HOW TO HANDLE DISCOURAGEMENT!
INTRO:
A gardener took great pride in caring for his lawn. But one year it grew full of dandelions. He tried every method and product to get rid of them, but nothing worked. Exasperated, he wrote the Department of Agriculture explaining all he had done. “What shall I try next?” he wrote. The repy cam back, “Try getting used to them,”
If you were to asked, what is the worlds deadliest disease, what would you choose? Would it be Heart disease, Cancer, Multiple Scleroses, Diabetes, Aids?
Most of us would not choose discouragement is a leading deadly disease, but let me tell you why I believe that discouragement is just right up there with the top killers.
First of all, it is more common than all the others combined
· It is universal –All of us get it at some point.
· It is recurring –Most everyone gets discouragement many times.
· It is highly contagious –Other people can get discouraged because of you.
Many of the world’s and the church’s greatest leaders have been given to discouragement..
Winston Churchill confessed that he was often, “hounded by the big dog of discouragement.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the greatest preacher since the Apostle Paul fought continually bouts of depression and discouragement as a result of gout that finally killed him at age 58.
If you are singing the blues in your life it may help to know that the Psalmist understood and wrote about discouragement in Psalm77. The man we meet in this Psalm bore all the marks that would today be diagnosed as depression
He felt forgotten and forsaken by God.
He couldn’t sleep.
He couldn’t articulate his thoughts because of emotional exhaustion.
He was tired all the time.
He lived in the past longing for a day that had passed by.
He became so depressed that he even began to question God (7-9). “Has God rejected his people?” “Does God no longer care?” “Has God lost his compassion?”
These are sharp piercing questions, but they were the questions that came from the Psalmist as he wallowed in discouragement and despair.
The good news is there is a remedy for discouragement:
I see some principles from the life of Nehemiah to provide timely hope and help for our troubled souls.
Nehemiah was a leader of the Jews that had returned to Israel from Babylon to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. When they first began the work, they were filled with enthusiasm and fervor and were excited about finishing the project. However, after working for a while they became discouraged.
Nehemiah 4:6 Note how they were spirited and full of zeal in their efforts. “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart”
But notice, something happens in their zeal. Nehemiah 4:10-12 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work. Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."
I see four causes for discouragement: I want to show you how people become discouraged and the remedy to over-come!
I Fatigue Nehemiah 4:10 The strength of the laborers is giving out,
They had worked themselves to exhaustion. They were just flat wore out. They were physically, mentally and emotionally drained.
Some of the most spiritual people I know that live in guilt and feel like they need to recommit their life to God often times are the ones working the most for God. The most spiritual thing they can do is go to bed, rest, relax, or take a two week vacation they can afford.
Notice when fatigue and discouragement set in” Nehemiah 4:6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height
Have you noticed that people get wore out about half way through and job” Everyone is working hard at first, Excitement is in the air Nehemiah 4:6 says they worked with all their heart
There is the newness of the project but the newness wore off and the work Becomes mundane. Life as settled down to a routine, then a ritual, then a rut!
Fatigue is one of the major causes of discouragement and that is why many people start projects and never complete them
II. FRUSTRATION: Nehemiah 4:10 there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild
the wall."
They were disheartened and disillusioned by the obstacles that were in their way. They were building a new wall but the old broken rocks where everywhere and in the way.
There was so much junk in the way they got discouraged and became overwhelmed because before they could build the way, they had to clean up the rubble.
The Trivial things in life can be obstacles that hinder us from building the walls. The trivial things consume your energy and zap your joy.
It is those things that interrupt our progress and take up our time. Remember, before you can plant the garden—you have to pulled the weeds!
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened…and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling loads of dirt the landed in the well on mules back…The ole mule SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP This he did, blow after blow.
‘Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!’No matter how many shovels of dirt they poured on the mule, or distressing the situation seemed, the old mule just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the dirt and out of the well!
III FAILURE: Nehemiah 4:10 “We cannot rebuild the wall”
Here is what they are saying:
1.We are too tired, It is impossible, It is foolish to try, we give up.
2.They were not able to finish as quickly as they had planned and their confidence plummeted. They lost heart.
How do you handle failure in your life?
I can’t get the job done –poor me and have a pity party.
Start complaining and murmuring –its impossible
Some start blaming other people
The difference between winners and losers is that the winner sees failing as a temporary setback
The devil has a plan for your life:
Doubt --To make you question God’s word and His goodness;
Discouragement-- To make you look at problems rather than at God;
Diversion--To make the wrong things seems attractive so that you will want them more than the right things;
Defeat - To make you feel like a failure so that you don’t even try;
Jesus said, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh. 8:10)
IV FEAR: Nehemiah 4:11-12 “ our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work." Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us
The enemies did not want the wall built. The first thing the enemies began to do is to criticize and to ridicule.
They said, we are going to kill you. It was the Jews who lived near the enemy that became fearful and said, hey, we cannot do this thing, they are going to kill us.
You know what happens when you hang around a negative person? It rubs off. It you hear someone constantly say, it cannot be done, next thing you know, you will believe it!
The bible says, we are to walk by faith and not be sight. You will hear people say, Hey, we cant do that but you remember, this is the Lord’s business.
Perfect love cast out fear the bible says. Fear is the dark room where negatives are made. Fear does not build walls.
V. How to Handle discouragement: Nehemiah knew the people of God
were discouraged and he knew what would get them back on course
He Re-Organized Neh 4:12 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
At times it may mean that you are doing the right thing the wrong way.
If your work load or home life is out of sink, restructure, and re-manage
80/20 percent rule: Spend 80 percent of your time on the 20 percent of the things
most important
Clear out the glutter, rubble and trivial
Nehemiah focused on priorities. Note that when He restructured he placed people by families.
He knew that when one member got down another family member could lift him up
Eccl 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Remember the Lord Neh. 4:14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don
