“Defeat, Depression and Discouragement”
October 30, 2016
1 Kings 19:1-9
“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.”
I find this experience of Elijah’s tremendously interesting. The man had just called fire down from heaven. He had prayed and it didn’t rain for three years. He ran faster than the king’s chariots. God was obviously with him. God answered his prayers. God gave him supernatural power. All those enemies who were in opposition to him were killed by the brook. We would say he was blessed; he was powerful; he was successful. He had influence. He had power. He had the respect and fear of the king. And yet, after his greatest victory, he was discouraged, depressed and defeated. If this great prophet experienced such negativity in his life – don’t you think we might experience a little of the same? Maybe we can learn something to help us from his experience.
There are a number of things we can learn from this incident. One thing I get is this: Yesterday’s victories are not enough for today’s battles. Today’s troubles have to be fought and solved today. I am going to give you six things you can do to win your battles today but first let me remind you that, like Elijah, you are physical. Were Elijah’s problems caused by a lack of spirituality? No. Was his anxiety and fear caused by realty? No. He was famished, exhausted and burnt out. His need was food, rest and encouragement. Like you and me, he sometimes pushed himself beyond his physical limits. The result was irrational fear, negativity, doubt and defeat. It was burn out. It was so bad he was ready to give up. It was so bad he just wanted to die. Ever been there? Sometimes your panic attacks and depression are not based on logic or intellect. It is emotional. It is psychological. But it very real to us. Our mind may be saying one thing but our emotions are screaming in fear. The fear may be illogical but the fear is very real.
Notice that God knew what Elijah needed. God took care of him. Mark that down in your brain. God knows YOUR needs and He will take care of you. Sometimes all we need is rest, a little nourishment and some encouragement.
I have to tell you that I had another message I was prepared to give this morning. It was all ready. I have been working on it for weeks. But I noticed that there were a whole lot of us fighting battles of discouragement and despair. I felt like the Spirit wanted me to change things. He wanted me to encourage you and lift you up. So I am going to try to do that today.
God has been blessing us so much lately. According to the experts we are experiencing our sixth year of drought. Well, we are in our 3rd week of rain. God is answering prayers. God is filling up the lakes and streams. God is blessing our land. Rain is falling on this dry thirsty land.
There is a problem, tho. We were created for the sunshine. We like to sing in the sunshine - and a result of too much rain or snow is depression. It is a part of our human condition. I find that ironic. God hears our prayers – answers them – and we get discouraged and depressed. We are like those old rednecks on “Hee Haw”. Remember that old TV show? A group of guys lying around would sing, “Gloom, despair, and agony on me! Deep, dark depression, excessive misery! If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all! Gloom, despair, and agony on me!” Then they would wail about their misfortune and bad luck.
We all get hit with depression and anxiety and discouragement at times. It is perfectly normal. But we don’t have to stay there and wallow in it. I remember when I used to do that. I would sing all those sad, country songs and feel worse and worse – even to despairing of life like Elijah. I don’t like to live like that. It isn’t fun and we aren’t fun to be around when we are like that. So what do we do?
First, get some rest! Get some nourishment! Take your medications if that is needed. Take care of your physical needs. You can’t think straight until you do. Elijah gave up. He was ready to die. He wanted to die. What was the first think he did on the road to recovery? He slept. When he woke up God sent an angel to touch him and feed him and encourage him and direct him. His first need was physical. That may be your need, too. It may be you just need a little sunshine in your life. Hang in there! It is coming!
Secondly, get into God’s Word. When we are down – things seem hopeless. We need hope. How do we get hope? Let’s see what the Bible says.
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
We get hope from the encouragement we receive by reading God’s promises in His Word. So after we get the rest we need - we need to remind ourselves of God’s promises. You can read them but it is more effective to memorize God Promises. Almost daily I recite the 23rd Psalm. Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Peter 5:4 and many more. I want to encourage you to work on hiding God’s Word in your heart. It will be there when you need it most.
Thirdly, Give thanks. That seems like such a simple thing – but it isn’t. It is huge. You can’t feel joy or love or any really good thing if you are not thankful. Ingratitude robs us of so many blessings. When I pray for my wife every day, I usually include “Fill her heart with love and joy and gratitude”. I pray the same prayer for you. The Word of God says,
“always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20
“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4
If you are depressed, discouraged or down. Turn that frown upside down! Instead of focusing on your fears – give thanks for your blessings. It will change your life!
The fourth thing to do is to sing. Make music. Make happy music. Last week I found myself singing those old Sunday school songs, “I’m so Happy” “Oh, say but I’m Glad” “I found the Happy side of Life” “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy – down in my heart” “Jesus and Others and YOU”
You can’t stay down very long when you sing those songs. You are reprograming you brain and emotions when you do that. The Bible says,
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16
“speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,” Ephesians 5:19
Music is an amazing thing. It can influence us so much. That is why it is so important to listen to the right kind of music. It can take us places we don’t want to go – or it can bring healing to our soul. The Bible tells us what to sing, how to sing and who to sing to. The least talented of us needs to sing. After all, God says we are to make a joyful noise in Psalm 100. We all can do that.
Here’s the fifth thing we can do. It is so important. It is so powerful. Listen to Paul’s testimony.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Did you get the key to divine power? Did you see how to destroy the strongholds of the devil? It is by taking our every thought captive and giving it the Jesus test? Is this thought glorifying to Jesus? Would Jesus approve of me thinking about this? We need to be in control of our thoughts. We are not their slaves. We are in control – with God’s help.
In Dale Carnegies book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” he talks about how all the bad guys of his time, from Al Capone to John Dillinger and many more, considered themselves ‘good guys’ who were simply misunderstood. Carnegie points out they thought on the wrong things. They meditated on the wrong things. They let their thoughts and emotions control them. We must think on the right things. What is that? The Bible tells us.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Do you understand that what we think about makes us who we are? I remember when computers first came out that they said, “Garbage in – garbage out.” You become what you think about. The best advice I can give you is ‘control your thoughts’ and “Think about the right things”.
One last thing and I will be done. Sixth, Choose Joy. The Bible says,
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
Do you understand that joy is a choice? It is of the spirit and the intellect. We think it is an emotion – but it isn’t. Happiness depends on ‘happenings’ but joy is a choice. We can find joy even in tribulation. The Apostles sang songs and praised God when they were in prison. Even when they were beaten half to death they considered it a joy and an honor. They thanked God for the honor and sang praises to Him. Joy is a choice. This week choose Joy.
We all experience discouragement, depression and defeat. Why? Because we are human. We are physical. Here is how to overcome it.
1. Get some rest
2. Get into God’s Word
3. Give Thanks
4. Make Music
5. Control your Thoughts
6. Choose Joy
God is a good God. He is a God of joy and He wants you to experience His goodness. But He has given you free will. You live the way you choose. This week – make the right choices. Choose Joy!
“Defeat, Depression and Discouragement”
October 30, 2016; Pastor Andy Grossman
1 Kings 19:1-9
Intro: Things we can learn:
1. Depression is ____________
2. Yesterdays Victories are _________________________
3. Panic attacks are not based on ______________________
4. God knows your __________
5. God will ________________
So What do we do when we are Defeated, Depressed and Discouraged?
1. Get some ______
2. Get into ______ _______
3. Give ___________
4. Make ___________
5. Control your _____________
6. Choose ___________
