Discouragement – that feeling of wanting to sit down and give up, wondering if everything you’ve been hoping, waiting for, will ever come to pass.
I’ve been there.
I’ve felt hopeless.
I’ve wanted to quit, to turn back, to not go on the current path one more minute.
Many times while walking through my own healing I reached points where it was just too painful, where I’d been misunderstood one too many times, or people had hit the target of my heart with their discouraging words.
And it was in these times that I had a choice.
I could give in.
I could quit.
Or, I could do the things I knew to continue on.
Continue is a word that comes up frequently in the Bible. Especially in Paul’s letters, he is constantly encouraging his readers to continue.
While I was going through Bible College, there was a sentence one of the founders had coined that was quoted almost every time we met for chapel.
Plod on, Plod on, Plod on.
When the going gets rough, and you feel like quitting you have a choice.
Quit, and remain where you are, or continue to plod on.
Continue by taking the discouragement to God:
Many times I have sat before the Lord in tears, bringing Him everything I was going through. I let myself cry before Him, telling Him how I felt and how discouraged I was. It was in these countless times that I knew the Lord listened and helped me to keep going.
Continue by being in the Word:
Pick up your Bible and ask the Lord for encouragement. He will speak to your heart through His word.
Continue by worshipping:
Worshipping with music sets our heart and mind on the Lord, instead of on the circumstances. So many times this is when I’ve felt the Lord leading and guiding me, when I’ve felt His comfort and His presence.
Worshipping is where I have found the most courage to continue on.
Discouragement can tempt you to quit, to sit down and to not move on. But there is a better way.
Plod on. Plod on. Plod on.
Prayer
Father God, I declare that I will not quit. I believe your promises to me are true, and they will come to pass. Give me the courage to not give up, to not give in to discouragement. Help me to set my eyes on things above, and not on the circumstances around me. And above all, help me Lord, if I have fallen into unbelief, to believe again. In Jesus name, Amen.
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