Say No to Discouragement

Are We Saying No to Discouragement?

Psalm 42:5–6 “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and 6 my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.”

EXPLAIN: Usually we have a radar of our SINS. When We sin, we fade away from God, our prayer life suffers, our reading scripture usually stops, our kindness dwindles.

We Gotta’ Return to the Lord. In the book of Malachi 3:7 we read: “Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts”. God tells us when we return to Him, He is there. No restrictions, no jumping through hoops, He will be there if we are all in...

When we are discouraged and times become tough, many Christians drift away from the Lord, neglecting prayer, God’s Word, and church attendance. We are not in the mood or frame of mind to be talking to others abut Jesus are we?

God’s Word admonishes, James 4:8 “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”

Say no to discouragement for God knows we have “discouragement” in this life. Return unto the Lord. Revive your prayer life and Bible meditation. Restore your church attendance and support.

Radiate, be positive, edify others, smile, wave, say nice words for the Lord, Last week I preached on attitude. We can either radiate positive or radiate negative. Which did you choose last week? Which one will you “radiate” this week?

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

The word Radiate means “to give forth or spread happiness, to love”—Webster.

Again, last week I talked briefly about When discouragement strikes us in our lives how do we respond? Some Christians spread gloom and doom, the glass is definitely EMPTY. They see only the bad in others, the church, and in circumstances, everything really!

The bottom line is to Say no to discouragement. Your not going to have it. You choose to live as scripture instructs us. Replace negatives with positives, eliminate negatives with smiles, kindness. Look for the good, not the bad.

One thing I have always noticed, we can always find some good in our day. Look for it! Have you ever thought while in a conversation with a “Mr Positive” that you don’t really even want to be happy today or in a good mood? I have..........

SELF CHECK, who and what do we depend on in our day? Are we truly Relying on the Lord?

We might be dependent on coffee? I have a cousin in Shelbyville Indiana. She has many FB posts about her coffee addiction, love, dependency. LOL I love her dearly. What about you all? What and who are you dependent on each day?

Psalm 37:5–6 “5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. 6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.”

Some Christians rely on temporary possessions more than on God. Shopping for stuff, looking for stuff, buying stuff then looking for more stuff then trying to figure out how to get rid of all their extra stuff!!!!! Does that sound like anyone here today? Others rely too much on people, I’m one of those. I get so disappointed in some people. I get hurt then pout. God brings me back around. Amen

Psalm 73:27–28 “27 Those who desert him (GOD) will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. 28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do."

Say no to discouragement, well easier said than done right? Rely on the Lord. Depend on him. He never disappoints or fails.

Rejoice in the Lord

Philippians 4:4–6 “4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

OK. So, why rejoice in the Lord? Many Christians fall into discouragement because they fail to offer enough praise to God. They are too involved with selfish pursuits. If we are learning about Jesus, reading about Jesus, focusing on Jesus, we will not have extra time to be discouraged, selfish, grumpy.

Now listen to this church, It is difficult, almost impossible, to rejoice in the Lord, to praise God, to love others while you are grumpy and discouraged all at the same time. It’s just not gonna’ happen. We need to be changing our focus. See me for scripture for this change. I can help!

The psalmist said, “I will bless/praise the Lord at all times” Psalm 34:1–3 “1 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. 2 I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. 3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.”

KINDA MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER THIS SCRIPTURE DOESN'T IT? lET’S ALL TRY IT THIS WEEK.

AMEN