Defeating Discouragement

In 2 Corinthians 4:1 it says, “It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up.” (TLB)

Do I really know and believe that God loves me? I hear and see this all the time in sermons, and in God’s Word.

If I know God loves me, do I sense and recognize God’s love? When I stop believing I am loved by God, I can start to get discouraged. Why? Because if I don’t believe God loves me, then I can’t experience his grace and mercy.

The best way to defeat discouragement is to remember how much God loves me and to stay focused on that truth.

“It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up” (2 Corinthians 4:1 TLB).

So what is mercy? Mercy is when God gives me what I need, not what I deserve. Mercy is when God knows every mistake I’ve made and will ever make, and he still gives me every good thing in my life. God’s mercy is what keeps me going when I feel hopeless or worn down or discouraged.

A lot of people who have been Christians for a long time don’t sense God’s love because they only think God speaks to them in a critical voice. But if the voice I’m listening to is always negative, it’s not God.

God made me to love me. The number one purpose of my life is not for me to do good. The number one purpose of my life is not even for me to love God back.

The number one purpose of my life is to let God love me. When I do that and experience his mercy and grace, I’ll be free to pursue all that he has planned for my life. 

Let God Turn Work Setbacks Into Comebacks

In Luke 5:6 it says, “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” (NIV)

In my own life, there are times when I have felt discouraged with or worn out from my work. I’ve put my heart and soul into a project, and it simply failed.

A lot of others have faced similar setbacks in life including the disciples. But it’s what happens after the setback that is truly important.

Peter was a fisherman by trade. One day he and his fellow fishermen were washing their nets after spending the whole night fishing—and catching nothing. When they didn’t catch fish, they didn’t make money. No doubt they were discouraged and tired.

And then Jesus came along and did the impossible. He told Simon Peter: “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4 NIV).

Simon Peter’s response was typical of someone who’s frustrated: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything” (Luke 5:5 NIV).

I think we’ve all hit that stage. We’ve given our work our best shot and come up empty. We’ve done everything right—and we may even believe God led us to do what we’re doing—but we have nothing to show for it. We’re ready to give up. 

But then Jesus shows up. He reveals how he’s been working in my life, doing things I haven’t been able to see until now. He meets my needs. He redeems a bad situation.

And he proves he is Lord over everything.

Simon Peter and his companions obeyed Jesus’ instructions, and “when they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (Luke 5:6 NIV).

Not only did they catch enough fish for themselves, but God also gave them enough to share with other fishermen.

When Jesus joined their efforts, they caught more fish in 10 minutes than they had in the previous 10 hours. God turned a setback into a comeback.

So I may be frustrated because of setback after setback in life. I may be tired and discouraged, wondering if things can ever get back on track. And I can empathize with Simon Peter’s frustration.

Well my comeback may be just around the corner.

Even if I can’t see it yet, God is working in my life, transforming bad into good, turning my setback into a comeback.

What Will I Do Today That Requires Faith?

In Galatians 6:9 it says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV)

Failure is never final. I am not a failure until I quit, and it’s always too soon to quit! You can’t determine a person’s greatness by his talent, his wealth, or his education. Instead you determine a person’s greatness by what it takes to discourage him.

So what does it take to discourage me from going after my dream? It may be as simple as a friend or family member telling you, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

The Bible says in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).

God says, “Just keep on keeping on.” 

God works in life according to our faith. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) and “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23 KJV) and “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV).

So what am I doing in faith? I need to ask myself every day when I get up, “God, what can I do today that will require faith?” That’s an important question—because living each day by faith pleases God.

There are a lot of things in my life that I don’t have control over. I didn’t control who my parents were, when I was born, where I was born, or what my race or nationality is. I didn’t control what gifts and talents that were given. I didn’t get to decide how I look.

But I do have complete control over how much I choose to believe in God. God uses people who expect him to act, who never give up, who take risks in faith, who go after the dream he’s given them.

If I want to be the kind of person God uses to accomplish his purposes, I shouldn’t let anything discourage me from following his dream!

It can be discouraging to continue to do right and receive no word of thanks or see any tangible results. Paul challenged the Galatians and myself, to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results. In due time, I will reap a harvest of blessings.

In summary, never get tired of doing what is right, for after a while I'll reap his blessing, so don't get discouraged and don't give up. Just keep on doing good and trust God for the results. In his timing, blessings will come. If things aren’t happening on my timetable, it doesn't mean I should give up. I need to be diligent and have endurance. God provides encouragement, he knew what I would need today and provided it. So while the tunnel may seem dark, there is always light at the end. Perhaps it's right around the corner. Just remember that I am known and loved by God. I have a purpose that only I can fulfill. Don't give in to the doubts that the enemy tries to fill my mind with. Don't give up, look to him for he will never give up on me.  

