Satan wants you to accept depression as if there is nothing you can do about it. He wants
you to be depressed and stay depressed, so that you will be unable to fulfill God’s
purpose and plan for your life.
To successfully overcome depression, you must learn to stop it the moment it attacks
your mind. You must recognize that the thoughts which you allow to remain in your heart
and mind are what causes your depression–not your negative circumstances. None of the
circumstances you are facing or ever will face can cause you to be depressed. It is your
response to your problems that determines whether or not you will be depressed. You do
not have to ever be depressed again! God’s Word has promised:
No temptation (trial) has seized you except what is common to man. And God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted (tried) beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted (tried), he will also provide a way out so that you can stand
up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)
This is God’s guarantee against depression. God will not allow any circumstances, trial,
temptation or attack of the enemy to come into your life that you are unable to bear. In
every circumstance you face, He will make a way of escape that will bring you out
victoriously.
The Apostle Paul had every reason to be discouraged, defeated, and depressed. Think
about the circumstances he faced. He was rejected, beaten several times, stoned,
shipwrecked, and imprisoned. Yet, he was not depressed. He despaired of life at one
point, but he did not become what we call “clinically depressed.” Paul declared:
We are troubled on every side – yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in
despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…
(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
In the prison cell where Paul and Silas were incarcerated for preaching the Gospel, Paul
had every reason to be depressed (Acts 16). His back was bruised and bleeding and he
was bound by chains. He was no doubt hungry and physically exhausted. He had been
unjustly imprisoned. But, he was not depressed. He was not fearful, worried, angry, or
filled with self-pity concerning his circumstances. Instead of griping, complaining, and
feeling sorry for themselves, Paul and Silas sang praises to God and–in so doing–won
the victory over depression. As they praised and worshiped God, He supernaturally
intervened in their circumstances and delivered them. Through praise and worship, they
found the way of escape. There is no temptation you are experiencing but what is
common to man. God is faithful to His guarantee that your circumstances will never be
more than you can bear. There is always a way of escape