Words from the Lord:
"Do not lose heart, and do not allow yourself to be discouraged by what is happening to you at the moment. Instead, encourage yourself in Me and strengthen yourself in Me. For I am your Savior and your God. I have never left you nor forsaken you. Your time for recovery and restoration is at hand. Look to Me, and I will show you the way to your recovery and restoration."
What are the areas in life that you need a recovery or restoration?
It may be your health. It may be your finance. It may be something that you have lost in your life. It may be a situation that has discouraged you recently.
Whatever it may be, know that the Lord your God is ever All-powerful - in the Old Testament times, in the New Testament times, even right now in your situation. He is not dead. He is still very much alive in your situation. Your part is to look to Him and put your trust in Him. Just do not limit Him that your answer must come 'like that means like that', i.e. must be in the way that you want. He can show you new ways, even ways that you cannot imagine possible. Remember, He is a God of all possibilities.
Today, I want to bring you to 1 Samuel 30. Here, you can see how David, for a time, had lost it all; but he eventually recovered it all.
Maybe what you've expected in your life is not what it is in reality at the moment. Maybe what you've prayed for has not happened yet, and you are asking why is God silent, why is God seemingly so slow to respond, and if He's ever going to answer you. Maybe the healing that you've wanted or asked from God has not happened yet.
But today, I want to show you there are three ways for you to beat discouragement.
Before that, let's look at David's situation in 1 Samuel 30. Here, David and his men came to Ziklag only to find that the enemy had invaded the place and even burned it with fire. Not just that. The enemy had even taken captive their wives, their children, and their possessions. In short, everything's gone!
At that point of time, not only David had lost his wives, his children, and his possessions, but his own people were also turning against him! In other words, his leadership was questioned. In fact, his own followers even wanted to stone him! In those days, when people stone, it's not like throwing pebbles. When people stone, they really stone! You know what that means? They wanted to kill him! You see, that was the worst possible scenario where a person lost virtually everything - his wives, his children, his possessions, even his leadership and authority!
You see, David could have just wallowed in self pity at that time. David could have just become extremely negative, or even could have just killed himself. But no! Instead, he did the opposite. He encouraged himself. He strengthened himself. 1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV) says, 'David strengthened himself in the Lord his God'. In King James Version (KJV), it's written: 'David encouraged himself in the Lord his God'.
Beloved of God, no matter what your situation may be at the moment, you can take heart from what David had gone through here, and how David encouraged himself. You can, because like David, you are a beloved of God too!
Right now, there's a release of God's anointing to destroy every yoke of depression, every yoke of sorrow, and every yoke of grief in your life; and there's a release of fresh anointing upon your life! You are now set free! You can now embrace the new! You have a new strength and a new hope in your life!
The word 'encouraged' here in 1 Samuel 30:6 is very interesting. It's 'khawzak' in Hebrew. It can be defined as 'to be restored to strength'. It means from being down and out, from being totally discouraged and distressed, a person is being restored to strength. That's exactly how David did it. He restored himself to strength. Like David, you too can restore yourself to strength! Another definition is 'be made strong' or 'be made secure'. Yet another definition is 'be fastened (to the Lord)'. It means 'to be tied to the Lord'. It means 'to not let go of Him in a time like this'.
Yes beloved, in a time like this, in a time when you may be discouraged in certain areas of your life, do not let go of God. Keep looking to Him. In fact, be strengthened in Him. Be strengthened in your faith. That's how you are going to overcome. You are going to start to recover many things that you have lost. You are going to start to see yourself being restored, even in ways that you cannot imagine possible. To God, all things are possible. I declare upon you that you are going to see your recovery and you are going to see your restoration. Yes, if you need healing, you are going to see your healing. Be restored, be healed, and see your recovery. Amen!
Back to 1 Samuel 30 now. After David had strengthened himself in the Lord his God, now it's time for him to do something with that strength from the Lord. What did he do? He sought the Lord! He inquired of the Lord! David inquired, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" The Lord then answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all."
You see, as David sought the Lord, the Lord showed him a way! The Lord even promised him that he would surely overtake the enemy and without fail recover all that he had lost!
