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Move ahead in the work- God told Elijah to “Go, return on your way to the wilderness . . . anoint Jehu . . .king over Israel . . .and Elisha . . . you shall anoint as prophet in your place” (1 Kings 19: 15-16). Do you sense that sense of hope as Elijah receives new marching orders? Dejection turns to discovery. Oppression becomes opportunity, and then obedience. 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 minister to a hurting family, an unexpected speaking engagement, sharing the plan of salvation, a new writing opportunity, and more have delivered me from the dungeon of discouragement. When asked what to do when getting close to a nervous breakdown, psychiatrist Karl Mennibnger said, “Lock your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need and do something for him.” 4 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.

4Raymond McHenry, The Best of In Other Words (Houston: Raymond McHenry Publisher, 1996), 70.

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