How to Cope with Discouragement or Depression

By Dennis Edwards:

As person who is prone to discouragement, I have found the following habits helpful in chasing the blues away or keeping them from coming.

Try to have a good reading from God’s Word daily. I keep a little New Testament or Key Promise book in my pocket.t I review its promises during moments when I have nothing to do. While waiting in the bank or at the dentist or post office or in the car for someone, I can read a chapter or review a verse. At times, I carry a book with me on creation science, logic, apologetics, etc. which I can read, if I desire.

Feed your mind with faith building thoughts in song. Since I do a lot of travelling in the car daily, I have a set of music and scripture songs which I listen to. The site nubeat.org has a lovely scripture song and music collection. Such productions as “How to Be Happy” and “How to Win” are full of verses, antidotes, stories and music that can help keep your mind looking up. Of course, on YouTube you can find complied Christian songs to your liking.

Another habit is to keep busy helping others. Menial tasks are fine, but tasks that involve helping others will keep your mind on other people’s problems instead of your own. Your interacting with others can be a cure in itself. Volunteering to help a neighbour or an association that helps others may be a good thing to look into. As you help others, you will actually help yourself and feel much better for your effort.

Praise is also important. The Bible says, “Let no corrupt communications proceed out of your mouth but that which is good for the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”[Ephesians 4:29] It says, “In everything give thanks.”[1Thessalonians 5:18] We should not voice our negative thoughts and feeling. They will only grow and solidify in our hearts and minds making us feel even worse. Scientific studies have shown that a daily reading of God’s Word can actually improve our physical health by rejuvenating our brain’s nerve cells. Dr. Caroline Leaf has made a good study on the subject of rejuvenating nerve cells which can be found at http://drleaf.com/thought_life.php .[1]

Remember: Have a good feeding on God’s Word daily. Review God’s Word throughout the day. Listen to positive Word based music during the day. Praise and pray.

God’s Word says, “You shall seek me and find me when you shall search for me with all you heart.”[Jeremiah 29:13] Get desperate and call out to the Lord with all your heart and soul. He will not fail to act and intervene or send help in some way. He has promised that if we “call upon Him, ... He will answer.”[Jeremiah 33:3] Confessing the fact that you are down and asking others to pray for you can give you just the encouragement and prayer you need to keep fighting.[James 5:16]

Sing, shout, praise the Lord. Quote scriptures. Get so busy helping others you forget about yourself and your own problems. And SMILE. Like Charlie Chaplin used to sing. Just SMILE!

SMILE

Smile though your heart is aching,
Smile even though its breaking,

When there are clouds in the sky

you'll get by.

If you smile through your pain and sorrow,

Smile and maybe tomorrow,

You'll see the sun come shining through,

For you.

Light up your face with gladness,

Hide every trace of sadness.

Although a tear, may be ever so near,

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying.

You'll find that life is still worthwhile-

If you just smile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxV1cX9owKE&list=RDlxV1cX9owKE&start_radio=1

Originally published October 23, 2013.

Footnotes:

1. http://drleaf.com/thought_life.php
 

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Life is a Battle!

 

Dennis Edwards

Life is a continual battle, friend. It's not easy. We are tempted to give up when we see all our failures and mistakes. But giving up is not the solution. It is not an option. The solution is looking up. Jesus Himself when talking about the future time of His coming said that upon the earth there would be “distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring: men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth…And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh.” (Luke 21:25b, 26ª, 28) We need lift up our heads and look up to Jesus and He will save us, for our redemption draws nigh.

In the psalms we find a similar thought. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted (worried or uneasy) in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”(Psalm 42:5) We need to rebuke that discouragement, that worry, and find hope in God.

The author of the book of Hebrews also says the answer is, "Looking unto to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."(Hebrews 12:2) Remembering how Jesus suffered unjustly out of His love for the Father and us, should give us the courage to keep fighting and not quit. Hebrews chapter twelve shows us the road to victory is in endurance and in praise. Let us read some of it together.

