Not Allowing Discouragement to Spread

⁶And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?  ⁷And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?  ⁸Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.  ⁹For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.  -Numbers 32:6-8 (KJV)

Many times in the Bible we find where God’s people were given to complaining, grumbling, and a negative spirit.  When this happened the effect spread throughout the people until those who had been hopeful began to join in with the complainers.  Remember that it takes several positive comments to bring us up emotionally, and only one to bring us down.  In Numbers 13 and 14 it only took 10 negative people to get the entire Israelite community to back away from God’s plan.  A million plus people were ready to call it quits and go back to Egypt because 10 people though they couldn’t do what God wanted them to do – which was take the Promised Land.  In this case discouragement spread like a virus and infected the people to the point of despair.  

 

Here in Numbers 32 some of the tribes of Israel did not want to go forward into the Promised Land.  Moses was concerned that if this group stayed behind that the rest of the people would become discouraged.  Moses’ concerns were justified.  The Body of Christ today must stand unified for us to accomplish what the Lord has called us to do.  If we allow discouragement to get a foothold it will hinder all we seek to accomplish in our service to Christ.  God is not about discouraging us.  God is about encouraging us to stay and remain in His will.  How easily we can be discouraged and begin to fret, worry, and back away from what the Lord has called us to do. 

Moses shared his concern that a relatively small group of people would negatively effect everyone.  He had seen it happen before.  This is why we do well to seek the Lord, have faith, and be ready to move forward when the Lord commands us to do so.  As it turns out these Israelites were willing to assist their brethren in going over and taking the Promised Land, yet what I have to wonder about is why they were willing to settle on the east side of the Jordan.  Why live in the barren, dry desert when you could live in a good land flowing with milk and honey?  God has long called His people to settle for nothing short of the fullness of God’s blessings, yet we are sometimes willing to settle for just a taste.  We can eat that dry crust of bread, yet the Lord invites us to full banquet.  Why settle for anything less?

Mark 5 gives the account of the demon possessed man who Jesus healed.  This took place among the people who dwelt in the region of the Gadarenes.  Most Bible scholars agree these people were the descendants of the Israelites who stayed on the east side of the Jordan.  These were the people who asked Jesus to leave their region after He had driven the demons out of the man.  Where was the celebration?  Where was the praise to God for the healing that had taken place?  It was lost in their bitterness over losing a small herd of pigs.  They missed out on what could have been a great movement of God’s Spirit.  Like their fathers before them they were contented to remain where they were rather than where God would have taken them.  God always is moving us forward in our faith.  Do not allow discouragement to keep us from moving to where God is calling us to go. 

Let me share with you the following keys to overcoming discouragement:

-Keep our eyes on Jesus rather than our circumstances.

-Speak words of grace rather than complaints.  Grace builds up the Body of Christ.

-Practice grace in our relationships with each other.

-Stay in the Word and in prayer.  Saturate our hearts and minds with both.

-When you feel discouraged take it to the Lord in prayer. 

-Practice divine perspective.  Ask yourself if this present problem will amount to much in the broad scheme of things.  Furthermore, will it matter in the broad scheme of eternity?

-Be willing to pray about everything and pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).

-Do not allow discouragement to gain a foothold in the heart.

-Be constantly seeking to grow in faith, grace, love, and, mercy.

Former heavy-weight boxer James (Quick) Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma who fought out of Chicago in the early 1980s. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his arrival from Tulsa. "I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under by arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, 'I'm going to conquer Chicago.' "When I looked down, the suitcases were gone."   Discouragement will come.  Rise up and claim God's power in Jesus Christ to overcome it.

Spiritually Minded to Overcome Discouragement

⁵For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  ⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  ⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  -Romans 8:5-7 (KJV)

I hope that you are reading this blog because you not only need encouragement and inspiration, but you also have a sincere desire to be a spiritually minded person with a close walk with God. Understand, however, this will not happen all by itself. Being spiritually minded involves seriously, prayerfully, and thoughtfully taking on this challenge. Pray, stay in the Word, resist the devil, take on the attitudes of Jesus, be faithful, and continue to do so over the long haul of life. If you think I never get discouraged think again. I do sometimes. I am just as susceptible to this as anyone, maybe ever more so. What I find works best is an attitude of remain faithful at any cost. No matter what it takes, remain faithful. 

When we read the Old Testament we find that Israel’s problem was many times they had to climb out of a spiritual pit rather than defend the high ground. Recall what Jesus said about the city set on a hill; it cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). If the city cannot be hidden then at some point an enemy is going to try and take the city. If we view our lives as the city set on a hill then be certain the devil will attack. Israel gave into idolatry and godlessness many times. They allowed themselves to fall from the hilltop of faith, and then they had to fight their way up out a spiritual pit which is always more difficult. 

