Discouraged?

Are you dealing with a situation right now that calls aloud for remedy, yet you have no solution? Is there something that you really, really need and thus far have been unable to get it? Are you dealing with a health challenge that you can’t quite seem to get on top of? Are you having trouble in your relationship and as much as you’ve tried, you cannot seem to get it right? And, if you are single, are you looking for love in apparently all the wrong places? Or, has your life as a whole gone in a direction that you never intended, much less expected? As painful as these things are, they are all part of the human experience. No one gets very far in life without experiencing at least a portion of these challenges. While you are in the midst of them it is very easy to lose hope. You pray and pray yet nothing seems to happen. You put forth your best efforts and nothing seems to change. The more you fixate on the problem, the less answers you find. Are you discouraged my friend?

It may surprise you to know this, but God is never behind any of the difficulties you experience. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. As such, He does not bring you pain and suffering. He doesn’t bring you to it in order to take you through it as the religious pundits proclaim. He isn’t teaching you an arduous lesson. He is never the cause of any delays nor a hinderance in you getting the things that you need. He does not cause sickness and He does not bring about an early death for mysterious reasons we are unable to comprehend. He isn’t punishing you for your sins or punishing you for any reason. He does not withhold blessings in order to force you to get right with Him. All of these cleverly devised lies are simply a cloak of deception for the one really behind our troubles; all of our troubles. As the famous movie, “The Usual Suspects” explained, the greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he did not exist! Being ignorant of Satan’s devices is the number one reason that people suffer which leads to assigning negatives and evil to God. I can assure you that if God was behind any of your troubles, there would be no remedy. But God is not the cause, ever. In the great drama of life there is an ever present contest going on between good and evil. God seeks to do good for people, bless them, prosper them, deliver them and heal them, while the adversary seeks only to steal and to kill and to destroy. Every problem, every trouble, every pain, every loss you have ever experienced came directly or indirectly as a result of evil that is in the world today. In a perfect world where there was no evil, everything you ever needed would come to pass quickly and easily. But, we do not live in a perfect world and the world we live in is ruled by evil. As such, we are all going to be faced with challenges and we are all going to get knocked down at times. The first step in the recovery of everything you have ever lost or been unable to receive thus far is to understand that your difficulty does not ever come from God. Don’t be discouraged my friend, for better days are ahead.

Once you are clear that your troubles have not originated with God who is love, you are now in a position to believe God to get the results that you need. You need God’s love and God’s power in your life. Without God life is a cruelty doled out in perpetual lumps leading eventually to your own demise. A great man used to say, “Discouragement is a sin, it’s trick of the adversary.” The reason discouragement is a sin is because it foolishly concludes God cannot do anything to alleviate the suffering. It falsely proclaims the power of evil is greater than the power of good. Every time you and I have felt discouraged, we have been deceived. We have believed a lie from the father of lies. Years ago, while trying to deal with a very difficult situation, I found myself angry with God for moving so slowly to alleviate my sufferings. I told Him I was no longer going to be His representative and some other choice things that His grace and mercy overlooked. You see, I wasn’t clear concerning the reality of my situation. I failed to recognize that the suffering I endured was not due to a failing on the part of God, but rather a failing in understanding the spiritual competition and my personal adversary at work to make my life miserable. Things certainly did not improve overnight, but eventually I was able to overcome with God’s help and kindness and love. The same holds true for you. You can find the answers you need, the deliverance you seek, the healing you need and anything else that is important for your own happiness and success. But sadly and unfortunately sometimes you have to fight. You aren’t fighting the devil himself, you are fighting the falsehoods he has been able to lodge inside your head. You are fighting the appearance of things that seem to contradict the promises of God. You are fighting against lies that position themselves as truth. My friend, stand against discouragement for God is on your side.

It is not God’s will for us to have to live this way but it is a byproduct of evil that has been allowed to infiltrate our world. Until that great day in the future, we have to learn how to compete in the spiritual competition. We have to learn how to believe God and claim our rightful authority He has given us in Christ. We have to fight for what is ours! God will do all that He has promised us and more if we will remain faithful to His Word and His precious promises to us. Don’t allow yourself to feel angry with God as He is incapable of evil. If you are going to be angry with anyone be angry with the evil that is behind your every trouble. Rise up in your mind and in your heart and become determined to see the results you desire. Get serious about it! When you have a need, the reason God says to keep knocking and keep seeking is not because He didn’t hear you the first time, but rather because you are standing against an opponent placing obstacles in your path. You are never being tempted by God, you are being tempted by evil to surrender; to give up on your hopes and dreams. Don’t you let them win! God will do what He said He would do. “If you do not fold, you will not lose.” Are you discouraged my friend? Well, tomorrow is a new day to get back in the fight. God will not let you lose.

Just some good thoughts…