Overcoming Discouragement - Part 2
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About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25 (NIV)
If you struggle with discouragement today, you are anything but alone. I've seen it in India, Singapore, Mexico, America. It's in the eyes of the elderly and the young. It's also laced throughout the pages of the bible: Asaph (Psalm 73), the Shunammite woman whose son died in her arms (2 Kings 4), the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9), Peter after denying Jesus (Matthew 26), Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16). Things didn't go as hoped, and disappointment turned to discouragement. But none of their stories ended there; each one made a decision and took steps to get out of the pit.
What follows are not trite anecdotes or easy answers. There are no easy answers, only the Answer, who is Jesus. I am one who has faced disappointment, discouragement, even depression, and I know experientially that there is hope for anyone willing to face the battle. The toughest step is the first one.
1. Take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). Just because you have a thought, doesn't mean it originated with you. The devil's greatest weapon is deceptive thoughts. "You'll never be good enough. Everyone has it together but you. There's no way out. God's disappointed in you. He won't even answer your prayers. Your family would be better off without you." In the midst of discouragement, those lying thoughts seem true. But do they line up with God's word? No! Remember that Satan is the father of lies and there is no truth in him (John 8:44); therefore, anything he says is a lie no matter how true it may seem at the time. You are who God says you are, and any thought that doesn't line up with God's word must be brought into captive to the obedience of Christ.
What makes this step challenging is that thoughts can come at you so quickly and each one must be taken captive. But don't allow even one of the enemy's thoughts to define you. Read the bible and know what God says so that you can discern God's thoughts from the enemy's thoughts (Romans 12:2; Isaiah 55:8-9).
2. Choose to be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Often, the root of discouragement is discontent. Honestly evaluate your life. Do you have a roof over your head? Clothes on your back? Food on the table? A reliable income? People who love you? When we focus on what we don't have, we will suffer discontent. Instead, purposefully thank God for what you do have. You may just find that you have much to be thankful for.
3. Worship Jesus. In the midst of losing everything, Job lifted up his eyes and looked to Jesus (Job 19:25-27). After the death of his son, David went to the temple and worshipped (2 Samuel 12). Although beaten and bound, Paul and Silas lifted their eyes and began to worship (Acts 16). They didn't worship because they felt like it, but because of who God is. Worship the One who is bigger than the problem, and who never fails, even when we don't understand His ways. True worship changes our internal focus and helps us to see beyond the hopelessness.
Discouragement is neither an easy foe nor an invincible one. Confront it with the truth of God's word and you will overcome.
Heavenly Father, I pray for all those who are discouraged today. Lord, some need a miracle; others need You to hold them together while the storm rages around them. You are good at both. I worship You, Father, because You are good and faithful and trustworthy, even when we don't understand. Now I take authority over the spirit of discouragement that would try to sideline God's people today; I bind you and cancel your assignment in Jesus' name. I release a spirit of joy - everlasting joy - in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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