My friends, stay on the high ground of faith, remain there, and by the power of Christ defend this noble position. By faith we build into our lives safeguards to keep us from stumbling. These become sensible, day-by-day practices, and they become as natural to us as breathing. We put on our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6) each day. Always be on the lookout for temptations and snares, and walk forward in bold faith every day. Discouragement robs us of our spiritual vitality. It is difficult to have vibrant faith when discouragement is present, because it saps our spiritual energy. Exercise and eating right gives us physical energy. Prayer, the Word, worship, fellowship with other believers, and encouragement from others brings spiritual energy. Maintain strong faith, be spiritually minded, and we find the resources we need for overcoming discouragement. 

William Ward once said, "Discouragement is dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust of the future. It is ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It is unawareness of the presence of beauty, unconcern for the needs of our fellowman, and unbelief in the promises of old. It is impatience with time, immaturity of thought, and impoliteness to God." 

Paul the Apostle spoke in II Timothy 4:7 of fighting the good fight of the faith. Discouragement hinders our power to keep fighting this good fight. God will empower us to stand, keep on standing, and then to keep moving forward. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord is indeed with us.

The Fellowship of the Faith

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  -I John 1:7 (KJV)

As I write this I am in day two of a badly needed four day vacation.  Not only am I enjoying a wonderful visit with my sister and her family, I have also had the opportunity to do a little fly fishing.  Understand, however, that this is a new experience for me and fly fishing requires skills which I am only beginning to develop.  Yesterday I spent the better part of the afternoon fly fishing in the beautiful and scenic Clinch River which flows from the Norris Dam.  The fish weren't biting, but I had the time of my life.  Around 3:00 in the afternoon I was beginning to wonder if there were truly any trout in this river.  As if in answer to my question a large rainbow trout, over a foot long, swam casually past me.  If that fish could talk he might have said, "Forget about it rookie, we're way too smart for you."

Seeing this fish strengthen my determination and I continued to work on my skills with the fly rod.  As I fished an interesting phenomenon took place.  Several other fly fishermen walked by and I engaged a few of them in conversation.  When they discovered I was a beginner they were more than happy to offer helpful suggestions and insights.  In fact, it was though I was being welcomed into a brotherhood of sorts.  That's only fair, I suppose, because they too were beginners once and agreed that we all must start somewhere.  The advice they provided was equal to any class I might decide to take on fly fishing.  It occurred to me that there was a fellowship I was sharing with these others fishermen.  They understood the challenges and complexities of fly fishing and had labored many years in the pursuit of the sport.

As I pondered this I realized how our faith in Christ is similar to this.  As followers of Jesus we share a deep and abiding fellowship with one another.  The Word of God says if we walk in the light, as Christ is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.  The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin and we are bound together in the regenerating and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.  Like fishermen who are willing to support one another, we too stand together in shared faith.  We bear one another's burdens, encourage each other in the faith, lift up those who have fallen, and pray for one another's trials.  We are called to stand together in faith, bound to each other with strong cords that cannot be broken.

What a blessing to know that we do not serve the Lord in isolation.  We have the Body of Christ, other believers, to encourage us along the way.  On another note, as I was winding up my afternoon of fishing I was approached by the local game warden who asked me if I had a fishing license.  What a blessing to reply that I did (This was the first time this has ever happened to me).  After showing him my license he too was very helpful and willing to offer advice to a new fly fisherman.  What a blessed brotherhood!

Recall the words of Jesus when he told the disciples that He would make them fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).  Let us now go and do likewise.

Overcoming Discouragement Through Faith

²⁰And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.  ²¹Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. -Deuteronomy 1:20, 21 (KJV)

Faith is our greatest and most powerful tool for standing firm in the face of discouragement.  If discouragement is allowed to get a foothold in our lives we run the risk of becoming bitter, detached from the fellowship of the church, and maybe even walking away from our commitment to Christ.  We might also become moody, cynical, and no fun to be around.  Never before I have encountered people who are more discouraged than right now.  Discouragement is infiltrating churches like never before.  Rather than rising up and walking in faith, people are throwing in the towel in terms of their service to Christ.  If we are going through a problem we need people around us who will pray, listen, and support us during the problem.  It makes no sense to cut out of our lives the very support we need when problems arise.  Yet, this is what countless people have done and are continuing to do.  

