KEY SCRIPTURE: Deut 2:3 KJV “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward”.

When the children of Israel left Egypt for the promised land, they got to mount Seir and went round it for a number of times. They kept going round this mountain till the Lord spoke to Moses that they had compassed the mountain long enough. These people were getting away from their focus on the journey and kept staying at one location over a long time. On many occasions people out of neglect begin to lose the enthusiasm about going forward or getting on with whatever they are doing, only to give up.

In John 21:3, Simon Peter after the death of our Lord Jesus said to the rest of the disciples that he was going a fishing. This was a people who the Lord himself weaned from fishing when he was with them. Just a short while after the death of the master, although he had revealed himself to them after His resurrection, yet they still went back to fishing. This further establishes the fact that out of neglect or focus on a thing one can easily lose the zest in doing what he has been doing. If you do not concentrate on the importance of praying, studying or even a commitment to giving to charity, the interest will be dying gradually till you no more do it at all. The picture of this, is when a ship that has not been anchored drifts off over time. As the waves billows it moves of gradually till one can’t see it at all. Backsliding as a Christian normally happens out of neglect and a lack of focus.

In Hebrews 2:1, the Bible cautions us as follows, ” Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” .We need to take an earnest heed to whatever good thing we are doing less we lose our zeal and get  discouraged. Commitment to Marriages over time can lose the fire of love and certain important habits, may be left over time. Keep convincing yourself each day about the need to keep at whatever good thing you have been doing. You may write it out clearly so you would be constantly challenged when you read it. Habakkuk 2:2

CONFESSION

I keep myself inspired daily to be doing all the right things that I am supposed to do. I do not allow other matters which are not so important to get my attention in anyway. This makes me a high achiever in all I do.

FURTHER STUDIES

Habakkuk 2:2 KJV” And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it” For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Judge 1:19 KJV And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel inquired from the Lord about who should lead them. The Lord said Judah shall go up against the Canaanites. Judges 1:2. Judah indeed took the lead and started conquering.

In verse 19 of Judges 1, the Bible said “And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.” They drove out the Canaanites in the mountain, but could not drive out those in the valley. The Lord was with them all the same. Why did they turn back when they met the people in the valley? They met a stronger opposition, and so, doubted the word of God, which he had given.

Doubting or unbelief in the word of God is one of the major causes of discouragement. Reading through the accounts of the expedition of the Israelite to annex the promised lands, we realize they left quite a large area not annexed, because of unbelief. In numbers 13 and 14, the report of the ten spies were statement of unbelief, which created a great sense of discouragement among the Israelites. Num 14:1 KJV “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night”.

Unbelief would rob a person of any superior source of strength to keep moving on. In cases when the opposition appear greater than your perception can, unbelief in the Lord will make you very helpless.

Take time to feed your faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17. Put your faith into work by acting on the word. This will strengthen your faith, so that in difficult and challenging times, you would not doubt God but rather trust him.

CONFESSION

I thank you Father for your word. I constantly feed my faith, and so I am ever ready for any opposition. I do not give in or give up. I am more than a conqueror.

FURTHER STUDIES

 Hebrews 10:35 KJV “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward”

Hebrews 11:33 KJV” Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,”

KEY, SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27:5 KJV” And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself”.

Judas, a disciple of Jesus went and hanged himself. He was among the twelve who went into the towns casting out devils and healing the sick. In our times, he would be described as a powerful pastor. He got so depressed and discouraged that he went and hanged himself because, he betrayed the Lord of glory, and could not bear the guilt. If you give the devil the attention, he would give you direction. After he betrayed the Lord, and saw all that was done to him (Jesus), I could imagine the following thoughts going on in Judas’ mind. Judas begun to consider the worse thing he had done. All these were suggestings from the enemy. Satan then suggested to him that there was no way out of what he had done. He felt condemned. He then accepted the thought to kill himself as a way of settling the wrong he has done. All these were unscriptural thoughts patterns that revolved through his mind.

We have heard of certain Christians committing suicide. There have been some reports of some Pastor’s committing suicide. This means if you give in to unscriptural thoughts which are self-inflicting and condemning, you can end up that way. Please get this point clear, suicide is never an option under any condition. To take your life is murder, and God would judge and punish all murderers in hell fire. This is what the scripture says. There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Rom 8:1) God does not condemn you, so don’t condemn yourself. There is forgiveness in Jesus. There is no wrong act that the blood of Jesus cannot wipe away. Bring your sins and transgressions to Him and accept His forgiveness. (1st John 1:9)

Guilt is a very powerful state that can carry anyone into any depths he or she allows it. As a Christian you have received the very nature of God. It is called righteousness. As a nature it does not change. You did that wrong thing because you did not acknowledge that righteous nature which you are. 2Co 5:21 KJV “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”. By faith in Jesus you are the righteousness of God. Do not allow any guilt to control your thoughts, and then begin to direct your actions. Let your meditations be on the fact that you are the righteousness of God. Sin and wrong actions will lose their power when your heart acknowledges that you are the very righteousness of God. If you start thinking this way, the depression and sense of discouragement will all cease.

