Word for Today, Wednesday, September 2, 2009: Resisting Discouragement

#1 · September 2, 2009, 10:48 am

Quote from Forum Archives on September 2, 2009, 10:48 am
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

There are times in each of our lives when circumstances are capable of getting us down - and sometimes they do. If you ever get into such circumstances, or if by chance you are going through them right now, then this is a good message for you to read.

I think nearly everyone who is honest gets discouraged, at least occasionally. I know that I do. Fortunately, I have learned this lesson, and I remember what the apostle Paul has to say to the church of Galatia. It is wise to resist discouragement. It is likely to appear, especially when the plans we have just are not working out.

That reminds me of another valuable scripture passage, Jeremiah 29:11, which says:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

(There is even a Web site for this Bible verse, incredible as it may sound; take a look at
http://www.jeremiah2911.com/
This site references additional sites, and I found another relevant comment on this page:

The true message is that God will provide comfort and peace no matter what His children are going through. This does not mean that life will be easy and that no harm will come to you. Rather that God will walk with you and bring shalom even in times of massive trouble and calamity. (source: http://www.mychurch.org/blog/34307/Jeremiah-2911

I do think we have to be careful of the complete context of these passages and we should be careful not to add to or distort their meaning. I do strongly believe that earnestly seeking God at all times, looking to Him through the lens of the life of Jesus Christ at all times, it is clear that we are going to face difficulty. God is not going to take all of them away from us. He may take very few, if any, of them away from us. What He will do, if we are willing, is guide us by the Spirit that lives within the soul of every true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first thing to do, therefore, is to ensure that you are a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you read the Bible? Do you believe what it says? In John 14:6, do you believe what that verse says, namely that "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me" - the words of Jesus Christ. I believe that He is my way, He is the one who can give me the right viewpoint about every issue of life. By looking to His example, how He dealt with everything He faced, by trusting in His savlng grace, and living with His hope firmly established, discouragement can be resisted. Look at Matthew 4 and see how Jesus deflected Satan's enticements - He used the Word of God. That's my answer to discouragement; read the Word of God and apply it to whatever discouragement may try to rear its ugly head. Yes, Jesus is the perfect example of how to deal with discouragement, and He IS my Way, period.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

September 2, 2009 - Resisting Discouragement - Daily Devotional

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September 2, 2009

Resisting Discouragement
by Rick Warren

"So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time" (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

There are many things that work to keep us from completing our life-missions. Over the years, I've debated whether the worst enemy is procrastination or discouragement. If Satan can't get us to put off our life missions, then he'll try to get us to quit altogether.

The apostle Paul teaches that we need to resist discouragement: "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up" (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

Do you ever get tired of doing what's right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.

When we're discouraged, we become ineffective. When we're discouraged, we work against our own faith.

When I'm discouraged, I'm saying, "It can't be done." That's the exact opposite of saying, "I know God can do it because he said . . . ."

Ask yourself these questions:

• How do I handle failure?
• When things don't go my way, do I get grumpy?
• When things don't go my way, do I get frustrated?
• When things don't go my way, do I start complaining?
• Do I finish what I start?
• How would I rate on persistence?

If you're discouraged, don't give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.

When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn't hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.

And that's true of life, too. Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece of God's grace.

The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don't know how to quit.

Today on PurposeDriven.com

Live Healing Choices
As Rick Warren launches a new campaign, Johnny Baker reports from his blog
» MORE

God's Recovery Plan
How a letter to Rick Warren launched a recovery revival
» MORE

Missed out on one of the Daily Devotionals? View the online archives.
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Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

There are times in each of our lives when circumstances are capable of getting us down - and sometimes they do. If you ever get into such circumstances, or if by chance you are going through them right now, then this is a good message for you to read.

I think nearly everyone who is honest gets discouraged, at least occasionally. I know that I do. Fortunately, I have learned this lesson, and I remember what the apostle Paul has to say to the church of Galatia. It is wise to resist discouragement. It is likely to appear, especially when the plans we have just are not working out.

