If You Only Knew Now What You’ll Know Then

You know those people who are always happy? I mean, they are truly, deeply content, and every time you see them you can’t help but wonder what their secret is? What is it that sets them apart?

Can I tell you what I’ve discovered?

It’s all in what they believe.

Belief. Such a small word. Such immense power. What you believe will shape your life, even without your awareness or approval.

A wrong belief is like black mold inside the walls of a house. You may be oblivious to its presence, but it’s there damaging the integrity of the structure, and poisoning the air inside.

In contrast, truth that has blossomed in the soul will produce the fruit of peace, joy, success, and health in your life.

Run Like Your Life Depends On It, Because It Does.

Let’s pretend that you were going to run in a marathon (it’s you in this example because I just would never. Go you!). Imagine that your future self came back in time and told you that you were going to come in first place and beat the record for best time.

I know it’s stupid, but go with me on this. If you knew those details about how things would end, is there any point in that race that you would give up? Would you even think about allowing fatigue, thirst, cramps, boredom, aches, or the discouragement of being passed by other racers cause you to quit running? Of course not!

Why not?

Because you know how the race ends!

Greater than any willpower is the power of belief. If you were running that same race without knowing the end result, your willpower may get you far, especially if you’ve conditioned yourself for endurance. However, there is still the possibility that something you didn’t expect could cause you to give up if you didn’t already know you would overcome it.

You, Me, and Depression Makes Three

So what does any of this have to do with you and I and depression and anxiety? Let me tell you.

It all began with our beliefs, and that is also where it will meet its end, because you and I get to CHOOSE what we believe. That’s right, beliefs can form without you even noticing, but they can also be chosen and intentionally nurtured. In fact, that’s how we are meant to operate.

Illness of any kind only exists when we deviate from our original design, which was to live as one with Christ. Christ IS love. He IS wholeness. He IS Truth. He IS Grace. He IS Life. He IS I AM.

Depression is none of that. Therefore, it cannot be a part of his plan for you and I.

I have been broken. Then I was made whole. In between was my faith marathon. I am here to tell you how getting revelation of how your story ends will solidify your path to freedom. Victory is yours the moment you believe what the Lord has already said about your finish-line.

You may not SEE your victory in the same moment that you believe you have it. You still have to run the race, but victory is as much yours in the moment that you determine it to be true as it is the moment you cross the finish line. Because nothing can talk you out of what you KNOW.

I know this to be true because I’ve lived it. What brought me success was first of all deciding to believe that success was an option. I could visualize it. If I had not first believed that freedom was possible I would never have experienced what it’s like to walk in it.

Early in my life, I had been told and I believed that I would always battle an eating disorder, and that chemical imbalance and medication would be a part of life that I would have to learn to cope with. What I found in in the word of God was something different. I would love to say that the lights turned on, angels voices sang from the heavens and I totally got it the first time I read it, but it was not the first time, mind you, or even the tenth time when the revelation came. I had been reading the Bible my whole life, and yet this scripture that I knew so well was not a deep revelation inside of me until I made the decision to let God's word be the final authority. It wasn't until I chose that I was going to believe what God said above all else that I read Isaiah 53 and it meant something to me.

It was only when I chose to agree with God, that the Holy Spirit was able to bring the word to life inside of me. The truth that Jesus Christ himself really did bare ALL of my infirmities on the cross finally clicked, I didn't have to carry this burden anymore. When I saw and believed for the first time that he really did put depression to death and rose to new life without it, that was when I knew that I could too. In fact, I am in Christ, therefore I have risen to new life with him.

The medical world may not have firm answers, but God has all wisdom, and he has laid out clearly in his word the problem and the solution.

Proverbs 13:12 says, “hope deferred makes the heart sick”

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.”

Hope and jealousy begin in the mind with what we allow ourselves to think about. If you are consistently jumping on a negative thought train you will build the negativity railway that will steer your life. Unhealthy minds cause a breakdown in our bodies. In the most nutshell kind of way, that’s how I define mental illness. Unhealthy thoughts that lead to an unhealthy mind which shows up as an unhealthy body (chemical imbalances, mental illness, brain damage, ulcers etc.).

