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When Discouragement Sets In This foe cannot be seen with the naked eye, yet he is more dangerous than an army. His name is Discouragement. Discouragement comes upon us at different times in our lives. It is neither a sin, nor an indicator that we are in a place of sin. However, if left unchecked, it can lead to anger or depression. Discouragement can even affect your spiritual life and growth. It can determine whether we get up early in the morning at the dawn of a new day or stay in bed while the day passes us by! Discouragement can even discount our trust in the Lord! Amy Carmichael said, “Everywhere, the perpetual endeavor of the enemy of souls is discouragement. If he can get the soul ‘under the weather,’ he wins. It is not really what we go through that matters, it is what we go under that breaks us. We can bear anything if only we are kept inwardly victorious. ...If God can make His birds to whistle in drenched and stormy darkness, if He can make His butterflies able to bear up under rain, what can He not do for the heart that trusts Him?” Discouragement is experienced in cases where there is extreme disappointment. This was the case with David and his men. After running from King Saul, they found themselves dwelling amidst their Philistine archenemies in the little town of Ziklag. In an expression of their appreciation, David and his men went out to join them in battle, but were rejected by the Philistine princes because they feared David’s men, as Israelites, would turn against them in battle. And so with disappointment, David and his men turned around and returned home discouraged. Suffering a great loss can also cause discouragement. When David and his men returned home, they found rubble and devastation. Their town had been burned and their families taken into captivity. If this was not enough, David’s men began to question his leadership ability, and were ready to stone him to death! Discouragement is also caused by the mental and physical strain that comes when problems build up in our lives. Two things increased the level of stress in David’s life: Disappointment, and the losses of his and his men’s families. Then there was physical and mental strain, a result of just returning from their journey. David and his men were physically tired! Many of us do not handle stress or discouragement well simply because we are tired and our bodies are not functioning at their best. Sometimes, the best advice during these times is just to rest. A short break from the daily routine of life can often make a world of difference in how we respond to its challenges. Jesus understood this best and was often found stealing away simply to pray! The fourth thing that becomes a source of discouragement is the feeling of being all alone. David’s men were not only ready to desert him; they wanted to kill him! Sometimes situations in our lives will be such that family and friends will either be out of reach or will turn their backs on us. Some of you understand what I’m saying. I could list more causes for discouragement, but then this would be a discouraging message! Instead, let me tell you about some cures… At David’s low point in life, he applied some practical truths, which still work for us today. Verse 6 tells us, “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters:” Sometimes you cannot find encouragement in others because they have problems, too! But in the last line of the verse, we are told, “But David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” When you are discouraged after being hurt by others, before seeking revenge, remember Rule Number One: Spend some time with the Lord. It is easy to fight when you’re angry. The tendency is to strike back when we’ve been hurt by someone. The pain intensifies when it occurs at the hand of a friend or loved one! David was a soldier of great skills. As a shepherd boy, he went to battle against a giant of a man named Goliath, and he punched out Goliath’s lights with a slingshot and five small stones. But David didn’t look to his military skills. Instead, Cure #1: David looked to his God (verse 8). One of the best cures for discouragement is some one-on-one time with the Lord! In Psalm 63:1, David wrote, “O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee, my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry thirsty land, where no water is.” Proverbs 3:6 reminds us, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” We will always go the right way when we seek the Lord for direction, for He will direct us in the path of victory! Cure #2: When you are discouraged, don’t become bitter. Remember to treat others like you want to be treated. David’s men were hurting and hurting people will hurt other people. They forgot that, like them, David was disappointed. They forgot that, like them, David was discouraged. So instead of encouraging each other, they looked for someone to blame and found David. But David understood the importance of treating others fairly. God gave directions for him and his men to go after their families. Two hundred men were so exhausted they could not make the journey. David left them behind to stay with their belongings while he and the rest of the men went after the Amalekites, who had their families. Upon returning from the battle in victory with their families and the spoils of the battle, David divided the spoils even with those who stayed behind! When the opportunity presents itself, it is always easy to retaliate! When we close the door of discouragement and open the pathway of encouragement, God gives us the strength to go on! Discouragement is no respecter of persons. Saints and sinners, lay workers, elders and preachers experience it. There is yet one great cure which stands taller than the rest… As John the Baptist was approaching the end of his ministry, he was jailed and about to be killed by Herod for speaking the truth. Discouraged, John called two of his disciples, and sent them to Jesus, saying, “Art thou he that should come? Or look we for another?” They came to Jesus and asked him the question. The Bible tells us in Luke 7:21, “In the same hour He cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.” Jesus answered them in verse 22 and said, “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard, how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” Jesus said, in other words, “Remind John of the things that I am doing!” Cure # 3: When you are discouraged, the best way to encourage yourself is to take your eyes off yourself and look around at the great things the Lord is doing in your life! Sometimes situations which cause our discouragement are preparation for greater experiences to come. Sometimes they are used to teach us and prepare us for a greater work! Dr. Fred Harris, of Oasis Ministries, gives us the answer in the words of a poem that goes like this: Don’t give up! Don’t quit! |
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