Depression is rising and it is rampant in our generation. It is a mood disorder characterized by extreme sadness, poor concentration, sleep problems, and a loss of appetite. It often results in feelings of guilt and hopelessness. As unfortunate as it is, it can happen to anyone, even great men in the Bible. This plan has practical steps to follow so you can beat depression.
Vladimir Savchuk
Day 1
Scriptures: 1 Kings 19:1-4, 1 Corinthians 6:19
Depression is growing and rampant in our generation. It is a mood disorder characterized by extreme sadness, poor concentration, loss of appetite, sleep problems, and hopelessness, that often results in a loss of meaning and enthusiasm for life. Anyone can experience depression, including Christians.
One of the most powerful men of God in the Old Testament was Elijah. God answered Elijah’s prayers for the rain to stop, for the dead to rise, and for fire to fall from heaven. Yet, he was not exempt from depression.
In 1 Kings Elijah obliterated 450 prophets of Baal. When Jezebel heard about this, she sent a life-threatening message to him. Elijah was afraid and fled. We read in 1 Kings 19, that Elijah goes into the wilderness, and under a broom tree prays, “I have had enough, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”
Based on chapter 19 of 1 Kings, we see will 5 intentional decisions that can help defeat depression and enjoy a life that God intended.
First, decide to live a physically disciplined life.
After Elijah pleaded with God, “he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’” (1 Kings 19:5).
Three key ingredients to begin fighting depression are healthy eating, good sleeping patterns, and regular exercise. Depression affects people’s sleep and eating habits, so they find it difficult to get out of bed or to fall asleep and as a result, they lack the energy to cook healthy meals.
Before resorting to medication for support, create a discipline of making healthy choices in your food consumption, sleep intake, and physical activity. If you make it a constant discipline of being physically healthy, you will see and feel the effects on your body, mood, and emotions.
The Bible tells us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. God designed and created your body; your body matters to God, so it should matter to you. When you take care of the temple of the Lord, you will experience the compensation of the Lord.
Choose to live a healthy lifestyle.
Today’s Prayer:
Father God, I come before You today acknowledging that there are many times when I feel hopeless, miserable, and distressed. I don’t want to continue like this. As I start by taking care of my body, help me, and strengthen me. I pray this reading plan is a guide for me to live in Your purpose and in victory in Jesus’ name, amen.
Day 2
Scriptures: Genesis 2:18, Hebrews 10:25
Humans were not created to be alone; we see this to be true when God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” in Genesis.
Choose to be part of a community.
When Elijah ran for his life, he “went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and [he] left his servant there” (1 Kings 19:3). Elijah was not alone because people did not want to be near him, but because he chose to be lonely. I do not know the reason, but God later instructed him to find Elisha.
Here are three simple strategies to embrace community.
– Start at home, prioritize your family. Be intentional about family gatherings, at least once a week. If you have to schedule it, do so in order to focus on your loved ones and spend time with them.
– Secondly, decide to join a small group, Bible study group, or a discipleship group. You need tangible Christian friends who care for you, help you, and keep you accountable.
– Lastly, plan to not skip church, but rather attend regularly, as Hebrews instructs, “let us not neglect our meeting together…”
Do not be like Elijah, who chose to be alone.
Get involved, partake in a community, and they will embrace you.
Today’s Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the blessing of family, earthly and spiritual. I ask You to place godly people in my life who will love me as your Word instructs, and may I grow in love for my neighbor and friend. I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Day 3
Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:13, James 4:8
When Elijah received word from Jezebel, he ran because he was fearful. However, he did not run to a club, to his ex, or to drugs; Elijah ran to God in an extended fast. After the angel visited him, “he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8). He escaped to extended fasting.
Fasting is abstaining from food for spiritual reasons.
Jesus said, “When you fast”, not “If you fast”, so he expects us to practice fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). The purpose of fasting is not to lose weight, but to feast on God. Fasting is giving up what I want, food for my body, for what I need, food for my spirit. If fasting is done for the right motives, it will bring spiritual rewards.
I challenge you to ask the Lord if an extended fast is something He would want you to participate in. If there is something you are trying to escape, escape to an extended fast, like Elijah, and encounter God.
