To the Defeated and Discouraged

Defeated! Discouraged! I hate those feelings, don’t you?

Did you wake up today to very challenging situations? Maybe you feel like you’ve failed. Maybe you gave in to that temptation. Maybe the divorce is making you feel like you’re not wanted anymore. I’m sorry for the weight of the pain you are carrying.  It stinks. You’re not alone. It’s challenging to face pain and suffering, and trials. Some have had more complicated lives than others. Perhaps that’s your story. You’ve had what seems like more trials than you can possibly handle. Today it all hit you.  It hit you hard. You’re defeated and want to quit.

You woke up defeated. Defeat is such a heavy word.  It just sounds oppressive. You woke up today overwhelmed by the losses and defeated. You feel mocked and ridiculed by the enemy of your soul. You’re not alone.

Listen, you’re not a bad person because of your setbacks. You’re not a bad Christian because you are under the weight of all that’s happening around you. You’re not a horrible person because you want to walk away.

I want you to know that the Lord is with you in difficult circumstances. He is an ever-present help in your time of need. How will he manifest His presence to you today? I don’t know. But I do know that He promises to give you the desires of your heart as you delight yourself in Him.

This difficult season will require you to remember purposefully all of the goodness of God in your life. You will need to choose to press into Him. You won’t make progress away from pain if you decide to remain overwhelmed and idle. Your identity is in Jesus, not in your failures. Open your Bible and start reading the Gospel of John, talking out loud to God as you read (pray). He will meet you there.

God is not finished with you and has more work for you to do, and you will do it, you will fulfill it, and you will complete His assignments in your life. You will do all that God is putting on your heart, and you will succeed in the Spirit. The situations in your life are hard, but the Spirit of God is not bound, not restricted by our sadness.

As you open yourself to your loving Heavenly Father, you must let the light of his Spirit come into your soul’s spirit and minister to you. Be ready and willing to receive His encouragement and comfort. God loves you. That’s a fact. It doesn’t change. He is committed to finishing what He started in your life.

God knows it’s hard. He’s standing with you right now. He’s helping you remember the goodness of His presence. He knows you are anxious and afraid. He knows you are worried and tired. He refuses to abandon you because He promised never to leave or forsake you.

Jesus is not finished with you yet. He will not let your feet slip. You will succeed because His strength and power are yours by faith.

There is more for you today. Get up and walk forward in victory, setting aside those feelings of defeat.

What does the Bible say about Trust?

Deuteronomy 32:4 (NKJV) “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright are He.”

Psalm 37:3 (NKJV) “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

Psalm 40:4 (NKJV) “Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”

Psalm 49:12–13 (NKJV) “Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah”

Psalm 112:7 (NKJV) “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Psalm 119:41–42 (NKJV) “Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord— Your salvation according to Your word. So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Isaiah 26:3–4 (NKJV) “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”

Isaiah 31:1 (NKJV) “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the Lord!”

Nahum 1:7 (NKJV) “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”

John 14:1 (NKJV) “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”