Dealing With Discouragement

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Discouragement often hits you the hardest when you’re stretching your faith and not seeing the results. The easiest way to defeat discouragement is to encourage somebody else. You also have to learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. That’s what David did. Most people need affirmation when they’re stepping out into new territory, taking on a new challenge, or putting it all on the line. 

The most important time to affirm somebody is when they’re stretching and taking risks. People don’t need critical voices. They need people around them who will say, “You can do it; hang in there! I’m proud of you for trying.” You ought to be that way for your spouse and your children. Don’t be that negative voice pointing out the 14 reasons why they could fail. Even if they don’t get everything they’re hoping for, the stretching will prepare them to go further the next time.

You’re never supposed to stop learning, growing, and taking risks. Life is meant to stretch us. The people who inspire other people are the ones who never stop reaching. They go from glory to glory and accomplish great things with the life God has given them because they don’t hold back. 

God even wants you to try things that seem impossible. Jesus told one man in a boat to get out and walk on the water. That’s what you call a stretch. Jesus told another dead guy who was stinking in his grave, “Get up from the grave; come out of your grave clothes and walk out of your tomb, Lazarus.” He told his disciples to feed thousands with only a basket of bread and fish. God expects greatness out of you because you were made in His image, and He is limitless. He knows what you are capable of even if you don’t know yourself.

We often live at the minimum instead of living at the maximum of who we are and what we have right now. You may say, “If I had this” or “If I had that,” but you don’t necessarily need an addition; you need an extreme extension of what God has already given you. And the only way God will get that out of you is by moving you out of your comfort zone. Embrace the stretch and let Him show you who you really are.

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