Ray Edwards Show

As we begin a new year, it's popular for many bloggers and podcasters to make “predictions” about the new year. I prefer not making predictions (unless I feel inspired to do so), but I will point out 7 crucial trends to watch for in 2015. I believe these trends represent some fundamental shifts in the way business […]

Have you ever suffered from depression or anxiety? Depression is a major problem in the world today. By the year 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression will be the number two cause of "lost years of healthy life" worldwide.

This time of year feelings of depression are common. Most people suffer in silence. And in this episode I will share my own battle with depression, and give you my recipe for defeating this debilitating and deadly disease.

Tip of the Week:

Moodtracker. Enter daily a choice of three moods and have the option to input notes as well.

You can see a twoweek calendar view from the main page, or a full month view calendar from the Calendar view.

Also, export your notes to email so you can bring in your notes to your next doctor's visit or keep for your reference.

Spiritual Foundations: Depression Is Always a Spiritual Battle

Depression is always a spiritual matter at the root – but don't let condemnation creep in.

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.
Proverbs 25:28

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12

1. Decide to use the opportunity to glorify God.
2. The deeper your depression, the more expressive your worship should be.
3. Read the Psalms until you hear your voice – then camp there for a while.

Feature Presentation: How To Overcome Depression

Depression is a major problem in the world today.

• By the year 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression will be the number two cause of "lost years of healthy life" worldwide.
• Of the estimated 17.5 million Americans who are affected by some form of depression, 9.2 million have major or clinical depression.
• Two-thirds of people suffering from depression do not seek necessary treatment.
• 80% of all people with clinical depression who have received treatment significantly improve their lives.
• The economic cost of depression is estimated at $30.4 billion a year but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated.
• Women experience depression about twice as often as men.

People who are not depressed don't commit suicide.

I've battled depression myself, and I know it is not an easy thing to deal with. I have tried just about every solution available to fight depression. I feel it is important to resist this force, which is more than a mere "feeling" – it is an enemy that will devour your life and the lives of those around you.

But there is hope. And I'm going to share my own battle plan and recipe for overcoming depression.

First Things First: Does God Want Me To Be Depressed?

First and foremost, let me state very clearly: I don't think depression or anxiety are ever from the Lord. Ever. End of discussion.

God can and does use bad things and turns them ultimately to our good-but that is his work in redeeming an imperfect creation from the curse mankind placed it under. It is not him abusing his children in order to "teach them something".

The theology here is very deep:

Good things come from God.

Bad things come from Satan.

Children understand this. It takes adults make it complicated.

Ray's 9-Step Anti-Depression Recipe

1. Prayer daily, as a conversation with God.
2. Practice the awareness of God's Presence.
3. Journaling daily (I use Day One, and a template of questions that I answer each day. I store the template as a TextExpander snippet).
4. Read 5 Psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs daily (in addition to normal Bible reading/study)
5. Vigorous Exercise 6 days per week (while listening to powerful, positive UPBEAT worship music – ie, no "I've written an ode to my problems" type songs)
6. Daily declarations (speaking out loud the promises of the word, see the book above)
7. Paleo Diet to regulate blood sugar and neurochemistry
8. Supplementation (especially Vitamin D and B-Complex)
9. Tracking mood daily (use MoodTracker App)

Additional Resources For Battling Depression

Here is a list of resources that have been very useful to me.

• I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life – Joel Osteen
• Declarations: Unlocking Your Future – Steve Backlund
• Strengthen Yourself In The Lord – Bill Johnson
• The Power of Right Believing – Joseph Prince
• Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device

Final Thoughts On Overcoming Depression

No discussion of this topic would be complete without mentioning antidepressant medications.

As a last resort, I can tell you that antidepressant medications can be useful.

But I strongly believe this is only after you have exhausted every other possible answer. There are peer-reviewed, controlled studies that demonstrate vigorous exercise is just as effective as antidepressants in most patients.

The possible exception to this rule is that you may have an actual physiological problem in your brain.

In my case, because I was been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, I have empirical evidence that my neurological systems are flawed. Specifically, the production and delivery of dopamine, which controls movement, is at the root of most Parkinson's symptoms. It just so happens that dopamine also controls mood. Thus, there may be more of a direct physiological element in my individual case. But even this is in dispute amongst experts.

I have taken anti-depressants, under the close supervision of a medical professional. So if you need to do this, please do not accept any shame or condemnation for doing so.

God always does the healing, whether through the laying on of hands by a believer… or the laying on of hands by a doctor. Or the blessing of intellect that allows the creation of medicines that heal.

The Role Of Psychology and Psychiatry In Treating Depression

If you seek counseling of any kind, I strongly recommend working with a Christian counselor, and finding one who does not have some perverse "theology of suffering". Unless you want to suffer and believe it is "for a reason".

I have in the past sought out professional help with depression. Even when I went to see a medical professional, I sought one who was a believer, because the baseline theological premises one begins with influence the final practical outcome conclusions one forms. Even in medicine.

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: Have you ever struggled with feelings of depression?  Click here to leave your comments.

