One of Satan’s strongest weapons is the spirit of discouragement. Many of us have received prophetic words, utterances, dreams, visions, and promises from God, but because their manifestation has been delayed, the enemy has quietly planted seeds of doubt and fear into our hearts.
Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
There are gates of hell representing authorities, systems, thrones, and spiritual resistance, always attempting to stop us from advancing and taking over what God has already given us.
We need to understand that the Christian walk is warfare; every promise, prophecy, dream, and vision that God gives us is surrounded by enemies that do not want it to come to pass. (1 Corinthians 16:9)
The enemy’s greatest assignment is to paint God as a liar: satan wants us to feel that God does not mean what He says, but we must understand and believe that God is not a son of man to lie. (Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 6:17-18)
God established both His promise and oath so we would be sure that His Word is immutable. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the Word of God, which is pure and can never fail. (Matthew 24:35, Psalm 12:6)
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen…
The promises of God—healing, prosperity, restoration, purity, deliverance, and every blessing consistent with the Kingdom lifestyle—have already been fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we don’t approach God as though we need Him to do something new, but we stand in faith and contend for the manifestation of what Jesus already accomplished.
The spiritual blessings already belong to us, but their manifestation requires courage, endurance, spiritual militancy, and persistence. The Kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)
Unfortunately, many believers have slowly lowered their standards, reduced their expectations, and stopped believing God for bigger things because discouragement quietly entered their spirits.
Joshua 1:6-9 [9]…Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God [is] with you wherever you go.”
Before Joshua entered the Promised Land, God commanded him several times to be strong and courageous because it takes strong men and women, free from fear and full of faith, to walk into the manifestation of God’s promises.
Discouragement is not strange because even mighty men and women in the scriptures faced moments of sorrow, heaviness, exhaustion, and despair. These include;
Our Father, ABRAHAM, became discouraged while waiting for the promised son that he considered Eliezer as His heir. However, when he held onto God’s Word, Isaac was eventually born. (Genesis 15:1-6)
The mighty MOSES became overwhelmed by the burden of leading Israel and, at one point, asked God to take his life. (Numbers 11:11-15)
Prophet ELIJAH was one time so discouraged that he prayed to God to let him die. (1 Kings 19:3-7)
DAVID, the man after God’s heart, wept until he had no more strength after Ziklag was destroyed and everything was taken away. But he strengthened himself in the Lord and was able to recover all. (1 Samuel 30:1-6)
Our forerunner, JESUS Christ Himself, became exceedingly sorrowful in Gethsemane to the point of death. This reveals that moments of heaviness, emotional pain, sorrow and discouragement are part of human experience. Matthew 26:36-42
Hebrews 4:15
Jesus understands human weakness because He once experienced sorrow, grief, and emotional pain. Therefore, we should never allow discouragement to convince us that God has abandoned us.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 [8]For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. [9]Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,
We must refuse weakness, fear, doubt, hopelessness, and discouragement to have the final say over our lives because every man and woman that God used greatly in Scriptures went through similar experiences, but still fulfilled divine purpose and destiny because they refused to quit.
Let us learn to speak to our souls, strengthen ourselves in God, and rise again in courage, steadfastness, spiritual militancy, unwavering faith, and confidence in the integrity of God’s Word even after seasons of pain and brokenness.
May we refuse to throw away the promises God has spoken and continue standing until we walk into the manifestation of the promises that Christ already secured for us.
Further Study
Isaiah 55:10-11
Genesis 15:1-3
STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU.
PASTOR BEN OCHOLA.