Overcome Anxiety & Strengthen Your Faith: A Biblical Guide to Mental Health

While hopelessness and depression manifest themselves physically, the source of each of these is spiritual, and spiritual attacks must have a spiritual solution.

Jesus said that we must seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness before physical relief is received (Matthew 6:33). So in order to eliminate hopelessness, first and foremost you must renew and refresh your relationship with God. Otherwise any relief is temporary.

Renewing your relationship involves several things. First, you must make the decision to believe everything He says while seeing things the way He sees them. More specifically, you must see yourself as He sees you. As you meditate on His Word and spend time worshiping Him, the Holy Spirit will impart to you His revelation and plan for your life. See your future as God sees it. Without a close relationship with God, it is impossible to have clear direction for your future.

Sometimes when we have a goal or a dream, as time passes, our fleshly nature tends to let it fade. Sometimes we even create false memories of what God has spoken to us. That’s why it is so important to write down your goals and dreams (Habakkuk 2:2). After all, that’s what God did. He wrote His plan for man in a Book so the plan can be visualized as well as completed. As you regularly revisit your goals and dreams, it will keep your hope alive. As you think about the possibilities of success, your hope will increase.

So when you are feeling burdened by the cares of life and it seems as though you’ve lost your direction, revisit God’s promise to you—the one written in His Word and written in your heart by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Revisiting the promise will refuel the hope, igniting excitement for the good God has placed before you.

One of the most healing things you can do is to have the Spirit of God minister to you. This happens when you get into His presence, and music can be a very powerful vehicle to get you there. Find a good source for worship songs. Listen to them and worship Him. In His presence you will find healing, joy, and everything else you need (Psalm 16:11).

Create a Fresh Positive Atmosphere

The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness are opposites. The Bible says God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). The demonic presence of evil (darkness) leaves when the glorious presence of God (light) is present. This is a spiritual principle that is mirrored in the realm of our physical existence. Light always overpowers darkness spiritually as well as physically. Darkness is the absence of light. To make room for the darkness, you must shut out the light.

Using this principle in the physical realm is extremely important. One of the first steps in defeating depression and hopelessness is to simply open the curtains and let the light in. If it is night, turn on the lights. Most psychologists believe that our thinking becomes brighter as our surroundings become brighter. So when heaviness or hopelessness come knocking at your door, surround yourself with the spiritual light of God’s Word and turn on the lights. Pull back the curtains, open the windows, and take a deep breath of fresh air! It will do wonders for your attitude.

Reject Oppressive Culture

When one of my granddaughters was in preschool, she asked me if I could remember the Civil War. It made me realize that historical events for the younger generation sometimes seem to flow together. So for a moment, I will enlighten you on what it was like to grow up as a teenager in the 1960s.

At the beginning of the decade, the main music style was rock ‘n roll with many young men and women becoming famous singing this style of music. As the decade began, these musicians usually performed in suit and tie. Even though the older generation didn’t like the rock ‘n roll sound, it had a somewhat clean and youthful innocence to it. But as the decade progressed, several things took place that seemed as though they were all happening at once.

First, the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Then the Vietnam War became a very prominent point of protest across the United States, and the music style changed as British bands—the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, as well as many other British musicians— took over the music industry. The young people living during this decade were the largest youth group the world had ever seen, and it was nicknamed the Baby Boomers, since they were all born shortly after the end of World War II.

With riots and war protests came cultural changes. Many young people either entered fully into this change or, at the very minimum, wore the clothing styles and took on the actions of those who became known as “hippies.” This Baby Boomer generation that embraced the hippy lifestyle immersed itself in this new culture that included lava lamps, incense, bell bottoms, drugs, and British rock ‘n roll.

The previous generation left farms and factories all across America to fight the Nazis in World War II. They have been called the Great Generation. This generation was generally a Bible-believing, conservative group who believed in hard work and a no-nonsense approach to life and to church. I’m quite sure they were bewildered when they saw their children heading off to Woodstock!

During this decade, extreme cultural changes were taking place throughout the world. While there was great searching by this Baby Boomer generation for truth, it also opened the door for demonic influence. Even though it is true that we should search for truth, we should never forget that all truth originates with the Word of God. When you open your consciousness and your heart to any spiritual philosophy or spiritual cult, the forces of darkness are all too eager to present mysticism as well as false doctrines that lead to destruction.

