THE KEY TO BREAKING DEPRESSION 🛡️ | Elijah & Mental Health (Part 5) John Giftah

0:01 Speaker 1: Do you ever look around and think, Wow, the world is a crazy place and it just seems to get crazier and crazier. Ease your mind and take a break. This is Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. We're a hub for inspirational Christian sermons, practical keys for Christian living, and Christian discussions and interviews. You'll be inspired to live the life that you were created for. Your host is a top ranking podcaster, best selling author, world record holder, aerospace engineer, life coach, evangelist and founder of John Gifta International.

0:41 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta.

0:46 Speaker 2: Hello everyone, Welcome to this edition of the Fuel for the Soul with John gift of podcast. All through this week, we are looking at various lessons we can take away from the life of Elijah from One King chapter nineteen, where he's dealing with a deep sense of depression, so that we can take away some practical lessons so that we can have the right mental health that God has intended for us. And I want you to stay tuned because I'm going to release a special episode with Rainie Jacob on this aspect in a deeper fashion, because that's going to help you live the kind of life that God has intended for each one of us.

1:19 Speaker 2: So one of the things I wanted to understand. When you think about Elijah when he's in this deep depression and he's in a cave right now, there's a moment where he's in a cave and he hears God. Yeah. So when you look at verse fourteen when he just heard the voice of God, God is asking him, what are you doing here, Elijah? And then Elijah gives one big, you know, pain builds message, saying, oh, I've been zealous for the Lord, God of Hosts because the sons of Israel abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword.

1:55 Speaker 2: I only I am left, and they're trying to take my life away. And verse fifteen onwards, the Lord speaks to Elijah and gives them the next assignment and goes on to say, I will I will leave seven thousands. However, so when he says that I'm the only one, God is saying, you know what, there are still seven thousand in Israel who have not bowed down to bail who's still on our side. They've not compromised okay, So I want you to understand something here. The next verse six, so Elijah departed from there and went ahead with the assignment.

2:34 Speaker 2: He had to meet with Elijah, and you know, and the story goes on. So I want you to understand something important here, right. The key to come out of that depression, to come out of the cave that you're in, to come out of the darkness that you're in, to come out is a moment where you may be in pain. You have been, you know, in a very desperate state. And the key at this point is for you to hear the voice of God. And as God gives you the next instruction, you start operating in it. You start moving ahead in it.

3:09 Speaker 2: And when you start doing what God has intended for you to do, when you start moving towards what God wants you to do, there is no more space for you to sit in the darkness that you were in. The minute he got his new assignment, he started going in that direction. All these thoughts of depression, these thoughts of oh, I don't want to live anymore, these thoughts of our fear have left Elijah completely. See. I remember this moment where there were two kids who came home many many years ago, and they were creating such a ruckus.

3:47 Speaker 2: You know, we had to keep telling don't touch this, don't climb there, Oh that's dangerous, don't drop that. We were getting so restless because they were so restless. We were like always on the tours, like, oh my gosh, be careful, and you know, things like that, to a point where my mom just brought two coloring note books with some color pencils and gave to the two kids. And after that we were at least they were at least they started coloring, and they forgot about all the destruction they were costing so long.

4:22 Speaker 2: See, I want you to understand the same way. Your mind has a certain element of energy to think proper thoughts, to think thoughts in accordance to the will and the world and the plan and purpose of God, to fulfill the purpose that God has for you. Or you could be entertaining negative thoughts, thoughts of depression, talks of defeat, thoughts of negativity, and I love your life to be in a very gloomy way. My question is like, Elijah, can you get to that place where maybe you were depressed, maybe God had to speak to you and comfort you and give you that word to say.

4:55 Speaker 2: Like when Elijah was feeling like, oh, I'm the only one, God had to tell him You're not the only one. There are seven thousand other people who are on our side. You're not the only one suffering in this. You're not the only one going through this. You're not the only one who went through this kind of negative experience. You are not the only one. Maybe that was the word that Elijah needed at that point that healed him, because right after that God tells him this is your next assignment. Go and what happens The minute he's busy doing that, he forgets about all that he just thought about.

5:31 Speaker 2: So long? Are you what I'm saying? You know, I wanted to just try this out. Okay, wherever you are now, close your eyes and don't think about a crocodile. Don't think about a crocodile. Don't think about a crocodile. All right, now, what came to your mind? I'm sure it was a crocodile. I told you don't think about a crocodile, but I'm sure you kept seeing a crocodile in your mind. Now, I want you to think about a cute little puppy, a cute little puppy that just runs around, wiggles with tale. Keep thinking, now, what did you think about the puppy right now?

6:17 Speaker 2: No, none of you thought about the crocodile, which I told you don't think about. See, your mind tends to focus on the thing that is the object of your statement. Like for example, when I said don't think about the crocodile again, your mind was still thinking about the crocodile. When I said think about the puppy, the mind was thinking about the object, which was the puppy. See what this is a principle I want you to understand. The minute your mind starts thinking about what God wants you to think about, what God wants you to focus on the assignment in front of you, you will not have the time or the mind to actually think about the negative thing.

6:59 Speaker 2: The minute Elijah's mind was filled with the new assignment, he forgot about what he just went through. This is a message for some of you. Maybe the reason why you are still not able to let go of the replaying in your mind about the negative things that are making you feel so gloomy is because you're constantly thinking about what you're not supposed to think about, even though you know you're not supposed to think about it, because it's still the object. Like the way I told you don't think about the crocodile, you keep on thinking about the crocodile because you keep in your mind like, oh, I should not think about this, I should not think about it.

7:38 Speaker 2: By that process, you end up thinking about it. But if you can focus on what you're supposed to think about, when you focus on fulfilling your purpose, focus on doing what God hasn't call you to do, focus on what is the assignment in front of you. What happens when you're doing the right thing, you will not be able to think about the wrong life. I want to pray in Jesus' name, like Elijah, you will experience the deliverance right now with the name of Jesus, that the Lord will speak to you in your place, wherever you are, that you will encounter the Lord.

8:16 Speaker 2: Instead of allowing the depression to make you go away from God, this depression will cause you to go towards the Lord. Instead of allowing this darkness and this gloominess to take control of your life. I pray that you will be drawn closer to God to a point where you can hear the voice of God, where you will be able to discern his voice, and the Lord will speak to you, minister to you, heal you, comfort you, because he said in his word, he sent his rama word and he healed. He will send his word and he will heal this spoken word.

8:51 Speaker 2: And what happens once he's healing you and restoring you. What happens, He's going to give you the next assignment for you to go focus on. And when you are so focused on your next assignment, when you are pressing forward like the apostle word to what is ahead of you, not looking at what was behind you, what happens you will be able to move forward into the next level of the destiny that God has in store for you. I really challenge you to leave a comment and share this with someone and I will see you back with you soon.

9:22 Speaker 2: God bless you.

9:23 Speaker 1: You've been listening to Fuel for the Soul with John GIFTA We hope you were blessed and inspired to live the life that God has for you. Make sure to subscribe to the John Gift YouTube channel for regular uploads of sermons, skits, interviews, and more. Follow John Gifta on Instagram for regular inspirational posts, and don't forget to check out the best selling books written by John Gifta, Who Am I which will help you understand your identity and the latest number one best seller Unveil your Purpose, helping you discover your purpose and to start walking in it.

9:58 Speaker 1: Make sure to leave our rating and re and be sure to share it with your friends and loved ones. If you'd like to donate, you can find the PayPal link in the description. And if you'd like to invite John Gifta to speak at your event or to get more details, go to the website at www dotjongifted dot com. See you on the next episode of The Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. God bless you