Three Ways to Overcome Discouragement

In Nehemiah 4:14 it says, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious.” (NLT)

How can I defeat discouragement in my life? By following Nehemiah’s example.

In Nehemiah 4, there are three things I can do to resist discouragement.

Reinforce weak areas. Make an honest assessment of where I am most spiritually vulnerable (anger, lust, pride, or something else)? What are my weak areas?

When Nehemiah heard that his enemies wanted to attack the Jews who were helping to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem, he “stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. [He] stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows” (Nehemiah 4:13 CSB). Nehemiah did his homework. He knew where the city’s most vulnerable spots were, and he developed a plan. What are areas in my life that also need some reinforcement? 

To resist discouragement, we’ll need to reorganize and reorder a few things. For example, if in debt, reorganize your budget. Out of shape? Reorder your lifestyle. Don’t give up, instead reinforce them.

Refocus on God. We can overcome discouragement when we stop focusing on what we don’t want to happen and start focusing on God’s promises. Often we are as discouraged as we want to be or as happy as we want to be. Nobody is forcing us to be discouraged.

When Nehemiah became aware of the people’s anxiety, he stood up and said, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious” (Nehemiah 4:14 NLT). He reminded them of God’s goodness and power.

Don’t re-play discouraging images in your mind. Instead, choose to think about God. Jonah 2:7 says, “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord” (TLB).

Fight back. We are all engaged in a spiritual battle? The Bible says, “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him” (1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV). We won’t be able to resist the enemy with passivity. We have to fight for what we know God wants us to do with our lives.

Nehemiah 4:14 continues, “Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (NLT) And do you know what happened next? “When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall” (Nehemiah 4:15 NLT). God strengthened them to continue the work.

When we reinforce weak areas, refocus on God, and learn to fight back, we’ll be better equipped to resist discouragement. 

Don’t Settle for Less Than God’s Best

In Galatians 6:9 I'm reminded, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV)

When I go through delays in life, don’t get discouraged. Don’t lose heart and don’t give up! 

The Israelites did, and it delayed their entrance into the Promised Land. 

Numbers 14:2-4 says, “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses . . . ‘If only we had died in Egypt! . . . We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt” (NIV). They gave up on their dream. They had been rescued after 400 years of slavery but then wanted to go back because they were being delayed. 

Like the Israelites, some people would rather live in slavery than face the fear of freedom. They are not willing to push through and work on the problem until they get it right. They want to give up. They settle for mediocrity in life.

Don’t settle for less than God’s best! If it means going through a tunnel of conflict, take it. In the middle of the tunnel, it will be dark, and I may even find myself wanting to run back to the light. But I’ve got to keep going until I come out on the other side into the light.

Instead of getting discouraged, learn to be persistent and pray. 

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).

This is the law of the harvest: There is always a delay between sowing and reaping. You plant in one season, and you reap in another. God wants to see if I’m going to keep cultivating, planting, and sowing. If he sees consistency in my life, then the harvest will come. But it won’t come immediately, because if it did, there would be no chance for my character to grow or for my faith to be stretched. 

Luke 18:1 tells us that we “must always pray and never lose heart” (PHILLIPS).

I have two options in life: Pray continually, or lose heart. I will always be doing one or the other. If I pray continually, I will not be discouraged. If I don’t pray continually, I will lose heart. I will get discouraged by the problems I’m facing—whether they’re at work or at school or in my family. To stay encouraged, I‘ve got to keep on praying!

What do I pray for during the delay phases of life? Pray, “Help me hold on and not give up.” God will hear, and he will help. I am not alone, so I don’t have to get discouraged, even when I’m delayed.

It can be discouraging to continue to do right and receive no word of thanks or see any tangible results. Paul challenged the Galatians and myself, to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results. In due time, I will reap a harvest of blessings.

If things aren't’ happening on my timetable, it doesn't mean I should give up. I need to be diligent and have endurance. God provides encouragement, he knew what I would need today and provided it. So while the tunnel may seem dark, there is always light at the end. Perhaps it's right around the corner. I need to remind myself that I am known and loved by God. I have a purpose that only I can fulfill. Don't give in to the doubts that the enemy tries to fill my mind with. Don't give up, look to him for he will never give up on me.