Have you ever suffered from depression or anxiety? Depression is a major problem in the world today. By the year 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression will be the number two cause of “lost years of healthy life” worldwide. This time of year feelings of depression are common. Most people suffer in silence. […]

We often treat the future as if it's a mystery. As if we don't have a say in it, or any control if it. And while there is some truth  in that, there is a deeper truth also.

We get to choose how we see the future, and the choice we make has a profound influence over the outcome we experience. This episode shows you 5 powerful ways to see the road ahead.

 

 

Tip of the Week:

I may have finally found an app to replace Cardmunch – the iPhone app I previously used to process business cards I received at conferences. The new app is called Card Reader, and it's made by Full Contact. The maker claims is "the easiest way to scan business cards into Google Contacts, iPhone Contacts, & 250+ other apps." The advantage Card Reader has over other card scanners is simple, and powerful: the business cards you scan into it are transcribed by real live humans, not by an OCR algorithm.

If you'd like to be the one-in-a-million who actually does something with all those business cards you collect, give Card Reader a try.

Plus, Full Contact will unify, synch, and keep up-to-date all the contacts in your Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Contacts.

Spiritual Foundations: Grace Is Not A Doctrine

"Grace", to most Christians, is a doctrine. A part of the overall gospel of Jesus Christ. But that's not the case. Grace is not a "doctrine" or a "part of" the gospel. It is the gospel itself, in its entirety.

For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

We tell new Christians they " are saved by grace through faith". That salvation is a "free gift". Then, once they have nought our sales pitch, we begin telling them how they have to "clean up their act".

But performance-based Christianity is a modern invention, not a biblical principle.

We don't "behave our way" into to the life of the Spirit. Many churches teach that we must stop serving the "desires of the flesh" so that we can then walk more by the Spirit… but the Bible says the exact opposite.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18

When we walk by the Spirit, we will naturally be freed from the power of sin.

How then, do we "walk by the Spirit"? Here are some good ways to start:

1. By becoming Christ-conscious instead of sin-conscious.
2. Read the Scripture and look for Christ and His grace.
3. Recalling, meditating on, and speaking out loud the testimony of what He has done.
4. Talk to God, and listen what He says to you (through His word, other people, "coincidences", the "still small voice", a sense of his presence., etc.)
5. Listen to and soak up anointed teaching, preaching, and worship music.

Doing these things will help you walk by the Spirit… and your transformed behavior will flow from you naturally.

Feature Presentation: 5 Powerful Ways To See The Road Ahead

Here are 5 powerful ways to see the road ahead – transforming your thinking, and conforming it to these frameworks, can have a powerful impact on the future you actually experience.

1. Possible. Don't allow your thoughts to rehearse all the possible ways things might go wrong. Instead, meditate n great detail on exactly how things could go right.
2. Provident. Remember that the Universe is the creation of a benevolent God who wants only the best for you. and even when chaos intervenes and things go wrong, it can ultimately work in your favor (Romans 8:28).
3. Peaceful. Peace has very little to do with what is happening around us, and everything to do with what is happening within us.
4. Powerful. The agency in your life belongs to you. You are a "powerful person" – meaning you are not a victim of circumstances, bad luck, or other people's poor choices.
5. Prepared. God has prepared a specific, beneficial, fulfilling destiny for you, and you must remember this, even when you feel you can't see it. Even if you don't fancy yourself a believer, I have a suggestion. Believe your future has been prepared for you anyway. Which belief will allow you to proceed with more confidence, clarity, and control: the belief that life is a random game of chance with no rhyme or reason… or the belief that a force greater than you is looking out for you, and constantly adjusting the odds in your favor? Which believe will make you more calm, proactive, flexible, and give you access to your own personal levels of highest performance?

 

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: What are you looking forward to in 2015? How will you use these 5 ways of seeing the road ahead to empower your journey?  Click here to leave your comments.

We often treat the future as if it's a mystery. As if we don't have a say in it, or any control if it. And while there is some truth  in that, there is a deeper truth also. We get to choose how we see the future, and the choice we make has a profound […]

This is a special episode where I'm taking the time to answer a ton of questions from listeners and readers. I really enjoy these kinds of shows, and this one is no exception.

By the way, I am looking for success stories to start sharing on every episode. If you have a success story to share, click here and record it using Speakpipe. Keep your success story short and powerful (2 minutes or less is best). We're looking for ways you've  been blessed by this show, whether is was financially, in your business or work, spiritually, or miraculous healing or provision!

Tip of the Week:

Michael Hyatt has just released his brand new course, called 5 Years To Your Best Year Ever. If you want to set goals that you actually achieve, and make resolutions that really stick… this course is the way to do it. I did last year's version, and got some astonishing results. For instance, my family paid off $103,012  in debt, and I personally lost 35.2 pounds of fat!

I'm excited to participate in this year's version of the course. I'm asking my personal Mastermind, the Regency Group, to invest in the course so we can all go through it together.

I want you to get the benefit of this course, too. Right now you can get it at the Early Bird Discount price. Don't wait – do it now, get access to the entire course, and start crafting the plan for your best year ever.

