Defeating discouragement!
Verse for Today: Wednesday, April 25, 2012
2 Chronicles 20:15 -……Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
It is only normal to be afraid and discouraged when we see a great and vast army of opponents in front of us. In our eyes we might be like grasshoppers when compared to the formidable enemies who confront us. The child of God always faces the enemies of Satan and his agents like the world and the flesh. They appear in the form of people, systems, organizations, authorities and technology which try to defeat us and make us as their slaves. Once we are defeated, we will be bound by their power and priorities. These enemies are strongly supported by our own flesh with its desires. Satan the great invisible enemy tries to make us afraid of his subtle power in several ways and forms. When we see his power, ferocity, tactics and methods, we often loose our courage and composure and stumble into their nets. But today the Spirit of God wants to tell us that we do not need to be afraid or discouraged by this vast army because we are in the army of God which is led by Jesus Christ the victorious King. He has already defeated these powers of darkness. They will not overpower us as long as we take our stand with the victorious Jesus. So they use the tactics of fear and discouragement to defeat us. They have subtle and cunning ways to capture our hearts, minds and emotions and will work through our feelings to sow the seeds of fear, frustration, discord and detraction. But our God is powerful enough to face all of these enemies and rescue us from their evil schemes and tactics. We are weapons in His hands to fight against the evil manipulations of our enemies. The war has already been won on the cross of Calvary and so now the enemy and his agents are engaged in battles at each corner of our pathway to stumble us. But we are more than conquerors through our victorious Lord. The victory He assures us is a reality that we can experience each day.
Dear friend, is the enemy of your soul with his agents fighting you in your daily life? The enemy is fighting you because you are the son of his arch enemy. He will continue to fight you to celebrate a score against your God through your life. But our Lord is the Lion of Judah and these enemies are only like stray dogs who bark against the fierce lion. But surely these dogs can discourage and scare us to defeat. But the battle we are engaged in is the battle which belongs to the Lord. He has taken over the battle on our behalf and will not allow the enemy to score a victory over us. We do not need to look at the weapons of the enemy and get discouraged, but wear the great armor of God and get encouraged. Instead of looking at the enemy and become fearful, let us look at the author and finisher of our faith and draw strength from Him. If we rest in the Lord and submit all our faculties to Him, He will take us and wage this war against our enemies and lead us victoriously day by day. Let us not look at our circumstances and situations and get discouraged, but let us focus on our Lord and get His strength filled in our hearts. He gives us power through His Word and Spirit to resist the possibilities of getting discouraged and afraid. With Jesus, today is the day of victory. With God on our side, we are more than conquerors. With Him, we get encouraged day by day to fight the enemy and get going. As we are in the battle ground for our Lord, He will make sure to extend His heavenly supply line to meet all our mundane needs. He is on our side in this battle and so let us be on His side and be His committed and faithful soldiers.
Psalms 18:39 – You armed me with strength for battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet.
Thought for Today
We wrestle against all the strategies of the evil forces by drawing strength from the author and finisher of our faith.
For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: [email protected]
