Breakthrough into Joy: Freedom from depression and anxiety is yours today!
Fri, Oct 2008 05:28 | Permalink
"God is kind, preferring that people be healthy rather than sick." - John Wimber
It is time for your breakthrough. As the healing power of God increases throughout the world, it is time for you to be healed not only of physical but also of emotional problems that manifest in depression and anxiety. The evening news carries dire reports of global economic woes, weather-related devastations, war, doom and gloom. But the good news is this – God is a very present help in time of need and His eye is on you!
What if the Lord walked over to you, took your hand in His, and stared steadily, lovingly into your eyes and said,
“This is the year of My favor. It is the year that I will take vengeance on My enemy who has sought to destroy your beauty and dash all your hopes and dreams. Let Me heal your broken heart. Let Me free you from your prison of darkness. I promise you this – that from this moment on I will comfort you and dry your tears. I will provide people who will listen to you and let you grieve until your tears wash away the hard lines on your face and joy steals the enemy’s plans. I hold out a crown to you, my beautiful one. I anoint you with the oil of joy instead of mourning. And here! A garment of praise that I will drape across your shoulders in exchange for the spirit of despair - for you are the one I admire. My unconditional approval is upon you. I have called you by name. You are Mine. And I am yours. Watch as I do this: I will give you a double portion of prosperity and joy. The time of your suffering is over.”
He is saying exactly that to you in Isaiah 61:1-3. Once you meditate on that scripture, freedom comes quickly. Let’s look at the stories of one particular individual who was healed from what we call depression and anxiety, and what the scriptures call “the spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).
Elizabeth shuffled into the retreat, accompanied by two other African women, her eyes obviously deadened by a powerful anti-psychotic. She was suicidal. Her whole world shattered when her boyfriend abandoned her and state child protection authorities took her infant daughter away until she could regain her sanity. Her African “sisters” brought her to this retreat held at an ocean-side community near Rome, Italy, in hopes that God would touch her and make her whole.
Only they knew what had really happened to Elizabeth in her past. I could only guess what leads an African woman to leave her country, her family and friends, for a foreign land to earn enough money to send home and sustain perhaps, the whole village. Poverty, sexual abuse, war, the threat of AIDS probably all contributed to her arrival in Italy where she worked as a domestic employee in a land prejudiced against her. The stress of moving to another country is enough to unsettle anyone. Add a string of traumas occurring both before and after the move and that pressure would challenge the coping ability of even the toughest individual. And so, it was no surprise that her ability to cope had shattered into a million pieces.
After her breakdown, doctors on a hospital mental ward told her she was suffering from major depression with psychotic features. They stabilized her with heavy doses of medication and, several weeks later, said she could go home. Once Elizabeth was released from the hospital, her African friends, her sisters, took her in, watched over her, prayed for her, and drew her nearer to the fires of God’s love.
These wonderful women watched and prayed over her night and day, until they brought her to this retreat on the outskirts of Rome by the sea where the pastors of a large Assemblies of God church in Rome had invited me to speak. It was here that I first came to understand the demonic component of depression and despair and watched God shatter the “spirit of despair” in the lives of many, freeing them to dance in the fullness of joy.
Out of the 200 women gathered together, representing many nations, Elizabeth was one of the first to be healed. She stood for prayer, and as I made my way down the line, she stared straight ahead as if completely unaware of what was happening. Either that or she was scared to death. I didn’t even know if she spoke English, but noticed that no one translated for her into either an African or Italian language. I paused before her, raised my hand to her forehead and before I could utter a word, she crumbled to the floor. During both the evening and morning sessions she stood for prayer and each time, immediately fell into a deeper encounter with the presence of God.
The afternoon session was devoted initially to testimonies of what God was doing in individual lives so far. Two women shared freely. Then Elizabeth abruptly shuffled up to me. Many in the audience stiffened, afraid that she would disrupt the meeting with insane chatter. As I held the microphone for her, she testified in fairly clear English, the story of her fall into sin, the trauma of losing her baby to the state, her salvation and her sense of God’s presence healing her that weekend. Her African sisters sat listening, wiping tears from their eyes. For indeed, a change had come over Elizabeth - her eyes were clearer and her speech, though tainted by medication, showed clarity of thought and a logical flow of content as she told her saga.
