Being in a funk

By Jill Kruger Wagner

I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets into those moods when I’m just unhappy for no apparent reason. I don’t want to do anything, nothing brings me joy, and I just feel restless. In my younger days we used to call in being in a funk.

Why do I let my feelings dictate my course of action? They can be oh so domineering and frustrating yet I don’t fight them, instead I give into them. I don’t think that’s how Jesus wants me to handle them.

A reading of the New Testament shows us that Jesus believed that evil spirits existed. Could there be a “funky” spirit? Or perhaps it’s just spirits of restlessness, discontentment, and depression. At one point Jesus said, “what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). So one day I decided I would ask God to bind the spirit of restlessness and loose peace, bind the spirit of discontentment and loose contentment, and bind the spirit of depression and loose hope in the Name of Jesus. I felt better. So I thought, “this is a spiritual problem, therefore I must use spiritual methods to overcome it.”

So I took out my Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God – The Bible and I went to battle against my funk.I repeated Scriptures out loud like “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him” Psalm 62:5. I reminded myself that “the battle is the Lord’s” 2 Chronicles 20:15 and “the Lord is invincible in battle” Psalm 24:8. Jesus told me to “take on his yoke and learn from Him and I’d find rest for my soul” Matthew 11:28-29. Hearing the Word encouraged me.

The Bible also says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” James 4:7. I wasn’t sure it was the devil but I did feel like those feelings might be evil spirits – they were dark moods so I pictured in my mind what I was feeling and called it out. I said something like: “In the name of Jesus I resist you spirit of restlessness – the Word promises me peace. In the name of Jesus I resist you spirit of anxiety, I have the peace that passes all understanding. In the name of Jesus I resist you spirit of workaholism, I don’t work for self-worth, Jesus gives me that.” That felt really weird but somehow I felt like a warrior vanquishing unseen powers of darkness – again I was cheered up.  

I recalled that God inhabits the praise of his people and I decided to sing “songs, hymns, and spiritual singing.” Another bump up in my disposition.

Then I decided I should get my eyes off of myself. I prayed asking God to show me someone else who may be in a funk. Someone came to mind and I reached out to encourage her and encouraged myself in the process.

After all of this I was in good spirits – what had happened? I didn’t wallow in my funk but I grabbed those feelings by the scruff of the neck and tossed them out like the garbage they are. Now if I just remember that the next time I feel funky. That’s a plan.