“Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

The Gift of Imagination

Starting something new sparks imagination. Imagination is a gift from our Father. As the Creator of the world, He was the first imaginer! With our imagination, we can plant the seed of an idea and create a massive harvest when we apply effort.

But with our imagination, worry can grow from tiny seeds of fear. An idea brewed in my head. All I needed to do was to start.

My imagination seemed endless as I researched ideas. The possibility of success was exciting! It would take hard work, but I felt confident God would help me.

[tweetshare tweet=”With our imagination, we can plant the seed of an idea and create a massive harvest when we apply effort.” username=”HollyDMurray”]

The Traitor

Then, wham! Out of nowhere, a question came to which I did not have an answer. A tiny little seed festered doubt at the heart of my dream. My imagination, once helpful and hopeful, became a traitor to my passion and ate away at the positive possibilities with ferocity. Within half an hour, I wanted to quit. It could cost thousands of dollars to find the answer to the question. Discouragement talked me out of the dream God had laid on my heart.

Have you ever walked through a similar situation? Your idea seemed grand and imagination was on your side until one problem poked a pinhole into the balloon of your dream. Perhaps you had a plan, but something out of your control derailed you and left you feeling overwhelmed and confused. Deflation of expectation seems crushing, doesn’t it? Sometimes I just want to scream at the world to get its act together so we can get on with dreaming and moving forward again!

Moments of Discouragement

God knew we would face moments of discouragement. John 16:33 (AMP) says, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” He knew discouragement would come, but He made a plan for us to succeed. It’s exciting to realize that God desires our success more than we do! He wants us assured that His victory (and therefore ours) will abide!

How do we demolish those feelings of overwhelm and discouragement when they come? God’s Word is full of ideas we can walk out to help win the battle of discouragement.

5 Ways to Win the Battle of Discouragement

Speak Scripture

One idea is speaking only what God says about the situation, promise, or dream. The enemy will always want seeds of disbelief to grow. To combat this, we must plant hope if we want a hope-filled harvest. Countless verses in His Word address courage, overcoming fear, having faith, and walking in peace. He loaded His Word with promises and assured us they will succeed.

[tweetshare tweet=”Plant seeds of hope if you want a hope-filled harvest.” username=”HollyDMurray”]

“Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting His Yes within us. By His Spirit He has stamped us with His eternal pledge – a sure beginning of what He is destined to complete.”

2 Corinthians 1:20, MSG

“God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that He won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6, CEV

Self-Control

Second, we need to use a little self-control. God created us with a powerful mind. We must control the thoughts we allow to run through it. Don’t let negative emotions and thoughts run wild. Harness those, cast your cares on Him, and focus on thinking and speaking the Word! Philippians 4:8 tells us that “whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report, think on those things” (KJV). That is a long list of things on which to focus our imaginations!

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].”

2 Timothy 1:7, AMP

Summon Memories

Another way to demolish those feelings of overwhelm and discouragement is to think about other times when God answered prayer. Summon those memories! Recall times when God has come through for you. Revelations 12:11 tells us we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Thinking on His faithfulness chucks those negative seeds out of the fertile ground of our heart so they cannot take root.

Psalms 34:17 says, “When the righteous cry [for help], the Lord hears and rescues them from all their distress and troubles” (AMP). Do you know what all means? I heard conference speaker Linda Silverman say, “All means all, and that’s all that all means!” All leaves nothing out! God is ready to rescue you.

Self-Edification

The fourth way to win the battle of discouragement is to be your own source of encouragement! When things weren’t looking great for King David, 1 Samuel 30:6 says that he encouraged himself in the Lord. The Hebrew word for encouraged means “to grow strong, be courageous, be resolute” (H2388, n.d.). Psalms 139:14 says, “I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well” (AMP). You are a work of God. Make no mistake, He created you with His perfect skill in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). That makes you awesome!

It is not God’s plan for you to be a failure. The admonishment in Proverbs 16:3 is, “Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], and your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]” (AMP). When things seem overwhelming, go back to what He says about you. Gain strength recognizing that doing His will ends with your success.

[tweetshare tweet=”It is not God’s plan for you to fail. Doing His will ends with your success.” username=”HollyDMurray”]

Sing

Last on my list of how to demolish feelings of overwhelm and discouragement is to sing. You don’t have to be an amazing vocalist to sing! God loves it when we sing about His love, greatness, or what wonderful things He can do. He is more interested in the lyric than the talent. Pastor Bryan Matthews said that we can sing things we aren’t comfortable saying. Turn up the music, sing out the Word, and drown out the doubts. By singing along with uplifting worship, your praise becomes a powerful weapon!

