(A Biblical Perspective by Al Thomas)

IF I TOLD YOU THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE I MEET WHO ARE DISCOURAGED, FED UP, DOWN  and (almost) out, you might be amazed. Unless you are one of them.   They have no spunk, drive or dynamic in their lives.     One of the greatest tools the enemy is using against the believer today is discouragement. Discouragements will slowly, quietly, but surely, slip you into a spiritual coma. This is where the devil wants you. He knows you will be ineffective for God when you are discouraged.  This is a problem with all human beings, but for the believer it is serious business. We all get discouraged, but it is dangerous to set up camp there.  
 
• YOU HAVE NO JOY IN THE JOURNEY    A mistake many believers make when discouraged is to act like they are not discouraged when in the presence of other believers. They are embarrassed to tell anyone they are living a defeated life. It’s so unspiritual (don’t you know)? We must keep a stiff upper lip and all that now, chap! You will not be delivered from discouragement until you face it head on. Joy is one of the gifts Jesus gave us(JOHN15:11;16:24).  Discouragement drains you of energy and creativity. Discouragement fogs your vision. You can’t see where you should be going, or you simply don’t want to go. If you’re part of the secret misery army out there you need to go AWOL). Rebel against rebellion. You need to take a stand and tell the enemy where to go without going their yourself.

• MORE SATISFACTION IN EARTHLY THINGS THAN SPIRITUAL THINGS  When discouragement hits, if not dealt with immediately, we want to reach out for something to sooth the pain. If we do not reach out for the Word of God, counsel from another believer, or go to the Lord in prayer, we will fall into the trap of reaching out to the world and it’s pleasures(1JOHN 2:15-18). Jesus must be the ultimate satisfaction giver. He is our satisfaction. Many sermons tell us to deny our feelings and rightfully so. Yet, God has feelings and He often touches ours. Sometimes joy from God can be felt, but more often than not we are called to live a life of faith . No, it’s not all mental. (If it was, I’d be mental). Simple hard core faith can propel you into feelings, but feelings must not be your goal. Foolishness too often befalls those who are hung up on feelings.  (What I call Charismatic slush).   If feelings come, yippee! If not, yippee anyway! Yippee by faith! 

• WAKING UP FROM THE COMA OR THE WAY UP WHEN YOU ARE DOWN
            1. THE NARROW ROAD - We could go through a list of evidence that proves you’ve fallen into a danger zone, where your spiritual life is now decaffeinated, or crippled of its power and joy: EASILY CRITICAL OF OTHERS, TENDENCY TO WANT TO BE ALONE, YOUR BEST FRIEND IS THE TELEVISION, etc. (It’s sad when your best friend is an inanimate object). Your best friend is the Lord Jesus. Scripture says:  “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (PROVERBS18:24). Some do not realize that spiritual growth requires constant attention. The road to depression is wide, but the way out is quite narrow (MATT.7:14). Jesus is the Way. He does not lie. Walk down the road. Recognizing that you are sleeping is the first step to waking up(1 THESS. 5:6). Ephesians5:14says “…Awake thou that sleepest…and Christ shall give thee light.”
            2. JUST GET STARTED - WALK IN THE LIGHT Often those who are stuck in discouragement make wild leaps to get out and then fall back in. They expect things to turn around right away. God just wants you to take some baby steps. You didn’t just jump into this thing and you are not going to be able to just jump out. But you must start somewhere. Every time I pray I do not see a vision of Jesus. I don’t expect to. Every time I pray I’m not expecting a rush of the wind of the Holy Spirit. I live on faith. This is how you begin to get started: On faith. Paraphrasing Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is being certain of what we do not feel.”   If you are too weak, tell God. Just keep communicating. Once you stop communicating, you’re done. Ever been talking to someone and a light came on (in your head)? It happens constantly when you communicate with Jesus. He is the light. Get started. It’s getting brighter in here…
            3. CLEAN YOUR ROOM - TRUST HIS WORD When there is a debate between your feelings and what scripture says, scripture always wins(2 TIM. 3:16).    Often discouragement comes because God is dealing with us and we do not want to be dealt with. God says, “Don’t do this any more, you are too mature to do this any longer.”  You say within yourself “But, I like to do this.” If you fight the change God desires to work in you, you will get discouraged. It’s like a grief stricken child because he can no longer play in the mud, but what the child doesn’t know is that the parents are cleaning him up for a trip to Disney World. Tip: Seek out someone who is also struggling. Listen to them. It will cause you to lay aside your pain and get a grip on reality. Do you really want to change? (JOSHUA 24:15). Don’t listen to your own thoughts, but to His Word (HEB.4:12).Saint, you can’t walk with training pants all your life. Clean your room, Jesus is preparing something for you (and it’s better than anything Disney can dream up). Pass the coffee…the good stuff.
Al & Sherry Thomas
CELEBRATING HIS LIFE MINISTRIES
P.O. Box 762
Hagerstown, Maryland 21741
301-791-3818
email: a.thomas@myactv.net
web: www.celebratinghislife.org