In working with the oppressed, to get them freedom from depression, I have found the following biblical steps to be really successful. The gospel is a simple gospel, I wrote this so that a 12 year old could understand it, Jesus said that we need to become like a child or we will not be able to enter the kingdom.
1) Spiritual understanding.
2) Acknowledge the issues in your life.
3) The Word will change your reality.
4) Resist the oppression.
5) Fight the good fight.
6) Overcome – you will taste the sweet taste of Victory.
7) The Holy Spirit will seal your freedom.
1) SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING
In ministering to those who are bi-polar, depressed, suicidal, etc., you start with helping them to understand that their problem is more than just physical, mental or emotional. Many times, even Christians don’t understanding that these problems are caused by spiritual forces.
Colossians 1:9: ….we do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Having a spiritual understanding of the situation, brings hope of deliverance, and when they continue to develop their spiritual understanding, victory is guaranteed in the New Covenant.
This Might be hard for a new Christian to believe, but the words of Jesus are clear, and they are absolute.
“I have come that you might have abundant life” John 10:10
I have come to set the captives free” Luke 4:19
Who the Son set free is free indeed. JOHN 8: 36
“If you continue in my words, then you are my deciles, and you shall know the Truth and The Truth will set you free” John 8:32
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” Rev 12:11
Was He serious when He uttered these Words or was He just making interesting comments. When you understand from your Spirit that these words were meant for you, you will be on your way to freedom. The Truth will set you free, but you have to accept that His words are true for you personally. The world can give some help to the oppressed, but only the supernatural word of God can set a person completely free from oppression, because oppression mainly comes from the spiritual realm, and the only way to freedom from spiritual issues. Is from the supernatural word of God.
We really need to understanding that the problem with depression, suicidal thoughts, bi-polar issues is a spiritual problem? The scriptures are very clear, this is very important for you to understand. If you don’t look at this from the spiritual standpoint, we are not going to have success.
Proverbs 10:28
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness.
We need to encourage their hope, that hope is ‘gladness to the righteous’. That if they will believe what I am telling them, what the Bible says, they will have gladness, not depression, etc.
Proverbs 13:12
…..hope deferred makes the heart sick.
A lot of people are actually here…..because they have no hope.
I tell them: If you will follow these steps that I have outlined for you here, I can GUARANTEE you, that you will come out of this, Jesus Words and the New Testament is an absolute guarantee that you can be completely free from any oppression.
They say, “What do you mean, it is a guarantee ?”
The New Testament is a guarantee and Jesus is the author and finisher and the guarantee is through His finished work of the Cross. This is why Scripture guarantees you victory, the only way you are not going to have victory and not going to come out of this thing is if you give up. If you don’t give up, you persevere, you will overcome.
If the person is a Christian and they have a measure of faith, I tell them that faith is not necessary the problem, that they will develop their faith as they go along and study the Scriptures, but the problem is that they have lost their hope, and they need to get their hope back. People who have been dealing with these spiritual forces for any length of time, loose hope that they can ever be free.
I tell them: The Scriptures guarantee you victory. I have done this a number of times with different people, and I know you will come out of this if you will just hang in there and depend on the Words of Jesus and but you trust in Him, and YOU WILL COME OUT ………
Proverbs 3:5: Our understanding is part of the problem; let the power of the Word do its work.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your
own understanding.
Your understanding is part of the problem. What you think you know is messing you up. What you think you know a lot of times is the enemy twisting the scriptures on you.
Usually people tell me what is happening in their lives, and they are giving me a really good understanding of what is going on (from a natural standpoint), I will tell them: Well, that is the problem, You THINK you know what is going on, what the problem is, but you don’t.
They have been leaning to ‘their own understanding’ of their problem, which has usually come from a doctor, counselor, psychiatrists etc. and when it comes to spiritual problems these folks usually do not know much about the spiritual realm, and most of them will admit that they do not have any real understanding of the spiritual realm.
