Discourage
Good Morning,
Discouragement: dis means away, like in the word distance; courage refers to spirit.
Discouragement is to have our spirit, our daring, and our willingness to try driven away, leaving us with no willingness to go on.
It is not a sin or grievous failure to be discouraged. The finest people in history faced their moments of discouragement.
Charles Spurgeon had times of terrible depression. Abraham Lincoln was said to have been often dark and depressed. Of his troubled times, Paul the Apostle said, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life." (2 Corinthians 1:8) One might consider this a description of discouragement.
Consider David after being chased as an animal in the wilderness. It seems David was wearing down.
1 Samuel 27:1 “And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines.”
Elijah had wonderful victories and obvious blessings from God as he prayed down fire from Heaven (1Kings 18:38), but just a short time later, he asked God to kill him.
1 Kings 19:4 “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers."
Clearly, people get weary, discouraged, depressed, and whatever other words you might chose to explain the "lost and hopeless" feeling that can overcome the best of us. That is the time when our spirit is away from us.
Suicide is a selfish way out of discouragement. The depressed one forgets everyone else and takes the easiest way out for himself. He neglects the life-long memories of the innocent people around him, and forces them to deal with the tragic consequence.
Even Paul said, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:" (Philippians 1:23) Paul was looking forward to getting out of this messed up world.
If you are in a time of depression or discouragement, you are not a failure, not a looser, or forsaken by God, you are a normal human facing perilous times. The question is, "What do you do now?” If you want the long answer, get a copy of my book, Surviving the Tsunami in which I address the issue in over seventy chapters. The short answer is, "Believe God!" Just determine that God is worthy of our trust, no matter how circumstances appear.
My point is that you are not alone when you get discouraged; the best of the people of God have been there. You are a normal, average person who is facing a difficult time, do not allow the devil to make you feel that you are hopeless. Do not give up!
Pastor
…On a side note, while driving by a local elementary school, I see a flashing sign in giant letters saying, "Girls Rule." That phrase is not good for the boys. Who would put their sons in that school? No one would tolerate the sign saying "Guys Rule!" More on that another day.