Perspectives

Nehemiah 4:6; 10 … 6) So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 10) Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” (NIV)

Ever get discouraged, depressed, or you just feel plain miserable? Sure, we have! Discouragement rears its ugly head in every corner of the world, even among Christians. It does not matter if we have a lot of faith or no faith at all. It does not matter whether we have a lot of money or no money at all. The problem does not matter what part of the world we come from; none of us get a free pass with this one and it will come to us one of these days.

But, if we are Christians, we can have the upper hand. Faith in Christ and many time-outs for prayer can drive this dreaded monster back to where it came from. I know it can work because you and I have done it many times. However, this discouragement thing keeps coming back and it is transmittable, we can spread it to others; how discouraging can that be?

Tiredness, weariness and low in energy… just plain exhaustion can create the perfect condition for discouragement. When we wear ourselves out, when we are physically drained, it is so easy to get into that snap crackle and pop kind of mood. When you reach this level of exhaustion, if possible, sit down and count your many blessings and say a prayer for strength and civility. Hey!! A good cup of coffee might just be the right thing now!

Did you notice that when you were about halfway finished with your project you started to get into this snap crackle and pop kind of mood? Yep!! It happens to most of us; we are halfway done, and we wonder why we started or became involved with this work in the first place. At first, we were all up in the air about our new work in the ministry or office or home or wherever, and then boredom crept into our thinker and before we know it, we are down in the dumps and we become discouraged.

Many years ago, I seeded grass on our future lawn. That meant we had no grass, just many weeds, good healthy-looking weeds; they just love it. Those weeds did not have to fight with the grass for space and they kept making new weeds so that our yard looked like a weed farm. I start pulling the weeds, but the more I pulled the better they grew; now I am getting ready to mess up the whole yard. Then a little light burst on in my brain and I go to buy myself a backpack sprayer and some round-up and I do some spraying and guess what? My little weed farm started looking unhappy. Those weeds were hanging their heads and getting ready to say good-bye. Here I was, getting ready to lose my cool and allow discouragement to ruin my day.

When we are at the breaking point we need to remember what Scripture teaches. The Lord says we should not be afraid or discouraged about all that is happening to us, for the battle is not ours but God’s. We are in a Spiritual battle. We are engaged in a supernatural war. Satan and his host of demonic spirits are bent on making life as miserable as is possible for you and me. There comes a time when we need to slow down and take the time to communicate with God in prayer so that His Spirit “the Holy Spirit” can communicate with our spirit and return the joy we had before we start any assignment. Take time to be holy… often speak with the Lord. When we do that, life will again return to normal… To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done!

Would you pray this prayer with me…? “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart. I really want that peace, joy, and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen