Understand that Self, who lives in us, is self-contained.  It depends on its own understanding as its only resource. This renders us susceptible to depression—a period spent in dejection and hopelessness—because of the negative, destructive beliefs that live in our own self-contained understanding.

THEN JESUS ANSWERED, ‘WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR ME’
(John 13:38).

There was a time when I suffered from depression, spending three days at a time in dejection and hopelessness.  My period of depression would be marked by sadness, inactivity, excessive sleeping, and suicidal thoughts. What’s more, I always thought depression was something that “happened” to me from the outside, until I discovered that depression always manifested after a negative, destructive thought had entered my mind and I had willfully decided to accept that thought as the truth.

HOW FOOLISH!  WHAT YOU SOW DOES NOT COME TO LIFE UNLESS IT DIES
(1 Corinthians 15:36).

 One day, the Lord Jesus asked me, “Will you lay down your understanding for Mine?  Will you deliberately lay down your self-contained Self for Me? Will you let Me exchange the negative, destructive beliefs in your mind that are causing your depression, for My Counsel?”

YOU HOLD ME BY MY RIGHT HAND. YOU WILL GUIDE ME WITH YOUR COUNSEL, AND AFTERWARD RECEIVE ME TO GLORY
(Psalm 73:23-24).

I bless you to grasp that your depression will not lift, until you are willing to let the negative, destructive thoughts that are feeding it die.  When you become willing to stop having fellowship with the dark thoughts of the father-of-lies, but instead, have these exchanged for God’s Counsel, your depression will lift from your mind and heart…and leave.

What oppressing thoughts have been causing you to spend periods of your precious time in dejection and hopelessness?

Did you know that you have a choice: to spend your time in dejection and hopelessness, or to submit these thoughts to the Lord Jesus…and live?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I am willing to lay down my life of depression for You. Show me the oppressing thoughts from the father-of-lies that are driving me to dejection and hopelessness, so I may submit them to You. Help me to understand that depression is not something that is happening to me from the outside, but a deliberate act on my side to willfully accept the oppressing beliefs from the father-of-lies as my only truth.