When a person is in a hopeless state or they feel there is no escape from their dilemma, they can often become extremely susceptible to any spark of deliverance, regardless of its source. This is why any group that promises peace, joy, and hope that is not grounded in the true Word of God should be avoided at all costs. These false cults are traps of the enemy waiting for some- one to become so hopeless that they can be ensnared or trapped, with the end being destruction (2 Peter 2:1).

Create an Atmosphere for Hope

I was a typical young person growing up during that time, wanting to have friends and feel like I fit in. But from an early age I knew there was a calling of God on my life. I tried to fit in, but I was always different. When my friends had spiritual questions, it seemed that I was the one they always came to. Even though I tried to dress like and act like the other young people of the day, when a crisis occurred, I was usually the one they contacted for help or counsel.

It was during this time I remember getting a call at my house from a friend. My friend’s words were slurred and difficult to understand. He talked about “ending it all because life isn’t worth living.” I told him to stay where he was and not to do anything until I got there.

Upon arriving at his apartment about thirty minutes later, I found him in a dark room with incense burning and psychedelic music blasting in the background. Many musicians acknowledged that psychedelic music was frequently recorded while the musicians were on drugs. Many ministers called the music satanic. With this music blaring in my friend’s darkened room along with incense burning, the stage was set for destruction.

Immediately I began to reverse the destructive atmosphere. I turned off the music, unplugged the lava lamp, put out the incense, turned on the lights, and then I began the process of counseling my friend. I believe his life was saved that day. Although the first things I did were merely physical changes (music, lights, and fragrance), their removal created the atmosphere for deliverance.

That brings me to this reality. One of the first things that must be done to bring hope to people is to remove the atmosphere of hopelessness. In order to do this, there must be physical changes. Sometimes the changes need to be sight, sound, and smell. In other cases, the changes may need to be friends and location or even a combination of several different things. Whatever the case may be, there must be a change from the atmosphere of darkness to the liberty of light. Don’t allow the light to be blocked!

Take Care of Your Body

God created our bodies in such a way that physical exercise produces endorphins which in turn affect our mental attitude, relieving both physical tension and stress. Depression is enhanced by darkness, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Put on your walking shoes, go outside and take a walk. Sunshine is required for good health. Do something physical within the natural limits of your body. Remember to drink plenty of water so you don’t become dehydrated.

There are several practical things that you can do physically that will change your attitude. Some may even seem like they have no connection to hopelessness, but as you begin to take care of yourself physically, it will affect you mentally as well as emotionally.

You must eat right and get enough sleep. Eating healthy involves things like choosing whole fresh foods while avoiding processed food as much as possible. Don’t skip meals or overeat, both of which are extremes. The timing of your meals is also important. I’ve heard it said, “If you ate after eight, then you ate too late.” Common sense will go a long way with your healthy eating habits. Avoid thinking, This won’t hurt me this one time! because that line of thinking can be thought every time!

Even personal hygiene will affect your attitude. Take a shower, brush your teeth, comb your hair, and put on clean clothes!

Also, make your bed every morning, take out the trash, wash the dishes, and hang up your clothes and towels. When you are surrounded by a neat and clean environment, a certain level of irritability will be eliminated.

This neat environment should not be restricted to only your home, but should also include your automobile and your desk at work. I’m not suggesting that your desk have no papers on it, because a busy person usually has several stacks. And I’m not saying that your car will always look spotless, especially if you have children or grandkids. But what I am saying is this: a car that is continually full of trash, a messy desk with a computer keyboard that is never cleaned, and a house or apartment where the trash piles up or the sink is continually full of dirty dishes does not create an atmosphere that is refreshing. And if your life feels hopeless, you need to be living in a refreshing atmosphere.

Guard Your Eyes and Ears

Your eyes and your ears are the gateway to your soul. The images you see and the words you hear enter like seeds in a gar- den that grow beautiful flowers or ugly weeds. What grows in your mind is determined by the seed you allow to be planted. It is true that you cannot control everything you see or everything you hear, but that cannot be used as an excuse to accept every image or word. If the words you are hearing are not words that build up, but instead are words that destroy, then you must find the source of those words and move your listening device (your ears) as far away as possible.

Words you receive will grow into freshness, freedom, and hope, or they will grow into weeds and thorns that will choke and destroy the freshness you need. Continually hearing destructive words will leave your mind as hardened, cracked ground with no life, just like a desert. This makes it difficult to receive anything. You must guard what you hear!

