Thoughts for Life: Handling Discouragement

Mary Southerland- "Valleys are lined with disappointment and discouragement. Some people seem to thrive on adversity, emerging from their valley with greater strength and deeper faith.

Others stumble and fall, giving in to discouragement and dropping out of the race. The difference in outcome is determined by the way we choose to handle discouragement.(Google image, Sad man)

We must respond to each valley with trust and faith. The word “trust” means “to lie helpless, face down” and is the picture of a servant waiting for his master’s command or a soldier yielding himself to a conquering general.

“Heart” refers to “the center of one’s being.” In other words, to trust God completely means that from the very center of our being, from the very core of our existence, we trust Him, totally abandoning ourselves in childlike faith to Him and His plan.

We come, holding nothing in our hands, pushing no agenda, with one word in our heart—“whatever!” “Whatever You want me to do, Lord, I will do. Whatever You want me to say, Lord, I will say. Whatever You want me to think, Lord, I will think. Whatever path You have for me, Lord, I will walk.”

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love” (Romans 5:3-5, NLT).

When the valleys come, we are tempted to abandon our faith and strike out in our own strength. What we should do is embrace our faith in God, look for our Shepherd, and follow Him.

Faith rests in what Christ has already done on the cross and in our lives.

Faith hopes for what God will do for us in the future.

Faith builds on the victories of yesterday to help us face the valleys of today and the questions about tomorrow.

Faith in God is sure and certain, believing that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. When we believe that God will fulfill His promises, even though we can’t see a single promise materializing, we are exercising faith.

Faith does not bypass pain. It does, however, empower us to deal with pain. Faith steps up to the bat and invites the opponent to throw his best pitch. Sometimes faith strengthens us, and other times, surprises us. Great faith is forged in the deepest valleys, beginning where our strength and power end."

(Today's message is taken from Mary Southerland's message:

The Lord Really Is My Shepherd Part 2).

Let's pray-

Father, we can see that some lives are lined with disappointment and discouragement. They seem to thrive on adversity, from which some emerge with greater strength and deeper faith.
Others stumble and fall, giving in to discouragement and dropping out of the race of victorious living, not understanding that their choice determines how they'll handle their discouragements.
To trust in You, we need to completely abandon ourselves in childlike faith to what Your plan is for our lives. Help us to know that problems and trials are for our good, as they can help us learn to endure, which develops strength of character in us.
To believe and trust that what Christ has already done on the cross and in our lives, causes us to hope for what You will do for us in the future.
May we recall the victories of yesterday, to help us face the valleys of today and questions about tomorrow. May our faith in You be strong, that what You've said, You will do, even though we may not yet see the evidence of it materializing.
We are to learn that faith doesn't bypass pain, but instead, empowers us to deal with it. Enable us to believe that You are with us in our valleys, and that You'll help us depend upon You for the strength and power needed to face whatever our opponent throws at us.
We ask for Your guidance to overcome our discouragements, and to pray in Jesus' name for help. Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

Psalm 138:7 (NCV) "LORD, even when I have
trouble all around me, You will keep me alive.
When my enemies are angry, You will reach
down and save me by Your power."

I Peter 4:12-13 (ESV) "Beloved, do not be surprised
at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you,
as though something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings,
that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory
is revealed."

Psalm 27:14 (ESV) "Wait for the Lord; be strong and
let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

Today's quote-

~ Oswald Chambers- "We need to rely on the resurrection life of Jesus on a much deeper level than we do now. We should get in the habit of continually seeking His counsel on everything, instead of making our own commonsense decisions and then asking Him to bless them. He cannot bless them; it is not in His realm to do so, and those decisions are severed from reality.

If we do something simply out of a sense of duty, we are trying to live up to a standard that competes with Jesus Christ. We become a prideful, arrogant person, thinking we know what to do in every situation. We have put our sense of duty on the throne of our life, instead of enthroning the resurrection life of Jesus. But when we do something out of obedience to the Lord, there can be no other explanation— just obedience. That is why a saint can be so easily ridiculed and misunderstood.

From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

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