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.”

Psalms 100:1-5, KJV

Win the Battle of Discouragement

In the beginning, God didn’t stop until the work of creation was over. Jesus didn’t give up His spirit until He finished His work on the cross. As we follow these examples from the Word, we can keep working on what He has called us to do until we finish with success.

There are more than five ways to win the battle of discouragement. The Word of God is full of stories about people just like us who faced impossible, frustrating, and overwhelming situations. But just as God came through for them, He will come through for you. Don’t give up. Be strong! Be courageous! Demolish the feelings of overwhelm and discouragement as you discover God’s devotion to your dreams!

“But as for you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.”

2 Chronicles 15:7, AMP

“Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting-for He will never disappoint you!”

Psalms 27:14, TPT

[tweetshare tweet=”Demolish the feelings of overwhelm and discouragement as you discover God’s devotion to your dreams!” username=”HollyDMurray”]

References:

H2388 – chazaq – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV). (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2020, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2388

Free Printable: Scripture Cards to Build Your Faith!

Enjoy this free set of printable Courage Scripture Cards featuring encouraging passages to build your faith as you believe. These cards are 4×6, perfect for placing around the house, using as an encouraging bookmark, or framing! The cards display a total of 25 verses that are personal favorites of this author and her social media followers.

Just click on the card or link and these printable Bible verses will open as a PDF in a new tab. Print any or all of them!

_{(Downloads are only available to hollydmurray.com subscribers: With downloading, you’ll be OPTING IN to our email newsletter with more encouragement and freebies delivered straight to your inbox! Unsubscribe at any time.)}

Today’s Must-Read Recommendation:

This Season of Hope: 5-Minute Messages to Recapture the Life You were Designed to Live

Get Paula A. Lambert’s 31-Day devotional, This Season of Hope for more ways to win the battle of discouragement every day.

You’ll find her books as well as books and journals by other authors online at Integrity Publishing. (Purchases also available directly through Amazon.)

I also created a handy little info-graphic that you are welcome to save or pin.

It’s an at-a-glance reminder of the 5 ways to battle feelings of being overwhelmed or discouraged. I hope it will be a blessing!

The post Win the Battle of Discouragement appeared first on Holly D. Murray.

So do not stop believing God now. Your faith will bring you much reward. You must not give up believing. Then you will do what God wants you to do. Then you will get what He promised you.

Knowing what the future holds is intriguing. There are games and apps to “predict” the future or give direction, and there are countless fortune tellers who will give you their opinions for the right price. The latest craze hitting the Internet changes a photo so you can see what you might look like as an older person. While photo aging is harmless, I couldn’t help but consider that it demonstrates the inward pull to know the future.

Who knows the future? God does. God has a plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). While you may not know every detail of what tomorrow will bring, we know that if we are walking in God’s plans and call for our life, He will cause all things to work for our benefit (Romans 8:28). You may know who knows the future, but what should you do? What is His plan for your life?

Much of our future rests on the pages of His Word. You live your perfect future by opening His Word today and reading (doing) what He commands. Isaiah 1:19 (AMP) says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the best of the land.” The Bible is full of commands and promises. Open it. Get a word from the Lord about your future. Start working His plan. And instead of being dismayed by what you might look like in twenty years, get His picture and the encouragement you need to keep pressing until you finish your race.

[tweetshare tweet=”You live your perfect future by opening His Word today.” username=”HollyDMurray”]

Check out the Believe EncouraJournal on Amazon if you are looking for an amazing tool to encourage your faith!

To read more about how God provides perfect promises for you, read Untapped Promises!

The post Who Knows the Future? appeared first on Holly D. Murray.

Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy.  Don’t give up in a time of trouble, but commune with God at all times. 

Romans 12:12 TPT

Slow-Starting Saturdays

The morning was a slow-starting Saturday.  While Saturday isn’t necessarily my favorite day of the week, I love the sluggish starts that Saturday allows. Extra patience never needed, I appreciate staying home as I get in extra stretches and don’t feel rushed to jump into makeup or other confinements that make one presentable to society.  I donned a very comfy pair of pants befitting the brisk breezy conditions outside. Unlocking the kennel gate, I walked my impatient dog and then strolled to the coffee maker.

I always prefer my table cleared and covered with a black tablecloth that matches my window valence. This morning, however, the table was completely covered with baskets and cleaning products.  I’d heard sounds earlier in the morning that made me believe that I’d find it in this condition. I mentally prepared myself to have patience and be calm.  Sure enough, it was every bit as bad as I had imagined.

