Category Archives: Discouragement
The Making
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
Act 16:16-29 (please read) is a clear example of how God makes a way out of chains and prison. Even right now, some people reading this are saying, ‘I am tired of this bondage and prison, God’. Today you are walking out free in the Name of Jesus. Read the rest of this entry
Not Alone
2 Corinthians 4:15 “For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favour and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God.” (AMPC)
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.” Read the rest of this entry
Fixed Gaze
Acts 3:19 “So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life] … so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]”
The Message Translation puts it this way, “Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you”. Paul says to defeat discouragement, we need to be deliberate about taking time for renewal. Read the rest of this entry
Remember & Relax
2 Corinthians 12:10 “…I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” (MSG)
You are empowered to defeat discouragement when you Never Forget How Much God Loves You, when you Do Not Fake It, and when you Remember It Is Not About You. When someone praised me, I look up because it is not about me. It is about Him. Read the rest of this entry
Receive It
Jeremiah 31:3 “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (NKJV)
Yesterday we began to look at the first of Paul’s seven secrets to defeating discouragement contained in 2 Corinthians 4. And the first secret to defeating discouragement is Never Forget How Much God Loves You. When we focus on how merciful, loving, and kind God is to us, it drives away discouragement. Read the rest of this entry
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.” Read the rest of this entry
Redirect
Psalm 42:5 “Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my saviour and my God.” (GW)
I get asked quite often, ‘Pastor, how do I defeat discouragement?’ Discouragement can be a very tricky thing. If we do not tackle and overcome discouragement, it can actually be a huge setback. Read the rest of this entry
