I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalms 27:13-14
I saw a span of horses drawing a very heavy load of logs, and as they came to a hard place they struggled and tried with all their force, strained every muscle to the highest tension, but they could not start the load. Then the driver took some of the logs off and tried to get them to start the load, but they would not. He rolled off some more, but those horses would not start. He rolled off still more, and at last took off every log, and then they started up the road.
Those horses had been utterly discouraged; they had pulled with all their strength and failed, and anyone doing that, be it man or beast, is not able to accomplish half as much as a man who has not lost heart. (Current Anecdotes)
The devil's greatest tool is probably not envy, jealousy, hate, or greed...but...discouragement! This was what is used to wedge through our spiritual armor and commitment. Lack of numbers - unrealized vision – improper desires - cause people to get discouraged and quit! Untold numbers of ministers leave the ministry each year. For every one of those who leave, there is another whose ministry leaves them. The same is true for laypersons and teachers who are grow weary of playing the notes without the music, serve without sacrifice, labor without love, and find victory without battle. The loss of spiritual fire can be traced to the infiltration of the enemy on this threshold.
Discouragement has been defined as when things don't happen the way WE think they should. Have you ever thought about the fact that there must be an expectation for there to be discouragement? Satan’s path to destruction begins with an unmet expectation followed by the following: Frustration - Discouragement -Disillusionment (loss of vision} – Depression – Defeat.
Have you found yourself in a place of discouragement that is becoming your place of defeat? It's so easy to have that happen and yet avoidable. Here are some tips:
· Pray about what God wants us to do. Don’t take on something without His guidance.
· Give your expectation to God. Let Him bring it about in His time.
· Seek God’s plan for accomplishment. Possibly the method is failing, not the purpose.
· Expect trouble when you fight against the enemy of God. Don’t be surprised if it does not go smoothly.
· Seek God when you grow weary in well doing and let His Spirit refresh you.
We need to see the things that God wants and not what we desire as our goal and then open our lives to His ability to provide. In our lives we have seen the drought turn to plenty so often that we are ashamed of the times we have cried in our want and lack of faith.
Scripture to Claim:
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Proverbs 24:16
