To be discouraged is to be disheartened. The dictionary describes discouragement as being deprived of courage, hope, or confidence. Many variables contribute to discouragement, including disapproval, rejection, and intimidation. It can come through outside forces pressing in or result from inward turmoil of perception and feelings.
A common characteristic of discouragement is the inability to move forward. For instance, if someone works diligently on a project that continually goes unrecognized or criticized, they might lack the energy or incentive to continue. When this occurs, the person may become disappointed and mentally deflated. If this happens repeatedly, they may experience a strong sense of failure. This can apply to any arena in life.
What most people don’t realize is that discouragement is one of the most significant strategies Satan uses to immobilize our contribution in life. God has given each one of us unique gifts and talents to share in this world. Discouragement is the devil’s way of not only stealing what could be our best efforts in present times but, ultimately, our future as well. Hence, a person who struggles with discouragement often settles for less because doubting and nagging feelings plague them, and they wonder—what’s the use?
One of the saddest parts of this struggle is that a person is discouraged from reaching their full potential. Life and the opportunities it brings can subsequently pass them by. If you recognize some of these traits in your own life, you are not alone. The first step is realizing that God has designed you for so much more, and perhaps it’s time to fight against discouragement’s weight.
The good news is that God has made provision in the Scripture to fight against this daunting emotion. Psalm 43:5 gives us insight—
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
Notice the shift in this verse after the second sentence. On the front end, we see the downward pull: Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why are you so disturbed within me? Midway through, we observe an upward pull: Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior my God. Notice that the two phrases pull us in different directions. It’s natural to be discouraged when things go wrong in the temporal world we live in. We should not be hard on ourselves for having normal feelings that get us down. But we don’t want to stay there. Learning how to press into and embrace the upward pull of God’s truths offers hope that can change the tide for the discouraged heart.
A greater understanding on how God rescues us from consuming emotions can be found in Blue Skies: Above The Dark Clouds Of Broken Thinking.
The following brief descriptions touch on emotions common to our humanity. Insecurity, Discouragement, Loneliness, Anxiety, Inadequacy, Inferiority, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Approval Seeking, Obsession, Neediness, Identity Confusion, Feeling Second Best, and other areas of emotional struggle.
The Grand Times 