THE SIN OF DISCOURAGEMENT
(10-15 min. read. This is an old message of mine that has helped many, and maybe it can help you. If you're feeling beat down, please set aside some time to read these words prayerfully and maybe even pass them on to someone in need.)
“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Neh. 8:10)
Nehemiah 8:10 says, “. . . the joy of the LORD is your strength.” So the key for the believer is getting and keeping the joy of the Lord. A man who allows the sin of discouragement to rule his life has lost the joy of the Lord, if he ever had it. David prayed in Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” Due to his sin, he had lost the joy of the Lord and had lost his freedom. He had left the mountaintop and moved all the way down into the dungeon like a prisoner. According to his own words, he was in need of being RESTORED and UPHELD. A great many Christians find restoration at times, but they seldom find their spiritual lives and their joy UPHELD by the Lord because they refuse to conform to the principles of God’s word, such as self-denial, holy living, Bible reading, Bible praying (instead of pity praying), ministering to others, witnessing, active involvement in a Bible-believing church, and much more. The joy of the Lord and the strength that comes with it can be yours, but not on your terms. Self-will and self-pity must be denied as the will of God takes priority, else you’ll remain weak and unfulfilled as a believer.
David often went to the Lord in distress when no sin was involved at all. Such is the case in Psalm 18:6: “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” Most Christians do not call upon God in their distress, and most of the ones who do are not truly submitted to the will of God. They’d rather run to God in their troubles as one would run to a lawyer or call 911. Then, as soon as the trouble is over, they forget God and continue in the wayward life that brought them the trouble to start with. This was not the case with David. Except in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah, David walked with the Lord daily with a pure heart. In doing so, he knew to always go directly to God in his distresses instead of bellyaching and whining to people who couldn’t help. In other words, David didn’t like distress, and he wanted deliverance from it, not pity while in it.
Psalm 42 is a great Psalm for discouragement. Twice in the Psalm (and once in the next Psalm) the question is asked, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?” Each time the Holy Spirit offers the same answer: “hope thou in God.” It’s as simple as that. Most people will SAY that their hope is in God because it’s the right thing to do, but they aren’t really doing it. This is evident by the fact that they keep talking with others about their troubles instead of moving on in full faith that all is in God’s hands and will work out for the best (Rom. 8:28). When things DON’T work out for the best, they claim that God has let them down, when, in realty, they never really left matters in God’s hands and trusted Him. This leads to discouragement instead of victory, sin instead of holiness, a victim mentality instead of that of victory, peace and joy.
David’s troubles in Psalm 69 were enough to plunge him into a state of depression: “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away . . . I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children . . . They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” (vss. 1-4, 8, 21) David could have dwelt on these troubles, but his fixed and righteous heart would not allow it. Notice his more positive attitude in verse 30: “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.” That’s the difference between a victim and a victor, between joy and sorrow.
The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, which says, “Jesus wept.” Lest anyone dwell too much on the weeping, the second shortest verse is I Thessalonians 5:16: “Rejoice evermore.” The lesson is clear: weeping and sorrow is a normal PART of life, but it shouldn’t DEFINE one’s life. The believer’s life should shine forth the joy of the Lord, not sorrow and gloom.
Notice Psalm 145:1-2: “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. EVERY DAY will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.” “Every day” would include those “bad” days as well, insuring that Satan doesn’t get an advantage.
In Isaiah 37:14-20, Hezekiah received a disturbing letter about the invading Assyrians. Rather than dwell on his fears and his circumstances, Hezekiah focused on God’s power to bring deliverance: “Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.” (vs. 20) Before the chapter ends, God answers the prayer of His saint by slaying 185,000 Assyrians in one night and bringing the life of the Assyrian king to an end (vss. 37-38). This victory came because Hezekiah trusted God for it instead of engaging in selfish discouragement.
Habakkuk purposes to keep his joy regardless of how things turn out: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Hab. 3:17-19)
Paul wasn’t particularly concerned about his affliction in II Corinthians 1:6: “And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” He was more concerned with the consolation and salvation of others than with his own troubles. It’s hard to even imagine Paul feeling sorry for himself and being discouraged as many Christians do today.
Philip 4:6-7 offers a great promise on leaving things in God’s hands and finding peace: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” But the believer who truly claims this promise has more than the peace of God. Look what Paul says only two verses before that: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” (vs. 4) That doesn’t allow much room for discouragement and depression, does it? After all, God gives the Christian a SOUND mind (II Tim. 1:7), not a fearful and depressed mind.
