“A merry [glad, joyful, merry] heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
Feelings of joy, gladness, contentment, and peace have a positive effect on your health. On the other hand, feelings of continual depression, dissatisfaction with life, anxiety, and stress will suppress the immune system, negatively affecting your physical well-being.
THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF TRUE JOY IS SPENDING TIME WITH GOD — READING THE WORD AND PRAYING!
“Thou [God] wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
“Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.” (Psalm 119:24)
The Bible contains several passages that pertain to joy and happiness, including:
Psalm 105:3 Proverbs 29:18
Psalm 128:1-2 John 13:3-17
Psalm 144:15 John 16:23-24
Psalm 146:5-9 Romans 14:21-23
Proverbs 3:13-18 (see Job 28:28) James 5:11
Proverbs 14:21 1 Peter 3:10-14
Proverbs 16:20 Matthew 5:1-12
Proverbs 28:14 (Job 28:28)
The book of Ecclesiastes recounts a king’s pursuit of happiness. He tried to find happiness in wine, women, material possessions, et cetera. However, nothing brought him the happiness and contentment that he sought. In the end, he declared, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
The reason why spending time with the Lord and trying to live a life that’s pleasing in His sight is the key to ultimate joy is because that is why we were created. We were created to have a relationship with our Creator and serve Him by helping others with our God-given gifts. As Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
Defeat Depression
Sometimes the devil tries to attack people with depression. He puts negative thoughts in their minds to discourage them and make them feel hopeless. His ultimate goal is to defeat them. He wants people to sit in a corner feeling sorry for themselves and crying. Then when he sees them at their lowest point he’ll launch a major attack against them to push them over the edge. This includes putting thoughts of suicide in their minds. I know because this has happened to me. Thankfully, God’s Word shows the way out of this trap of the devil. Nehemiah 8:11 says, “Neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” In addition to achieving true joy by spending time with the Lord and thanking Him for His blessings, we can also be joyful by praising God for who He is. Isaiah 61:3 exhorts us to put on the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness (sadness). A dear friend of mine encouraged me to praise God when I’m down in the dumps by praying three praise Psalms to the Lord – one to God the Father, one to God the Son (Jesus Christ), and one to God the Holy Spirit. This is indeed a spirit lifter. Praising God helps us to refocus on how awesome God is rather than our problems.
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:3) The Psalms is a book of comfort and praise. You can find all the verses in Psalms about praise by looking them up in a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible.
Another praise motivator is to prayerfully read the book The Attributes of God. God is All-Powerful. “…with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) “[God] is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20)
God is also all-knowing and everywhere present. Focusing on His Divine attributes encourages us and reminds us that He can work out all the negative events in our lives for our ultimate good. What the devil is doing to destroy us, God can turn it around to bless us. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
One of the greatest testimonies I’ve ever heard is how Stormie Omartian overcame depression.
Some people like Stormie are set free instantly and others are set free gradually. But Jesus can set a person free. (John 8:31-32, 36)
To review additional information and resources to overcome depression please check out Neil Nedley’s Depression RecoveryMaterial.
Depression: The Way Out (book) by Neil Nedley, MD Depression Recovery Program (DVD series and workbook) by Neil Nedley, MD
Suicide Alert: Some people have such deep-rooted depression that they become suicidal. If you are in that category please get help asap. And please keep in mind that suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem. In addition, suicide is self-inflicted murder that could lead to an eternally worse situation!
In the above accounts, the people were graciously allowed a second chance. However, that’s the exception. Most people who die from suicide never come back. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27) It’s not worth taking that chance.
Antidepressant Alert!
When people are diagnosed with depression they are often put on antidepressants. However, a growing number of people have expressed serious concerns about such drugs. If you are taking antidepressants I don’t recommend that you go off of them cold turkey. However, I do encourage you to become informed and talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have.
Laughter
Another mood lifter is laughter. Laughter helps aid physical well-being in the following ways: It gives the body a moderate cardiovascular workout.
It produces endorphins in the body that counters stress.
It boosts the immune system, so it can better fight against infection.
It relaxes the muscles and helps to fight the pain that’s caused by muscle tension.
Laughter also decreases blood pressure, calms the nervous system, and relaxes the stomach and intestines.
Try to find and focus on the humorous side of negative events. Sometimes I feel that if my life were a sitcom it would be hilarious. But if you can’t find anything funny to laugh at in your life, then review some resources that offer good, clean jokes to laugh at.
I pray that each dear reader of this blog will have joy when they wake up each morning, and peace when they go to bed at night. “For the kingdom of God is…righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17)
Keys To Better Health