HOW TO HANDLE DEPRESSION

I read a note recently titled ‘Depression is a tool’ by John Igbinovia…brilliant piece I must say. it sent my mind on a voyage of recollection of past experiences, thus inspiring this write up.
I often ask myself; how did I get to this point? I once would not have imagined that it was possible to live a life without depression and mood swings. I mean, my emotions would toss, turn, squeeze and rumple me at will, as a teenager, my heart was perpetually plagued by dismay, I walked around with a burdened perspective of life and an overwhelming sense of defeat, I was angry, bitter and often very depressed.
Let me start by saying, without respect to what the books on psychology and psychotherapy say, there is no excuse logical enough upon which we can premise the existence of depression, it is usually not because of some gigantic mountain you think you may be facing, there are some people who by chance have been lavished with life’s generous benefits, yet they seldom experience the genuinty of a carefree smile…Depression is a deeply rooted evil that latches unto your mind by disguising itself in the subtle appearance of your heart’s burden. It is an enemy of destiny and a strategy of the kingdom of darkness. Her ultimate goal is to steal your Joy and dash your hopes, for indeed man cannot thrive without hope anymore than fish can survive without water. She has lured great men to heights of instability, complacency and dejection,  often driving them to seek escape in alcohol and such other wanton behavior, she takes your eyes off God’s purpose for you and places it on your person, Self pity and sorrow thus becomes familiar companions.
Oh, what trickery, what sly deceit,  that a man created to be a god, with leadership and dominion, should begin to feel sorry for himself. Fortunately, this defeatist syndrome can be curbed and cured with proactive measures till at last it loses it’s sway over you. Below are some strategies that I have personally employed:

•  A HEART OF PRAISE:  it is impossible to be angry and joyful by the same person, to the same degree and at the same time. Praise turns on the light bulb in the darkness, it sets your heart on a quest of hope, it focuses on God and therefore takes your mind off yourself. It is a potent weapon of warfare, and do not deride yourself with notions that you have to feel like it. Life may knock you down, but it can’t steal the melody in your heart…that is your exclusive right.
• A COUNTENANCE OF JOY: this naturally flows from your praise, be industrious when it comes to trading in your sorrows, Joy is a deliberate act of faith, often defying logic. You really don’t need a reason to be happy…be happy anyway! Perhaps you just came out of a break up, you feel a tad overweight, business is not going as expected or you are just tired of sending out job applications, resist the allure of a heavy spirit. When it get’s dark, don’t get gloomy, count the stars! Look for the beauties around you, no one is without a benefit, hold your head up high and act like you own the world…like they say, fake it until you take it. Joy releases a certain form of attraction on you and positions you for increase.
•  A SPIRIT OF LOVE: love is the ultimate tool of victory, the perfect antidote of self pity, anger and bitterness. While praise will get your focus on God, love will get your focus on people. Scripture posits that perfect love casts out fear. Love is the light that dispels the darkness, it is a language that evil cannot understand, it fills your heart with peace and gives your heart something to hold unto, love takes your mind off the pain and crowns your joy with renewed strength and confidence. A spirit/heart of love always seeks what it will do for others and not what others can do for it. End your quest for blessings and start to be a channel through which others may be blessed. You get the highest gratification, when you dare to live for others.
• A TENACIOUS FAITH:  Faith is the substance of your hope, a hope of continuity, a hope of victory and a hope of restorations.  Your faith is your resolve to continue inspite of your tears. The tenacity of your faith is a direct reflection of your knowledge of God and exposure to his word, find out what God says about your situation and corroborate his word with your words. If you see as he sees, and speak as he speaks, it is only a matter of time, you will be as he be! This is our certain reality that no temptation exists which was designed to consume us.  Let your emotions conform to the will of God, give him complete reliance, resting your back on the cushion of his love, casting your cares and surrendering your worries…Faith keeps your head afloat.
• A HABIT OF PRAYER: Paul speaking says that the weapons of our warfare are mighty in battle, to the pulling down of strongholds and casting down imaginations and all other things that raises itself against the knowledge of God. Prayer is Power for Purpose. It s our sphere if influence where we create our desired future by spilling forth mysteries in the spirit. Prayer equips you to stand strong in the face of adversity.

I do not presume to be an authority on the above subject matter, but I do have the boast of one with tested experience and overcoming victory. Depression has lost it’s sway over me since I embraced the above realities, it has become an echo from a very distant past, and to that effect, anyone can overcome depression.

With love, a huge smile and a piece of apple
© Tochi EZE
26TH September 2011.

