Depression is real, and if you are fighting it you are not alone. Depression seems to have been the bane of many of life’s great leaders. In the Bible, Moses, Elijah, David, and Job all had to deal with it. In the secular world, Sir Winston Churchill used to call depression his ‘black dog’, and Ernest Hemingway referred to it as ‘the artist’s reward’.
President Abraham Lincoln battled depression and suicide all his adult life. There were times when for his own safety Lincoln would not allow himself to carry a knife, for fear that he would hurt himself, or worse. Read about Lincoln turning to the Bible to relieve his depression. Let the Scriptures help you just like they have helped so many of us. Sometimes depression can be a purely spiritual thing, read this – Depression Is a Spirit – It Must Be Fought with the Word of God.
Depression is the physical and emotional result of hopelessness – the ‘feeling‘ of hopelessness. We live in a world devoid of hope, and depression is the emotional product of that reality. The only thing that will actually change one’s life sufficiently as to destroy the cause, mechanics, and effects of depression is God’s hope and His word of hope. The answer is to get God’s hope back inside of you.
Hope will let you again see the ‘future positive possibility’ of your life. Without seeing it you will have no motivation or strength. The good Word of God, and the good word of others to you, can change the outlook and condition of your heart. Fight for God’s outlook with all you have. Fight it with the Word of God. (Also, confess the scriptures on Hopelessness.) Anyone who is among the living has hope.
God’s hope encourages, motivates, and keeps you on the road to faith, peace, and victory. And if you suffer from deep ongoing depression, get help. And please read this – Helping Others Is God’s Prescription for Depression. Send me a comment, we love you and we want to help you. You are important and you have value. You are not alone. With God’s help, you will climb out of this hole.
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down (depression), but a good word cheers it up. Proverbs 12:25 Holman Christian Standard Bible
These scriptures on depression will give you hope and will build your faith. Confess and meditate on them to win the fight against depression. The key is not losing Hope. Allow the hope of God to seep back into you. Remember, there is a real Person (God) behind each and every one of these promises. He promised them to you for a reason – to help you.
Deuteronomy 31:8 – The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 33:27 – The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
2 Samuel 22:17-22 – He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters; (18) He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. (19) They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay. (20) He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me. (21) The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. (22) For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
2 Samuel 22:29 – You are my lamp O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.
Ecclesiastes 9:4 – Anyone who is among the living has hope.
Psalms 9:9 – The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 27:14 – Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 31:22,24 – You heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help… Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Psalm 34:18, 19 – The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (19) A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
Psalm 37:23-24 – If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Psalm 43:5 – Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.
Psalm 55:22 – Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 62:5 – Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 126:5 – Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
Psalm 143:7-8 – Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I’ll lift up my soul.
Psalm 147:3 – He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 145:14 – The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
Proverbs 12:25 – Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down (depression), but a good word cheers it up.
Isaiah 26:3-4, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusts in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength. (Perfect means complete. If I keep my part of the promise by staying steadfastly focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, He will keep His promise to give me His perfect peace. See also Philippians 4:6-7 below)
Isaiah 35:10 – And the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away
Isaiah 40:31, But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 53:4 – Surely he took up our sicknesses and carried our sorrows.
Mark 9:23 – Everything is possible for him who believes.
Romans 4:18-22 – Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall they seed be. (19) And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: (20) He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. (21) And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able to perform. (22) And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
II Corinthians 7:6-7 – Nevertheless, God, that comforts, those that are depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; (7) And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
Philippians 4:6-7 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
James 4:8 – Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:10 – Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
2 Peter 2:9 – The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials.
1 Peter 4:12 – Dear Friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
1 Peter 4:13 – But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed
1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Read how Lincoln Turned to the Bible to Manage His Depression and other articles: Scriptures Against Hopelessness – Scriptures Against Worry – New Testament Scriptures on Faith & Believing – Do God’s Promises Cover What You Want?
Comments
I have a friend that is also having some troubles, she is going to read the Bible w/ me which is good. I’m am sooo thankgul for all of you here. I can nvr say thank you enough
ColdandWarm, I am so glad you are feeling better. Rex is always able to get to the root of our problems and lead us to healing scripture. He is absolutely the one who can help you with the bible. It probably is not available to you but a friend gave me the Life Application Study Bible and the commentary explains the verses so I can understand their meaning. It is expensive but I’m sure there are less costly similar bibles available.
