OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY - 7/12/2013 - FIGHT AGAINST DISCOURAGEMENT! BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

FIGHT AGAINST DISCOURAGEMENT!

MEMORY VERSE

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

READ

Numbers 13:26-33

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

MESSAGE

Discouragement is a great tool in the hands of the enemy.

Proverbs 13:12 says,

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

The devil usually does not apply discouragement when you are in high spirits or when you are happy, discouragement comes when you are in low spirits, sad and unhappy. If there is something you have been looking up to God for that is pending, you might be a candidate for discouragement. The devil introduces discouragement when you are tired, weak and sometimes helpless (1 Kings 19:4). This is why you must learn to rest. If you have worked very hard, find time to rest. But if you are lazy or you have not been working, let your rest be that you begin to work. To overcome discouragement therefore, allow the joy of the Lord to be your strength. Be filled with God's word and hold on to His promises at every point in time. Shut the door of your heart against laziness.

Moreover, when you are closest to achieving your goal, the enemy can bring discouragement. We often fall prey to this because of our inability to see beyond now. In Numbers 13:26-33, the children of Israel were already at the border of the Promised Land when the ten spies brought an evil report that they cannot enter in. Whenever the devil tells you that you cannot achieve something, look back at the word and tell him you can do all things by God's strength. Beloved, never believe the lie of the devil or of men. You can do all things through the strength of the Lord that is inside of you. What you believe at the threshold of your breakthrough definitely affects that breakthrough. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus was hit by discouragement when He was just about to conclude His work by going to the Cross. But somehow, He overcame. In any way discouragement is sent against you, the Lord will give you victory in Jesus name.

ACTION POINT

Use positive confessions and word-based declarations to counter the discouragement you may be facing.