The Mess

I saw my husband leaning over the still-full washing machine messing with the red metal twisty thing behind the heavy machine (post-coffee known as a water valve shutoff handle).  I looked at the dusty mess covering my table and his general stiff demeanor. Clearly what he was discovering was going to cost time and resources.  The amount of the cost was yet undetermined.

I felt poised.  The last couple of loads had given me a warning message.  The message usually meant that the screen that filtered dirt from our well outside needed washing off. In bright red lights, it read F02.  Failure.  This is not a task that I can do myself. I always wait until my husband has free time to look at it and muscle the hose from the spicket. He’d just returned from a business trip the previous Tuesday, which coincided with the day I’d left town for a writer’s conference. The washer had been free from use and corresponding error message for a week.  It wasn’t until this lovely, lazy Saturday morning, that the problem resurfaced when he started a load before I’d even made it out of bed.

Oh, No!

I watched my husband work and waited quietly until he explained the problem he saw.  He stated that the valve itself had a leak and he was concerned about the impact of the leak on the sub-floor.  I followed my initial gasp quickly with an audible, “oh no!” It had been less than two years since we’d completely gutted the kitchen and laundry areas all the way down to the floor joists.  The job had been a considerable expense, and my husband and dad spent a great deal of time to complete the project.  I didn’t want to ever repeat that messy, inconvenient experience.  My husband grabbed his jacket and his keys and headed to our local home improvement store for the parts that he needed.

As I poured my cup of coffee, I felt a nudging of the Lord not to worry. I put aside thoughts of a damaged floor.  I sat down to allow the warm beverage to help soothe my body as the Lord’s words had soothed my soul.

It wasn’t much longer before Keith returned, new valves in hand.  He told me that He felt God speak to him on the way to town that our floor hadn’t been damaged.  I told him God spoke the same thing to my heart, as well!

Thankful in the Mess

He quickly replaced the valve and tightened everything down.  I cleaned up the now-damp dust bunnies that covered the floor area where the washer rested for so long.  I began to think about all the things I was thankful for in this situation.  First, we hadn’t had to call a plumber.  Keith had been able to make the repairs himself much faster than I’d have thought possible.  Keith hadn’t hollered, busted his knuckles, or made guttural sounds of manly agitation at any point in the morning.  Secondly, I was thankful that the floor under the washer felt quite sound.  We’d made wise purchases when replacing the sub-floor, a couple of years previously, and that investment had paid off.  Thirdly, I had the opportunity to clean an area that had been quite neglected for two years.  I even found a missing gardening glove!

As I cleaned with all these pleasant thoughts in mind, I felt thankful for Keith.  I spoke those words to him as he put the washer back in place.  Then I spent the next little bit cleaning out the baskets of cleaning supplies that I kept on top and restarted the washer to finish the cycle from the last load.

Continuing with my morning cleaning, in a rare throw-it-away stage of mind, I heard beeping permeating my brain once again.  Sure enough, F02 clearly flashed on the window of the washing machine.  Failure.  Two choices were before me.  I could get irritated or I could be patient.  I chose the latter while I texted Keith to let him know.  Once again, I began the process of taking everything off the tops of the washer and dryer.  Laughing, I thought that at least everything was clean and more organized on top this time.  It certainly made the job easier.

My Confidence

Each time Keith adjusted part of the machine, I was confident that this latest action would be the one that would repair the washer.  I would place my non-skid mats back down on top of the washer and dryer, and return my baskets of gardening gloves, vegetable buckets, and cleaning supplies.  I’d love to say that it my great faith pushed me to return everything back in place so promptly. I must admit, however, that seeing my table covered in these items caused me feelings of tension.  I can hardly stand my things being out of place if it is in my ability to make them orderly.

By about the fifth time, I just left everything on the table.  Putting items back where they belonged wasted my valuable time.  The beeping sound and error F02 message still sounded each time the washer got to the final drain cycle.  It was almost a taunting noise – coming just when we thought we’d found success.  At this point, we decided Keith had done all he knew to do.  The machine was an old one, and it would be best to make the drive into town to investigate the models available for a replacement of the much-used washer.

The Trip

I got ready to go, trading the comfortable black lounge pants for more confining

blue jeans and quickly added some color to my face – all the things I prefer to avoid on Saturdays.  I laughed and chose not to get agitated or feel drained just because my washer wouldn’t.  We drove an hour into town.  After the sixth appliance store visit, however, I was tired.  Patience ceased to be a virtue in my possession. I believe there must be a rule that appliances must be located in the furthest possible point from the entrance and exit doors. I was tired of comparing prices, looking for the best deal, and trying to stretch my too-short arms into a too-deep washing machine drums. So when the sales clerk stated that she had a front-load washer in stock and would give us an amazing deal on it due to our extended wait, I was elated!