Moses reminded the people before they entered the Promised Land that one of their greatest enemies would be discouragement.  If they became discouraged they would lose heart, courage, strength, and they might as well go back into the wilderness.  Faith would move them forward.  Faith will do the same for us especially in the presence of seemingly impossible odds.  Going in and taking the Promised Land seemed impossible.  Maybe you have faced, or are facing, problems and situations that look impossible.  Without faith in God these situations become so large and overwhelming that we can easily become discouraged.  During these times our courage and strength can seem to drain from us.  

Faith empowers us to claim God’s promises.  What had God been telling the people all along?  The Lord had been reminding them that He was with them, would bless them, and fight their battles for them.  Look at the end of verse 20; this is a reference to God’s promise that He would give them the land.  What we are called to possess means we have to become involved in the process.  We are called to rise up, trust God, seek Him, pray without ceasing, be faithful, and move toward that better place to which God is leading.  In the case of Israel it was the Promised Land.  We too have a Promised Land; it is called heaven.  Until we get there, God calls us to overcome the obstacles to our faith and ministry.  

Faith empowers us to take the right stand.  God told the people through Moses in verse 21 to go up and take possession of the land.  The time for wandering was over.  It was time for moving forward in a very purposeful direction – one which lead to taking the Promised Land for their own.  God is not calling us to wander aimlessly.  Instead, God is calling us to a clear path of service and commitment to Christ.  Stop wandering in the wilderness of doubt, fear, and discouragement.  Start today claiming God's promises and taking hold of the abundant life in Christ to which we are called.

The other day in church we sang the hymn, "Standing on the Promises."  I once heard someone say the problem with the church is we have for too long been "sitting on the premises."  Let us cease sitting and start standing on those blessed promises.  Moreover, having begun to stand, let us claim the power of God for our own. 

The Problem of Discouragement

³And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.  ⁴And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. -Numbers 21:3, 4

  

The other day I was at my son’s house and I saw his cat drinking from an old flowerpot, which was filled with rainwater.  The water looked rancid and distasteful.  I suggested he provide his poor old cat with some fresh water instead.  I hope that he did.  As I thought about this I considered how being discouraged is like drinking from a foul and polluted water source.  We get nothing out of being discouraged except feeling bad, overwhelmed, and tired in spirit.  This has never been, nor is it God’s plan for us.  Yet, how many of us suffer from discouragement?  All of us do at some point.  If we do not take steps to overcome, we will find ourselves spiritually defeated rather than walking in spiritual victory.  

Numbers 21 is a powerful picture of what happens when discouragement takes over.  The people of Israel were getting close to the Promised Land, and God allowed them a great victory.  They fought a battle against overwhelming odds and won.  This was cause for celebration!  “Hey, we won a victory!  Let us be thankful and attune our hearts to God and walk forward in faith.” Instead of taking this approach, they became discouraged.  The Scripture says as they journeyed the soul of the people became discouraged.  Their discouragement became so widespread you could hardly find an Israelite in the camp who wasn’t down and out, overwhelmed, and ready to give up.  This was right on the heels of a great victory.  Discouragement such as this can happen to believers today and the Word shows us their experience as a warning to us.

Like Israel, it is during our moment of triumph we are most likely to let our guard down.  When the ministries of the church are going well, the people are being blessed, and folks are coming together in fellowship, then beware, for the devil is about to strike.  He hates it when the church comes together in unity and he will use every tool at his disposal to try to drive us apart.  If the devil can get folks discouraged, then he is on his way to bringing us down.  We must be on our guard at all times especially when the church is being blessed and the people are walking in faith and victory.  The devil hates that.  Back to the Israelites.  They gave into discouragement right after a great victory.  Why was this?  Here are a few possibilities:

They were physically exhausted.  They were journeying and traveling and it looked like their journey would never end.  Have you ever felt this way?  Followers of Christ have long confused activity with spiriutuality.  Having our schedules full can be good, yet we can easily become overwhelmed.  Be careful about trying to do too much.  I have had to learn this the hard way and I still learning.   Recently I was studying Exodus 18 where Moses received godly council from his father-in-law.  The words of Jethro must have stung when he said to Moses, “What you are doing is not good…you cannot handle it alone.” Pastors have to learn these lessons as well as all followers of Christ.  We cannot carry all the burdens alone.  This is why we have the Holy Spirit and it is why we have the church, the Body of Christ.

They were emotionally drained.  Again, you can probably relate.  Life and all of its problems take a terrible emotional toll on us.  We need the power of the Holy Spirit each day to keep us going, and we need the encouragement of others to help us as well.  You know you are discouraged when there is a spiritual heaviness which seems to be upon you.  It goes beyond just being fatigued.  This describes the Israelites in this passage.  What was needed was a fresh wind of God’s Spirit.  The Lord is always willing to provide encouragement when we seek Him.

