Are you tired of feeling discouraged?
Discouragement and disappointment are often used as synonyms. But there is a difference.
Disappointment is unavoidable. When our expectations aren’t met, we feel disappointed with people, events, and circumstances.
But discouragement –– a feeling of despair and despondency –– is a choice. We can choose to remain dejected or determine to work through our feelings and overcome them.
Discouragement is universal problem and not a unique one. Sometimes we might start thinking that we are the only ones that get discouraged. We need to realize that everyone has to learn how to deal with discouragement.
Dr. Charles Stanley tells us, 'Whether or not your situations change, you can experience joy, peace, and contentment. Circumstances don't have to dictate your emotions. You have someone on your side who is always available to help you, strengthen you, and uphold you. Avoid those who indulge in negativity and self-pity since discouragement is contagious. It is unpredictable—you never know when it will strike. Finally, it is temporary—it will pass if you respond to it correctly.”
The most common cause of discouragement is being overwhelmed by goals and tasks that seem too big to reach. The expectation to make the grade appears awesome and, in some cases, the mountain seems almost impossible to climb. Consequently, people view their shortcomings with doubts and misgivings. This leads to the tendency to simply give up and quit.
Look at Deuteronomy 20:8 (NIV) to further understand.
It reads: "Then the officers shall add, "Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too."
God is letting the children of Israel know that when it comes to battle he cannot use one who is fearful or fainthearted. This is talking about those that were discouraged. God wants the discouraged people to go home because if they stay they will begin to influence the others to loose heart. We have another example in the story about Gideon.
God wants Gideon to lead an attack on the Midianites. Now Gideon belonged to the smallest tribe of Israel. He started out with 32,000 people but God said that’s to many. Keep in mind that Gideon is going up against 135,000 Midianites.
Look at Judges 7:3 and you can see what happens when discouragement takes over.
It reads, "Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.' And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.”
We learn that 22,000 people were discouraged and left. But you see God wants it that way, because he can’t use discouraged people and he didn’t want these 22,000 to affect the remaining men’s attitude.
We can see that discouragement is serious and we should deal with it as quickly as possible or we can infect others with our discouragement.
Discouragement is a very effective tool of our adversary the devil. The devil has whiles and schemes and one of these is discouragement. Satan will try to deceive you, he will try to deaden you and he will try to devour you. If none of these things will work he will settle with discouraging you because if he can accomplish this he will still have you where he wants you. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that we are not ignorant of satan's devices and he should not be able to take advantage of us.
Stay in tune with today to avoid being discouraged.
In Matthew 6:34, we read, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
To many times we allow ourselves to become discouraged because we are continually thinking about tomorrow. Today has enough problems to keep us busy without dragging in tomorrows problems. So we need to work on this and take the advice of the word of God and take life one day at a time.
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