HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 108
page A106
Encouragement continued
It is easier to encourage those who are humble because they will appreciate and better
respond to your affirmation.
What causes discouragement?
• PSA L M 7 3 :2 -3 | But as for me, I almost lost my footing. . . . For I envied the proud when I
saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
We become discouraged when we stop looking at all God has given us and focus on the
success of others.
• 1 K I NG S 1 9 :4 | “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than
my ancestors.”
Discouragement often comes after a great spiritual experience.
• E Z R A 4 :4 | Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to
keep them from their work.
When God’s enemies try to stop us from doing God’s work, it can be discouraging.
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 2 :1 6 | And who is adequate for such a task as this?
Discouragement comes when you feel you can’t get the job done, when you’re not up to
the task.
E
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 1 :8 -9 | We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the
trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our
ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die.
HelpFinder
Discouragement can come simply from the crushing burdens and heartbreaks of life. You often
know more than you wish you did about many situations—about the real nature of people and
their ‘dark side.’ This knowledge combined with other hardships can wear you down.
• R O MA NS 7 :1 5 -2 4 | I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I
don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. . . . I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my
sinful nature. . . . I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong,
but I do it anyway. . . . I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within
me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within
me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by
sin and death?
Discouragement can come when you realize that, as long as you are in your present body,
you will have to fight against your sinful nature which is working to destroy your relationship with God.
How can I handle discouragement?
• 1 P E T E R 5 :8 -9 | Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. . . . Stand firm against him, and
be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going
through the same kind of suffering you are.
When you are discouraged, you are particularly vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. During these
difficult times, be especially careful to stay close to God’s Word and other believers.
• 1 K I NG S 1 9 :1 0 | “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
Discouragement makes us feel sorry for ourselves. We must guard against thinking we are
the only ones who are going through troubles. It is encouraging to realize others are going
through the same things we are.
• 1 S A MU E L 1 :1 0 | Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.
• E Z R A 9 :5 -6 | I stood up from where I had sat in mourning. . . . I prayed.
Prayer is the first step to take when discouraged. It moves you into the presence of God,
allowing you to be honest with him and share your burdens with him.
• 2 C H R O NI C L E S 2 0 :1 5 | “Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not
yours, but God’s.”
It would have been easy for the people of Judah to see only the vast enemy army and
not God standing over it to destroy it. We must be careful to disconnect our feelings of