Recently I have been struggling with discouragement. I share this not to complain, but because I would like to share how the Lord is helping me to battle against it. If we as Christians always "look like we've got it all together" we will never be an encouragement to others and we will hinder ourselves from honest transparency and growth.
The other morning when I was really feeling discouraged, the Lord brought to my mind that I need to speak His truth to myself. I don't need to focus on the circumstances - I need to focus on truth, on God's word, on His commands, on His promises. So, praying for help and guidance, I started studying.
The first thing I did was start with scriptural commands that applied to me:
Scriptural Commands:
Do not fear
Do not be anxious
Trust Him
Sometimes we forget what God has commanded. by being fearful and anxious I am in disobedience to Him. That's not where I want to be!
Next, I started looking for passages of scripture that applied to what I was struggling with.
The Lord directed my steps to this passage in Numbers. Once I found this passage, I started thinking on application. Here is the passage, and my thoughts on it.
"And they journeyed from mount
Hor by the way of the Red sea, to
compass the land
of Edom: and the soul of
the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses,
Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for
there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light
bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they
bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have
sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the
LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people."
- Numbers 21:4-7 -
The people were
discouraged because of the difficulty of the way they were called to walk. Because of this discouragement they began to
complain and speak against the Lord and the man God had appointed to lead them. The Lord punished them severely for their
attitude.
When things get hard
we must:
- Make sure we are in
the way God has called and that we are following the leadership and guidelines
He has placed before us. Sometimes
difficulty comes when we are walking in disobedience. I must make sure I am not creating my own
cross.
- When things get
difficult, don’t look at the circumstances.
We must keep the end goal in mind.
We are pilgrims being called to another realm. The temporal is only a tool and means in His
hand.
- Do not lose
heart. Speak truth to yourself. My greatest fears come not from reality but
from what I imagine could happen. Fear
comes from the “what if” and the “how is this going to work?” God didn’t give the children of Israel a detailed plan for getting out of Egypt
to living in the promised land. He just
guided them step by step.. I must be
willing to just follow His leading step by step.
- Do not
complain. We must not grumble against
the way the Lord is leading us.
Everything is part of His plan, so we must take it patiently as
that. We must have faith, trust, and
obey. We must choose to be thankful for
His plan and for His guidance. We must
refuse to complain because of difficulty or uncertainty. This will keep us from becoming blinded by
discouragement.
- If I have sinned by
not walking in the way God would have for me, by not obeying the guidance He
has given me, or by complaining against how He is working, I must confess this
and repent of it. I must turn my heart,
and ask the Lord to turn my heart, to thankfulness and trust. Start speaking the truths of God’s word to
your heart and thanking Him for the ways He is working in the circumstances in
your life for your sanctification.
I was so thankful for how the Lord directed me during this time, and am continuing to study His word for truth to use. The battle is not over, but He has given me weapons to fight with, and by His grace I am seeking to win each battle as it comes. I hope that as I've shared this that it has been at least a small encouragement to some. The Lord is always with us - closer than any battle we are fighting - and with Him we can always win!
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
- 1 John 5:4 -
~Brittany
