Discouraged or Encouraged?

Posted : Saturday July 7, 2007 |

Discourage- To deprive of courage, hope or confidence Discouragement –depression, dejection, hopelessness…A tactic used by an enemy to make one despair and fear, doubt God, disobey God and remain stagnant, and thus fail to advance the kingdom of God.

Perhaps you’ve seen this on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. A football game is underway. A superior team is being whipped by a team that is not as talented. The losing squad sits huddled on their bench. They are silent. They look glum.The winning team boisterously celebrates yet another score. They were not expected to win today but now it looks like they certainly will go home with a well deserved victory. What should we expect of the coach of the losing team? Will he try to console his players and tell them to wait for better success next week? Will he say that the old saying is true- that on any given Sunday, any team can be beaten? No. He will try to get his players motivated to get back into the game. He will make adjustments in strategy. He will try to get them to make a big play on the next series and get some excitement going. He will expect the team’s captains to make some noise and encourage their teammates to believe that they can still win. The coach knows his team must cast off their discouragement if they want any chance of surviving the afternoon. If these players will listen and respond, their team will probably end up winning the game.

As Christians we can face discouragement every day just because we are weak, imperfect, and living in a society that is in bold rebellion against our God. Scripture tells us that the devil is our adversary and that he prowls around, seeking someone to devour. (See 1 Peter 5:8) The enemy’s mission is to try to make us discouraged. Satan wants us to feel that God cannot or will not help us. He wants us to think that we are powerless and alone. There may be an unexpected snag in our lives- an unexpected tragedy, a loss of income or treasured possession, or a debilitating sickness and pain. Our children may turn against us and engage in destructive behavior. Elderly parents may grow infirm or senile, leaving us anxiously trying to figure out how to care for them while juggling our own work and family responsibilities. Sometimes discouragement is a result of an overly critical comments that wound and even embitter another person, causing him or her to live in the “shadows”, not wanting to be actively involved in church ministry for fear of getting hurt again.

The enemy will use these problems to tempt us to despair. Discouragement implies a loss of courage, a loss of hope, becoming dejected, feeling hopeless. Satan wants us to give up trying to follow God. We may try to fix our situations in our own strength but we will grow weary and lose hope as we see that our abilities are not able to solve the problems.

When this happens, we need to reflect on who our God is and be encouraged and strengthened as we remember his promises and his love for us. We need to worship him and resolve to glorify him no matter what the outcome may be. How can we do this when we are feeling hopeless? Remember that the Lord reminds us that we are his people and that we are not in this life alone. God’s Holy Spirit is with always, guiding us and prompting us in the way we should go. Pray for and seek out strong Christian friends who can pray with you and encourage you. These are believers who have seen trials and been comforted by God and the Lord expects them to use their experiences to encourage and comfort other people. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-6). A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17) God expects us to be there for our brothers and sisters who are going through trials. Remember David and his friend Jonathan, the son of King Saul. Saul wanted David dead. Jonathan risked the wrath of his powerful father to support and encourage David. When David was on the run from Saul, Jonathan assured him that he would be safe and that David would indeed become the next king of Israel. (1 Sam 23:14-17) Jonathan was truly a brother born to serve in the day of trouble. So should we be for one another when discouragement and trouble comes.
Pray that we will see God as our refuge and provider when the enemy tries to make us think that all is lost. Consider carefully and thoughtfully the final words from the prophet Habakkuk: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation, The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hind’s feet and makes me walk on my high places”. (Hab. 3:17-19) This declaration has amazed and encouraged me for years. He is saying that even though things are bad and are going to get much much worse, he is determined to rejoice in God who is his salvation. Do we feel this way? How does this look in our day to day life?

For years I had resisted buying a house. I was afraid of what would happen if I took on a mortgage and then lost my job. In spite of this fear, I finally bought a house in Norristown. Within 18 months, I lost my job. I had trouble finding a new position due to poor economic conditions in the construction industry. What was I going to do? I remembered older believers’ testimonies of how they had cried out to God when they were in desperate need. I realized that no matter what happened-even if it meant I would never be able to work in my field again- that I would trust God and praise him. Fellow Christians began praying with me and for me. Eventually a job offer came from a company that had previously told me that there were no jobs available. In fact, the other companies that had also told me that nothing was available later called me to see if I willing to come work for them! God had the last word. It was a difficult time. I had to learn to resist discouragement and keep trusting God.

At New Life we often talk of the need to keep preaching the gospel to ourselves. It is awesome to remember that God has saved us from hell only because of his amazing grace. He is with us because he called us and made us part of his family. We will be with him forever,no matter what happens. We must keep fresh in our minds that he is the ruler of this world and has control even when our situations don’t go the way we hope or expect.

Daily we face trouble, discouragement, and fear in this life. We must encourage one another and stand with each other. We are not in this life alone.

Elder Dave Bryan