Life can be a lot sometimes, and we can feel discouraged just from everyday life. However, as Christians, we cannot stay in that mindset. The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength, so the enemy will try everything in his power to take away from our happiness and peace. He’ll throw situations that discourage us and make us feel like all hope is lost. But there is hope, so here are five things to do when you feel discouraged!
Pray
Philippians 4:7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” When you’re facing a tough time in your life, talk to God! He knows exactly what you need and exactly how to fix it! When we feel discouraged, we sometimes avoid God and wallow in our self-pity and sadness. However, this is a terrible tactic and causes depression to set in. God is the only one who can get us out of a funk and knows precisely what will help. If you are feeling down because you were believing for something in faith and it did not come to pass, ask God for your next steps. Maybe you still had unbelief, you’re supposed to try again, it’s a test, or you overlooked something. It can be several things, but the main thing is to ask God, where did I mess up or what other steps I should take? Always go back and talk to God; don’t give up because it didn’t go as planned.
The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:7 that “we walk by faith, not by sight.”. So, don’t just take what you see; what is God saying about the situation? And you’ll find that out during times of prayer. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing,” so even when times get hard, that isn’t an excuse to stop praying. And even for myself, I can always dedicate more time to prayer. We all can because it is a vital part of our relationship with God and is something we do when we feel discouraged. And prayer is something we should do to help us not to get discouraged. A prayer when feeling discouraged could be “God, guide me and the steps I take, open my eyes to where I misstepped and help me make it right, help me to forgive myself and remember that the joy of the Lord is my strength, give me your joy, peace, and strength to make it through the next phases of my life. May I remember the power of Jesus Christ that resides in me and that I never have to feel incompetent, incomplete, or discouraged because Your Spirit lives in me. May I have a winning mindset and expect victory, in Jesus’s name, Amen,” prayer is an excellent first step and will give clarity, and God will provide you with direction on moving forward!
Read Your Word
God’s Word is our lifeline, and we cannot afford not to read it, even if it’s a chapter a day. Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” This verse proves that God’s Word improves our mood and is the source of our joy and happiness. The issue you may be facing is that your source of happiness doesn’t come from the Word, God Himself, and His promises. It may come from people, money, your job, etc., and that’s your problem. Psalms 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” You feel discouraged because you aren’t going to God for strength and joy; you’re going to the world. I would advise you to open up your Bible and read it for 5 minutes daily. Reading the Word is spending personal time with God; it’s time He gets to talk to you and show you things in His Word that pertain to your situation. It’s hard to get discouraged when filling yourself with God’s Word.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” You cannot forsake the power of the Word. No matter your situation, God has a solution in the Bible. Go and seek God through His Word, get scriptures that speak to your situation, finances, health, joy, peace of mind, etc., and speak them daily. Stand on it and do not doubt; believe what God says in His Word, and see it come to pass. God’s Word never returns to Him void; take His Word literally because it is. God promises His children so much. Hosea 4:6 NKJV says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” That knowledge is found in the Bible, and you have it right at your fingertips. Download a Bible app on your phone, borrow a Bible from church, or I’m sure your grandma has a spare one. God’s Word is more accessible now than it has ever been. You don’t have to struggle or be discouraged when the Living Word is so easily attainable. Pull up YouTube and put on a sermon; faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. People who have helped me grow my faith are Kenneth Hagin, Jonathan Shuttlesworth, Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Keith Moore, Fred Price, Andrew Womack, Jerry Savelle, and David Oyedepo. There are so many great people of faith that you can find easily online; these are just the ones I’ve listened to.
People live defeated lives every day because they don’t read the Bible, don’t ever take time to listen to the Word, or have little understanding of what God’s word actually means. Sometimes, people read the Bible, but it’s not mixed with faith and simply believing what God said. If God said it, He can do it. That’s all you need to know when it comes to God, no ifs, ands, or buts. If He said it, it’s done, period. People ask too many questions; just believe it’s that simple. Once you take God’s Word as is, that’s when you’ll see your mood improve and your overall life improve. God is here to help and has given us instruction; it’s in the Bible. So don’t let it collect dust; pick it up, read a chapter, and act on it.
