Have you ever felt stuck in discouragement? That’s a silly question. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t.
When I first started writing, I sent off sample chapters to various publishers. Shortly after, rejection letters came creeping into my mailbox.
“Thanks, but no thanks. “Nobody knows you.” “Your manuscript does not meet our needs at this time.” “Blah, blah, blah.” You get the picture.
At that point, I had two choices: quit or keep pressing on. I’ll admit, quitting seemed mighty good about then. But after I moped around for a while, I decided to keep pressing on.
We all go through periods of discouragement. Perhaps you’re in one right now. Believe me, I’ve hidden in the cave with Elijah (1 Kings 19), under the gourd plant with Jonah (Jonah 4), and in the desert with Moses (Exodus 3-4). If you don’t know those stories, look them up. You will probably be able to relate.
Discouragement comes when there is a gap between what you expect and what you experience—when there is a gap between what you hoped would happen and what actually does happen.
Discouragement can destroy your passion and undermine your purpose. It can take root because of what others say or didn’t say—a mom who said too much or a dad who said too little. Unmet expectations can become the breeding ground for discouragement to multiply and take root.
We certainly see that in Moses’s life. When Moses was forty years old, he expected to be the deliverer of his people. But what he experienced was rejection and regret. Forty years later, when God called him to lead the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt, Moses argued:
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue” (Exod. 4:10).
This statement that came out of Moses’s stuttering lips was simply not true. As Stephen, the first Christian martyr, reminded us: “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22). Moses had defined himself by his failure and was held hostage by a constant state of discouragement. Oh friend, we need to be so careful to not do the same.
Discouragement causes many a believer to pull up a lawn chair in cul-de-sac Christianity and refuse to venture out to the adventurous faith. They mumble the words “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” over their hopes and dreams. They fill the gap between what they hope for and what they experience with the false belief that dreams aren’t worth the effort.
What we tend to see as a permanent condition, God sees as a temporary situation. What you see as one of your greatest setbacks might be one of God’s incredible setups for marvelous miracles to occur. If you are meeting resistance in your hopes and dreams, then you’re most likely on the right track. The devil wouldn’t mess with you if you weren’t a menace to his plans and a valuable asset to God.
What the devil really wants to do is steal your confidence, and the best time to rob you blind is during a season of disappointment. Guard your heart. Don’t be caught unaware and allow him to hold you back, trip you up or slow you down. The circumstances are, well, just circumstantial—collateral damage in the real battle to take away your confidence in Christ.
So don’t let the devil win. You are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37)!
Let go of debilitating discouragement and take hold of your next assignment!
I’m glad I didn’t quit writing when those first rejection letters came. If I had, I would have never known the excitement of seeing one of my books on a bookstore shelf. I wonder what discouragement God wants you to push through to see your dream come to fruition.
Dear God, I’ll admit that sometimes I get so discouraged I feel like I can’t go on. When things don’t go the way I thought they would, I just want to quit. Help me to remember that my greatest setbacks might be one of Your incredible setups for marvelous miracles to occur. Give me the God-confidence that I need to keep moving forward in Your will. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Is there some area in your life that you’ve been hunkered down in discouragement, but now God is saying, “Get up and get moving!” If so, leave a comment and let’s share.
Digging Deeper
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f you are in a period of discouragement, my book, Take Hold of the Faith You Long For: Let Go, Move Forward, Live Bold will help you move forward and take the next step. Don’t stay stuck! Learn how to dream again. Let go of anything that holds you hostage to a “less than” life and take hold of all that God has for you and already placed in you.
The book also comes with a Bible Study Guide for groups or personal study. Women’s ministry groups love it!
Comments 7
God is saying, get up and get moving with persistence to get my principal certificate. God is saying, get up and get moving trusting him for my next job he will Bless me with & I’ll be fully happy doing. Amen!!!
Been trusting for a job got over a year. Got another rejection and I was quite hopeful. Ran out of savings and now in debt. At crossroads whether to move back home and have a lot of change on my kids.
Whilst I’m not feeling the halo 😇moment (cue the angel movie soundtrack 😃) after reading this devotion, but I surely do feel that this has come in a timely manner. Thanks for being consistent. GiG devotions have played a significant role in my life for over a decade now and I thank God for all 3 of your collectively and individually.
After ending an abusive, long term relationship, I decided I needed some self care and needed to make some changes. I started spending more time with God and digging deeper. I began working out regularly and changing how I ate. I decided to aggressively save to buy a car. I made goals that I was determined to meet. For the first time in my life I could truly say I liked myself, I was getting stronger, I lost almost 50 pounds, I bought a car. After about four months, everything changed. It was determined I couldn’t put off a knee replacement any longer due to severe pain and decreased mobility. I’ve had nothing but issues with my knee replacement, I’ve never gained my range of motion back. Then my daughter started experiencing health issues. I had to do some car repairs to deal with, finally I thought things were shifting. Three days later, I was in a car accident, no fault of my own. My car was totalled and I am dealing with post concussive symptoms and a neck injury. And trauma from the accident. I just had an MRI of my knee, which I’ve been pushing for, for months. There’s multiple things wrong with my knee. I’m just lost. I’m so frustrated and discouraged. I’m trying to shift, but I just can’t, no matter how hard I try.
I’ve been stuck for awhile now!! Coming up on 10 years post divorce and I’m still struggling with 1 foot in the past hoping for some sorta reconciliation even though he’s remarried to wife #2 since our divorce. 1st wife was one of my long time friends!?!? (That was the affair that ended our marriage) Anyway, needless to say, I think I’m still living in denial that this happened!?!? Stuck living in the past but longing for a future unburdened by this and actually using my experiences to help others. I am a therapist and an aspiring writer. I was just recently published in an anthology with other aspiring writers with letters written by us from God’s perspective giving ourselves encouragement in the writing process’s!
Wow Sharon this is timely! I am trying to pull myself out of a slump. I went to my sister’s for my 75th birthday with my family and since I have been back in FL I miss them more. I want to move back up north to be closer to my family and friends but it sounds more like that is what I want and not what God wants, and I want to do His will, so especially now during Advent, I want to get joy back in my life. I bought a tree and decorated it and have been listening to my Christmas music. Thank you for this message I needed to hear today.
I am discouraged with work, a family business. I can’t seem to get on top of my work load, one problem begets another, causing me to question why I made certain decisions, even though I know in the long run they are for the best. Many days I want to quit, yet I am responsible for this business and can’t.. I pray for wisdom and guidance to help me untangle the mess I’m in the middle of so I can move forward.
“Girl get up and get to moving “ Thank you God for the reminder. I’m yours and your plans are always better than mine 🤍