Doubt and Discouragement

Psalm 42:11 "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!"  

Doubt: to be uncertain about (something); to believe that (something) may not be true or is unlikely; to have no confidence in (someone or something)

Discouragement: a feeling of having lost hope or confidence; something (such as a failure or difficulty) that discourages someone

Doubt and discouragement are two of the enemy's key tools for destroying our faith. 

Mark 5:36 "But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Fear is the offspring of doubt and it is a faith crusher. When we doubt God's ability or willingness to answer our prayer or to keep his promises we lose faith. When we give in to doubt we open the door for the enemy to have dominion over areas of our life. 

Giving the enemy a foothold in our life is not pleasing to God. He desires for us to live lives of faith. 

Hebrews 11:6 "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."  

To continue, the Word tells us in Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." When we yield to discouragement we lose our hope and confidence in God's promises. 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  God wants us to have hope. He wants us to hold onto his promises. 

When doubt and discouragement attack we must stand fast in our faith  and not yield. We must remember Who is in control and how much he loves us. We must resist and keep on resisting. James 4:7 "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

God's Word promises us that if we hold on to our faith and wait to see the fulfillment of his promises we will be strengthened. Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Galatians 6:9 "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up."