So we must trust that God will assist us during times of discouragement. This involves drawing on the power of God's Holy Spirit, the mind, attitude, and nature of God Himself. How do we prevent discouragement and depression with all of this bombardment we have in this society, and our own human nature tends that way anyway? This involves drawing on the power of God.
We must admit that we often feel depressed when we are not as close to God as we should be. Negative moods tend to overwhelm us more easily when God is not the focus of our lives. The solution, of course, is to maintain constant intimate contact with God, especially during times when we feel discouraged and depressed. The nearer we are to God, the easier it is for Him to develop His mind in us.
What specific actions can we take to help fight discouragement and depression? Let us focus on seven ways to prevent discouragement and depression.
1. Focus on your marvelous Creator. In God's words: You shall have no other gods before Me. Meditate on His great power and mercy.
Please turn to Romans 8:26. This sermon is more of a reminder of things than it is any great information. It is just common sense that we should try to follow. When we allow these things to fill our minds and before we realize it we become depressed without understanding why, the best way to defend ourselves from this kind of attack is to stay constantly aware of the source of such discouraging thoughts and to guard against them. And when they do start to grip us, to seek God's help to counter them.
Think about what God has done in the past and what He is doing now to accomplish His great plan of salvation. When we put our problems in perspective with God's plan, the troubles and trials of life shrink into insignificance. God has promised the help of His Holy Spirit and His everlasting love. Here in Romans 8, we are going to read verses 26 through 28 and 31 to 39.
