Lovingkindness

Psalm 16:⁸ “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.”

2 Corinthians 11:^24-28 “Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have travelled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.”

If it were possible for someone to qualify to be discouraged it was David, it was Jesus, and Paul just to mention a few. Just reading Paul’s personal testimony above, I think it is safe to say that Paul ‘deserved’ to be discouraged. There are people claiming to be believers, but they are not. And they are defrauding people and discouraging so many believers. Do you think you deserve to be discouraged? Paul had a ‘right’ to be discouraged, yet Paul overcame discouragement.

However, this same Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:¹⁶ “This is why we Never Give Up! Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.” (emphasis added). There must be something Paul knows about how to defeat discouragement and we need to learn from him. If Paul despite all that he has been through can still say, “This is why we Never Give Up!”, I want to know why. So, we will back up to the very beginning of 2 Corinthians 4. Come with me on this journey as we uncover Paul’s seven secrets to defeating discouragement.

Paul’s first secret to defeating discouragement is Never Forget How Much God Loves You. To defeat discouragement, we must ensure that we never forget how much God loves us because God loves us ridiculously. 2 Corinthians 4:¹ “Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up” (emphasis added). Why don’t we get discouraged? “…God in his mercy…”. So, the mercy, the favour, the kindness, and the love of God are what we focus on. Paul says when we focus on God’s love and God’s mercy it drives away discouragement.

Prayer (song): My God is awesome, He can move mountains. Keep me in the valley, hide me from the rain. My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome… Amen!