Old Fable:
In the devil's marketplace were found many tools. Tools such as deceit, lying, jealously,
pride, hatred, envy, etc. were all up for sale at discount prices. However, in the corner of the room, there was
another tool, separated from the rest.
It was well-protected and encased in glass as a means of protection from
the dust. Unlike the other tools, its
price was high. This tool was
discouragement. When asked why such a
small tool was so highly priced, the devil answered, “It is the most terrific
of them all. It can pry open a heart no
matter how shielded. It gets inside a
heart when I cannot. Adultery, idolatry,
hatred, etc. have my labels placed upon them, and so people will know it's
coming from me. But not so with
discouragement. You see how badly worn
it is? Because I use it on almost everyone,
and few people know it belongs to me.”
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Discouragement can suck the joy right out of life. It can warp our focus to where all we can see
is the negative all around us. Worst of
all, discouragement leads to the desire to give up on everything, including
God. Discouragement argues, “Look,
you've tried. You've done what's
right. You've lived by God's
standard. Now, what has it gotten
you?” And sadly, we listen, and that is
where our trouble begins.
To illustrate just how much discouragement can change our
outlook, I want to share with you two quotes that I found. Read them carefully.
Quote #1:
It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels he is worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.
Quote #2:
I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth.
Whether I shall be better I cannot tell.
I actually forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better.
Isn't it amazing that two people could have such different
views of life? You want to know what's
even more amazing? The above quotations
were both spoken by the same man in different times of his life. Yes, even Abraham Lincoln knew what it was
like to face discouragement. While there is no true “cure” for discouragement,
there are some things we can do to keep it at bay.
First of all, we need rest.
Yes, I'm speaking of physical rest.
It is an accepted fact that when our bodies are tired, we are more
susceptible to mood changes and stress.
However, as important as that is, it is also important to get our
spiritual rest. Psalm 37:7 says, Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for
him. To rest in the Lord means to lean on Him, to
cast our cares upon Him. The word “rest”
implies peace and comfort. These can be
found by going to God and sharing with Him the source of our
discouragement. Then, lean on His
strength to see us through.
Second, we need to reflect.
This takes some practice, but it's worth it. Reflecting means taking all of our negative
thoughts and turning them into positive ones. Bad circumstance? Yes, but what
good came from it? Sometimes, we have to
look really hard, and when all else fails, reflect on Romans 8:28 that reminds
us if good hasn't come out of it yet, it will!
Third, we need to resist the devil who will be shouting at
us constantly. No, it's not an audible
voice, but sometimes it feels like he's sitting right on our shoulders, filling
our ears with complaints and negative thoughts.
It's easy to listen to him without even realizing we're doing it. That's why we need to become more aware of
his presence. If the thoughts we're
having are negative and leading to discouragement, they're not of God. II Corinthians 10:5 speaks of bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ. When we resist
the devil, that's the first step in getting our thoughts straight. Once he's no longer shouting in our ears,
it's easier to bring those thoughts to where they need to be.
***Excerpt from The Deadly Darts of the Devil by Dana Rongione***
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