Give Thanks
Being ungrateful or failing to realize the good in our lives will 100% lead to depression. There is always something to be grateful for; unfortunately, someone always has it worse. God has truly blessed me, and when I get discouraged, I just thank God for what He has done for me in the past year. I thank Him for simply waking me up. Ephesians 5:20 says we should be “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”. God gave us everything; He provides the breath in our lungs. We owe Him everything, so we should always be giving Him thanks. When you start to feel discouraged, think about the last time you truly spent time just thanking God for everything in your life. I usually do this as I drive to work or go home, in the shower, and just in general throughout the day; I say thank you God, because He is just that good.
Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” We were created to praise, God created us to praise Him, so when you don’t praise Him, your flesh is going praise something or someone else. When that happens, that is guaranteed disappointment because created things are not meant to receive worship, only the Creator. Refocus your worship and gratitude and give it to the One who gave you life. This will instantly improve your mood. It makes you view life differently as you are reminded about the goodness of God. You realize how many times God has been there for you and that nothing will change now. God will have your back just like He did in the past.
God cannot work when there is no thanksgiving and praise involved, so if you’re looking for an out to your situation, start thanking God for solutions. Thank Him that you opened your eyes, just anything you can think of!
Engage With Your Purpose
Often, when we’re in depression or deep discouragement, it’s because we’re not doing what God called us to do. God created each and every one of us with special gifts and talents that He gave us to use for His glory. So, when we are not engaging with that, we’re preventing ourselves from prospering. And in addition to that, we’re not in God’s will for our lives. God has dreams for you, just like you do for yourself, so when you stop doing what He created you do, it’s like you’re throwing away the dream God had for you. God loves you so much and wants you to do well and created you so perfectly for your purpose. No one else can do what you can, so this time of discouragement affects more than just you. If you never achieve what God has created you to do, some souls will be lost, and you won’t prosper in life the way God wants you to. Proverbs 18:16, says, “A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.” The devil wants you to forsake your God-given gifts, because it keeps you from prosperity and true fulfillment and prevents souls from being saved. Your purpose is what you were created to do, whether it be singing, dancing, writing, making jewelry, or designing; whatever it is, God chose you! God gave you that gift to prosper in life, and this time of discouragement is just hindering that! Remember, we find true happiness when we’re doing something involving our purpose and God-given gifts!
You cannot allow the enemy to stop you from pursuing your purpose. You cannot let your situation stop you from doing what God created you to do. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel worthy enough to sing for Him, dance for Him, write for Him, etc.; God gave you that gift, so use it, engage with it, ask God how to profit from it, how to move forward in life because of it, how to save souls using that gift! God promised in His Word that when you use your gifts, He will propel you forward and bring you before great people!
We lose a sense of purpose when we forsake our gifts and talents; we begin to feel useless, and the enemy uses that as an opportunity to tempt us to give up entirely. The enemy never wants us to use our gifts and talents to the glory of God, so he loves when we wallow in self-pity and give up on our dreams and aspirations. When feeling defeated, that is when you open a door to the enemy, and that’s when he can interfere with your purpose. Your destiny is so important, and I know when you feel discouraged, it can be hard to do what God called you to do, but I promise you, when you get back into it, you’ll feel like yourself again. You’ll feel fulfilled and joyful. So do what God created you to do!
Speak Faith-Filled Words
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Part of feeling discouraged is because you’re not saying the right things. You’re saying things that aren’t helping your situation but making it worse. The right feelings come from saying the right words. If you spoke the Word of God for just five minutes daily, I’m positive this difficult time would get better! Sometimes it’s our words that get us feeling discouraged and defeated, but we must remember that we can also use our words for good. God gave us the creative power to speak, so take your words seriously. Start believing that every word you say will come to pass. When you believe like that, you talk differently. Speaking positively and in accordance with God’s Word makes a huge change and can change your life. Speaking God’s word is one of the number one ways how to overcome discouragement. Your words matter, and they will come to fruition. When we feel discouraged, we can say pretty awful things, but we must overcome that urge and say things that align with the Word of God. This is guaranteed to get you out of this current struggle and bring you blessings!
I hope these tips truly gave you guidance on what to do when you feel discouraged and that you’ll remember them the next time you feel down. When you’re feeling discouraged about life, give yourself time to look through the Word of God, pray, figure out your gifts, and allow God to guide you to greatness! Be encouraged and blessed!
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