Singing Christ’s Hope has a new creative team from within our subscriber family! This week’s praise interruption is offered by our sister in Christ who has shared a “couraging-into” writing…”A Walk Behind Enemy Lines: Why Discouragement is the Enemy’s Most Effective Tool and How to Overcome It.” Our accompanying playlist is one we can sing directly to our hearts when we’re battling discouragement. Donna writes:
“There is a battle I have fought for many months now. An occasional reprieve deceived me into thinking it was over, only to feel the heavy weight in my chest return. Perhaps you have felt this too.
Discouragement, the name of my foe, seems benign enough: just a bit put by, or melancholy. Everyone suffers discouragement from time to time; it’s just a bump in the road on an otherwise routine journey. Be not deceived, this foe is far more insidious.
No one chooses discouragement. Though I believe one can choose to stay there. Maybe, like me, you have felt “blind-sided” by discouragement. In a manner phlegmatic, I am positive, confident, and optimistic even when faced with difficulties. Yet, as I struggled to identify the oppression I felt, it took a few days before I realized discouragement had ambushed me again.
We must remember that nothing touches us without God’s permission. Not even the enemy of our souls has liberty to attack and oppress us; his chain only extends as far as God exacts.
Howard Hendricks accurately said, “Discouragement is the anesthetic that the devil uses on a person just before he reaches in and carves out his heart.”
Does that sound as sobering to you as it does to me? Does it bring new meaning to the description of the devil in 1 Pet. 5:8?
Battling Discouragement of the Enemy’s Lies
As I wrestled with discouragement again, I sensed an invitation to join God in a walk behind enemy lines, that is to see discouragement from the proper perspective. For the first time, God opened my eyes to better understand how discouragement is the most effective tool of the enemy of our souls.
God promises never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5) and was present with me at other times of discouragement. But this time He chose to make His presence known while opening the eyes of my understanding. He guided me and allowed me to experience the darkness, confusion, and disillusionment of the subtle lies planted by the enemy.
He watched as fear took hold of my heart, and just as my unbelief began rendering familiar promises ineffective, God stepped in and revealed the truth to me through His Word.
The Dangers of Discouragement
Discouragement is a loss of perspective. Viewing it that way is the reason I believe no one chooses discouragement. Choosing to perceive things incorrectly is not an intention we pursue with rational understanding. Yet, we can choose to keep the incorrect perspective, which is where the danger lies. Discouragement, based in lies, leads us to lose perspective. It’s also the reason why discouragement is dangerous. Discouragement not only clouds our view of the situation, but it also robs us of the very tools to defeat it.
Understanding discouragement through this lens makes the quote by Howard Hendricks so powerful. Discouragement’s effect on us is anesthetizing; in a literal sense, it paralyzes us, keeping us from moving in the direction we were headed prior to encountering discouragement. When we fail in moving forward, fear sets in, and we second-guess whether we should move forward. Lies cloud our judgment, confusion results, and we lose hope. Discouragement fosters unbelief, rendering the promises of God ineffective. We become weak, fearful, confused, and unarmed. In a word, “DEFEATED.”
Discouragement Disarmed
One alarming side of discouragement is confusion; it almost feels like insanity. You begin questioning things you never questioned before and fail in determining which way to go. That’s how it felt to me for several days. I tried stepping back, reminding myself of God’s calling on my life, and of my identity in Christ, yet it all somehow rang hollow— empty. Even though I prayed, sought clarity and direction, the lies appeared more real than the truth. After many days, I determined I had no words and chose Psalm 27 and prayed those words as my own. My faith flickered into sight.
Battling discouragement with the truths of Psalm 27
I distinguished the lies and covered them with truth. Each step brought more light until the discouragement dissipated. Psalm 27 holds no magic powers, nor is it the only portion of Scripture designed to dispel discouragement.
But, as God led me behind enemy lines, He used Psalm 27 to reveal the source of discouragement, the lies which fueled it, and the fount of my true Light and salvation. The sooner we recognize discouragement, the sooner we can cry out for God’s help to battle discouragement. The truth of God’s Word is the only remedy against the lies of discouragement planted by the evil one.
Discouragement is far from benign; it is a powerful weapon meant to destroy both us and our work for God’s Kingdom.
Rooted in unbelief, discouragement must be counterattacked with the Word of God. Yes, we may feel weak and helpless, but we must not yield. Even when we have no words of our own, we can turn to the Word of God and pray those words back to God, believing He is our strength and portion forever. And in so doing, our soul is revived, our faith strengthened, and satan defeated.”
Serenity in Suffering | Donna Bucher | Substack
Battling discouragement by singing God’s Word and its truths!
Are you ready to battle discouragement as we sing through Psalm 27 and a special playlist with a related song for each verse?
In God’s grace, Donna has “couraged-into” me, so I created a playlist just for us to pray-sing truths of Psalm 27 back to him!
If this would help to revive your soul and strengthen your faith as we both suffer, it’s a gift to subscribers! Sign up here if you’d like weekly playlist gifts of Scripturally-saturated songs!
If you are suffering from chronic illness and pain, here is a place of Scripture and song for us
If you would like a book to help you battle the enemy’s lies with God’s Word, here is a Bible study prayer journal to help
For suffering Christian women in your church, free workshops are now available
If you would like to support the increasing costs of this online ministry to suffering Christian women across the globe, we appreciate your donations of any amount!
0 Comments