Hebrews 12 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.

7 If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

We see in verses 12 and 13 that the Lord wants us to lift up our hands and straighten up our backs or feeble knees and stand up in praise, lifting up are arms in praise to Him, and He promises to heal us. Like Apostle Paul says elsewhere, "Lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting."[1 Timothy 2:8] We need to fight the good fight of faith by entering into His court with praise and into His gates with thanksgiving. We need to make a joyful noise with praise lest we forsake His mercy like Jonah in the belly of the whale said.

Jonah 2 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, 2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heard my voice. 3 For thou had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. 10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

In verse seven Jonah said, "When my soul fainted within me....(then)....I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into Thine holy temple." When he got to his lowest point, then he cried with all his might unto the Lord and the Lord heard him. In the next verse he says, "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." If we listen to the lies of the Devil and believe his lies that all hope is lost and that God cannot forgive us, and that their is no sense in trying any more, and life is not worth living, and we will never have the victory, then, by believing those lies, we forsake the mercy that God in His love is constantly offering us. We need to say "no" to the devil’s lies and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all our heart, mind, soul, and body.

Jesus tells us, "Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full."(John 15:11) Jesus wants us to have fulness of joy and it is ours to receive, because the joy of the Lord is our strength! We just need to go through the breakings so that He can get the idols out of our hearts. Then He can live and reign in us. But the Devil doesn't want to lose any of his captives and will tempt us to give up just when the victory is just around the corner. The greatest darkness is just before the dawn. The greatest desperation attacks us, just before rescue. If we could have held on just one more day, one more hour, one more minute, one more second, there could have been marvellous victory, but by giving up prematurely we suffer all those things in vain and forsake the mercy God is offering us. Like Jonah, we need to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise unto God by faith and let the Lord cause us to be vomited out of the mouth of the enemy.

At the end of Isaiah 40 we find some other beautiful promises. Let us read together.

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high (to the stars), and behold who has created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them (the stars) all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one fails. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

In other words, God is saying, “Why do you say I am not watching and caring over you?”

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Do you understand those last four verses? If we spend time with the Lord. If we spend time in prayer and reading His word, He will strengthen us so that we faint not! We need to "wait on the Lord." We need to wait in His presence by reading His word, by listening and singing songs of praise to Him, by lifting up our heads and hands and praising Him with all our might even when we don't feel like it. In Psalm 27:14, David proclaims, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

In Psalm 100 we read, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.” In Psalm 42 we see, “for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” We need to praise Him even when we do not feel like it.

Isaiah 41 starts, "Keep silence before me, oh islands, and let the people renew their strength: let them come near." God wants to renew our strength, but we need to come near to Him and keep silent before Him and listen to His sweet, soft voice of love that is encouraging us not to give up, not to be faint, but to believe and be strengthened. In verse six we read, "They helped everyone his neighbour; and everyone said to his brother, Be of good courage!"

Friend, we all need to be of good courage. We all need to fight actively to put down, or resist with everything that is within us, the lies of the enemy. Just like Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Casting down imaginations (or thoughts and ideas) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (everything that contradicts God's good Word and nature), and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Apostle Paul wrote, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) Later in his letter to the Ephesians, he explains about our spiritual armour.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

We need to put on the whole armour and take the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. Jesus was the Word made flesh. Through the power of Jesus within us, through the power of His Word, we can cut the Devil to the heart. "It is written," Jesus replied to the Devil, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."(Matthew 4:4)

Our spiritual feeding on God's Word is more important than our necessary food. Like Job, also confessed, "Neither have I gone back from the commandments of His lips, but have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."(Job 23:12) There is victory in the Word of God. Read it, eat it, drink it, live in it, believe it, obey it, and victory will be yours. It's a done deal, because Jesus has paid the price and He cannot be defeated. He has already defeated Satan on Calvary and it only remains for us to believe. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved."(Acts 16:31a)

Do you believe, friend? Then put down your own righteousness and take on the righteousness which is by faith in Jesus Christ. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy has He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost."(Titus 3:5) Let the Holy Spirit wash our hearts and minds of the lies of the enemy and be renewed in the Spirit. Memorize Scripture and rebuke the enemy.

