(July 2019)
We are three months away from an evangelistic outreach on the UC Berkeley campus. We have been planning this for six months and as I’m on the phone with a contact there, he informs me that the organization he represents has not made the necessary preparations for the crusade. They are changing the script from last time, adding red tape and extra requirements, and doing this at the last minute. As much as I was angry in the flesh, I recognized this for what it was… an attempt of the enemy to stop this crusade from happening. I spent the rest of that Saturday burdened by discouragement. Then come Sunday morning, I worshiped my way to victory and joy in the Lord.
As I reflected on this, I realized a powerful truth:
The devil’s greatest weapon against the church is not overt, sensational sins like pride, lust or greed. His number one tool is discouragement.
Courage is a Heart Issue
The word courage comes from the Latin root word Cor which means “heart.” So to be courageous literally means to have a strong heart. To be willing to face adversity and march forward despite the possibility of defeat is the essence of courage. In battle, morale is a big deal and generals understand this.
In the Scripture God charges Joshua to “be strong and of good courage” many times before commissioning him to take Israel into the Promised Land. Why was this? Because God knew that courage was one of the primary things needed for the church to advance into victory. Is it any wonder then why the devil works relentlessly to bring dis-couragement? There are many examples of times and situations that were designed to discourage the saints. Think about Gideon who was so afraid of the Midianites that he was hiding in a wine press to make a little food for himself (Judges 6). Think about Hannah who was barren and then taunted by her husband’s other wife who had many children (1 Sam. 1). Think about Nehemiah who was mocked, resisted, threatened and falsely accused of sedition by foreign ambassadors because he was rebuilding Jerusalem along with his fellow Israelites (Neh. 4 & 6). Can you see a pattern here? All these situations were designed to bring discouragement.
In America the leading cause of death killing one in four people is… can you guess? Heart disease! This disease affects men twice as frequently as women. Do you think this is just a coincidence? Could it be that the spiritual realm is simply being reflected in the natural and what we need more than ever in this nation is to deal with a root issue of heart sickness and discouragement? Have we forgotten who we are and whose we are?
“Above all else, guard your heart. For it is the wellspring of life.” Prov. 4:23
God is after your heart… and so is the devil!
Resistance is Inevitable
One of the better decisions I’ve made this year was returning to the gym to regularly work out. No matter how many weeks I’ve done this, there is always that voice in the back of my mind telling me that I don’t feel like working out right now. There is always some excuse to postpone or skip altogether. I have to press through this. But the more I do so, the easier it gets each time. In order to grow stronger, the mind and body need resistance.
In one of Arnold Schwarzenneger’s famous speeches, he gives the secret to his success in life. “I have no Plan B.” and “People used to ask me how I can lift weights with a smile on my face. It’s because I have a goal. Every repetition gets me closer to my goal.” Arnold also says most people are afraid of failure but concludes that, “We all fail. It’s okay to fail.”
Consider the Wright brothers. They failed many times before inventing the airplane. Thomas Edison tried to invent the light bulb and failed 1,000 times! A reporter asked him how it felt knowing he failed 1,000 times. He replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps!” Abraham Lincoln ran for office and failed eight times before becoming president. Think of the resistance Martin Luther King Jr. faced during his fight for civil justice in America. His house was bombed and his family threatened with death.
How many times are you willing to fail in order to reach your goal?
God is looking for overcomers. There are beautiful promises from Jesus to his church in the book of Revelation (chapters 2-3). I encourage you meditate on these for yourself. Each one begins with, “To him who overcomes…” The coward and the quitter will have no part in the kingdom of God.
Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have tribulation… but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”
In this life you will face resistance of all kinds. You will face financial challenges. You will be tempted to stray into sin. You will be criticized by friends, family and people who claim to be Christians but don’t get it. You will face rejection, betrayal and emotional battles. You will experience set backs, unforeseen obstacles, fires, disasters and every attack from the enemy imaginable. You will face persecution, and for some even violence and imprisonment. But guess what? This is normal! There is no magic pill, silver bullet, or ruby red slippers to get you back to Kansas. Resistance is inevitable. However, remember this truth.
The devil uses resistance to drain you. God uses resistance to train you!
Beating Discouragement
Here are some secrets and truths from the Word of God to cause you to win the battle against discouragement in your life.
Your strength comes from God
Hold onto the prophecies and testimonies
Worship
David had one of the worst days at the office in history. He comes home with his merry men to a not-so-merry sight. His whole village and town of Ziklag had been raided and burned to the ground. Amidst the smoldering rubble, no people could be found. All his family and the families of his men had been kidnapped and carried off. After weeping themselves into hysteria, his men turn towards him with a crazy look in their eyes, and David realizes that meat is what’s for dinner. (1 Sam. 30-1-6) In my opinion, this is one of the most discouraging situations in Scripture. In the midst of this chaos and despair, David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. David knew there was only one person and one source of strength and he needed a fresh God encounter.
Secret #1 – You need a God encounter.
Another secret to winning is found in Paul’s word to Timothy, “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.” (1 Tim. 1:18)
The prophet Habakkuk also is told by the Lord to: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it. Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Hab. 2:2-3)
Secret #2 – Write down your prophecies, visions and testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Speak, pray and meditate upon them often.
This is the last secret. There is no problem that will continue to plague you in the manifest presence of God. His glory, light, holiness and power will eliminate every worry, fear, trouble and anxiety. It won’t just be dwarfed or eclipsed… it will become non-existent.
The psalmist talks about the oppression of the wicked and the proud who seem to have no trouble. He was so tormented by this injustice that it oppressed him, robbing him of peace. “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely you set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when you awake, you shall despise their image.” (Ps. 73:17-20)
Secret #3 – Worship your way into a paradigm shift.
The devil’s biggest game is discouraging you and me from the purposes of God. Resistance is inevitable, but God is molding us into his image through every trial. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us so… hold fast to these truths and NEVER GIVE UP!