sadness from a failed marriage, the trauma of physical abuse and so on and so forth.
And those are exactly the reasons that the devil presents to you which makes depression and despondency justified. Interestingly, the flesh enjoys the feelings of depression, but really depression offers no solution. Rather, it complicates the issue on ground and makes your eyes blurred the more from finding a way out.
Depression comes from the pit of hell and it is a potent weapon in the hands of the devil to stagnate you. However, one good thing is that depression cannot be forced on you as you can either yield to it or resist it.
Depression is first of all oppression, then it graduates into obsession and finally, it could get to a point of possession if you don’t have Jesus Christ in your life. It comes stealthily, almost looking healthy and natural, but before you know it, it will overwhelm you and attempt to control and give direction to your life.
The devil will attempt to attack everybody with depression, but you don’t have to cooperate with his antics. If as a single, you have had some failed relationships, it is not uncommon for the devil to try and attack your mind with depressive swings, telling you something is wrong with you! If you embrace those thoughts, you are simply giving him a foothold to operate in your thought realm.
Why is depression so dangerous? It steals your joy. And that is supposed to be your strength. It stops your prayer life. And that is supposed to be where you get help. It stifles you by making it impossible to read and study God’s word. And that is where life is supposed to flow from. It isolates you from good people. And that is one way wisdom is supposed to come.
What is the way out?
Join me tomorrow as I conclude on this topic.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have the joy of the Lord always
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY I break the hold of depression over my life in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Pro 12:25 KJV Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Take a promise of God’s word and meditate on it.
2. He does not want you to place your work/career before your family.
You should never make that mistake. Your family comes first and the wife is really the homemaker. If you do not put priority on your home, you make your husband vulnerable and make the children grow in a defective way.
While it is good to pursue your career, your family must come first. Too many women have pursued their career at the expense of losing their husbands and children. The key here is balance.
3. He does not want you to live a life of depression and unhappiness.
God wants you to be a happy wife! He wants you to create an atmosphere of joy in the home and not that of gloominess and despondency. A woman can literally change the mood in the house! That is how powerful women are.
Take it easy. Be humorous. Learn to relax and don’t be too closed up in your own worldview.
A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. (Pro 15:13 MSG)
4. He does not want you to get involved with adulterous relationships.
Don’t try to revenge on your husband’s attitude by developing affairs with colleagues and friends. It may make your flesh feel good in revenge, but in the real sense of it, it will bring untold anguish and heartache. Your life will slip down to that of deception, lies, and other false intrigues.
The conscience can become seared until one sees nothing wrong in having adulterous flings just to feel good and ‘enjoy life”. Don’t cheat on your husband, the consequences are debilitating and crushing. Adultery is a stolen pleasure and the spiritual implications are not good for anybody.
Stolen bread tastes sweet, but soon your mouth is full of gravel. (Pro 20:17 MSG)
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY God is my strength. He will guide me in the right path.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Lord, I ask that you open my eyes of understanding in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Eph 5:33 KJV Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Take an inventory of your life in the light of God’s principles
That is respect for individuals. People are like ladders. Does he treat people well? How about his mum, sisters, father, colleagues, etc. Is she courteous? Is she respectful? Does she disdain folks with a passion?
6. The Test of Excellence
That is wisdom. Is he hungry for wisdom or does he thinks he knows it all? A friend who isolates himself will crash. He or she cannot be corrected. There are no authority figures that can speak to him or her.
Let me tell you something here. The moment you look at a person and there is nobody you can report him to, there are no regards for parents or pastors, he is just an island by himself, you need to reconsider such friendships.
It is a trap of the devil and such tendencies are symptomatic of an unhealthy outlook to life.
7. The Test of God’s Fear
He must love God. She must be a God lover. Does he value God and His word? Does she revere God? This is the ultimate acid test. If he doesn’t love God, he cannot love you!
If he treats the things of God shabbily, he will end up treating you the same way. Let him or her be a person that fears God!
It is not enough to say one is born again these days, because the term has been grossly misapplied. It is not even enough to say one is a pastor or a choir leader or administrator in church; the question is does he or she fear God?
