Wednesday // 18th September 2024
The Inevitability of Discouragement
David was greatly distressed. . . . But David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:6
David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), had many first-class battles with discouragement. In 1 Samuel 30, we discover that David lost a major fight. As a result, enemies took captive his family as well as the wives and children of his men. David’s soldiers felt so distressed that they considered stoning David. Under the weight of all this, the Scripture says, David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. Discouragement will come, but if it ever leads to despair, you’re finished. Despair is spiritual suicide because it means you’ve lost hope.
On the journey of serving the gospel, we must learn to combat with discouragement, or it will devolve into despair. And then we become another casualty of the ministry. The work of God is simply too painful and difficult if done without a genuine calling. The deep waters you’ll pass through will be incalculable. Continuing in a ministry to which God has not called you is a recipe for misery. It’s simply not worth it to continue. It must be a genuine calling.
Fatigue, frustration, failure, fear, and loneliness all bring discouragement. But the good news is that discouragement is curable. Elijah is not alone among the servants of God who felt like giving up because so few are willing to follow the Lord beyond the superficial.
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle Ashok Martin