CONFESSION

I am the very righteousness of God. I do not allow guilt to rule my heart. If I err, I confess my sin but do not accept I am a sinner. As the righteousness of God sin can’t rule over me, neither does depression and ill feeling has a place in me.

FURTHER STUDIES

 1 John 1:9 KJV” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

Romans 8:33 & 34KJV ” Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 6:52 KJV” For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened”.

MEN get depressed and even given up when they lose touch with the power of God and the reality of His love. GOD has revealed Himself in His creation, yet some men in the times of challenges start questioning where is God, and whether He is concerned about them at all. Rom 1:20 KJV” For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse”: The children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt kept a cycle of murmuring and complaining, in spite of the mighty miracles God did in their midst. They felt discouraged to the point of requesting to go back to Egypt. (Num 14:2). They never considered any of the great signs and wonders God did through Moses, yet they complained.

Many of us might have encountered God’s power at a point in our lives. We may know someone who might have had an encounter with God of some kind. We have an evidence of God’s awesomeness in the creation all around us. Anyone who would be discouraged does so by refusing to consider any of the mighty revelations of God’s power. The Bible says Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Heb 13:8. He said this to buttress the point that those who preached God’s word to us, and experienced, God’s power, are an example to us. He says we must follow their example. If God did it for them, He will do same for us. God has Never failed any man and He can’t fail you, so hold on to Him.

Do not turn a deaf ear to these examples and experiences. When David encountered Goliath, it was the testimonies he had earlier that ENCOURAGED him to face Goliath and eventually conquer him. Let every past victory, testimony or whatever good you have known about God challenge you to move forward. Do not give up under any difficulty of any kind.

God’s word is full of examples of men and women who trusted in Him and so He came through for them. Let these example encourage you to remain faithful to God and His word. Keep moving forward till things work out well. The man who gives up has failed, but the one who is in the thick of affairs, sweating but will not give up, is a success yet to be revealed by time

PRAYER

Thank you, heavenly Father, for your great care and protection of my life. Your love for me abides the same. Your power rules over the universe. You are forever with me and that makes me to overcome.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 13:5. Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

Joshua 1:5 KJV” There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Numbers 13:33 KJV “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight”.

One pathetic mistake to make is to see yourself through the eyes of others. In the story of our key scripture, ten men among the twelve spies sent by Moses came back with a bad report. They decided to see themselves through the eyes of the so-called giants who were on the Land. To see yourself through another man’s eyes is to accept yourself for either what that individual is saying about you, or what you think that person is saying about you. The result o such a posture is helplessness and HOPELESSNESS.In 1st Samuel 18:6, King Saul interpreted the confessions of the WOMEN, that David was a better warrior than him, and the people preferred David to him. David could come for the throne, he thought. This drove him mad against David. (1st Samuel 18:6). The pain of Hannah came from what the rival used to say about her.

Many people are living in hell because of what they have come to accept about themselves through the mouth of others or what they think people are saying about them. The married woman without a child is tormented because of what others say about her and what she thinks some discuss about her. Some physically challenged individuals are barely living because people have changed their names to that physical condition.

Some Pastors are feeling depressed because they are struggling with a small congregation and cannot increase their numbers. They see themselves as failures because, they think others see them as failures. Such thoughts about oneself is depressive and makes one discouraged in himself.

Dear child of God you are in Christ. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. Stop seeing yourself as others see or think about you. You are one with Christ. Christ is your sufficiency. You are not barren. You can’t be a failure in any way. The greater one lives in you and God our Father sees you as a victorious, successful wonderful person. When the angel met Gideon, Judge 6:12 KJV” And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour”. Because the Lord was with him, he was a mighty man of valour. Gideon was feeling depressed and discouraged, yet the angel said he was a mighty man of valour. God is with you, no matter the state you find yourself. If you are a child of God, you are a mighty man, or woman of valour. This is how God sees you and calls you. Don’t see yourself after what men describe you.

CONFESSION

I am born of God, and have the life of my father God in me. I am not disadvantaged in anyway. I refuse to see myself as others see me. The word is God’s mirror and my true reflection is Christ Jesus

FURTHER STUDIES

1Samuel 18:8 KJV “And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?”