Today’s Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I want to obey your Word and fast. May your Holy Spirit lead me in selecting the type and length of the fast. Give me the strength to work while fasting, I depend fully on You. I want this spiritual practice of fasting to ignite a fresh fire in me for Your presence and Your Word, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Day 4
Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Joshua 1:8
Elijah ate, drank, and fasted for forty days and forty nights. Then, he embarked on a journey to Horeb, the mountain of God, and spent the night in a cave. “And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). God spoke to Elijah, and He speaks to us today through His Word.
According to studies, in the United States, people spend an average of 2 hours and 3 minutes on social media and 4 hours watching videos each day.
If you make a commitment to read your Bible 6 minutes a day, you will finish it in 2 years; 12 minutes a day, you will finish it in 1 year; 25 minutes a day, you will finish it in 6 months; 50 minutes a day, you will finish it in 3 months; 2 hours and 29 minutes of reading the Bible a day, you will finish it in 1 month.
Diving into the Scriptures will greatly impact your life. The Bible does not contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God. The Bible is sharp, living, it is the presence of God, and it has the power to transform lives.
Statistics show that someone who soaks in the Bible four or more times a week is 228% more likely to share their faith with others, 407% more likely to memorize Scripture, 59% less likely to view pornography, and 30% less likely to struggle with loneliness. The Bible makes all the difference. If you make a rule for your life to read the Word every day for a few minutes and meditate on it, your life will never be the same.
There are a great number of resources to help you study, understand, and memorize Scripture: download a Bible Memorization app and get a study Bible, like the Spirit-Filled Bible or The Quest Bible Study. If you do not feel like reading, make yourself read. You may think you do not have time, but make time. Prioritize the Scripture daily, and like Elijah, God will come to you in the form of His Word and speak.
Today’s Prayer:
God, I know your Word is important because that is how You speak to me. Forgive me for I do not always make time to listen. Draw me into your presence, I want to be transformed by the Holy Scriptures and live out Joshua 1:8. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus that Your Holy Spirit teaches me and leads me to understand the Bible, to live it out, amen.
Day 5
Scriptures: Hebrews 10:23, Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 1:6
In 1 Kings 19:15, the LORD said to Elijah, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.”
God gave Elijah a new assignment and a renewed purpose.
Dr Karl Menninger, an American psychiatrist, said “To overcome discouragement do not focus on yourself, get involved in the lives of other people.” One of the best ways to fight burnout, stress, or depression, is to find a cause and give your life to it.
Before we end, here are 3 final thoughts. If you are someone who is not only experiencing depression but feels suicidal, listen to me, you do not have to die to end your pain.
Suicide is not a solution; it is a permanent decision to a temporary problem. As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior. Therefore, even if you are tormented by your awful mistakes, and believe you will never be forgiven, taking your life is not the answer because Jesus Christ already gave up His life for you. Only Jesus can offer you forgiveness because He died in your place to pay for your sins. All you have to do is come to Him and give Him your life.
If there is air in your lungs, there is still hope for you. Your current state is not an indication of what God wants to do in your life. Don’t end your life, yield it to God because only He has the power to change it.
Taking medicine is not a sign of little faith. If you have prayed and fasted, but depression still lingers, go see a doctor. One of the authors of the New Testament was a doctor, his name was Luke. We should be at the forefront helping sick people, not shaming them for doing needing medicine. Medicine will not heal you, but it will treat and help manage what you are going through.
Depression is not a pet to be entertained, but a pest to be exterminated. Elijah’s problem was not his health or physical body, Elijah had a force he needed to confront, Jezebel. There are actually demonic spiritual forces behind extended periods of depression and anxiety. Medicine treats your physical chemicals, but it cannot defeat demons. If you have done all the spiritual disciplines and taken medicine, but still struggle with depression, seek deliverance. You may need deliverance from the spirit of heaviness, the spirit of fear, or the stressing spirit because there are spiritual forces behind some mental disorders. Deliverance may be a necessity.
Depression can take a toll on your life, but there is help and hope. I pray that as you implement these practical tips daily, they produce a new way of living in God’s intended design and plan for you.
Today’s Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I am grateful because You have spoken to me in this reading plan. I ask that You open doors for me to work for a cause dear to my heart, to volunteer, and to serve others. I want to live with purpose and in victory in the powerful name of Jesus, amen.