Her descent into depression originated in loneliness that led her into a relationship with a man who used her sexually – with no thought of love or commitment. As a result, she became
pregnant. And when she gave birth, the authorities took away her child. It sounds similar to what David and Bathsheba experienced in 2 Samuel 11-12. The problems of illicit sex, unresolved relationship issues and unrepentant affairs, almost always open the soul to the spirit of despair. However, God was out to destroy the works of the enemy and redeem her life from the pit, despite having to walk through the consequences of her choices.
I stood beside her and noticed many Europeans squirm in their seats while she spoke. When she finished, I simply prayed, “Father, we hear her story as a confession of how she has sinned and how you are redeeming her. Now we as representatives of the Church forgive her, and You forgive her. Release her into the complete healing You have for her. Destroy the work of the evil one that seeks to rob her of the fullness of life and joy and peace. ” At that, the eyes in her head rolled back until all I could see was solid white. Rustling in the seats drew my attention and I nodded at a couple of her sisters to come up. They took her to a corner of the room and quietly delivered her of the unclean spirit that had attached itself to her during this traumatic phase of grief and loss.
On the following Wednesday night I spoke at a large meeting in Rome and saw Elizabeth waiting at the door looking radiant. “Elizabeth! What has happened? You look so full of joy!”
“Oh, Julia,” she replied, “I got very sick when I left the retreat and had to go to hospital. The doctor told me that they had to get me off all medication quickly. I am healed.”
Indeed, she was. Two years later, I heard reports that she had maintained that healing.
Depression and anxiety are the worst epidemics of our day
You’ve probably experienced a season of depression or anxiety at one time or another throughout your life. So have I. If you were to survey people in your place of work or in your church I can guarantee that at least 2 out of 10 are on some form of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication. Maybe even more.
Unfortunately, stress, burnout, trauma and daily life in a fallen world tend to weigh us down. No one is immune. At some point, even the strongest individuals can find their ability to cope crumbling; frustration can give way to hopelessness, eventually they can take on the symptoms of either acute depression or acute anxiety.
I’m fed up with it. I hate watching it rob people of life and destiny. It seems to be the most powerful demonic strategy unleashed against the church today. And it is time to fight back.
I got tired of it in my life and decided to fight. Over the years, I tried counseling and prayer. I even became a counselor, studying the cognitive-behavioral roots of depression and medical interventions. What I discovered is that ultimately depression isn’t solely a biological condition, an emotional condition, or way of life. It is also spiritual. In many cases in which a person feels oppressed by depression or anxiety, the spirit of needs to be broken.
It lifted off of Elizabeth in an instant one day. And it lifted off of me one day as well. Nevertheless, there was a process leading up to that breakthrough that lasted for several months in which I actively waited for Him by placing myself in a healing atmosphere and soaking in His presence. As the burnout, despair, and sadness siphoned off, I found myself growing progressively lighter. But it wasn’t until the actual “spirit of despair” lifted off that I was totally free to dance in the fullness of joy on a daily basis. I mention my story (and others’ testimonies of healing) in my book Breaking the Spirit of Despair and it’s sequel Dancing in the Fullness of Joy. However, you need to know that whether you are experiencing a chronic low-level of depression called “dysthymia,” or a season of despair or anxiety that has a defined beginning, God is present to heal.
Healing must occur in all three areas of a person’s life – physical, emotional and spiritual. Since God created you and knows you better than you know yourself, strategy is best left to the direction of the Lord. Some may need medications to stabilize them while others can ride through the worst of physiological symptoms without them and focus on the emotional healing through counseling. Others cannot even begin to heal unless spiritual oppression is taken care of first. God knows what you need. And He will guide you in your healing process if you let Him.
According to the following passage in Psalms 103, Jesus will heal all your diseases, redeem your life from the pit of depression and anxiety, release an overwhelming sense of His love and kindness towards you, and increase your understanding of His compassion. It is part of the package called salvation. Jesus bought it for you He purchased it, not with money, but through a transaction called the atonement. Simply put – He values you. He has truly felt your pain and wants to redeem your life.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your sins;
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit;
Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle.
