The truth is that we are all just passing through this broken world. We are reminded to hold on the the faith we’ve been gifted. The entire strategy of our adversary is to distract, and depress us so that we wear worry on our faces. The adversary examines our ways and in his cunning attacks he will use our temperament. The introvert is targeted as they naturally contemplate deeply. The introvert tends to analyze all that they do and think. Their vain regrets become morbid with excessive introspection. Taking self examination as their chief occupation, they lose sight of the truth about the grace of God and what Jesus finished on the behalf of all. Wisdom stares at the downcast face of mankind in Psalm 42:5. The Writer begs us to question ourself. Exhort yourself to hope in God instead of muttering in discontent. We wake up with thoughts about who has been talking to us. The world, or God? The trouble is in the terrible way in which we condem ourself. Wisdom tells us to use God’s authority as we speak to our old nature. Holy Spirit gives us revelation as we choose what voice we listen to.

The morning dew settled over  quiet fields before today’s sunrise. Alone with God, my mind is gently renewed. My clarity returns and my hope is reignited. I lift my heart toward God knowing that Holy Spirit is not far off, He abides in me. He is near, closer than breath, closer than thought, closer than any fear that has ever tried to attach itself to my mind. In the stillness, I recall Psalm 34:4 ” I sought the Lord, and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears.” This is the reality I step into each day. I am delivered from every fear because deliverance is my portion. His presence is my dwelling place. Lord, I open every part of my heart to you, even the places that feel worn down, the places that feel fragile, the places that have been tested, stretched, and shaken. You know every longing, every silent prayer, every dream unsaid.  Nothing in me is hidden from You, and yet, You meet me not with judgment, but with gentleness and compassion. Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on You, because they trust in You.” My thoughts are focused on Jesus and I anchor my emotions to Him. I place every wandering worry under His authority now. Let Thy perfect peace guard me like a shield and be the atmosphere that engulfs me. Father, I speak healing into the places that have carried worry over trust in You. I ask that You heal every cell, every organ, every function. Heal my mind, every memory, every thought, every place where noise has carved deep lines. Lord, transform every one of my disappointments, betrayals and each word that wounded me. I align myself with your truth in Jeremiah 30:17, “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds.” My declaration in faith is that God is restoring all that was lost or stolen. All the joy, the peace, the hope is restored now.  I feel Your immense power surging through  me like a bright sunrise breaking through a long night. Holy Spirit works in me to Illuminate every dark corner and soften every hardened place. He is renewing every tired area. My strength  comes only from Your presence. Amen

This particular Psalm gives the one simmering in spiritual depression the way back to joy in the Lord. We all pass through hard times. The GOOD NEWS  is that we get to defy the devil with the truth! The delight of living “in Christ” is that we have the Holy Helper abiding  in us. He is with us always to teach, guide, convict, and comfort all who surrender to Him. He scratches our old worn out pattern of stinking thinking. He gently reminds us to put on the new record, and listen to who God says we are in Him. We are more than conquerors, we are joint heirs. We full of the authority of God. We are His adopted, signed, sealed, and delivered possession. We defy and denounce the liar. We do not debate, or linger in doubt and unbelief! We ask Holy Spirit to help us with our melancholy. “Help my unbelief!” Thank God that His living Word works to actively restore our mind with the infallible truth.

If our faces reflect sadness, and the heaviness of this world, then our very countenance has been subject to the liar. When the joy of the Lord Jesus gets buried under worry, then our faith in His resurrection  power is fading. If we could see ourselves as others view us, it should encourage a smile, not a frown. Do we look like Jesus, or do we appear like a sad, hopeless person? If our mind is preoccupied with all the misery in the world, our expression of gloom fills the room. Perform a personal check-up from the neck up. Our temperament or genetic make up does not hinder the  finished work of Jesus on the cross. Regardless of our background, our secured salvation is an unchanging fact. The difficulties we all face require that we all work out our salvation as we fight the mental battle to renew our minds in truth. Humans are either introverts or extroverts.  As Christians we live and have our being ‘in Christ’ and we are being watched daily. Are we living with Wisdom instructing our behavior from the inside? Are we wisely mindful of the impression we impart? People in the world are not interested in truth, but they are very fascinated with results. The watchers are looking to see if the Christian life works. Why? Because they are frantically seeking some way to enjoy life with a refreshing — that lasts after the concert, the vacation, a new outfit, new car, or a windfall of more money. As Christians we will never need to force a grin to win. We do not need to pretend a thing! Christian joy is ever present even on hard days. Holy Spirit never departs and He does express His pleasure in our honesty. He is the health in the light of our refreshed countenance.

