3 Steps to Fighting Discouragement

From CatalystSpace:

As a leader, discouragement is one of your biggest enemies. It will cause you to feel defensive, defeated, de-motivated and make you less effective.

Discouragement often comes when your expectations are not met or your desires are not realized. Maybe things didn't turn-out the way you had hoped, or you didn't get the thing you wanted, or something terrible went wrong.

When one of these happens, these steps might help you get un-discouraged:

1. Remember that God is in control of all things
Just like with Job, He allows us to suffer challenges, difficulties, pain. His ways are not our ways - He LOVES us so deeply, but our goals often do not line-up with His - so if things don't work-out the way we want, remember, they DO work-out the way He wants, and what He wants is actually best for us.

2. Remember God works all things for your good
Not only is God in control, but He's actually on your side. As it says in Romans 8:28 - God works all things together for the good of those who love Him... Also, He disciplines those He loves (Heb 12:6, Rev 3:19) - so negative things happening to you may be discipline to mature you. Maybe you wanted something or an outcome that's not for your good. Trust God that He really does this - look for it and you might even see the positive things He's doing from what was discouraging you. His ways are not our ways - but His end result is for our good.

3. Praise & Thank God
"...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance" - Romans 5:2-3. We have much to praise and thank God for. Cultivating a heart of praise and thanks - especially when you're discouraged - helps you get out of yourself, realize that your life is but a vapor, and our Amazing, Glorious God is doing something wonderful in history, but He's also meeting your needs every day, and giving you some pretty great stuff to enjoy too! Furthermore, according to scripture, we can even thank God for suffering, because it's for our good!

It's fun to wallow in self-pity. Our flesh loves to feel wronged or like things are unfair. There is something alluring about despair. But this is all a lie that the enemy uses to destroy us or make us ineffective.

But God's way is better! Rejoice in your disappointments, praise and thank God, remember that He's in control and working it out for your good! Seek first His Kingdom, and all will be added unto you.