We walked back to the front of the store to pay, headed to the truck, and pulled around to the loading area.  We waited and waited, and then we waited some more.  No one came bearing anything resembling a washing machine box.  Keith returned to the customer service desk to discover that the washing machine we’d paid for was not in the store and would need to be ordered.  It would be in the following Friday.

I felt impatient with patience.  My desire to go home, watch Keith put in our new washer, and unload my table of its burdens outweighed all other thoughts.  I wanted to crawl into bed listening to the quiet hum of a new washer and feel the zero-vibration promise of the new washer, so unlike our older model that made the glasses in my china cabinet chatter.

My Choice

Looking into the eyes of my husband, hoping by some miracle that he could make this news not be true,  I decided that, again, I had a choice to make.  I could choose to vent my frustration on the hard-working clerk, or I could remember that she could very well walk into my church the very next day.  What would I do if she did?  Would my behavior embarrass me now and later, or would I choose to follow my husband’s patient lead?  I chose the latter.

Patience is not always an easy choice.  I suppose that if it were, everyone would do it.  There is a verse in the book of John in which Jesus stated that in this world we would have trouble (John 16:33).  Today seemed to have been full of trouble and opportunities to lose my cool. But in true Jesus-fashion, He left us with the promise that we could have peace no matter the troubles we face, because He’d overcome the world.

No matter how things appear on the exterior, the inside of each human is full of emotions at various states of expression.  Some are aloof, some are relaxed, some are joyful.  Others are volatile or on edge – but there isn’t one person on the planet who doesn’t have emotions.  No matter the difficulties we face, it’s wise to remember there’s nothing more important than showing love to people.

Be Patient in Trouble

I don’t know that Sharon will remember the tired woman with the nearly-bruised ribs who reached into every washing machine on her sales floor. I’m unsure if she saw the man who pulled my husband and me into a prayer huddle on our way out the door.  I don’t know how many other people she’d served that day.  I’m not sure who had lost their patience with her when things didn’t work out as they planned.  Thankfully, I held my tongue in check when I felt my emotions edge toward impatience.

Romans 12:12 (TLB) reads, “Be glad for all God is planning for you.  Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always.”  I often fall short in various troublesome situations, but the Word reminds me to be patient. God never fails to help us overcome failure. Patiently hold to the hope of His purposes.

[tweetshare tweet=”God never fails to help us overcome failure. Patiently hold to the hope of His purposes.” username=”HollyDMurray”]

Tonight, as I avoid looking at the pile of baskets, cleaning supplies, and gardening gloves on my table, I thank God for the beeping of Failure 02.  We escaped serious, costly damage to our laundry floor because we discovered a leaking valve. We now own a new, much-needed washer replacing the broken one. I have a husband who sets the standard high when I feel my own emotions slipping.

What a blessing to have a friend we’d not seen in years pray over us!  It didn’t matter that he did so right in the middle of the front aisle of a home-improvement store!  I feel incredibly thankful for the messages of love God constantly pours over me through His Word and His people.  I’m thankful for the attainability of patience.  Like love, patience is a choice.

The Choice is Yours

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to choose patience if you are dealing with something frustrating.  There is a song by Hillsong Music, titled “Elohim” (2016) which declares that God’s promises will never fail even when we are in a trial. The song goes on to say that God is patient because God is love.  This refers to the scripture in 1 Corinthians 13:4 that declares that “love is patient.” (Click the title to play this amazingly peaceful song.  Music often sets the atmosphere and helps us achieve a more patient outlook on our experiences.)

Look for the things about your situation which are positive. Also listen to see if God is trying to speak to you, even in the midst of difficulty. God constantly whispers comforting confidence into the hearts of His children bringing calm to the chaos. I recently wrote an article about God speaking in the strangest ways. Read the article when you have time. But most importantly, hold on steadfastly. Be persistent.  Our failures are not permanent and God will not fail you. Choose patience and joy. Focus on the opportunities God may be bringing your way. Remember Romans 12:12: “Be happy in your hope. Do not give up when trouble comes. Do not let anything stop you from praying” (NLV).

We can learn patience even from moments of frustration or failure.  Patience 101 is a prayer away.

[tweetshare tweet=”God constantly whispers comforting confidence into the hearts of His children bringing calm to the chaos.” username=”HollyDMurray”]

References:

Sampson, M. (2016). Elohim [Recorded by Hillsong Music]. On Let There Be Light [CD]. Brentwood, Tennessee: Capital Christian Music Group.

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