Seasons of Discouragement
Do you ever experience seasons of discouragement? Where you just feel like you're facing resistance and opposition at every turn and nothing seems to work out as you'd hoped. Well I guess you wouldn't be human if you haven't. If left unchecked, fatigue and stress usually follows and can quickly bring anxiety, anger and fear.
Life is filled with rejection, disappointment, pain and sometimes loneliness, insecurities, discouragement and fear. It's not problems or how others think of us that defines us, but it's who we are to Jesus, but if we don't know it, we're ripe for the enemy's lies and destructive schemes.
Let's think about this for a moment. The Son of God, who was here, even before the world was created, agreed to come to earth, live a short life, get tortured, take upon himself the consequences of our sicknesses and sin, then die a brutal death for one purpose... to restore your relationship with the Father. What incredible love!
His spilled blood purchased freedom from your sins and the sentence to eternity in hell. Yes, it's a real place, but it's not God's desire that any should go there. He gave it all just to give us the opportunity to choose life... eternal life... never ending and lived in His presence. He paid the greatest price so that we could be truly free.
What are you going through today? Well actually, that's the key... going through. You are just passing through this trial and there's victory on the other side if you'll just take your eyes off of the problem and place them on Jesus.
Pray and trust Him! He not only understands your problems, He felt and experienced them on the cross. The price has been paid. Take a deep breath, refocus and reprioritize your time. Don't waste another moment trying to figure it all out, complaining and worrying about the outcome. This God whose love is completely extravagant and magnificent didn't withhold His own Son from you... wouldn't He care about the details of your life?
Give it to Him, don't look back, He's got this and if you'll trust and worship Him through the storm... the outcome will blow your mind and result in a testimony for God's glory! YES! TRUST HIM! HE'S GOT IT ALL UNDER CONTROL!
2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
Philippians 4:6-8 (TPT) Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ. So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.
Matthew 6:31-33 (NKJV) “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
