Topic: RESPONSE TO
DISCOURAGEMENT
Memorise: Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not
afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9
Bible Text: 1st Samuel 30:3-8
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 1-3, John 6:52-71
David’s response to the distress he was confronted with, after his
family and those of his men were taken captive, shall serve as an example of
what our response shall be in the face of discouragement. The Bible in 1st
Samuel 30:8 say:
“And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I
pursue after his troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, pursue: for
thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
Whenever you experience a loss, you need to go back to God to find out
if it is possible to recover what was lost, and how such recovery would be
achieved. Do not take it for granted that every loss must be recovered.
Sometimes, when the Lord calls home a loved one who is very ill and going
through excruciating pain, there might be no need for Him to return such a
fellow back to life, except of course if He wants to heal
such a fellow. Also,
if a blessing is already becoming a curse or something else, it may be
preferable for such a blessing to go for the greater good. Have you taken time
to ask God about His will concerning your losses? Have you also asked how such
losses can be recovered?
We can see from today’s Bible reading that people respond to
discouragement in different ways. Some people do not mind going to any extreme
when they are discouraged. At the point of discouragement, David’s men suddenly
blamed the same leader who had been protecting them. They began to see their
helper as the source of their loss. They began to speak against him and even
planned to stone him to death! This shows the destructive power of
discouragement. How do you handle situations when you are discouraged? Do you
turn your helpers into enemies? There are some believers including ministers,
who at the height of discouragement deliberately step out of righteousness and
return temporarily to the sinful lifestyle they abandoned several years ago.
This type of responses is wrong. When faced with discouragement, encourage
yourself in the Lord. Study God’s word to receive a word of encouragement and
direction. Pray to God, praise and thank Him for all past blessings and worship
Him. Doing those may be difficult, but ask for grace to do so. Seek counselling
from godly people. Also, ask yourself: what does Satan want me to do in this
situation? Ensured you don’t act according to his expectation.
Key point:Discouragement is an arrow that must be returned to its source with
haste.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment