Acknowledging the spiritual roots of depression

by Jennifer Sum · Published 2018-12-10

The symptoms of depression are identifiable. Its spiritual roots, however, are not instantly evident. As the testimonies in this post will show, depression can be overcome through the surrender of ourselves to God in Jesus’ name and being filled with His Holy Spirit. But first, we need to know the truth that will set us free from depression for good.

Galatians 5:1,16-17,22-24 ESV For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery… But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Depression, symptoms of an afflicted soul

Feeling sad or lonely is not the same as having depression. Someone who is undergoing depression will show a number of prolonged symptoms:

Hopelessness and sadness for months or years
A sense of heaviness, emptiness, or “being stuck”
Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or irritability
Lack of energy or interest for life on a daily basis
Unexplainable fatigue, stomach disorders, aches and pains
Difficulty in remembering and staying on top of things
Insomnia or oversleeping
Thoughts about death or suicide

In essence, all these symptoms describe someone who is spiritually unwell. Our bodies are physically alive but our souls are suffering, slipping deeper and deeper into a cloud of darkness. The Bible describes how our souls feel heavy and lifeless.

Our souls are dragged down by negative thoughts | Lamentations 3:19-20 ESV Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.
Our souls will feel heavy and sorrowful | Mark 14:34 ESV And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death…”
Our souls struggle to feel peace and joy | Lamentations 3:17 ESV my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is;
Our souls’ bitterness affects us physically | Isaiah 38:15 ESV … I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

Sometimes, we may even be unaware that we are suffering from depression, having covered it up with things like workaholism, online addictions, chasing romance, or alcoholism. Or perhaps we have been clinically diagnosed and have become reliant on numbing anti-depressant drugs that put us in a trancelike, spiritually comatose state. None of these will help us overcome depression. They merely prolong our internal spiritual suffering.

A case of unacknowledged depression: C is an architect who enjoyed a successful career and marriage but felt unfulfilled and trapped. He was stuck in mild depression without realising it. This is his testimony of realising the root of his emotional stagnation and the need for God to show him that He is his perfect Father. Read his testimony here.

Good news for those who suffer from depression

People who are depressed often believe they are all alone and that no one understands or can help them, seemingly blind to God’s patient presence. It is impossible to be alone because God is everywhere. He has been with us during every minute of our lives, waiting patiently for us to acknowledge and cry out to Him.

Before we are tempted to question God and ask, “Why has God allowed me to be depressed? Why isn’t He helping me?”, let us be clear that it is not God who causes depression or gives us depression. He is the Source of life and does not take any joy in our dark spiritual condition.

He sent His Son, Jesus to give us an abundant spiritual life when we follow Him. It is the devil (thief) who kills and destroys us spiritually if we give him the chance to.

John 10:10 ESV The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Depressed people are not lost nor hopeless. They are simply unaware of the life-giving salvation that comes from turning away from being “just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.” It is our neglect and rejection of God that gives Satan, the devil, leeway to come unleash the power of spiritual death over us. Praise God that we simply need to turn away from the things that give Satan power to depress us and claim our victory in Jesus’ name. Then we can truly be “raised from the dead” along with Christ and be united with Him, overflowing with His hope, joy, and peace.

Ephesians 2:1-6 NLT Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 2:14-15 ESV Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

While such a change may seem like a miracle to some, let us remember that nothing is impossible for Christ.

Matthew 19:26 ESV But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Believers who have fallen into depression simply need to:

Learn biblical truths that will set them free | John 8:31-32 ESV So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Identify the sinful spiritual roots that give the devil an opportunity to depress and torment them | Ephesians 4:26 ESV … do not sin… and give no opportunity to the devil.
Repent of them in Jesus’ powerful name in order to break the chains to spiritual death and depression | Ezekiel 18:20 ESV The soul who sins shall die…
Submit their hearts and souls to God for restoration and renewal | Deuteronomy 30:1-3 ESV “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you… and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you,

Some spiritual roots of depression

God’s Word tells us to “put off our old self” and have our minds renewed through His Spirit. This is in essence, the act of repentance, which to turn around 180 degrees and walk in the opposite direction. Repentance says, “I submit myself to God, and turn away from (name of spiritual root) and cut all ties to it, as well as the people and the places related to it. I want nothing to do with this any longer and command all spirits from the devil related to this (name of spiritual root) to leave and to submit to Jesus, never to return to me. I humbly ask for God’s forgiveness, and ask the Holy Spirit to please cleanse me and give me new life in Jesus’ name.”

Ephesians 4:17-24 … you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

The spiritual roots of depression are diverse and varied. Briefly, here are just some to start with. For more, please refer to the links shown.