They allowed negativity to guide their thoughts and their words.  If we allow discouragement to set in we are liable to lose control of our words.  When this happens what we say changes from the positive to the negative.  The Word of God challenges us to speak words of encouragement to each other, yet we all sometimes fall short of this.  God’s people were given to discouragement and they began to give into a negative and complaining spirit.   

The Bible says the people paid a terrible price for allowing discouragement to rule them.  In verse 5 they complained: “Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.”  We are really starting to hate this manna, Moses.  We need something better to eat.  How about poisonous snakes?  They went through a painful process of coming back to God, and in their redemption we see a picture of what the Lord Jesus would one day provide for all people.

 

Keep trusting the Lord, do not give up, keep praying, stay in the Word, keep moving, keep smiling, and keep speaking good words to one another.  Discouragement is overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Stretching our Spiritual Muscles

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.  -2 Peter 3:18 (KJV) 

I sometimes think that for a 50-year-old man I am in fairly good shape.  I try to eat right, exercise, watch my weight, and keep a positive attitude.  I read recently that a good gauge of a man’s health is if he can do 30 push-ups.  Now, I probably will not do this if you ask me to, but yes, I can drop to the floor and accomplish this seemingly impossible feat.  I thought I was in good shape, that is until my son invited me to try a new workout program he has started.  The P-90X workout system is a daily routine watched on DVD, which takes you step-by-step through the program.  The other day I attempted one of the workouts.  I thought I was going to die.  This is a giant leap upward from what I am used to in my normal workout routine. 

I share this because many followers of Christ make the mistake of believing they are fine as they are.  However, if they are honest they will find they are spiritually out of shape.  Daily prayer time, if practiced at all, is hurried, personal Bible study amounts to a few verses a day, and there is seldom time blocked out in their daily schedules for quiet and extended meditation on God’s holy Word.  I heard a pastor once say that for many of us our prayer time amounts to only skimming the surface.  Indeed greater depth is needed and makes all of the difference.   

The Word of God challenges us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This growth process only happens through consistent and dedicated time with God.  Strengthening takes place as our spiritual muscles stretch and grows stronger.  Take a good look at your spiritual condition.  Is your daily prayer and Bible study time hurried and perfunctory?  If so, now is the time to make changes.  Start rising earlier to seek the Lord in prayer.  Block out time in your schedule to spend reading and meditating on God’s Word.  Guard this daily time with God zealously lest our busy lives crowd it out. 

You will begin to see a positive difference in your life as you walk in the fullness of Christ each day.  Seek the Lord today.  He will be waiting for you. 

What Will You Not do Without?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  -Romans 12:1 (KJV)

   

Occasionally during a crucial moment in my Sunday sermon someone’s cell phone starts ringing.  Pockets are searched, a purse might be emptied, and there is a general feeling of “Oh please make this stop” in the air where peaceful worship had prevailed.  After what seems like a long time the phone is recovered and turned off.   My usual strategy in these moments is to go on preaching as if I can’t hear it.  “Poor Brother Dan.” people probably think. “He’s losing his hearing.” No, my hearing is fine; I’m simply trying to cope with yet another nuisance created by the age of technology.

Millions of people carry cell phones and we would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t own one.  Most of us have become so dependent on our phones that if we forget them we turn the car around and go back to get them.  Truly we have come to believe we cannot function without our cell phones.

Consider what would happen if we resolved that there are certain aspects of our faith we will not do without.  What if we decided we would not leave the house in the morning unless we have prayed and spent time in God’s Word?  Imagine what would happen if we determined to be Christ-like at all times?  Picture an outlook on life so characterized by the love of the Lord in us that we begin to see others the way Christ sees them.  

Such personal sacrifice would be revolutionary in today’s world.  Instead of looking out for ourselves and our needs we would become more attuned to the needs of others.  Such love compels us to reach out in the name of the Lord and become those living, breathing, and walking sacrifices spoken of Scripture.  We would become energized to walk forward in vibrant faith each day.  Instead of being self-centered we would become Christ-centered.  Rather than be bitter we would be joyful.  A pessimistic outlook would be replaced by one of optimism over the blessings the Lord has in store for us.  When we become living sacrifices for Christ we are empowered to rise up from the ashes of defeat and experience the true power of God’s Spirit.  Such spiritual power is like cool, clear water to a parched and weary soul.  

Do you desire this fresh touch from God?  Try putting your phone on silent for a while and get back into God’s Word and prayer.  You will be astounded at the results.