I once heard the following story: Satan was having a garage sale. He displayed all of his tools except for one. “Why aren’t you selling that one?” a potential buyer asked. He replied, “That is my most effective tool. It works every time.” The tool was discouragement. He uses it often and effectively on Christians. But we have ways of making it ineffective.
Prayer is one way to battle discouragement. When we pray we are acknowledging God’s hand of care on our world. Prayer keeps us in relationship with and strengthens our connection to God.
Jesus set the example for us. He prayed at every possible occasion. He taught the disciples to do the same. First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray incessantly”. It’s hard to have a good relationship with someone if you don’t speak with him.
Christian fellowship is another part of our arsenal of weapons to fight discouragement. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that just “As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. It is very refreshing to be in the company of other believers. In the world we are faced with people who feel that it is foolishness to believe in a God let alone worship him. When we are with fellow believers, we feel a sense of togetherness and brotherhood. As we fellowship with one another we can encourage each other to stay in God’s will.
Third we fight discouragement by getting to know God. As we read the Bible, He becomes a real person instead of an abstract figure. Without a daily intake of physical food we get weak and eventually die. Likewise, if we do not take in spiritual food we die spiritually. Jesus said “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” John 5:34.
When feeling alone and depressed, it is important to remember that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) “Cast your troubles on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall (Psalm 55:22).
When feeling like we need someone to hold us we should visualize the verse at Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.”
Continue to fight discouragement by praying, fellowshipping with other Christians and reading the Bible. We get comfort from Praying, encouragement from Christian fellowship and spiritual food from Bible reading. Keep in mind that God loves us beyond compare and be comforted by Paul’s words at Romans 8: 38, 39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (All scriptures were quoted from the NIV).
