Discouragement is a normal emotion every believer experiences at some point, but it is not to be “accepted.” It is to be FOUGHT!
It does us no good to pretend we are not discouraged in life on this side of the heavenly divide. Escaping REALITY in that way means we cannot take action to fight it off. And if we allow it to settle in without fighting back, we are going against God and his command to let our hearts not be troubled (John 14:1).
I look at discouragement as the clogging of my faith arteries. And if arteries are allowed to remain clogged, eventually the blood will not pass through and at that point life will expire.
It is easy to think our discouragement is situational and therefore unavoidable as something beyond our control. That is not only wrong thinking, it’s dangerous thinking because it automatically shuts down our ability to fight back.
Jesus did not die on the cross for us to give up. He paid for our sins and freedom from fear and hopelessness to make it possible for the dark pall of futility to give way to a kaleidoscope of joy.
I ask God to help me spot discouragement EARLY when it appears and replace it with the hope of Christ.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
What’s tempting you to be discouraged today? Are you having a hard time believing that God will work for good on what looks so bad?
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1
