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Overcoming Discouragement


RETIREDFAN1

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Overcoming Discouragement

 

In our lives here on Earth, we often face things that cause us to be discouraged. Maybe we failed at something we tried to do. Maybe we lost something or someone important to us. Maybe someone has said or done something that we didn’t like. Maybe the Astros, the Cowboys, or some other of your favorite sports teams lost a big game.  Whatever it is that goes wrong for us, it can cause us to become discouraged. In this lesson, we are going to look at some things that will help us overcome discouragement if we are honest with ourselves. Hopefully, we will see that  all Christians who are struggling with discouragement have a path to overcome it.

 

We are going to begin today’s lesson by reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Philippians 4:4-9

 

In this passage Paul discusses key factors to help us avoid discouragement. The main idea in these verses is that we have the ability to control our thoughts and emotions. When we really recognize this, and begin to act on it, the path to joy and peace is available. Let’s look at a few things that can set us on that path.





 

We overcome discouragement when we take ownership of our lives. Stop blaming everyone and everything else for your problems. When we point the finger somewhere else, we take ourselves out of control. This is discouraging because we begin to think that we don’t have control over our own lives. God tells us that is not the case. 

Deuteronomy 30:11-14

 

We should realize that any problems that we have are our problems and accept them. This is about confessing sin, but much more than that. We create our own problems, and we must confess that they belong to us.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

 

We must understand that we have forgiveness in Christ. We are worth the blood of Christ.

1 Peter 1:18-19

 

Christ’s blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 26:28 

 

If God didn’t spare His own Son from the sacrifice for us, then why wouldn’t He save us?

Romans 8:32 

 

There is only one reason He wouldn’t save us. That would be because we didn’t really want to be saved. We can take ownership when we know that we have forgiveness in Christ.

 

We overcome discouragement when we stop trying to be someone that we are not. Recognize and reject any false identity that you may have. We must be honest with ourselves to do this. We must also realize that it may take help. False identities can be found in many objects: beauty, wealth, sex, power, intelligence. We fixate on things that we desire and seek to make those our identity. The problem with false identities is that we can never become what we think we are. It is an impossible task to be something that we are not.

Galatians 6:3

 

Pride is the problem to overcome in this instance. The source of our identity problems is our own selfish pride. Our pride attaches itself to these various objects of desire so that we can be something in our own eyes.

Psalm 36:2

Psalm 10:3-4

 

God is in none of this person’s thoughts. What we should do, instead of trying to be someone we are not, is to identify with Jesus. 


 

Our identity is in Christ as the second Adam.

1 Corinthians 15:45

Galatians 2:20

John 14:6

 

We overcome discouragement when we give ourselves to others.  Stop focusing so much on yourself and your problems. Stop being selfish. Selfishness is devilish thinking.

James 3:14-16

 

Understand that you have something to offer others: love. Our purpose is to love God and love others.

Matthew 22:37-40

 

We were created for love. It is the greatest thing that we can do. Make your life about others instead of about yourself. Pure religion means getting involved in another’s life.

James 1:27  

Matthew 25:34-36

 

We overcome discouragement when we put our trust in Jesus. Trusting in yourself is what brought you to discouragement in the first place. 

Jeremiah 10:23 

Proverbs 16:25

 

We must take ownership of our life and our problems in order to really give them to God. I can’t really give God anything if I haven’t taken ownership of it in my life. This is what confession is all about.

1 John 1:8-9

 

It’s about really trusting in God when we go to him in prayer. We must believe when we pray.

Mark 11:24

 

Really trusting in Jesus means doing what Jesus said for the reasons He said it.

John 8:24

Hebrews 5:8-9

 

We overcome discouragement when we take ownership of our lives. When we stop trying to be someone that we are not. When we give ourselves to others and stop being selfish. Most importantly, we overcome discouragement when we totally trust in Jesus.    

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