THE COST OF THE STEW

I was reading the story of Esau selling his birthright as accounted n Genesis 25, and I must admit, I felt a sense of pity for him. I mean, what could possibly have been the crime of a young man who had been out all day in pursuit of his livelihood, who comes home ravenous with hunger and is assaulted by the heady sensation of his brother’s of stew. What is  the moral justification for a man, whose scheming mind and devious trickery, plotted to cheat his brother out of his birth right?

By the way, this is not me seeking to embark on a blasphemous expedition, Jacob na my guy, so un-alarm your minds. However, I’m just saying that on the face of things, Esau’s actions could almost easily be justified. So the question is…why? Why does an action that is fraught with reason completely lack in godly justification? I sat pondering, not completely understanding, trying not to validate his fate or endorse his supposed judgment, I only sought the wisdom behind the turn of events.

*COMPROMISE*

The maiden name of settlement, the bridge between your standard and what is obtainable, a thin rope that makes desire parallel with logic, a bending of truths and concession of values. In my mind’s understanding, compromise simply means selling your future for today’s fleeting pleasures, a sentence which depicts Esau’s very deed.

In today’s age of enlightenment, compromise has become a logically acceptable platform for any kind of actualization, whether in our government, business and even in our relationships. The earth is fraught with structures that make us believe that we can’t always have what we want and so life situations teach us to trade in our values, “if the plan will not work, why don’t you bend it a little”.

Unfortunately, for the believer, compromise is an abominable conduct, it is the vehicle you drive on the road to disaster, it is a reflection of watery convictions and it invalidates your faith. Compromise is a major trick of the devil, his weapon of suggestive manipulation. He tells a young lady to sell her values by sleeping with a man in order to keep him, thereby compromising the virtue of sexual chastity. GOD gives us a vision of our future, a standard he expects of us through his word, yet we perambulate about with the idea that godly virtue is an impossible task.

Compromise is the absence of Faith,  we trade In our innermost desires and deride ourselves with notions of being realistic, if Esau knew God enough, he would have realized that his hunger would not have killed him, in that it was merely a temporary inconvenience testing the responsibility of his faith. I don’t know what it is that you have been holding out for, stand strong on belief and do not dare to look back on the temporary road of convenience. God despises our compromise, stand on his word and the veracity of its truth.

Believe God…against all odds!!!

With dexterous faith and relentless hope

© Tochi Eze

September 20, 2011

THE COST OF THE STEW

I was reading the story of Esau selling his birthright as accounted n Genesis 25, and I must admit, I felt a sense of pity for him. I mean, what could possibly have been the crime of a young man who had been out all day in pursuit of his livelihood, who comes home ravenous with hunger and is assaulted by the heady sensation of his brother’s of stew. What is  the moral justification for a man, whose scheming mind and devious trickery, plotted to cheat his brother out of his birth right?

By the way, this is not me seeking to embark on a blasphemous expedition, Jacob na my guy, so un-alarm your minds. However, I’m just saying that on the face of things, Esau’s actions could almost easily be justified. So the question is…why? Why does an action that is fraught with reason completely lack in godly justification? I sat pondering, not completely understanding, trying not to validate his fate or endorse his supposed judgment, I only sought the wisdom behind the turn of events.

*COMPROMISE*

The maiden name of settlement, the bridge between your standard and what is obtainable, a thin rope that makes desire parallel with logic, a bending of truths and concession of values. In my mind’s understanding, compromise simply means selling your future for today’s fleeting pleasures, a sentence which depicts Esau’s very deed.

In today’s age of enlightenment, compromise has become a logically acceptable platform for any kind of actualization, whether in our government, business and even in our relationships. The earth is fraught with structures that make us believe that we can’t always have what we want and so life situations teach us to trade in our values, “if the plan will not work, why don’t you bend it a little”.

Unfortunately, for the believer, compromise is an abominable conduct, it is the vehicle you drive on the road to disaster, it is a reflection of watery convictions and it invalidates your faith. Compromise is a major trick of the devil, his weapon of suggestive manipulation. He tells a young lady to sell her values by sleeping with a man in order to keep him, thereby compromising the virtue of sexual chastity. GOD gives us a vision of our future, a standard he expects of us through his word, yet we perambulate about with the idea that godly virtue is an impossible task.

Compromise is the absence of Faith,  we trade In our innermost desires and deride ourselves with notions of being realistic, if Esau knew God enough, he would have realized that his hunger would not have killed him, in that it was merely a temporary inconvenience testing the responsibility of his faith. I don’t know what it is that you have been holding out for, stand strong on belief and do not dare to look back on the temporary road of convenience. God despises our compromise, stand on his word and the veracity of its truth.

Believe God…against all odds!!!

With dexterous faith and relentless hope

© Tochi Eze

September 20, 2011