Discouragement 2

In these 2 Bible passages below, we can see how the Israelites were very discouraged as they journeyed through the wilderness:

Ex. 6:7-9—I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’”  Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.

Num. 21:4-6—Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”  So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

The Hebrew word, “discouraged” in this instance is qatsar (Strongs 7114) meaning: to dock off, become disconnected from, curtail, cut down, trouble, vex.

The concept of being disconnected or cut off from something is an intriguing meaning of the word. May I suggest that the true cause of discouragement is that we become disconnected and cut of from God’s plan and from relationship with Him. We think that discouragement is a feeling emotion, and that all we need to do is to encourage the discouraged person.

No – the discouraged people need to be re-connected to God and His plan.

The Greek word translated “encourage” is parakaleo – to call alongside. In a military context, the word was used to call for reinforcements. (Encouragement functions as reinforcement for life). It implies contact with others for the purpose of strengthening them—giving”

—courage

—hope

—confidence

3 classic symptoms of discouragement found in the Israelites - Numbers 21:4-6

1.  Condemning statements about God, self and others—Judgmental attitude see Num. 21:5 above.

2.   We believe the truth is a lie, and the lie is the truth—Num. 21:5.

3.   We devalue the things that gave us life—Num. 21:5. The bread that gave them life was now called “worthless.”

They cemented their discouragement by opening their mouths

Results of discouragement:

Same as the snake bite—Num. 21:6

1. We stop thinking and functioning correctly
2. Our blood stops clotting—just like a snake bite, we bleed on the inside

The Israelites had to look at the serpent on a pole in order to be healed. WE need to look to the Lord who was lifted up on Calvary in order for us to be healed from discouragement. 

Overcoming Discouragement:

1. Make a conscious decision to change focus. The Israelites looked at the pole,
we look at Christ. Look until your heart changes.

Remember Who God is. Shift your focus from your discouraging circumstances to
God Himself. Remember that He is love, and also that He is all-powerful. Trust that
God will help you because that's consistent with His character.

If discouragement comes from being disconnected from God’s plan – we need to re-focus and re-connect with God’s plan for our lives.

2. Understand the source of your discouragement. The enemy delights in bringing
discouragement to God’s people. Don’t allow his words to have any entrance into
your heart

Rev. 12:10-11 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

3. Repent for any sinful attitudes and statements
Num. 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for   we
have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away
the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
When you are discouraged – be careful about the things you say. Don’t become
critical of God and others.

4. Pray. When we take our discouragement to the Lord in prayer, we find that our
hope is redirected and rekindled. With the Psalmist, we confess, "And so, Lord,
where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you" (Psalm 39:7, NLT). This doesn't
mean we never trust others or expect their help. But it does remind us that God alone
is fully trustworthy and that his help is both necessary and utterly reliable.

God already knows how discouraged you feel, but He wants you to talk to Him about your feelings and listen for how His Spirit guides you. Honestly vent your frustration to God and keep in mind that He cares about what you're going through. Ask God to open your eyes spiritually so you'll be able to see your circumstances from His perspective. Pray for deliverance from circumstances that aren't God's will, and perseverance to empower you to endure circumstances that are His will until you learn all you're supposed to learn from them.

A word of encouragement during a failure

is worth more than an hour of praise after success.

(Anon)

(Tomorrow I will be completing this list of the ways we can overcome discouragement)

Discouragement 1: HERE
Discouragement 3: HERE