Feeling Overwhelmed? Problems in the home? Problems at your job? Problems at school? Problems in our...

Feeling Overwhelmed?Feeling Overwhelmed?

•Problems in the home?

•Problems at your job?

•Problems at school?

•Problems in our country?

•Problems in the church?

Discouraged?Discouraged?•because of ungodliness?

•because of apathy?

•because of burdens?

•because of loneliness?

•because of some other reason?

Why Do We Get Why Do We Get Discouraged?Discouraged?

•Because of Spiritual Failure

Spiritual Failure

“I don’t want to give in to temptation, but I keep committing the same sins over and over...

God must not love me or care about me because I hate myself and am worthless to the cause of Christ...

Who can serve God in times like these?”

Spiritual Failure

Concerned with spiritual failure?

Look at Peter!

The apostle Peter could have remained discouraged because he failed his Lord so many times and

especially when he denied him three times.

(Luke 22:54-61)

Spiritual Failure

While Judas hung himself, Peter wept bitterly, and 50 days later

had the conviction to preach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God to those who were guilty of having

Him crucified. (Acts 2)

Are you discouraged because of spiritual failure?

Join the club, we have all failed spiritually

Sins of omission or commission-

James 4:17; 1 John 1:8; 1 John 3:4

James 4:17“Therefore, to one who knows the right

thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

1 John 1:8 ““If we say that we have no sin, we are

deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

1 John 3:4“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is

lawlessness.”

Are you discouraged because of spiritual failure?

Join the club, we have all failed spiritually

sins of omission or commission- James 4:17; 1 John 1:8; 1 John 3:4

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

(Phil. 4:13).



•Because of Isolation - we think we are the only one serving God

Thinking “I’m the only one”?

“I am the only one serving God at school, on my job, at the gym, in my neighborhood, or in my hometown.”

You may feel lonely, isolated, frustrated and ready to quit.

Join the club. So did the mightiest prophets of God.


Certainly no one could be thinking that.

Elijah did.

After Jezebel had killed the prophets of the Lord, she threatened Elijah,

and he ran away and requested that he might die. (1 Kings 19:1-4)


When the Lord asked him what he was doing at Horeb, along with other things Elijah said, “I alone

am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” . (1 Kings

19:10b)


Did God let him die?

No, God fed him and gave him encouragement.

God told him that there were 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal. (1 Kings 19:18)


If you are thinking “I’m the only one serving God”, you need to realize

that there are thousands of Christians who have not bowed down to the ungodliness of this world and are living righteously today and God knows it. (Titus

2:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:19)



•Because of Isolation - we think we are the only one serving God

•Because of Apathy- it seems like no one wants to study

No One Listening to You?No One Listening to You?

What if you’d live in Noah’s time?

They thought about evil all the time and filled the earth with

violence. (Genesis 6:5, 11)


He preached for at least 100 years and no one (except for 8

souls) wanted to repent of their sins in order to escape

from the worldwide flood and be saved. (1 Peter

3:20)


Did he ever think after a few years that no one wants to

hear the truth and so I’ll just quit?

No, he kept preaching. (2 Peter 2:5)


Our job is not to get the results that we want because if it is, we might

change or compromise the message; or entice them with

food, fun, or frolic.

Our responsibility is to sow the seed, and God will give the

increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6ff)


Are you inviting people to come to worship services?

Are you inviting or encouraging your friends, neighbors, and loved ones to study the Bible?

Do you show concern for their souls?

Overcome Overcome DiscouragementDiscouragement

•Remember past victories which God has given you to overcome temptation and sin.

Remember Victories!Remember Victories!

God had sustained Elijah through his trials.

Elijah needed to recall how God gave him the victory

over the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18:36-

39)


God has given us victory over our past sins when we humbly

obeyed the gospel of Christ, (1 Cor. 6:9-11;

Romans 6:17-18) and we allowed Christ to rule our lives.

(Colossians 3:15)


“Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin,

each vict’ry will help you some other to win.

Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,

look ever to Jesus, he will carry you thru.”


How many times have you prayed to God and He answered your prayers and helped you to overcome some temptation that if you would have given in to it may have led to your death?

(Drunk driving accident, fornication, abortion, AIDS, STD’S,

etc.)


How many times has God’s grace been sufficient for you to

overcome your “thorn in the flesh” and you realized that

when you were weak you were strong like the apostle Paul? (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)


So “when you are discouraged thinking all is lost, count your

many blessings, name them one by one! And it will surprise you

what the Lord hath done.”



•Focus on Jesus, not your problem

Focus on Jesus

When Peter obeyed the Lord’s command, he walked on the water.

But when he took his eyes off of Jesus and saw the waves he began to sink.

But he remembered to ask the Lord to save him and He did. (Luke 14:28-29)

Focus on Jesus

When we focus on our problems, we take our eyes off

of Jesus and begin to sink in our spirits to doubt, worry and

discouragement.

We need to focus on Jesus instead.

Why?

Focus on Jesus

Because he is the author and finisher of our faith, who because of his joy, endured the cross for

you and me. If you focus on Jesus, you will not grow weary

and discouraged. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Focus on Jesus

Don’t worry ... “God will take care of you, thru everyday o’er all the way, He will take care of you.”

So cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you. (1

Peter 5:7)

Focus on Jesus

“We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer”

Don’t worry, pray, and God has promised you that you will have

the peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:6-7)



•Focus on Jesus, not your problem

•Realize God still has work for you to do

Realize there’s work to do

God still had work for Elijah to do when he desired to quit. (1 Kings 19)

God has work for us to do also.

We have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. (Ephesians 2:10)


We need to press on towards the goal of heaven, rather than

focusing on the failures of the past or on the problems that we presently face. (Philippians 3:12-

14)


We must be prepared for every work that God has given us to do.

(2 Timothy 2:21)

That means we must take advantage of the opportunities that we have

to do good to all people and especially the household of the

faith. (Galatians 6:10)


“Each day I’ll do a golden deed by helping those who are in

need, my life on earth is but a span,

and so I’ll do the best I can”



•Focus on Jesus, not your problem•Realize God still has work for you

to do•Encourage & be encouraged!

Encourage!!

We all need to get daily encouragement from each other because we might fall away from God’s will and be hardened in our

sins.

Encourage!!

“Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be

hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Encourage!!

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who

promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love

and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

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