Fighting the Fight of Discouragement with the Help of My Friends.
By Rev Adam Fox
There are some cartoons that last generations like Scooby Doo or Looney Tunes for instance. Another would be Winnie the Pooh. Pooh Bear is one of those characters that help children learn so much thanks to creator A. A. Milne. Pooh and his friends in 100 Acre Forest have taught children for ages about friendship, love and innocence through these animal friends and Christopher Robin.
This summer Hollywood decided to play upon the sentiment of this book and cartoon by releasing the movie, Christopher Robin. While I did not go see this movie, not because it did not interest me but mostly because I did not want to pay $10 to cry like a baby.
But the animal friends in this franchise interest me. Each of these animal friends help show me a different quality of humanity. It is easy to see these human characteristics in Piglet, Pooh, Tigger and so forth but Eeyore is the one that sticks out.
Eeyore was always the sad sack, the downer, the odd ball of the group. He always looks so discouraged. I can relate to Eeyore on some days.
Discouragement is a silent and nearly undetectable quality in mankind that can run the spectrum of barely there to running wild. It can come about over a minor problem that stirs up emotions or after a big time moment in life that causes us to affect our spirit and if left unchecked, it can lead to depression.
What could Discouragement look like in the everyday life?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar. Psalm 42:5-6
- The frustration of an authority figure (parent, teacher, boss) not listening to you.
- Grinding and trying hard with little to no immediate success or acknowledgement.
- Lack of appreciation.
- Not being satisfied with where you are personally.
- Relationships that go through difficulties.
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar. Psalm 42:5-6
Have you ever seen the words "Courage" in the Bible, because it is used OFTEN. It is almost Like God knows that we need to be reminded to be courageous or that we get scared or discouraged. Look at Joshua for example. One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go"
Even Joshua, one of Israel's greatest leaders needed to be reminded to have good courage at all times. To not be discouraged, to not be dejected, downhearted, despondent or have your spirit low. That is the challenge. Like Joshua, we need to allow God to be the one who shows us our values, to not be weighed down by broken expectations from people, jobs or anything else.
King David understood what it meant to be discouraged. One of the greatest leaders and men of all time expressed times of discouragement. The manliest Renaissance type leader whom God referred to as "A Man After My Own Heart."
David knew what it meant to be discouraged, he battled this just like we all do. And that is the thing, this area of discouragement or depression is not a you thing. It is a we thing. We get discouraged. We do not feel valued. We feel stepped upon. We feel ignored and unappreciated, alone. But we are not alone in this.
How then do we stay encouraged or better yet be an encourager to others? For me, I look to the example of Elijah.
One of the gruffest and most direct prophet of Israel, Elijah is recorded in the book of 1 Kings to having done a lot of amazing miracles. He is a person I would love to sit and have a meal with and talk. Granted, I would choose the food since He is used to Raven regurgitating food...
But 1 Kings 19 shows a different side to the bold prophet. We get to look into his mind, to see the worry, fear and discouragement that I see in myself. That a lot of us live in.
Chapter 19 starts off at the end of the great contest between God with Elijah and the idol Baal and his followers. Chapter 18 is a marvelous read, a great victory for God over the idol, and showing the power of our God in multiple forms. It is the definition of a top of the mountain moment for Elijah.
But King Ahab and Queen Jezebel write to Elijah and threaten to kill him for what he did, for embarrassing them and their idol. Elijah, a man of God a man of boldness, the Prophet who walked into that sinful Kings court and declared God would not allow it to rain - PERIOD. This empty threat from the Queen allowed these negative emotions to be stirred, it allowed the monster of discouragement to be unleashed.
3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life,
Why would Elijah run for His life? After he has had such great faith that God would provide all his life? I believe it was the enemies tool of discouragement because verse 4 shows us his thoughts.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
The inner voice of Elijah was so bad, he was so discouraged that he wanted to die. And friends, self pity and discouragement lead to depression and sometimes depression wins. And when that happens, we loose. Please do not give up. Never Give Up.
But God is faithful and loving. AMEN!
The rest of chapter 19 serves as a guide for us in how to overcome the feelings of discouragement and depression. First, we are to take care of our physical needs.
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
Loosing sleep, not eating properly and ignoring the basic needs to live is not healthy. Eat, sleep and exercise are ways for us to stay in peek physical form. Think of it as a recharge for the body. Ignoring the basic needs of life will leave you drained and in a bad place.
Next we need to spend time with God. While the Bible shows us the need to recharge the body but the soul is just as much needed. Spending time with God is the key to that.
I love these verses. God was not in the wind or the earthquake or even the fire. God was there in the stillness and the quite. That is where we need to be with our Lord. Reading our Bibles and communicating with Him through prayer in the stillness. Not letting the business of life distract us, rule our time or let Satan enhance our fears and encourage our discouragement.
If we are taking care of our selves physically, spending time with God regularly then we just need to be thankful. Thankful?
Yes I know Thanksgiving has passed. But we can still talk about being thankful AFTER the holiday. In fact, the Bible tells us "thankful in everything, in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
But how will being thankful help from getting to discouraged? Think of it from this perspective. We just read from the Bible an example of being thankful. When Paul wrote this verse, he did not always in the best of circumstances. Paul did a dime more times than we realize in order to advance the Gospel of Christ. (Read 2 Corinthians 11 if you are interested)
But the point is Paul was content and thankful in his circumstances - all of them. In all of the horrid and terrible things that happened to Paul - even in jail - he was still thankful. Why cannot we then?
