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How Do We
Overcome Discouragement
by Francis
Frangipane
The Jews had been
defeated by Nebuchadnezzar and, because of their long and
extended rebellion to God, the Lord allowed them to be exiled to
Babylon. Yet, now their appointed time of judgment had passed;
it was time for the Lord's promise to be fulfilled. Indeed, He
had assured them,
"After seventy years...I will visit you,
and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to
this place" (Jer. 29:10 KJV).
Initiated by the fasting and prayer of the prophet Daniel,
Israel had entered a season of divine visitation: men with both
integrity and vision were raised up and financial provisions
came. The display of divine grace had created an atmosphere of
awe and excitement among the people of God - He was "causing
[them] to return" to Israel! Yet, how He brought them back was
just as miraculous: Israel's God revealed Himself to King Cyrus
of Persia, a gentile king, and actually
"Appointed
[him] to build [the Lord] a house in Jerusalem" (2 Chron.
36:23). In fact, Cyrus
encouraged a national offering for Israel's journey; he restored
the treasures taken by Nebuchadnezzar from Israel, and he issued
a royal edict, legally authorizing the return of the Jews to
Israel.
It was a time of great miracles, supernatural provision and
fulfilled prophecy. Yet even as the exiles resettled in
Jerusalem and engaged in the work of restoration, we read:
"Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah,
and frightened them from building, and hired counselors against
them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of
Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia"
(Ezra 4:4-5).
Incredibly, in spite of the miracles, signs and provisions,
simple discouragement neutralized their progress. Unbelievably,
scholars say that their work stalled for nearly 20 years!
Beloved, discouragement is an enemy that is both subtle in its
attack and powerful in its ability to stop us. We must discern
it when it comes and refuse to accommodate its influence when it
speaks.
How Discouragement
Enters
Every person with a vision from God will have serious
opportunities to become discouraged as they reach for the
fulfillment of their vision. Indeed, just as Israel was given a
promise from God and provisions to help their return, so the
Almighty has given promises and provisions to us. Your vision
may be for your personal transformation, or it may be a
God-inspired desire to see your family or church brought into
spiritual renewal. You may even possess a citywide vision or a
holy passion to see your nation turned toward God. Yet, like the
Jews, we can be just as vulnerable to discouragement and its
effects.
How does discouragement gain access to our souls? The answer is
simple: We start evaluating our lives based upon information
compiled by our senses instead of assessing our position based
upon the promise and help of God. However, I don't mean we are
unaware of the difficulties of our faith assignment, but that
God is good and He is not hindered by our present limitations.
Consider: when God promised Abraham a child in his old
age, the Bible says he
"contemplated his
own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years
old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb."
Abraham didn't deny the facts of
life; without growing weak in faith, he "contemplated" his
situation.
"Yet, with respect
to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew
strong in faith, giving glory to God."
He was
"fully assured that what God had promised,
He was able also to perform" (see Rom. 4:19-21).
Discouragement comes when we only look at our circumstances
without looking to the faithfulness and integrity of what God
has promised.
Still, discouragement has infiltrated the minds of many. Knowing
mankind's vulnerability to discouragement, Jesus taught His
disciples a parable that,
"at all times they ought to pray and not
to lose heart" (Lk 18:1).
The parable concerned a widow desperately seeking legal
protection from an adversary, but she received no immediate help
from her judge (see Lk:18).
In spite of his resistance, however, she refuses to be
discouraged from her quest; she persists until she gains her
breakthrough.
The goal of Christ's teaching was to immunize His followers from
discouragement; to "lose heart" is to become discouraged. Jesus
assures us that God will hear us as we turn to Him in persistent
prayer.
True Faith Takes
Courage
We also need to know Christ is not just our Savior, but He also
is the "author and perfecter" of our faith
(Heb 12:2).
In order for faith to mature, it needs situations where faith
alone can sustain us. "Faith" is not merely a proper
understanding of doctrinal issues; faith is the spiritual
"substance
of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen"
(Heb 11:1 KJV). We must
not only possess accurate doctrines about faith; we must live by
faith as well.
