Discouraged?

Life is a rollercoaster, it’s full of ups and downs, both good and happy moments. Life is really good, but there are times when you may no longer have the confidence needed to continue doing something. In such periods, you feel down and lose interest in everything you’ve previously engaged in that gave you joy, but now it seems no one appreciates what you’re doing or what you’re doing is not yielding good result.

Are you discouraged? Are you tired, do you feel all hope is lost? Learn to rest but never quit. God will always show up at the right time. He is an ever present help in trouble. In the book of 1 Samuel 30:1-10, it tells us about the story of how King David was greatly distressed due to the fact that the philistines took the children of Israel and their possessions in captive, including his wives. The Bible recorded that he encouraged himself in the Lord, he sought the face of the Lord, and the Lord delivered him. The Lord will deliver you as well. It does not matter where you’re coming from, what matters is where you are going. You cannot change what caused your discouragement, but you can start from where you are, involve God, and see the end change.

In the book of Luke 5:1-6, we can see the story of Apostle Peter, how he toiled tirelessly over the night to catch fish, to no avail, but he did not allow this to discourage him. He allowed Jesus to use his boat to preach, not minding the situation around him. And this resulted into a great miracle in Peter’s life.

Don’t allow the happenings around you cause depression. Focus of the greatness of God and do His word always. Like Peter’s case, there will be happiness and turn-around.

Never allow temporal issues to push you to abandon God permanently and then take a rash decision. Always remember all things work together for the good.

When you feel discouraged, you can draw strength from the word of God. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like an eagle they run and not faint.” Psalm16:11 says, “Thou dost show me the path of of life; in thy presence there is fullness of joy, in thy right hand pleasures forevermore.” The latter part of Nehemiah 8:10 also says, “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” There are several other verses of the scriptures which give us the confidence that you can always depend on God for strength at all times.

Apart from drawing strength from God’s word, you can as well give thanks to God. God inhabits in the praises of His people. Don’t focus your attention on what is going on around you, rather sing praises to Him for what He has done, what He’s doing for you at the moment, and what He would do, before you know it, this feeling would be gone.

When you’re discouraged, rest but never quit. Remember, quitters never win, and it’s only those who win that would be congratulated. Try to think about what caused your discouragement. For example academic failure, in such case, think of new ways to improve and involve God.

When discouragement set-in in life, think about the goal you want to achieve, in the book of Judges 9:4, the Bible recorded concerning Gideon and the three hundred men that they faint but pursuing. They were pursuing because they had focus. Instead of giving in to discouragement, think about those that have invested so much in you, think about those who are looking up to you as a model, think also about God, because you’re here on earth to fulfill God’s divine mandate.