Dealing with the Spirit of Heaviness (depression)

Derek Prince (1915-2003) was a Bible teacher with a Ph.D. in philosophy. He discovered that the more highly refined and cultivated a person’s mind is, the more vulnerable that person can be to the adversary. That is because the intellectual trusts his mind which can be used against him but the spiritual man has the mind of Christ to be guided by his thoughts and purposes. 

So in my random theological studies, I came across his testimony regarding how he overcame depression. His story began in the mid-1950s when God was a manifold blessing in his ministry. But almost day and night during this period of his life, he was surrounded by an awful sense of depression. It took the form of a dark, heavy cloud that would descend over him—pressing him down, closing in on him, and shutting him off from normal communication with other people including his family. Ironically, the more successful he became in his ministry, the worse the oppression grew. 

The Breakthrough 

The light at the end of the tunnel came forth when he partook in the words of Isaiah 61:3, “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness”. Suddenly, as he read those words—the spirit of heaviness—the Holy Spirit indicated to him, "That’s your problem. It’s not you. It’s not a mental or a psychological condition. It is a spirit—it is a person that hates you, that dogs you, that is unseen. It is a person without a body that has followed you even from boyhood. That person knows your weakness, to know exactly when and how to attack you most effectively. You are fighting a person, an unseen demonic person. It is the spirit of heaviness." In modern English, we call this the spirit of depression.

Set Free 

As led by the comforter, the solution to his problem came from a prayer derived from the amalgamation of Joel 2:32 and Isaiah 61:3. He called depression the spirit of heaviness and claimed God's promise. This was his prayer: “God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Your Word, I’m asking You to deliver me from this spirit of heaviness.” When he prayed that specific, scriptural prayer, he was delivered! The pressure was lifted!

Wearing the Helmet  

God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. Derek quickly realized that it is one thing to be delivered and another to stay delivered. So he had to learn how to protect his mind against thoughts of pessimism, morbidity, and depression. This would be made possible by always wearing the helmet of salvation. It is a helmet that ensures faith in God and hopes in Him and protects his mind against all the dark forces of pessimism and depression.

Breaking the Chains 

Throughout his ministry of delivering people from prolonged & serious depression, Derek concluded that almost every case was connected with involvement in the occult. That was true in his situation. Before he became a believer, his involvement in the occult had been quite extensive, particularly in the field of yoga. It took him years to see the connection between his involvement with yoga and the spirit of depression. If your depression or hopelessness is a demonic problem, then step number one is deliverance from the demon. Once that is dealt with, step number two is to begin a “retraining program”—to bring your thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ.