Today, let’s talk about a topic many people experience but few openly speak of – Depression.

When a person feels depressed they are literally debilitated and cannot move forward. Society frowns on depressed people and considers them lazy or not “with it”. The depressed person knows this so they try to hide that depression but to move ahead they really need to shed this negative emotion, that debilitating spiritual stronghold.

Emotions are energy in motion. Joy, the opposite of depression, is also an emotion but we hear very little of it because society doesn’t acknowledge it for the wonder it brings to our souls.

Depression is not just an emotion or a psychological disorder, it is also spiritual; designed by the Enemy to get people down and to cripple them from taking regular actions required to make life worth living. His Modus Operandi (MO) – plan of action; a way of acting or being – is to kill, steal, or destroy. Depression steals our joy; it kills our ambition and destroys our ability to function normally.

If a depressed person admits they are depressed to a friend and that friend talks to other friends about it, soon enough that gets back to the person and this then causes he/she to isolate. Isolation is also the MO of the Enemy. Isolated persons become even more depressed.

How do you break this? Prayer AND fasting! Ask God, your source, your maker, to heal you from depression, utilizing the power of the name of Jesus and every single element associated with it. Remember fasting does not mean starving all day or several days. You can sacrifice even one food item or drink you love and that sacrifice is accepted by God and destroys the Enemy and his team.

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” – Matthew 17:20-21

Want to add more ammunition to breaking the spirit of depression? Give to someone in need. Giving does not have to be your finances. Some people need a hug, a smile, or a listening ear – provide yours. God will bless you even more. Well, let me put it this way: This is what worked best for me.

Counseling has its place but I found prayers, fasting, and giving were what actually broke the spirit of depression (which felt like a huge stronghold) each time it visited my life. Counseling allowed me to talk it out and talk therapy was and is necessary too.

Depression isn’t something you fix once and it’s gone forever. Breaking and binding depression off your life is a continuous spiritual and emotional practice that can help heal you along with counseling and staying physically active to produce the necessary feel-good hormones on a regular, ongoing basis. Socializing with people you like, people who inspire you is also very beneficial. As you can see, the approach to breaking depression has several faucets.