(Psalm 103:2-5)
He is for you – not against you. He has compassion on what you are feeling and thinking. And He is not angry with you. He is angry with the evil one - the one oppressing you. God wants to heal you right now and release you from the spirit of despair. He is as near to you as your own heartbeat. And He invites you to come closer still.
The first step towards breaking the spirit of despair is to move out of isolation and into the presence of God. Most people have a hard time entering into God’s presence at home alone. In the company of others, however, they meet Him…and He meets them. Community, wherever two or more are gathered together, creates a powerful place for God to move. When I speak at retreats or even facilitate a one-meeting focus on healing, God always shows up and healing for anxiety and depression happens in the lives of many.
The second step towards breaking the spirit of despair is to respond to the Lord when He speaks to your heart no matter what He is calling for in private or in public. Elizabeth kept standing up for prayer. Her spirit responded to the Lord when her mind could not. Go where there is an atmosphere of God’s presence! Go expecting! Open your heart up even is no one prays for you; healing happens in the midst of worship…or sometimes even, on the drive home.
The third step is to know that Jesus longs to heal you completely – body, soul and spirit. Despite the dramatic release that comes with experiencing a deliverance of some sort (most harassing spirits are so subtle that we don’t even notice them leave until later, when we discover that our thoughts are no longer trapped in a negative loop), there is more healing and transformation that He wants to do in your life. It is this process of healing that leads you into progressive revelation of how wonderfully aware He is of you and your needs. He knows how to lead you into total transformation and release moments of joy and peace in your heart until you can live in that state –no matter what is going on around you.
Reclaim your life and life it to the fullest!
For more information about how to break the spirit of despair in your life and begin dancing in the fullness of joy, please download one of the books I mentioned from my website at www.julialoren.net. Also, if you would like to come into an atmosphere of God’s healing presence, invite me to come to your church or group and present a Breakthrough for Women!!! or a Breakthrough into Joy!!! workshop for men and women. Get ready to reclaim your life and life it to the fullest! Contact: juliascribes@yahoo.com.
Julia Loren Ministries
215 Lake Blvd. #515
Redding, CA 96003
www.julialoren.net
It is time for your breakthrough. As the healing power of God increases throughout the world, it is time for you to be healed not only of physical but also of emotional problems that manifest in depression and anxiety. The evening news carries dire reports of global economic woes, weather-related devastations, war, doom and gloom. But the good news is this – God is a very present help in time of need and His eye is on you!
What if the Lord walked over to you, took your hand in His, and stared steadily, lovingly into your eyes and said,
“This is the year of My favor. It is the year that I will take vengeance on My enemy who has sought to destroy your beauty and dash all your hopes and dreams. Let Me heal your broken heart. Let Me free you from your prison of darkness. I promise you this – that from this moment on I will comfort you and dry your tears. I will provide people who will listen to you and let you grieve until your tears wash away the hard lines on your face and joy steals the enemy’s plans. I hold out a crown to you, my beautiful one. I anoint you with the oil of joy instead of mourning. And here! A garment of praise that I will drape across your shoulders in exchange for the spirit of despair - for you are the one I admire. My unconditional approval is upon you. I have called you by name. You are Mine. And I am yours. Watch as I do this: I will give you a double portion of prosperity and joy. The time of your suffering is over.”
He is saying exactly that to you in Isaiah 61:1-3. Once you meditate on that scripture, freedom comes quickly. Let’s look at the stories of one particular individual who was healed from what we call depression and anxiety, and what the scriptures call “the spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).
Elizabeth shuffled into the retreat, accompanied by two other African women, her eyes obviously deadened by a powerful anti-psychotic. She was suicidal. Her whole world shattered when her boyfriend abandoned her and state child protection authorities took her infant daughter away until she could regain her sanity. Her African “sisters” brought her to this retreat held at an ocean-side community near Rome, Italy, in hopes that God would touch her and make her whole.