Regardless of the Scripture presented in this study, some Christians will insist on clinging to their troubles than on clinging to God and His promises. In doing so, they will incur spiritual problems, since welcoming discouragement is a sin. They might also bring emotional problems on themselves and end up on unnecessary drugs or other forms of stimulation. According to the Scriptures, their self-discouragement could also lead to physical health problems. Please notice how clear the word of God is on this subject. The key words have been capitalized:
“Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine EYE IS CONSUMED with grief, yea, my soul and my BELLY. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my STRENGTH FAILETH because of mine iniquity, and my BONES ARE CONSUMED.” (Psa. 31:9-10)
“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be HEALTH TO THY NAVEL, and MARROW TO THY BONES.” (Pro. 3:7-8)
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are LIFE unto those that find them, and HEALTH TO ALL THEIR FLESH.” (Pro. 4:20-22)
“A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as ROTTENNESS IN HIS BONES.” (Pro. 12:4)
“The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report MAKETH THE BONES FAT.” (Pro. 15:30)
“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and HEALTH TO THE BONES.” (Pro. 16:24)
“A sound heart is the LIFE OF THE FLESH: but envy the ROTTENNESS OF THE BONES.” (Pro. 14:30)
“A merry heart doeth good like a MEDICINE: but A BROKEN SPIRIT DRIETH THE BONES.” (Pro. 17:22)
Clearly, physical health problems are sometimes brought on by an unhappy and unholy spirit. Proverbs 18:14 says, “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?” Many people MAKE themselves sick by engaging in self-discouragement, then they become even more discouraged because of their sickness instead of being SUSTAINED in their sickness by a right spirit. There are exceptions, of course, but as a general rule, the old adage stands true: A happy person is a healthy person.
In closing, I ask that the reader understand the main point here. Bad things happen to all of us and cause all of us to grieve and experience periods of sorrow. However, we must be careful to not lose our inner joy during such trials. If we do, then we give place to the devil and our sorrow becomes a sin as we engage in self-discouragement. A Christian who lives in discouragement for months and years is a sinful Christian because God’s word teaches us to encourage ourselves in the Lord and live with victory and joy.
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philip. 3:13-14)
Just remember, friend, there are many people in this world who have gone through far more than you, and many of them somehow kept their joy and put all the negatives behind. This "nobody knows the trouble I've seen" mentality is just plain wrong. Many people have gone through far worse than you, and many of them had victory all the way through it. So, it CAN be done, and such people will stand as a witness against you in the day of judgment, if you content yourself with playing the victim and living in the past with defeat. That is the DEVIL'S will for your life. God's will is for you to find strength, victory and joy in Jesus Christ:
Now thanks be unto God, which ALWAYS causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” (II Cor. 2:14)
In closing, let me give you seven simple tips that can work wonders for you, if only you'll make the effort . . .
(1) Draw closer to God, as you've just read. During discouragement, people often push God away, feeling that he has let them down. To the contrary, you are letting God down and you are letting yourself down when you fail to draw nigh unto God and trust him. Stay in church, stay in the Bible, stay in prayer, and stay around wise and godly people.
(2) Pray for others. That will help you to get your mind off yourself and maybe stop making more of your troubles than you should. In fact, it might very well help you to minimize your troubles as you begin to see what serious problems other people face.
(3) Read lots of scripture. The Bible is a heavenly Book, so it has the ability to lift your focus up and beyond this present troubled world.
(4) Count your blessings and sing praises. Satan wants you to only count your problems. Ask God to show you the things in your life that are still good and positive, then write them down. You will likely realize that you have far more blessings than burdens and that singing God's praises gives you a sense of joy and victory that the devil has been hiding from you. You have victory in Jesus (II Cor. 2:14), but not if you fail to claim it.
(5) Get busy doing something productive. Lying around and being nonproductive only adds to depression as it causes you to feel useless and unneeded.
(6) Spend time around productive and joyous people. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Pro. 17:22) God gives joy to unselfish people who apply themselves to worthy causes, so find a good cause with some good people and apply yourself. You might have to look no further than a good local church.
(7) Avoid mouthy, preachy, negative people. I don't care if it's your best friend or your mother. You already feel like no one understands, and people like this will only make matters worse. Don't skip church nor other important engagements, such as work or meetings, but don't spend much time around negative people either. If necessary, just tell them, "Will you please just shut up and pray for me?"
Friend, I don't know all the answers, but I have had my seasons of sorrow as well, and I know what got me through them. If you'll seriously take this message to heart and try the above counsel, you'll get some help. I don't promise much, but I promise you that.
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