A bomb is a very destructive device and standing next to it when it explodes can be deadly. But the farther away you get from the bomb, the less impact it will have on you. Words are much the same way. Distance yourself from the source of destructive words. If someone else’s mouth is the “bomb” in your life, then you must distance yourself from their mouth.

Movies and various types of entertainment can be uplifting or depressive. The movies you watch as well as the theatrical per- formances you attend are totally at your discretion. You should choose them with an attitude of godliness.

Once a man who had attended a theatrical performance recommended it to me. But he said, “You won’t want to take your children though, because the performance has several nude scenes.” I told him that not only would I not take my children, but I would not go myself or take my wife because I did not want my family exposed to public nudity. I was shocked when he replied to me, “But this is different because it is artistic.”

One of the greatest deceptions with sin is when people quit calling it sin and call it art, or expression, or talent. Likewise, you cannot allow negativity or depressive words of defeat to enter your ears because someone presents it to you as information. Do not be deceived. Changing the name of the content does not change the content!

Take a 30-Day Christian Music Challenge

Music existed even before the creation of man. Its original purpose was for the heavenly hosts and all of creation to worship God. On earth, musical instruments and voices can create many different styles and melodies. As I’ve traveled around the world, it seems that most nations have their own unique musical style. In some countries there are even different styles within the nation.

But regardless of where you live, music itself has the innate ability to lift you to a higher level or to bring you down. Because music has the ability to deeply affect you within your soul emotionally, you must not allow yourself to feed on music that amplifies your despair, loneliness, or hopelessness.

If you are depressed or you feel like there’s nothing in life left for you, then I would suggest not listening to B.B. King singing, “The Thrill is Gone,” but instead you should listen to Edwin Hawkins singing, “Oh Happy Day.” If you don’t want to be sorrowful, listen to uplifting music, not sad or depressing songs. It’s like the old computer programming phrase: “garbage in—garbage out!”

Think about the music you listen to and purposely choose to change so you hear only music that uplifts you. The music you listen to is a big deal because it gets in your soul. Check out Christian radio or apps that play positive inspiring music that’s full of hope.

Much of today’s secular music culture is filled with filthy, degrading, unhealthy lyrics that fill your mind with dark thoughts and perverted concepts. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to put up with it just because you like the style of music.

There is a whole new generation of Christian artists today that produce wholesome, positive upbeat Christian music rivaling anything in the secular music industry. With styles from traditional to Southern gospel, from adult contemporary to various genres of rock, and more, it’s a new world in Christian music. Most of the songs on today’s Christian radio stations sing about the hope, forgiveness, and change that comes from knowing God and knowing He has the answers to your problems.

Even if you don’t have a local Christian radio station, because of the Internet you can listen online to virtually any Christian radio station anywhere in the world. Take the challenge of listening only to Christian music for 30 days and see what it does to your attitude.

Develop a Positive Mental Attitude

In the Bible, find the promise of God that specifically addresses your particular problem and put on a full court press to get it in your soul by meditating on it, keeping it before your eyes, talking about it, listening to teachers who teach about it, and saturating your entire soul with the promise. Build on the truth as you get it into the different parts of your soul—your mind, will, and emotions.

How do you saturate each one of these parts of your soul? Saturate your mind and intellect by constantly hearing it. Satu- rate your emotions by dreaming about it and by fantasizing what it will be like to be delivered. Imagine seeing yourself in the end result of the full manifestation. Saturate your will by speaking what you want out loud to yourself and to other people. It doesn’t matter if other people think you are crazy! It matters whether or not you believe, speak the promise, and imagine that promise being fulfilled.

More Keys to Success

While these practical and spiritual strategies have helped me overcome hopelessness, I’ve discovered even more insights and tactics that can deepen your journey toward healing and restoration. I explore these in greater detail in my book, Finding Hope When Things Look Hopeless. If you’re ready to reclaim hope, joy, and purpose in your life, I believe this book will serve as a powerful guide, offering profound truths and actionable steps to help you step into God’s best for your future.

Larry Ollison

Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over fifty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally. He ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily devotionals. As the author of eight books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, The Paradise of God and recently released Unlocking the Mysteries of the Holy Spirit), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.

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Power of Right Thinking! Overcoming Negative Thoughts Through God’s Word