Psalm 23 may be a good chapter to put to memory. We need to fill our minds with positive, faith-building thoughts from God's Word and He will not fail us. His Word is sure, the more sure Word of prophecy as Apostle Peter wrote, "We have a more sure word of prophecy (God's written recorded Word); whereunto you do well to take heed (to read, meditate upon, and keep), as unto a light in a dark place." (2 Peter 1:19a)

In other words, if we were in a dark place and we are as great darkness covers the nations, we should take heed to the light, or we should go toward the light for guidance, in order to find our way out of the darkness. God's Word is that light. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,” (Psalm 119:105) if we take heed to it. Peter continues and says, "until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts."(2 Peter 1:19b)

Apostle Peter is saying that we should read, study, meditate on, and follow God's Word, just as we would follow or concentrate on a light in the darkness, until the dawn comes and the Day Star arises in our hearts. In other words, we should walk by faith holding on to God's good Word as a light, until we have the personal experience with Christ Himself, the Day Star. Then our hearts will be illuminated with His love and light, and the dawn will rise in our life of faith and we will see more clearly, because we have His presence abiding in us, and have heard His voice clearly.

Read Psalm 119 and put some of those verses to memory or those ones from Isaiah, or Jonah, or Ephesians or Corinthians. A wealth of knowledge and spiritual strength is found in God's Word. Read it, study it, memorize it and put it into practice. God Himself promises to help us and manifest Himself to us. But we need to do our part and take our prescription daily, which is a good feeding and feasting on God's good Word.

Then we need to abide in Him, or wait on His presence, to hear His personal words of comfort to us. “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”(Isaiah 30:21) “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.”(Isaiah 30:15b) “Their strength is to sit still,”(Isaiah 30:7b) and to listen for His “still small voice.”(1 Kings 19:12b) God bless us as we put our hope in Him, and praise Him who is the health of our countenance, and our God!

Originally published June 22, 2021

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Satan’s Favorite Weapon Against You

 JULY 22, 2016 https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/satans-favorite-weapon-against-you

Article by Jon Bloom: Staff writer, desiringGod.org

Superman is almost unstoppable. I say “almost” because he does have one vulnerability. Kryptonite weakens him, and too much of it can destroy him. Tony Reinke is exactly right when he says, “unbelief is our Kryptonite” (Newton on the Christian Life).

Nothing on earth is more powerful than the Holy Spirit flowing through the faith of a born again disciple of Jesus (1 John 5:4). Nothing. It is the greatest superpower available to anyone anywhere. Through faith nothing is impossible (Matthew 17:20). When a Christian is full of Spirit-empowered faith, he cannot stop and cannot be stopped speaking about what he has seen and heard (Acts 4:20). Not even death can silence him (Hebrews 11:4).

This means that nothing is more humanly destructive to the domain of darkness than a faith-filled Christian. Through him, Jesus destroys the devil’s works (1 John 3:8). The only thing Satan’s forces fear more than the vibrant faith of a Christian is the unified, collaborative, vibrant faith of a community of Christians.

But we do have one vulnerability: unbelief. It weakens us and can destroy us. And Satan knows this very well.

Satan’s After Your Faith

“Nothing is more humanly destructive to the domain of darkness than a faith-filled Christian.”

Therefore, Satan’s primary goal in the thousands of his various attacks on us is to take down our faith. His primary goal against the church is to fragment the formidable force of united faith and isolate believers, weakening the church and making individuals more vulnerable (Hebrews 3:12–13, 10:25). His forces are hell-bent on these strategic objectives (Ephesians 6:11–12).

The faith of a Christian is God’s chosen channel to bring his saving, sanctifying, strengthening, healing, and delivering grace to the world. If Satan can weaken our faith, he can immobilize us. If he can destroy our faith, he can destroy us. But if he can’t disarm our faith, Jesus will destroy him through it.

