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Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.—Psalm 31:241
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Keep your eyes on heaven. Keep your eyes on the goal, and the victory in your soul. … When the Devil tempts you to get down and discouraged, fight! Don’t even listen to him, much less surrender. Start doing something positive. Start saying something cheerful and encouraging.
When you feel oppressed or under condemnation, don’t just stand there, do something! Sing, shout, praise the Lord, quote scriptures! Hit the Devil back! Rebuke him with the Word! That’s what Jesus did when the Devil tempted and lied to Him in the wilderness. He just quoted the scriptures: “It is written.”2 The Devil is a liar and the father of it,3 and he can’t take the Word. “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”4 He will turn tail and run.
Put on the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness, use the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the Evil One; gird yourself with the truth; be shod with the Gospel of peace, and take up that white-hot sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and cut the Devil to the heart.5 Drive him away! Tell him that you have no part in him, and he has no part in you!
Then get busy working. Tell others about Jesus and salvation. Get positive. Help somebody else. Get so busy with someone else’s troubles that you can’t think about your own self. Get so busy trying to make somebody else happy that you can’t help but be happy yourself.
Talk about Jesus. Talk about the Word of God. Talk about the needs of others. Talk about the good things. “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”6 “Speak evil of no one”—not even yourself.7
Keep the faith. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Get busy helping somebody that needs help, and forget your own self. Of course you’re a big mess. We all are. When we start looking at ourselves, we really get down.
Let’s get going with God! He’s the only one who can make it, and He’ll pull you through if you just give Him a chance. Hang on to His Word, and let Him hang on to you. Let go and let God! There’s an old song that says, “He will hold me fast!” I can’t hold myself. I can’t help myself. Only God can help me. He’s my only hope.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise,” commit your way, your life, your mind, your thoughts, your time.8 “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”9 Only He can do it. Just give Him a chance. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Let’s talk about Jesus! Let’s talk about love—His love.—David Brandt Berg10
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Get into the habit of looking for the silver lining of the cloud, and when you have found it, continue to look at it rather than at the leaden gray in the middle.
Do not yield to discouragement, no matter how sorely pressed or beset you may be. A discouraged soul is helpless. He can neither resist the wiles of the enemy himself, while in this state, nor can he prevail in prayer for others.
Search out God's promises and say aloud of each one: "This promise is mine." If you still experience a feeling of doubt and discouragement, pour out your heart to God and ask Him to rebuke the adversary who is so mercilessly nagging you.
The very instant you wholeheartedly turn away from every symptom of distrust and discouragement, the blessed Holy Spirit will quicken your faith and inbreathe Divine strength into your soul. … Oh, if our eyes could only behold the solid phalanx of strength, of power, that is ever behind every turning away from the hosts of darkness, Godward, what scant heed would be given to the effort of the wily foe to distress, depress, discourage us!
All the marvelous attributes of the Godhead are on the side of the weakest believer, who in the name of Christ and in simple, childlike trust yields himself to God and turns to Him for help and guidance.—Mrs. Charles E. Cowman11
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“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.—Isaiah 54:1012
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Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
—Isaiah 40:28–3113
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The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
—Psalm 37:23–2414
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Jon Marc.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 NIV.
2 Matthew 4:3–10.
3 John 8:44.
4 James 4:7.
5 Ephesians 6:10–17.
6 Philippians 4:8.
7 Titus 3:2.
8 Jude 24–25.
9 2 Timothy 1:12.
10 Greater Victories (Aurora Production, 2002).
11 Streams in the Desert, Volume 1 (Zondervan, 1965).
12 NIV.
13 NIV.
14 NIV.
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