Dr. Shannan Crawford teaches us how to feel better when you are down and feeling defeated. Please watch and learn.
We have all been there. We are either currently about to enter a valley, already in a valley, or walking out of a valley. It just happens. How you deal with being in the valley will determine how long you will be there. This is not a new issue for humankind. Today let’s talk about how to feel better when are down and feeling defeated and overwhelmed.
Our topics today are:
- How to Feel Better When You are Down
- When You are Feeling Down or Defeated there is Hope for You
- You Can Trust God When Life Gets You Down
- 3 Ways to be Positive When Life Has you Down
When You are Feeling Down or Defeated There is Hope for You
God doesn’t look at problems like we do, but he always will help you. What are you fighting against, what obstacles are holding you back, keeping you broken? Without momentum you can’t move forward, you can’t last. God will help you, but you have to let him take charge of the situation. That is a very hard thing for us to do, especially in this self-serving “take care of me” world we are living in. Just because the world acts that way, it doesn’t mean we need to follow suite and wallow at our losses, shortcoming, etc. We can learn how to feel better when are down and feeling defeated and overwhelmed.
God wants to teach us and move us! He wants to teach you how to feel better when you are down. Let’s take a look at how God helped King David in his fight with the Philistines. This takes place after God promises to deliver the Philistines into the hands of David.
You Can Trust God when Life Gets You Down
Later there was a repeat performance. The Philistines came up again and deployed their troops in the Rephaim Valley. David again prayed to God. This time God said, “Don’t attack them head-on. Instead, circle around behind them and ambush them from the grove of sacred trees. When you hear the sound of shuffling in the trees, get ready to move out. It’s a signal that God is going ahead of you to smash the Philistine camp.” David did exactly what God told him. He routed the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. 2 Samuel 5:22-25
Once more David is fighting the Philistines. David gave himself and his army to God, and God gave him the victory. He will do the same for you if you will ask him and trust him to do it.
3 Ways to be Positive When Life Has you Down
1. Spiritual Momentum
The only way to move forward (and be successful) is to use momentum. Momentum is the opportunity to break one a new level. How do we get spiritual momentum?
And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. Matthew 11:12 NLT
We all go through valleys and times of feeling down and defeated.
Bad times, bad feelings, covid, loss of a job. But when we are in that valley, God is still with us, right by our side. He says he would never leave us or forsake us (over 25 times in both the Old and New Testament). So, why we are in the valley, God is with us and we can learn how to take advantage of the valley. Satan will attack even more when I am in the valley. “You are no good, you can’t do this, you should quit, you should leave, you will never be successful at that.”
This is the time and the place that you need to ready yourself because God is with you. He knows ALL of Satan’s maneuvers and schemes. Opposition is an indication that God is about to do something in my life. Opposition in the valley is taking it to another level. While you may have ended up here by bad decisions or by some outside force, you are in the valley. God does not cause everything, but he will not leave you alone. It’s ok to be in the valley, but we don’t want to stay there. Don’t stay discouraged, don’t stay depressed, don’t stay hurt. Practice these methods about how to feel better when are down and feeling defeated and overwhelmed.
When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT
2. Learn to Listen for the Sound
God wants me to walk through the weeping, the bad feelings, the hurts and then wait and listen for God. God has a message for you during this time, or he is about to do something for/to you to get out of where you are.
You can’t have a miracle without a problem, you can’t have healing without being sick. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5 NKJV
God knows where you are all at all times, like the “find my phone” app. Spiritually, Physically, mentally, he knows where you are. He sees what Satan is doing and is waiting on you to call on him. We are either moving closer to God or going away from him.
3. Move through the Valley
Learn to advance quickly, God doesn’t want you in the valley, it is not a place to stay. Don’t fight your own battles, let God do his work, it’s my move but it’s Gods fight. I make the move, then I get out of the way and let God move me. It will not work any-other-way. If I’m going to get spiritual power I’m going to have to advance, I can’t advance if I don’t let God lead me.
Every valley is an opportunity for God to show up, God is trying to move us to greater levels of momentum so that we get closer to him as we go through these valleys. The more momentum we possess, the easier it gets.
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs.
Psalms 84:6 NLT
God will turn the valley of bitterness to a valley of Springs. Give us beauty for ashes. The verse below is why God wants us out of the valley, to bring hope and healing through him.
The Spirit of the Lord [a]God is upon me, Because the Lord anointed me to bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So, they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3 NASB
How to get out of the broken state you are in? Ask God, wait, listen, and do what he tells you to do. He wants you back, smiling, happy and leaning on him!
