Family problems. Job problems.
People problems. Problems with
your mate. Problems paying your bills. Problems everywhere!
Life in today’s world is complex. Paradoxically, while modern technology has
offered many conveniences, it has also created an environment that makes just
day-to-day living a struggle. Much of
the world’s population is jammed into cities -- piled one upon another. With people come cars and buses and hours of
traffic jams.
You know what it’s like. Millions live in a highly competitive,
concrete jungle. It’s hard for some just
to keep food on the table.
This is the kind of society in which we
live. And it creates stress. As stress levels increase, problems are
harder to deals with and discouragement can set in.
Everyone gets discouraged, at least on
occasion. But, thankfully, there is a
way out!
Discouragement comes from many sources and
appears in many forms. It can sneak up
on us when we least expect it. Sometimes
we feel like we’re on a roller coaster.
We can be so excited and positive, and then all of a sudden the balloon
pops. Nothing seems to go right. But what do you do when you have problems
and get down and discouraged?
Firsts, let ‘s look at some of the sources
of discouragement.
Marriage & family problems. These are probably the
greatest problems people suffer today.
The family, the most basic unit of society, is crumbling. The family, in many cases, no longer is a
place of warmth and security, but a source of strife and contention for
husbands and wives, parents and children.
Financial hardships. Many of us try to live up to a certain
standard that we have become acquainted with or accustomed to. Then we suddenly find ourselves unable to
meet expenses and pay the bills. Or maybe
unexpected circumstances happen with the house or car that require a great deal
of extra money.
Failure. It can be anything from a small failure to a
major crisis, but failure often does discourage. Many people try to cover up or ignore their
failures. Some try to drown them with
alcohol or drugs. Sometimes it isn’t
just failure, but the fear of failure.
If you continually face circumstances that you feel you’re not on top
of, you are bound to feel overly stressed and get discouraged. Or, sometimes, it’s the failure of other
people. We see them falling down, and
sometimes we can’t do anything to help them.
Broken friendships. Maybe ties with a good friends are
broken. Maybe you had your trust
betrayed or a confidence shattered.
Possibly you were building a friendship with someone of the opposite
sex, and you thought it was going to lead to marriage. Then, when it was broken, you didn’t know
where to turn. Many have been betrayed
by a mate who has committed adultery.
There are all deep hurts that don’t go away easily.
Illness or sickness. Serious discouragement can result from having
a long-term illness. You or someone you
know might be sick, and though you try to commit the situation to God, you still feel pressured by the
problem.
Problems at school. Many have problems with poor grades. Or with a teacher or classmates. Maybe you are trying to obey God, but you’re
being persecuted because of your beliefs.
Or your school environment is negative.
Spiritual weakness. Have you ever said this? “I have been trying to overcome this problem
for years, but it hasn’t gone away! It’s
part of me and I just can’t root it out.”
Sometimes we feel like we’re beating our heads against the wall trying
to overcome spiritual weaknesses.
When
the same problems afflict us year after year and we feel we haven’t made any
progress overcoming them, we can become frustrated and discouraged.
You may be suffering from some other form
of discouragement that is particularly painful
for you. But how can you overcome
discouragement? How can you find the way
out of the dark tunnel that never seems to end?
The way out of discouragement generates
powerful emotions, but you don’t need intricate or complex solutions to
overcome this foe. The strength you lack
can be given to you by the Creator of peace, joy, happiness and courage.
God Himself can give you all the help you
need to conquer discouragement!
Here, then are five things you can do,
with God’s help, to overcome discouragement.
1) Turn your focus toward God. Meditate on His great power.
Think about what God has done in the past and what He is doing now to
bring about His great plan of salvation.
When you put your problems in perspective with God’s plan, the troubles
and trials of this life shrink.
God’s people have this tremendous promise:
(read Romans 8:28)
This verse doesn’t mean the situation
itself is good. It doesn’t mean that
it’s good that you lost your mate. It
doesn’t mean that it’s good your children are rebellious or that you’ve lost
your job. It means that any situation
can work for good if you meet the challenge properly and let God guide you.
If you put your life in God’s hands, you
will come out ahead in the long run.
2)Keep your eyes on the goal. The goal of every Christian
is to be born into the spiritual Family of God.
We need to get our minds off the physical and onto the spiritual. God says to (read Colossians 3:2-3).
In other words, your earthly life is
immaterial. Of course, God wants us to
prosper and live abundant lives now, but our physical lives will soon be
over. We are merely in training for the
glorious eternal life ahead.
Satan, the archenemy of God, would love to
get us down and discouraged. But God has
already chosen us and set us apart for His own purpose -- He intends to put us
in His Family.
3) Be positive! Our human nature likes to dwell on the
negative when things aren’t going right.
We tend to feel sorry for ourselves.
Or we begin to feel trapped. But force yourself to be positive! Go to God and thank Him for what He does for
you and for what you have.
David tells us: (read Psalm 92: 1, 4).
The tremendous privilege of being a part of
God’s church is worth every suffering we could go through. And we will triumph in the end.
Why get down in the dumps, worry about the
problems you have today? If you take the
positive approach, you destroy your troubles.
You overwhelm them with positive knowledge and truth.
We’re not talking about a
“pull-yourself-up-by-your-
4) Do something for others. When God’s goodness is real in your life, then you can easily
practice this fourth step.
Hebrews 10:24 tells us to (read). Think about how you can stir up and motivate
somebody else. Think about what you can
do to set a good example for someone else.
It takes the love of God flowing through
you to make a personal sacrifice of time, money or energy, with no strings
attached, without expecting anything in return.
But when you serve with this attitude, God’s mind gives you peace and
satisfaction. If you sow goodness, will
reap happiness and peace (Galatians 6:7).
5) Be patient. This is one of the most powerful keys to
overcoming discouragement. Be patient
with yourself, others and God.
When you are discouraged from struggling to
overcome faults and sins, you need to remember the old adage: You haven’t failed until you quit
trying. Every failure is only a lesson
that helps you know better how to try the next time. Growth takes time and effort.
We are to quick to condemn: (read Psalm 31:
22). God is much greater in patience and
understanding. If God judged as harshly
as we sometimes judge, we would have reason to be discouraged. But He has infinite wisdom and
understanding. (read 24).
God
is willing to respond and give us strength and consolation, providing
we take the steps necessary to correct the problem. But we need to hang
on and be patient. If you focus on God, keep your eyes on the goal,
stay positive, serve others and exercise patience, you will come out of
the tunnel of discouragement and into the light.
