There is the story of a Jewish orphan girl in the bible. Her name is Esther, which means, “star, dazzling or brilliant one” and her other name was Hadassah, which means, “hidden”. Her cousin, Mordecai, brought her up and she was lovely in form and features. At that time, the king of Persia was in search for a new queen after his wife was deposed.

Many girls were brought to the palace and Esther was one of them. They were all entrusted into the care of a man called Hegai, one of the king’s officials. It was Hegai’s duty to find the best girl for the king. The custom was for all the girls to go through the process of beauty treatments for twelve months; six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics.

Out of all the girls, Esther pleased Hegai and she won his favour. “Immediately, he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem”. Esther 2:9.

During the process of the beauty treatments, Esther asked for nothing other than that which Hegai suggested. She was very focussed and underwent all the beauty treatments systematically. She did not go ahead of Hegai but listened carefully to all his instructions. And she won the favour of everyone who saw her.

When the time came for all the girls to be taken to the king, he was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women. So the king set up a royal crown on Esther and made her Queen. She was later used, by God, to deliver her people, the Jews, from annihilation.

We can all learn a few lessons from the way Esther conducted herself. If you want to enjoy God’s divine favour, take the necessary time to prepare yourself for His work. But it is very important for you to submit to God’s way, in the preparation. Do not go ahead of Him as He has called you; so He knows exactly what to do in the preparation. There are no short cuts in God’s way; it is all or nothing.

There is a price to pay during your “spiritual make-up” and this includes study, planned preparation and discipline. God will greatly reward you if you are prepared to pay this price. As Esther sought the approval of only one man, the king, so we must only seek the approval of our  God, who is the KING of kings and the LORD of lords. Seeking the approval of man is out of the question because man did not call you; the Almighty God called you. So, all eyes should be on Him and you need to carry out all His instructions, to the letter.

Once you have allowed God to perform your “spiritual make-up”, you will be able to carry out the work He called you to do. And only His opinion matters at the end of the day; man’s opinion does not count. Remember that before you were born, God has already set you apart to do His work. You were born with a plan and a set of divine instructions.

Child of God, if you listen carefully to the Lord and you do not step out ahead of Him, He will definitely reveal His great plan to you. You will enjoy His divine favour always. I encourage you to focus on God and do not look left or right for answers. Only our God has got all the answers and The Holy Spirit will empower, direct, and enable you to carry out His work, to the glory of our Lord.   PEACE

PRAYER OF SALVATION

If you have not already committed your life to Jesus and you would like to do so now, please pray this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I am sorry for all the things I have done wrong. Thank you for dying for me on the cross, to set me free from my sins. I ask you to come into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour, and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.”

Congratulations, if you have prayed this prayer. Please look for a Bible-believing church, to fellowship with the brethren. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if I can be of any assistance to you. Remain blessed and enjoy the presence of the Lord.

Ronke Immanuel

THM(UK)

Child of God, I come to tell you that there is a way forward and that way is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He says in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me”. If Jesus is the way, then depression will not be your portion. He will always show you the way out of any situation that may cause depression in your life.

Jesus can help you, as He is your present help in every situation. He can help you conquer depression, with His mighty power. Depression is a weapon of the enemy and the Word of God says, “no weapon forged against you will prevail and you will refute every tongue that accuses you”. Isaiah 54:17a.

Now that you know what the Word says, try and deal with whatever discourages you, as soon as possible, using His powerful Word. The Word of God is immutable, it is like fire and also like a hammer that shatters a rock into pieces. By confessing the Word, any depressive spirit will be uprooted from you. Application of the Word sets you free and you will be free indeed.

Do not be unaware of the devices of the devil because he has only one agenda. That agenda is “to steal and kill and destroy” John 10:10a. But Jesus came so that you may have life and have it to the full. He wants you to enjoy abundant spiritual life and have everlasting joy. God does not want you to be sorrowful and depressed; this is not His plan for you.

He has got good plans for a hope and a good future for you; and you will finish well, in Jesus’ matchless Name. Joy unspeakable will invade your life and it will spill over to everything you do. You will rejoice in the Lord always and give Him thanks for His faithfulness.

Depression causes anxiety but God is telling you, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God”. Philippians 4:6. Cast all your anxiety onto Him and He will guard your heart and mind, in Christ Jesus.

A segment of the fruit of the Spirit is joy and I encourage you to crave this joy, as it will give you strength. The joy of the Lord will fight depression, and as you continue to focus on God, depression will not take hold of you. The bible says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine powers to demolish strongholds”.2 Cor. 10:4

Child of God, I encourage you to refocus your mind from any depressive state to the Word of God. Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. I pray that the Lord will give you grace to shake off any depressive spirit that is trying to take hold of you, in Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen. ENJOY THE PEACE OF THE LORD.

PRAYER OF SALVATION

If you have not already committed your life to Jesus and you would like to do so now, please pray this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I am sorry for all the things I have done wrong. Thank you for dying for me on the cross, to set me free from my sins. I ask you to come into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour, and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.”

Congratulations, if you have prayed this prayer. Please look for a Bible-believing church, to fellowship with the brethren. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if I can be of any assistance to you. Remain blessed and enjoy the presence of the Lord.

Ronke Immanuel

THM(UK)