Only when we take inventory of our thoughts and begin to abandon old thought-trains to build new railways will we begin to see a change in our mental and physical health. We can’t build new railways by accident. Thoughts have to be intentional.

If you are not aware of what you are thinking about, your thoughts will take you on a downward spiral every time. And if you are trusting your feelings to help you decide what’s true, you will meet rock bottom faster than you can say, “follow your heart”. That’s why it says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5,

“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

Whatcha Thinkin’ Bout

What are you thinking about?

When you’re using your maps app you have to first insert your current location and then your destination before you will be given the steps to get from point A to point B. It’s not enough to say that you want to arrive at freedom and total health, you have to know where you’re coming from. You have to locate that handy “YOU ARE HERE” pin?

So where are you? Somewhere between self-dislike and self-loathing? Maybe you think you’re totally trapped by your circumstances. Do you believe yourself to be the victim in your story? As you consider your thoughts, ask yourself, what voices do you allow to speak into your destiny?

Do your friends have the greatest influence? What are they saying to you? What about your family? Does the word of a doctor take priority over the word of your Creator?

It’s a process, but if we want God’s truth to be true in our lives then we have to make His word our final authority. There is only one path to total healing and freedom, and it requires total surrender. If God said it, we must choose to believe it, otherwise, we cannot experience what He so lovingly made a way for us to have.

Everything we need to know in order to walk in complete health can be found in God’s word. But there’s a difference between reading a verse and believing the truth contained within that verse. Like I said earlier, revelation didn’t come to me the first, second, or third time that I read a verse. That’s the marathon.

We have to invite the Holy Spirit into the process to teach us the words we read. He is the one that will make it clear to us and give us glimpses of our finish line. When we allow the Holy Spirit to be a part of our healing journey with scripture then he will plant a vision for the future in your soul.

Whatcha Talkin’ Bout

Next, after becoming aware of your thought life, and truly developing a belief that it can be changed, you have to do the ground work of changing it. That is done using the most powerful tool on your person. Your tongue.

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue”- Proverbs 18:21 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” -Matthew 12:37

Joshua 1:8 tells us, This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

The key to putting old mindsets to death and creating new positive pathways is to open your mouth and speak TRUTH. Not your version or Hollywood’s version, but THE truth. Whether or not you feel like it’s true in that moment is irrelevant. You don’t have to fake agreement or enjoyment, you just have to make a choice and exercise your self-discipline. Feelings will catch up later.

What are you CHOOSING to believe? If you want healing, you better quit speaking sickness. Find out what the word says about your healing, invite the Holy Spirit to bring revelation of it, then speak it, and speak it again, and again, and again. Like sparks to kindling, don’t quit until you have sparked a flame. Don’t let your tongue quit declaring until your soul is on fire, burning up every trace of unbelief.

When a negative, self-defeating thought arises, speak to it. For example, if you battle the thought,

“I’m an idiot, I can’t believe I thought I could do this.”

Declare out loud, “That’s not true, I don’t believe that. 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. I choose to believe that now. Philippians 4:13 says that I can do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens me. I choose to believe that as well. Thank you Jesus that you never leave me nor forsake me (Heb 13:5), and that you will finish the good work you’ve started in me (Phil 1:6).”

It’s this kind of meditation that literally builds new, healing pathways in your brain and causes the negative thought patterns and pathways in our brain to shrivel up and die. This is how we run our healing marathon. Run, and keep running. Read and keep reading. Speak and keep speaking. Pray and keep praying. Worship and keep worshipping.

You can walk in total freedom and health, without anxiety, depression, or mental illness of any kind. You can win this race, if you first believe, then you dare to speak. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a vision of yourself healed, whole, stable-minded, and joyful. Then meditate on it until you cross the finish line. In other words, read the word, speak the word, meditate on the word, expect the word,

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.” -Romans 8:11

P.S. If some or a lot of what you’ve read is new to you, or you’re not sure what to make of it, head over to my Books & Resources for some of the teaching resources that have taught me on my journey to live by faith.