Rex is also right on target about not always voicing your fears because the more you do, the more you are dwelling on them, and the worse you feel. I’ve also found that trying to help others leaves less time for me to worry about things. And I’ve got to tell you that you mean so much to me, you’ve had so much courage to voice your fears and welcome us in to try to help. You are a blessing from God.
Kay – Thanks, you are the bomb. Rex
I just read “How faith comes” by Derek Prince, and I was very surprised. I thought I would take nothing or very little from it, but I found that it brought many realizations to me. I liked the idea of reading the Bible and highlighting (or underlining) the passages that relate to things going on in life. I think I may start doing that. May I ask for permission to ask you if I have questions on a scripture, and/or don’t understand the meaning since I don’t have many others to ask?
Faithmechanic and Kay, thank you….it’s just hard to believe all of these things you say… I try to believe them… I really do… but I can’t… I do like your answer on my question do why does God not step in?. I try very hard to use my experiences, and His word to help others, but what I find difficult is that since I am not as strong in my faith as I would like to be, it is a little difficult to spread that to others. Where can I find the articles written by Derek Prince? And I guess I just find it a little hard to turn to faith. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I don’t feel like I have very much guidance to show me
ColdandWarm, do you know what you are doing? You are not afraid of bad things, you fear that something bad will happen! I think it was Churchill who said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. Fear can hit us through the smallest crack in our soul, Satan loves to taunt us so we must always be on guard. Remember the 23rd Psalm, it says, ” yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me….”. God knows that we will face many fearful times in our life but He is walking with us, so give it to God and stop being afraid. No one knows what the future will bring but we face it with strength and faith because we are protected, and living in constant fear robs us of any joy of the moment, it ruins our future. And you have a wonderful future to look forward to so don’t waste a minute of it in fear!
Yes, these reactions are an aspect of PTSD. It makes one think that the bad thing can happen again ‘at any moment.’ Their soul protection has been stripped away by the previous trauma. We are learning this in dealing with it. The word will rebuild the sense of protection and it will rebuild the comfort of hope in good outcomes, instead of the current ‘faith’ in bad outcomes. It does take effort though, but when applied the word of God can do it. That is what it is made for.
Step one, is to not give continual voice to these fears. It is difficult, but they will diminish over time. Faith has a voice, and evil has a voice. We must choose faith and speak it out, even when we do not feel like it. Like a seed it will grow. And we will be happy it did.
If God loves us why does He let all of this happen? My friends shouldn’t be suffering this much to where they want to end their lives. Why doesn’t He step in?…
ColdandWarm – This and the comment below are fear and hurt speaking. Do your best not to let them speak through you. Do not give them a voice. Faith is NOT denial but it is looking to and giving voice to the answer, not the problem. I do not know why there is evil in this world, there just is. I do know that we must fight it with everything we have. And I do not know why there is so much destruction in the people around you. There must be an open door somewhere for this to happen. You must find it in God and respond in God. Do not despair.
You ask, “Why doesn’t He step in?” Well, I think He is and will – through YOU. Get yourself healthy in God and go after the hurt and destruction in those around you. You be the answer! This is the message and task for all those who believe in the power of God – unleashed through faith in God. Go for it and do not let your ‘feelings’ derail you. Do not obey them, they are not dependable. We sure love you. Read the articles on our site by Derek Prince. They are wonderful. They speak to this. Rex
*sighs* I don’t feel like I’m on the right road… Why can’t one thing go right without something else going wrong? I just don’t understand… I am getting terrified of living another day because of the fear that something else bad will happen.
My friend tried to kill himself in class…everyone has moved on…but I can’t…it brings back so many memories of my friend who ended her life a couple years back, and I’m having dreams about loved ones dying again… I want to be done with life it seems like one thing goes right but ten things go wrong
No, you are on the right road. Don’t stop now and don’t go back. Yes, you will see some hard things but don’t stop. You are definitely on the road to a better, much better, place. We love you. God loves you. You love you. People need you.
The darkness talking to you is just the old hope blindness talking again. Don’t listen to it. Some memories do that, especially really hard ones. I speak peace and love and comfort and protection to you in Jesus Name. I speak healing to your soul. It has suffered a lot and it must be a little sore. We speak healing to it in Jesus Name. Go to bed and talk to Jesus for a while. Talk to Him like He was a favorite close friend.