A graduate from seminary was humbled by the faith of others.  John Wesley had grown up in a home of faith. He worked hard to keep the law and feed the poor, however, based on his own understanding, he believed he was saved by his good efforts. Aboard a ship filled with Christians all headed to share the Gospel to the colonies, a terrible storm began violently tossing the entire vessel of passengers.  John was afraid but he witnessed others rejoicing and praising God as the waves washed over the deck. Their obvious trust in God pressed upon his soul with great conviction. John suddenly realized that he lacked the joy and faith they were demonstrating. He wrestled in misery as to why his trust in God was so weak by comparison. In this world today we still see miserable believers, and joy filled light bearing Christians. The way we come to know we are sinners, is not to compare our walk; it is when we comprehend the Father’s heart. Just because we do not lie, steal, murder, get drunk, envy, or covet does not make us free from sin. God’s 1st commandment is to “Love the Lord God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength. The 2nd command is to love thy neighbor as thyself.” Mark 12:30-31. The test is if we are loving God, and the unclean neighbor, and thyself? The truth that rattled John Wesley and the pharisee was when Paul preached; “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Do I seek God above all else? Do I enjoy the presence of God? If not, I fall short, and I have forsaken God for other things. We all need to obey the first command as we embrace Romans 3:28.

The way we rid ourselves of spiritual depression is by saying goodbye to who we once were. We once doubted that God could ever forgive people that sinned like that. We once were afraid that God could use someone like that. We once believed that we could earn God’s favor. We once thought we were superior to others based on our knowledge of scripture. We NOW humbly admit that we were wrong. We now accept that our old nature and thinking is washed in the blood and that all our sins are blotted out. We trust God entirely and agree with Jesus that, “It is finished!” We sing ‘My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust my sweetest frame, but wholly lean on  Jesus name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

A poor physical condition can open us up to self pity. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” Keeping that truth in mind, our physical health can impact our personal temperament. A famous  preacher, CH Spurgeon suffered bouts of spiritual sadness as the pain of acute gout plagued him until death. Tiredness, and constant pain impacts our body, mind, and spirit. Those with great faith are prone to experience an attack of spiritual depression. The Bible gives us many illustrations of this. Paul had a thorn in his side, he was beaten, bit by snakes, and shipwrecked 3 times. Elijah retreated with fear. David poured out his heart in the psalms as his life was in danger. Joseph was in a dark prison, wondering why his brothers left him to die.

John Wesley in 1738 wailed with joy as he came to embrace justification. John read scripture without fully understanding what Jesus accomplished for believers. He was preaching yet trying to find genuine happiness. John did not comprehend this verse. “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28 — Justified by faith means that believers can have a restored relationship with God simply through their faith in Jesus Christ, rather than relying on their own righteousness. The Truth stands firm on the importance of faith, grace, and the work of Christ in the life of every believer.

● The definition of Justification is a legal term that means to be declared righteous or acquitted of sin. It refers to God’s act of declaring a sinner to be righteous on account of their faith in Christ.

● Faith as the means of justification: The core BELIEF is that FAITH in Jesus Christ—His death and resurrection—is the means through which individuals RECEIVE righteousness. Romans 3:28 “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law”. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through FAITH, and that NOT of yourselves; it is the GIFT of GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. Hallelujah

●God’s grace gave us faith to believe that salvation and justification are gifts from God, not something that can be earned by human effort or good deeds. God’s unmerited favor includes justification.

1. The sacrificial death of Jesus is our blessed full payment or atonement for our sins. His willing sacrifice allows believers to be justified. Through His perfect blood sacrifice, believers are covered by His righteousness, thus fulfilling the law for divine justice.
2. Our imputated gift of righteousness is by grace alone. Christ’s righteousness is credited to the believer’s account. This means that, even though we may still sin, we are viewed as righteous in the eyes of God because of our FAITH in Christ.
3. While justification is a one-time act, it is accompanied by the life long process of sanctification. As a believer GROWS in FAITH and HOLINESS, we are fully sanctified in our gloried body when we are taken up to heaven. Justification is the starting point of the believer’s relationship with God, leading to a transformed life that gladly surrenders all to God.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981) was a prominent Welsh minister and medical doctor who became a leading figure in 20th-century Reformed Christianity.  David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was born on December 20, 1899, in Cardiff, Wales. He went to the University College of Cardiff, where he earned a degree in medicine. He went on to train as qualifying as a doctor in 1921. He worked as a physician and specialized in the respiratory system. He was called to ministry after experiencing a spiritual awakening during his medical career. He was influenced by the Welsh Revival. He left his medical practice in 1927 to pursue theological education. He studied at the International Presbyterian Church and the London School of Theology. Jones was ordained in 1927 and began his ministry in a small church in the town of Aberavon, Wales. In 1939, he became the minister of Westminster Chapel in London, where he would serve for over 30 years. He became known for addressing contemporary issues from a biblical perspective. He also wrote extensively, leaving behind a legacy of books and sermons. Notable works include: Spiritual Depression, and Preaching and Preachers. He was known for his critique of aspects of the ecumenical movement and sought to emphasize the authority of Scripture.