Discouragement Is Toxic

Discouragement is a possibility for us all! Some people think they have to face discouragement alone or without help or aren’t sure where to go for help – like the comedian who quipped, “Lotta self-help tapes out there. Got one called ‘How to Handle Disappointment’. I got home and the box was empty.” (Encyclopedia of Humor, p.342) You may or may not find help from a self-help book, but I promise you can find wise advice from God’s Word. The lives and feelings of Godly folks recounted in Scripture can help us.

The Bible never whitewashes the missteps of the men and woman God employs. Emotions are part of our human makeup, and we really shouldn’t be surprised that emotions sometimes get the best of even saints of God. Elijah was a man of great prayer and great faith but within 24 hours of his most famous victory (fire on top of Mt. Carmel) the threats of a single lady sent him spiraling into toxic discouragement.We would be wise to watch out for dangerous emotions immediately following a triumph in our own lives.

The New Testament (James 5:16-18) highlights Elijah as an example of effective prayer, but Elijah wasn’t perfect. The 19th chapter of 1 Kings details Elijah’s discouraged flight into the desert wilderness. From Elijah’s depressed viewpoint, the surrounding barren wasteland becomes a crushing symbol of a wasted life. However, Elijah’s journey and ultimate encounter with God’s still small voice provides insight into how to overcome discouragement and live in emotional freedom. I encourage you to  read 1 Kings 19 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2019&version=NLT).

For many years, I taught a 7th and 8th grade Bible class on the Kings of Israel (a subject I really enjoy!). The following thoughts are drawn from the textbook I used – Israel’s Divided Kingdom (A Beka Book Publications, 1985, p.18-19). We don’t have to face discouragement alone.

When we get discouraged:

1. We think the wrong thoughts. Elijah thought that Jezebel had the power to take his life; he forgot that God could control Jezebel and that he, Elijah, was safe in the will of God.
2. We do the wrong things. Acting in fear and not in faith, Elijah ran from Jezebel when he should have stayed and ministered to the new believers in Israel.
3. We pray the wrong prayer. Elijah prayed, “let me die.”
4. We say the wrong thing. Elijah’s response to God’s question showed a heart of self-pity rather than confidence in God.
5. We see the wrong things. Elijah saw only his own exhaustion and despair rather than the opportunities that lay before him.
6. We get in the wrong place. Elijah was out of the will of God when he ran to Beersheba, and on to Horeb.
7. We have the wrong spirit. Elijah’s discouragement turned into self-pity and a defeated spirit.

When we get discouraged, we need to:

1. Get alone with God. Pray and ask Him what He is teaching you.
2. Remember that God has not changed. He is still all-powerful and is in control of all your circumstances; reckon on His unfailing presence.
3. Fulfill responsibility. Realize we still have a responsibility and stick with it whether we feel like it or not.
4. Rely heavily on the promises of God and His Word.
5. Recount His past blessings.
6. Never assess a difficulty in the light of your own resources.