Lessons from the Journey

Sorry this post is more selfish than anything. As many pastors with much more experience than I will tell you, "there are good days and bad days". Here is some ammo that was very helpful to me today during one of the later days...

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."

Hebrews 10:35-39.

Lessons from the Journey--Dealing with Discouragement

There is no doubt that every person with a heart still beating will find themselves sooner rather than later feeling their pulse race while dealing with discouragement.  As a parent, friend, son/daughter, spouse, etc we all undergo periods of time that flesh out into discouragement.  Knowing this God gave us purpose for these times in James 1:2-4, 

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Here are some thoughts on discouragement that hopefully will be helpful:

1. it happens to everyone
2. see the potential in it for producing positive things that couldn't have happened apart from it
3. see the discouragement as spiritual warfare and engage it with spiritual weapons (faith, prayer, God's Word)
4. process through it or you will be face to face with its evil twin sister depression
5. celebrate God in it--celebration in good times are expected, celebration in bad times is explosive
6. ask God what you are to learn from it