3. The Way to Victory
The Way to Victory
If we are to find the way to victory, we must understand the spiritual dimension of discouragement. There are powers of darkness, the principalities in high places at work in discouragement. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." We should not be caught unaware of Satan's schemes (see 2 Corinthians 2:11). Demons use thoughts and imaginations to pull us down.
Although our discouragement may at times seem hopeless, there is victory in this battle! We are able to stand firm in the full armor of God.
Choosing to Fight
Once we recognize the source of discouragement, we have to make a choice. We have to choose to say, "I will not continue living in the realm of discouragement and despair." It is a choice we must make of our own volition. We must decide with our own free will to fight these schemes of the Enemy.
So what does that look like in real life? When confronted with the forces of darkness, how do we choose freedom? How do we cast down negative thoughts?
In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Paul says:
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
So that is our responsibility. It is not an impossible task because we remember that we are told, "No weapon forged against you will prevail" (Isaiah 54:17). We can cast down these negative thoughts in the name of Jesus. We can destroy these thoughts of despair that cause damage to our inner life. We can stand strong on the foundation of Christ and His Word and fight discouragement. He tells us we will win. You will be victorious.
Some years ago, I had a phone call from a mother with four children. She told me, "I am on the verge of suicide." And she went on to explain, "When I finished college, I thought I would do something wonderful with my life. Someone even suggested I could be a movie star. Someone else said I could write poems and stories. But now I'm at the point where I have to force myself to get out of bed. I have lost all motivation. I live with constant criticism from my husband. Life is worthless."
I told this woman, "The only way you can overcome your situation is to stop focusing on what your husband is doing or not doing for you. You must deal with your attitude, your response to the situation. Use the weapons God has given you."
She asked me, "But how do I do that? I pray. I fast. What else can I do?" Then she started crying.
I said, "Find a quiet place where you are alone. Then open your mouth and say, 'In Jesus' name, I stand against this demonic attack. I am worth something to God, and I am made in His image. I am not going to let the devil destroy me. I belong to Jesus. I am His child.'" Then I instructed her to repeat that five times a day for the next 21 days.
A few months later, I received another phone call from her. She said, "I did exactly what you told me to do. My husband's attitude toward me hasn't changed. The condition of my home hasn't changed. But I am completely free. I can't believe it. I am no longer the same person. I am totally transformed."
Spiritual realities can never become authentic and tangible unless we choose to engage in battle. Martyn Lloyd-Jones encourages us to take action against the Enemy:
When Satan, your adversary, comes and tries to drive you to the depth of despair and dejection . . . turn upon him and say,
"I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. . . . I am accepted by God, the fellowship is restored, and I continue upon my way."1
But unless you choose to fight and stand in truth, your battle won't be won. If you sit by passively and say, "God will help me," you will stay emotionally sick and mentally tormented. You have to respond and stand firm. You must choose not to accept despair.
Steps to Take in Battling Discouragement
Once we have chosen to fight discouragement, what are the next steps to take?
First, to overcome despair we have to see beyond the present problem. Hebrews 12:2 says that Christ, "for the joy set before him endured the cross." What did He see? Was it the pain, the torture, the cross that He saw? No, He saw beyond all that to eternity, to a Bride by His side, purchased by His own blood for the pleasure of His Father.
In your disappointments, strive to see beyond them to God's grace. The problems you face right now are helping you become the man or woman God desires you to be. You are being transformed into the image of His Son.
Remember Joseph? He was a real-life, flesh-and-blood young man, not at all unlike you or me. This righteous, godly individual was sold as a slave into Egypt by his brothers and then put in prison for a wrong he had not done. He had to face 13 long years of discouragement there, forgotten and forsaken.
But through it all, Joseph saw something beyond his imprisonment and struggles; something beyond his torment kept him hoping. He knew God had a plan and a reason for it all. A day was going to come when his dream would come to pass.
Do you have a dream? What is it? Hope in Christ. Dream the promises of God:
• "The last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16).
• "He has done everything well" (Mark 7:37).
• "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
• Remember, there waits for you a "city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10, NKJV).
This journey will not be very long. This earthly existence is not the end of our lives. We are faced with a battle, but victory awaits us. God is sovereign, and Romans 8:28 is true: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
God uses the present crisis, the misunderstandings, the pain and the discouraging circumstances to mold us in preparation for eternal life in heaven.
Second, to fight discouragement, we must remember that it is our privilege to suffer for Christ. Meditate on Him. In your suffering, "consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:3).
In the early days of the ministry, when faced with misunderstanding, pain, accusations and rejection, I would cry out to the Lord and say, "Why did this happen to me? Why must I suffer like this? Why?"
Then one day I was meditating on the words that Paul wrote to the church in Philip-pi—words he wrote while sitting chained in a prison for the sake of Christ: "I want to know Christ . . . and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings" (Philippians 3:10).
The Lord helped me understand the meaning of "not wasting my sorrows." I began to see how my suffering could become meaningful if I allowed the cross to enter into my pain. Then I was able to say, "Lord, now I know how You suffered when You were mistreated and rejected. Now I know how lonely You felt . . . now I finally understand what You went through."