This is why we find the fight of faith and the unity of faith so hard (1 Timothy 6:12; Ephesians 4:13). The stakes are very high in this spiritual war and the battle line is drawn over our faith. Satan is doing everything he can to employ the Kryptonite power of unbelief against us. This is what’s taking place in all our temptations to disobedience, discouragement, doubts, distractions, and divisions. Satan’s trying to weaken and destroy our faith and, through us, the faith of others.

Four Helps to Escape the Kryptonite Power of Unbelief


I fight this battle every day. And I have certain vulnerabilities to unbelief that are so disorienting and discouraging that sometimes I want to despair and just give up. I need help.

Superman can’t fight Kryptonite on his own. He needs someone to help him escape its power. When it comes to unbelief, so do I. And that helper is the Holy Spirit. Through the word of God, often mediated through another believer, the Holy Spirit seeks to focus my faith on Jesus’s truth and away from Satan’s lies. When this happens faith ignites and unbelief evaporates.

Tony Reinke: “Unbelief is our Kryptonite.”

Since unbelief is so dangerous to us, when we suffer its effects, we must take urgent steps to receive the Spirit’s help. In a recent battle with unbelief, the Spirit used the four following means to help me. Perhaps they will help you.

1. I looked to the source of my power.

Peter’s walk on water is frequently helpful to me (Matthew 14:28–31). As long as his faith was focused on Jesus, he was able to do the humanly impossible. When his focus shifted to the wind and waves, he sank. When I find myself sinking, it’s always evidence of unbelief.

So I asked a friend, in this case my wife, to help me get my eyes on Jesus. I did this right away. And the Spirit helped my unbelief (Mark 9:24) through promises my wife helped me remember.

2. I soaked in the promises that addressed my unbelief.

I laid aside distractions, repented of my unbelief, and bathed in those particular promises until their comforting power took effect in my soul.

3. I continued “steadfastly in prayer” (Colossians 4:2).

I turned the promises into requests and didn’t stop praying them. Jesus says that when we abide in him and his word abides in us, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done for us (John 15:7). I have always found this promise true, but I’ve also learned not to lean on my own understanding regarding his timing and ways (Proverbs 3:5).

God will answer. But since he usually is doing more in us and through us than we are aware of, we must trust him. Remain steadfast in prayer until the answer comes.

4. I remembered that my weaknesses show Christ’s strength.

“Nothing on earth is more powerful than the Holy Spirit flowing through the faith of a born again Christian.”

This particular battle with unbelief involved weaknesses I wish I didn’t have and tempt me to feel worthless (I’m not talking about sins, though I have plenty of those, too). But the Spirit helped me remember that my weaknesses are where Jesus loves to show his strength (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). But no matter what unbelief uses against us, even when we give in to sin, there are superpower promises that the Spirit brings to mind to help us escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).

You have other ways that you’ve found helpful in the fight for faith, and I hope you share them with those around you.

Ferocious battles with demonic unbelief are part of the normal Christian life. This is war. If the fighting doesn’t get fierce, we are likely not engaged or doing anything threatening to Satan. But if Satan is fighting us with the Kryptonite of unbelief, he perceives a threat. When you feel yourself wilting, take heart. Through the promises of Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus will help you overcome your enemy’s most lethal weapon (John 16:33).

Jon Bloom (@Bloom_Jon) serves as teacher and cofounder of Desiring God. He is the author of four books, including Not by Sight and most recently True to His Word. He and his wife have five children and make their home in the Twin Cities.

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Don't Let the Devil Get You Down!

Discouragement is the Devil's favorite weapon. He tries to get you looking at your own mistakes, sins, weaknesses and failures. The Devil, the accuser of the saints, picks on all the little things, all the tiny little faults! If he can't discourage you any other way, he tries to belittle you and belittle what you are doing. He whispers the lies that are most easily believed, either about yourself, or sometimes other people, even your own loved ones.