Only they knew what had really happened to Elizabeth in her past. I could only guess what leads an African woman to leave her country, her family and friends, for a foreign land to earn enough money to send home and sustain perhaps, the whole village. Poverty, sexual abuse, war, the threat of AIDS probably all contributed to her arrival in Italy where she worked as a domestic employee in a land prejudiced against her. The stress of moving to another country is enough to unsettle anyone. Add a string of traumas occurring both before and after the move and that pressure would challenge the coping ability of even the toughest individual. And so, it was no surprise that her ability to cope had shattered into a million pieces.
After her breakdown, doctors on a hospital mental ward told her she was suffering from major depression with psychotic features. They stabilized her with heavy doses of medication and, several weeks later, said she could go home. Once Elizabeth was released from the hospital, her African friends, her sisters, took her in, watched over her, prayed for her, and drew her nearer to the fires of God’s love.
These wonderful women watched and prayed over her night and day, until they brought her to this retreat on the outskirts of Rome by the sea where the pastors of a large Assemblies of God church in Rome had invited me to speak. It was here that I first came to understand the demonic component of depression and despair and watched God shatter the “spirit of despair” in the lives of many, freeing them to dance in the fullness of joy.
Out of the 200 women gathered together, representing many nations, Elizabeth was one of the first to be healed. She stood for prayer, and as I made my way down the line, she stared straight ahead as if completely unaware of what was happening. Either that or she was scared to death. I didn’t even know if she spoke English, but noticed that no one translated for her into either an African or Italian language. I paused before her, raised my hand to her forehead and before I could utter a word, she crumbled to the floor. During both the evening and morning sessions she stood for prayer and each time, immediately fell into a deeper encounter with the presence of God.
The afternoon session was devoted initially to testimonies of what God was doing in individual lives so far. Two women shared freely. Then Elizabeth abruptly shuffled up to me. Many in the audience stiffened, afraid that she would disrupt the meeting with insane chatter. As I held the microphone for her, she testified in fairly clear English, the story of her fall into sin, the trauma of losing her baby to the state, her salvation and her sense of God’s presence healing her that weekend. Her African sisters sat listening, wiping tears from their eyes. For indeed, a change had come over Elizabeth - her eyes were clearer and her speech, though tainted by medication, showed clarity of thought and a logical flow of content as she told her saga.
Her descent into depression originated in loneliness that led her into a relationship with a man who used her sexually – with no thought of love or commitment. As a result, she became
pregnant. And when she gave birth, the authorities took away her child. It sounds similar to what David and Bathsheba experienced in 2 Samuel 11-12. The problems of illicit sex, unresolved relationship issues and unrepentant affairs, almost always open the soul to the spirit of despair. However, God was out to destroy the works of the enemy and redeem her life from the pit, despite having to walk through the consequences of her choices.
I stood beside her and noticed many Europeans squirm in their seats while she spoke. When she finished, I simply prayed, “Father, we hear her story as a confession of how she has sinned and how you are redeeming her. Now we as representatives of the Church forgive her, and You forgive her. Release her into the complete healing You have for her. Destroy the work of the evil one that seeks to rob her of the fullness of life and joy and peace. ” At that, the eyes in her head rolled back until all I could see was solid white. Rustling in the seats drew my attention and I nodded at a couple of her sisters to come up. They took her to a corner of the room and quietly delivered her of the unclean spirit that had attached itself to her during this traumatic phase of grief and loss.
On the following Wednesday night I spoke at a large meeting in Rome and saw Elizabeth waiting at the door looking radiant. “Elizabeth! What has happened? You look so full of joy!”
“Oh, Julia,” she replied, “I got very sick when I left the retreat and had to go to hospital. The doctor told me that they had to get me off all medication quickly. I am healed.”
Indeed, she was. Two years later, I heard reports that she had maintained that healing.
Depression and anxiety are the worst epidemics of our day
You’ve probably experienced a season of depression or anxiety at one time or another throughout your life. So have I. If you were to survey people in your place of work or in your church I can guarantee that at least 2 out of 10 are on some form of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication. Maybe even more.
Unfortunately, stress, burnout, trauma and daily life in a fallen world tend to weigh us down. No one is immune. At some point, even the strongest individuals can find their ability to cope crumbling; frustration can give way to hopelessness, eventually they can take on the symptoms of either acute depression or acute anxiety.