Hosea 4:6: Lack of a ‘spiritual’ understanding of the problem.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Ninety percent of Christians I deal with that have been diagnosed bi-polar, or have been dealing with depression for years, have been crying out to God for help. I give them this verse: My people perish for lack of knowledge.
I’ve got to get them to a place where they understand that the finished work of Christ has already redeemed them.
Colossians 1:13: Set free by the Finished Work of the Cross.
(God) Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.
You have already been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and put into the kingdom of God’s Son. I am going to teach you how to come to heaven with the right approach to get what you need. You are ‘suffering for lack of knowledge’ about the fact that heaven has finished the work that guarantees your deliverance.
When you realize that God’s work in your life is based on the fact Jesus has already set you free, and now what you have to do is learn how to fight, co-labor with Jesus and line up with the Finished Work, and you WILL walk in freedom!
This is one of the main areas where Christians get tripped up and I see it time and time again. This just tells me that most churches are not teaching the finished work of Christ.
We have people being taught to ask Heaven to do something that Jesus has already done for them! I tell people this is NOT the way to approach heaven, this is NOT faith, and it is impossible to please God without faith.
Heb. 11:6
Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
1 Corinthians 2:5: Depend on the supernatural, not the wisdom of man.
….your faith should not be built upon the wisdom of man, but on the power of God.
I depend on the supernatural rather than the wisdom of man. People go to doctors, psychiatrists, everywhere but to heaven, everywhere but to the Word of God.
Listen, we are going to go to Jesus, we’re not going to ask Him to do something, we are going to understand that He has already done it and through His Word showing you the truth (The Truth will set you free -John 8:32) of where you are at in Him, we are going to come against the lies that you are dealing with and the Truth will set you free.
We need to depend on the supernatural power of the Word of God to do the work in them!
Romans 1:16 …..the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation (sozo: made whole) to every one that believeth. There is supernatural power in the Word. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for in it is the power of God revealed.
The power is in the Word, the power is in the Gospel. The Gospel is that Jesus came to set the captives free. The power of the Gospel will set the person free supernaturally.
If we just minister the Word of God to a person and keep at it and they don’t quit , after some time and a number of sessions on the phone (in person -or on the web through Skype) with them, they will get set free, they will just come into it, supernaturally.
Gen: 3:4 ——–Surely Word is not true, very old strategy to put us in bondage.
Just like the devil came to Eve, and lied to her, the same strategy is used against us, the reason: it works. So will have to commit to the Truth in the Word and pull down and thoughts that are not lined up to the Word.
John 8:32: Truth sets you free. What truth? The Word of God.
You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
I ask them: What truth will set you free?
Usually, most people don’t know what to say.
I ask them: Well, what IS truth?
Even most Christians have to think about this.
I tell them: The Truth is the WORD OF GOD! That is THE Truth.
Then I ask them: What is a lie?
Most people can’t come up with the right answer for this one either, even Christians.
The answer is very simple: Anything that is opposite of the Word of God is a lie!
An example from working with a drug addict…..
When a person is a drug addict, they are told: “Once a drug addict, always a drug addict.”
People will confess this about themselves….even a Christian.
A lot of AA people also stand up and say: “I am a drug addict!”
This is a classic example of a lie. Anything that contradicts the Word of God is a lie. The Word of God is completely contrary to that.
Jesus said: “whom the Son sets free is free indeed”.
I get them to acknowledge that.
Sometimes I have a problem here and they stumble over this. If they do I just go back and go over it with them until they get it. I am even a little harsh if needed. I will tell them: If you can’t get past this, I am the wrong minister for you.
Some people are very stubborn or prideful and they can’t bow their knee to the Word of God. If they don’t BOW THEIR KNEE TO THE WORD OF GOD, they will not get into freedom, the spiritual forces trying to Steal, kill and destroy you John 10:10 (the bible call them the enemy) will not bow to anything, but the Word of God…………
I tell them: If you don’t bow your knee to the Word of God (which is real humility), then we have a problem, you will just stay in the enemy’s camp and if you want to do that, that is up to you.