There is much suffering in the world, much pain. I can’t begin to understand it all but I know that you have a calling in this life. Don’t cut the calling short by cutting the life short. A perspective is developing in you that will enable you to help others. It is a gift. People need you. Rex
Okay thank you Rex!! That was what I was looking for
Haha no, my question is that if a 12 year old used to belive in God then she doesn’t and she passes away, would she be saved or not?
ColdandWarm, I am sure she is saved by God’s grace, but this is a question for Rex!
I cannot say for sure because we do not know what goes on in the heart of a person, but just short of that – yes, she is in Heaven. The requirement to lose one’s faith and become ‘unsaved’ is very high. Very few believers reach that level of accountability where their choice is knowledgeable enough for God to accept it as a sufficient rejection of Him. Short term lapses from a believing lifestyle is not sufficient in my view, especially for such a young person, so close to the age of accountability. Hebrews Chapter 6 lists the criteria for losing one’s salvation and one is, to have experienced the ‘heavenly powers to come,’ that is, walking in the Gifts of the Spirit and in the power of God. I assume she was not doing that.
She is in Heaven. She will have lost much of her eternal reward in Heaven but she made it in, as the Bible says, ‘as if by fire,’ because her poor quality works are burned up. There are levels of blessing and responsibility in Heaven, based on our obedience here on earth. She may not fare well in that regard but she will be in Heaven, and that is the biggy.
In short, some people believe that you cannot lose your salvation. I believe that you can but you have to really know what you are doing and her maturity, I believe, would not rise to that level. We should never push that boundary and risk our salvation but losing your way for a while is not in my opinion a mortal sin. Sometimes the outward appearance of not believing is caused by unseen internal pain. God does understand these things. And I think sometimes, through God’s grace, people can die early, before they can get to the place where they can lose their salvation.
Guys, I have a question
Is this like King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, and we have to learn the question by revelation?
So this person, who literally saved me, like I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her, I call her Momiji, and she heard I was in the hospital, so she flew all the from Japan to Colorado to see me today
I cried more than I ever have in my life when I saw her, last time I saw her was for a day last summer, but other than that I haven’t seen her for four years, and today she came and just sat with me and taught me again like she used to and she just talked me through everything and I got to lay my head on her lap just like I used to… 
I could not be happier
Wow, incredible. That is what love is.
ColdandWarm, we share your joy.
My puppy fractured her leg, I had to use violin money to pay for it, but I’d rather her be okay, then me have violin stuff…. :/
ColdandWarm, I’m sorry to hear about your puppy, but so glad to hear how well you take care of her!
xD you bet lol
Amen!
I am okay!
I have to stay at the hospital for a day or two so they can keep an eye on me, but it went well. 
We knew it would. Rest up and watch too much TV.
ColdandWarm, I am praying my special prayer for the faithful: God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ – according to Your Word – I’m asking you to deliver her from the spirit of pain and heaviness in Jesus Name. Amen
Okay. I will, thank you Rex!!!!!!!!!!
I get put under at 11:10 >.< I'm not ready….
ColdandWarm – You will be. God is there. Tell your mind to settle down and rest in Him. Try to limit your talking about how bad it is. It hurts your peace and faith. I speak peace all over you in Jesus Name. You of course cannot see Jesus but He is there. Be aware of that fact. We love you. Rex
I liked that verse, thank you Rex
Okay…thank you Kay and Rex…I will read that Rex… Hopefully my nerves will calm down, it is not helping with my pain >.<
ColdandWarm, I just read about your surgery. You will be in our thoughts and in God’s hands so you know it will all be well. Blessings to you.
Thank you…I am beyond nervous though… there’s always the fear of what if it goes wrong… ughhh …I’m so nervous >.<
Sure, I get it. It is natural. Try getting quiet and thinking about God’s goodness. I love Philippians 4:6, 7 – Basically, turn it over to Him, pray, and get quiet, and then ‘and the peace of God, which surpasses every understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts by Christ Jesus.’ A peace that surpasses or covers over your understanding of the risks and negative possibilities.
Faith and peace are not denial. The knowledge of the issue is still there. It is like laying a thick mattress on top of a pile of sharp objects. You know they are still down there but you can lay on it and still sleep safely.
Faith is not denying the world, it is looking straight at the world and knowing that something new and different is going to happen. The more the ‘knowing’ the more the peace. We love you. Rex
Please pray for me. I have surgery on my lungs tomorrow… thank you guys!
What?! You will be fine. We will pray for you. You will be calm, peaceful, your doctor will be perfect, and whatever you need you will have in Jesus Name. Total success. We all love you and are praying for you. Rex