But the Lord doesn't say to look at yourself or others. He doesn't say to look at all the problems and troubles either. He says, "Look unto Jesus." Let's read it from God's word.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (those saints of God that have gone before us), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For considered Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."[Hebrews 12:1-3]

What is dicouragement? It means not encouraged, without courage, or your courage is at a low ebb. Discouragement is a loss and lack of faith. "Faith comes by hearing the Word of God." [Romans 10:17] So when you get discouraged, the quickest remedy is to start praying and quoting Scriptures and reading the Bible and telling the Devil he's a liar. Your faith will grow, the doubts will flee, and you will be on the road to victory once again!

"Be strong and of a good courage...for the Lord your God, He it is that does go with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you...fear not, neither be dismayed: for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."[Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:9]

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Resist Discouragement!

 

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God’s Help Through Life’s Storms

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Words from Jesus

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“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day. These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever!”—2 Corinthians 4:16–171

No matter what hardships the world may throw at you, you have—in Me—everything you need to persevere. Despair is a deep pit, and sometimes you totter around its edges, precariously close to falling in. Your only hope at such times is to fix your eyes on Me. The more perplexed you are—bewildered by complex circumstances—the easier it is to lose your balance. To keep from falling, you must change your focus from your circumstances to My presence. This requires strenuous effort on your part, because you have not fully accepted the limitations of your mind. Your natural tendency is to keep thinking about a difficult situation ad nauseam—trying to figure it out. However, I am always nearby, eager to help you change your focus time after time.

Though you may be hard pressed on every side, you need not be crushed by difficulties. You are not alone in your battles, because I will never, ever abandon you. Even if you are struck down by a fatal blow, you will not be destroyed. I am the shepherd and guardian of your soul—the part of you that is indestructible. I give you eternal life, and you will never perish. No one can snatch you out of My hand!2
I want you to make it

“Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.”—Hebrews 12:13

Just keep hanging on, no matter how difficult it seems and no matter how little progress you feel you’re making. I see your heart and I know what you are experiencing, and I’ll help you each step of the way. As long as you’re holding on and fighting, you’re making progress in My eyes and I’m pleased with you.

I know this is a very trying time for you; it’s confusing, and you’re faced with some very import­ant decisions. You’re battling to know what you’re supposed to do. You feel so unprepared and worn out spiritually that you feel like you can’t possibly do it. But I’ve promised that I won’t allow you to face more than you can take. I won’t allow one speck more than you can handle. You can trust Me completely on this, because I know exactly what you’re going through right now, and I won’t fail to pull you through if you keep fighting and keep trusting.

I know it all seems overwhelming right now, but I promise that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and if you just keep going one step at a time, you’ll come to the end of the tunnel and into the light. Things will not always be this way. You won’t always feel discouraged or worried, wondering what to do, because I will pull you through this battle and you will rise above to victory, as long as you hold on to Me.

I want you to make it! I don’t want to see you hurt or unhappy, and I’ll help you make it. But you have to understand that at times it will hurt a little, and at times you’ll need to make sacrifices. I can’t protect you from every single bit of hurt in life; there’ll be some hurt, but I promise that as you come to Me for comfort, I’ll comfort you. My comfort will wash away the feelings of hurt.

Come to Me whenever you feel discouraged or down. Don’t wait for days, or even for half a day. Come to Me and let Me speak to you and comfort your heart and give you words of encouragement to help you to keep going.

I won’t fail you. I’m here for you, and I promise to love you, to comfort, to encourage, and to give you the anointing and power to carry on, no matter what you are facing, if you come to Me.
I go before you

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”—Deuteronomy 31:84

I Myself go before you—opening up the way. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Therefore, you need not be afraid or discouraged. I realize, though, that feelings often fail to submit to logic. So don’t be surprised when your emotions rebel against your will. David—who was both a mighty warrior and a gifted poet—expressed fearfulness, trembling, and even overwhelming horror in one of his psalms. Yet his trust in Me was genuine and deep. His life and His writing demonstrate that fear doesn’t “trump” trust: They can coexist. This is why David could proclaim, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”5

