“It’s hopeless! Nothing will change and I just feel so discouraged.” Depression has a voice that comes from our thoughts. The voice of depression is hopeless, anxious and negative—all counter to the Word of God.

When you listen to the voice of depression, you give the enemy a stronghold, an area of your life in which to defeat you. So we fight those negative thoughts, behave positively and renew our mind through the promises of God. Here is how to do this:

• Acknowledge the depression (Proverbs 12:25)
• Trust in God to help you (Ps. 46:1)
• Praise Him despite the circumstances (Ps 34:1)
• Speak hope to into the situation (Ps. 39:7)
• Renew your negative thoughts through the positive Word of God   (Phil. 4:8)
• Take steps to correct your behavior. Take care of your body and get active. Make yourself do Don’t wait to feel better. Act your way into feeling better.
• Address the causes of the depression that deal with your thinking and relationships -e.g., deal with anger, settle family conflicts, resolve inappropriate guilt, forgive those who hurt you, etc.

Nothing is hopeless or impossible with God. Be encouraged. God’s Word gives us several examples of people struggling in the depths of despair -Moses, Job, Peter, the Israelites, Naomi, the prophet Jeremiah, David and even Elijah when he fled to the hills to escape Jezebel.

The most powerful example is Jesus: The night He grieved in the garden over His impending death, “…He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed” (Matt. 26:37). Jesus, confronted with despair and all alone, responded by praying even more earnestly. He submitted to the will of the Father. As He was nailed to the cross, He thought of others. Facing death He was concerned that we be forgiven, that His mother was cared for, that the thief next to Him enter glory. What a model for us: Confront our darkest times, submit to the will of the Father, turn our attention to the needs of others, and praise God for the victory of the cross.