21 Days To Beat DepressionSample

Philippians was written by Paul in a Roman prison cell. Certainly a man in the cesspool of life is entitled to write a letter of complaint to the management! Surely a man who has been beaten for preaching the Gospel gets to tell his side of the story!

Instead, in this letter to the church at Phillipi, Paul uses the words “joy” or “rejoicing” no less than 14 times! One thing that we can learn from the life of Paul, is that our circumstances do not need to be perfect in order for our lives to be a demonstration of the joy of heaven!

“Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say rejoice!” This is strategic advice written by a man in the bowels of a Roman prison cell. The message of Paul is as determined today as it was 2,000 years ago: Your inner attitudes do not have to reflect your outward circumstances!

There will always be situations in life that will cause you to be unhappy or unproductive or emotionally weak. But there should never be any event that causes you to stop rejoicing!

Your joy is a result of a vertical point of view as you are looking straight up into the face of God Himself! But if you can choose to look up into the face of the Father, you will be captivated by His love... His peace... and His goodness!

Practical Application:

1- Participate in a simple joy today. Go for a walk. Cuddle up with a good book. Call a friend and have a long chat. Buy fresh flowers. Take a deep breath... and revel in a simple joy in life!

2- Get out that “Thanksgiving” journal; make three entries in this beloved book. #beatdepression!

Declaration:

I will rejoice regardless of my circumstances. My outward circumstances do not have the power to determine my inner attitudes.

Prayer:

“Jesus, I thank You for sunsets, for the promise of spring and for freedom. I thank You for strength to carry on and for a song in my heart. Amen.”