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PROGRAM D-7417
Are you losing heart? I thought it might be a good idea to talk about a common problem of losing heart. Maybe you’re just ready to quit. Have you been daydreaming about walking out the door, telling everyone good-bye, thinking of how sorry they’ll be when you’re gone? That’s a symptom of losing heart.
Jeremiah 51:46 says: “Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.” When I read that, I thought of the rumors that fly around many companies and organizations, and how we can become frightened or worried by unfounded rumors.
There are the rumors about layoffs and cutbacks, rumors about who got promotions and who didn’t, rumors about changes in management, or just the regular company gossip that often runs rampant. And it’s so easy to get caught up in these rumors until they get magnified in our minds and we lose heart.
Philippians 4:8 tells us to think about things that are true, lovely, admirable—things that are good reports. Rumors don’t fit any of those definitions, do they? So, when you allow your mind to dwell on these unfounded rumors, you’re setting yourself up for discouragement and fear and losing heart.
When you find yourself having a mini panic attack because of some rumor or gossip, stop and ask yourself, “Is this a good report?” When the inevitable answer comes back “no,” then you know exactly what you have to do—stop thinking about it. Replace the wrong thought with a right thought; you’ve heard me say that many times. But that is the secret to bringing our thoughts under control.
Proverbs 3:25 says, “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence.” This is one area where I really have to monitor my own thought life, because I find it easy to start dwelling on rumors of sudden disaster. From the economy falling apart and all assets becoming worthless overnight, to the prospect of some war in our own backyard, to hearing a doctor tell us some dreaded bad news about our health, there are certainly many disastrous possibilities that we can dwell on. But when we do, we lose heart.
Will you fix your mind on Jesus and on the unseen things, and not allow rumors or feared disasters to cause you to lose heart? I trust you will.