I’m fed up with it. I hate watching it rob people of life and destiny. It seems to be the most powerful demonic strategy unleashed against the church today. And it is time to fight back.
I got tired of it in my life and decided to fight. Over the years, I tried counseling and prayer. I even became a counselor, studying the cognitive-behavioral roots of depression and medical interventions. What I discovered is that ultimately depression isn’t solely a biological condition, an emotional condition, or way of life. It is also spiritual. In many cases in which a person feels oppressed by depression or anxiety, the spirit of needs to be broken.
It lifted off of Elizabeth in an instant one day. And it lifted off of me one day as well. Nevertheless, there was a process leading up to that breakthrough that lasted for several months in which I actively waited for Him by placing myself in a healing atmosphere and soaking in His presence. As the burnout, despair, and sadness siphoned off, I found myself growing progressively lighter. But it wasn’t until the actual “spirit of despair” lifted off that I was totally free to dance in the fullness of joy on a daily basis. I mention my story (and others’ testimonies of healing) in my book Breaking the Spirit of Despair and it’s sequel Dancing in the Fullness of Joy. However, you need to know that whether you are experiencing a chronic low-level of depression called “dysthymia,” or a season of despair or anxiety that has a defined beginning, God is present to heal.
Healing must occur in all three areas of a person’s life – physical, emotional and spiritual. Since God created you and knows you better than you know yourself, strategy is best left to the direction of the Lord. Some may need medications to stabilize them while others can ride through the worst of physiological symptoms without them and focus on the emotional healing through counseling. Others cannot even begin to heal unless spiritual oppression is taken care of first. God knows what you need. And He will guide you in your healing process if you let Him.
According to the following passage in Psalms 103, Jesus will heal all your diseases, redeem your life from the pit of depression and anxiety, release an overwhelming sense of His love and kindness towards you, and increase your understanding of His compassion. It is part of the package called salvation. Jesus bought it for you He purchased it, not with money, but through a transaction called the atonement. Simply put – He values you. He has truly felt your pain and wants to redeem your life.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your sins;
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit;
Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle.
(Psalm 103:2-5)
He is for you – not against you. He has compassion on what you are feeling and thinking. And He is not angry with you. He is angry with the evil one - the one oppressing you. God wants to heal you right now and release you from the spirit of despair. He is as near to you as your own heartbeat. And He invites you to come closer still.
The first step towards breaking the spirit of despair is to move out of isolation and into the presence of God. Most people have a hard time entering into God’s presence at home alone. In the company of others, however, they meet Him…and He meets them. Community, wherever two or more are gathered together, creates a powerful place for God to move. When I speak at retreats or even facilitate a one-meeting focus on healing, God always shows up and healing for anxiety and depression happens in the lives of many.
The second step towards breaking the spirit of despair is to respond to the Lord when He speaks to your heart no matter what He is calling for in private or in public. Elizabeth kept standing up for prayer. Her spirit responded to the Lord when her mind could not. Go where there is an atmosphere of God’s presence! Go expecting! Open your heart up even is no one prays for you; healing happens in the midst of worship…or sometimes even, on the drive home.
The third step is to know that Jesus longs to heal you completely – body, soul and spirit. Despite the dramatic release that comes with experiencing a deliverance of some sort (most harassing spirits are so subtle that we don’t even notice them leave until later, when we discover that our thoughts are no longer trapped in a negative loop), there is more healing and transformation that He wants to do in your life. It is this process of healing that leads you into progressive revelation of how wonderfully aware He is of you and your needs. He knows how to lead you into total transformation and release moments of joy and peace in your heart until you can live in that state –no matter what is going on around you.
Reclaim your life and life it to the fullest!
For more information about how to break the spirit of despair in your life and begin dancing in the fullness of joy, please download one of the books I mentioned from my website at www.julialoren.net. Also, if you would like to come into an atmosphere of God’s healing presence, invite me to come to your church or group and present a Breakthrough for Women!!! or a Breakthrough into Joy!!! workshop for men and women. Get ready to reclaim your life and life it to the fullest! Contact: juliascribes@yahoo.com.
Julia Loren Ministries
215 Lake Blvd. #515
Redding, CA 96003
www.julialoren.net
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