People Spots Online
Produced by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries

Discouragement

by James W. Moss, Sr.

I recently listened to a discouraged friend share a number of problems. I thought to myself, “If I had to face all of that, I would be discouraged too.”

What do you do when everything seems to be going wrong? You just reconciled your personal checking account and there isn’t as much there as you thought. In fact, you are overdrawn without having been aware of such. An elder just reminded you of an important assignment that you overlooked. The school just called and one of your children has been suspended for three days. Your spouse just informed you the clothes washer needs repair. All of this since you got up at 6:00 am.

It is a tough day. What do you do?

¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV).

In the midst of a time of discouragement, have you ever quoted that verse and then said to yourself, “I think God thinks I’m stronger than I really am.” I know he won’t give me more than I can bear but I feel like I’m about to crash and burn. Discouragement can paralyze us into inactivity. It is a deadly enemy.

I typed in “more than you can bear” into Google™. The first item to come up was an article, “It’s More than You Can Bear,” written by Simon Webster. He talks about bumping into a grizzly bear in Yellowstone Park. That would certainly be a frightening experience. But then he says, “The good news is that only five people have been bumped off by bears in Yellowstone’s 135 year history as a national park. Okay, there’s one mauling a year, but the park gets four million visitors a year, so your odds are pretty good. In Yellowstone, you’re more likely to die in a car accident (icy roads), of a heart attack (the average elevation is 2,700 metres), of hypothermia, or drowning. You see, bears are the least of your worries.”

Frequently, the things that cause us the most discouragement aren’t real. I have a saying that I have used, “Don’t worry until you have something to worry about.” Webster then says the bear might be bluffing. He instructs, “You raise yourself up tall and stand your ground. The bear (pussycat, more like) stops short and backs away. You do the same and everyone’s happy. . . . Of course, there’s always the chance the bear’s not bluffing. . . .”

You have to fall back on your inner reserves provided by the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. At this point another verse becomes very important.

⁴You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4, NIV).

We have tremendous resources at our disposal. We are not taking this walk alone. God is with us. As Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells within and provides guidance and strength to meet whatever is our need.

Many things are relative. Sometimes when I think I’m having a bad day, I think back to April 28, 1991, when I walked into my 17-year-old daughter’s hospital room. She was in a level one coma with no response to anything. She was hooked up to a respirator with all kinds of tubes and wires. Then I think of my current problems and I can say, “That was a bad day. With God’s help, we can handle this.”

Rebekah has recovered immensely. She got her undergraduate degree in psychology and her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling. She is working as a behavioral specialist. She helps troubled children and their families. God is so good.

Discouragement is a vicious animal. Don’t let it get a grip on you. Turn to him who is in control of everything. Sometimes the issues are real. That grizzly isn’t bluffing. Then, especially then, you need the help that comes from the Lord.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? ² My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. ³ He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; ⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121).

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September 6, 2005. Volume 8, Issue 14. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.

Discouragement

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