Be thankful for waking up to a "blizzard" and having to chisel out your car. Be thankful for the car that runs the red light and makes you slam on the brake. Thankful for the coworker who takes advantage of you and consistently puts you down. Thankful for the pile of work that needs to be done that never gets acknowledged. Thankful for the little things, the difficult people, the ordinary. Thankful for everything.
Being thankful helps us put ourselves and our problems in perspective. What I need to make sure I remember is that it is not just me. The Bible tells us that we are not alone in this Spiritual War. the author of Hebrews writes " 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say:“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6
Or look at the example of Elijah - being discouraged or depressed, we can get triggered by the simplest of things. But when we do get this way, we cannot dwell in these emotions and let them overtake us until we do something stupid or foolish nor should we wallow in it either. I have spent too much time in my office eating the left side of the value menu and crying over circumstances. But instead dwell in the most high. Pray, spend time in His Word, pray again and allow God to communicate with you.
Friends, I wanted to apologize for being so behind with this post. Circumstances and the holiday got pushed ahead. And if I were transparent, I did not want to publish this. It is something I have been struggling with lately. But like our friend Eeyore, I need to rely on my friends.
Cheers and Excelsior!
Pastor Adam
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes, my soul and my body!
For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel. Psalm 31:9-12
My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes, my soul and my body!
For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel. Psalm 31:9-12
How then do we stay encouraged or better yet be an encourager to others? For me, I look to the example of Elijah.
One of the gruffest and most direct prophet of Israel, Elijah is recorded in the book of 1 Kings to having done a lot of amazing miracles. He is a person I would love to sit and have a meal with and talk. Granted, I would choose the food since He is used to Raven regurgitating food...
But 1 Kings 19 shows a different side to the bold prophet. We get to look into his mind, to see the worry, fear and discouragement that I see in myself. That a lot of us live in.
Chapter 19 starts off at the end of the great contest between God with Elijah and the idol Baal and his followers. Chapter 18 is a marvelous read, a great victory for God over the idol, and showing the power of our God in multiple forms. It is the definition of a top of the mountain moment for Elijah.
But King Ahab and Queen Jezebel write to Elijah and threaten to kill him for what he did, for embarrassing them and their idol. Elijah, a man of God a man of boldness, the Prophet who walked into that sinful Kings court and declared God would not allow it to rain - PERIOD. This empty threat from the Queen allowed these negative emotions to be stirred, it allowed the monster of discouragement to be unleashed.
3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life,
Why would Elijah run for His life? After he has had such great faith that God would provide all his life? I believe it was the enemies tool of discouragement because verse 4 shows us his thoughts.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
The inner voice of Elijah was so bad, he was so discouraged that he wanted to die. And friends, self pity and discouragement lead to depression and sometimes depression wins. And when that happens, we loose. Please do not give up. Never Give Up.
But God is faithful and loving. AMEN!
The rest of chapter 19 serves as a guide for us in how to overcome the feelings of discouragement and depression. First, we are to take care of our physical needs.
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
Loosing sleep, not eating properly and ignoring the basic needs to live is not healthy. Eat, sleep and exercise are ways for us to stay in peek physical form. Think of it as a recharge for the body. Ignoring the basic needs of life will leave you drained and in a bad place.
Next we need to spend time with God. While the Bible shows us the need to recharge the body but the soul is just as much needed. Spending time with God is the key to that.
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
If we are taking care of our selves physically, spending time with God regularly then we just need to be thankful. Thankful?
Yes I know Thanksgiving has passed. But we can still talk about being thankful AFTER the holiday. In fact, the Bible tells us "thankful in everything, in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
But how will being thankful help from getting to discouraged? Think of it from this perspective. We just read from the Bible an example of being thankful. When Paul wrote this verse, he did not always in the best of circumstances. Paul did a dime more times than we realize in order to advance the Gospel of Christ. (Read 2 Corinthians 11 if you are interested)
But the point is Paul was content and thankful in his circumstances - all of them. In all of the horrid and terrible things that happened to Paul - even in jail - he was still thankful. Why cannot we then?
Be thankful for waking up to a "blizzard" and having to chisel out your car. Be thankful for the car that runs the red light and makes you slam on the brake. Thankful for the coworker who takes advantage of you and consistently puts you down. Thankful for the pile of work that needs to be done that never gets acknowledged. Thankful for the little things, the difficult people, the ordinary. Thankful for everything.
Being thankful helps us put ourselves and our problems in perspective. What I need to make sure I remember is that it is not just me. The Bible tells us that we are not alone in this Spiritual War. the author of Hebrews writes " 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say:“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6
Or look at the example of Elijah - being discouraged or depressed, we can get triggered by the simplest of things. But when we do get this way, we cannot dwell in these emotions and let them overtake us until we do something stupid or foolish nor should we wallow in it either. I have spent too much time in my office eating the left side of the value menu and crying over circumstances. But instead dwell in the most high. Pray, spend time in His Word, pray again and allow God to communicate with you.
Friends, I wanted to apologize for being so behind with this post. Circumstances and the holiday got pushed ahead. And if I were transparent, I did not want to publish this. It is something I have been struggling with lately. But like our friend Eeyore, I need to rely on my friends.
Cheers and Excelsior!
Pastor Adam
