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PROGRAM D-7418
I’m sure you remember the story of the children of Israel, poised to go into the Promised Land, when twelve spies were sent to check out the land God had provided for them. Ten of those spies came back with reports that the people were like giants, strong and tall, and the cities had walls up to the sky, and they reported to their brothers that there was no way they could enter into this Promised Land.
In Deuteronomy 1:28 we read that after hearing this discouraging report, the people said to Moses, “Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart.” They were losing heart because they stopped listening to God and started listening to the fearful counsel of their brothers—their fellow believers!
You remember when Jesus was going to heal Jairus’s daughter, and Jairus’s friends stopped them on the way saying that she had already died and there was no need to bother the Master since the girl was dead. We read how Jesus responded to their bad report in Mark 5: “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.'”
Have you been losing heart, getting discouraged about a promise God has given you or a mission e has for you because others are telling you it won’t work or it’s too late or it just doesn’t make sense? They may be well-intentioned friends, but maybe it’s time you started ignoring what they said and clinging to the promise you’ve had from the Lord.
How do you distinguish between godly advice from trustworthy advisors and those who are simply discouragers? Well, a godly advisor will take you to the Word of God, will encourage you rather than discourage you, and will have a sound biblical basis for their advice. A discourager will simply have negative words for you and will be blinded to the power of God in the situation. A discourager will look at circumstances only and discount God’s power to overcome circumstances, just as the ten spies did in reporting on the land that flowed with milk and honey.
Could be you’re missing out on your Promised Land because you’ve been listening to the bad reports and have lost heart. Certainly it’s important to listen to others and not be stubborn or inflexible, but it’s also important not to allow the naysayers to keep you from all that God wants to do for you. Don’t lose heart because of bad reports from those around you; listen to God’s voice and obey. Then you will not lose heart.