Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement

Thirdly lets see our spirit can be troubled by our soul, which in turn can trouble our flesh.

Pr 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Pr 17:22 A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Like a broken arm, your spirit can be wounded for a season, and it can wind up affecting you physically. Sorrow of the heart breaks the spirit, and a broken spirit drieth the bones. Discouragement is bad for you physically.

Third we will see that God has a cure for sorrow of heart.

I will give you rest, is His personal promise to those who are burdened and heavy ladened in Matthew 11:28. The only condition is that we come unto Him. What does that mean, we come unto Him? I think it means that not only do we pray to Him about the cause of a wounded spirit (death of a loved one, divorce, missed opportunity etc.) but that we also commit to Him specifically the result of the wound, that is, we also pray about our damaged feelings. As a pastor I have often encouraged people to take their hands and place them over their physical heart and to pray that God would heal their broken heart. I believe that Luke 4:18-20 says that Jesus was specifically anointed to bring that kind of healing. Some people get so preoccupied with the cause of a broken heart or discouragement they forget to pray about the impact it is having on their emotions. I remind you again of Proverbs 18:14, which says, “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?” The text implies that the healed heart is needed before the situation can be properly dealt with, and not the other way around. A healed heart can encourage you in the Lord as David did, it can with the Lord’s help come up with creative solutions, or livable workarounds, and it can cut your load in half, in that instead of a problem and a broken heart, you get back to the place where you have the problem and a healed heart/spirit to deal with it.

Another source of help is the word of God. Proverbs 12:25, “Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.” The Bible is full of soul and spirit healing words. Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Jesus knows and has the perfect answer for your need. Isaiah 50:4 (NIV) The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. Jesus can lead you to portions of the scripture that will have the answer, advice, direction, or encouragement you need. Ask Him! (Psalms is a great place to go looking for encouragement)

Finally observe this one last prayer of David’s, uttered in a time of great distress, Ps 35:3 “Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.” The last part of the text is the one I want to emphasize in closing, “Say to my soul, I am thy salvation.” David knew God was on his side, but he didn’t hesitate in asking Him to reaffirm it to him. It’s OK to be brutally simple with God, and say, “God I need some personal assurance at this time in my life, that You are on my side.”