Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath
redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from
the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered
in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and
thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their
trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. - Psalms 107:2-6
That
great theologian, Charles Spurgeon once wrote these wonderful words to his
students, “Lectures to my Students”, “Fits of depression come over most of us.
Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong
are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always
courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be here and there men of
iron…but surely the rust frets even these.”
Spurgeon
understood that not every day dawns brightly. Sometimes it rains. And
sometimes, great storms come upon us. While dark days happen to us all, you
must realize their inherent danger. I am reminded of a little story I heard
recently about the pitfalls of feeling blue.
It
seems the devil was upgrading the tools he uses to steal souls and ruin lives.
So, he put all his old tools for sale on the internet. Each one of his tools
had its own listing and was marked with a unique selling price. Hatred, Envy,
Jealousy, Doubt, Lying, Lust, Pride, etc. They were all there, but only one
stood at the very top of the list, highlighted above all the rest. It was a
harmless-looking tool, well-worn, but priced very high. Discouragement.
Someone
emailed the devil, “why is that one priced so high?” the person asked. He
replied, “That one is more useful to me than all the rest. With it I can pry
open someone’s heart like a crow bar. Discouragement gets me in when other
tools fail. And once inside, I can lead them any way I choose. The tool is very
worn because I use it on almost everyone, especially since very few people know
it belongs to me.”
is
very important to realize the power of discouragement and what it can lead to.
I have seen good lives destroyed because people left themselves open to all the
troubles despair can cause: bad decisions in relationships, drug use, poor
health, and even worse. It can send you into a downward spiral to a place you
just don’t want to go.
Yes,
the enemy loves to discourage us, but we have one of God’s tools which is much
more powerful: Encouragement from the Holy Spirit! When the dark days come,
remember the Holy Spirit is here to help you press through and lift you out
from the quicksand of discouragement, while setting your feet upon the Rock of
salvation.
The
real challenge is to look past your own despair and find those around you who
may be struggling in the swamp of despondency. Do not abandon them. Reach down
and help them up and out. Because you are part of the Lord’s Toolbox; an
essential tool He needs to build His Kingdom. That’s right, through what you do
and what you say, you have the power to rekindle a discouraged soul and bring
inspiration to them.
Now
is the time to get out of the Lord’s toolbox and get to work!
Today's Prayer
Dear Jesus, please save me from discouragement. Sometimes, I am too weak to face despair on my own. I need your help all day and all night to shield my heart from the darkness. Open me to the power of Your Holy Spirit and let You encouragement shine within me. Allow me to be a strong tool for building Your Kingdom by lifting up those around me. Amen