2Corinth 3:18 WEB” But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit”.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 KJV” Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

We consider the last aspect of God’s prescription against discouragement. It says, we must give thanks to God always. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. To every occurrence there are two purposes. God’s purpose and the devil’s. The following statement is God’s purpose and thoughts for you in that event. Jeremiah 29:11 KJV “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”.

It is in the light of a better end which God has programmed and designed for you, that you must thank the Lord. Thanksgiving places you in that will of God which is good and an expected end. When you complain, you land in Satan’s part of his purpose for bringing that condition to you. Satan’s aim is to destroy you with that situation.

The child of God must continually be filled with thanks. The scriptures teach we should be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto to God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6&7. Thanksgiving declares that the issue at stake is settled and there is no cause for alarm. Remember that, discouragement is always a result of a bad situation persisting over a time or an unpleasant condition that seems insurmountable. A heart of thanksgiving has accepted that God has overcome the condition on your behalf. This is what faith is all about

Thanksgiving takes away every complain that would lead to a bad mood. Thanksgiving is always a blow to the devil. It disorganizes his arsenals in every form. Thanksgiving is a sign of being grateful unto God and silently declares that, the Lord repeat his goodness unto you again.

Giving of thanks is demanded by God. It is an act of sacrifice that pleases the Lord.

Psalms 107:22 KJV” And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing”. Anytime you give thanks you fulfill scripture and there is a release of divine provision to assist you to overcome.

CONFESSION

Thank you, heavenly father for you are the king over the universe, All things are subjected unto you. Your verdict for me is victory, triumph and peace. I thank you that I am always victorious. Glory be to your name. Amen

FURTHER STUDIES

Isaiah 51:3 KJV “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”

Jeremiah 30:19 KJV “And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.”

KEY SCRIPTURE :1Thessalonians 5:16 KJV Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

In the above key scripture, we have three major instructions that I believe if effectively employed, nothing should be able to discourage you.

These scriptural instructions are as follows

1.Rejoice always

2. Pray always.

3.Thank God always

We considered the first instruction in our earlier discussion on this topic. We now consider praying always.

The Lord says pray without ceasing. Praying always builds up confidence in God. Praying always in the spirit builds up one’s spiritual stature. Jude 1:20 KJV “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost”, A man who has built up his spiritual stature has great dominance on natural events and happenings. Please understand that just as we have the physical body, we also have a spirit nature, which is built up through consistent prayer.

Many get discouraged due to challenges that appear unsurmountable. The Lord Jesus assured us in Matthew 7:7 that “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” The Lord added that those who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock , the door is opened unto them. He assures us to call upon him, and He would answer, and show us great and mighty things that we do not know (Jeremiah 33:3) Everyone who ask in childlike faith receives, bringing glory to God. The Lord Jesus knew that, the only way to fulfill his mission on the earth was to consistently pray. He encountered contradiction of sinners yet he prevailed (Heb 12:3).

PRAYER SETS up a legal channel for God to come into the affairs of men. The posture of prayer is a demonstration of man’s dependence on God. Luke 18:1 KJV” And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Many of the oppositions that come up against us are mostly demonic oriented. They would normally require God’s power to totally stop them. Do not wait for problems to entangle you, before you start praying. Make prayer your lifestyle.

CONFESSION

I have committed myself to a life of prayer. I pray without ceasing. God my father helps me out of various situations in my life and therefore do not get discouraged about those situations.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 5:7 KJV” Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;”

Luke 22:46 KJV “And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation”.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1 Thess 5:16 – 18 KJV Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 Discouragement is always linked to bad moods resulting from negative situations or negative anticipation. The scriptures gives us very positive instructions that would break every wrong mood, that can lead one to being discouraged. The instructions are as follows

1. Rejoice Always

 2.Pray Always

3. Give thanks always

The very first instruction of scripture is to rejoice evermore. To rejoice means to be excited in your heart, which is mostly expressed in singing.  We are called upon to rejoice in the Lord always. (Philip 4:4.). To rejoice in the Lord, you consider the completeness of Christ as your very completeness, and being joyful about it. (Col 2:9&10) Joy is a manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit. It is a focus on what the word says rather than what is happening. Isaiah 12:3 KJV” Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation”. With joy you would provide answers to difficult situations. Joyfulness gives you staying power

A JOYFUL heart is the same as a merry heart, and the scripture says it does good as medicine, whiles a broken spirit dries the bones (Prov 17:22). A broken spirit is a sign of a discouraged person. Refuse to be broken in your spirit. The man with a joyful heart always has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15) Remember that joy is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) You can’t be discouraged with a joyful heart. The scripture that says rejoice always is a command. This means you rejoice on principle. You choose to rejoice. Have a song of praise on your lips. It could be a song that declares your victory in Christ. The scripture says we must count it all joy, when we encounter divers’ kinds temptations (James 1:2). It means when times become hard and you don’t know what to do, just decide to be joyful

The worse enemy of a joyful heart is to complain. The scripture says do all things without murmuring and disputing. (Phil 2:12) The moment you start complaining, you stop the flow of divine energy into you. You instantly cut off the grace of God when you complain. Just after the scripture said, we must not complain, it added that it is God who is at work in us. There is a supernatural power working in you to overcome every situation. It is the expression of joy, that makes it function fully in you.