Indeed, there are times when, for faith to develop, we must
trust God in spite of how things appear. Jesus often told people
to take courage, for their faith had saved them
(see Mt 9:2, 9:22, etc.).
There will always be times when, against the glaring face of a
negative reality, true faith arises, appropriates courage and
locks into the integrity of God's promise. We must let faith
arise in the context of resistance. This is the faith that
touches God's heart.
The enemy comes to dis-courage or remove the courage from our
hearts, and thus causes us to withdraw into unbelief. To win our
fight of faith, we must not surrender to discouragement. Yes,
times will come when we will ask God for greater wisdom;
certainly, we will adjust our attitudes and become both flexible
and wiser as we process the faith assignment destiny has set
before us. But we must not give up:
"For yet in a
very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not
delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he
shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him" (Heb
10:37-38).
Hall of Faith
The above scripture is part of an introduction to Hebrews,
chapter 11, which chronicles the heroic stories of those who
pleased God with their faith. All of them had to endure the test
of time; often the delays seemed so permanent and the odds
against them insurmountable, yet none of these men and women
allowed discouragement to dim the brightness of their faith. The
persevering quality of their hearts - the fact that they stood
in the storms of doubt and circumstances and refused to shrink
away from God's promise - filled God's heart with pleasure, and
He answered their faith.
Part of the testimony of those with overcoming faith is that
they
"conquered kingdoms, performed acts of
righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,
quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from
weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign
armies to flight" (Heb 11:33-34).
I absolutely love this scripture:
"they conquered
kingdoms...put foreign armies to flight."
Beloved, a foreign army with weapons named "perversion,"
"immorality" and "corruption" has invaded our nation and sought
to occupy our culture. It has eroded the conscience of our
society, and it seeks to carry off our sons and daughters into
captivity. We must fight.
You say, "But
Francis, I'm weary."
Yes, there are times when we all get weary. But we have the help
of God with us. Consider His promise:
"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My
soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring
forth justice to the nations...He will not be disheartened or
crushed..." (Isaiah 42:1-4).
Christ will be not "disheartened or crushed." Why? The Spirit of
God "upholds" Him, and the Spirit of God upholds Christ in us as
well. Are you God's servant? Then turn to Him and find new
strength. You may be wounded or struck, but as we abide in
Christ, we too will be neither "disheartened or crushed."
You say, "I live in Florida (or the Southeastern USA or the
Caribbean). I've been discouraged by the destruction from these
many storms." Yet, even in the most difficult times, God is
there with you. Have you noticed the names and sequence of the
hurricanes that roared through Florida: Charley, Frances, Ivan
and Jeanne? The meaning of these names reveals a message:
Charley- man, Frances- fr*ee,
Ivan- God is good, Jeanne- gracious and merciful.
Together, they say,
"Man (is) fr*ee; God is good, gracious and merciful."
If we look, we will see that, in the midst of these storms, God
was good, gracious and merciful to many. Those who see God
standing with them in the storms are fr*ee indeed.
A number from the USA were discouraged by the first debate
between the presidential candidates. I heard folks lamenting
that their candidate "did poorly. He could hardly speak in
sentences." Remember, dear friend, the Lord has used people who
were slow of speech in the past (see Ex 3). The issue is not how
clever we are with words, but whether God will back up our
stammering with His power. Let us pray for our President, and
where he has made mistakes, whether in speech or even in
administration of the nation, let us intercede that God will
work good out even from mistakes.
Dear one, there is a spiritual war raging, whether it is over
the future of our world or the future of our souls, we cannot
shrink back into unbelief. Let us be strong and of good courage.
Let us seek God and find new strength in prayer. And let us
never give in to the voice of discouragement.
by Francis
Frangipane
www.frangipane.org
comments@frangipane.org
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Frangipane Ministries, Inc.
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