The Garden: Ways to Overcome Fear, Anxiety, and StressSample

The 3rd D: DISCOURAGE/ENCOURAGE

Satan’s ultimate goal is to distort the truth until you are discouraged and give up. We don’t give up because life is hard. No, we give up because we embrace the lies and get discouraged.

The enemy lies to us so we will make a wrong choice. Then, we get discouraged and give up. In many cases, the wrong decisions come first; we get discouraged by the outcomes our choices produce, and we give up as a result. The enemy doesn’t beat us. Through the lies we believe, he gets us to destroy ourselves.

The enemy knows he can’t beat you on his own. God has already claimed victory over our lives and our world through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. In the meantime, the enemy would like to steal as much of your peace and joy as possible through Discouragement, the 3rd D.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

When you feel discouraged, you want to give up because you feel defeated. We all go through hard times. It may seem like you’re the only one struggling, but that’s just another lie. During those times of discouragement, you must ENCOURAGE yourself and others.

Encouragement is like oxygen for your mind, heart, and soul. To win the battle, you need to encourage yourself and others with God’s truth consistently. One example of when Jesus did this was when he was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan. During those 40 days, each time Satan distorted the truth, created doubt, discouraged him, Jesus quoted scripture from the Old Testament. He continually used God’s Word and truth to stay strong, encourage Himself, and win the battle. Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13

So the solution to feeling discouraged and wanting to give up in defeat is to encourage ourselves with God’s truth. The best way to fight discouragement is to be an encouragement:

• Text a friend.
• Call a family member.
• Comment something positive on someone’s Instagram post.
• Take time to listen to a friend in need.
• Make a list of all the things you have that you are grateful for.

Going Deeper:

Think about the people God has placed in your life - family, friends, co-workers, neighbors; think about the battles they are going through. How can you encourage them with God’s truth?

Prayer:

Ask God to show you who in your life needs encouragement. Thank Him for the joy that comes when we encourage others by building them up and showing them love.