Resist discouragement!
Verse for Today: Sunday, January 15, 2012
Nehemiah 4:1 – When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews.
When we live for the Lord and serve Him, the enemy of our souls will become very active and try to hinder our life and work for the Lord. The enemy often uses circumstances and people to hinder our life and ministry. When the enemy shows anger and start ridiculing us, we get intimidated in our souls and find it difficult to face his challenges and opposition. Our immediate temptation would be to plunge into discouragement and finally to retreat. Our spiritual life in families, schools, work place or neighborhood will all be thus affected. It will also affect our ministries in the church or any of our outreach activities. No matter what we attempt for the Lord, the enemy will use weapons of discouragement to detract us. Mockery is a potent psychological weapon which he often uses to depress us. He will also try to terrorize us through tantrums of various types. It is likely that in times like these, our dearest and nearest associates might not stand with us as experienced by David and Paul. Thus when we get rejected and isolated, we feel lonely and loose our confidence to keep going. Our zeal is thus affected and we slowly withdraw from the front line. We must remember that these tactics of discouragement, isolation and rejection are aimed at all who genuinely walk with the Lord and especially at key people in the Christian ministry. The enemy knows that if he can challenge and depress the front line soldiers, others will easily get discouraged and detracted. The experience of Nehemiah, David and Paul speak loudly to us to beware of such attacks and be prepared to face such challenges. We must reaffirm our commitment to our Lord and His calling to keep going by disregarding the mockery and despising from the enemy. We must look into the future through the eyes of the Lord and see what He has planned for us to do for Him and follow those pathways relentlessly. We must follow the Lord in His footsteps and take care not to succumb to discouragement by the terrorizing and mocking attacks of the enemy. We should meditate on our beloved Lord who went through such experiences and draw courage from Him as we face the challenges of the enemy.
Dear friend, are you facing the intimidating tactics of the enemy exhibited through terrorizing behavior and mockery? Are there discouragements around which depress you and tempt you to retreat from going forward? Remember, if you retreat, others who consider you as a role model would also be discouraged, and so for their sake you must go forward. If you go back, your Lord would be much saddened because He expects your forward march to be a response to His march towards Calvary for you disregarding all the opposition. Had David gone back because of the attacks of King Saul and the neighboring countries, he would have never ruled Israel as king. Had Joseph retreated, he would not have become the Prime Minister of Egypt. A discouraged and retreated Nehemiah would have left the walls of Jerusalem in heaps of rubble. You must realize that any person who ever genuinely follows the Lord Jesus would face opposition. The enemy of Jesus would oppose any one who serves Jesus wholeheartedly. It is only natural that the enemy of Jesus would attack and discourage any of His followers from going forward. But we need to renew our commitment to the Lord and face the enemy in the name of our Lord with the help of the full armor of God. We must go forward in spite of opposition and accomplish the tasks that the Lord wants us to attempt for Him who secured our salvation in spite of opposition, mockery, despising and intimidation. Today He is with us to strengthen and encourage us as we face the enemy who wants to challenge us in our walk with the Lord.
Psalms 27:3 – Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Thought for Today
Those who fix their eyes on Jesus would successfully fight discouragement and march forward.
Nehemiah 4:1 – When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews.
When we live for the Lord and serve Him, the enemy of our souls will become very active and try to hinder our life and work for the Lord. The enemy often uses circumstances and people to hinder our life and ministry. When the enemy shows anger and start ridiculing us, we get intimidated in our souls and find it difficult to face his challenges and opposition. Our immediate temptation would be to plunge into discouragement and finally to retreat. Our spiritual life in families, schools, work place or neighborhood will all be thus affected. It will also affect our ministries in the church or any of our outreach activities. No matter what we attempt for the Lord, the enemy will use weapons of discouragement to detract us. Mockery is a potent psychological weapon which he often uses to depress us. He will also try to terrorize us through tantrums of various types. It is likely that in times like these, our dearest and nearest associates might not stand with us as experienced by David and Paul. Thus when we get rejected and isolated, we feel lonely and loose our confidence to keep going. Our zeal is thus affected and we slowly withdraw from the front line. We must remember that these tactics of discouragement, isolation and rejection are aimed at all who genuinely walk with the Lord and especially at key people in the Christian ministry. The enemy knows that if he can challenge and depress the front line soldiers, others will easily get discouraged and detracted. The experience of Nehemiah, David and Paul speak loudly to us to beware of such attacks and be prepared to face such challenges. We must reaffirm our commitment to our Lord and His calling to keep going by disregarding the mockery and despising from the enemy. We must look into the future through the eyes of the Lord and see what He has planned for us to do for Him and follow those pathways relentlessly. We must follow the Lord in His footsteps and take care not to succumb to discouragement by the terrorizing and mocking attacks of the enemy. We should meditate on our beloved Lord who went through such experiences and draw courage from Him as we face the challenges of the enemy.
Dear friend, are you facing the intimidating tactics of the enemy exhibited through terrorizing behavior and mockery? Are there discouragements around which depress you and tempt you to retreat from going forward? Remember, if you retreat, others who consider you as a role model would also be discouraged, and so for their sake you must go forward. If you go back, your Lord would be much saddened because He expects your forward march to be a response to His march towards Calvary for you disregarding all the opposition. Had David gone back because of the attacks of King Saul and the neighboring countries, he would have never ruled Israel as king. Had Joseph retreated, he would not have become the Prime Minister of Egypt. A discouraged and retreated Nehemiah would have left the walls of Jerusalem in heaps of rubble. You must realize that any person who ever genuinely follows the Lord Jesus would face opposition. The enemy of Jesus would oppose any one who serves Jesus wholeheartedly. It is only natural that the enemy of Jesus would attack and discourage any of His followers from going forward. But we need to renew our commitment to the Lord and face the enemy in the name of our Lord with the help of the full armor of God. We must go forward in spite of opposition and accomplish the tasks that the Lord wants us to attempt for Him who secured our salvation in spite of opposition, mockery, despising and intimidation. Today He is with us to strengthen and encourage us as we face the enemy who wants to challenge us in our walk with the Lord.
Psalms 27:3 – Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Thought for Today
Those who fix their eyes on Jesus would successfully fight discouragement and march forward.
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