Abiding in the Prince of Peace | How to Win Your Mental War Uzorak

This devotion includes much of our story of how God has brought us through a rough journey with depression and how we have been able to help so many others with His powerful tools. I want to start by reminding you that 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds you today that God is not the author of fear or confusion but of the soundness of mind for you. Part of this journey is allowing your mind to be renewed to how God thinks about you and how He created you to live. This will be a revelation journey of a new identity in Him. 

Monica says: 

Mental illness ain’t no joke, y’all, and if ever there was an illness from the pit of hell, mental illness is it. I have no doubt in my mind it is the work of an enemy who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John.10:10) It is an invisible cancer.

I can’t possibly cover this part of my testimony in one devotion, but I am one who suffered for years with depression and anxiety. One day God miraculously delivered me from it! The next part of John 10:10 says “but I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL!” God pulled me from a pit and He set my feet on a rock. He established my steps and He put a new song in my mouth. (Psalm 40:2)

The devil is a liar and he still comes creeping around my house. Rattling the doors and windows, looking for a way in. Some days it feels like he’s going to find a crack big enough to squeeze through. So, I do all I know to do. I cling to Jesus with all my might! I take practical steps with diet and exercise and being honest with my accountable people about where I am. But more than anything I run to my Father. Like Peter, I say “Lord, to whom shall I go? You alone have the words of LIFE!” John 6:68. The word tells us to “resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

The fact is, some days are still hard. Sometimes I allow circumstances to knock me backward. It takes a bit of stumbling for me to realize what’s happening. Sometimes I realize that I have been putting my hope in the wrong things; I haven’t been abiding in Christ. I’ve tried to do things my way, etc. That’s the facts. 

But here is the truth. When I wake up with that heaviness, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of my God will raise up a standard against him! There is strength for every day and His mercies are new every morning. His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path! I stand in victory. The battle has been won and I refuse to give back even an inch of territory! He has been CRUSHED by the cross of my Jesus. 

If you know someone who struggles with mental illness, support them like you would someone who told you they have cancer. Pray as you pray for physical healing. Our goal as believers in Christ should be to seek the health of all we are involved with mentally, physically, and spiritually. 

Take away: 

1. Write down some areas in your mind that you need victory over. These could include addictions, depression, oppression. 

2. Present to God the things you wrote down and commit to allowing Him to be the loudest voice you listen to in this next season as you process through this devotion. 

3. Do you have an unhealthy picture of people who struggle with mental issues? How can you show compassion and enter into someone’s world with these struggles?