Trust is a relational word. It’s one of the prime ways you can draw near Me. When you are afraid, don’t blame yourself for having that very human emotion. Instead, acknowledge what you’re feeling; then affirm your trust in Me—out loud or in a whisper. This affirmation protects you from the lie that feeling fearful means you don’t trust Me. Even better, it brings you consciously into My presence, where you can find comfort and hope. The light of My presence illuminates the vast dimensions of My love for you—empowering you to grasp how wide and long and high and deep My love is.6
Don’t hesitate to ask for My help

“I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm—I will come to you. In just a little while I will be gone from the world, but I will still be present with you.”—John 14:18–197

Weakness is not something you are to be afraid of. When you’re tired, when you’re worn, when you’re feeling under the weather, don’t be ashamed or afraid to come and ask Me for help. Don’t try to get through, struggling the whole morning or the whole day—or longer than that—when you can come to Me and ask Me to help you. It saddens Me to see you become spent and discouraged because you try so hard to do something yourself when you don’t have it within you to do it alone, when you need extra help.

Come to Me whenever you need an extra boost, and I’ll carry you through. You won’t need to try to carry the burden; I’ll help you carry it. You won’t need to have to try to think everything through on your own; I’ll help you do that. The challenge won’t seem as big anymore as we tackle it together. With Me, you may still have to weather the storm, but at least you can rest assured that you have a good Pilot and your safety is guaranteed, even if it is a violent storm. I have promised that I will never leave you comfortless.

Published on Anchor August 2015. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
Music by Michael Dooley.



1 TLB.


2 Sarah Young, Jesus Lives (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009).


3 TLB.


4 NLT.


5 Psalm 56:3.


6 Sarah Young, Jesus Lives (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009).


7 TLB.

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Failure—A Victory from Defeat

By M. Fontaine
Audio length: 6:50
Download Audio (6.2MB)

The Lord never fails, even if we fail. No matter how many times you’ve failed Him, He won’t fail you. He’ll bring you through. The best thing you can do when facing failure is to keep your mind on the Lord. Trust Him. I know God’s going to help you because you’re praying and we’re praying, and He answers our prayers. Best of all, “the Spirit itself intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”1

So why worry? We all fail sometime or other. In fact, we all fail often. We all get mixed up and confused a little sometimes and the Enemy fights us, so we shouldn’t allow ourselves to fall under condemnation about it. In fact, in one sense, we should be happy when we fail. If we’re going to feel anything about it, then we should be happy, because maybe that’s what the Lord wanted us to do—fail. Can you look at it that way? The Lord probably allows us to fail so we won’t think too highly of ourselves. If you never failed, you could give yourself a nice little pat on the back, but failure makes you more humble and more dependent on the Lord.

“All things work together for good to them that love the Lord.”2 You shouldn’t feel condemned and worry about mistakes and failures; you should take the opposite attitude and be happy for the good that can come from your failure. You can be thankful that you didn’t fail too much and you didn’t cause a problem that can’t be remedied. Or you can be thankful that the Lord shook you up before you went too far, and you learned some lessons from it. Or that the Lord didn’t let it cause any big, drastic, catastrophic problems to happen as a result.

Actually, it probably did more good than harm. I think we should try to look at failure from a positive viewpoint and see the good that has come from it. In a way it’s our pride that makes us feel so bad when we fail. I don’t think it’s entirely pride, as we sincerely feel bad when we make wrong decisions and we feel bad about any trouble or hurt it causes. But as Paul says,

You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.—Hebrews 12:5–113

It’s like parents with their children: How hurt or disappointed do you feel when your children make a mistake? Of course you feel a little bad, but you expect them to fail and to behave badly sometimes or make wrong decisions; it’s all a part of growing up. You don’t give up on your children because they do something wrong. You know they’re not perfect. That’s all in the course of life. The initial disappointment is all but forgotten in the happiness you feel when you see your child learning his lesson and doing the right thing. And that’s much the way God looks upon us as His children; we’re learning and we’re bound to make mistakes.

