Overcoming Depression

– Lesson One –
You will need a copy of the Bible to look up the book, the chapter and the verse given after each
question, and then look for the exact wording in the verse for the right answers. Please use the
wording from the verse for your answers as close as possible for your answer. It’s that easy!

Having a Significant Life Purpose!

We can have a significant life purpose, if we find out what God's life purpose is for us.
There is nothing more significant than knowing that the God, who created us, has a
special plan for our lives!

1. The Apostle Paul stated clearly that we live to fulfill the purpose of one person. Who is it?
1 Corinthians 8:5,6

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2. The Apostle Peter says that one aspect of God's purpose for everyone is that no one should
perish, but that all should come to what? 2 Peter 3:9

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3. God's Word also says that God wants what two more things for all people?
1 Timothy 2:4

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4. In Ephesians, chapter 2 verses 8-10, we see that this salvation is a gift of God. It is not by works
which we may have done to try to get it. But once it is received through faith, we are then "created in
Christ Jesus to do" what?

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This salvation is the main aspect of God's purpose for us. It must be our first step
before we can move towards fulfilling the rest of our life's purpose, and escaping
depression permanently. And the rest of that purpose is also very significant!

5. For what one goal should we Christians do everything? 1 Corinthians 10:31

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6. Jesus said the same thing when He said, that as light to the world, His disciples should do good
deeds so that men will do what? Matthew 5:16

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To bring glory and praise to God basically means to draw attention to the wonderful
aspects of His character, like His goodness and His love. And anyone who has been
saved by faith in Jesus Christ has God's Spirit in him to help him show forth this
character of goodness and love in his home, work, and community.

7. Jesus made this promise of the Spirit's help for us to fulfill God's purpose when He said that the
Spirit would be like what in the believer's heart?
John 7:37-39

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8. The Holy Scripture says that the fruit of this Spirit is what nine things? Galatians 5:22-23
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It only makes good sense that the good God who made us, knows why He made us,
and what He made us for! Like an artist by his paintings, like a baker by his
confectionery, like a composer by his music, God chooses to display His character of
goodness and love through us! This is certainly a very significant life purpose for us,
one that should keep us very busy and away from lasting feelings of depression.

But we must choose to accept this purpose God has for us by first accepting His gift of
salvation from sin. We show Him our acceptance of this salvation purpose by trusting
in Jesus Christ as the full payment for our sin. God sees that trust in our hearts and
then makes us His child. He gives us His Holy Spirit, and we are then helped to both
feel and display His love, joy, peace, etc. in our homes, our work, and our community!

Why not call out to Jesus today in prayer and tell Him you will accept His purpose for
your life to become His child through faith in His Son, Jesus, and also His purpose to
glorify Him by letting His love and goodness grow as fruit of His Spirit in your life?
 Overcoming Depression
- Lesson Two -
Having a Sense of Real Worth!
In Lesson One we found that our God-given purpose was first to be saved and then to
glorify Him in everything we do, especially showing love and goodness. In this lesson
we want to tackle depression by developing in ourselves a sense of real worth. Most
of us too often wrongly get our sense of worth from what others think of us or say
about us! But only God is always truthful, and what He says and the value He places
on us is what really matters.
1. According to St. John, God has a sacrificial love for whom? John 3:16

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2. God showed this sacrificial love for us even while we were still what? Romans 5:8

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3. And how many, has God said that He knows, have sinned and have fallen short of His glory?
Romans 3:23

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4. Without God's gift of everlasting life in Jesus, sin has made our life of no value except for what,
(what wages)? Romans 6:23

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Death is the direction that all depression heads for, and it brings the worth of our life to
nothing. But it is obvious from the previous verses that God has sacrificed, so that,
joined to His Son we can have great, everlasting worth. This comes through trusting in
Jesus, which is receiving His life into ours as a gift.

5. As many as receive Jesus by a heart commitment of trust in His name (i.e. His reputation as
Savior), He gives them the right to become what? John 1:12

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6. Who confirms in the believer's spirit that this believer in Jesus is now truly a child of God?
Roman 8:16

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7. Jesus not only calls those who trust and listen to him, "children of God", but also what?
John 10:28

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8. The Apostle Paul said that anyone who is in Jesus Christ is a what? 2 Corinthians 5:17

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9. The Apostle Peter states how valuable God views those who are joined to Christ using what four
titles for all believers? 1 Peter 2:7-9

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10. As one of God's chosen, no matter what comes our way, we can be more than what?
Romans 8:31-39

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It is true that, without Jesus' life in ours and God's forgiving acceptance of us, we are of
no lasting value to God and should rightfully be depressed! But when we realize that
God loved us so much, along with everyone else in this world, and that He sacrificed
His own Son for our sins, we can then begin to realize how valuable we are to God.

When we humbly accept that we are nothing without Him, and then accept Jesus as
Savior by a total commitment of trust, God places an everlasting and great value on us.
He makes us His child, a precious sheep in His fold, a citizen of His holy nation, a royal
priest, and much more. He makes each of us a victorious conqueror, in His time and in
His way, over anything life may throw at us, even depression!

Why not call out to God in prayer today and thank Him for placing such a value of love
on your life to pay for all or your sins through the death of His Son, Jesus on the cross?
 Overcoming Depression

- Lesson Three -

Having a Sure and a Lasting Hope!

When you are depressed, you can't seem to fix your mind on anything but your
circumstances and yourself. Everything seems hopeless. Not only do you need to see
a significant purpose for going on, and a renewed sense of your real worth, but you
need a sure hope to hang on to. Everything man does can fail. Only God can provide
a sure and lasting hope!
1. Before becoming Christians, people can be described as being without what two things?
Ephesians 2:12

without ______________ and without _______________________________________

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2. Especially when someone dies, those who are not in God's family grieve how?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

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3. Some people put their hope in uncertain things like what? 1 Timothy 6:17

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Faith is very similar to Hope. The only difference is that faith can be a trust in
something that is past, present, or future. Hope looks only to the future.

4. God's Word says that we should have what kind of faith in what we hope for? Hebrews 11:1

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5. God used what to encourage us that the hope we took hold of is as firm as an anchor for our soul?
Hebrews 6:17-20

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6. God wants us to make this hope sure for ourselves, by being diligent only to use what two things?
Hebrews 6:11-12

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7. What must take place first in our lives to bring us into this "living" hope? 1 Peter 1:3

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Once a person has experienced this new birth and has made their hope for the future
sure by having a certain trust in God's unchanging promises provided through His Son,
Jesus Christ, then they can face life's depressing trials with a new endurance!
8. How can hope be produced in the life of the believer in Jesus? Romans 5:1-5

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9. What else has God given us through which we can gain hope? Romans 15:4

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10. What two things can actually spring forth from a hope in the Lord? Colossians 1:5

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There are definitely people in this world who have no hope. Maybe in times of
depression we have felt the same way. The Scriptures have shown us clearly that God
wants us to have a sure hope and a certain faith. He has done all that is necessary for
us to have this kind of hope, by sending His Son to pay for an everlasting relationship
with Him in His family. All we have to do is make our hope certain by trusting only in
Jesus as our Lord and Savior. God sees that committed trust and gives us a new birth
into His family. He then uses the truths of the Scripture to encourage and comfort our
hearts through whatever life's trials we may face!

Why not call out to God in prayer today and tell Him you are going to have hope in His
promises as being true for you?