CONFESSION

My heart is continually joyful. With joy I am in a constant feast and strengthened to do more all the time. I do not have any iota of giving up because, I have a constant supply of divine provision to keep on excelling.

FURTHER STUDIES

Proverbs 15:13 KJV” A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken”.

Psalms 63:5 KJV “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 11:25 KJV “Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul”:

The Lord Jesus showed us the need to always go after the lost or those who might be getting weak in their faith.  Luke 15:4 KJV “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” Apostle Paul persecuted the Christians, and the church was greatly afraid of him when they heard him preach about Jesus, nobody was prepared to stand with him and for him. He started preaching in Damascus and confounded the Jews there. They decided to kill him (Acts 9:23). The brethren got hint of it and let him down over the wall in a basket. When he got to Jerusalem, none of the brethren in Jerusalem were prepared to stand with him, except Joses who was nicknamed Barnabas, who took him to the apostles and introduced him to them.

In Jerusalem he spoke the word so boldly as the scripture put it in the following verse. Act 9:29 KJV” And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him”. As a result of this, the brethren took Paul and sent him to Tarsus (Acts 9:30) . Nothing was heard of him from that time. Could it be that the initial hostilities were weakening his ability to come back? He was not doing any ministry work. I believe he went back into his tent making business. It was at this time that Barnabas did not forget about him, or got discouraged in him, but traveled to Tarsus to look out for him.

What would have happened to Paul’s future ministry, if Barnabas had not gone looking for him?  Go after that brother who no longer comes to church. Don’t give up on following them up

Many brethren have fallen out of the faith, and have lost their ministries because, they might have been discouraged about certain challenges, yet they could have been set on fire, if brethren had not given up on them. Some years ago, I went on outreach at University of Ghana, precisely at the Commonwealth hall. I met a young man who was a converted Muslim to Christianity. He was receiving lots of threats from his parent back at home, from the north. He was at the verge of giving up his faith in Christ. After my encounter with him, he became strong in the Lord again, and even went up north during vacation time, and led some of his siblings to Christ. Don’t be discouraged about going to assist a brother or sister, who is fallen or backsliding. You may be restoring another Paul.

CONFESSION

Every soul is precious and everyone who has once known Christ and is getting weak can be helped back onto his feet again.  I do not get discouraged in any of them. I diligently seek out for them, and help them to get back on their feet in the Lord.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 14:21 KJV “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch”,

Acts 15:3 KJV “And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ruth 1:16 KJV” And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God”

The story of Ruth and Naomi is a classic example about the need never to be discouraged in doing good: Naomi left her hometown Bethlehem with her husband and two sons. The sons got married to one lady each from Moab, namely Orpah and Ruth. The husband of Naomi died first and her two sons followed suit. What was the most logical thing for her in laws to do? They should have just bid her farewell and gone away to make new families. One of Naomi’s in laws, Orpah bid her farewell and left to continue with her life. Naomi asked Ruth to do same and go on with her life. She declined and said she would never leave her alone. She would go with her to wherever she goes and become one with her people, and even die where she died.

Ruth’s decision to go with Naomi reveals a great act of love and selflessness. Naomi had no riches to give Ruth. She had no extra son for Ruth to marry. She was old and there was no possibility of she marrying to raise another son for Ruth to marry. Ruth decision was an act of pure selfless love. She was determined never to give up under any condition. She was ready to die with her. There was nothing tangible that Ruth could hope to get by serving Naomi. Her decision was basically to use her life to comfort Naomi who had lost husband, sons and was a pretty old woman. She needed somebody to assist her and be a source of solace to her. This is what Ruth considered and chose to become that person for Naomi.

God saw her sacrifice and decided to reward her efforts. She was married by Boaz a wealthy relation of Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband. Their son was Obed who became David’s grandfather. Ruth became one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ. God our Father rewards every act of sincere love and sacrifice. Do not be discouraged doing good. If no one sees you to reward you, God would surely reward you here on this earth, and in the world to come.

CONFESSION

The love of the Holy Spirit is shared abroad in my heart. I love all persons under all situations, without expecting any reward in return. The Lord is my reward and he always come through to express his approval by blessing my life in amazing ways.

FURTHER STUDIES

1Peter 1:22 KJV ” Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently”:

Galatians 6:10 KJV” As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith”.