Of course, we also don’t want to hurt others with our mistakes or fail the Lord. But in a case when the Lord wants to work on breaking down our pride, it’s good that we fail or do the wrong thing sometimes, or don’t always hit the mark, because then we realize that only the Lord can work through us, and when we do succeed, we’ll give Him the glory.

Sometimes He has to let us fail to show us that He’s the one that engineers our successes. So sometimes He has to let us fail to keep us humble.

Pride is a major problem with a lot of us, but the Lord knows your heart and He knows you don’t want it to be a problem, and He knows you’re praying to change, so He answers your prayers. Of course, He doesn’t always answer them the way we would like and not as easily as we would like, but He knows the best way and He’ll do it, if we ask Him, but He’ll do it in the way that He knows is best.

We need to look on failure as a positive thing, from the positive viewpoint that the Lord’s not trying to crush us to the ground and let the Enemy walk all over us, but that God is actually honoring us by giving us these lessons and by letting these things happen. We ought to be really thanking Him for it. We may feel bad, but we should thank the Lord, because it’s wonderful that we can learn these lessons. It’s even a blessing that we can fail sometimes, because often we get our greatest victories out of seeming defeats.

So keep looking up and keep being positive about it. The Lord may have let you be somewhat confused about things just so you would be humbled by it. The Lord lets those things happen because He wants to teach us bigger lessons and bring a bigger victory out of it.

So what I’m trying to say is be happy. Rejoice. You don’t have to worry or feel condemned about your failures, because as we look to the Lord and follow Him, they can all work together for good. I just wanted to encourage you to look on the bright sideand the positive when you’re confronted with your mistakes or failures, because as you trust the Lord you’ll see Him bring much more positive out of these than negative.

Originally published February 1985. Updated and republished November 2013.
Read by Irene Quiti Vera.


1 Romans 8:27 NIV.

2 Romans 8:28.

3 NKJV.

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How to Multiply your Physical Output!

By Dennis Edwards:

You can increase your physical output by following these simple steps.

Did you know how much your spiritual or psychological attitude affects your physical output? Of course, we all know that to be true. But a few days ago, I was reminded of this reality. As you may know, I like to keep myself in shape physically & sometimes post my 5-km times on my Facebook page. I do it mainly to encourage some of you who may need to be doing more exercise. “If Dennis can do that, maybe I should give it a try.”

Most of my life I have been quite active physically, having been involved in teaching young teens. I was usually pulled into playing soccer, if only as a goalie or defensive player, neither of which I did very well.  At the same time, I also have fought low self-esteem, insecurity & discouragement, which has translated into a deeper relationship with the Lord for the needed strength & inspiration in daily living. Like Paul said, “For I know in me (that is in my flesh) dwells no good thing.”[1] And James advises, “Draw nigh to God, & He will draw nigh to you.”[2]

Over the last 3 or 4 years, I started a running project as I saw I was putting on weight around mid-drift bulge! I have always liked to eat, as I come from a family of big-eaters. At my father’s death, he weighed in around 300 pounds. I am a little under 200 right now, & my 2 brothers are quite a bit over that!

I never had any problem with weight, & could usually eat all I wanted with little or no consequence. I have usually kept a healthy diet & stayed away from pork products, white sugar, white flour & white rice most of my life & very little alcohol. But a few years ago, I noticed a tire starting to develop around the waistline. So I decide a running project was in order. On the beach that summer, I started running for between 10-15 minutes. That’s all I could do. I soon built up to 20 minutes &, over time, 25-30 minutes.

Now, I run my 5 km in usually under 35 minutes. My fastest time has been just around 30 minutes flat. But I generally do around 33 minutes. It’s a slow pace, but it gets my heart pumping & lungs expulsing & inhaling deeply. I feel really good afterwards. I feel physically refreshed & psychologically renewed. My mind seems sharper & I am less stressed.