That reminds me of another valuable scripture passage, Jeremiah 29:11, which says:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

(There is even a Web site for this Bible verse, incredible as it may sound; take a look at
http://www.jeremiah2911.com/
This site references additional sites, and I found another relevant comment on this page:

The true message is that God will provide comfort and peace no matter what His children are going through. This does not mean that life will be easy and that no harm will come to you. Rather that God will walk with you and bring shalom even in times of massive trouble and calamity. (source: http://www.mychurch.org/blog/34307/Jeremiah-2911

I do think we have to be careful of the complete context of these passages and we should be careful not to add to or distort their meaning. I do strongly believe that earnestly seeking God at all times, looking to Him through the lens of the life of Jesus Christ at all times, it is clear that we are going to face difficulty. God is not going to take all of them away from us. He may take very few, if any, of them away from us. What He will do, if we are willing, is guide us by the Spirit that lives within the soul of every true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first thing to do, therefore, is to ensure that you are a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you read the Bible? Do you believe what it says? In John 14:6, do you believe what that verse says, namely that "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me" - the words of Jesus Christ. I believe that He is my way, He is the one who can give me the right viewpoint about every issue of life. By looking to His example, how He dealt with everything He faced, by trusting in His savlng grace, and living with His hope firmly established, discouragement can be resisted. Look at Matthew 4 and see how Jesus deflected Satan's enticements - He used the Word of God. That's my answer to discouragement; read the Word of God and apply it to whatever discouragement may try to rear its ugly head. Yes, Jesus is the perfect example of how to deal with discouragement, and He IS my Way, period.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

September 2, 2009 - Resisting Discouragement - Daily Devotional

Having trouble viewing this email? View the online version or the text version.

September 2, 2009

Resisting Discouragement
by Rick Warren

"So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time" (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

There are many things that work to keep us from completing our life-missions. Over the years, I've debated whether the worst enemy is procrastination or discouragement. If Satan can't get us to put off our life missions, then he'll try to get us to quit altogether.

The apostle Paul teaches that we need to resist discouragement: "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up" (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

Do you ever get tired of doing what's right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.

When we're discouraged, we become ineffective. When we're discouraged, we work against our own faith.

When I'm discouraged, I'm saying, "It can't be done." That's the exact opposite of saying, "I know God can do it because he said . . . ."

Ask yourself these questions:

• How do I handle failure?
• When things don't go my way, do I get grumpy?
• When things don't go my way, do I get frustrated?
• When things don't go my way, do I start complaining?
• Do I finish what I start?
• How would I rate on persistence?

If you're discouraged, don't give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.

When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn't hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.

And that's true of life, too. Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece of God's grace.

The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don't know how to quit.


Today on PurposeDriven.com

	Live Healing Choices As Rick Warren launches a new campaign, Johnny Baker reports from his blog » MORE

	God's Recovery Plan How a letter to Rick Warren launched a recovery revival » MORE

Missed out on one of the Daily Devotionals? View the online archives.
Did someone forward this Daily Devotional to you? Get your own free subscription to The Purpose Driven Connection Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email.

You are subscribed as ymacrae@yahoo.com. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences.

Please do not reply to this email. If you have technical problems, <a style="color: rgb(5, 104, 172);" href="http://rdstrongmail1.com/track?type=click&mailingid=278800&messageid=44100&databaseid=66800&serial=1222914397&emailid=ymacrae@yahoo.com&userid=77975&extra=keycode=&promokey=EPD00563&execution_nbr=26&&&2014&&&mailto:CustomerCare@PurposeDriven.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">email us.

The Purpose Driven Connection Daily Devotional newsletter is produced by PurposeDriven.com. You can reach us by mail at Purpose Driven Connection, PO Box 8108, Red Oak, IA 51591-1108.