David and his men then found someone from the enemy's camp whom his master had left behind because he fell sick. I believe that was a divine appointment. The Lord somehow caused David and his men to meet with someone from the enemy's camp whom his master had left behind. You see, God can raise up people whom you can never expect will be of help to you! God knows all. God sees further than you. God knows how to raise up even people who are from the enemy's camp!
The rest is history. This man showed David and his men where the enemy's camp was. David and his men then launched an attack against the enemy's camp. They successfully recovered all that the enemy had carried away, and they rescued their wives and children alive! It was a great victory for David and his men on that day! Whatever the enemy had taken away from them, they recovered them all!
Now, I want to show you three ways to beat (overcome) discouragement. I'm going to base this on Psalm 42:5. This psalmist wrote: 'Why are you cast down, O my soul? (In other words: 'Why are you distressed? Why are you discouraged?') And why are you disquieted within me?' And this psalmist answered: 'Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, for the help of His countenance.'
So, I'm going to explain three keys here based on Psalm 42:5:
1. Hope in God
2. I shall yet praise Him
3. He is present to help you right now
Before that, what are the possible reasons for discouragement in life? It can be any of these:
1. Unanswered prayers and God's seemingly slow response
How do you deal with this? Trust in the Lord for His perfect timing. He may seem slow to us (how we see it in the worldly way), but to Him, He is never slow. His timing is perfect. In His time, He will make all things beautiful. So, don't give up trusting the Lord. Keep trusting the Lord. And of course, let Him have His way. Do not insist that your way must be done. Because God has His way, yes, even in ways that you cannot imagine yet.
2. Mocking and ridicule from people who don't understand you
Indeed, there can be mocking and ridicule from people who don't understand what God is doing in your life, and even in your ministry, your career, or your family. Yeah, some people get discouraged because no one seems to understand their situation. Not only that. There can also be people who are very judgmental. And worse is some of these people may be people whom you trust, or whom you have been friends with for some time.
3. Memories of better days compared to nowadays
This can be very real. But with God's help, you can deal with this. Look at each new season more positively. See it as God wants to do something new in your life. See it as God wants to do something that will even surprise you, in a good way. There's a whole new world out there for you. There's a whole new opportunity out there for you. So, look ahead, and not look behind you. Yes, you can learn from your past, but you can always choose to look ahead and embrace your new season, knowing that God is a God who always does new things.
4. Trials, challenges, and circumstances in life
As long as we are in this world, we can face trials and challenges in life. Financial constraints. Health issues. Loss of opportunity. Loss of job. Loss of business. Being entangled in office politics. Being compared with others who seem to be better off. The list goes on. How do you deal with all these? Know that the Lord is present with you, in spite of all these. Just as in David's situation, the Lord can somehow, against all odds, show you a way and show you an answer. Whatever your situation may be, know that the Lord knows how to deal with each of your specific situation, if you look to Him.
Three ways to beat discouragement (based on Psalm 42:5):
1. Put your hope in the Lord
Trust in Him that He knows what He is doing in your life. He knows you better than you know yourself. Why? Because He is your Creator and your Redeemer. Trust in Him that He knows the best timing for your breakthrough. Trust in Him that He sometimes allows something to happen in your life, yet He also knows how to turn things around for your good. There is always a purpose and reason for everything that happens. But always remember, all things will work together for good according to His purpose for your life.
2. Praise the Lord
As you begin to praise the Lord, you are putting your focus away from yourself and your problems, and you are putting your focus on the Lord. Instead of looking to yourself, you are looking to God. You are magnifying God. You are praising God for who He is. He is great, and He is greatly to be praised. When you begin to do that, things will begin to change in your life and around you. Take God's word for it!
3. He is present to help you right now
Know that He is present with you right now. He is not absent. He is present to help you right now. Remember, He is your Savior, He is your Rescuer, and He will surely come to your aid. He is your God. He is present, no matter what happens in your life right now. He never leaves you nor forsakes you. He has never forgotten you. So, keep looking to the Lord in a time like this. Surely there will be an answer for you!