If they acknowledge that anything contrary to the Word is a lie, then I can proceed. I have their own word acknowledging that reality.
We begin to confront the lies:
You say this, but the Word says this, and we are back to reinforcing the fact that whatever is contrary to the Word is a lie. When they acknowledge that what they are believing is a lie and they embrace the Truth, then they can get past the lie.
Really, what I am doing is PURE DISCIPLESHIP, because it is renewing the mind of the person and getting them to acknowledge the Truth and the Truth is what is setting them free.
This is what Jesus Himself said: “If you are my disciple indeed, you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” That stands all by itself, and this one scripture can set a person into freedom from any oppression.
Anything the Son of God says, such as this, you can take that ONE PROMISE and get a person set free just on that alone.
John 8:44: Lies will keep you in bondage.
…the devil is a liar and the father of them.
Lies will keep you in bondage.
I ask them: Who is the father of lies, (just to make sure that they know).
A lot of Christians don’t know this!
I go back over: whom the Son sets free is free indeed, and Jesus will actually SET YOU FREE.
This is where I spend a lot of time giving people hope.
I tell them: I have done this a lot, I know how this works and YOU WILL BE FREE, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, GUARANTEED! The NT is a guarantee of freedom to the captive…..
I wait for a reaction and then say: Do you hear me?
They will say: “Yes.”
I restate it again: I GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE FREE, the Word of God will set you free.
I spend quite a bit of time here getting them from hope into faith.
I tell them: I have plenty of experience at this and you show me where the Word of God is not absolute. It IS ABSOLUTE. WHOM THE SON SETS FREE IS FREE INDEED. Jesus came to set the captives free. Are you a captive? Then He came to set YOU free, do you see that? Jesus said that He had come to give you abundant life, is this true …………for you. HE SAID I HAVE COME TO SET THE CAPTIVE FREE Luke 4:19, IS THIS TRUE FOR YOU ……
Once they say, “Yes!”, the transformation is beginning and the renewing of the mind has begun, even after the first call or contact. You can sense the supernatural power of the Word of God changing them, you can sense
their hope rising. That is what you as a believer should be able to do for any person. As a person disciplining someone else, you should bring them closer to Jesus, you should show them the Word of God and what the power of the Word of God will do to and for them.
John 10:10: Relate this to yourself.
The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
John 10:10 is the dividing line of Scripture.
Matthew 13:35: He will show us things that have been kept secret from the beginning of the world.
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Jesus brought forth truth that had been hidden from our understanding since the foundation of the world and here in John 10:10, He shows the clear distinction between God and the devil. John 10:10 is a classic example of a truth that had been hidden from the foundation of the world.
I ask Christians: If Jesus came to give us abundant life, what does the devil come to do?
Most can’t answer me.
If they can’t answer that question, spiritually they don’t know what is going on. John 10:10 plainly says that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy.
After sharing John 10:10 with them, I say: Has this happened in your life?
How has this happened, the only way a defeated spiritual foe is able to build a stronghold in a Christian’s life, is through thoughts, and continues lies in a persons thoughts can produce all sorts of oppression. After a time, the lie becomes a reality for a person, and they become totally convinced that the lie is absolutely true, it is quite amazing how these lies can have so much power over a person. That is why we are supposed to pull down thoughts that do not line up with scripture.
2 Cor. 10:4: Capture and pull down thoughts and lies.
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
A lot of time could be spent here. If we read this in some other translations, we see that this is very, very simple. We just have to be careful of our thought life. We have to make sure that any thought that comes into our minds lines up with Scripture. This verse is very clear, that if we don’t, the thought can become a stronghold. Christians usually know this Scripture and can quote it to me, but for some reason they haven’t gotten hold of what it is talking about.
It is talking about any thought that we have about ourselves, bondage, fear, etc. There are lies that we can believe in these areas that are totally opposed to the Word of God and we think about them all the time and give them credibility. It is back to, ‘as a man thinks in his heart so is he’.
Thoughts can start out as lies and then they become absolute reality to us.
I’ve seen this time and time again so I go over this in quite a bit of detail. I talk to them about ‘capturing and pulling down’ those lies, and making sure their thought life, especially where it concerns the bondage they are in, is lining up with the Word of God and the Finished Work of the Cross.
So let us deal with a very relevant negative, horrible though that has become a stronghold in many peoples lives……………….Hopelessness
Hopelessness is one one the big issues that must be dealt with, and when it is overcome, it opens the door for the person to enter into freedom. It is very common to have deep feeling of hopelessness when you are dealing with these issues of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.
The world can help, but even the best psychiatrist will tell you that there is no cure for depression, and they will tell you correctly, that the medicines will not cure you either.
Only Jesus Christ can set a person free from spiritually based problems, and through His Words you can defeat these hopelessness feelings. When you have your mind transformed by the Word Romans 12:2 you can OVERCOME these feelings of hopelessness.
“I have come that you might have abundant life” John 10:10
“I have come to set the captives free” Luke 4:19
“Who the Son set free is free indeed” John 8: 36
“If you continue in my words, then you are my deciles, and you shall know the Truth and The Truth will set you free” John 8:32
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” Rev 12:11
Trust these words and the stronghold of “hopelessness” will bow it’s knee to the powerful and truthful words of our Lord and Master….Jesus is LORD.
How can hopelessness have any place in a committed Christian life, no, that should not be possible, once the Christian has spiritual understand and trusts the words of Jesus, hopelessness with be overcome and defeated, but it usually takes some time to get the mind renewed to line up with the word.
Now hopelessness is a thought that comes from “Your Understanding” which the bible says not to lean on – Proverbs 3:5. You were told by the world that there is no cure and no hope for a cure for depression etc. etc. etc. and you believed a lie.
This is a lie because it is opposite to the Words of Jesus, which we mentioned above, once you accept this truth from Jesus, this truth will start setting you free. Look at His words again and Jesus is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever Hebrews 13:8. He does not change and His Words will not change either, you can absolutely depend on His words and as soon as you accept that real truth only comes from the bible, you are on your way to freedom……………..
How do we get things from heaven, I ask this question a lot and not many Christians really understand who this works:
If I ask, how do you get saved, most people understand how this works. We accept the Words of the New Testament and believe in the finished work of Jesus, and we get saved. We know from the N.T. That Jesus died on our behalf, He bore our sin and we accept this reality and we walk in this truth.
The Holy Spirit seals this miracle when we confess with our mouth that we believe Jesus has saved us.
For some unknown reason we have a difficult time relating the same principle when it comes to deliverance or healing.
We get things from heaven when we believe in our hearts and speak with our mouths Romans 10:9. We accept what the New Testament, the finished work of Jesus, that is has already been accomplished (read again the words of Jesus, when it comes to setting the captives free) and we accept this as a reality in our lives and then we walk in that reality. Now, before you walk in the finished work of Jesus, you will most lightly have a battle on your hands, and this is where most Christians fail, you will need courage and persistence to walk in the things that were done for you.
Here is where we can learn a very important lessons, if we really want freedom and are willing to do whatever it takes and are we are really committed to getting it.
Thank you Father, I will have what your Son has paid for, my total freedom from oppression…………….and I honor the finished work of Jesus by going after my freedom, no more asking for what is already paid for, I come to you in real faith, which I know pleases you and I will resist these devils and they will flee and I will walk in freedom…………….
This will take time for the renewing (transformation) of your mind to overcome this stronghold, you will need to read and meditate on the words of Jesus, and exercise courage and perseverance (do not give up, let the words of Jesus get into your reality, and defeat all the negative thoughts that will definitely come during this first fight), and after a while you will overcome the battle with this stronghold and it will leave you. You will have resisted the enemy in this area and the hopelessness thoughts will flee, just like the Word of God said they would in James 4:7.
[schema type=”person” name=”Pastor Pat Buckley” orgname=”Haven of Refuge Ministries” description=”Free From Depression” ]