Reversing Discouragement

In John Wesley's sermon, "Satan's Devices", he said that Satan has three main tools that he uses to attack a Christian:
1. Dampen our joy
2. Attack our peace
3. Targets us especially in times of sickness or pain.

Courage is defined as, "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty." Therefore we can learn a lot about discouragement by reversing this definition. It would prevent us from doing courageous things.

Some causes of discouragement would be:

• Loss - We are living in days of great loss on many fronts. There is no wonder that we see a lot of people struggling with discouragement.
• Mental and physical weariness- We are a triune being and all areas, spirit, mind and body need to be rested and healthy to resist discouragement.
• Loneliness- Nothing has greater potential for bringing discouragement than feeling alone or isolated.
• Self inflicted discouragement - Discouragement is also caused by our own sin, disobedience and separation from God.
  
  Maybe you related to one or more of the causes of discouragement. How do we deal with it effectively?
  
• The Presence of God - Nothing can cause discouragement to evaporate quicker than the presence of God. 1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV)
  6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
• The People of God- Don't walk alone. Walking alone is usually a personal decision and a bad one. We need to surround ourselves with positive, faith filled people who believe in a God of miracles.
• The Truth of God's Word- This involves making God's word a priority in life.
• Prayer and Worship- As we saw earlier, "David strengthened himself in the Lord his God". How? He maintained a personal relationship with God in worship.
• Rediscovering the purpose of God- Dig around your spiritual foundation and rediscover earlier springs of joy in your life.