Commitment to Overcome Depression
First, commit yourself to complete recovery. The key to any cure is commitment. That means no excuses for not following through nor blaming someone else.
Second, commit yourself to pray first about everything. The tendency of the western world is to seek every possible natural explanation and cure first. Scripture tells us to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. The first thing a Christian does about anything is pray.
Third, seek an intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father. This requires repentance and faith in God. You can resolve your personal and spiritual conflicts by going through the “Steps to Freedom In Christ.” To be mentally healthy, you must have a true understanding of who God is and be rightly related to Him as His child.
Fourth, believe that you are a child of God. The second basic standard for mental health is to have a biblical understanding of who you are in Christ and to know what it means to be a child of God. You cannot consistently feel or behave in a way that is inconsistent with what you believe about yourself.
Fifth, commit your body to God (Rom. 12:1). If the previous four steps do not cure your psychosomatic illness, then consult a medical doctor for a complete physical examination. There are many forms of biological depression that can be diagnosed and treated. Disorders of the endocrine system can produce symptoms of depression. These include the possibility of low blood sugar, malfunctioning pituitary gland, adrenal exhaustion, and the female reproductive system. Work toward a proper balance of nutrition, exercise and diet. At this stage medication may be necessary to cure the body.
Sixth, commit yourself to the renewing of your mind. Mental depression stems from a negative view of yourself, your circumstances, and the future. These negative assessments can only be overcome as we renew our minds (Rom. 12:2) by choosing to believe the truth (Phil. 4:6-9).
Seventh, commit yourself to live responsibly in healthy relationship with others. You don’t feel your way into good behavior, you behave your way into good feeling. Jesus said, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (Jn. 13:17). Schedule physical exercise, plan meaningful activities, and then follow through. You can do all things through Christ (Phil. 4:13).
Eighth, commit yourself to overcome every loss whether real, threatened, or imagined. What is lost does not define you. Solidify your identity in Christ, and choose to become more like Him.
Dr. Neil
For Spanish, see http://www.ficmm.org/blog
