Last year, I experienced a very discouraging occurrence that made me feel as though the whole world came crashing down around me. Providentially, the situation turned out for my good. For instance, as I meditated on the Scriptures, I sought to apply God's Word to what I was facing. One of the ways I did this was developing a lesson on it and teaching it to a Sunday school class.
It has been a great privilege to share what I have learned about
Dealing with Discouragement in a couple of other settings. What a joy to share the lesson outline below with you from this platform! It is my hope and prayer that it will bless your heart. Please feel free to leave a comment or recommend it to others. Thank You!
Dealing with Discouragement
“…Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious
right hand.”
(Isaiah
41:10, NLT)
Introduction
We all face discouraging situations in
life from time to time. Since they are sure to come, we should be prepared to
cope with them.
Discouragement is not a matter of “if” we will encounter
it. It is a matter of “when” it will take place. We must, therefore, be well-equipped
to deal with it when it knocks on our door. Oftentimes the thing that
discourages us is a disappointment we faced in the past. Sadly, we don’t see
beyond our disappointment because we don’t have the skills to defeat it. When
disappointment is not dealt with, it breeds discouragement and leads to further
disappointment. The following quote helps us see things from the right
perspective:
“Sometimes our
greatest disappointments today will set us up for God’s greatest appointments
tomorrow.”—Lysa Terkerust (Proverbs 31 Ministries).
This study will define the key terms, present seven
examples of individuals who handled discouragement well and how their examples
parallel or reflect that of Christ Jesus. Last, but not least, the study will
close with a summary of the causes of discouragement and their cures or Godly
responses.
Definition
of Terms
1.
What
is discouragement?
Discouragement
is a state in which one’s stamina is weakened and his or her interest/zeal is
lessened due to some circumstance or occurrence. Simply put, it is the opposite
of encouragement.
2.
Why
is the way we deal with discouragement crucial to our faith?
The way we deal with discouragement as
Christ-followers should be different
from the way non-believers do. By God’s grace, at all times, we must endeavor to
address it in such a way that it does not inhibit or hamper our effectiveness
as servants of the Lord. Here are two conditional responses to discouragement and
their results:
a) If
we negatively respond to discouragement, our confidence in the Lord is eroded.
We, therefore, must change the picture by looking beyond the discouragement
(e.g. King Jehoshaphat demonstrated confidence in the Lord’s presence: “We don’t know what to do but our eyes are on
you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
b) If
we positively deal with discouragement, our effectiveness as the Lord’s
servants is heightened. For instance,
when our faith is under pressure, it results in our spiritual development and maturity:
“Consider it a sheer gift, friends,
when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under
pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So
don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become
mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:2-4, The Message—MSG—a paraphrase
by Eugene H. Peterson).
Examples
of Seven Excellent Encouragers in the Bible
There
are a number of examples in the Bible of people who were discouraged but
handled it well. I refer to each one of them as an “Excellent Encourager.” We
will briefly look at seven examples from the Bible. Since the Excellent Encouragers
mirror or reflect Jesus’ outstanding example, we will show their parallelism with
Christ, our Greatest Example when it comes to dealing with discouragement.
1.
Joseph (Genesis
50:15-21)—convinced that God was with him, Joseph believed that God had a plan
and purpose for his life. As a result, Joseph became God’s instrument not only
to save the land of Egypt but also the whole nation of Israel, thus seeing a
fulfillment of his earlier dreams. His being sold into slavery in Egypt serves
to prove the reality of this saying:
“In every pit of Satan, there is a caravan of
the Lord on the way.” –Dr. David Seamands.
In
a number of ways, Joseph was a “type of Christ.” In other words, Joseph’s life of
purity and integrity point to our Lord and Savior who is the greatest example
when it comes to dealing with discouragement that diverse circumstances bring to
our lives.
2.
Job (Job 13:15; 19:25)—acknowledged God’s
sovereignty in his life and received back more than he had before his trials.
His story of suffering answers the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” His response to suffering
teaches us to wait upon the Lord and to persevere even though we may not
understand what’s going on. Furthermore, the responses of Job’s friends, as
well as that of his wife, miss the point in that they don’t rightly address
what Job was going through in his life. Here are two verses that reveal Job’s heart:
“Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him,” (13:15) & “…my Redeemer lives…” (19:25).
Job’s
way of dealing with suffering brings to mind how our Lord Jesus, the Pioneer
and Finisher of our faith, endured the cross, and despised its shame (cf.
Hebrews 12:2). Let’s emulate Job’s example and, most importantly, that of our
Lord Jesus, our High Priest, who was tempted in every way as we are yet without
sin (Hebrews 4:15).
3.
Elijah (1 Kings 19:18;
James 5:17)—found himself very discouraged after the great contest at Mr.
