Category Archives: African-American

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,  or so it seems, I was a painting contractor. What a collection of motley Christians we were. Oh my!

One of my painters was a gifted musician and worship leader. He could play his guitar like Charlie Daniels and hit the high notes on a trumpet just like Louis Armstrong. And when he played, the presence of the Holy Spirit would fall on a group.

But he had one problem: depression.

Every morning, he would fail to show up for work. I would jump in my truck, drive to his apartment, and bang my fist on his door. He would mumble, “I’m too depressed to work today. Leave me alone, okay?”

I would bang louder on the door; and eventually, he would open the door. I would barge into the room and kick the door shut. He would stand there in his jockey shorts, wrapped in a sheet, and his face would look like a puppy which had been kicked in by a bully.

Then, I would say, “In the name of Jesus, I command that unclean spirit to go from you, now!”

His face would instantly change; a smile would appear. He would give me a hug and say, “Thanks brother.” Then, he would get ready and go to work.

This happened every morning. It was one of my regular routines.

Now understand this, the young man had problems. At one time, he and his wife were Christian singers, headed for the big time, but their marriage fell apart. Another man. Ugly divorce. Hurting children. No money. Big debts. Loss of ministry. Etc.

But his biggest problem was not the depression – after all it was only a demon – but rather,  it was that he never took the time to build up his inner man with prayer and studying the Bible. How sad!

So, if the 2008 election has depressed you, consider this: Spend time in prayer. Study your Bible. Then, open your mouth and say, “Spirit of depression, I command you to go in Jesus’ name.”

The depression will go.