Why is my life like this? Why is it everybody is happy except me? What is the point of me going on? Its not like I can make a difference. I feel my life has no purpose? If God hears my prayers, then why doesn’t he answer them? Why this, Why that? The list can go on and on. If you feel burdened so much that you find yourself asking questions like this and either you’ve given up on God or are about to; you may have to accept that you are in a state of discouragement.
Psalm 119:25” I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your word.”
SHOULD WE BE DISCOURAGED? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
•Joshua 1:9“ Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go.”
•2 Chronicles 20:15“Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
•Galatians 6:9 “ Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.”
Obviously if you are discouraged, God doesn’t want you to be. There is a problem that needs to be dealt with, there needs to be a break through on that stronghold in your life. How does one overcome Discouragement?
1) RECOGNIZING WHERE IT TAKES PLACE AND WHY IT DID TAKE PLACE
Some causes of discouragement
1. Unresolved disappointments
2. Satan instigates it
3. Constant criticism
4. You feel nobody is listening
5. Unanswered prayer
6. When your best is unappreciated
7. A continuous form of weakness in which Satan gets you
8. Bad working conditions
9. Lack of opportunities where you work
10. We set goals that are beyond our capacity
11. Prayerlessness (stop/quit prayer)
12. Feel you can’t please God
DISAPPOINTMENT
•Inevitable
It is bound to happen to all of us, we all will experience it.
•Unpredictable
We can’t predict when we will be disappointed in life.
Discouragement is not a physical fight done in the physical realm; instead it is a mental and spiritual fight. And the battlefield is in your mind. So then we must build up our spirit to defend our mind.
•2 Cor. 10:4-5“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
•Ephesians 6:13,16-17 “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
2) GETTING YOUR MIND ON ETERNITY PUTS THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE
•Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
•2 Corinthians 4:16-18“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
•Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
•Psalm 55:22 “ Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”
3) FILL YOUR HEART AND MIND WITH GOD'S WORD
•Psalm 94:19 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolations brought joy to my soul.”
•Psalm 119:28 “My soul is weary with sorrow, strengthen me according to your word.”
•John 8:31-32 “ Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
•John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”
•Psalm 34 :15,17,18-19 “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”
4) COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS AND THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS
•Psalm 42:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him my Savior and my God.
•Psalm 103:2 “ Praise the LORD, O my Soul, and forget not all his benefits-“
•Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”
•Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
5) SPEAK FAITH AND PRAISE THE LORD FOR DELIVERANCE
•Psalm 9:1 “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.”
•Psalm 35:28 “My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.”
•Psalm 66:8,16”Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard. Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.”
•Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
6) SCRIPTURE TO CLAIM WHEN HIT WITH DISCOURAGEMENT
•Psalm 86:7 “I will call to you whenever trouble strikes, and you will answer me.”
•Psalm 37:23-24 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
•Deut. 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
•Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper”
•Psalm 31:24 “Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.”
•Psalm 142:3-7 “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path. In the way in which I walk, they have secretly set a snare for me. Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul. I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me."
•2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “ My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
•Mark 14:38 “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
7) TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE, SO THEY MAY HELP YOU
•James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
•James 5:13 “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.”
•Numbers 11:17 “I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.”
Don’t isolate yourself, talk to others about your troubles and feelings. Isolation only makes matters worst. You need to call for the prayers of others who can intercede for you, God and placed certain people in your life to help you in your time of need.
DISCOURAGEMENT
1. Choice
2. Universal
3. Contagious
4. Can be temporary or can destroy life
5. Is conquerable
•Discouragement can show you that you must depend on God rather than your own resources, skills or connections. Swallow your pride and seek help.
CONCLUSION
It is a natural tendency for us to tire in our efforts to serve God, but we must fight it. The saddest truth about our human nature is our tendency to begin following God with zeal and determination and then give up before the task is done. Understand everything we do always ends up with us making a choice. We decide if we become angry, we decide if we want to pray, sleep, eat, go to work etc. Even though it may seem we have no choice, and that we must do it. That is a lie, we always have a choice, we just fear the consequences of one decision so we feel forced to make the other choice. But it always goes back to us making that choice. This can be said about discouragement as well. We have a choice if we are discouraged or not, if we are discouraged then we have a choice to remain or to seek God for help. Yes, at times we are so overwhelmed no matter who you are, from the new baby Christian to Bishop John Doe, the spirit of discouragement can find its way in. Because the battlefield is in your mind, he who controls the mind controls the subject. Meaning the person. The enemy has already lost, but he can fool you in forgetting that and filling your mind with so much things that you have no time to spend dwelling on God’s goodness. If you are discouraged, remember, “ You can lose a battle, but you must not lose the war.” Its ok to admit you lost a battle, we all do. But know that you can get up and get back with Christ and still win the war, the war is over your soul. Don’t allow discouragement to destroy your life, because if it does then it will keep you from entering God’s kingdom.
•Proverbs 24:16 “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again”
How can he be just and fall 7 times? How can the bible say this, when we would call that same person unjust and a hypocrite. The reason is that regardless of what you did, even being discouraged and losing faith in him, you can still get up and get back with Christ and STILL be considered just in his eyes. His love is so great; he knows we are flawed and weak. Open your hearts and mind to him so he can lift you up.
FAITH IS THE KEY TO OVERCOMING DISCOURAGEMENT
Remember, “We don’t walk by emotions, feelings or circumstances, we walk by faith.”