1. Blasphemy and false images of God

God is the source of all life. We cannot curse, judge, ridicule or mock our holy God and not expect to receive discipline and punishment for our insolence. Perhaps we were not told the truth about our all-powerful, all-loving and all-compassionate God and blindly followed the contemptuous ways of the world.

Leviticus 24:15 ESV … Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.

Thankfully, God will forgive us when we humbly repent from our hearts. This ought not to be merely an exercise of empty words though, but an act of sincerity from our hearts. We can’t fool God, He sees the true intentions of our hearts.

Please click the following for additional resources:

2. Idol worship and witchcraft

Satan has concocted many deceptions that look and sound “good” which only draw our heart away from God, our one true Source of perfect peace and healing. Every time we spurn God’s love, sovereignty, and power, and turn to other sources for influence, blessing, health, and knowledge, we invite spiritual curses on ourselves.

When we turn to fortune tellers, horoscopes, ancestor worship, worldly philosophies, faith and new age healers, or food or burnt offerings, just to name a few example, we are in fact, cavorting with evil spirits (demons). Thank God that in His mercy, He will forgive for turning to demonic counterfeits if we are genuine in our repentance. We should not give the devil any opportunity to steal our joy and peace through idol worship or witchcraft, no matter how enticing, seductive and persuasive the suggestions and temptations may be.

1 Corinthians 10:20 ESV No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.

Please click the following for additional resources:

A case of self-hatred due to witchcraft in the family: C is an architect who followed Jesus faithfully for 23 years, serving on mission trips all around the world – from South America to China and Cambodia. Here is her story of how she was finally delivered from a secret life of self-hatred and a habit of self-harm. Read her testimony here.

A case of insomnia due to new age oppression: C is a journalist and public figure who privately suffered from deep anxiety and insomnia. Here is her testimony of how Jesus forgave her for turning to new age and occult practices and set her free from fear. Praise God! Read her testimony here.

3. Self-curses, death wishes and ungodly self-beliefs

We are God’s creation. If we are to honour God, we must speak life, and not death, over His creation. Sometimes, we are unaware that we have pronounced “spiritual death sentences” on ourselves in the past by cursing ourselves, wishing to die and placing broken personal laws on our own souls. The Bible warns us that we will reap the consequences of our words. The more we speak words of death over ourselves, the more our souls will respond and be shrouded in darkness. Let us, therefore, choose life.

Proverbs 18:21 ESV Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

For whatever reason we may hate and condemn ourselves, we need to humbly repent for cursing God’s creation and ask for His help to be renewed and leave our past behind. Hard as it may feel, it is also important that we forgive ourselves. God is grieved when we keep ourselves chained to our own self-accusations. He does not want to accuse us, He wants to save us. Let us not love the lies that keep us in darkness.

John 3:17,19 ESV For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Please click the following for additional resources:

A case of mental illness due to ungodly self-beliefs: R is a teacher who was trapped into believing that there was something wrong with her. Here is her testimony of identifying the lies she had believed and being lovingly freed from bondage to a schizoaffective disorder by Jesus into His joy. Read her testimony here.

A case of hopelessness due to ungodly inner vows: S is a talented, enterprising and hard-working entrepreneur. Yet she was plagued by thoughts of failure and unworthiness. Here is her story of being set free from the lies that Satan has formed in her mind because of ungodly inner vows she had made about her own life. Read her testimony here.

4. Hatred, curses, and unforgiveness against others

God is love. Hatred comes from the devil. The Bible says that anyone who hates someone becomes a spiritual murderer and for that, we will not qualify for the abundant life that Jesus has promised. God’s Word warns us that if we do not forgive others, we too are not forgiven. This is how the devil gets an opportunity to come and rob us of our joy, peace, sleep, and health.

Forgiveness may feel as if we are being asked to give up on the justice that we seek, but in reality, it only frees us from the stranglehold that other people’s sins have on our souls. We can rest assured that everyone will receive their proper judgement from God for what they have done to us. God is a God of justice. Let us not fall for the temptation to reject God’s justice and take over His judgement seat. We can’t expect our souls to thrive when we make our desires more important than God.

Please click the following for additional resources:

1 John 3:14-15 ESV We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Matthew 7:1-2 ESV “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

A case of suffering spiritually for cursing a parent: E had been a Christian since childhood but never experienced the joy of the Lord until she discovered the root of her misery through prayer. Here is her testimony of finally experiencing God’s redeeming grace. Praise God! Read her testimony here.

