How God Turns Setbacks Into ComebacksSample

Defeat Delay, Discouragement, and Doubt

If you want to be a person of great faith and great purpose, do what David did to defeat the giants of delay, discouragement, and doubt that threatened to set him back from God’s bold plan for his life.

Remember how God has helped you in the past. In 1 Samuel 17:37, David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (NLT). When you remember the ways God has helped you in the past, you’ll become confident that he can work through any setback you experience.

Use the tools you currently have from God. King Saul gave David his own armor to wear when he fought Goliath. But it didn’t fit. Instead, David used the tools God provided that were specific to his abilities: “He picked up five smooth stones from a stream” (1 Samuel 17:40 NLT). In other words, don’t wait for something you don’t have—even something such as money, education, or connections. Use the tools God has already given you to face your setbacks with confidence.

Look to God, not your critics. David’s brothers tried to discourage him from fighting Goliath. But David took strength from the Lord. He trusted in God’s grace, provision, security, and power.

Expect God to help you for his glory. David ran into battle shouting, “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty” (1 Samuel 17:45 NIV). God will use anybody who trusts him and expects to be used by him—not because of who they are, but for his own glory.

Talk It Over

What have you learned about yourself and God when you’ve experienced a setback?

Whose voices of discouragement have kept you down? Whose voices do you need to listen to instead?

Which of God’s promises from his Word can you use for encouragement when you start to doubt yourself or your dream?

This devotional © 2019 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.