1. Uncovering the Deceptions
CHAPTER ONE
Uncovering the Deceptions
Whether we realize it or not, discouragement is one of the most powerful weapons Satan uses to hinder us and keep us from experiencing the abundant life Christ promised.
Look at what David the psalmist said: "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest" (Psalm 55:6).
Here is a soul who wants to quit on life and get away from everything. Discouragement can bring us to that point. Most of us have probably felt like this at one point or another.
Discouragement is like wearing glasses with dark gray lenses; everything you see is dark and melancholy. Even though you may
be surrounded by hundreds of good things, you are unable to feel joy or see any hope for your life.
Webster's Dictionary defines discouragement as "the act of discouraging . . . depression or weakening of confidence; dejection." It is also explained as "that which deters, or tends to deter, from an undertaking."1
In practical terms, it's the loss of courage, and sometimes discouragement goes as far as losing the courage to keep living, when nothing seems worth fighting for. The sky seems dark.
When we are discouraged, there are several things that begin to happen to us that warp our sense of reality. We remain discouraged and overtaken if we continue to believe these deceptions.
Cloud of Despair
First of all, we temporarily lose our perspective and become disoriented and confused. Our attitudes and responses are not what they should be, and we paint the night darker than it really is.
When somebody says to us, "Why are you so sad? Don't you know everything will be okay?" we reply, "How do you know what I am going through? I don't believe you."
We can find ourselves saying and feeling things like, "Everyone is against me." True, one or two people may betray you, there may be an accident or a setback, but the truth of the matter is there are people who love you and most things are going well. When we are discouraged, however, our minds become so foggy that we cannot see things in proper perspective.
Has God Forsaken Us?
Second, we forget how God has been with us in the past. It feels like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, and we ask ourselves if God has forsaken us. The love and kindness we have known before seem so distant and faint. We overlook the many times we have experienced God's grace and mercy.
In addition, the ways God has used us powerfully to accomplish His purposes before are forgotten. The meaningful friendships He used and the help He provided through others are lost in our memory. We simply don't clearly see our part in His plan or who He has made us to be when we are discouraged.
The Apostle Peter was no exception. After witnessing the miraculous feeding of 5,000 people with just two fish and some loaves of bread, the disciples cast out to sea, leaving Jesus behind. Then, in the middle of the night, they saw Him walking toward them on the stormy waters.
Peter, emboldened by the sight of Jesus, asked to walk on the water as well. He got out of the boat and walked on the water all the way until they were face-to-face. Then Peter turned away and saw the wind.
He was frightened. In fact, he was so terrified that he forgot all that Jesus had just done, and he began to sink (see Matthew 14:13-33).
Likewise, we become so occupied by our immediate dilemma that we are blind to the miracles we have experienced before.
In essence, says Welsh minister Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "What accounts for most of our failures in Christian living is our failure to realize what we are. It is our failure to realize what God has done to us, what has happened to us."2
Problems Bigger Than Life
Third, little problems become mammothsized to us when we are discouraged. Tiny issues loom huge. Think about a young child blowing up a balloon until the balloon becomes so large that the child can't see anything else. It's like this when we face discouragement. We can't see anything except for the problem right in front of us.
Or think of what happens when a little pebble gets into our shoe. Even though it is a
tiny thing, after a short time we are unable to think of anything else. In the same way, small irritations can seem like much larger problems when we are discouraged.
Nothing but an Empty Tank
Finally, in times of discouragement, motivation drains away and hope departs. There is an emotional breakdown. The fuel is gone, and the tank is empty. Someone says to you, "Smile," but you can't. And trying makes you feel like a phony who is pretending.
You start thinking, "Why am I studying? Why am I working?" The drive to be diligent and commit yourself vanishes. The temptation to give up becomes strong. You think, "I tried, but nobody understood. Nobody even said a kind word. Why bother anymore? I will just quit." In extreme cases, we can feel like quitting on life. It seems like we have done everything we know how to do, but nothing seems to work.
Remember that discouragement is a weapon the Enemy uses against us. Satan, the Enemy of our soul, seeks to blind us and use these adverse circumstances to keep us from what God desires for our lives.