Knock Out Discouragement
Discouragement is unique in that it does not always hit us the
same way every time. Sometimes it is a freight train coming straight at us and
other times it is a blind side tackle out of nowhere. Let’s face it, if you are human, you are going to face discouragement.
As many times as we “knock out” discouragement it somehow gets back up
and swings another punch. As we look to some of the Bible’s top leaders
we find out an interesting character trait of discouragement. The lowest
of lows will hit after the highest of highs.
In
1 Kings 18 Elijah lays out an amazing challenge with the prophets of Baal. God
shows His power, and consumes Elijah’s sacrifice. He burned up the
sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the soil, and all the water that had been
poured on it! Elijah has the 450 prophets of Baal seized and killed.
Boom, an amazing day of victory! Miracles are happening, God is
doing great things, and suddenly here comes discouragement. Elijah gets afraid,
runs for his life, and prays for God to take his life. He went from a
HERO to a ZERO in less than 24 hours.
The
same thing happened to Moses. He delivers the people out of
So
let’s take a quick look at some of the causes of discouragement and the way we
counter balance them. One of the first things that can so easily happen
to us is to allow our focus and attention to be misdirected. Are you like
me? After a service, twenty-five people can tell me how much they enjoyed
the sermon and one member can tell me they “didn’t really get anything out of
that” and I get discouraged. That is too much misplaced attention. If our
life is a satellite dish, where do you choose to aim your dish, to the positive
or the negative? Elijah gave way too much attention to the words of
Jezebel. God had just proven Himself strong!
But what happened? Elijah allowed fear to enter.
Second,
fear is the doorway to discouragement. Elijah was afraid and ran for his
life. And when we live by fear it will
always take us to the desert where it is dry, hot, lonely, and deserted. When
we listen to fear it will never give us an encouraging word or a good report!
We are called to live and walk by faith and not by sight. When fear
talks we should hit the mute button.
Fatigue
can compound discouragement greatly. Mother Theresa said, “To keep a lamp
burning we have to keep putting oil in it.” Our brains create a chemical
called serotonin. It is a chemical like an endorphin – a natural feel
good hormone that feeds our brain throughout the day and fuels us as we work.
However, it is only replenished during times of rest. If you drive
yourself without replenishing, your store of serotonin will be depleted.
Then you start to replace it with adrenaline which is supposed to be used
for emergency use only. Now we are running on our reserve emergency tank
and when that runs out we find ourselves in the fetal position crying and
saying, “God just take me home.” When all we really need is to feed our
body, exercise, get plenty of rest and look to God for His guidance. A very
encouraging verse in the midst of uncertainty and discouragement is found in
Isaiah 42:16 "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known; along
unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before
them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will
not forsake them”. Sometimes fear and
fatigue can leave you blind.....but God is always present.
Remember,
current situations and circumstances are not normally final or fatal.
There is always room for hope. Who knows what is just around the
corner? Look to God for solutions to the problems you face. Daily
fill yourself up with a good dose of ENCOURAGEMENT to offset the discouragement
that may hit you that day.
By:
Pastor David Jones