Last Tuesday, however, I was quite discouraged. I had had an argument with my wife over something I cannot even remember at the moment. Book distribution has been way down, which means financing is low. Financial problems normally affect other aspects of our lives, & the problems become exaggerated in our minds, especially if we are looking down at the waves, like Peter did.

I sure you remember the story from the Bible. Jesus had just miraculously fed a huge amount of people, about 5,000 men, besides the woman & children. He then constrained the disciples to get away by boat, while He Himself sent the multitude away. What a humble leader concerned about His flock. He then went into a mountain to pray until evening.

Meanwhile, the disciples were having trouble getting to the other side of the lake as the wind was against them. At about the fourth watch of the night, or about 3 a.m., Jesus goes unto them walking on the water. By this time, the disciples are exhausted & probably discouraged, worried or fearful even though they are men of the sea. The Bible says, that when they saw Jesus walking, they cried out in fear that it was a ghost!

Finally, Jesus calls out to them to not be afraid, that it is He. Peter then answers, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come out on the waters with you.” And the Lord says, “Come.” Peter then starts his famous walk upon the waters. He seems to do quite well until he is reminded about how strong the winds are & how high the waves are. He starts to sink, & cries out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately puts forth His hand & catches Peter & says unto him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”[3]

When they get into the ship, the wind stops, & the disciples worship Jesus saying, “Of a truth You are the Son of God.”[4]

Well, I got my eyes off the Lord & on my problems & so, I began to sink. Nevertheless, that day even though I did not feel like running, I compelled myself to. It took all my effort to not stop in the middle of the 5-km distance & just walk. When I finally finished the 5 km, my time was 38 minutes & 39 seconds. At least I had run the whole distance. But it was a very slow time, in fact, the slowest time all year. The discouragement I was feeling had resulted in a low physical performance.

It reminds me of the true story of an Olympic athlete who was expected to win his competition. However, the same morning of his final race, he was informed of his mother’s death. He ended up falling during the race & finished poorly. His psychological attitude had defeated him & he had lost the race even before it began.

Back to my story: The day after my poor time was a national holiday in Portugal. A couple who has been going through a very serious financial situation, where their business closed & they lost all their savings & property to the banks, came by for their bi-monthly visit. It is during this time that they pick up needed staples & we are able to share God’s Word with them, counsel, pray & fellowship together.

That day, we started with a Bible class on discouragement, as our friend has had suicidal tendencies. After class, we then snacked & sang some Christian songs together & praised God for our blessings. We ended up reading from the Bible together, before finishing with a good strong heartfelt prayer for the next 2 weeks until they come again.

What happened the next day surprised me. After running my 5 km, I looked at my watch & my time was 5 minutes 20 seconds faster than my time 2 days before. I realized how my spiritual state had affected my physical performance. Also, the day of rest & relaxation & prayer & praise & reading & sharing God’s Word had made a difference & had affected me positively.

In conclusion, take that day off that you need & don’t push yourself so hard day after day. Even God rested on the seventh day & commanded us to follow His example. That is where we get the 7-day week. Try to maintain your spiritual life. Get together with like-minded people to share your faith & encourage each other. Like it says in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.”[5] 

Yesterday, I spent the day working on my present passion: stories with meaning for children. I finished up the first 3 books I had been working on for quite some time, but never seemed to have the time to finish. Instead of going out fundraising & distributing books, I wrote & edited & formatted & finished 3 books. At 7 o’clock, when I went running, my time was one minute faster than the day before, or 6 minutes & 20 seconds faster than the day of my discouragement. Doing my passion & trusting God for tomorrow increased my physical performance.

So there are a few tips for you. Trust God. Take a break. Pray. Do your passion. They’re all good for you! Get the inspiration you need. But don’t forget to get back to work. Do what you can do & trust God for the rest! He loves you & wants you to trust in Him. Just pick up a dollar bill or coin & read, “In God we trust!” Won’t you?

Footnotes:

[1] Rom.7:18

[2] Jam.4:8

[3] Matthew 14:31

[4] Matthew 14:33

[5] Heb.10:25

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