It was the fear of God that made Joseph run away from adultery. It was lack of God’s fear that made Samson with all his anointing to get into sexual sins repeatedly until he brought himself down. God gave him a long rope because the scripture says he judged Israel for twenty years.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have the Spirit of wisdom to discern and choose that which is good for my destiny.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Holy Spirit, fill me afresh with your wisdom in the affairs of my relationship.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Pro 21:5 MSG Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Commit your ways unto the Lord
Is he or she focused? Where is his passion? A visionless man is so easy to identify. His speech will betray him because the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart. Once you know a particular friendship is getting deepened, ask a lot of questions when you can still reason well before emotions take over.
The world is full of people who will readily compromise and who lack focus. You haven’t been together for long and he or she is already asking for sex? That is gross irresponsibility. Run from such people, they are not your friends!
Jesus said; “What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives!” -Luke 9:41a (MSG)
You ask him what his job is, and he says “He is planning to travel out of the country.”
“Since when?”
“Well, for like three years now.”
Is that a job? Why must a young person stop his or her life because of plans to travel?
4. The Test of Sincerity.
That is openness. Is he sincere about his faults, weaknesses, feelings? Is she willing to talk about them or does she pretend?
It is dangerous to walk with someone who lives in a delusion of grandeur. Some of the most dangerous sets of people are those who are self-deceptive. They can abort twenty times and simply use some scriptures to cover up. If it was done in ignorance, that is another thing, because God cleanses you and you can start your life all over again when you genuinely repent.
But I am talking of those who have successfully combined this sinful lifestyle with serving God alongside. I don’t care if he is a pastor or she is a minstrel, if he or she uses scriptures to justify a habitual sin that even an unbeliever will often refrain from, you should run from such people and not be joined in their unrepentant sinful adventures.
An insincere guy will lure you into sexual sin and then turn around to say you seduced him. What are you doing with such people? An insincere lady will offer her body to get some money and then turn back to say you forced her. That is nothing short of wickedness. Those are not friends! He says he is a pastor and he slides his hands into your blouse each time you visit his office.
I don’t care how much ‘anointing’ you think he has, he is a charlatan! What counseling are you looking for with such people, run for your life because there are counsels that can cancel destinies.
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have the Spirit of wisdom to discern and choose that which is good for my destiny.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Holy Spirit, fill me afresh with your wisdom in the affairs of my relationship.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind. – Proverbs 21:5 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Commit your ways unto the Lord
I know that there are no perfect persons and we are all projects in the hands of God, however, there are basic traits to watch out for generally. While you may not be able to find a person that successfully combines all these, the qualities should guide you in your decision. If a person does not have character defects and does not live in habitual sin, some of these qualities can be improved upon by asking God for His grace.
1. The Test Of Integrity.
Test him for faithfulness and integrity in little and big things. Make sure she has integrity and her words and actions line up. Integrity is very important because that is what will eventually preserve you.
The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. -Proverbs 11:3 (KJV)
God loves integrity. In Job 2:3, God boasted about Job and he mentioned his integrity. Integrity in that verse means ‘innocence.’
The potential guy or the lady must have integrity as well. It is a great legacy to pass to the children. Integrity is from the word ‘Integral” meaning one. You are supposed to be the same person within and without.
Don’t marry a gentle saint on Sundays but a vicious man on Mondays. Be careful of dual personalities who seem to give their lives to Jesus one moment and then take the life back the next moment. How will you know all these? These are the things you will find out when you are friends.
That is why pre-marital sex should be avoided because it will get you confused and distracted. You see, the moment you are illegally bonded together in pre-marital sex, the obvious character defects that others can see will mean nothing to you.
They will ask you questions like, “What are you doing with that kind of person?” And you will be like; ‘leave me alone, I love him, he will change!’
You see, you have not even changed yourself! You are not the Holy Spirit who changes people! What the scripture says is that you should not be unequally yoked!
Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? -2Corintians 6:14-15 (MSG)
2. The Test Of Diligence.
You cannot afford to marry a lazy man or an indolent woman. It will slow your journey down. Diligence is measured with so many indices like tenacity, business acumen, career pursuit, doggedness, and so on. You may not have so much today, but with diligence in a potential spouse, you can be sure you will be great in life.
Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. -Proverbs 22:29 (AMP)
You cannot afford to commit your life to the hands of a lazy person. That is subjecting your life to unnecessary afflictions that could have been avoided.
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have the Spirit of wisdom to discern and choose that which is good for my destiny.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Holy Spirit, fill me afresh with your wisdom in the affairs of my relationship.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry put you further behind. – Proverbs 21:5 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Commit your ways unto the Lord
