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Are you discouraged? If so, don’t feel guilty about it, but don’t wallow in it either. It’s not a fun place to be. I examine some biblical ways to defeat discouragement.
Encourage others
One way to cure your own discouragement is to encourage others. Proverbs 11:25 says, …he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Instead of looking for someone to pick you up, look around and see who you can encourage. Thank goodness we can be encouragers even when we feel discouraged. And as we become encouragers to others, our own discouragement is lessened.
Get to work
One good cure for discouragement is simply to get to work. Often when we’re discouraged, we’re unmotivated, so we do nothing. Then because we’ve gotten nothing done, we feel guilty, and that makes it even harder for us to get something done. Remember, you begin with the first step, so when discouragement seems to be overtaking you, find something that needs to be done. Then start doing it.
Get some rest
Of course, you may be discouraged because you’ve been going too hard and too long, and your body simply needs a rest. Elijah discovered how vulnerable he was to discouragement when he was physically exhausted, so God put him in a spot where he could recuperate and be refreshed with food and sleep. If your body is constantly on the verge of exhaustion, you can’t expect to avoid discouragement.
Ignore the discouragers around you
Are there people around you who are discouraging you with their negativity? Are you listening to others more than you are listening to God? Remember when Jairus pleaded with Jesus to come and heal his little daughter? On the way to Jairus’ house some men came from his house and said, “Don’t bother coming—she’s dead already.” But we read in Mark 5, ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Others will discourage you if you allow them to. You must learn to listen to Jesus and tune out—ignore—the people who would discourage you. Tune them out; avoid them where possible; change the subject—whatever you must do—but don’t let negative people discourage you. Don’t catch their disease. Think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable—the good reports, not the bad ones.
Remember, being discouraged is not a sin, but refusing to take steps out of discouragement is. These biblical principles will work if you practice them.