Carmel in which the true God of Israel undisputedly answered with fire and
defeated the false gods of Baal. Elijah feared for his life, ran from Jezebel and
wanted to die. In fact, he mistakenly thought he was the only one left in
Israel that still feared God. He forgot there was God’s remnant and that God
still had a plan to fulfill through his life and the lives of those he had
mentored.
Like
our Lord Jesus Christ, we find in Elijah a man of fervent prayer and faith.
While Jesus went to pray, his disciples went to sleep. Nevertheless, He
encouraged them to “watch and pray” so they may not “enter into temptation” and
reminded them that “the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew
26:36-46, esp. v. 41).
4.
Moses (Exodus 32 &
33)—sought to see the face of God not only physically but also in prayer. As
such, Moses was a great intercessor in times of great discouragement. He must
have faced a lot of discouraging moments and even felt lonely as a leader.
However, he learned to pray and to seek the Lord’s face. Oftentimes, he would
take Joshua with him to the Tent of Meeting where he offered most of his
intercessory prayers.
Moses,
when the Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes in the desert, lifted a
bronze snake and when people looked up at the bronze snake, they lived.
Similarly, the Son of Man [Jesus] was lifted up and those who believe in Him
have eternal life or live eternally (John 3:14-16). Additionally, Jesus helps
us during our discouraging moments. If we turn our eyes on Jesus, as the song
says, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of glory and
grace.”
5.
David (Psalm 42; Psalm
51:10-13; 1 Samuel 30:1-6)—talked about or revealed what was going
on in his heart during times of distress. Overall, King David encouraged
himself on the Lord.
In
the Psalms, David detailed his personal walk with God. For instance, in Psalm
23, he wrote about the Lord as His shepherd. In John 10, Jesus claimed that He
was the Good Shepherd who willingly lays down His life for the sheep. Unlike
the hireling or false shepherds, Jesus lovingly cares about what we are going
through as His followers and that includes when we are discouraged. We should fear
no evil because the Lord is with us (cf. Isaiah 41:10).
6.
Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:19-21;
8:10)—faced a lot of opposition as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. This led
to his development of a strategy to deal with discouragement or counter the
opposition he faced. Nehemiah’s example is worth emulating.
One
of things Elijah professed in the midst of his difficult situations was this
fact: “...the joy of the Lord is my strength.” In the same way, one of the Apostle
Paul’s exhortations on this, with reference to Christ, says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it
again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is
near. 6 Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. 7 And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7,
NIV)
7.
Paul (Romans 7:22-25; 8:29,
35-39; 2 Corinthians 4:8; 12:8-10; 2 Timothy 4:9-11 )—knew that “all things
work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His
purpose” (Romans 8:28). He was also convinced that nothing could separate Christ-followers
from the love of God. No matter what the Apostle Paul went through, he was
confident that the Lord was with him and would grant him grace, peace and joy!
When
the Apostle Paul’s friends such as Demas deserted or left him and he felt alone
or abandoned, he drew strength from the Lord. Obviously, Paul also found
encouragement from other men such as Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, John Mark, etc.
It is the Lord Jesus who provides us with other friends while He remains our
greatest friend who sticks closer than a brother. The hymn says, “What a friend
we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry
everything to God I prayer.” In John 14:6 Jesus stated that no one come to the
Father except by Me. When we are discouraged, we can through the mighty name of
Jesus ask for encouragement.
Points
to Ponder [In Summary]
In order to effectively deal with
discouragement, we must not only understand what discouragement is and look
over some excellent examples in the Bible, we must also generally know its
underlying causes and the Godly responses or courses of action we must take in
accordance with God’s Word.
|
The Causes of Discouragement
|
The Cures of Discouragement
(or Godly Responses
to Discouragement)
|
|
1. Loss (temporary or permanent, e.g. of a loved one, a job,
a ministry opportunity, friendship or relationship,
etc.)
2. Unfulfilled Expectations (For
instance, when things don’t work out as we had anticipated)
3. Struggle with Sin (e.g.
Romans 6:1ff; 7:22-25)
4. Difficult Situations at
work, family, or life in general.
5. Frustration (esp. when you feel like
you’ve hit a brick wall)
|
1. Grieve with hope and be willing to receive and give
words of comfort and encouragement (1 Thessalonians 4:13; 2 Cor. 1:3-4;
Acts 4:36; Phil. 2:4; Romans 14:7-8).
2. Remember God’s faithfulness, Stand firm on His eternal promises (1
Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 2:13; 2 Peter 1:4; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Matt.
11:28-29; Isaiah 40:28-31).
3. Confess Sin and appropriate the Power of the Holy
Spirit (1 John 1:8- 2:2; Ephesians 5:18; Zechariah 4:6).
4. Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, and in
everything Give Thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
5. Acknowledge that God is in control and practice His
presence (Prov. 3:5-6).
|
Conclusion:
Let us consider these two Scripture
Passages as we move forward in victory:
“Consider
it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because
you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
(James 1:2-4, NIV)
“Not
that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I
press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers
and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one
thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)
