Are you feeling discouraged???

I was thinking and praying this morning and some thoughts came to me. Someone dear to me is struggling with some discouragement and burn-out during a tough time and God laid these things on my heart. I know that we all feel these things often so I know they apply!

1) Sometimes you may have reason to be discouraged by all that is behind and before you but you also have the ability to choose your response to the circumstances. You may not be able to control everything but you can control you!

2) Satan is trying to make things more and more bleak for you so that you get discouraged, get down and give up. He is actively fighting against you and using the same old tricks to affect you because he knows they work! Only you can change the rules and throw him a curve ball by choosing to deny his tactics and turn away from his end game!

3) When you get discouraged, it is essential to pull closer to God even if you feel like running from him. Often my personal response is to pull away because I get frustrated, angry or resentful at him. Sometimes I get so caught up in my woes that I get lost in the dark valley and can't see beyond the present struggles! But we must pull closer or we will get stuck in the dark.

4) Only victory is found in Him! We can't do it alone- there is no physical way that we can be victorious. There is no physical way that you can keep going under this heavy burden. There is no physical way that you can maintain your sanity and energy without total burnout. But Christ can do all things through us! He can supernaturally meet our needs to get us through. So don't forget to ask and then do. He will come through. I know because I have experienced it!

Some scriptures that I found were a great reminder to me.

Psalm 84:11-12 Amplified
For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]!

August 15th scripture

God is impressing on me that seizing the day and being wise with my time and opportunities is a key theme for this fall. "Don't waste it!" My scripture verse directly applies to this theme. I am posting several different versions because they each have a powerful message but I am memorizing the NLT verse. The Message really spoke to me so here is the whole passage.

Eph 5:11-16 Msg
Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times

Ephesians 5:16

NLT: Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

Amplified: Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Tough Circumstances demand a response

I read some great stuff this morning in my quiet time and wanted to share it with you. All of us will hit tough times and difficult circumstances in our lives that we cannot control or prevent. But all of us can control how we respond to them. God is teaching me and leading me along in this area of my life. He spoke so clearly to me this morning that I couldn't miss the chance to write about it!

"When you are confronted with a circumstance that challenges you, you have two choices. You can say to your soul, "Get depressed." Or you can say to your soul, "Hope in God." Place your expectations in the goodness of God." J Rothschild

A few scriptures came to mind to go with this:

Psalm 42: 5 NASB
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Psalm 27:13 NIV
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

August 1st scripture

Psalm 29:11 The Message

God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace.