ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

hurricane force winds threatened to kill everyone aboard. Then an angel appeared, providing the apostle with instruction and assurance (seevActs 27:24). It may not be through an audible voice or by an angel; nevertheless, God still speaks. Pastor and author RickWarren advises those facing difficult circumstances: “If you are depressed, take your Bible and go to the ocean or to a lake or out in the country. Sit down and read your Bible, and get alone with God. Just let God love you and speak to you. Let Him meet your needs, and let yourself feel His presence. There is no greater antidepressant than communication and fellowship with God.” 58 Even if you can’t make it to the ocean, lake or country, avail yourself to the Lord and prepare for His presence. Move ahead in the work. God told Elijah to, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness…anoint Hazael king over Aram…anoint Jehu…king over Israel…and Elisha …you shall anoint as prophet in your place” (1 Kings 19:15-16). Do you feel that fragrance of hope as Elijah receives new marching orders? Dejection turns to discovery. Oppression becomes opportunity, and then obedience (see 1 Kings 19:19). There’s nothing like what I call, “the tonic of a fresh task.” I can’t tell you the number of times that a call to minster to a hurting family, an unexpected speaking engagement, sharing the plan of salvation, a new writing opportunity, and other tasks have delivered me from the dungeon of discouragement. When asked what to do when getting close to a nervous breakdown, psychiatrist Karl Menninger said, “Lock your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need and do something for him.” 59 God wants you to experience life to its fullest and defeat depression when it rears its ugly head. Hopelessness and gloom must be held at bay. Join me in this march against melancholy by avoiding the traps and applying God’s remedies.

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