Beating The Blues
Have you ever felt depressed or sad and lacking energy- for no apparent reason? It may be a spirit of oppression sent to depress you and discourage you. In the following passage, it is called a spirit of heaviness. The devil comes against us to try to stop our spiritual progress and to hinder us from taking ground for the Kingdom of God. And one of his devices is to send evil spirits to try to oppress God’s people.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV) emphasis mine
We have authority over the devil and his evil spirits. The Bible tells us that we can defeat the spirit of oppression with praise. The enemy hates it when we praise the Lord. When we praise God, it sends the devil packing- as well as any spirit of oppression (or depression) that he has sent to harrass you.
Now, let me be clear- if you have been diagnosed with a chemical imbalance or some other physiological reason for depression, I am NOT telling you to go off any medication you have been taking. However, sometimes we try to treat something that is spiritual using things designed to treat physical ailments. Addressing spiritual issues with physical tools is seldom effective.
If you are feeling blue and lethargic, if a spirit of heaviness is trying to bring you down, just lift your hands and begin to praise the Lord. Sing, shout, dance, or speak scriptures that glorify God, such as those in the Psalms. Put on some worship music and sing along. At first it may be very difficult to make yourself praise God, but after doing it for a time, you will sense a lifting of that oppressive spirit and your praise will take on a new dimension.
In the passage I have included from Isaiah, it uses the phrase garment of praise. What do we do with a garment? We put it on. Praising God is something we must do as an act of our will- just as it is an act of our will to put on our clothes. When we truly believe the Bible, we will do what it says. And these verses tell us that putting on the garment of praise will eliminate the spirit of heaviness. Therefore, if we trust and believe God, we will exchange mourning for joy and heaviness for praise.
The next time the blues try to get you down, lift your hands and praise your heavenly Father. Tell Jesus how much you love Him. Thank Him for all He has done. Give glory to the Holy Spirit for His constant presence in your life. Push past your feelings and praise until you feel like praising Him- and then praise Him some more. That is how to defeat an oppressive spirit.