Please keep in mind, I'm a paid affiliate for this program and earn a commission if you purchase through this link. This does not affect your price. However…

If it makes you uncomfortable that I receive a commission, and you wonder about my motivations, then purchase through the link that will deny me any commission. Use that link, and I won't make a dime. I want you to benefit from this course regardless of whether I make any money.

Spiritual Foundations: The Peculiar Problem Of Doubt

Doubt is something most believers struggle with. There was the man who lacked belief, who said to Jesus, "I believe. Help my unbelief."

Thomas doubted the resurrected Christ was real until he could press his fingers in the nail-holes left by the Lords ttorturouscrucifixion.

Peter had a clue, when he said to Jesus across the raging storm at sea, "Lord if it is you, call me to come to you."

And because of that request, Pete walked on the water.

There are 3 steps that will help us banish the peculiar problem of doubt:

1. Acknowledge it when it is real, but refuse to feed it.
2. Like Thomas, prove the truth to ourselves. The best way is the testimony.
3. Like Peter, ask Jesus to give us faith for the impossible, and then be crazy enough to brave the waves!

Feature Presentation: Ask Me Anything

In this episode I answer a bunch of listener questions!

Next Week:  "The Road Ahead" Episode

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: Have you ever struggled with doubt? How did you overcome it? Click here to leave your comments.

This is a special episode where I'm taking the time to answer a ton of questions from listeners and readers. I really enjoy these kinds of shows, and this one is no exception. By the way, I am looking for success stories to start sharing on every episode. If you have a success story to […]

It's the time of year when we all start to think about making resolutions and setting goals for the new year… and we're either happy about it, or cynical.

This week Michael Hyatt is my guest, and he offers a fresh perspective on setting goals. By the way, if you haven't seen the fabulous free video training Michael is giving away on how to make 2015 "your best year ever", click here right now and get access to those videos!

Tip of the Week:

Blinkist is a great little app that lets you access concise book summaries on your iPhone or iPad.

Want to mentor with me in 2015? Click here to register for a pre-application Webinar Monday, December 8, at 7pm Eastern.

Spiritual Foundations: The God of Our Goals

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.."
Proverbs 16:3

As we set goals for the coming year, it's important to include God in the process, for these 3 reasons:

1. Calling
2. Character
3. Charisma

When our Calling, Character, and Charisma are activated by the presence of God, our plans will be established indeed!

Feature Presentation: Michael Hyatt on Goal Setting and Your Best Year Ever

This is a spectacular interview with Michael Hyatt on how to set goals for the new year (or any time).

NOTE: enroll in Michael's course by clicking this link to get into the accountability group I mentioned in the episode.

Next Week:  The "Ask Me Anything" Episode

Get The Transcript

Click here for the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: How will you apply the power of copywriting in your business or career? Click here to leave your comments.

It's the time of year when we all start to think about making resolutions and setting goals for the new year… and we're either happy about it, or cynical. This week Michael Hyatt is my guest, and he offers a fresh perspective on setting goals. By the way, if you haven't seen the fabulous free video […]

Some people think "copywriting" – the art and science of writing sales copy – is dead and gone. Killed by social media.

The truth is copywriting is alive and well. and more important than ever to you and your business. You must master this.

Tip of the Week:

For a long time, I stopped taking handwritten notes. I found it tedious, and I found I seldom referred to them again. Plus I was so worried about catching every little detail, just taking t he notes was a stressful experience. Then I discovered Sketchnotes. Now I look forward to taking notes. I highly recommend you try this, even if you think you can't draw. Get the book, and check out the website of Mike Rohde. He's the leader of the Sketchnotes movement. He did the illustrations for REWORK. You can watch a video demo of this "Sketchnoting" thing in action here. Have fun.

Spiritual Foundations: Grace For Each Day

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Matthew 6:34

The Israelites were in the desert, and God provided food for them each morning called manna.

God commanded them to collect only enough for that day – if they took more, or kept any, the next day it was filled with worms and it stank.

The manna in the Old Testament is a picture of God's grace, and he was showing us that He gives you enough grace for today, and you can't try and save it up for tomorrow.

And that's okay, because there will always be a new supply of fresh grace every day.

Worrying about what you will do tomorrow, being afraid and anxious, ruins today and doesn't help tomorrow in the least.

Rest in the fact that God is trustworthy, and keeps his word.

Rest in the new grace God has given you today. And remember… it's always today.

Feature Presentation: 3 Reasons Why You Must Master Copywriting

There are 3 reasons why you must master the art and science of copywriting, no matter what your business or job.

1. Human psychology does not change.
2. Sales copy may look different, but it still works the same.
3. Sales copy allows you to create money-generating assets out of thin air.

Next Week:  The "Ask Me Anything" Episode

Get The Transcript

Click here to get the transcript. Transcripts provided by SuccessTranscripts – a great solution if you need your podcast, sermon, speech, or other audio transcribed.

Question: How will you apply the power of copywriting in your business or career? Click here to leave your comments.