For three days after the children of Israel were miraculously freed from Egypt, they had nothing to drink. When they finally came upon some water in Marah, they could not drink it because it was so bitter.
But even the bitterest of waters turned into sweet water when a piece of wood was placed in it (see Exodus 15:22-25). In the same way, allowing the cross to enter into our suffering can turn it into sweet fellowship with our Lord.
Third, in our fight against discouragement, we must take the time to rest in silence, waiting upon God and putting our hope in the Lord. Just be silent and take time to meditate. Isaiah 40:30-31 says,
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Through quieting ourselves, we are able to focus on God alone. He is the only One bigger than our discouragement.
Fourth, remember that one of the most powerful elements in the battle against discouragement is words. The power to give life or to crush life is in the tongue (see Proverbs 18:21). God spoke and the world came into existence out of nothing. We are created in the image of God, so we are created to use words like He does. Yet so often we use words to destroy, discourage, put down and judge.
The words that we speak and confess with our mouth can be life or death. Words spoken to us, words that we speak to others and words that we say to ourselves are all powerful.
When you say to yourself, "I'm not able. This is too hard. I'm going to be sick. I'm going to die," you are only sowing to the wind and reaping the whirlwind.
When the children of Israel were spying out the Promised Land, they reported on the dangers they saw and said, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!" (Numbers 14:2). God took these words that they spoke in complaining and essentially said, "So shall it be" (see Numbers 14:26-29). Nothing good can come of speaking negatively.
Just as damaging are the negative words that are spoken to us. I have begun a certain practice as a remedy for these. When somebody tells me something that is negative or discouraging, I simply say to myself, "In the name of Jesus, I reject this. I refuse to receive these words that are spoken to me." By fighting those negative words with words of life, I am no longer affected by them. It's amazing!
Talk to the devil if you need to. I promise you, it works! But do it in Jesus' name. Don't go in your name or anyone else's. Unless you stand in the power of Jesus' name, the devil will not listen to you.
God has not called us to be influenced by untrue things said about us, but instead to keep from the trappings of this world. Don't fall into a pattern of negative thinking, "but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).
It is up to you how you respond to negative words. So be firm! Don't be dragged down by them. Remember Christ's words to you and stand on those instead:
• "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).
• "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14).
• "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).
Claim these promises when you face difficulties. Hold up what the Bible says and speak these words of truth into your life and the lives of others.
Ephesians 6:17 says, "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Fight with this weapon, remembering promises like, "I am the Lord, who heals you" (Exodus 15:26). Hang on to that. Believe it. In every situation, believe. Be like Moses and see Him who is invisible (see Hebrews 11:27).
Fifth, pray with someone. Hebrews 10:25 says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Encourage one another! Seek out times to share and pray with a friend. Let the Body of Christ minister to you in your problems. Remember this promise: "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20).
Sixth, realize that God's love for you has nothing to do with your holiness, your purity, how well you did or how badly you sinned. God cannot change. He is love. Just like the sun always gives out light, God always gives out love no matter what you have done. It is only the devil who whispers to you and says, "Because of your mistakes, God doesn't love you."
God's truth is quite different than the devil's lies, says Zac Poonen: "Find your security in the fact that God loves you as He loved Jesus."2 And Paul tells us in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Allow God to keep that promise alive in you.
The devil must have whispered to Peter, "You failed Him in the garden when you slept. You failed Him by denying Him three times before the rooster crowed. You failed Him by returning to your fishing boat and taking the others with you."
But Jesus didn't bring up any of these failures. Instead, He asked Peter, "Do you love Me?" And when Peter said, "Yes," then Jesus essentially said, "I know that you love Me even with all your struggles and difficulties. That is good enough for Me. Peter, feed My sheep" (see John 21). It is important that we comprehend His love and His grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.
Seventh, don't be a loner. Don't miss an opportunity to be with brothers and sisters in the Lord. You are loved by God, and He shows His love to you through others. Be open to receive it.
Never think that you are alone. Find someone to share your struggles with and to pray with. Recall the love and affection you have experienced in the past from others.
Eighth, do it all for Jesus. When you feel alone, when nobody understands you, don't give up. Even though you can't see what God is doing, you have no reason to quit. Keep doing the right thing, not for recognition or praise from others or so you can feel good about yourself. Do everything for Him.
I heard a story once about a band of minstrels performing many years ago in Europe.
It was wintertime, and the snow kept falling. Fewer and fewer people came to watch their performances. One day, one of the members of the troupe said, "Why bother performing? No one comes to watch us. Let's close up and go home."
But an older member stood up and said, "No, we must keep to our purpose. It doesn't matter if only one or two come. Let's perform better than ever before."
That night they gathered their courage and put on their best show yet. Very few people showed up to watch. However, after the show, one of the troupe members was handed a note.
"I thoroughly enjoyed your performance. Excellent job. I loved it." The note was signed, "Your king." Nobody knew until that moment that the king had been there, but he had been watching.3
Maybe it doesn't seem like anyone ever watches or appreciates you. Maybe no one on this earth understands you. But your King is always watching you. Do it all for Him.