5. Generational curses

Just as we share DNA biologically with our family and ancestors, we share a spiritual heritage – whether good (blessings) or bad (curses). If we inherit a heritage of spiritual curses, it is hard for our souls to thrive. It does not mean we are born with depression but the scales are tipped towards that direction until we renounce our generational curses in Jesus’ name.

To our human understanding, it seems hard to believe that our parents’ or ancestors’ choices will lead to spiritual blessings or curses on our generation. It even seems unfair. Just as mankind continues to suffer the consequences for Adam’s and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden, we will also collectively suffer as a result of poor choices made by our ancestors. When God created the first man and woman, He gave them the command to go multiply and fill the earth. We were meant to enjoy a multiplication of God’s blessings in our families for a thousand generations. Because of sin, we now have to put up with the very same multiplication effect of spiritual curses for three to four generations. God in His grace, has put a limit to our generational suffering.

Exodus 34:6-7 ESV The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Please click the following for additional resources:

A case of generational curses from idol worship: S is a financial planner who did not realise she had one foot in God’s kingdom and the other foot in Satan’s. Here is her testimony of turning away from an idolatrous family heritage and generational curses to be fully committed to Jesus Christ. Praise God! Read her testimony here.

A case of generational curses from murder: V is a successful director at an international bank, who had struggled to find joy in her relationship with her Heavenly Father. She was driven, independent and joyless at work. Here is her testimony of how Jesus removed her despair and healed her heart. Praise God! Read her testimony here.

6. Unhealed emotional wounds

Most medical specialists will recommend emotional regulation through counselling or drugs for depression. Whilst this is helpful in helping some people to cope for a while, it will not heal the entire person; mind, body, and soul.

Past emotional wounds are usually the point where we developed selfish desires and sinful coping behaviours, ranging from hatred, unforgiveness and death wishes to workaholism, alcoholism, and various other addictions. In order to be relieved of depression, we need to go back to the starting point of it all and begin the healing process there. Often, our deepest emotional wounds start with brokenness and mismatched hopes within our family relationships, particularly with our fathers and mothers.

In His great compassion for us, Jesus endured bouts of grief, depression and sorrow, and is able to fully empathise with our suffering and pain.

Luke 22:44 ESV And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Mark 14:34-35 ESV And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. …

Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We can safely go to Him and openly confess all our pain. There is nothing He does not already know. God has promised to heal our broken hearts and is more than willing to take up our emotional burdens. But first, we need to confess the sins that we have committed against God and against other people, so that these do not block us from receiving God’s blessings and healing.

Psalm 34:17-20 ESV When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

1 Peter 5:10 ESV And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

John 9:31 ESV We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.

Please click the following for additional resources:

A case of emotional suppression from years of rejection: E is a banker who suffered from deep subconscious fears in spite of having a blessed life. At times, he would be unable to speak and become mute. Here is his testimony of how the Holy Spirit helped him unlock the emotional and spiritual lies that the enemy had used to destroy his life. Praise God! Read his testimony here.

7. Debauchery and sins against our bodies

We are all alive because God has chosen to give us life. Our bodies are a gift from God. As believers, God makes us His priests and makes our bodies a temple of the Holy Spirit, so that we can shine His truth and light to this world.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

When we use our physical bodies for debauchery and worldly pleasures, however, we grieve the Holy Spirit and quench His presence. We cannot expect God to tolerate it when we desecrate the temple of His Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30-31 ESV And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

1 Corinthians 3:17 ESV If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

The more we indulge in short-lived carnal “pleasures”, the more the devil can gain power over us. Satan does not have the right to oppress or depress us, we just give him the power to do so through our ignorance and unconfessed sins. Let us ask God to restore the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, by repenting for each of our past debaucheries. We will find that the stronghold of depression will grow weaker and weaker, until eventually we are set free completely.

Galatians 5:19-23 ESV Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

A case of deepening depression from debauchery: K lived a life of debauchery, all in the search for acceptance and peace. Here is his testimony of repenting, turning his heart to God and experiencing his Heavenly Father’s deep love in very real ways. Praise God! Read his testimony here.

Good news for those with depression

We do not have to struggle with depression on our own. God loves us and wants to help us. But first, we need to know the truth that will set us free and be willing to humbly come before God repent of all our sins in Jesus’ name. No doctor, counselor, psychiatrist, drug or friend is more powerful than God Himself. He is kind, compassionate and loving.

John 8:32,36 ESV and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Jesus is the perfect Saviour for anyone who is struggling with depression. He is the good shepherd for all mankind who laid down His life for us so that we, like Him, can be resurrected a new life after we agree to “crucify” our old selves – together with our depression – to the cross.

Romans 15:13 ESV May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

John 10:11 ESV I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

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Acknowledging the spiritual roots of depression

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