Full of God's Spirit

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 2: Full of God's Spirit

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.  Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'  When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there.  And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.  That is how it will be with this wicked generation. (Mt. 12:43-45)

            When we become Christians, or first deal with the spiritual aspect of our depression, we clean house.  It is essential for me to keep the "house" of my mind and heart filled with Jesus: his Spirit, his purpose, his thoughts and attitudes.  I have found that I can go for many months, even years without any major depression.  I start to think and act like I have been completely healed, and I lose my readiness to fight if the depression should return (which in my case it always has).  When Satan and his demons catch me off guard, I end up in a depression, frequently compounded by the sins of criticalness, bad attitudes, and harsh attacks against those who are closest to me.  I have ended up in depressions worse than those before becoming a disciple, because my guard was down and Satan had more desire to attack me and totally defeat me -- I am a child and fellow worker of his eternal enemy, the Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth.

            There are a few ways to fill yourself up with God’s Spirit, even when it seems extremely difficult (when you are physically depleted due to poor health or exhaustion, or when you feel the depression starting to descend).  One of my favorites is through music.  This is a biblical concept.  The Scriptures are filled with the call to praise God through music. 

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 5:20)

Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! (Ps 81:1)

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. (Ps 95:1)

I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. (Ps 13:6)

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. (Ps 63: 7)

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever. (Ps 89:1)

            However, there are times when it seems too difficult to make the music on our own.  King Saul was in a similar situation, after God had renounced him as king and sent an evil spirit to torment him.

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.  Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.  Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp.  He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better." (1Sa 16:14-16)

Most of us probably realize that David was the one brought to the palace to play for King Saul.  From David’s psalms recorded in the Bible, it is not difficult to assume that the songs he played for Saul were spiritual.  The combination of spiritual words and soothing music gave Saul some relief from the evil spirit.  When I listen to spiritual music, I also feel a bit of relief from the depression.  I feel more able to read God’s Word and to pray.  We are so blessed to live in an age where the opportunity to listen to spiritual music is at our fingertips.  Just put in a CD or pop in your ebuds and turn on your ipod and you can have an orchestra, choir, band, or soloist to fill your mind with things above. 

            The style of music you choose isn’t important, rather it is the message in the lyrics.  I cling to music that speaks of God’s love and forgiveness, which declare his praises, and proclaim the power of the cross.  The lyrics must be deep enough to deal with the demons attacking you.   

What are some of your favorite spiritual songs -- songs that can penetrate depression, anxiety, fear, bad news, or just a bad day?