Discouragement

It seems like there are so many believers discouraged today.  This subject was brought up yesterday at church and there was a lady that felt she had a word from the Lord for the congregation and it was about this subject and was a timely message of encouragement which was accepted with great applause.  

In the world we live in today, it seems like there is a bent toward the negative but the positive is not heard very often; if you don’t agree, just listen to the news, it won’t take long to verify what I am saying.  Negativity screams from all over the newspapers, the television screen, the radio, over the backyard fence plus other places. The problem is that if all people do is feed on the negative, they will become negative people; the old saying that says, “You are what you eat,” is true and it is not just in the form of the food that we consume each day.  My advice is, if you have friends that are negative all the time maybe you should find new friends because they will drag you down instead of building you up, which we all need desperately.

Personally I love to be around positive people that are excited about life and radiate that kind of enthusiasm.  Let me clarify this, I am not saying that anyone is going to be on top of the world all the time, so to speak, but in general they are positive people, so when they get discouraged they may be knocked down, but they get back up ready to fight another day.  Think about this, a winner goes down and gets back up, but a loser goes down and stays down.

I think we need many more Barnabas’ in the church today.  The word Barnabas means Son of encouragement.  Barnabas was a great encourager to Paul when he was converted on the Damascus road where he had an encounter with Jesus.  Barnabas instilled hope and confidence in the disciples when they were afraid to join themselves with Paul since Paul was well-known to them because of how he persecuted the believers and had them thrown in prison and some even killed, which was his intent when he was on his way to Damascus.  

Without hope people will end up in total despair, but the positive person brings hope and encouragement to a discouraged people.  The enemy wants you down and discouraged and fearful so he can destroy any hope that you have within you.  Read what God’s Word says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

To those who fear the Lord, read what God’s Word says in Isaiah 19:19-20, “In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them.”

Now read Isaiah 54:17, “…no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

So be encouraged and stand on the promises of God for He is for you and not against you.  His purpose is to not harm you but to prosper you and to give you a hope and a future.  Jesus said that the enemy comes only to kill, steal and destroy but I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.

I hope this has been an encouragement to you.  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!